Classicflix.com Blog

COLUMBIA CLASSICS: Edward G. in Mr. Winkle Goes to War, & More

2012-01-30T20:50:00.001-08:00

Sony has announced five Columbia Classic DVDs for release on March 6th.

Mr. Winkle Goes to War (1944) starring Edward G. Robinson and Ruth Warrick is the headliner of this wave that also features a re-release of the out-of-print The Gene Krupa Story (1959) starring Sal Mineo.

Three British releases round out the wave:

Spin a Dark Web (1956) - Faith Domergue, Lee Patterson
Just For Fun (1963) - Mark Wynter, Cherry Roland
Ring-a-Ding Rhythm! (1962) - Chubby Checker, Del Shannon, Gary U.S. Bonds & Dir. Richard Lester

Gene Autry Show - Seasons 3 & 4 in April

2012-01-26T18:57:00.001-08:00

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The Gene Autry Show - Season 2
April 10th
Timeless Media Group
Retail: $24.98, Our: $19.99

Timeless Media continues their brisk pace of releasing T.V. Westerns as they have scheduled The Gene Autry Show - Season 2 for release on April 10th.

The 4-disc set, with 13 episodes from each season, will retail for $24.98, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $19.99. Bonus features are expected, but not known.

FINALLY: The Magnificent Ambersons

2012-01-25T19:35:00.000-08:00

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The Magnificent Ambersons
January 31st
Warner Bros.
Retail: $14.9, Our: $10.99

Bundled as part of the exclusive Citizen Kane Ultimate Collector's Edition set at Amazon, and released last September, The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) at last gets wide release next Tuesday.

This single disc set comes without bonus features (but is a pressed DVD), and retails at the low price of 14.96. It's available at ClassicFlix.com for only $10.99.

FLICKER: A Trip to the Moon - In Original 1902 Colors in March

2012-01-25T06:43:00.000-08:00

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A Trip to the Moon (Limited Edition Steelbook)
March 27th
Flicker Alley
Retail: 39.99, Our: $29.99

Flicker Alley has announced a March 27th release date for A Trip to the Moon (Limited Edition Steelbook).

This special edition features the groundbreaking film in its original 1902 colors, as well as the 2011 documentary The Extraordinary Voyage.

SYNOPSIS:

The original hand-painted color version of Georges Méliès’ masterpiece, A Trip to the Moon (1902), to home video 110 years after its first release. Georges Méliès, one of the celebrated heroes of Martin Scorsese’s new movie Hugo, was a master of cinematic invention and enchantment.

The material for A Trip to the Moon (1902) is sourced from a restored color version that had been considered lost for several decades and is presented with an original soundtrack by the French band, AIR.

Packaged in a limited-edition, SteelBook case.

BONUS FEATURES:

The Extraordinary Voyage, a fascinating documentary directed by Serge Bromberg and Eric Lange about the life of Georges Méliès and the magic of film history and preservation it chronicles the journey of A Trip to the Moon from the fantastical Méliès’ production in 1902 to the astonishing rediscovery of a nitrate print in color in 1993, to the premiere of the new restoration on the opening night of the Cannes Film Festival in 2011.

This single DVD releases will retail for $39.99, but it is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $29.99.

WARNER ARCHIVE: 6 More in Cagney & Bogart Wave

2012-01-24T19:02:00.001-08:00

The well that is Warner's Vault is so deep that as we approach three years into the Archive program, there are still plenty of films with big name stars being released.

This week is no different as Warner has announced two James Cagney and an four Humphrey Bogart films for release on DVD. They are:

Taxi (1932) - James Cagney, Loretta Young, George E. Stone, Guy Kibbee
Frisco Kid (1935) - James Cagney, Margaret Lindsay, Ricardo Cortez, Lili Damita, Donald Woods
You Can't Get Away With Murder (1939) - Humphrey Bogart, Gale Page, Billy Halop, John Litel, Henry Travers
It All Came True (1940) - Ann Sheridan, Humphrey Bogart, Jeffrey Lynn, Zasu Pitts, Una O'Connor
Conflict (1945) - Humphrey Bogart, Alexis Smith, Sydney Greenstreet, Rose Hobart, Charles Drake
Chain Lightning (1950) - Humphrey Bogart, Eleanor Parker, Raymond Massey

All will be available at ClassicFlix on March 13th.

These new DVDs add to the total of over 800 Warner Archive titles exclusively available for rent at ClassicFlix.com.

TCM VAULT: Joel McCrea Westerns Collection in April

2012-01-23T16:42:00.001-08:00

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Joel McCrea Westerns Collection (TCM Vault)
April 2nd
Universal
The Virginian (1946), Cattle Drive (1951), Border River (1954)

Joel McCrea gets his own collection with the announcement of the Joel McCrea Westerns Collection due on April 2nd.

Released via the TCM Vault line, the 4-disc set has 3 golden age westerns The Virginian (1946), Cattle Drive (1951) and Border River (1954); and a 1976 western (Mustang Country) which was McCrea's last screen appearance.

The Virginian was released last year as part of the Universal Vault Series, but Cattle Drive and Border River are making their DVD debut. Mustang Country, while it is included in the boxed set when purchased at TCM, is not available for rent here.

Bonus features will be stills, lobby cards, etc. that are typical of Vault collections.

Available exclusively for purchase at TCM.com, this three tiltes above will be available for rent here at ClassicFlix and nowhere else!

Turner Classic Movies and Universal Studios Home Entertainment present the 4-disc Joel McCrea: Westerns Collection.

Starting in the silent era, Joel McCrea rapidly became one of the most popular and versatile leading men of the early thirties. He was ideally cast in everything from Pre-Code dramas (The Common Law, 1931) to exotic adventures (Bird of Paradise, 1932) to suspense thrillers (The Most Dangerous Game, 1932) but his real forte was Westerns.

By the late forties, he began to specialize in frontier sagas due to his immense appeal to fans of the genre. In this collection, TCM showcases four highlights from this later period including The Virginian (1946), Cattle Drive (1951), Border River (1954) and Mustang Country (1976), which marks McCrea’s final screen appearance.

Presented for the first time on DVD, these four Technicolor Westerns confirm McCrea’s iconic status as an enduring Western hero and the embodiment of honor, integrity and courage on the untamed plains of America.

ARTWORK ADDED: Buck Privates (Blu-Ray)

2012-01-19T15:13:00.000-08:00

--ARTWORK ADDED TO PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENT--

ORIGINAL ANNOUNCEMENT

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Buck Privates (Blu-Ray)
April 17th
Universal
Retail: $39.98, Our: $31.99

Abbott and Costello get their first Blu treatment as Buck Privates (Blu-Ray) has been announced by Universal for release this April 17th.

The Blu-Ray/DVD combo will feature a few bonus features, mostly common to Universal's 100th anniversary celebration, plus a 40-page book with an introduction by filmmaker John Landis, rare movie memorabilia, photos, classic routines and much more!

It will retail for $39.98, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $31.99.

WARNER ARCHIVE: Fonda, Fonda, Frankenheimer & Ford

2012-01-19T07:50:00.001-08:00

We've added 6 more Warner Archive titles -- all of which will be available at ClassicFlix on March 6th.

Henry Fonda stars in 1937's Slim co-starring Pat O'Brien, Stuart Erwin and Margaret Lindsay; as well as John Ford's The Fugitive (1947) featuring Dolores del Rio, Pedro Armendariz, J. Carrol Naish, Leo Carrillo and Ward Bond.

Three early Jane Fonda films are out, including her first film Tall Story (1960) co-starring Anthony Perkins. The other two are Period of Adjustment (1962) and In the Cool of the Day (1963).

John Frankenheimer's directorial debut The Young Stranger (1957) also makes it to DVD. The family drama stars James MacArthur and Kim Hunter.

These new DVDs add to the total of over 800 Warner Archive titles exclusively available for rent at ClassicFlix.com.

Casablanca (Blu-Ray) - 70th Anniversary Limited Edition in March

2012-01-18T16:37:00.001-08:00

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Casablanca - 70th Anniversary Edition (Blu-Ray)
March 27th
Warner Bros.
Retail: $64.99, Our: $57.99

Casablanca's 70th anniversary will be commemorated with Warner's upcoming release of Casablanca - 70th Anniversary Limited Edition (Blu-Ray) on March 27th.

Previously released in hi-def, this new set will be a Blu-Ray/DVD combo and have two new documentaries exclusive to this limited edition set (50,000).

It also appears that all bonus features, which are numerous, will carry over from 2008's out of print Ultimate Collector's Edition.

Premiums for this set are:

Full size reproduction of the original 1942 film poster
62-page, production art book that includes never-before-seen photos, personal memos, and archival documents about the production
4 collectible drink coasters

SYNOPSIS:
Casablanca: easy to enter, but much harder to leave, especially if your name is on the Nazi's most-wanted list. Atop that list is Czech Resistance leader Victor Laszlo (Paul Henried), whose only hope is Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), a cynical American who sticks his neck out for no one... especially Victor's wife Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), the ex-lover who broke his heart. So when Ilsa offers herself in exchange for Laszlo's safe transport out of the country, the bitter Rick must decide what's more important - his own happiness or the countless lives that hang in the balance.

