Kim Novak Film Collection in August

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TITLES:

Kim Novak Film Collection
August 10th
Sony
Retail $39.95, Our: $29.99
Picnic (1955), Pal Joey (1957), Jeanne Eagels (1957), Bell, Book and Candle (1958), Middle of the Night (1959)
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Sony has announced an August 10th release date for their Kim Novak Film Collection.

The 3-disc set will contain five films with Jeanne Eagels and Middle of the Night being new-to-DVD. No news on whether the re-releases will be remastered or not.

There are significant bonus features (below) which give the appearance of Ms. Novak's involvement in the release.

Retail will be $39.95, but it's available at ClassicFlix.com for only $29.99.

BONUS FEATURES:

  • Kim Novak's Hollywood Picnic
  • Reflections In The Middle of The Night
  • Backstage and At Home with Kim Novak
  • Select Scenes Commentary with Kim Novak and Author Stephen Rebello
  • Bewitched, Bothered and Blonde

WARNER ARCHIVE: Skelton's Whistling Series, Joe E. Brown

Warner has some new Archive titles listed at WBShop with the expected release date being this Tuesday. We've got them listed below and available for rent.

Others expected this Tuesday, but not yet confirmed are:

  • Five Star Final (1931) -- Edward G. Robinson, Marian Marsh, Boris Karloff
  • Verboten (1958) -- Sam Fuller (dir)
  • Going Wild (1930) -- Joe E. Brown
  • Tenderfoot (1932) -- Joe E. Brown
  • Two on a Guillotine (1964) -- Connie Stevens, Dean Jones and Cesar Romero

They are now available for rent at ClassicFlix, but may be approximately four weeks before they are available for shipment.

The total number of Warner Archive titles now exclusively available for rent at ClassicFlix.com is 408.

KARLOFF: Thriller - The Complete Series in August

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Thriller - The Complete Series
August 31st
Image Entertainment
Retail: $149.98, Our: $114.99
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With just one classic release in the last three years (2008's Fanny), it was thought that Image Entertainment had given up releasing classic films & TV permanently.

Now comes word however they have not completely forsaken anything classic as they have scheduled Thriller - The Complete Series for release on August 31st.

The complete series will be contained on 14 discs and comes with minimal bonus features (below). Guest stars include William Shatner, Leslie Nielsen, Rip Torn, Cloris Leachman, Mary Tyler Moore, Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York.

It will retail for $149.98, but it's available at ClassicFlix.com for only $114.99.

NOTE: Because of the cost of this complete series, it will not be available for rent. If and when it gets repackaged into single season sets, we will carry it.

SYNOPSIS:
Now available for the first time, experience the complete series hailed as the most frightening ever created for television. Horror legend Boris Karloff guides you through 67 unforgettable episodes of suspense, murder and relentless terror from the minds of such masterful writers as Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Bloch and Cornell Woolrich.

Featuring an incredible cast of stars, including William Shatner, Leslie Nielsen, Mary Tyler Moore, Elizabeth Montgomery, Rip Torn, Cloris Leachman, Robert Vaughn, John Carradine, Ursula Andress and many more! Thriller is the ultimate must-have collection for any horror fan.

BONUS FEATURES:

  • Series Promo
  • Still Galleries

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Blu-Ray) in September

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It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Blu)
September 7th
Warner
Retail: $24.98, Our: $20.99
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Warner has announced a September 7th release date for the Blu-Ray debut of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

Bonus features are not yet known, but according the the cover it will include a "Bonus Peanuts TV Special."

Retail will be $24.98, but it's available at ClassicFlix.com for only $20.99.

STREET DATE CHANGE: The Monster and the Ape

Without explanation, Cheezy Flicks has pushed back the release date for The Monster and the Ape (1945) to June 29th.

ORIGINAL ANNOUNCEMENT

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The Monster and the Ape (1945)
May 18th
Cheezy Flicks
Retail: $19.97, Our: $14.99
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The Monster and the Ape (1945), yes that's correct, The Monster and the Ape, a 15 chapter serial is set for release on May 18th from Cheezy Flicks.

Cheezy has put out some reliable cheese like Curse of the Faceless Man (1958) and last October's release Zombies of the Stratosphere (1952), among others. Their most popular titles have been G-Men vs. The Black Dragon (1943) and King of the Rocket Men (1949).

The 2-disc set will retail for $19.97, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $14.99. The theatrical trailer is the lone bonus feature.

