How's this for a press release!
THE GLORY OF GARLAND!!!
Five Judy Garland Classics Debuting April 6 on DVD
Highlighted by the 60th Anniversary of
MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS
Nominated for Four Academy Awards®
Two-Disc Special Edition Remastered with "Ultra-Resolution" Process and New
Dolby Digital 5.1 Soundtrack
Featuring All New Introduction by Liza Minnelli And Celebrated with Scores of
Bonus Materials
Other Garland Titles Available For the First Time on DVD Include:
FOR ME AND MY GAL
IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME
LOVE FINDS ANDY HARDY
ZIEGFELD GIRL
Burbank, CA., January 9, 2004 - Five Hollywood classics starring the
incomparable Judy Garland - one of the most talented and beloved stars of the
20th century - will become available on DVD for the very first time April 6 from
Warner Home Video (WHV).
In celebration of its 60th Anniversary, the fan-favorite Meet Me in St. Louis,
nominated for four Academy Awards®, is the main attraction in this collection of
wonderful titles. This Two-Disc Special Edition is the third release to
undergo Warner Bros. Pictures' proprietary "Ultra-Resolution" process, giving
today's viewers the most extraordinary presentation possible for this classic
musical. Meet Me in St. Louis, directed by the great Vincente Minnelli
(especially known for his unique use of Technicolor), has benefited greatly with
an improved fully remastered picture derived from newly-restored film elements.
In addition, the release features a new digital audio track that has been
remixed to Dolby Digital 5.1 from original multi-channel pre-production music
source elements. The DVD contains the original mono track as well. Also
featured is an all-new introduction by Liza Minnelli, daughter of star Judy
Garland and director Vincente Minnelli.
The four other Garland classics, all digitally remastered, include For Me and My
Gal with Gene Kelly, In the Good Old Summertime with Van Johnson, Love Finds
Andy Hardy with Mickey Rooney, and Ziegfeld Girl with Jimmy Stewart, Lana
Turner, and Hedy Lamarr. All five titles are brimming with extra features such
as extensive commentaries, vintage shorts, "making of" documentaries, radio
programs, original trailers and more. Meet Me in St. Louis Two-Disc Special
Edition is priced at $26.99 SRP, while the others are priced at $19.98 SRP.
The Ultra-Resolution Process
The popular Meet Me in St. Louis is presented in Warner Bros. Pictures' dazzling
"Ultra-Resolution," which allows today's viewers to see parts of the images that
were not visible previously and in sharper detail than conventional Technicolor
release prints. Warner Bros. introduced this process with the release of Singin
' in the Rain in the fall of 2002 followed by The Adventures of Robin Hood this
past summer. According to Rob Hummel, Warner Bros. Studios Senior Vice
President of Technical Operations, "'Ultra-Resolution' continues to be improved
each time out and Meet Me in St. Louis is just spectacular."
More than seventy years after the introduction of Technicolor, Warner Bros.
Studios is employing the "Ultra-Resolution" process that begins with scanning
the original Technicolor 3-strip black and white 'records' at extremely high
(2k) resolution. The black and white records are then combined electronically
to create the color images, which are also electronically re-registered,
steadied and cleaned before the final DVDs are produced.
Meet Me in St. Louis
In a role that was one of her favorites, a 22-year-old Judy Garland headlines
this warm turn-of-the-century delight presented for the first time on DVD. Set
in 1903, this captivating musical is a slice of Americana about the Smith family
's experiences during the year of the St. Louis World's Fair. Directed by
Vincente Minnelli (whom Garland married soon after filming, later becoming
parents to daughter Liza), Judy Garland has perhaps never been more winning as
she pines for "The Boy Next Door," comforts seven-year-old Margaret O'Brien
(awarded a special Oscar® as 1944's outstanding child actress) with "Have
Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and whisks along to the clang-clang-clang of
"The Trolley Song."
