Customer Reviews

Clark Gable Collection (Call of the Wild / Soldier of Fortune / The Tall Men)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment present "Clark Gable Collection 1" (The Call of the Wild/Soldier of Fortune/The Tall Man) --- (Dolby digitally remastered)...featuring top performances by actors to die for from the '30s, '40s and '50s with outstanding plot lines and screenplays...from memorable films that will leave you sitting on the edge of your seat completely engulfed in the story and every scene...so pop some popcorn, sit back and enjoy the movie.

First up we have "THE CALL OF THE WILD" (1935) (95 min. B/W)...under director William Wellman, producer Darryl F. Zanuck, novel by Jack London, screenplay by Gene Fowler and Leonard Praskins, original music by Alfred Newman...the cast include Clark Gable ( Jack Thornton), Loretta Young (Claire Blake), Jack Oakie (Shorty Hollihan), Frank Conroy (John Blake), Reginald Owen (Smith), Sidney Toler (Joe Groggins), Katherine de Mille (Marie), Lalo Encinas (Kali), Charles Stevens (Francois), James Burke (Olle), Duke Green (Frank). . . . .our story has Clark Gable and Jack Oakie headed for gold in them thar hills...Gable purchases a sled dog Buck who is part wolf and saves his life once or twice during the film...Loretta Young is searching for her husband Frank Conroy who leaves her to search for another clear vein of gold...a closeness develops between Gable and Young during the journey, when Gable realizes he must help find her husband and makes things right.....the interaction between Gable, Young and Oakie has a moral and lifting ingredient not found in todays films...once again Gable steals the scenes as part hero, devil may care and honorable character that he is.

Special footnote, actor Clark Gable was signed in 1930 by MGM's Irving Thalberg. Joan Crawford asked for him as co-star in "Dance, Fools, Dance" (1931) and the public loved him manhandling Norma Shearer in "A Free Soul" (1931) the same year. "The Painted Desert" (1931)His unshaven lovemaking with bra-less Jean Harlow in "Red Dust" (1932) made him MGM's most important star..."Dancing Lady" (1933)Gable refused an assignment and the studio punished him by loaning him out to (at the time) low-rent Columbia Pictures, which put him in Frank Capra's "It Happened One Night" (1934), which won him an Oscar, "China Seas" (1935)"The Call of the Wild" (1935) to a far more substantial roles at MGM, such as Fletcher Christian in "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1935) and Rhett Butler in "Gone with the Wind" (1939), "Wife vs. Secretary" (1936,It was at Gable's 36th birthday that Judy Garland sang "Dear Mr. Gable: You Made Me Love You.", he was only beginning with films like "San Francisco" (1936), Strange Cargo" (1940), "Boom Town" (1940), "Honky Tonk" (1941), "Across the Wide Missouri" (1951), "Lone Star" (1952), "Mogambo" (1953), "The King and Four Queens" (1956), "Band of Angels" (1957), "Teacher's Pet" (1958), "Run Silent Run Deep" (1958), "But Not for Me" (1959), It Started in Naples (1960)...playing a cowboy in his last film, "The Misfits" (1961), which was also the final film for co-star Marilyn Monroe, the aging Gable diligently performed his own stunts, taking its toll on his already guarded health. He died from a heart attack before the film was released, Named the #7 greatest actor on The 50 Greatest Screen Legends List by the American Film Institute...Gable was quoted "The only reason they come to see me is that I know life is great - and they know I know it, I'm no actor and I never have been, what people see on the screen is me."...it was fellow friend and actor Spencer Tracy who dubbed Gable as "The King".

