Product Details

• Actors: Cary Grant, Marx Brothers, Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Spencer Tracy
• Format: Color, DVD, Full Screen, Black & White, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 1.0)
• Subtitles: English, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: November 3, 2009
• Run Time: 399 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002GSXKPQ
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,972 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #85 in Movies & TV > DVD > Musicals
• For more information about "TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Comedy (Arsenic and Old Lace / A Night at the Opera / The Long Long Trailer / Father of the Bride 1950)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

ARSENIC AND OLD LACE Cary Grant and a stellar cast romp through this classic farce based on the Broadway hit and breezily directed by Frank Capra. A frazzled drama critic’s two maiden aunts put a secret ingredient in their elderberry wine – and the resulting circus is howlingly hilarious, with a comically rubber-faced, rubber-legged Grant in the center ring. A NIGHT AT THE OPERA Grand opera equals grand comedy as the Marx Brothers cram a ship’s stateroom and more with wall-to-wall gags, one-liners, musical riffs and two hard-boiled eggs – all while skewering pompous schemes to sabotage an opera production. “Arguably their finest film” (4 Star Rating! - Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide). THE LONG, LONG TRAILER Anyone know how to park this thing? Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz play newlyweds who hit the honeymoon road with a 40-foot house trailer in tow in this slaphappily-ever-after comedy directed by Vincente Minnelli. FATHER OF THE BRIDE (1950) Spencer Tracy is the father and Elizabeth Taylor the bride in this comic celebration of an American rite (and wrongs) of passage. Here comes the bride, there goes dad’s wallet…and everyone’s heart. What sparkling fun!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A note on subtitles, January 25, 2010

By 

Marie "Movies for Mom" (Kennesaw, GA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Comedy (Arsenic and Old Lace / A Night at the Opera / The Long Long Trailer / Father of the Bride 1950) (DVD)

The movies were great!! I have more comments about how they were packaged because it was different that I had expected.
I bought these for my elderly mother who lives with me, so my review is based on using these for a senior person.
The titles were in extremely tiny print stamped around the center hole. Very hard to read.
The subtitles were created in white w/o a black box around them -- this made it hard to read them -- especially if the film was black and white!! Most subtitles come with a black box in which the subtitle is reversed out to white -- same as the TV -- which makes it much easier to read. Caring for a senior makes me much more aware of all the small things that affect their independence. Ease of use, larger type on the packaging and a visually enhanced subtitle would improve the use of these for that population immensely. Thanks!!

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine eclectic bunch of comedies, August 8, 2009

By 

calvinnme - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Comedy (Arsenic and Old Lace / A Night at the Opera / The Long Long Trailer / Father of the Bride 1950) (DVD)

This collection contains four very different comedies from four very different types of comics. It is part of over a dozen sets produced by Warner Home Video to bring classic film to the masses by making inexpensive sets of the better films in their libraries that have no extra features.

The oldest in the bunch, "A Night at the Opera" (1935), revived the career of the Marx Brothers after they were released from their contract at Paramount. Irving Thalberg thought that the brothers' comedy still had merit and that part of their problem was that "they never helped anybody". The test of time has shown that, although not profitable at the time, the Paramount Marx comedies were the best film work that the brothers did. However, that doesn't mean that this film isn't great. It is also available in a more deluxe form in the collection The Marx Brothers Collection (A Night at The Opera/A Day at The Races/A Night in Casablanca/Room Service/At the Circus/Go West/The Big Store).

"Arsenic and Old Lace" (1944) stars Cary Grant in a classic dark comedy. Grant plays a newlywed who finds out that his aunts have made a habit of poisoning their elderly male boarders and burying them in the cellar. This has only been available in the past as a single DVD, and it is an older one at that - released in 2000 I believe.

"Father of the Bride" (1950) has Spencer Tracy as a man who begins to feel his age and his pocketbook when his daughter (Elizabeth Taylor) gets married. It shows Tracy has a knack for comedy even if Katharine Hepburn is not involved. This is available in a more deluxe edition in the now out of print The Elizabeth Taylor Signature Collection (National Velvet / Father of the Bride / Cat on a Hot Tin Roof / Butterfield 8).

Finally there is "The Long Long Trailer" from 1954. Made to capitalize on the popularity of the TV series "I Love Lucy", the film is pretty funny in its own right even it is basically Lucy and Desi playing their TV characters under other names. The two play newlyweds who buy a motor home instead of a house and almost ruin their marriage by going on a cross-America trek in the thing. This is also available in The Lucy & Desi Collection (Too Many Girls / The Long Long Trailer / Forever, Darling). By and large I don't think that the movies ever figured out what to do with Lucille Ball, but this is one of her better efforts in film.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TCM CLASSIC FILMS COLLECTION:COMEDY, January 16, 2011

By 

Edward Maczko (El Cajon, CA, US) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Comedy (Arsenic and Old Lace / A Night at the Opera / The Long Long Trailer / Father of the Bride 1950) (DVD)

I ordered this dvd for the Arsenic and Old Lace and A Night At The Opera movies, which are unbelieveable to watch on a lcd large screen...happily surprised with the other two selections...well worth the price!