DVD Talk Forum - Warner announces five Judy Garland classics for April

From DVDTimes:

Warner Home Video have announced the Region 1 DVD release of five Judy Garland classics for 6th April 2004 headlined by the two-disc special edition release of Meet Me in St. Louis. In celebration of its 60th Anniversary, the fan-favourite Meet Me in St. Louis 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. Retail is $26.96 on the Meet Me in St. Louis Two-Disc Special Edition while the others are priced at $19.98 each.

Full details on each release follows...

Meet Me in St. Louis - In a role that was one of her favourites, 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