"The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of" ... Bogart, Shakespeare, The Maltese Falcon, Those Great Movies

Saturday, April 14, 2012

What Do You Want For Your Birthday?



Don't you hate it when your birthday or Christmas are coming up and somebody says "Give me some gift ideas".  My brain automatically goes into freeze mode.  Like Ralphie in A Christmas Story, the minute I get on Santa's lap (metaphorically speaking), I completely forget my wish list of gifts I really want.  I always want classic movies.  I have a huge collection on VHS, which are all getting very old and are giving out.

I have a significant birthday coming up in July.  So I went to the TCM shopping page and decided to put a few things in the cart to keep and refer to when I get the question.  An hour later, I had a list that totals $802.76.  I don't suppose any of my friends and readers would care to pitch in with my family?  That shopping site is completely addictive.  I couldn't stop!  Finally my sister called me, or I would still be on there!

Collections are the best, of course.  And the most expensive!  Dream along, Miss Becky.....







Just a small example...these range in price from expensive to really expensive...of course I picked plenty that are just one-movie DVDs, and they are affordable, mostly.  Moby Dick, An American in Paris, Streetcar Named Desire, The Dawn Patrol, W.C. Fields shorts....in other words, a lot!

Now I'm worried that I will somehow get $802.76 worth of DVDs, and someone will invent yet another piece of technology that will make these obsolete.  Probably something that will be the size of my little fingernail, requiring a machine the size of my cell phone.  How does a girl on a limited income keep up with all this?  Well, anyway, my gift ideas are ready to peruse, just in case some friend or family gets rich, or if a distant uncle dies and leaves me a lot of money (however, I think all my distant uncles are already dead).

If you could have any movie gift you wanted, what would it be?

40 comments:

  1. I forgot you had a birthday coming up! (And Page's is right around the same time, too...)

    Rah-ha-ha-ha-ha!
    Ivan

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    1. You've still got until July to save up for the Busby Berkley set....

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  2. I hear you on the TCM box sets...that's pretty much all I've asked for as graduation gifts. I have the TCM horror set you have above and it's great!

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    1. Kristen, I would LOVE to have that one! It wasn't too bad -- I must just get it for myself!

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  3. There are a couple Catherine Deneuve box sets I wouldn't mind having. Your Busby Berkeley collection looks nice, too.

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  4. I have that comedy collection! It was a Christmas gift. :)

    Now that I'm done bragging, I'm going to say the thing that will probably cause me to be kicked out of TCM Heaven someday ... the DVDs on their shopping site are, in general, horribly overpriced. I buy them from Amazon! I have found some of the TCM 4-disc collections for as cheap as 8 bucks over there. :)

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    1. I've heard that, Brandie. Some looking around for better prices is a good idea. Love that comedy collection!

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  5. You know, now that I think about it, it would be fun to do a CMBA Secret Santa this year ... :D

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  6. Wow !!! Great !!! You have changed my mind,am thinking about this. sell my house

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    1. In this market, you'd be lucky to get that much for your house...

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  7. As Brandie suggested, shop Amazon, TCM generally sells at list price. Also check out Barnes and Nobles, though they are usually a bit more expensive than Amazon, you sometimes can get a deal.
    Hopefully you have prioritized your list, you want to be prepared when asked the big question!

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    1. I have prioritized, John! The box sets are usually too much, but I may start going to Amazon, etc. to find better prices as Brandie said -- you never know!

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  8. I love Brandie's phrase "TCM Heaven". Becky, I hope you receive most, if not all, of these wonderful sets. :)

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  9. Becky, I recently scored the Sherlock Holmes Collection on eBay for $51 with free shipping! Not everything is an auction, so check it out!Good Luck with your birthday wish list!

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    1. Gilby, you lucky dog! I'm going to look at eBay!

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  10. Last year my husband asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I told him if he got me the DVD set Laurel & Hardy: The Essential Collection, he'd never have to get me anything else ever again. The week before Christmas he asked me what I wanted again and I knew it was too late. Sigh!

    My birthday is next week. I had high hopes after our Christmas "discussion". Yesterday he asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I said my birthday wasn't that important, but if I didn't get Laurel & Hardy: The Essential Collection next Christmas, he was going to be in trouble.

    You would think that as classic movie fans we would be the easiest people in the world to shop for!