All new 2012 4k feature transfer on Blu-ray and standard format DVD
Limited and numbered for collectibility (50,000)

BONUS FEATURES:

Introduction by Lauren Bacall
Separate Commentaries by Roger Ebert, Rudy Behlmer
Over 45 minutes of new, never-before-seen Bonus Content created for the 70th Anniversary release, with 2 new documentaries:
- Casablanca: An Unlikely Classic
- Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You've Never Heard Of
3 feature length documentaries on a separate Blu-ray disc for nearly 9 hours of compelling , cinematic historical content:
- Jack Warner: The Last Mogul
- The Brothers Warner
- You Must Remember This

BLU: Titanic (1953) in April

2012-01-18T06:49:00.001-08:00

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Titanic (1953) - Blu-Ray
April 3rd
Fox
Retail: $24.99, Our: $19.99

If you don't know it yet, you'll soon be aware that the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic is this April.

To coincide with it, Criterion has already announced the release of A Night to Remember (1958); and now, 20th Century-Fox has scheduled 1953's Titanic for release on Blu-Ray this April 3rd.

Starring Barbara Stanwyck and Clifton Webb, and featuring Robert Wagner, Audrey Dalton, Thelma Ritter, Brian Aherne and Richard Basehart, the disc will retail for $24.99, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $19.99. All bonus features will carry over from the standard release.

SYNOPSIS:
Determined to remove her family from the superficial, high society world in which her husband Richard (Clifton Webb) is engrossed, Julia Sturges (Barbara Stanwyck) boards the R.M.S. Titanic in England on its maiden voyage to America, along with her two children. Learning of her plans, however, Richard purchases a steerage ticket aboard the ship in hopes of reconciling with his family.

But when fate, ice and an overzealous ship captain step in, the Sturges family faces an unimaginable challenge - the possibility of separation from one another forever. This classic, based on the true-life history of the famed ocean liner, remains one of the most poignant, well-crafted films of all time.

BONUS FEATURES:

Commentary by Film Critic Richard Shickel
Commentary by Robert Wagner, Audrey Dalton and Cinematographer Michael Lonza
"Beyond Titanic" Documentary
Movietone Newsreels (1953)
Audio Essay by Titanic Historian Silvia Stoddard
Still Gallery
Theatrical Trailer

THREE STOOGES: 20-Disc Ultimate Collection in March

2012-01-17T07:36:00.001-08:00

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The Three Stooges Ultimate Collection
March 27th
Sony
Retail: $159.99, Our: $124.99

We broke the news back in August of 2007 that Sony had announced its first Three Stooges chronological set. Now, we are pleased to announce the ultimate culmination of the ultimate comedy trio with the The Three Stooges Ultimate Collection.

It is reportedly a 20-disc set which will include the eight chronological volumes already released. However, it should be noted that said eight volumes add up to only 17 discs, so there will likely be some bonus material involved. More details to follow.

Any way you slice it, it's a great buy with a retail price of $159.99, with it available at ClassicFlix.com for only $124.99.

HEY ABBOTT! Buck Privates (Blu-Ray) in April

2012-01-17T06:19:00.001-08:00

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Buck Privates (Blu-Ray)
April 17th
Universal
Retail: $39.98, Our: $31.99

CITIZEN KANE: Blu-Ray Book

2012-01-16T10:54:00.000-08:00

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Citizen Kane (Blu-Ray)
January 17th
Warner Bros.
Retail: $35.99, Our: $30.99

You can now rent Citizen Kane on Blu-Ray!

Back in September, Warner Bros. released their 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's editions of Citizen Kane on both standard and Blu-Ray. They have now announced, and will release tomorrow, a slim-downed and more affordable Blu-Ray Book (Which we can now carry for rental).

The 2-disc set features the film, along with some bonus features on disc 1, with The Battle of Citizen Kane documentary on disc 2.
Retail will be $35.99, but it's available at ClassicFlix.com for only $30.99. Details below.

Orson Welles' masterwork (#1 in the American Film Institute's list of Best American Movies) dazzles anew in a superb 70th-anniversary digital transfer. It’s grand entertainment, sharply acted (starting many of Welles' Mercury Players on the road to thriving film careers) and directed with inspired visual flair. Chronicling the stormy life of an influential publishing tycoon, this Best Original Screenplay Academy Award winner (1941) is rooted in themes of power, corruption, vanity – the American Dream lost in the mystery of a dying man’s last word: “Rosebud.”

BONUS FEATURES:

Commentary by Peter Bogdanovich
Commentary by Roger Ebert
Interview with Ruth Warrick
Interview with Robert Wise
Premiere Newsreel
Still Gallery & More!
The Battle over Citizen Kane Documentary**
PLUS: 48 Page Book with Photos, Storyboards & Behind-the-Scenes Information

**NOTE: This is a two-disc set with The Battle of Citizen Kane documentary on disc 2 in standard definition. While it is not rentable on this product page, it can be added to your rental queue here.

BLU HITCHCOCK: Rebecca, Notorious, Spellbound This Month

2012-01-12T08:07:00.000-08:00

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Rebecca (Blu-Ray)
January 24th
MGM
Retail: 24.99, Our: $19.99

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Notorious (Blu-Ray)
January 24th
MGM
Retail: 24.99, Our: $19.99

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Spellbound (Blu-Ray)
January 24th
MGM
Retail: 24.99, Our: $19.99

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The Apartment (Blu-Ray)
January 24th
MGM
Retail: 24.99, Our: $19.99

More Hitchcock on Blu-Ray has been announced by MGM as Rebecca (1940), Notorious (1946) and Spellbound (1945) are all due on January 24th.

Also out is on the same day is Billy Wilder's The Apartment (Blu-Ray). Bonus features, which are many, will carry over for all four standard versions.

Car 54, Where Are You? - Season 2 in April

2012-01-11T18:28:00.000-08:00

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Car 54, Where Are You? - Season 2
April 10th
Shanachie
Retail: $39.98, Our: $29.99

Toody and Muldoon are back with the release of Car 54, Where Are You? - Season 2 due on April 10th!

The 4-disc set, from a small studio named Shanachie which also released Season 1, will feature all 30 episodes from the second and final season. Bonus features are not yet known.

Retail will be $39.98, but it's available at ClassicFlix.com for only $29.99.

OLIVE: Sinatra, Stanwyck & More Jerry Lewis in March

2012-01-11T16:26:00.000-08:00

More Paramount titles via Olive Films have been announced with a March 27th release date. They are:

Frank Sinatra (DVD & Blu-Ray):

Come Blow Your Horn (1963)
Assault on a Queen (1966)

Jerry Lewis (DVD & Blu-Ray):

It's Only Money (1962)
Who's Minding the Store? (1963)

Some 1950's dramas on DVD:

No Man of Her Own (1950)
Something to Live For (1952)

Also out is 1963's Dean Martin and Lana Turner comedy Who's Got the Action? with Eddie Albert and Walter Matthau on both standard & Blu-Ray.

All can be easily viewed in our recent additions section.

ARTWORK ADDED: Harvey (Blu-Ray)

2012-01-11T07:54:00.000-08:00

--ARTWORK ADDED TO PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENT--

ORIGINAL ANNOUNCEMENT

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Harvey (Blu-Ray)
March 6th
Universal
Retail: $26.98, Our: $21.99

Elwood P. Dowd, courtesy of James Stewart, along with his 6' 3 1/2" pooka companion come to Blu-Ray on March 6th as Universal has announced Harvey (Blu-Ray).

The release, part of Universal's 100th anniversary celebration, is a combo pack which will include a standard definition version (likely the same 2001 transfer).

It will retail for $26.98, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $21.99. Details below.

SYNOPSIS:
James Stewart gives one of his finest performances in this lighthearted film, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Stewart stars as the good-natured Elwood P. Dowd, whose constant companion is Harvey, a six-foot tall rabbit that only he can see.

To his sister, Veta Louise, Elwood's obsession with Harvey has been a thorn in the side of her plans to marry off her daughter. But when Veta Louise decides to put Elwood in a mental hospital, a hilarious mix-up occurs and she finds herself committed instead. It's up to Elwood to straighten out the mess with his kindly philosophy, and his "imaginary" friend, in this popular classic that features a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award winning performance by Josephine Hull.

BONUS FEATURES:

Special Introduction by Film Star Jimmy Stewart with Photographic Montage
Production Notes on the Making of the Film
100 Years of Universal: The Carl Laemmle Era
100 Years of Universal: The Lew Wasserman Era
Theatrical Trailer

NOTE: Universal is also releasing several films that were previously released in sets by them, or as singles by other companies. As we already have them in our inventory, we will not carry these new releases for clarity's sake. However, we will list them here as them may be of interest.

