Carole Lombard, Joan Crawford as you’ve rarely seen them before

Everyone knows (or should) Carole Lombard in “To Be or Not to Be,” but what did she do before? Similarly, what did “Mildred Pierce’s” Joan Crawford do in the years after?

Two new DVD sets from the TCM Vault Collection answer those questions.

“Carole Lombard in the Thirties” presents three of the comedies in which the actress had smaller roles: “Brief Moment,” “Lady by Choice” and “No More Orchids.”

Similarly, “Joan Crawford in the Fifties” presents four of the juicy melodramas she starred in: “Queen Bee,” “Harriet Craig,” “The Story of Esther Costello” and “Autumn Leaves.”

Two very different actresses, two satisfying choices.

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