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    1. CW, you may have to turn to Laurel and Hardy type motivation, such as a pie in the face or a bong on the head with a skillet!

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  11. Becky, Happy Birthday!! I hope that you get your birthday wish. You have picked some great classic movies..

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  12. Becky, For my last birthday I asked for and received the Bette Davis Collection, Vol. I (The Letter, Now, Voyager, Dark Victory, Mr. Skeffington). On my wish list for this year, The Alfred Hitchcock Signature Collection. Perusing your list, I like the Astaire Rogers collection.

    You're wise to post your wish list now and I hope you get everything on it.

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    1. Eve, I bought myself that same collection last year! I couldn't stand it ... I just had to have it!

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  13. You shameless hussy, you, dropping hints as subtle as a sledge hammer! But, because it's a special birthday, I ordered each and every one for you (but don't blame me if they get lost in the mail).

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    1. Shameless hussy -- I always wanted to be a shameless hussy! I sure hope the post office gets it right for once! LOL!

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  14. Becky, a "significant birthday"? You're 21...finally! I always have a lengthy movie list for birthday and Christmas (which aren't far apart for me). I used to pick from DeepDiscount.com because it had the bst prices and free shipping. But these days, I need to shop around...to provide my wife with the best prices!

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    1. Aw, Rick, you guessed it! I think I'll send subtle hints to my family, such as the links to shopping sites with what I want!

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  15. Happy birthday early! Can you set up a gift registry at TCM.com? That we can pick which gifts to send you :) This past year for Christmas I received the Rodgers and Hammerstein movie collection. Perhaps your employer can give you a year's sabbatical to watch movies? (One can dream ...)

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    1. Thanks, CFB! Maybe I could tell everybody I'm getting married, pick a fake date, and tell them I'm registered at TCM.com! Then I could break up with my "fiance" and keep everything!

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    2. I love how you think! You could break up with him when he calls classic films "musty old bores" and adds the Jean Claude Van Damme collection to your list.

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    3. Well CFB, I think the Van Damme collection alone should be grounds for automatic annulment!

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  16. Becky, maybe eight hundred and two of us could pitch in a dollar each, with you making up the difference. Of course then you'd have to loan out your new phenominal movie library. I'll put in my dibs on the Astaire/Rogers lot.
    You can keep the Horror lot - I just saw Frankenstein and that's about as scary as I want to get. Let me know if your list gets any longer, in which case we'll have to start selling apples on the street corner.

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  17. Christian! Now that's the spirit of friendship and financial savvy I was hoping for! Just one little dollar from 802 people. Oh that Astaire set ... what a treasure. Don't like classic horror, huh? I love it!

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  18. Oh, Becky, you can't fool me -- you're ageless, and therefore birthdays are superfluous! :-) If I had $802.76, I would cheerfully splurge on classic movies for all my friends and loved ones. What I'd really want just for myself, though, are Marx Brothers movies on DVD (or Blu-Ray if they're available, especially A NIGHT AT THE OPERA and A DAY AT THE RACES. Heck, I wish those TCM GREATEST CLASSIC FILMS collection always had all movies that I like; those sets always seem to have only one or two that I'd actually like. I'm a fussbudget, I know! So when IS your birthday so we can send you nice cards and/or presents? :-)

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  19. I'm with Dorian, birthdays are superfluous. Ha. I've got one coming up in June. GAK!! IT's a BIGGIE.

    At any rate, I see why you might get into trouble at the TCM website. Geez. I'd love to have all of the above as well.

    Now all we need to do is win the lottery. :)

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  20. Ah, the lottery! Pie in the sky... My birthday is a BIGGIE too -- and I agree with you -- GAK!!

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  21. Becks,
    I'm not surprised that you have really expensive taste! I do like your selections here. Now where are the ones you were ashamed of sharing?
    I've never bought DVD's so books are always on my Amazon wish list then of course autographs. We have expensive hobbies. But it's for a great cause! : )
    I think we need to organize a car wash if we are to get you even close to that $802..but in case which ones are you willing to put back?
    Page

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  22. Well, Page, TCM didn't have a porn section, so I couldn't complete my list with the ones I'm ashamed of! LOL! Car wash! That would have been a great idea when I was in my 20's. Just bikinis and a sponge and we could clear out the TCM warehouse!

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  23. Dazzle is a system that lets you play your VHS tapes into your computer and make DVDs out of them. It's about $50

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