They are: Charade, The Egg and I, Francis the Talking Mule, My Many Godfrey (1936), Sullivan's Travels, Three Smart Girls. Additionally, they have some "Spotlight" collections coming that feature similar titles. One such title is a Hollywood Legends Spotlight Collection with Harvey, Spartacus and Touch of Evil.

WARNER ARCHIVE: Cheyenne - Season 3, Rhapsody in Blue

2012-01-10T19:35:00.000-08:00

We've added 6 more Warner Archive titles -- all of which will be available at ClassicFlix on January 31st.

Clint Walker is back as post-civil war drifter Cheyenne Bodie in Cheyenne - Season 3. Unlike Season 2, Warner decided to release the entire season in one set.

The George Gershwin bio-pic Rhapsody in Blue (1945) starring Robert Alda, Joan Leslie and Alexis Smith is out as well as 1938's The Great Waltz starring Luise Rainer (who will turn 102 on January 12th).

Also out is the 1914 and 1931 versions of Cecil B. DeMille's The Squaw Man. While the latter version is new to DVD, the 1914 version has been previously released by several public domain companies. However, this print of the earliest silent to be put on DVD by Warner should prove superior to all in existence.

Rounding out this week's titles are The Last Hunt (1956) starring Robert Taylor, Stewart Granger, Lloyd Nolan, Debra Paget, Russ Tamblyn and the 3-disc 8-film Monogram Cowboy Collection, Vol. 2.

These new DVDs add to the total of over 800 Warner Archive titles exclusively available for rent at ClassicFlix.com.

BRIT VCI: A Town Like Alice, Carve Her Name With Pride in February

2012-01-06T09:10:00.000-08:00

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A Town Like Alice (1956)
February 14th
VCI
Retail $14.99, Our: $12.99

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Carve Her Name With Pride (1958)
February 14th
VCI
Retail $14.99, Our: $12.99

Two British war classics starring Virginia McKenna are coming from VCI this February 14th. They are:

A Town Like Alice (1956) - Peter Finch
Carve Her Name With Pride (1958) - Paul Scofield, Jack Warner, Denise Grey

Carve, which will also have a photo gallery as a bonus feature, was released by MGM in 2008, but has since gone out of print.

This is Alice's first region 1 DVD release. It will have a 26 minute documentery, A Profile of A Town Like Alice, plus a photo gallery.

A classic war movie like no other, because it is told from a woman’s perspective. The film is based on the moving novel by Nevil Shute. It is set during WWII in British Malaya, 1941.

The Japanese army has been advancing rapidly through the British territory. The men they captured are sent off to labor camps, but they don’t have a plan to deal with the many women and children that are left behind. Not sure what to do with them, the Japanese force their captives to march for miles and months on end all over Malaya in search of a camp willing to take them in.

Virginia McKenna plays one of the courageous women prisoners, who through her fighting spirit and will to survive, keeps the others going on their arduous journey. Along the way, they cross paths with Peter Finch, an Australian POW, who risks his own life to help the sick, starving and abused women and children survive. Finch and McKenna inevitably are drawn to each other and together form a lasting bond. FYI, the town like “Alice” refers to the town where Finch’s character hails from… Alice Springs in the northern territory of Australia.

BONUS FEATURES:

A Profile of A Town Like Alice - This documentary account features interviews with Virginia McKenna and Jean Anderson (starring actresses), and Jack Lee (Director)
Photo Gallery

During World War II, Violette Szabo volunteers to join the SOE (Special Operations Executive) and parachutes into France as a secret agent to aid a Resistance group. Her mission successful, she joins the Resistance, where she stays until captured by the Germans. Tortured by the Gestapo for information, she refuses to betray her comrades and is consequently deported to a German concentration camp.

A moving story about the strength of the human spirit, in even the most adverse circumstances. Based on a best-selling biography of the same name by R. J. Minney, which was based on the true story of the heroism of SOE agent Violette Szabo.

BONUS FEATURE:

Photo Gallery

VCI SERIAL: Don Winslow of the Coast Guard in February

2012-01-05T15:14:00.000-08:00

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Don Winslow of the Coast Guard
February 14th
VCI
Retail: $19.98, Our: $15.99

Another serial is on the way from VCI as they have scheduled Don Winslow of the Coast Guard for release on February 14th.

The single disc DVD will retail for $19.98, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $15.99. Bonus features are not expected.

TCM VAULT: UPA Classic Cartoon Collection in March

2012-01-05T13:38:00.001-08:00

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UPA Classic Cartoon Collection (TCM Vault)
March 5th
Sony

Sony is venturing into new territory with the upcoming release of their UPA Classic Cartoon Collection on March 5th. Released via the TCM Vault line, this is the first animation distributed by Columbia to appear on DVD from Sony (not including the recently released 1001 Arabian Nights on MOD).

Available exclusively for purchase at TCM.com, this 3-disc set will be available for rent here at ClassicFlix and nowhere else!

Turner Classic Movies and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment present the UPA Classic Cartoon Collection. This three-disc set includes 38 theatrical cartoons from the most critically-acclaimed cartoon studio of the 1950s.

Released theatrically by Columbia Pictures, the cartoon shorts produced by UPA (United Productions of America) were revolutionary, adopting the contemporary graphics of Modern design and offering non-traditional, provocative storytelling.

Giving the animators at Disney, MGM and Warner Bros. a run for their money, UPA earned six nominations and three Academy Awards, and among their classic one-shot cartoons they adapted stories by James Thurber (“A Unicorn in the Garden”) and Edgar Allan Poe (“The Tell-Tale Heart” narrated by James Mason). The studio tried to avoid repetition, but nevertheless presented two long-lasting characters in Gerald McBoing Boing (created by Dr. Seuss) and the near-sighted Mr. Magoo, whose first cartoon - “Ragtime Bear” – is also included in the UPA Classic Cartoon Collection.

Presented for the first time on DVD, these classic cartoons have been re-mastered - with as many of the original theatrical titles restored as possible - making the UPA Classic Cartoon Collection a desirable addition to any animation and classic movie fan’s DVD library.

Shorts included:

Robin Hoodlum
The Magic Fluke
Ragtime Bear
Punchy De Leon
The Miner’s Daughter
Giddyap
The Popcorn Story
Gerald Mcboing-Boing
The Family Circus
Georgie and the Dragon
Wonder Gloves
The Oompahs
Rooty Toot Toot
Willie the Kid
Pete Hothead
Madeline
Little Boy With a Big Horn
The Emperor’s New Clothes
Christopher Crumpet
Gerald Mcboing-Boing’s Symphony
The Unicorn in the Garden
The Tell-Tale Heart
Bringing Up Mother
Ballet-Oops
The Man on the Flying Trapeze
Fudget’s Budget
How Now Boing-Boing
Spare the Child
Four Wheels No Brake
Baby Boogie
Christopher Crumpet’s Playmate
The Rise of Duton Lang
Gerald Mcboing! Boing! on Planet Moo
The Jaywalker
Trees and Jamaica Daddy
Sailing and Village Band
Spring and Saganaki
Picnics are Fun & Dino’s Serenade

ELWOOD P. DOWD: Harvey Turns Blu in March

2012-01-05T07:45:00.000-08:00

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Harvey (Blu-Ray)
March 6th
Universal
Retail: $26.98, Our: $21.99

Special Introduction by Film Star Jimmy Stewart with Photographic Montage
Production Notes on the Making of the Film
100 Years of Universal: The Carl Laemmle Era
100 Years of Universal: The Lew Wasserman Era
Theatrical Trailer

CAPRA: Lady for a Day Standard & Blu in March

2012-01-04T14:57:00.001-08:00

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Lady for a Day
March 20th
Inception Media
Retail: 14.98, Our: $12.99

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Lady for a Day (Blu-Ray)
March 20th
Inception Media
Retail: 29.98, Our: $23.99

Previously released in standard definition by Image Entertainment in 2001, and out of print for some time, Frank Capra's Lady for a Day (1933) is streeting on March 20th on both SD and Blu-Ray.

The studio, Inception Media, is a newcomer to the DVD/Blu-Ray market, so what type of transfers are expected remains to be seen. Bonus features are not likely.

May Robson plays Apple Annie in Frank Capra's wonderful and enduring comedy/drama, based on a short story by Damon Runyon, with a hilarious and heartwarming script by Robert Riskin.

When Louise (Jean Parker) announces that she plans to visit her mother to introduce her aristocratic fiancé, Apple Annie's friends, including gangster Dave the Dude (Warren William), Judge Henry D. Blake (Guy Kibbee) and Missouri Martin (Glenda Farrell), rally around to transform her from a poor street peddler into the society matron her daughter is expecting to see.

TIMELESS: Cimarron City - The Complete Series in March

2011-12-30T15:04:00.001-08:00

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Cimarron City - The Complete Series
March 6th
Timeless Media Group
Retail: $39.98, Our: $29.99

Previously released in a 3-disc best-of set, Cimarron City will be another completed series from Timeless as they have announced Cimarron City - The Complete Series for release on March 6th.

The 6-disc set will retail for $39.98, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $29.99. Bonus features are not expected.

