Woody Woodpecker and Friends, Vol. 2 in April

**Universal Studios** has announced an April 15th release date for The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection, Vol. 2. The three DVD set will retail for $39.98, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $33.99. Some of the bonus feature details are below with actual cartoon episodes and artwork to follow.

Relive all the hilarious, crazy adventures of Woody Woodpecker, everyone's favorite wacky red-headed bird. Also featuring some of the most beloved animated characters of all time!
  • Includes 75 Digitally Remastered and Completely Uncut Cartoons!
  • Over 8 Hours of Side-Splitting Antics!
  • Loaded with Rare Vintage Bonus Features from the Walter Lantz archive.
CONTENTS

Disc 1:

Cartoons TBD

BONUS FEATURES:
  • Creating Woody Woodpecker (Episode #2)
  • Timing a Cartoon (Episode #11)
  • Character Movement (Episode #12)
  • Photographing Animation Cels (Episode #13)
  • The Animator's Job (Episode #14)
  • Using Backgrounds (Episode #15)
Disc 2:

Cartoons TBD

BONUS FEATURES:
  • The Inking Department (Episode #17)
  • The Painting Department (Episode #18)
  • Drawing with Walter Lantz (Episode #20)
  • Sound Effects in Cartoons (Episode #22)
  • Storyboarding Woody Woodpecker (Episode #24)
  • Creating New Characters (Episode #26)
  • The Secret Weapon (TV Pilot Episode)
  • Jungle Medics (TV Pilot Episode)
Disc 3:

Cartoons TBD

BONUS FEATURE:
  • The Woody Woodpecker Show Episode #47

Classic Musicals From The Dream Factory, Vol. 3 in April

**Warner Home Video** has announced an April 8th release date for Classic Musicals From The Dream Factory, Vol. 3. The 9 disc DVD set will include Hit the Deck (1955), Deep In My Heart (1954), Kismet (1955), Nancy Goes To Rio (1950), Two Weeks With Love (1950), Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935), Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937), Born to Dance (1936) and Lady Be Good (1941). Just some of the stars include: Jane Powell, Tony Martin, Debbie Reynolds, Ann Miller, Howard Keel, Ann Blyth, Monty Woolley, Ann Sothern, Eleanor Powell, Robert Taylor, Jack Benny, Robert Young, Lionel Barrymore, and Red Skelton. The set will retail for $69.92, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $49.99. The titles will also be available as single and double features for $19.97 / $14.49 (Single Feature) and $24.98 / $18.99 (Double Feature). Cover art and details below...



Hit the Deck (1955, 112 min)
Hit the Deck hits all the right notes as three sailors (Tony Martin, Vic Damone, Russ Tamblyn) and three cuties (Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds, Ann Miller) flirt, squabble, run afoul of shore patrol and, of course, fall in love, all to the infectious melodies of the great Vincent Youmans. The film combines many songs from the 1927 stage original, with other Youmans classics providing a non-stop cavalcade of musical delights, neatly choreographed by the legendary Hermes Pan. A rare ensemble musical, Hit The Deck gives each of its stars a chance to shine both together and alone. Highlights include Ann Miller as the seductive Lady From The Bayou, Jane Powell and Vic Damone’s romantic duet I Know That You Know, a rollicking fun-house sequence showing off the acrobatic dexterity of Debbie Reynolds and Russ Tamblyn, and Tony Martin’s heartfelt rendition of More Than You Know. The festivities are capped off by a blockbuster finale of Hallelujah which gained later renown as one of the memorable highlights of MGM’s 1974 compilation classic That’s Entertainment. Music, romance, and fun are all on deck.