Rocky and Bullwinkle - Season 4 in August

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Rocky and Bullwinkle & Friends - Season 4
August 17th
Classic Media
Retail: $19.98, Our: $14.99
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After a 5-year hiatus, Classic Media has announced Rocky and Bullwinkle's comeback for August 17th.

Rocky and Bullwinkle & Friends - The Complete Fourth Season will be a 2-disc DVD set and will retail for $19.98, but it's available at ClassicFlix.com for only $14.99. Bonus features and artwork to follow.

Previous Releases:

FLICKER ALLEY: Chicago (1927) in July

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Chicago (1927)
July 6th
Flicker Alley
Retail: $39.95, Our: $29.99
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Flicker Alley has announced July 6th for the home video debut of Chicago (1927).

The 2-disc DVD set will retail for $39.95, but it's available at ClassicFlix.com for only $29.99. Bonus features are below.

SYNOPSIS:
Sexy, jazz-loving and dressed to kill, Roxie Hart (Phyllis Haver) has a doting, handsome husband in Victor Varconi not to mention a gold-digging affair on the side with Eugene Pallette, who pays and pays, eventually with his life. Put on trial for murder, Roxie secures lawyer Billy Flynn (Robert Edeson), equal part mob “mouthpiece” and publicity agent. When Roxie hits the headlines, the courtroom theatrics begin.

Like the musical Chicago that won the Best Picture Academy Award and five other Oscars in 2002, this original 1927 version descends from a 1926 hit Broadway play by Maurine Watkins. It’s a terrifically entertaining mix of humor and melodrama as well as a pungent critique of trash journalism. Frank Urson signed Chicago as director, although it is substantially the work of Cecil B. DeMille and his A-list technical staff. (DeMille apparently judged it unseemly to take full credit for this cynical and secular story while his religious spectacle The King of Kings was still in theatres!)

Chicago is silent filmmaking at its peak, with an outstanding score for this edition by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra. The 1927 Chicago was long believed a lost film, but a perfect print survived in Cecil B. DeMille’s private collection. Restored by the UCLA Film and Television Archive in 2006, it has since been widely performed to rapturous audiences.

BONUS FEATURES:

  • The Golden Twenties (1950) - A compilation documentary feature produced by The March of Time from authentic footage of the era
  • Lauren Lazin’s The Flapper Story (1985) in which several self-declared children of the roaring twenties look back across the decades on their youthful lives
  • A brochure by Thomas Pauly on author Maurine Watkins and the factual background of Chicago
  • Notes by Robert S. Birchard, author of Cecil B. DeMille’s Hollywood
  • Chicago - The Real-Life Roxy Hart documentary by Jeffery Masino and Silas Lesnick

WARNER ARCHIVE: Classic Musical Shorts from the Dream Factory

Warner's one classic Archive title for this week has been added at WBShop and it's sure to be a popular rental. The 4-disc set, Classic Musical Shorts from the Dream Factory, contains 34 theatrical musical shorts -- many in technicolor.

It is now available for rent at ClassicFlix, but may be approximately four weeks before it's available for shipment.

The total number of Warner Archive titles now exclusively available for rent at ClassicFlix.com is 403.

ARTWORK ADDED: The Real McCoys - Season 4


--Artwork added to previous announcement--

ORIGINAL ANNOUNCEMENT

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WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:
The Real McCoys - Complete Fourth Season
June 29th
Infinity
Retail: $29.98, Our: $21.99
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Infinity Entertainment has announced a June 29th release date for The Real McCoys - Complete Fourth Season.

The 4-disc set will be at a lower price point than the first three seasons (5-disc releases). Retail will be $29.98, but it's available at ClassicFlix.com for only $21.99.

Previous Releases:

CRITERION: Josef von Sternberg Silent Collection in August

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Three Silents by Josef von Sternberg Collection
August 24th
Criterion
Retail $79.95, Our: $64.99
Underworld (1927), The Last Command (1928), The Docks of New York (1928)
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With news sure to delight silent film fans the world over, Criterion has announced an August 24th release date for Three Silents by Josef von Sternberg Collection.

The 3-disc set includes three new-to-DVD titles (above) with stars such as George Bancroft, Emil Jannings and William Powell.

Bonus features and synopses are below.

Retail will be $79.95, but it's available at ClassicFlix.com for only $64.99.