SYNOPSIS:
Set in the rough and tumble of Oklahoma Territory of the 1890's, the classic Western Cimarron City stars George Montgomery as Mayor Matthew Rockford, a cattle rancher and the son of the city's founder, and John Smith as Sheriff Lane Temple.

Cimarron City has high hopes to become capital of the future state of Oklahoma, and Rockford and Sheriff Temple struggle to keep law and order in the oil and gold boom town. Audrey Totter co-stars as Beth Purcell, owner of the boarding house, and Jason Robards Sr. and Dan Blocker Bonanza's Hoss Cartwright have recurring roles in the series.

TIMELESS: Wagon Train - Season 5, The Virginian - Season 6 in May

2011-12-28T07:21:00.000-08:00

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Wagon Train - The Complete Fifth Season
May 1st
Timeless Media Group
Retail $79.98, Our: $59.99

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The Virginian - The Complete Sixth Season
May 1st
Timeless Media Group
Retail $79.98, Our: $59.99

More great T.V. Westerns are coming from Timeless Media Group as they have announced a May 1st release date for Wagon Train - The Complete Fifth Season and The Virginian - The Complete Sixth Season.

Both will be in collectible tins and be 10 and 9 discs respectively. As with many great shows of the era, A-list guest stars abound (see below). Bonus features are not expected.

Continuing in their great tradition of classic TV westerns, NBCUniversal and Timeless Media Group now bring you the complete, uncut Wagon Train - The Complete Season Five, one of the most enduring and sought after westerns of all time. Direct from the vaults at Universal, these 37 episodes have been re-mastered and presented on 10 dual layer DVDs in a special edition embossed collectible tin, with a handsome DVD booklet complete with all the episode synopses, the guest stars and more.

Inspired by the classic western film Wagonmaster, directed by John Ford The Searchers, Stagecoach, Wagon Train debuted on Wednesday, September 18, 1957 on the NBC Television Network. The ensemble acting, wonderful scripts and great western scenery soon made Wagon Train a fixture in American homes on Wednesday nights, as millions of Americans of all ages tuned in to NBC for great family entertainment.

John McIntire returns to the cast of Wagon Train full-time as Wagon Master Chris Hale, joining costars Robert Horton (Head Scout-Flint McCullough), Frank McGrath (Charlie Wooster), Terry Wilson (Bill Hawks), and Denny Miller (Duke Shannon). Season Five marks the last appearance of Robert Horton in Wagon Train, after almost five full seasons.

Each weekly episode featured some of Hollywood's brightest stars in guest roles, including Joseph Cotten (The Captain Dan Brady Story), Polly Bergen (The Kitty Albright Story), Barbara Stanwyck (The Maud Frazier Story), Rory Calhoun (The Artie Matthewson Story), Nick Adams (The Traitor), Bette Davis (The Bettina May Story), Robert Culp (The Baylor Crowfoot Story), Jane Wyatt (The Heather Mahoney Story) and many more!

This 10 DVD collector's edition of Wagon Train The Complete Season Five, including all 37 great episodes, is sure to please both fans of the original broadcast and newcomers who are seeing it for the first time.

Owen Wister's 1902 western novel The Virginian was one of the first great novels of the American West. Set in the semi-mythical town of Medicine Bow, Wyoming in the 1890s, it chronicled the lives and relationships of the people who came west and settled the wild land. The Virginian was the first 90 minute television western, airing in prime time on NBC from 1962-1971.

Season Six of The Virginian saw James Drury and Doug McClure continue their roles as The Virginian and Trampas, but as in the previous seasons, there were changes in Medicine Bow. The great Charles Bickford (John Grainger) passed away mid-season, and was replaced by Wagon Train's John McIntire as the new proprietor of the Shiloh Ranch (Clay Grainger). McIntire's real-life wife, Jeanette Nolan, took the role of Clay's wife, Holly. Sara Lane, Don Quine and Clu Gulager rounded out the cast of Season Six and the saga of Medicine Bow went on.

They were joined by a distinguished array of guest stars, including Charles Bronson (The Reckoning), Darren McGavin (The Deadly Past), James Whitmore (Paid in Full), Susan Oliver (A Small Taste of Justice), Leslie Nielsen (The Fortress), Robert Lansing (Execution at Triste), and the Velvet Fog himself, Mel Tormé (The Handy Man), just to name a few.

COLUMBIA CLASSICS: Yesterday's Enemy, Who's Minding the Mint?

2011-12-28T07:20:00.000-08:00

Sony has announced two Columbia Classic titles for release on February 7th.

The caper comedy Who's Minding the Mint? (1967) involves United States Mint employee Harry Lucas (Jim Hutton) who inadvertently destroys $50,000. Also starring Dorothy Provine, Milton Berle, Joey Bishop, Bob Denver and Walter Brennan.

Also out is the Val Guest helmed war-drama Yesterday's Enemy (1959) starring Stanley Baker, Guy Rolfe and Leo McKern about a band of British soldiers in an enemy-held village.

KINO BLU: Lost Keaton - 16 Comedy Shorts in March

2011-12-23T14:40:00.001-08:00

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Lost Keaton - 16 Comedy Shorts (1934-37) - Blu-Ray
March 20th
Kino
Retail $39.95, Our: $30.99

More Blu from Kino as they have announced Lost Keaton - 16 Comedy Shorts (1934-37) - Blu-Ray for release on March 20th.

Released in standard definition in July 2010, this 2-disc Blu-Ray set will feature the same content.

SYNOPSIS:
For Buster Keaton, the era of the "talkies" was a tumultuous time. As a result of signing with MGM, the quality, the quality of his ambitious, eclectic comedies began to decline and in 1934, he signed a contract with Earle W. Hammons's Educational Pictures which, despite its name, specialized in comedy short subjects. Keaton's move to Educational was a return to his roots, crafting a stream of two reel comedies in rapid succession, as he had done in the early 1920's, when he first refined his cinematic craft.

The films Buster Keaton made with Educational Pictures (ALL sixteen of which are collected here) pay homage to his earlier work, but at the same time incorporated the element of sound, all while exploring new possibilities for his recurring comic persona, "Elmer".

This FIVE HOUR+ collection features all 16 Educational Pictures shorts.

DISC 1:

The Gold Ghost
Allez Oop
Palooka from Paducah
One Run Elmer
Hayseed Romance
Tars and Stripes
The E-Flat Man
The Timid Young Man

BONUS FEATURES:

Film Notes
Photo Gallery
Why They Call Him "Buster"

DISC 2:

Three on a Limb
Grand Slam Opera
Blue Blazes
The Chemist
Mixed Magic
Jail Bait
Ditto
Love Nest on Wheels

BONUS FEATURE:

Film Notes

SHOUT: Underdog, Tennessee Tuxedo Complete Collections Coming

2011-12-22T07:39:00.000-08:00

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Underdog - The Complete Series
February 21st
Shout! Factory
Retail: $69.97, Our: $51.99

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Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales - The Complete Collection
March 6th
Shout! Factory
Retail: $49.97, Our: $37.99

There's no need to fear, the complete series is here! More like two of them...

Shout! Factory has announced complete collections for both Underdog and Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales.

Underdog - The Complete Series (Officially Underdog - Complete Collector's Edition) will be a 9-disc set with numerous bonus features. Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales - The Complete Collection will be a 6-disc set with limited bonus features. More details below.

When the city is in trouble, humble and lovable Shoeshine Boy turns into his alter ego Underdog to stop a series of villains, including the evil Simon Bar Sinister and Riff Raff. And when TV reporter Sweet Polly Purebred finds herself in danger, no one but Underdog can save the day!

Now you can enjoy the 1960s cartoon canine superhero in this complete collection that includes all three seasons of the classic series. Each of the nine discs features Underdog’ s greatest adventures along with all of the original shorts from Go Go Gophers, Klondike Kat and Commander McBragg.

BONUS FEATURES:

Bonus Cartoons: Tooter Turtle And The Hunter
Alternate Episode Openings And Closings
Featurette
Commentaries With Writer/Producer/Cocreator W. Watts Biggers, Voice Actor George S. Irving, Producer Treadwell Covington, Animation Historian Mark Arnold and More . . .

Featuring the voice of the late, great Don Adams (who portrayed Maxwell Smart on Get Smart and later voiced Inspector Gadget), Tennessee Tuxedo And His Tales educated as well as entertained youngsters.

Tennessee, a wise-cracking penguin, and his dimwitted pal Chumley resided in the Megalopolis Zoo, where they were constantly scheming against zookeeper Stanley Livingston and his assistant Flunky in an attempt to raise the quality of zoo life. Their projects required the assistance of their educated friend, Phineas J. Whoopee (voiced by Larry Storch), and his 3-D BB (a three-dimensional blackboard).

This 6-DVD set contains all 70 Tennessee Tuxedo cartoons for the first time in one collection, highlighted with the addition of many of the supporting segments of The King And Odie and The Hunter. As an added bonus, we have included episodes of Tooter Turtle and Klondike Kat to round out this classic collection of Total TeleVision animation.

