Considering her fame and the enduring respect for her craftsmanship, it's hard to believe there has never been a Barbara Stanwyck box set on DVD. Warner Home Video, not surprisingly, takes care of that odd oversight on Oct. 30, with "Barbara Stanwyck: The Signature Collection)
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The Stanwyck classicsare already out there; this is more of a fill-in-the-gaps set. The six films hail from the 1930s-'50s:
"Executive Suite" (1954), a look at post-war corporate in-fighting that should hit close to home in the private equity era. Directed by Robert Wise. With William Holden, Frederic March and Shelley Winters. "Wall Street" analyst Oliver Stone delivers a feature commentary.
"Annie Oakley" (1935), a comedy directed by George Stevens.
"East Side, West Side" (1949), in which Stanwyck has to fend off Ava Gardner and Cyd Charisse.
"My Reputation" (1946), a melodrama about a war widow, her miseries and her new love.
"To Please a Lady" (1950) -- Clark Gable is the race car driver; Stanwyck is the reporter out to get him. Guess what happens. Racing sequences shot at the site of the Indianapolis 500.
"Jeopardy" (1953), a thriller about a kid who goes missing on vacation in Mexico. Directed by John Sturges.
Extras include the usual fun Warner Bros. toons and shorts, along with a couple of radio adaptations voiced by Stanwyck. The DVD set streets at $50.
Other coming attractions just in via email: "Burt Lancaster: The Signature Collection" (with "Executive Action") from Warner, due Oct. 13 ... The Raymond Carver adaptation "Jindabyne"
from Sony, due Oct. 2 ... Plus, two more cool titles from Dragon Dynasty: The Triad thriller "Dragon Heat"
due Sept. 18 and the South Korean gangster hit "The City of Violence" due Sept. 4 (both via Genius/Weinstein).
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