Golden, not-so-golden oldies

A variety of movies have landed on DVD this week, from golden-oldies to less-stellar choices.

• "Classic Holiday Collection" (Warner, 1938-1945, not rated, b/w, $29.98, three discs). This collection of holiday films is a winner, and another example of a box set that is much cheaper than buying the films separately.

— "Boys Town"/"Men of Boys Town" (1938/1941). Sentimental but involving yarn built around a true story and given a tremendous boost by the Oscar-winning performance from Spencer Tracy as Father Flanagan, who establishes a home for wayward boys, with 16-year-old Mickey Rooney providing his biggest challenge. They also star in the sequel, which is OK but doesn't live up to the original. (Featurettes, audio radio show, trailers)

— "A Christmas Carol" (1938). This isn't quite up there with the 1951 Alistair Sim version, but it is a good one, with Reginald Owen starring as the irascible Scrooge. (Featurettes, cartoon: "Peace on Earth," trailer)

— "Christmas in Connecticut" (1945). Forget the TV remake; this is a bright holiday treat with Barbara Stanwyck as an "expert" homemaker who's been faking it but is forced to put on a show for a war veteran (Dennis Morgan) and her boss (Sydney Greenstreet) over the holidays. (Oscar-winning short "Star in the Night," trailer)

Extras: Full frame, subtitle options (English, French, Spanish; on all films except "Men of Boys Town"), chapters. (All three discs are also available individually, $19.97 each.)

• "Lady Sings the Blues" (Paramount, 1972; R for language, drugs, violence; $14.99). Diana Ross gives a sterling performance as Billie Holiday — taking her from age 15 to her death at 44 — in this cliche-ridden biography of the jazz singer's life. Ross' acting debut is a knockout, and she does all the singing in a catalog of tunes that includes many of Lady Day's best, from "Ain't Nobody's Business" to "Strange Fruit."

The downside is that it's a pretty dour film, concentrating on Holiday's struggle with drug addiction. Billy Dee Williams, Sid Melton and especially Richard Pryor as Piano Man are all great. (Isabel Sanford and Scatman Crothers show up early in the film.)

Extras: Widescreen, audio commentary, making-of featurettes, deleted scenes, optional English subtitles, chapters.

• "Grass: A Nation's Battle For Life" (Milestone/Image, 1925, not rated, b/w, $29.99).