The Cary Grant Boxed Set: (Holiday / Only Angels Have Wings / The Talk of the Town / His Girl Friday / The Awful Truth)

Usually makers of a boxed set of films featuring one artist will put at least one bad or mediocre film in with the rest. This is not the case with this boxed set. All of the films are excellent, and there are featurettes included for all of the movies. Only His Girl Friday gets a commentary track though.This is the Region 1 debut of Holiday on DVD. It pairs Katherine Hepburn with Cary Grant in a film that is a bit out of step with its time (1938) in that it ponders the wisdom of endlessly pursuing wealth at a time when such thoughts were considered almost un-American. Grant plays a man who becomes engaged to a woman and only later finds out she is the member of a fabulously wealthy family and that he, once a part of the family, will be expected to go to work in the family business and count money for the rest of his life. This is out of step with Grant's character's view on what he wants his future to be, but in step with his fiancee's sister's view of life played by Hepburn.Extras:Cary at Columbia featuretteDeleted Scenes PhotographsOnly Angels Have Wings (1939) pairs Grant with Jean Arthur. This is a drama/romance with only a few light moments in which Grant plays a pilot and the manager of a small burgeoning South American airline. Arthur is an entertainer who meets Grant and decides he is interesting enough that she wants to know him better so she intentionally misses her boat back to the states. Add in the complication of Grant's old flame (Rita Hayworth) showing up as the wife of a disgraced pilot who is looking for a second chance, and you have the makings of a very good film.Extras:"Angels: Made in Heaven" featuretteThe Talk of the Town (1942) is another chance for Grant to play working class hero opposite Jean Arthur. This time he is a fugitive from justice, falsely accused of torching a factory and causing the death of a factory worker. He decides to hide out in Arthur's home, but the complication is that a famous law professor (Ronald Coleman) has rented the home for the summer and wants nothing but peace and quiet while he writes a book. He winds up with anything but that. This film is a good blend of drama and comedy.Extras:Talking About "Talk of the Town" featuretteThe Awful Truth (1937) pairs Cary Grant with Irene Dunne in a screwball comedy about a couple that divorces but finds that they really are meant for each other. They spend the whole film sabotaging both their own and each others' romances until they both realize "the awful truth". This film allows Cary to be the well-dressed sophistocate who also does some great pieces of physical comedy. The plot also involves the couple's dog, including a bit of detective work involving a tell-tale oversized hat that would make The Thin Man's Asta proud.Extras:In Love with Cary Grant featuretteInside "The Awful Truth" featuretteThe best known film of the bunch is probably "His Girl Friday" (1940). This pairs Grant with Rosalind Russell who plays Hildy - Grant's ex-wife and his best reporter. Hildy is leaving the paper and leaving town to become the wife of an Albany insurance agent played by Ralph Bellamy, a man who always plays it safe. Grant's character uses the approaching execution of a man who may be innocent to try and lure Hildy back to the paper and back to him. Poor Ralph Bellamy. This is the second time in this boxed set that he has played a man who obviously doesn't stand a chance against Grant's charms and cunning, the first time being in The Awful Truth.Extras:Commentary TrackOn Assignment: "His Girl Friday" featuretteOne of the featurettes mentions that among the stars of the 1930's very few seem to transcend time, and Cary Grant is one of those very few. That's because he didn't really belong to any one era. He was also very fortunate that, after a very few years making some rather mediocre films at Paramount, he was able to negotiate a contract allowing him to work for two studios - RKO and Columbia. These are indeed some of his finest films while at Columbia, and the set is very much worth checking out.

All great movies in good quality. I love the studio still shots and marquee reproductions on cards

This set includes some of the best Grant films ever done. "Holiday", the excellent "Only Angels have Wings, the LOL "The Awful Truth ", the fastest talking film of all time "His Girl Friday " and the star-studded cast in "The Philadelphia Story." You don't have to be a fan of Grant in order to thourgholy enjoy this great Cinema collection. A must for film buffs!

This is the pick of the box sets of Cary Grant's films except if you are crazy about Alfred Hitchcock. All the films were made at Columbia between 1938 and 1942. Harry Cohn ran that studio with an iron fist but as one historian notes in one of the featurettes, he allowed directors to have control and here we have 4 of the best - Howard Hawks x2, Leo McCarey, George Stevens and George Cukor.Not only is Grant superb in every film, but he is paired with 4 peerless leading ladies - Irene Dunne, Katharine Hepburn, Jean Arthur x2 and Rosalind Russell. Three of the scripts are based on plays - "Holiday", "His Girl Friday" and "The Awful Truth". "Holiday" is a freewheeling comedy with a message. "Friday" is the brilliant reworking of "The Front Page" with a gender change and "Truth" one of the peaks of the screwball genre. "Only Angels have Wings" is a ripping adventure and "The Talk of the Town" is a moody misfire combining comedy, romance and a message in the vein of Frank Capra.All of the prints are good, the weakest being "Holiday". Each film has a featurette, most of which tell more about Grant and the directors than the films themselves. I think they would have been improved if combined into one documentary. "His Girl Friday" contains a worthwhile commentary notable for its succint delivery, in contrast to the often verbose dissertations on most DVDs. You can actually watch the film AND listen to the commentary for once. Theatrical trailers are included and there is selected marketing material, notably for a Frank Capra DVD collection of Columbia films.These are films which still stand up today - mostly good stories, great casts and excellent production values. This is Hollywood at its most entertaining and accomplished.

I've reviewed the films in this collection individually, so I wanted to comment on this actual collection called THE CARY GRANT BOX SET. Here are 5 of Grants' early films and a few are among his best. This set is a nice start for anyone wanting to get to know the very talented Cary Grant. He had a look and style that will never be duplicated. He excelled at romantic comedies but could also show a serious side. He never got the awards and acclaim he deserved but he left us a fine legacy of film.We have Grant in his glorious youth. Vibrant and energetic, he seems to enjoy acting and working with his costars and directors. The films in this box set appear to have been remastered and the black and white films are crisp, clean and clear. Although each film does have extra features, it is a disappointment that they are so minimal. They usually have the film trailer and an advertisement for the Frank Capa or another film series. It's the Featurettes that are worth the time. They may be short but are packed with insight into Cary Grant and his style of acting along with information on the films' directors and costars. Director George Stevens son shared some experiences on one featurette. Film historians and director Peter Bogdanovich shared insight. The featurettes are worth the time but it's a disappointment they are so short.This is a fine collection for a Cary Grant fan and a good beginning set for people who are unfamiliar with this wonderful actor.