BONUS FEATURES:
  • Classic M-G-M Pete Smith Specialty comedy short The Fall Guy
  • Classic M-G-M Tex Avery cartoon Field and Stream
  • Audio-only outtake song Sometimes I’m Happy (Powell/Damone reprise)
  • Original Theatrical trailer
Deep In My Heart (1954, 132 min)
The life and career of celebrated composer Sigmund Romberg served as the basis for Deep in My Heart, the last of M-G-M’s all-star musical ‘bio-pics’. The irrepressible Jose Ferrer (then at the height of his success after acclaimed performances in Moulin Rouge and Cyrano de Bergerac) gives a winning performance as the legendary Romberg, supported by lovely Merle Oberon and the charming Metropolitan Opera legend Helen Traubel (making her film debut). Directed by Stanley Donen (Seven Brides For Seven Brothers), the film’s real drawing card is a dazzling array of Metro musical talents performing more than 20 Romberg melodies drawn from the prolific composer’s catalog of over 2000 songs. Highlights include Gene Kelly’s only on-screen appearance with his younger brother Fred, who happily hoof and romp in the I Love to Go Swimmin’ with Wimmen number; Jane Powell and Vic Damone’s enchanting duet from Maytime; Ann Miller’s jazz-age Charleston send-up of Elinor Glyn called “It”; and Ferrer’s on-screen duet with his then-wife, the beguiling Rosemary Clooney, who appropriately sing “Mr. and Mrs.”. However, the film’s most arresting and unforgettable sequence is a breath-taking pas-de-deux called One Alone, which features a dance sequence between Cyd Charisse and James Mitchell that somehow flew over the heads of the screen censors of the era. The dance between these two masterful artists brims with a subtle-but-unmistakable eroticism (all through implication) that continues to surprise audiences, even by today’s standards. This DVD release marks the first home-video presentation of Deep In My Heart in its original widescreen aspect ratio.

BONUS FEATURES:
  • Oscar-nominated musical short The Strauss Fantasy
  • Classic cartoon Farm of Tomorrow
  • Outtake musical numbers Dance, My Darlings (Traubel) and Girlies of the Cabaret (George Murphy and Esther Williams)
  • Theatrical trailer
Kismet (1955, 113 min)
Edward Knoblock’s play Kismet had already been the basis of four different films (the earliest being from 1914), M-G-M producer Arthur Freed dusted off the chestnut once more when the studio bought the rights to the 1953 smash Broadway musical version. Songwriters George Wright and Chet Forrest built a gorgeous score around the themes and melodies of Alexander Borodin, and snared three hit records in the process. The songs Stranger in Paradise, Baubles, Bangles and Beads, as well as And This is My Beloved, all became huge popular hits. Kismet turned the Broadway stage into a glittering, gleaming Arabian Nights’ dream. It was ideal material, in fact, for the dream factory and director Vincente Minnelli. This lavish musical follows one fateful, fabulous day as a beggar-poet (Howard Keel) and his daughter (Ann Blyth) cross paths with a wicked wazir (played with wit by Sebastian “Mr. French” Cabot) a sly temptress (the amazing Dolores Grey), and a handsome prince (sung with beguiling style by Vic Damone). Kismet is a magical journey, filled with opulent sets and exotic adventure.

BONUS FEATURES:
  • Oscar-nominated CInemaScope short The Battle of Gettysburg
  • Classic cartoon The First Bad Man
  • 2 excerpts from The MGM Parade TV Series
  • Complete version of partially-censored musical number Rahadlakum
  • Audio-only bonus: Outtake Song Rhymes Have I
  • Theatrical trailers of both the 1944 and 1955 Kismet
Nancy Goes To Rio (1950, 99 min) / Two Weeks With Love (1950, 92 min) - DOUBLE FEATURE

Nancy Goes to Rio – and fun comes along! A colorful backlot Rio is the setting for a comic tale of personal and professional mix-ups as aspiring actress Nancy (Jane Powell) and her Broadway-veteran mother (Ann Sothern) seek the same stage role. Adding to the Brazilian flair is Carmen Miranda in her zany-hatted performance glory.

Powell’s sunny charm and bright soprano are again on display when she and Debbie Reynolds turn a 1900s Catskills vacation into Two Weeks with Love. Powell hopes to catch the eye of suave Ricardo Montalban by wearing a form-fitting corset undergarment. Reynolds reels in affable Carleton Carpenter for a legendary Aba Daba Honeymoon showstopper. Speaking of legends, Busby Berkeley provides the musical stagings.

BONUS FEATURES:

DISC 1

Nancy Goes To Rio
  • Oscar-nominated Pete Smith Specialty comedy short Wrong Way Butch
  • Classic cartoon The Peachy Cobbler
  • Theatrical trailer
DISC 2

Two Weeks With Love
  • TCM special Reel Memories with Jane Powel, hosted by Robert Osbornel
  • Vintage short Screen Actors
  • Classic cartoon Garden Gopher
  • Theatrical trailer
Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935, 101 min) / Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937, 110 min) - DOUBLE FEATURE

When young Eleanor Powell stepped in front of the movie camera for a little star turn in George White Scandals of 1935, no one could have accurately predicted she’d soon become a huge star, whose incomparable dancing skills made her an audience darling all over the world. Broadway Melody of 1936 instantly established Powell as a big-screen star. Here, she taps the spangled ebullience of Broadway Rhythm, while 15-year-old Judy Garland sings a smitten Dear Mr. Gable to a portrait of Hollywood’s King in Broadway Melody of 1938 and both actresses achieve career breakthroughs.

