Watchable, especially for the worshipful

Though two DVD sets celebrating the careers of the Oscar-winning screen legends James Stewart and Clark Gable are a must for their fans, critically they are a mixed bag.

The title of the Stewart set, “James Stewart -- The Signature Collection” (Warner, $50), is in itself misleading: It doesn’t contain any of the lanky actor’s signature roles, such as his Academy Award-winning turn in “The Philadelphia Story” or the beloved “It’s a Wonderful Life.” But the six films offered are of interest.

Though he’s a bit old to play baseball player Monty Stratton in 1949’s “The Stratton Story,” Stewart gives a folksy, charming turn in the true-life story of the Chicago White Sox pitcher who made a remarkable return to the sport after he lost his leg in an accident. June Allyson and Frank Morgan also star. Douglas Morrow won the Oscar for best writing, motion picture story.

Stewart made a series of mature psychological westerns with director Anthony Mann in the 1950s; their 1953 collaboration, “The Naked Spur,” is the most satisfying. Shot in Technicolor on location in the Rockies, the saga finds Stewart playing an ambitious bounty hunter trying to bring in an evil outlaw (a great Robert Ryan). Janet Leigh plays Ryan’s girlfriend and Millard Mitchell is a crafty prospector.

Billy Wilder directed Stewart in 1957’s lengthy “The Spirit of St. Louis,” based on Charles Lindbergh’s book about his 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic. Though Stewart imbues his Lindbergh with boyish charm, perseverance and innocence, he was nearly 50 when he played the role. Lindbergh was all of 25 when he flew the Atlantic.

A valentine to the FBI and J. Edgar Hoover, who appears in the film, 1959’s “The FBI Story” is a straightforward, plodding drama about the growth and development of the government agency as seen through the eyes of a stalwart agent (Stewart).

Stewart teams up with longtime friend Henry Fonda for two westerns here: 1968’s “Firecreek,” which casts Fonda as the bad guy and Stewart as a pacifist sheriff, and 1970’s “The Cheyenne Social Club,” directed by Gene Kelly, in which the two stars try to breathe some life into a ribald comedy about an old cowboy (Stewart) who inherits a bordello. Shirley Jones also stars.

The set includes a few extras, including footage of the premiere of “The Spirit of St. Louis” and a featurette on “Social Club.”

The “Clark Gable Collection” (Fox, $50) features three films the actor made at Fox. The best known is the 1935 adaptation of Jack London’s “Call of the Wild,” which also stars Jack Oakie, Loretta Young and a St. Bernard named Buck. Directed by William Wellman, the film plays fast and loose with the original novel. But it’s so much fun watching Gable at his most macho that the plot doesn’t really matter. The DVD includes a restoration comparison, a photo gallery, the trailer and tidbit-filled commentary from author Darwin Porter, who talks about Gable’s relationship with Buck and his red-hot love affair with Young.

After leaving MGM in 1954, Gable went to Fox in 1955 to star in the colorful potboiler “Soldier of Fortune,” with Susan Hayward and Michael Rennie. Though most of the film was shot in Hong Kong, according to author Danforth Prince in his commentary, Hayward’s scenes were done on the Fox lot in L.A. She was in the middle of a custody battle with ex-husband Jess Barker over their twin sons.

Gable also joined forces that year with Robert Ryan and Jane Russell for the lukewarm western romance “The Tall Men.”

Also new

“Apocalypse Now -- The Complete Dossier” (Paramount, $20): The special edition of the Francis Ford Coppola Vietnam War classic features the original 1979 version as well as the 2001 “Redux”; Coppola’s astute commentary on both editions; 12 deleted scenes; Marlon Brando’s complete reading of the T.S. Elliot poem “The Hollow Men”; and more.

“RV” (Sony, $20): Though this Robin Williams comedy about the misadventures of a family on vacation in a rented recreational vehicle took a critical drubbing, the extras on the digital edition almost make it a worthwhile trip. The main reason is the film’s director, Barry Sonnenfeld, who provides droll commentary -- he’s much funnier than the film.

“Scary Movie 4 -- Unrated Edition” (Dimension, $30): The fourth installment in the movie spoof franchise is a hit-and-miss affair. Anna Faris and Regina Hall star. David Zucker directed. The extras are quite ingratiating, thanks to the self-deprecating commentary of Zucker, producer Bob Weiss and co-writer Craig Mazin.

“Rome -- The Complete First Season” (HBO, $100): HBO’s ambitious series set during the last years of Julius Caesar’s reign. The six-disc set includes commentary tracks, including four with executive producer-writer Bruno Heller and historian consultant Jonathan Stamp, who manage to be educational and entertaining.