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Movie Quote of the Day – The Great Ziegfeld, 1936 (dir. Robert Z. Leonard)

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Anna Held: [on the phone with Ziegfeld after learning of his marriage to Billie Burke] Hello, Flo. . .Yes. Here’s Anna. . .I’m so happy for you today, I could not help but calling you and congratulate you. . .Wonderful, Flo! Never better in my whole life!. . .I’m so excited about my new plans! I’m going to Paris. . .Yes, for a few weeks, and then I can get back, and then I’m doing a new show, and. . .Oh, it’s all so wonderful! I’m so happy!. . .Yes. . .And I hope you are happy, too. . .Yes?. . .Oh, I’m so glad for you, Flo. . .Sounds funny for ex-husband and ex-wife to tell how happy they are, oui?. . .Yes, Flo. . .Goodbye, Flo. . .Goodbye. . . [hangs up phone] Darling. . . [falls to her bed, sobbing].
Marie: Mon poor, petite! If you love him so, why did you divorce him?
Anna Held: Because I thought. . . .it would bring him back to me. I was sure that it would bring him back to me.

New From Warner Bros.: 20 Film Collection – Musicals

As part of their year-long 90th anniversary celebration, Warner Bros. has been releasing some really great boxed sets. From their 100 Film Collection and their 50 Film Collection, to several 20 Film Collection sets. Last month they released a boxed set of 20 Best Picture winners and coming soon they are giving the same treatment to comedies, thrillers and romance. Last week they released a boxed set of 20 classical musicals (some of the musicals are from MGM, whose back catalogue WB owns), that is simply to die for. Really, my only complaint about the set is that the discs are clearly culled from older releases (The Wizard of Oz is disc one of the special 70th edition from a few years back and Viva Las Vegas is definitely from a previous Elvis collection). Despite that, each film comes with special features and at this price point ($90 retail, $60-70 at most online shops), this collection is a real bargain. It’s also a fun way to get a great overview of how the musical has changed over the years. After the cut, I’ll go through each disc with a little review of the transfer quality, special features, etc.

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