HOME ENTERTAINMENT : VIDEOS: Johnson’s Work Still in Stores : Memories of Greer Garson, Ben Johnson

Greer Garson, who died Saturday at 92, was the Queen of MGM in the 1940s. The vivacious, beautiful titian-haired Garson was a class act all the way. The British actress lit up the screen in such classics as “Goodbye, Mr. Chips,” “Mrs. Miniver” and “Random Harvest.” Though she hadn’t made a film in three decades, her legacy lives on thanks to video and cable. Here’s a look at several of her best films available on video.

Garson received her first Oscar nomination for her enchanting performance as the vibrant wife of a shy Latin professor (Robert Donat) in 1939’s endearing “Goodbye, Mr. Chips” (MGM/UA, $25).

The following year, Garson made a perfect Elizabeth Bennet in the witty adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” (MGM/UA, $20). Laurence Olivier is her sexy Mr. Darcy.

Garson gave another Oscar-nominated turn in 1941’s four-hanky weeper “Blossoms in the Dust” (MGM/UA, $20), as Edna Gladney, the woman who formed the Texas Children’s Home and Aid Society of Fort Worth.

One of Garson’s best films is 1942’s “Random Harvest” (MGM/UA, $20), an oh-so-romantic melodrama based on James Hilton’s novel about a World War I amnesiac (Ronald Colman) who marries a beautiful dance hall performer (Garson). When his memory returns, he forgets all about her. Be prepared to shed a few buckets of tears.

Garson received the best actress Oscar for “Mrs. Miniver” (MGM/UA, $20) as the strong-willed, courageous matriarch of a middle-class British family trying to survive World War II. Teresa Wright (best supporting actress), Walter Pidgeon and Richard Ney also star in the patriotic drama that garnered six Oscars, including best film. William Wyler directed.

She chalked up another Oscar nomination for the sweeping 1944 epic “Mrs. Parkington” (MGM/UA, $20). Garson goes from a maid to the wife of a multimillionaire in the box-office hit that also stars Pidgeon and Agnes Moorehead (a best supporting Oscar nominee).

Garson and a young Gregory Peck make a beautiful couple in the juicy 1945 drama “Valley of Decision” (MGM/UA, $20). Garson plays a housemaid who falls for her rich boss’ son (Peck).

She received her final Oscar nomination for her memorable turn as Eleanor Roosevelt in 1960’s “Sunrise at Campobello” (Warner, $20), a compelling adaptation of the hit Broadway play chronicling Franklin Roosevelt’s (Ralph Bellamy) battle with polio.

Garson made her last screen appearance in the lavish but lumbering 1967 Disney musical “The Happiest Millionaire” (Disney). She plays the wife of an eccentric Philadelphia millionaire (Fred MacMurray). Hollywood also lost another great this week, western star Ben Johnson, who died Monday at the age of 77. Johnson won a supporting actor Oscar for his thoughtful turn as ex-cowboy Sam the Lion in Peter Bogdanovich’s acclaimed 1971 drama “The Last Picture Show” (Columbia TriStar, $20). He gives a gritty performance as the outlaw Tector Gorch in Sam Peckinpah’s seminal, violent 1969 western “The Wild Bunch” ($20). The director’s cut version is $40. William Holden, Robert Ryan, Edmund O’Brien and Warren Oates also star.

Two of his early films are also worth checking out: the fun 1949 King Kong-esque story “Mighty Joe Young” (Turner, $20) and John Ford’s nifty 1950 western adventure “Wagonmaster” (Turner, $20).

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Memory Plays: “Lyrical Nitrate” and “Forbidden Quest” (Kino), written and directed by Dutch filmmaker Peter Delpeut, are haunting, unique works featuring footage from the earliest days of film. “Lyrical Nitrate” consists of a variety of film images from 1905-1915 that were shot on volatile nitrate stock. The clips are part of the collection of the first Dutch film distributor, Jean Desmet, which were discovered in 1956 decomposing in the attic of an Amsterdam cinema.

“The Forbidden Quest” is a surreal, “Twilight Zone”-esque tale of an ill-fated 1905 expedition to the South Pole featuring archival footage shot by pioneer polar filmmakers Frank Hurley and Herbert Ponting.

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Yo! Birthday Boy: MGM/UA celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Oscar-winning “Rocky” with a special gift set ($40) featuring all five installments in the saga of boxer Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone). The remastered films are available separately for $10.

Documentary: The informative “Idols of the Game” (Turner, $40; $20 each), a four-part examination of 20th century American sports heroes, features vintage clips and interviews with such sports figures as Mickey Mantle and Joe Namath.

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Coming Next Week: Nicole Kidman won a Golden Globe for her wicked performance in the black comedy “To Die For” (Columbia TriStar).

Diane Keaton directed “Unstrung Heroes” (Hollywood), starring Andie MacDowell.

Demi Moore and Gary Oldman star in the lambasted “The Scarlet Letter” (Hollywood). Also new: “Now and Then” (New Line); “Cutthroat Island” (Live); “Too Far to Go” (Monterey Movie Co.); “National Lampoon’s Favorite Deadly Sins” (Republic); “Full Body Massage” (Paramount); and “Magic in the Water” (Columbia TriStar).