Product Description

SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty are young lovers ripped apart by the repressive small-town mentality of 1920's Kansas. SEX AND THE SINGLE GIRL Helen Gurley Brown’s book shoved aside, title used to exploit fairly amusing tale of smut-magazine editor, Tony Curtis wooing notorious female psychologist, Natalie Wood. INSIDE DAISY CLOVER Daisy Clover is a 15 year old Tomboy who dreams of being a Hollywood star - and succeeds! After becoming the toast of Hollywood, Daisy must then come to terms with her new found fame and the 1930's Hollywood star treatment. GYPSY (Deluxe Edition) Everything comes up roses when you let Rosalind Russell, Natalie Wood and Karl Malden entertain you in the lavish movie musical of the Broadway hit about Gypsy Rose Lee and her formidable mother. BOMBERS B-52 A love story between army pilot Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. and Natalie Wood, despite the objections of Ms. Wood’s sergeant father. Riveting aerial footage of jet plane maneuvers. CASH MCCALL James Garner is a capitalist in the grip of merger mania, and Natalie Wood is the woman he wants and the daughter of the man whose company he seeks to acquire.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12716 in DVD
• Brand: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 2009-02-03
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Box set, Black & White, Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 6

Features

• SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty are young lovers ripped apart by the repressive small-town mentality of 1920's Kansas.SEX AND THE SINGLE GIRL Helen Gurley Brown?s book shoved aside, title used to exploit fairly amusing tale of smut-magazine editor, Tony Curtis wooing notorious female psychologist, Natalie Wood.INSIDE DAISY CLOVER Daisy Clover is a 15 year old Tomboy who dreams

Amazon.com
The inclusion of the inside-Hollywood exposé Inside Daisy Clover in this boxed set underscores the somewhat melancholy legacy of a once-bright star, Natalie Wood, who always seemed just a bit overwhelmed by the manufactured nature of cinematic success. The Natalie Wood Collection groups six pictures from the middle phase of Wood's career, when she was one of the biggest female stars in the movies. The earliest film, Bombers B-52, is from the ingénue stage, with Wood cast as the daughter of meat-and-potatoes military lifer Karl Malden, and romanced by supposedly dashing (but fatally wooden) flyboy Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. Smoothly directed by Gordon Douglas, the movie's got some fine footage of airplanes, if it lacks excitement in other aspects. Cash McCall (1959) is an oddball time capsule, with James Garner as a Donald Trump-like business buccaneer and Wood as the woman who doesn't want to love him. The plotline is a stupefying tale of corporate intrigue, but the supporting cast is flavorful. Wood turned a corner with her Oscar-nominated role in Splendor in the Grass (1961), Elia Kazan's classic about an ill-fated 1920s love story between fragile Wood and small-town prince Warren Beatty (his first big-screen role). The real-life affair between the two stars fuels the tangible passion of the movie, which has one of the most affecting final reels of this era. Gypsy (1962) is on everybody's shortlist of greatest Broadway musicals (songs by Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim), and the movie version doesn't disappoint. Wood, rarely more gorgeous, plays the vaudeville child trouper who would grow up to be the legendary stripper Gypsy Rose Lee; Rosalind Russell is her monstrous stage mother. Sex and the Single Girl (1964) borrows its title from the best-selling Helen Gurley Brown advice book. The movie is a vintage (practically antique) Sixties sex farce, with Tony Curtis as a writer for a dirty magazine who wants to discredit a prominent psychologist and expert on sex (that's Natalie). Director Richard Quine uncorks some amusing sight gags, and Henry Fonda and Lauren Bacall add class, but the movie leans too much on leering. Finally, Inside Daisy Clover (1966) is a jaundiced tale of a Judy Garland-like tomboy sent through the Hollywood wringer as a synthetic starlet. Wood is spirited in the lead role, Christopher Plummer is snakelike as a studio boss, and Robert Redford enjoys himself as a devilish movie star. But the film almost chokes on its own cynicism (the film's basically one long demonstration of how audiences are suckers), despite the intelligence of director Robert Mulligan & co. It's impossible not to relate the storyline to Wood's own curious career, and she looks as though she's found a role to identify with completely. Extras in the set are minimal, but prints are uniformly fine. --Robert Horton

From the back cover
Bombers B-52: The era's mightiest fighting machine! A dissension-torn crew prepares for a test flight of a 2000-ton B-52 Statofortress. Wood is joined by Karl Malden and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. Cash McCall: What's the real reason behind corporate raider McCall's (James Ganer) bid to snap up Austen Plastics? Could it be a way to woo the lovely daughter (Wood) of Austen's owner? Splendor in the Grass (remastered): Their hearts say yes. Their hometown says no. Repression reaps tragedy in a compelling tale of teenaged lovers in 1920s Kansas. Natalie Wood teams with screen-debuting Warren Beatty. Gypsy (remastered): You gotta have a gimmick! Stripper Gypsy Rose Lee (Wood) has one of the best, thanks to the coaching of stage mom Rosalind Russell. A vibrant Everything's Coming Up Roses-adaptation of the Styne-Sondheim Broadway smash. Sex and the Single Girl: From Helen Gurley Brown's bestseller! Natalie Wood is the girl who writes the book on love--and Henry Fonda, Tony Curtis, and Lauren Bacall join her in the boudoir bedlam that follows. Inside Daisy Clover: Who better to play a teen screen sensation than the star who was one of film's greatest child actors? Natalie Wood and up-and-comer Robert Redford shine in this inside-Tinseltown tale.