BLU: To Catch a Thief in March

2011-12-19T19:40:00.000-08:00

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To Catch a Thief (Blu-Ray)
March 6th
Paramount
Retail: $22.99, Our: $17.99

Paramount has announced a March 6th street date for To Catch a Thief (Blu-Ray).

The release will carry over all the bonus features (below) from the standard "Centennial" version which is now out of print.

It will retail for $22.99, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $17.99.

American expatriate John Robie living in high style on the Riviera is a retired cat burglar. He must find out who a copy cat is to keep a new wave of jewel thefts from being pinned on him. High on list of prime victims is Jessie Stevens, in Europe to help daughter Frances find a suitable husband. Lloyds of London insurance agent is using a thief to catch a thief. Take an especially close look at scene where Robie gets Jessie's attention, dropping an expensive casino chip down decolletage of French roulette player.

BONUS FEATURES:

Commentary by Dr. Drew Casper, Hitchcock Film Historian
Featurettes:
- A Night with the Hitchcock's
- Unacceptable Under the Code: Film Censorship in America
- Writing and Casting To Catch a Thief
- The Making of To Catch a Thief
- Behind the Gates: Cary Grant & Grace Kelly
- Alfred Hitchcock and To Catch a Thief: An Appreciation
- Edith Head: The Paramount Years
Original Theatrical Trailer
If You Love To Catch Thief, You’ll Love this Interactive Travelogue
Galleries

TCM VAULT: Sony's Film Noir Classics, Vol. 3 in January

2011-12-17T07:24:00.000-08:00

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Film Noir Classics, Vol. 3 (TCM Vault)
January 16th
Sony
My Name is Julia Ross (1945), The Mob (1951), Drive a Crooked Road (1954), Tight Spot (1955), The Burglar (1957)

Sony's Film Noir Classics sets continue with Film Noir Classics, Vol. 3 due on January 16th.

Released via the TCM Vault line, all five films are new to DVD. Bonus features, aside from an introduction from Martin Scorsese, will probably be minimal.

Available exclusively for purchase at TCM.com, this set will be available for rent here at ClassicFlix and nowhere else!

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, The Film Foundation and Turner Classic Movies partner on the third collection in the series, Columbia Pictures Film Noir Classics III.

This collection of previously unreleased noir favorites hurl you into a shadowy world of hit men, kidnappers, corrupt cops, bank robbers, mob informers, femme fatales and hard-luck losers.

My Name is Julia Ross (1945)
Nina Foch plays an unemployed secretary lured to an isolated mansion by insidious characters.

The Mob (1951)
In one of his most dynamic roles, Broderick Crawford plays a police detective who goes undercover as a dock worker in New Orleans to expose The Mob.

Drive a Crooked Road (1954)
Mickey Rooney gives a fine, underrated performance as a race car enthusiast blackmailed into driving the getaway car at a bank robbery.

Tight Spot (1955)
Ginger Rogers, cast against type, is a tough, uncooperative witness in a criminal case threatened by her association with gangsters in Tight Spot.

The Burglar (1957)
Dan Duryea stars as a cunning jewel thief who recruits Jayne Mansfield, Mickey Shaughnessy and Peter Capell for one final heist before retiring.

TCM VAULT: Dietrich in Dishonored & Shanghai Express This February

2011-12-16T16:08:00.000-08:00

More Universal titles, via TCM's Vault line, are on their way as a Marlene Dietrich double feature with Dishonored (1931) and Shanghai Express (1932) is now up for pre-order and exclusive to TCM.com

Its will be available to rent here at ClassicFlix and has release date of February 6th. No additional specs are known at this time.

Dishonored / Shanghai Express (TCM Vault)
Turner Classic Movies and Universal Studios Home Entertainment present the 2-disc Marlene Dietrich Double Feature: Dishonored & Shanghai Express. Marlene Dietrich, directed by Josef von Sternberg, appears in two of their best collaborations.

Dishonored (1931, 91 min.)
Inspired by the exploits of the famous World War I spy Mata Hari, Dishonored is a striking espionage thriller about a widow (Marlene Dietrich) who is forced to turn to prostitution to support herself. Recruited by the Austrian Secret Service as a spy, she becomes an expert in ferreting out secrets from the enemy but meets her match in the form of a Russian agent named Kranau (Victor McLaglen).

Shanghai Express (1932, 80 min.)
Set against the backdrop of a Chinese civil war, Shanghai Express is an opulent romantic adventure that focuses on a diverse group of passengers traveling by express train from Peking to Shanghai. Among them is Captain Donald Harvey (Clive Brook), who finds himself reunited with his former lover, now an infamous adventuress who calls herself Shanghai Lily (Marlene Dietrich). Desire and deception follow, culminating in a tense hostage situation when their train is hijacked by a Chinese warlord.

Presented for the first time on DVD, these two films have been fully restored and re-mastered and confirm Dietrich’s iconic status as a glamorous and enigmatic movie siren while demonstrating von Sternberg’s reputation as a supreme stylist of mood and atmosphere through his dazzling command of the medium.

CRITERION: David Lean Directs Noel Coward Standard & Blu in March

2011-12-16T09:13:00.002-08:00

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David Lean Directs Noel Coward
March 27th
Criterion
Retail: $79.95, Our: $64.99
In Which We Serve (1942), This Happy Breed (1944), Blithe Spirit (1945), Brief Encounter (1945)

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David Lean Directs Noel Coward (Blu-Ray)
March 27th
Criterion
Retail: $99.95, Our: $84.99
In Which We Serve (1942), This Happy Breed (1944), Blithe Spirit (1945), Brief Encounter (1945)

Criterion has announced David Lean Directs Noel Coward for release on standard and Blu-Ray this March 27th.

Each 4-disc set will include the four titles above, with This Happy Breed (1944) making its DVD debut, and Blithe Spirit (1945) being resurrected after having been out of print for several years. Synopses and bonus features are below.

In the 1940s, the wit of playwright Noel Coward and the craft of filmmaker David Lean melded harmoniously in one of cinema’s greatest writer-director collaborations.

With the wartime military drama sensation In Which We Serve, Coward and Lean (along with producing partners Ronald Neame and Anthony Havelock-Allan) embarked on a series of literate, socially engaged, and enormously entertaining pictures that ranged from domestic epic (This Happy Breed) to whimsical comedy (Blithe Spirit) to poignant romance (Brief Encounter). These films created a lasting testament to Coward’s artistic legacy and introduced Lean’s visionary talents to the world.

In Which We Serve (1942)
In the midst of World War II, the renowned playwright Noel Coward engaged a young film editor named David Lean to help him realize his vision for an action drama about a group of Royal Navy sailors (roles that would be filled by Coward himself, Bernard Miles, and John Mills, among others) fighting the Germans in the Mediterranean. Coward and Lean ended up co-directing the large-scale project—an impressive undertaking, especially considering that neither of them had directed for the big screen before (this would be Coward’s only such credit). Cutting between a major naval battle and flashbacks to the men’s lives before they left home.

In Which We Serve (an Oscar nominee for best picture) was a major breakthrough for both filmmakers and a sensitive and stirring piece of propaganda.

This Happy Breed (1944)
David Lean brings to vivid emotional life Noel Coward's epic chronicle of a working-class family in the London suburbs over the course of two decades.

Robert Newton and Celia Johnson are surpassingly affecting as Frank and Ethel Gibbons, a couple with three children whose modest household is touched by joy and tragedy from the tail end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second.

With its mix of politics and melodrama, This Happy Breed is a quintessential British domestic drama, featuring subtly expressive Technicolor cinematography by Ronald Neame and a remarkable supporting cast including John Mills, Stanley Holloway, and Kay Walsh.

Blithe Spirit (1945)
Blithe Spirit, David Lean’s delightful film version of Noel Coward’s theater sensation (onstage, it broke London box-office records before hitting Broadway), stars Rex Harrison as a novelist who cheekily invites a medium (Margaret Rutherford) to his house to conduct a seance, hoping the experience will inspire a book he’s working on.

Things go decidedly not as planned when she summons the spirit of his dead first wife (Kay Hammond), a severe inconvenience for his current one (Constance Cummings). Employing Oscar-winning special effects to spruce up Coward’s theatrical farce, Blithe Spirit is a sprightly supernatural comedy with winning performances.

Brief Encounter (1945)
Adapting Noel Coward's play Still Life, legendary filmmaker David Lean deftly explores the thrill, pain, and tenderness of illicit romance during the dour, gray Britain of 1945. From a chance meeting on a train platform, a middle-aged married doctor (Trevor Howard) and a suburban housewife (Celia Johnson) enter into a quietly passionate, ultimately doomed love affair set to a swirling Rachmaninoff score.

