Warner Archive offer a number of excellent collections, including Our Gang and Joe McDoakes; but three that I especially commend are Classical Musical Shorts from the Dream Factory, Vitaphone Cavalcade of Musical Comedy, and Warner Bros. Big Band, Jazz & Swing Short Subject Collection.
The first is a wonderful 4-disc DVD set comprising material from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer including a dozen superb full Technicolor offerings, featuring John Farrow's The Spectacle Maker (1934), a movie he much admired because it was the first film he directed.
Needless to say, he did an excellent job. But even more importantly, Farrow told me, it was on the set of this picture that he met his future wife, Maureen O'Sullivan. However, she does not actually appear in the movie itself - as I always supposed from John's comment. Perhaps her role was left on the cutting-room floor? Or perhaps she tried out for the princess, but was replaced by Cora Sue Collins? Or maybe she was just visiting the set? Or then again, perhaps John was confusing this film in his memory with his next directorial assignment on Tarzan Escapes (1936), in which, of course, Maureen played Jane.
Needless to say, he did an excellent job. But even more importantly, Farrow told me, it was on the set of this picture that he met his future wife, Maureen O'Sullivan. However, she does not actually appear in the movie itself - as I always supposed from John's comment. Perhaps her role was left on the cutting-room floor? Or perhaps she tried out for the princess, but was replaced by Cora Sue Collins? Or maybe she was just visiting the set? Or then again, perhaps John was confusing this film in his memory with his next directorial assignment on Tarzan Escapes (1936), in which, of course, Maureen played Jane.