Customer Reviews

Long-awaited collection of films is finally here
Even though this is called a Signature Collection, the artwork I have seen doesn't indicate the same classic style that is present on the other Warner signature collections. The last one to be released was the Burt Lancaster Signature collection late in 2007. This set shall contain six films.

SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS (1961) - Directed by Elia Kazan stars Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty as young lovers during the 1920's who can't be together due to society's external pressures and the internal pressures of the girl's fragile mental state.

SEX AND THE SINGLE GIRL (1964)Directed by Richard Quine. Natalie Wood stars as Helen Gurley Brown. A writer at a tabloid magazine (Tony Curtis) wants to interview Miss Brown, but the only way he can do so is to masquerade as a patient.

INSIDE DAISY CLOVER (1965) Directed by Robert Mulligan. Set in the 1930's Daisy is a teenager who becomes a star against the odds. She has to find a way to deal with her newfound fame. Christopher Plummer plays the studio executive that controls Daisy's every move.

GYPSY (Deluxe Edition) (1962) Directed by Mervyn LeRoy. Story of the burlesque queen includes a great performance by Rosalind Russell as her stage mother and Karl Malden as the agent/family friend. Gypsy is not the center of attention of the act or of the family until her sister - the real star up to that point - elopes at the ripe old age of 13. That younger sister is played by Ann Jillian.

BOMBERS B-52 (1957) - Directed by Gordon Douglas. Stars Karl Malden as Master Sergeant Chuck V. Brennan who has a strong dislike for hot-shot Colonel Jim Herlihy, the commanding officer of the 329th Bomber Squadron. When Herlihy takes a liking to Brennan's daughter (Natalie Wood) the dislike grows even more. Usually these kind of films have the enlisted man liking the officer's daughter. This reverses things a bit.

CASH MCCALL (1960)directed by Joseph Pevney. James Garner plays the title character - an entepreneur who has already had an affair with Natalie Wood's character. When they meet again it is when McCall is trying to buy her father's company.

Brainstorm, Natalie Wood's final film, shall be released separately. There is no word on extra features yet.

Original Aspect Ratios!
I wish these had been released as separate DVDs, but the most important thing is that this is the first time many of these films have been released on video in their original aspect ratios!

Since Amazon's listing can only handle one aspect ratio, the films are presented as follows, and all are anamorphic presentations:

Bombers B-52 - 2:35:1
Cash McCall - 1.85:1
Splendor in the Grass - 1.85:1
Gypsy - 2.35:1
Sex and the Single Girl - 1.85:1
Inside Daisy Clover - 2.35:1

Note that this is the first time Cash McCall has been seen in its original aspect ratio since its theatrical release; even Turner Classic Movies only has a pan & scan 1.33:1 copy.

Remembering natalie Wood
A generation of moviegoers identify Natalie Wood with Maria, the character she portrayed in the Academy Award-winning "West Side Story" (1961). Her film career dates back to the 1940's, when she appeared as a child star in several films, the most famous, "The Miracle on 34th Street" (1947), when she was only nine.
"The Natalie Wood Collection" continues the admirable policy by Warner Home Video of assembling movies featuring popular stars into box sets. The six feature films in this new collection are a mixed bag. "Bombers B-52" (1957) is a routine love story costarring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., as Wood's love interest and Karl Malden as her career military father who objects to their romance. Unfortunately, Wood is overshadowed here by CinemaScope photography of jet planes doing intricate aerial maneuvers.
"Cash McCall" (1960), heavy on soap opera, costars James Garner in the title role of a business tycoon who thrives on buying and selling companies for profit. McCall's acquisition plan for Grant Austen's (Dean Jagger) company is complicated when he learns that Austen's daughter (Wood) is the same girl with whom he once had a summer romance.
"Sex and the Single Girl" (1964) pairs Wood with Tony Curtis in a romantic comedy with supporting roles by Henry Fonda and Lauren Bacall.
Two show business films, "Gypsy" (1962) and "Inside Daisy Clover" (1965), go behind the scenes of vaudeville and motion pictures, respectively. In both, Wood starts out as an average girl who, because of looks and drive, blossoms into a star while learning that stardom has its dark downside.
The best film in the set is "Splendor in the Grass" (1961). Written by William Inge ("Picnic") and directed by Elia Kazan ("A Streetcar Named Desire," "On the Waterfront"), it marked the screen debut of Warren Beatty. He and Wood portray teenage lovers filled with lust who are ripped apart by the repressive small-town mentality of 1920's Kansas. The chemistry between the two leads is excellent, and Wood turns in one of her best performances in a Romeo-and-Juliet tale where social class forms the barrier. The characters are all well faceted, and the supporting cast exceptional (Pat Hingle, Sandy Dennis, Barbara Loden). No film of the era illustrated better the conflict between sexual desire and repression. Its theme of rebellion against parental authority would find its way into films increasingly throughout the 1960's.