Meet Me in St. Louis DVD extra content features include:
Disc One:
New Introduction by Liza Minnelli
New Commentary by Garland biographer John Fricke with Margaret O'Brien,
screenwriter Irving Brecher, songwriter Hugh Martin and daughter of producer
Arthur Freed, Barbara Freed-Saltzman
Music-only track (without vocals)
Vincente Minnelli trailer gallery with trailers from eight of his most
treasured films including Meet Me in St. Louis, Father of the Bride, An American
in Paris, The Bad and the Beautiful, Brigadoon, Designing Woman, Gigi, and The
Courtship of Eddie's Father
Disc Two:
Meet Me in St. Louis: The Making of an American Classic (Narrated by Roddy
McDowall)
Hollywood: The Dream Factory (Emmy-Award winning 1972 MGM-TV special, narrated
by Dick Cavett-- First time on home video)
Becoming Attractions: Judy Garland (1996 TCM special)
Meet Me in St. Louis (1966 TV pilot with Shelley Fabares and Celeste Holm)
Bubbles (1930 Warner Bros. short featuring Judy Garland at age 7)
Skip To My Lou (Rare 1941 musical short with Meet Me in St. Louis composers
Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane)
Audio Vault
Boys and Girls Like You and Me outtake (re-construction using still
photographs)
Lux Radio Theater Broadcast from December 2, 1946
Stills Gallery
For Me and My Gal
Directed by the legendary Busby Berkeley, For Me and My Gal features a trunkful
of tunes in this story about a Vaudeville couple determined to play The Palace
in New York. Gene Kelly made his film debut and teamed with Judy Garland for the
first time in this romantic tale that bucks tough times and World War I on the
way to show biz success. The two stars make their way through a hit parade of
nostalgic gems including the title track "For Me and My Gal," "Smiles," "After
You've Gone," " Ballin' the Jack" and more than a dozen more.
For Me and My Gal DVD extra content features include:
New Commentary by Garland biographer John Fricke
La Fiesta de Santa Barbara (1935 MGM short featuring "The Garland Sisters")
Every Sunday (1936 MGM short featuring Judy Garland and Deanna Durbin)
For Me and My Gal Deleted Finale (with stills montage)
Audio Vault
Three Cheers for the Yanks outtake
Lady Esther Screen Guild Theater Radio Show from March 22, 1943
Leo Is on the Air Radio Promo
Theatrical Trailer
Love Finds Andy Hardy
Love Finds Andy Hardy is the fourth film in the series and finds Andy (Mickey
Rooney) frantically trying to juggle two girlfriends (Ann Rutherford and Lana
Turner) at the same time. It's the new kid next-door (Judy Garland in the first
of three fondly remembered Andy Hardy appearances) who helps Andy out of his jam
and sings such delightful songs as "In Between," "It Never Rains But What It
Pours" and "Meet the Beat of My Heart."
Love Finds Andy Hardy DVD extra content features include:
New Introduction by Garland biographer John Fricke and Ann Rutherford
Leo Is on the Air radio promo
Andy Hardy trailer gallery with trailers from this and two other films in the
series including Hardy Family Christmas promotional trailer and Life Begins for
Andy Hardy
In the Good Old Summertime
Starring Judy Garland and Van Johnson, this musical remake of The Shop Around
the Corner, set in a Chicago music store, finds a salesgirl (Garland)
corresponding through a dating service with a man (Johnson) who turns out to be
the manager she detests.
In the Good Old Summertime DVD extra content features include:
New Introduction by Garland biographer John Fricke
Chicago Shorts
Chicago the Beautiful (1948 MGM short)
Night Life in Chicago (1948 MGM short)
Theatrical trailers for this film, plus The Shop Around the Corner on which the
film is based and You've Got Mail (the 1998 version with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan)
Ziegfeld Girl
James Stewart and Judy Garland head an all-star cast including Hedy Lamarr, Lana
Turner, Tony Martin and Jackie Cooper in this 1941 musical drama about the
professional and romantic problems of three Ziegfeld chorus girls.
Ziegfeld Girl DVD extra content features include:
New Introduction by Garland biographer John Fricke
A New Romance of Celluloid: We Must Have Music (1942 MGM short)
Melodies Old and New (1942 Our Gang short)
Audio Vault
Too Beautiful to Last Outtake (audio only)
We Must Have Music Deleted Finale (audio only)
Theatrical Trailers of several Ziegfeld films including The Great Ziegfeld,
Ziegfeld Girl, and Ziegfeld Follies.