SPECIAL BIO:
1. Clark Gable
Date of birth: 1 February 1901 - Cadiz, Ohio,
Date of death: 16 November 1960 - Los Angeles, California

BIOS:
1. Loretta Young (aka: Gretchen Young)
Date of birth: 6 January 1913 - Salt Lake City, Utah
Date of death: 12 August 2000 - Los Angeles, California

2. Jack Oakie (aka: Lewis Delaney Offield)
Date of birth: 12 November 1903 - Sedalia, Missouri
Date of death: 23 January 1978 - Los Angeles, California

3. William Wellman (aka: William Augustus Wellman) (Director)
Date of birth: 29 February 1896 - Brookline, Massachusetts
Date of death: 9 December 1975 - Los Angeles, California

4. Jack London (aka: John Griffith Chaney) (Author)
Date of birth: 12 January 1876 - San Francisco, California,
Date of death: 22 November 1916 - Glen Ellen, California

Second film is "SOLDIER OF FORTUNE" (1955) (96 min Color)...under director Edward Dmytryk, producer Buddy Adler, book author and screenplay by Ernest K. Gann , Hugo W. Friedhofer (Composer (Music Score), Lionel Newman (Musical Direction/Supervision . . . . .cast includes Clark Gable (Hank Lee), Susan Hayward (Jane Hoyt), Michael Rennie (Inspector Merryweather), Gene Barry (Louis Hoyt),Alex D'Arcy (Rene), Tom Tully (Tweedie), Anna Sten (Mme. Dupree), Russell Collins (Icky), Leo Gordon (Big Matt), Richard Loo (Po-Lin), Soo Yong (Dak Lai), Frank Tang (Ying Fai), Jack Kruschen (Austin Stoker) . . . . .our story is based upon the Ernest Gann novel with colorful characters doing what they do best, Gable (American mercenary), Hayward the wife searching for her husband, Gene Barry the husband and Michael Rennie trying to catch Gable at his smuggling... Gable accepts the task of finding Barry who is captive by the Chinese Communist authorities on a trumped up charge of spying... how Gable pulls pff the rescue is the exciting venture of the story...will he get the girl Hayward, who he has fallen deeply in love with, that my friend is what you're about to discover...make note of some great shots of Hong Kong during that era, gives the film body as actually being there.

BIOS:
1. Susan Hayward (aka: Edythe Marrenner)
Date of birth: 30 June 1918 - Brooklyn, New York
Date of death: 14 March 1975 - Hollywood, California

2. Michael Rennie (aka: Eric Alexander Rennie)
Date of birth: 25 August 1909 - Bradford, Yorkshire, England, UK
Date of death: 10 June 1971 - Harrogate, Yorkshire, England, UK

3. Gene Barry (aka: Eugene Klass)
Date of birth: 14 June 1919 - New York, New York
Date of Death: 9 December 2009 - Woodland Hills, California

4. Edward Dmytryk (Director)
Date of birth: 4 September 1908 - Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada
Date of death: 1 July 1999 - Encino, California

Third film on the collection is "THE TALL MEN" (1955) (122 min Color)...under director Raoul Walsh, produced by William A. Bacher and William Hawks, book author Clay Fisher, screenplay by Sydney Boethm and Frank S. Nugent, music by Victor Young (Musical Direction/Supervision / Composer (Music Score), songs by Ken Darby. . . . . .cast includes Clark Gable (Ben Allison), Jane Russell (Nella Turner), Robert Ryan (Nathan Stark), Cameron Mitchell (Clint Allison), Emile G. Meyer (Chickasaw), Juan Garcia (Luis), Harry Shannon (Sam), Steven Darrell ( The Colonel) . . . . . our story is a familiar one, as in "Red River" (1948, this film is a good action western featuring Gable, Russell and Ryan all itching for the end of the rainbow and what money can bring them...great direction by Raoul Walsh and Leo Tover behind the camera with sweeping shots that we all love in a western....Ryan is a cattleman who talks Gable and his brother Cameron Mitchell into heading Texas cattle to Montana...on the way they meet up with Jane Russell and spark fly between her and Gable, but don't count out Ryan as he has big ideas for an empire and Russell just might fall into his plans...at the end of the drive who will come away with all the cards, and where does "Prairie Dog Creek" fit in...this is one of Gables best westerns and he is up to his classic style of acting, don't miss this one.

