Dr. Ralph H. Wolfe Viewing Center

Call Number: Copy 1: DVD00484

Copy 2: DVD00484

byBarbara Stanwyck, Gloria Dickson, Victoria Faust, Michael O’Shea, Frank Conroy, Pinky Lee, Bette Davis, Leslie Howard, Frances Dee, Alan Hale, Zachary Scott, Betty Field, Beulah Bondi, J. Carrol Naish, Mary Astor, Robert Ames

Format: DVD

Language: English

Publisher:La Crosse, WI : Platinum Disc, ©2005.

Notes:Contains four feature films; (347 mins. Black & White)

Chapters: Lady of Burlesque (1943, 91 min.) — In an old opera house-turned-burlesque nightspot, Dixie Daisy’s (Barbara Stanwyck) scintillating striptease routine has become the main attraction, making her stiff competition for the other dancing divas vying for top billing: Dolly Baxter (Gloria Dickson), Lolita La Verne (Victoria Faust), and Princess Nirvena (Stephanie Bachelor). Though Dixie steers clear of the backstage catfights, including a nasty quarrel between Dolly and Lolita, she can’t help but be slightly miffed when Princess, the former top-billed dancer who slept her way to the top, uses blackmail to regain the number one spot. But things become really intense when one of the dancers is found strangled and poisoned—the work of not one but twokillers. After a second woman is murdered, police begin to suspect Dixie is to blame. With the help of another burlesque performer, comic Biff Brannigan (Michael O’Shea), Dixie sets a trap to catch the killer. But the mismatched couple doesn’t just find the killer, they find love as well.

Of Human Bondage (1934, 83 min.) — One of the most critically acclaimed dramas of its period, Somerset Maugham’s Of Human Bondageis the psychological drama about clubfooted, sensitive med student Philip Carey (Leslie Howard), who is tormented by his obsession with floozy waitress Mildred Rogers (Bette Davis). From here Mildred unleashes a hateful torrent of cruel behavior upon Philip as she ditches him for a salesman but comes crawling back pregnant and abandoned. Philip rents an apartment for her and asks her to marry him. Though they are engaged, she leaves him once again—this time for a fellow med student. Once again, Mildred returns to Philip’s open arms—baby and all. But when she destroys his apartment and burns his tuition money, it is the final straw. Philip disentangles himself from Mildred and makes a new life for himself. He has his condition surgically corrected and finds love in the form of sweet Sally Athelny (Frances Dee). But when Philip returns to finish medical training, he learns a shocking truth: Mildred is dying.

The Southerner (1945, 91 min.) — Sam Tucker (Zachary Scott) has spent his life slaving away in a factory, but has managed to scrape enough money together to make a go of sharecropping on a miniscule patch of land, living in a rundown farmhouse with his wife (Betty Field), grandmother (Beulah Bondi), and two children (Jean Vanderwilt and Jay Gilpin). Though he tries to go it alone, circumstance forces Sam to seek the help of hostile neighboring farmer Henry Devers (J. Carrol Naish). The two become bitter rivals, but are later able to make amends via their common interest in fishing. Hardship strikes again when a flood destroys Tucker’s cotton crop, and he contemplates throwing in the towel on farming for good. Considering a return to factory work, Sam changes his mind at the urging of his family who vows to stand behind him, believing that success is on the horizon.

Behind Office Doors (1931, 82 min.) — Duneen (Robert Ames) is an arrogant executive who can’t admit to himself that his dedicated secretary Mary Linden (Mary Astor) is the one truly responsible for his success. Mary is the one who makes things happen around the office, and she even helped him get his promotion. Yet, James continues to take her for granted. But when Mary falls for another rising corporate executive, James realizes that he must do something fast or he’ll lose her for good.

OCLC #: [?] (additional info from publisher website)