BONUS FEATURES:

Audio commentary on Brief Encounter by film historian Bruce Eder
New interviews with Noël Coward scholar Barry Day on all of the films
Interview with cinematographer-screenwriter-producer Ronald Neame from 2010
Short documentaries from 2000 on the making of In Which We Serve and Brief Encounter
David Lean: A Self Portrait, a 1971 television documentary on Lean’s career
Episode of the British television series The Southbank Show from 1992 on the life and career of Coward
Audio recording of a 1969 conversation between Richard Attenborough and Coward at London’s National Film Theatre
Trailers
PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by Ian Christie, Terrence Rafferty, Farran Smith Nehme, Geoffrey O’Brien, and Kevin Brownlow

CRITERION: A Night to Remember Std & Blu in March

2011-12-16T09:13:00.001-08:00

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A Night to Remember (1958)
March 27th
Criterion
Retail: $29.95, Our: $23.99

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A Night to Remember (Blu-Ray) (1958)
March 27th
Criterion
Retail: $39.95, Our: $31.99

Released by Criterion in 1998 on standard DVD, A Night to Remember (1958) will be released on standard and Blu-Ray this March 27th.

The release, timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Titanic disaster, includes bonus features (below) on the 2-disc SD set as well as the Blu release.

On April 14, 1912, just before midnight, the unsinkable Titanic struck an iceberg. In less than three hours, it had plunged to the bottom of the sea, taking with it more than 1,500 of its 2,200 passengers. In his unforgettable rendering of Walter Lord’s book of the same name, A Night to Remember, the acclaimed British director Roy Ward Baker depicts with sensitivity, awe, and a fine sense of tragedy the ship’s final hours.

Featuring remarkably restrained performances, A Night to Remember is cinema’s subtlest, finest dramatization of this monumental twentieth-century catastrophe.

BONUS FEATURES:

Audio Commentary by Don Lynch and Ken Marschall
The Making of A Night to Remember, a 60 minute documentary featuring William MacQuilty's rare behind-the-scenes footage
Archival interview with Titanic survivor Eva Hart
En natt att minas - A forty-five-minute Swedish documentary from 1962 featuring interviews with Titanic survivors
Trailer
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Michael Sragow

WARNER ARCHIVE: Pre-Code, Drama in New Wave of 10

2011-12-15T21:06:00.000-08:00

Continuing to dig up gems from their deep catalog, Warner has posted 10 new Archive releases (15 total films) over at WBShop. All will be available here at ClassicFlix on January 3rd.

A very young Loretta Young headlines five films from the five pre-code double features. They are:

Road to Paradise (1930) / Week-End Marriage - Loretta Young, Jack Mulhall, Norman Foster, Aline MacMahon, George Brent
The Right of Way (1931) / The Truth About Youth (1930) - Loretta Young, Conrad Nagel, Conway Tearle, David Manners, Myrna Loy
Loose Ankles (1930) / The Naughty Flirt (1931) - Loretta Young, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Louise Fazenda
The Office Wife (1930) / Party Husband (1931) - Dorothy Mackaill, Lewis Stone, Natalie Moorhead, Hobart Bosworth, Joan Blondell
I've Got Your Number (1934) / Havana Widows (1933) - Joan Blondell, Pat O'Brien, Allen Jenkins, Glenda Farrell

Great drama is on tap too with:

The Great Sinner (1949) - Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Melvyn Douglas, Walter Huston, Ethel Barrymore, Frank Morgan, Agnes Moorehead
The Green Years (1946) - Charles Coburn, Tom Drake, Beverly Tyler, Hume Cronyn, Gladys Cooper, Selena Royle, Jessica Tandy, Richard Haydn
Youngblood Hawke (1964) - James Franciscus, Suzanne Pleshette, Genevieve Page, Eva Gabor, Mary Astor
Edward, My Son (1949) - Spencer Tracy, Deborah Kerr, Ian Hunter
The Brothers Karamazov (1958) - Yul Brynner, Maria Schell, Claire Bloom, Lee J. Cobb, Albert Salmi, William Shatner, Richard Basehart

These new DVDs add to the total of over 800 Warner Archive titles exclusively available for rent at ClassicFlix.com.

BLU: The Mountain, Where Love Has Gone in February

2011-12-15T14:31:00.000-08:00

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The Mountain (Blu-Ray)
February 28th
Olive
Retail: 29.95, Our: $21.99

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Where Love Has Gone (Blu-Ray)
February 28th
Olive
Retail: 29.95, Our: $21.99

Previously released by Olive in standard definition, The Mountain (1956) and Where Love Has Gone (1964) are now scheduled to bow on Blu-Ray with a February 28th release date.

Like the standard releases from Olive, bonus features are not expected.

BLU: A Streetcar Named Desire in April

2011-12-14T09:15:00.000-08:00

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A Streetcar Named Desire (Blu-Ray)
April 10th
Warner Bros.
Retail: $34.99, Our: $29.99

Warner Bros. has announced A Streetcar Named Desire (Blu-Ray) for release on April 10th.

The "Blu-Ray Book" will carry over all the bonus features (below) from the standard version plus include a 40-page commemorative book with photos, production notes and more.

It will retail for $34.99, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $29.99.

A Streeetcar Named Desire: The Original Director's Version is the Elia Kazan/Tennessee Williams film moviegoers would have seen had not scenes been cut at the last minute. Featuring three minutes of previously unseen footage underscoring, among other things, the tension between Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh) and Stanley Kowalski (Marlon Brando), and Stella Kowalski's (Kim Hunter) passion for husband Stanley.

Catch all of the classic - nominated for 12 Academy Awards - including Best Picture and winner of 4 - that introduced a new era of filmmaking. Step aboard this Streetcar.

BONUS FEATURES:

Commentary by Karl Malden and Film Historians Rudy Behlmer and Jeff Young
Elia Kazan Movie Trailer Gallery
5 Insightful Documentaries:
- A Streetcar on Broadway
- A Streetcar in Hollywood
- Censorship and Desire
- North and the Music of the South
- An Actor Named Brando
Movie and Audio Outtakes
Marlon Brando Screen Test
Feature-Length Profile: Elia Kazan: A Director's Journey
PLUS: 40 Page Book with Photos, Trivia and More

DISNEY: The Waltz King

2011-12-07T20:23:00.000-08:00

In the summer, Disney quietly launched their own MOD program called "Disney Generations" which is sold exclusively at Amazon. Today, the first classic title from the Generations line was released.

Originally airing on The Wonderful World of Disney, The Waltz King (1963) stars Kerwin Mathews, Brian Aherne and Senta Berger and is now available for rent exclusively at ClassicFlix.

WARNER ARCHIVE: Green Dolphin Street, Serenade & Robert Montgomery

2011-12-06T18:39:00.000-08:00

Warner Bros. has posted three new Archive releases over at WBShop.

Topping the list is the 19th century romantic-drama Green Dolphin Street (1947) with Lana Turner and Van Heflin. It also features Donna Reed, Richard Hart, Frank Morgan, Edmund Gwenn, Dame May Whitty, Reginald Owen, Gladys Cooper and Linda Christian.

Also out is the 1956 technicolor drama Serenade starring Mario Lanza, Joan Fontaine and Vincent Price.

Not to be outdone, if only by sheer volume, is Robert Montgomery who gets a 4-disc set . Details below.

The Robert Montgomery Collection
Raise a cinematic champagne glass to debonair leading man Robert Montgomery, one of MGM’s leading lights of the 1930s and 1940s. This bountiful 4-Disc, 8-Movie Collection showcases the versatile actor in dramas and comedies alike.

Costars include Rosalind Russell, Tallulah Bankhead and some of the best supporting players in Hollywood history. The collection includes: Shipmates (1931), The Man in Possession (1931), Faithless (1932), Lovers Courageous (1932), But the Flesh Is Weak (1932), Made on Broadway (1933), Live, Love and Learn (1937), The Earl of Chicago (1940).

They are available here at ClassicFlix with a release date of December 27th.

These new DVDs add to the total of over 800 Warner Archive titles exclusively available for rent at ClassicFlix.com.

WARNER ARCHIVE: The Andy Hardy Collection, Vol. 1

2011-12-03T11:43:00.001-08:00

Announced and released by Warner Bros. on Thursday, The Andy Hardy Collection, Vol. 1 has been added to our unparalleled selection of classic titles.

Although not in original release order of the series, all have either been newly remastered or digitally upgraded. Bonus features are not forthcoming.

NOTE: We've added an Andy Hardy link in our Series "genre."

SYNOPSIS:
Andy Hardy, the original teen supreme, comes careening to your screen in the first of a series of collections!

MGM’s 1937 adaptation of Aurania Rouverol’s play Skidding, A Family Affair, proved such a stunning success that production commenced on a series inspired by it almost immediately. Carrying over three of A Family Affair’s cast members (Mickey Rooney as Andy Hardy, Cecilia Parker as sister Marian, and Sara Haden as Aunt Milly), the Hardy series was launched in 1937 with You’re Only Young Once and the addition of Lewis Stone (Judge Hardy), Fay Holden (Mrs. Hardy) and Ann Rutherford (Polly Benedict). It was not long before Rooney’s boundless energy and talent stole the show (and the hearts of teenage girls all over the USA), and Andy Hardy took over the series. Not that anyone minded!