BIOS:
1. Janes Russell (aka: Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell)
Date of birth: 21 June 1921 - Bemidji, Minnesota
Date of Death: 28 February 2011 - Santa Maria, California

2. Robert Ryan (aka: Robert Bushnell Ryan)
Date of Birth: 11 November 1909 - Chicago, Illinois
Date of Death: 11 July 1973 - New York City, New York

3. Raoul Walsh (aka: Albert Edward Walsh) (Director)
Date of birth: 11 March 1887 - New York, New York
Date of death: 31 December 1980 - Simi Valley, California,

BONUS SPECIAL FEATURES:
"Call of the Wild" (8/09/1935)...Commentary by author Darwin Porter; Restoration comparison; Photo gallery; Original theatrical trailer;
"Soldier of Fortune" (5/27/1955)...Commentary by author Danforth Prince; Restoration comparison; Photo gallery; Original theatrical trailer;
"The Tall Men" (10/06/1955)...:Behind-the-scenes and production stills galleries; Original theatrical trailer & more!

Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 5 Stars
Performance: 5 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 5 Stars
Overall: 5 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 3-DVD-Set ~ 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment #2236485 ~ (8/15/2006)

This collection of Clark Gable's three films for 20th Century Fox is probably more for fans than casual viewers, but there's still much to enjoy here. The big disappointment is that William Wellman's 1935 version of The Call of the Wild is only the cut (by some 14 minutes) wartime reissue version rather than the original. Any resemblance to anything written by Jack London is purely coincidental: it's set in the Yukon, and there's a dog called Buck in it who has to pull a thousand pound weight in one scene for a bet, but that's about it. But this Buck is a huge St Bernard and he's only a bit player in a gold rush romp tailored for Clark Gable - but then at the height of his popularity, audiences would probably have burned the theatres to the ground if he'd played second fiddle to a hound. More famous for Gable and co-star Loretta Young emerging from the snowed-in on-location shoot with an illegitimate child, it's an enjoyable enough yarn even in the abridged reissue cut that now seems to be the only version surviving, although it shamefully throws away Reginald Owen's excellent villain, who deserves a much better exit than he gets here.

Best of the bunch is Soldier of Fortune, a crowd-pleasing potboiler from the days when Technicolor was glorious (okay, it was shot in De Luxe, but the same principle applies) and CinemaScope really was CINEMAScope. There's not much action (the final rescue is laughably easy), but Ernest K. Gann's script is snappy fun, Clark Gable and Susan Hayward play well off each other, Michael Rennie and the colourful supporting cast more than earn their pay, Hong Kong probably never looked better on screen and there's a pleasingly lush romantic score from Hugo Friedhofer. Curious to see director Edward Dmytryk, the one member of the Hollywood Ten to recant (after being appalled at the Party's treatment of his family while he was in prison), turning in such an anti-Communist oater, but he handles it with flair. A deathless classic? Hell, no - but grand entertainment.

The Tall Men has a great opening half hour, but once the snow clears it's pedestrian and overlong all the way despite the combined star power of Clark Gable, Robert Ryan and Jane Russell. The DeLuxe color is problematic throughout - the early scenes and studio footage look wonderful, but out in the wide-open country it tends to make everything on the trail look bleached out and lifeless, the early CinemaScope lenses probably exacerbating the limitations of the system. Still, there's some great dialog and Ryan gets to deliver the definitive description of his co-star - "There goes the only man I ever respected. He's what every boy thinks he's going to be when he grows up and wishes he had been when he's an old man."

Not an essential purchase by any means, but on the whole an entertaining one.