In the Oscar®-winning 1936 romp, Powell plays an Albany girl-next-door who poses as France’s and Broadway’s exotic La Belle Arlette. The 1938 tale has her portraying a horse trainer who’s just as much at ease in taps and tuxedo as she is in riding boots and jodhpurs. Judy steps lively, too, joining Buddy Ebsen for Everybody Sing. These star-making Melodies are merry musicals for every classic fan’s collection.

BONUS FEATURES:

DISC 1

Broadway Melody of 1936
  • Vintage short Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs
  • Classic cartoon To Spring
  • Audio-only bonus: Leo Is on the Air radio promo
  • Theatrical trailer
DISC 2

Broadway Melody of 1938
  • Oscar-winning short That Mothers Might Live
  • Classic cartoon Pipe Dreams
  • Audio-only bonuses: Outtake Songs
    • Yours and Mine
    • Your Broadway and My Broadway
    • Sun Showers
  • Feelin’ like a Million test recording
  • Good News of 1938 radio program
  • Leo Is on the Air radio promo
  • Theatrical trailer
Born to Dance (1936, 105 min) / Lady Be Good (1941, 111 min) - DOUBLE FEATURE
Eleanor Powell’s the girl, James Stewart’s the guy and Cole Porter’s the tunesmith in Born to Dance, a break-a-leg tale of an understudy turned Broadway star that includes Powell taking command of a battleship for Swingin’ the Jinx Away.

Her radiant appeal and astonishing tap-dancing skills energize the screen again when she plays friend and matchmaker to two struggling songwriters (Robert Young, Ann Sothern) in Lady Be Good. Highlights include Powell’s astonishing Fascinating Rhythm hoofing and Sothern’s poignant rendition of the World War II evergreen and Oscar®-winning Best Song The Last Time I Saw Paris.

BONUS FEATURES:

DISC 1

Born to Dance
  • Vintage short Hollywood: The Second Step
  • Oscar-nominated cartoon The Old Mill Pond
  • Audio-only bonus: Hollywood Hotel Radio program
  • Theatrical trailer
DISC 2

Lady Be Good
  • Vintage Fitzpatrick Travel Talks short Glimpses of Florida
  • Oscar-nominated cartoon The Rookie Bear
  • Audio-only bonuses:
    • Outtake song I Love to Dance
    • Leo Is on the Air radio promo
  • Theatrical trailer


Route 66 - Season 1, Vol. 2 in February - 5 DAY SPECIAL PRICE

**Infinity Entertainment Group** has announced a February 5th release date for Route 66 - Season 1, Vol. 2. The four DVD set will contain the last 15 episodes from season one and will retail for $29.98, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $19.99. However, for 5 days only (until December 16th), we'll have it for the SPECIAL PRE-ORDER PRICE of $16.99. More details to follow.

The Untouchables - Season 2, Vol. 1 in March

**Paramount Home Video** has announced a March 18th release date for The Untouchables - Season 2, Vol. 1. The four DVD set will retail for $38.99, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $29.99.



Fox Film Noir - Wave 8 in March - 5 DAY SPECIAL PRICE

Months after **20th Century Fox** let word out that Fox Film Noir - Wave 8 would be coming, we finally have a solid date and the specs. And while the perpetually doomed release of Boomerang (1947) will not be part of this wave, Daisy Kenyon (1947), Dangerous Crossing (1953) and Black Widow (1954) are set for March 11th. Each DVD will retail for $14.98, but are available at Classicflix.com for only $10.99. However, for 5 days only (until December 16th), we'll have each title for the SPECIAL PRE-ORDER PRICE of $9.49. Details below.






Daisy Kenyon (1947)
Daisy Kenyon (Joan Crawford) is a lovelorn commercial artist caught in a romantic triangle with two men ─ one she loves but cannot have and one who’s love she cannot return. While in an emotionally draining love affair with married attorney Dan O’Mara (Dana Andrews), who refuses to leave his wife, she meets returning army sergeant Peter Lapham (Henry Fonda) ─ a decent and gentle man ─ who instantly falls in love with her. Although she carries a torch for Dan, she knows Peter will give her the secure life she desires and she agrees to marry him. But when Dan divorces his wife, Daisy is suddenly torn between her obligations…and her passions.