This collection features a sextet of sensational picks from the Hardy series, none of which have ever been available on DVD, some not available in any format. Each film comes packaged in its own DVD case, complete with artwork based on the original posters. Each film has either been newly remastered, or digitally upgraded from a recent progressive master source, specifically for this new DVD release. All best-available film elements have been used in the creation of this collection, and although none of these films have been 'fully restored', the result is a distinct improvement in quality for each picture, and the first new work done to any of these films in over 20 years.

You’re Only Young Once (1937)
On vacation with his family on California’s Catalina Island, Andy Hardy falls head over swim fins for a sophisticated young beauty (Eleanor Lynn). Judge Hardy warns his son that she is too fast for him.

Out West with the Hardys (1938)
The Hardys out west! While Judge Hardy gets into a legal wrangle to save an old friend’s ranch, Andy tries to turn a bronco into a jalopy and Marian tries to lasso herself a cowpoke.

Judge Hardy and Son (1939)
Tasked by Judge Hardy with locating the estranged daughter of an elderly immigrant couple, Andy Hardy finds himself juggling four different girls when his mother falls seriously ill. With Maria Ouspenskaya.

Andy Hardy Meets Debutante (1940)
When Andy falls for the picture of a glamorous debutante (Diana Lewis) he tags along with Judge Hardy’s crusade to save a NYC orphanage in hopes of meeting her. Lucky for Andy he has gal pal Betsy Booth (Judy Garland) around to help out.

Andy Hardy's Private Secretary (1941)
All set to graduate from high school and Andy flunks his English exam – in spite of the fact that the Judge has gone to all the trouble of getting him his very own private secretary (captivating Kathryn Grayson in her screen debut).

Life Begins for Andy Hardy (1941)
After graduating from high school, Andy heads for New York, giddy with visions of high finance, chic women and posh nightclubs. But the big city is tough on a small-town boy. With Judy Garland in her final appearance as Betsy Booth.

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (Blu-Ray) in February

2011-12-02T06:40:00.000-08:00

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It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (Blu-Ray)
February 7th
MGM
Retail: $19.99, Our: $15.99

Currently exclusive to Wal-Mart, and available for rent here at ClassicFlix, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (Blu-Ray) has been announced for wide release by MGM on February 7th.

It will retail for 19.99 but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $15.99. Bonus features below.

On a winding desert highway, eight vacation-bound motorists share an experience that alters their plans - and their lives! After a mysterious stranger divulges the location of a stolen fortune, they each speed off in a mind-bending, car-bashing race for the loot -- and the most side-splitting laughfest in history.

Spencer Tracy heads a hilariously zany cast that stars Hollywood's greatest comedians (Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney, Dick Shawn, Phil Silvers, Terry-Thomas and Jonathan Winters) and features cameo appearances by every joker and jester in the business, from Don Knotts and Jerry Lewis to The Three Stooges. Nominated for 6 Oscars, It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is "an explosive motion picture experience" (Variety)!

BONUS FEATURES:

Something a Little Less Serious: A Tribute
Extended Scenes
Theatrical & Re-Issue Trailer

KINO: Scarlet Street, A Star is Born (1937) Coming to Blu-Ray

2011-12-01T16:06:00.000-08:00

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Scarlet Street (Blu-Ray) (1945)
February 28th
Kino
Retail: 29.95, Our: $23.99

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A Star Is Born (Blu-Ray) (1937)
February 7th
Kino
Retail: 29.95, Our: $23.99

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A Star Is Born (1937)
February 7th
Kino
Retail: 24.95, Our: $19.99

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Spiders (1919)
February 28th
Kino
Retail: 29.95, Our: $23.99

Joan Bennett in HD! And that's not all...

Kino has announced Scarlet Street (Blu-Ray) for release on February 28th. Directed by Fritz Lang, the gripping, and unapologetic noir stars Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett and Dan Duryea. Bonus features will carry over from the standard version.

Also coming is A Star is Born (1937) on standard and Blu-Ray this February 7th. Released by Image Entertainment on standard DVD way back in 1998, the multi-Oscar nominated film (and two-time winner) makes its Blu-Ray debut and will be mastered in HD from an original 35mm nitrate print. The sole bonus feature will be the original theatrical trailer.

Another former Image property that will be reissued by Kino is Fritz Lang's Spiders (1919). It will also be due on February 28th.

OLIVE: The Buccaneer (1958) Standard & Blu in February

2011-12-01T13:21:00.000-08:00

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The Buccaneer (1958)
February 28th
Olive Flims
Retail: 24.95, Our: $17.99

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The Buccaneer (Blu-Ray) (1958)
February 28th
Olive Flims
Retail: 29.95, Our: $21.99

More great news from Olive as they have announced a February 28th release date for The Buccaneer (1958) on both standard & Blu. Bonus features are not expected.

NOTE: For those expecting the 1938 version to coincide with this release, there are some master issues with it so the Cecil B. DeMille effort will be coming out at a later date.

COLUMBIA CLASSICS: Paradise Lagoon Part of 5 in January

2011-11-30T21:01:00.000-08:00

More Columbia Classic titles are on their way from Sony as they have announced five releases for January 3rd. They are:

Paradise Lagoon (1957) A.K.A. The Admirable Crichton - Kenneth More, Diane Cilento, Cecil Parker, Sally Ann Howes, Martita Hunt
Carolina Blues (1944) - Kay Kyser, Ann Miller, Victor Moore
Zarak (1956) - Victor Mature, Michael Wilding, Anita Ekberg
The Black Book** (1949) A.K.A Reign of Terror - Robert Cummings, Richard Basehart, Richard Hart, Arlene Dahl
There's Something About a Soldier (1943) - Tom Neal, Evelyn Keyes, Bruce Bennett

**NOTE: For the sake of clarity, we don't normally carry two DVD releases of the same film, but as this print of The Black Book from Sony is likely to be better than any public domain print out there, we will carry both it and the VCI release which has an audio commentary.

Pola Negri - The Iconic Collection in February

2011-11-29T13:40:00.000-08:00

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Pola Negri - The Iconic Collection
February 7th
Bright Shining City
Retail: $39.99, Our: $29.99
The Polish Dancer (1917), The Yellow Ticket (1918), Eyes of The Mummy Ma (1918), Sappho (1921)

Bright Shining City, a small independent film company, has announced Pola Negri - The Iconic Collection for release on February 7th.

The 3-disc set will include the four titles above, with The Polish Dancer (1917) and The Yellow Ticket (1918) making their DVD debuts. Bonus features are included (below).

Before Garbo or Dietrich, there was Pola Negri. She was the first exotic European actress imported to Hollywood during the Silent Film Era, with much fanfare and hoopla. A mesmerizing combination of the animal and sophisticate, Pola became the highest paid actor in the movie business and her glamorous lifestyle, was discussed almost daily in gossip columns worldwide. She was affianced to Charlie Chaplin, all but engaged to Rudolph Valentino until his untimely death, and was the wife to a Count then to Prince Mdvani. Yet today, oddly, she is still little known.

Born in Poland to impoverished minor aristocracy, she was classically trained in song, dance, theater and cinema. Pola originated the cinematic femme fatale. She was discovered by Max Reinhart became a protégée of Ernst Lubitsch and a favorite of Adolf Zucker. Pola made more than 60 films in Europe and America, both in drama and comedy. Her fortunes reversed many times throughout her prolific career, and she ended her days as a supporter of the arts and companion to an eccentric millionaires in San Antonio, Texas.

For the first time on DVD, four of Pola Negri’s films from the early days of her career in Europe, are now available in this three-disc DVD Collector’s Box Set Pola Negri - The Iconic Collection. This set has been a labor of love for independent film production company Bright Shining City Productions and director Mariusz Kotwoski who has been recognized in Poland and the USA for his continued dedication to this Silent Film Era icon.

The collection features two never before released on DVD films: The Polish Dancer (1917) which boasts the title of “first feature film ever made in Poland” and The Yellow Ticket (1918) the first film to expose Anti-Semitism in Imperial Russia. Complementing these two historical gems are Eyes of The Mummy Ma (1918) with co-star Emil Jannings (Radu) who won the first Oscar for best actor in 1929, and Sappho (1921) the story of a love triangle that ends in tragedy. All films have been digitally re-mastered, color corrected and edited with English title cards and set to a beautiful original piano score performed by composer Rick Dejonge.

BONUS FEATURES:

Clips from the award-winning documentary Pola Negri: Life Is A Dream In Cinema.
Musical tango vignette choreographed to Pola Negri’s recording of Ich Hab An Dich Gedacht.
Pola Negri slide show & biography
Booklet with film descriptions, photos and credits created by Ia Enstera

MGM: Something Wild (1961) Plus Robinson, Goddard in Vice Squad

2011-11-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

Four more MGM Limited Edition Collection titles have been announced.