Clark Gable only made three movies for Fox studio. The three are complete in this fine Fox collection. Each movie is enclosed in a plastic snap case, displayed with movie poster art. The Clark Gable photo covered on the box slip-case is very attractive. The image resolutions are high standard for these movies which are available for the first time on dvd. Watching "Call of the Wild" added to my delight with the crystal clear beautiful black and white digital image of this 1935 golden age Hollywood classic. Who can beat Clark Gable, Loretta Young, and Jack Oakie for classic movie viewing from Hollywood's golden era! If you haven't seen "Call of the Wild", then do consider my assessment that it is a delightful production that will hold your attention from beginning to end. Fox has also included an optional commentary from an author who offers an informative backstory on the making of this film. A fair amount of the commentary is devoted to Clark Gable and Loretta Young's relationship during the filming of "Call of the Wild".As for the other two movies, I have only been able to skim through. From viewing those briefly, the image resolution appears to be very good. "Soldier of Fortune" was a box office win at the time of its premiere release. I do remember viewing it years ago on tv. From what I recall, the movie was entertaining and the tv image quality was not as pleasing as it is on this Fox dvd, so I'm sure my interest will be peaked while viewing an entertaining movie projected from a higher standard dvd. Highly recommend this product. Kudos to Fox for providing a superb collection for Clark Gable fans, movie classic enthusiasts, and/or those who simply appreciate good movies!

I bought this set really to get 'The Tall Men' which I had been looking for for some time. What a deal the rest of the set turns out to be as good. Even though the movies are from a period long ago the quality of the picture and audio is awesome. Recommended buy.

Howard Hawks' monumental "Red River," told the story of the first cattle drive from deep Texas to Abilene, Kansas... Veteran Raoul Walsh superbly handles "The Tall Men" from San Antone, Texas to Mineral City, Montana, with simplicity, confidence and great sense of humor...

Ben Allison (Clark Gable) and his brother Clint (Cameron Mitchell) ride to the gold fields of Montana...

In town, Nathan Stark (Robert Ryan) proposes to Ben the chance to gain big money... He names Ben his trail boss, the one to drive 4,000 heads of cattle l,500 miles from San Antone, Texas to Montana...

On his way to San Antone, Ben rescues Nella Turner (Jane Russell) from Sioux attack, and falls in love with her...

After passing the night together, her ideas of dreaming 'high' struck with his, to settle down one day on a little ranch in his home country along the prairie of Dog Creek...

In San Antone, while preparing for the long journey, Nella transfers her care to Stark, a good connoisseur, a person with a taste, an ambitious rich businessman who has no interest in being a 'small' man...

Antagonism between Stark and the Allison brothers increased during the hazardous journey...

Gable portrays an honest man tied to a small dream who fights and loves everything in sight on both sides of the Rio Grande...

Russell appeared among the audience 'looking surly on a pile of straw' in "The Outlaw." Thirteen years later, she is allowed to enjoy a colorful 'prairie' tub-bath, to be called 'grandma' by the legendary 'King,' to sing: 'I want a tall man...'

Either hero or villain, Ryan manages to come up with excellent performances... He always proved to be a very fine actor... Here he plays the heavy double-crossing cattle baron, the man who admired Ben: 'There goes the man I ever respected. He's what every boy thinks he's going to be when he grows up, and wishes he had been when he's an old man.'

Cameron Mitchell appeared with Gary Cooper and Richard Widmark in "Garden of Evil." He played "The High Chaparral" in TV. He is fine as Gable's unstable, unbalanced brother...

Juan Garcia is excellent and quiet amusing as Luis, Ben's Mexican loyal friend... When Nella asked him why he loves Ben so much, he answered: 'Why man loves his home? Why I love my Mexico? I owe Señor Ben my life, Señorita.'

With great scenery, and filmed in the voluptuous rich landscape of Durango, Colorado, "The Tall Men" is loaded with action in big scale: Confrontation with the jay-hawkers who demand one dollar for every head before crossing the State line; spectacular 'run wild' stampede of the herd through the canyon where brave Sioux were waiting...

What the reviewer prior to me fails to notice are the films he mentioned are already on DVD where none of these have seen the light yet. I have reviewed these DVDs closely - image quality is great - there are 2 commentaries (on Call of the Wild and Soldier of Fortune). The Tall Men is a very underrated film - one I am glad to now own.
Overall, at thsi price, I strongly recommend!