BONUS FEATURES:
  • Audio commentary by Film Noir historian, Foster Hirsch
  • From Journeyman to Artist: Otto Preminger at Twentieth Century Fox featurette
  • Life in the Shadows: The Making of Daisy Kenyon
  • Poster, still, and behind the scenes galleries
  • Interactive pressbook
  • Theatrical trailer
Dangerous Crossing (1953)
Ruth Bowman (Jeanne Crain) is a new bride glowing with delight as she and her charming new husband John (Carl Betz), set sail on the S.S. Monrovia for a transatlantic honeymoon. But when John inexplicably vanishes, Ruth discovers that no one on the ship has any record of his existence! As she slips into hysteria, Ruth has to prove that her marriage ─ and John’s existence ─ is not just her own delusion. The ship’s physician, Dr. Paul Manning (Michael Rennie), might be the only person onboard who can save Ruth from a terrifying predicament.

BONUS FEATURES:
  • Audio commentary by film historian, Aubrey Solomon
  • Peril at Sea: Charting a Dangerous Crossing
  • Poster, still, and behind the scenes galleries
  • Interactive pressbook
  • Theatrical trailer
Black Widow (1954)
Nancy Ordway (Peggy Ann Garner) is an aspiring writer hoping to make it big in New York at the expense of everyone around her, including Broadway producer Peter Denver (Van Heflin), who reluctantly lets her use his apartment to work during the day. And when Peter’s wife Iris (Gene Tierney) comes home from a trip to find Nancy dead in the bathroom, the assigned detective, Lt. Bruce (George Raft), soon realizes this assumed suicide is more likely a murder. Everyone Ordway knew is suddenly suspect while a series of flashbacks reveal that she was weaving her own plan to climb the social ladder…

BONUS FEATURES:
  • Audio commentary by film noir historian, Alan K. Rode
  • Ginger Rogers at Twentieth Century Fox featurette
  • Gene Tierney: Final Curtain for a Noir Icon featurette
  • Poster, still, and behind the scenes galleries
  • Interactive pressbook
  • Theatrical trailer

ARTWORK UPDATE: MGM Epics

--Artwork added to previous announcement--







**MGM** has announced a March 25th release date for Solomon and Sheba (1959), Taras Bulba (1962) & Kings of the Sun (1963). Each DVD will retail for $19.98, but are available at Classicflix.com for only $14.99. Yul Brynner stars in all three with other stars being Tony Curtis, George Sanders George Chakiris, Richard Basehart & Gina Lollobrigida.



McHale's Navy - Season 3 in March

**The Shout Factory** has announced a March 18th release date for Mchale's Navy - Season Three. It will retail for $44.99, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $29.99. More details to follow.




Solomon and Sheba, Taras Bulba & Kings of the Sun in March

**MGM** has announced a March 25th release date for Solomon and Sheba (1959), Taras Bulba (1962) & Kings of the Sun (1963). Each DVD will retail for $19.98, but are available at Classicflix.com for only $14.99. Yul Brynner stars in all three with other stars being Tony Curtis, George Sanders George Chakiris, Richard Basehart & Gina Lollobrigida. More details to follow...

Warner Gangsters Collection, Vol. 3 in March

**Warner Home Video** has announced an March 25th release date for Warner Bros. Pictures Gangsters Collection, Vol. 3. The 6 disc DVD set will include Smart Money (1931), Picture Snatcher (1933), Lady Killer (1933), Mayor of Hell (1933), Black Legion (1937) and, likely the jewel of the set, Brother Orchid (1940). The set will retail for $59.92, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $44.99. Individual titles will retail for $19.97, and are available at Classicflix for $14.49. Details Below.

NOTE: If you're wondering why this is Volume 3 because you only recall Volume One being released in 2005, it's because Warner re-named last years Tough Guys Collection as Volume 2.



Smart Money (1931)
Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney were teamed up for the only time in their careers in Smart Money. Robinson has the larger part of a small-town barber who fancies himself a big-time gambler. He travels to the Big City carrying ten grand from backers at home with his younger brother (Cagney), who comes along as his bodyguard. Unfortunately Robinson has a weakness for beautiful blondes, which means trouble with a capital T. Watch closely in the first reel for an unbilled appearance by Boris Karloff as a dope pusher. Smart Money was Oscar® nominated for Best Original Screenplay.