SYNOPSIS:
Vienna-born, New York–raised Josef von Sternberg (Shanghai Express, Morocco) directed some of the most influential, extraordinarily stylish dramas ever to come out of Hollywood. Though best known for his star-making collaborations with Marlene Dietrich, Sternberg began his movie career during the final years of the silent era, dazzling audiences and critics with his films’ dark visions and innovative cinematography.

The titles in this collection, made on the cusp of the sound age, are three of Sternberg’s greatest works, gritty evocations of gangster life (Underworld), the Russian Revolution (The Last Command), and working-class desperation (The Docks of New York) made into shadowy movie spectacle. Criterion is proud to present these long unavailable classics of American cinema, each with two musical scores.

Underworld (1927)
Josef von Sternberg’s riveting breakthrough is widely considered the film that launched the American gangster genre. George Bancroft is the main heavy, “Bull” Weed, an urban criminal kingpin whose jealous devotion to his moll, Feathers (Evelyn Brent), gets him into hot water with a rival hood and, ultimately, the authorities. Further complicating matters is the attraction blossoming between Feathers and an alcoholic former lawyer (Clive Brook). With its supple, endlessly expressive camera work, and a screenplay by legendary scribe Ben Hecht (who won a best original story Oscar the first year the awards were given), Underworld solidified Sternberg’s place as one of Hollywood’s most exciting new talents.

The Last Command (1928)
Emil Jannings won the first best actor Academy Award for his passionate, heartbreaking performance as a sympathetic tyrant, an exiled Russian military officer turned Hollywood actor whose latest part—a czarist general—brings about his emotional downfall.

With its brilliantly realized Russian Revolution sequences, virtuoso camera work, and grandly designed sets and effects, Josef von Sternberg’s The Last Command is a gripping silent melodrama that grapples with tumultuous recent history, as well as a striking portrait of one man’s increasing blurring of the line between fantasy and reality.

The Docks of New York (1928)
Roughneck stoker Bill Roberts (George Bancroft) gets into all sorts of trouble during a brief shore leave when he falls hard for Mae (Betty Compson), a wise and weary dance hall girl, in Josef von Sternberg’s evocative portrait of lower-class waterfront folk.

Fog-enshrouded cinematography by Harold Rosson (The Wizard of Oz), expressionist set design by Hans Dreier (Sunset Boulevard), and sensual performances make this one of the legendary director’s finest works, and one of the most exquisitely crafted films of its era.

BONUS FEATURES:

  • Six scores: one by Robert Israel for each film; two by the Alloy Orchestra, for Underworld and The Last Command; and a piano and voice piece by Donald Sosin for The Docks of New York
  • Two new visual essays: one by UCLA film professor Janet Bergstrom and the other by film scholar Tag Gallagher
  • 1968 Swedish television interview with director Josef von Sternberg, covering his entire career
  • PLUS: A ninety-six-page booklet featuring essays by film critic Geoffrey O’Brien, film scholar Anton Kaes, and author Luc Sante; the original film treatment for Underworld by Ben Hecht; and an excerpt from Sternberg’s autobiography, Fun in a Chinese Laundry, on Emil Jannings

ARTWORK ADDED: Sgt. Bilko: The Phil Silvers Show - Season 1

--Artwork added to previous announcement--

ORIGINAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Those waiting for more Bilko shall wait no more! Paramount has announced a July 27th release date for Sgt. Bilko: The Phil Silvers Show - Season 1.

Prior to this release, the only Bilko available was the fantastic 2006 50th Anniversary Collection. All that great release did was leave fans wanting more -- and Paramount finally has answered the call.

The bonus features (below) don't stack up to the previous release, but it's good to see that the studio still considers them important.

The 5-disc DVD set will retail for $39.99, but it's available at ClassicFlix.com for only $29.99.

BONUS FEATURES:

  • Commentary by Allan Melvin
  • The Lost Audition Show
  • Commentary by George Kennedy
  • Original Network Opening
  • Lucy and the Efficiency Expert
  • Camel Commercials
  • 1959 Pontiac Commercial

The Real McCoys - Season 4 in June

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WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:
The Real McCoys - Complete Fourth Season
June 29th
Infinity
Retail: $29.98, Our: $21.99
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Infinity Entertainment has announced a June 29th release date for The Real McCoys - Complete Fourth Season.

The 4-disc set will be at a lower price point than the first three seasons (5-disc releases). Retail will be $29.98, but it's available at ClassicFlix.com for only $21.99.