This Fox series includes my favorite Gable film: "Call of the Wild". Some complain this film bears little resemblance to London's book of the same title. So what. That's Hollywood's license. London's story is just a yarn too, and not nearly as entertaining. Actually, I think of Loretta Young as being the dominant character in this film, as she largely controls the eventual relationships between the main characters. The relationship between Gable, Loretta and her husband near the end of the film is reminiscent of the later "Casablanca", but the emotional content is much more intense because of the personalities and physiques of this duo and the circumstance of appearance of Loretta's husband. Off the screen, Gable developed strong relationahips with both Loretta and Buck, which shows in the film. Gable offered as much as $2000. for the dog, but the owner wouldn't budge. Buck really hated the villain, Reginald Qwen, as he showed in the film. Unlike most of Gable's films, he had a strong sidekick in the form of Jack Oakie, which is one reason I like this film. Initially, Gable was reluctant to do a film with Oakie, a notorious scene stealer. Most people seem to miss the main lesson of this film. Gable, Oakie, and Buck represent a team of legitimate,if rather primitive, venture capitalists. They try to grab as much as they can, but within limits of respectability, and they are loyal to their partners. Villain Owens represents the worst type of pretentious cutthroat robber baron, who ruthlessly eliminates his competition and disposes of his associates when they are no long essential to his ambitions. Loretta's ethos is "You get what you disserve, and no more": Jack London's supposed socialist ethos. When it comes to the choice between Gable and her husband, she exercises this ethos, to Gable's chagrin. This is a fun film to watch: great adventure and comrady, unsurpassed romance and heartbreak.
"The Tall Men", made 20 years later and in color, is another frontier adventure-romance. In some repects, it echoes "Call of the Wild". We again have a beautiful woman rescued in a blizzard. At the film ending, she again has to choose between Gable and the other man. But the on again-off again romances between Jane Russell and these two men aren't nearly as convincing as in "Call of the Wild". In some respects, this film recalls "Red River", with its vast cattle herd, long trail drive, problems with Native Americans and jayhawkers and conflicts between its leaders. There is even an echo of director Raoul Walsh's earlier film "Dark Command", in that Gable and his brother evidently had spent some time riding with Quantrill's notorious raiders during the recent Civil War. The female lead again has to choose between a poor down to earth gunslinger and a sophisticated but overambitious rival who wants her for an ornament.
"Soldier of Fortune" just isn't my kind of movie. Too comtemporary and tame. However, I found the run with commentary worthwhile. The Gable-Harlow "China Seas", of the 1930s, is a much more entertaining yarn involving Hong Kong, if in B&W. Gable's 1957 MGM movie "Band of Angels" would have been much more desirable as another choice from his late career. This might be thought of as Raoul Walsh's version of "Gone with the Wind"

Adapted from Jack London, "The Call of the Wild" is the main reason for my interest in this set. The other two films are okay entertainment improved by Gable's appearance in them. "The Call of the Wild" tells its story in a straightforward manner like a B film. The chemistry between the actors really lifts this story from good to top flight. The interaction between Gable and Buck the St. Bernard is extremely sincere in their affection for each other. Reginald Owen's character is deadly dangerous in that passive gentleman's way; very repulsive. It seems to me that director William Wellman usually presented lean, very entertaining movies. This is no exception. As an aside, the film was technically a United Artist release, one of a number, since 1933, made by Darryl Zanuck's 20th Century Production Company on the eve of his takeover of Fox Films in 1935. Zanuck obviously brought his relatively small group of films, originally released by United Artists, to the new organization and slapped on the 20th Century-Fox logo and fanfare for re-releases. If you're not a fan of gold rush films or of snow, don't let it keep you from trying out this film which, to me, rises above the genre. Gable was never better and it's one of his best films.

All three dvds were in perfect condition and my husband and I had never seen any of these movies before and they were all very good. Thank you.

I'm a big fan of Clark Gable movies (or any old movies for that matter). By accident I ran across this 3-movie set at Sam's Club today for only $19.88 which makes this even better when you can get it for less than $20.00.