BONUS FEATURES:
  • Theatrical trailer: Other Men’s Women
  • Two WB shorts: George Jessel and His Art Choir and The Smart Set-Up
  • WB cartoon: Big Man From the North
Picture Snatcher (1933)
James Cagney portrays Danny Kean, a gangster looking to reform himself -- after a stretch behind bars -- with a new career as a tabloid newspaper photographer. He’s also fallen for Patricia Nolan (Patricia Ellis), the daughter of the cop who put him away (Robert Emmett O'Connor). Dad is less than impressed with Kean’s new career and none too happy about his daughter’s budding relationship. Danny and his editor (Ralph Bellamy) may be selling papers, but is Danny able to sell Dad? Some of the photographs featured in the movie were recreated from sensational images of a 1928 electrocution that were printed in the New York Daily News.

BONUS FEATURES:
  • Vintage theatrical trailer: I Loved A Woman
  • Classic WB short: Plane Crazy
  • WB cartoon: Wake Up The Gypsy In Me
Lady Killer (1933)
In one of his more comedic efforts, Cagney plays Dan Quigley, a former con artist who goes to Hollywood to hide out and ends up becoming a star. Making it in show business may have its perks, but it also puts him in the spotlight and in jeopardy of being recognized by the thugs he ran away from. By turns, Lady Killer is a filmmaking spoof, a crime thriller and a character study. With Cagney’s vitality out front, it’s definitely greater than the sum of its parts. The likable cast includes Mae Clarke, his co-star from Public Enemy (part of the first Warner Bros. Gangster Collection) and the recipient of the famous grapefruit.

BONUS FEATURES:
  • Two exclusive WB shorts: The Camera Speaks and Kissing Time
  • Original theatrical trailer
  • WB cartoon: The Shanty Where Santy Claus Lives
Mayor of Hell (1933)
Five members of a teen-age gang, including leader Jimmy Smith (Frank Darro), are sent to the State Reformatory, ruled with an iron fist by a callous warden. Soon, Patsy Gargan (James Cagney) - a former gangster - arrives, having been appointed Deputy Commissioner as a political favor. Gargan falls for activist nurse Dorothy (Madge Evans) and, inspired by her, takes over the administration to reform the reformatory and institute some formerly ignored basic Roosevelt-era principles, like humane treatment and democracy.

BONUS FEATURES:
  • Four exclusive theatrical trailers: The Kennel Murder Case, The Mayor of Hell, Crime School, and Hell’s Kitchen
  • WB Short: The Audition
  • WB Cartoon: The Organ Grinder
Black Legion (1937)
Factory worker Frank Taylor (Humphrey Bogart in one of his early starring roles) believes that he has missed out on a deserved promotion when it is instead given to a Polish immigrant. Angry and looking for a scapegoat, he is an ideal mark for the Black Legion, an underground “Pro American” group that wants to get rid of immigrants and racial minorities through violent means. Frank joins, and with his new friends, he dons black robes and drives the Polish family from their home. His aim achieved, Frank gets his job, but soon the Legion begins to take up more of his time and money, and turns his character darker and darker. Co-starring Ann Sheridan, Black Legion was inspired by a real case and was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay.

BONUS FEATURES:
  • Theatrical trailer: The Perfect Specimen
  • Two WB shorts: Hi De Ho and Under Southern Stars
  • Authentic newsreel
  • WB short: Porky and Gabby
Brother Orchid (1940)
Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart made five films together and Brother Orchid is the only one in which neither is killed! In this gangster comedy, Little John Sarto (Robinson), returns from Europe where he was hoping to find some “class” and finds his old mob has been taken over by Jack Buck (Bogart). Barely escaping an attempt on his life by the new regime, Sarto takes refuge in the monastery of the “Little Brothers of the Flower,” pretending he’s interested in becoming a monk so that the Brothers will let him stay while he plots his revenge. However, the kindness of the monks gradually changes him and he resolves to turn over a new leaf and reject his violent past.

BONUS FEATURES:
  • Theatrical trailer: It All Came True
  • WB short: Henry Busse and His Orchestra
  • Two exclusive WB cartoons: Busy Bakers and Slap Happy Pappy