Previous Releases:

Forbidden Planet (Blu-Ray) in September

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Forbidden Planet (Blu-Ray)
September 7th
Warner
Retail: $24.98, Our: $19.99
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Released in 2006 in the HD-DVD format, Warner has now announced a September 7th release date for the Blu-Ray release of Forbidden Planet.

The bonus features (below) are the same as the HD release and the 2-disc special editon.

Retail is $24.98, but it's available at ClassicFlix.com for only $19.99.

BONUS FEATURES:

  • Deleted scenes and lost footage
  • 2 Follow-Up Vehicles Starring Robby the Robot:
    • The Thin Man TV series episode: Robot Client
    • Feature Film The Invisible Boy (1957)
  • TCM original documentary Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us
  • Featurettes:
    • Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet
    • Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon
  • Excerpts from The MGM Parade TV Series
  • Theatrical Trailers of Forbidden Planet and The Invisible Boy

Psycho (Blu-Ray) - 50th Anniversary Edition in October

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Psycho (Blu-Ray)
October 19th
Universal
Retail: $26.98, Our: $20.99
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Norman Bates gets even creepier in hi-def on October 19th as Universal has announced the Blu-Ray release of Psycho (1960).

It will be a single disc with apparently all the bonus features being carry overs from the Special Edition released in 2008.

Retail is $26.98, but it's available at ClassicFlix.com for only $20.99.

BONUS FEATURES:

  • Commentary with Stephen Rebello
  • The Making of Psycho
  • Psycho Sound
  • In The Master's Shadow: Hitchcock's Legacy
  • Hitchcock / Truffaut Interview Excerpts
  • Newsreel Footage: The Release of Psycho
  • The Shower Scene: With and Without Music
  • The Shower Scene: Storyboards by Saul Bass
  • The Psycho Archives
  • Lobby Cards
  • Behind-the-Scenes Photographs
  • Production Photographs
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • Re-release Trailers
  • My Scenes
  • BD Live

STREET DATE CHANGE: Olive Films Releases

We have a street date change for the four Olive Films titles previously announced. They were scheduled to release on July 13th, but have now been pushed back to July 27th.

ORIGINAL ANNOUNCEMENT

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Dark City (1950)
July 13th
Olive Films
Retail $24.95, Our: $17.99
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Union Station (1950)
July 13th
Olive Films
Retail $24.95, Our: $17.99
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Appointment with Danger (1951)
July 13th
Olive Films
Retail $24.95, Our: $17.99
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STUDIO:
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Crack in the World (1965)
July 13th
Olive Films
Retail $24.95, Our: $17.99
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We mentioned back in February that Olive Films had licensed 27 films from Paramount. Now, Olive has officially announced four titles (above) for release on July 13th.

All four have been mastered from 35mm archive prints and will retail for $24.95 each, but are available at ClassicFlix.com for only $17.99. Bonus features are not expected.

Sgt. Bilko: The Phil Silvers Show - Season 1 in July

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STUDIO:
PRICE:
Sgt. Bilko: The Phil Silvers Show - Season 1
July 27th
Paramount
Retail: $39.99, Our: $29.99
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Those waiting for more Bilko shall wait no more! Paramount has announced a July 27th release date for Sgt. Bilko: The Phil Silvers Show - Season 1.

Prior to this release, the only Bilko available was the fantastic 2006 50th Anniversary Collection. All that great release did was leave fans wanting more -- and Paramount finally has answered the call.

The bonus features (below) don't stack up to the previous release, but it's good to see that the studio still considers them important.

The 5-disc DVD set will retail for $39.99, but it's available at ClassicFlix.com for only $29.99.

BONUS FEATURES:

  • Commentary by Allan Melvin
  • The Lost Audition Show
  • Commentary by George Kennedy
  • Original Network Opening
  • Lucy and the Efficiency Expert
  • Camel Commercials
  • 1959 Pontiac Commercial

VCI: The Australian Story in July

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Trouble in the Sky (1960)
July 27th
VCI
Retail: $19.99, Our: $15.99
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VCI has set a July 27th release date for The Australian Story (1952) A.K.A. Kangaroo.

It is a re-release of sorts as Genius put it out some time ago along with Gigolettes of Paris (1933) in a double feature which has since gone out of print. We have now replaced it here at ClassicFlix with this new release and made Gigolettes available separately for rental.

Also, this print is likely to be superior as VCI is touting it as "restored and remastered." Bonus features are not likely.

Retail will be $19.99, but it's available at ClassicFlix.com for only $15.99.