On December 6th, Something Wild (1961) with Carroll Baker and Ralph Meeker will be released; followed by three titles on December 20th:

Vice Squad (1953) - Edward G. Robinson, Paulette Goddard
The Magnetic Monster (1953) - Richard Carlson, King Donovan, Jean Byron
Diary of a Bachelor (1964) - Joe Silver, Dom DeLuise

BLU: To Kill a Mockingbird, All Quiet on the Western Front

2011-11-28T18:15:00.000-08:00

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To Kill a Mockingbird (Blu-Ray) - 50th Anniversary Edition
January 31st
Universal
Retail: 26.98, Our: $20.99

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To Kill a Mockingbird (Blu-Ray) Ultimate Collector's Edition
January 31st
Universal
Retail: 39.98, Our: $29.99

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To Kill a Mockingbird (50th Anniversary Edition)
January 31st
Universal
Retail: 19.98, Our: $14.99

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All Quiet on the Western Front (Blu-Ray) (1930)
February 14th
Universal
Retail: 39.98, Our: $29.99

With their standard releases in somewhat of a dormant phase, Universal is rolling out two top-tier films on Blu-Ray next year as part of their 100th anniversary celebration.

All Quiet on the Western Front (Blu-Ray) (1930) is a Blu-Ray/DVD combo and will be released on February 14th. It will include the silent version of the 1930 film, plus additional bonus features (below).

Exclusive Introduction by Turner Classic Movies Host and Film Historian Robert Osborne
Theatrical Trailer
100 Years of Universal: Restoring the Classics
100 Years of Universal: Academy Award Winners

Also announced are three releases of the beloved Gregory Peck drama To Kill a Mockingbird. The standard and what we are calling the Blu-Ray "Ultimate Collector's Edition" (as an official title is currently lacking), are both available for sale. The standard release comes with essentially the same bonus features as the previously released 2-disc set, and the U.C.E. (Blu-Ray/DVD) comes with the bonus features below, plus a 44-Page booklet.

To Kill a Mockingbird (Blu-Ray) - 50th Anniversary Edition is a combo as well and will be available for both sale and rent. Street date is January 31st.

Proclaimed one of the 100 Greatest American Movies of All Time by the American Film Institute, To Kill A Mockingbird is now available as a 2-Disc set. Hollywood icon Gregory Peck won the Best Actor Academy Award for his brilliant portrayal of the courageous but understated hero Atticus Finch.

The film, based on Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about innocence, strength and conviction, captured the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar. To Kill A Mockingbird boasts Robert Duvall's screen debut as Boo Radley and Mary Badham's unforgettable, Oscar-nominated performance as Miss Jean Louise "Scout" Finch. Watch it and remember why "it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

BONUS FEATURES:

Academy Award Best Actor Acceptance Speech (Gregory Peck)
American Film Institute Life Achievement Award - Gregory Peck's memorable remarks upon receiving the AFI Life Achievement Award
Excerpt From Academy Tribute To Gregory Peck - Cecelia Peck's heartwarming farewell to her father given at the Academy, in celebration of his life
Scout Remembers - Interview with Mary Badham, who talks about her experiences working with Gregory Peck
Feature Commentary with Director Robert Mulligan and Producer Alan Pakula
100 Years of Universal: Restoring the Classics
Production Notes
A Conversation With Gregory Peck - This documentary, produced by daughter Cecelia Peck, takes you inside the personal life of film legend Gregory Peck.
Fearful Symmetry - The Making of To Kill A Mockingbird
PLUS: 44-Page Book with Gregory Peck's Script Pages, Personal Letters, Storyboards and Much More!

VCI: A Christmas Carol - 60th Anniversary Diamond Edition

2011-11-25T11:20:00.000-08:00

Supposing it to be a another repacking of the perennial favorite A Christmas Carol (1951) starring Alastair Sim, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that VCI's latest version of the Christmas classic has all-new bonus features.

Released earlier this month, A Christmas Carol - 60th Anniversary Diamond Edition is now available on both standard DVD and Blu-Ray. And as a special this Black Friday, we have a super-low price of $7.98 on the Standard DVD until Monday the 28th.

NOTE: For the sake of clarity, we don't normally carry two DVD releases of the same film, but as this new release differs greatly from the previous Ultimate Collector's Edition, we will carry both. The previous U.C.E. not only has the many wonderful bonus features, but has the 1951 version in color, as well as a black and white presentation of the 1935 version. This new release is not colorized.

Additionally, we replaced the old Blu-Ray release with this new one as the bonus features on the previous one were scant.

With an authentic, dramatic script by later-director Noel Langley, a superb performance by Alastair Sim and company, and under the careful direction of Brian Desmond Hurst, the 1951 filmed version of "A Christmas Carol" emerges as an outstanding cinematic presentation.

Alastair Sim's tour-de-force performance as the ultimate miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, has almost single-handedly made this beloved version of Charles Dickens' story into one of the best-loved Christmas films of all time. Some of Britain's best filmmakers united behind Sim, who was joined by a delightful cast of accomplished and acclaimed English actors; creating what many today believe to be the best and most faithful production of Dickens' immortal tale. Cranky and curmudgeonly Scrooge learns the error of his unkind ways and is taught the true meaning of the holidays when he is visited by the ghost of his late business partner and the spirits of Christmas past, present and future.

BONUS FEATURES:

Introduction by Leonard Maltin
Dead to Begin With: The Darker Side of A Classic - An all-new documentary exploring the films bleaker themes and how they rivaled London of the 1950's. Featuring British film historian and culturalist Sir Christopher Frayling.
Scrooge by Another Name: Distributing A Christmas Carol - An all-new featurette detailing the American release of this British holiday classic. Featuring US distributor Richard Gordon, in his final on-camera interview.
The Human Blarney Stone: Life and Films of Brian Desmond Hurst - An all-new documentary chronicling the awe-inspiring life of Ireland's most prolific filmmaker. Featuring Allan Esler Smith, the great, great nephew and biographer of Hurst.
Alastair Sim Version: Too Good to Be Shown at Christmastime
Silent Dickens - A Collection of Early Examples of Dickens on Film
Campbell Playhouse: A Christmas Carol - Original 1939 Radio Drama narrated by Orson Welles and Starring Lionel Barrymore**
Bibliographic Essay by Fred Guida**

**BLU-RAY ONLY: These two bonus features are included on a second, standard DVD along with the standard full-length version of A Christmas Carol.

WARNER ARCHIVE: Constant Nymph, Spencer Tracy & Monogram

2011-11-22T14:50:00.000-08:00

Unavailable for over sixty years, The Constant Nymph (1943) finally makes its way to DVD.

Starring Charles Boyer, Joan Fontaine, Alexis Smith and featuring Brenda Marshall, Charles Coburn, Dame May Whitty and Peter Lorre, Nymph is part of five titles that make up this week's Warner Archive releases.

Also out are three long-awaited Spencer Tracy films as well as a 3-disc Monogram Cowboy Collection (below).

They are available for rent or purchase here at ClassicFlix with a release date of December 20th.

Spencer Tracy:

Northwest Passage (1940) - Robert Young, Walter Brennan, Ruth Hussey
The Seventh Cross (1944) - Signe Hasso, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Agnes Moorehead
The People Against O'Hara (1951) - Pat O'Brien, Diana Lynn, John Hodiak, Eduardo Ciannelli

Monogram Cowboy Collection, Vol. 1:
Ride back with us to the golden age of B-Movie Western matinees and saddle up with your favorite stars as they saunter back into the spotlight in this first volume of classic oaters, Monogram Cowboy Collection, Vol. 1.

Drawing from a stable of later era Monogram matinees, this set pairs up singing cowboy Jimmy Wakely and legendary action hombre Johnny Mack Brown (the only fella tough enough to play Johnny Mack Brown was himself!) in a double quartet of cordite and cow classics. And to put the cherry in your Sarsaparilla we've also included Rod Cameron's CineColor, "bigger budget" Monogram adventure Cavalry Scout!

DISC 1:

Oklahoma Blues (1948)
Partners of the Sunset (1948)
Cowboy Cavalier (1948)

DISC 2:

Gun Law Justice (1949)
Outlaw Gold (1950)
Man From Sonora (1951)

DISC 3:

Oklahoma Justice (1951)
Texas Lawmen (1951)
Cavalry Scout (1951)

These new DVDs add to the total of over 700 Warner Archive titles exclusively available for rent at ClassicFlix.com.

Lady and the Tramp (Blu-Ray) in February

2011-11-21T18:10:00.001-08:00

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Lady and the Tramp (Blu-Ray)
February 7th
Walt Disney
Retail: $39.99, Our: $34.99

Adding another classic to their "diamond edition" line, Walt Disney has announced Lady and the Tramp (Blu-Ray) for release on February 7th.

It will retail for $39.99, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $34.99. Bonus features are plentiful (below) with many new to this release.

Word is also out that Cinderella will get its own diamond edition Blu-Ray release some time this fall.

Walt Disney's Lady And the Tramp, filled with memorable music and purebred fun, now shines like never before with an all-new digital restoration!

Embarking on a thrilling adventure with the most unforgettable characters: Lady, a lovingly pampered cocker spaniel; Tramp, a mutt from across the tracks with a heart of gold; Jock and Trusty, Lady's best friends; and Si and Am, two of the most devious cats to prowl across the screen. The happiest of endings takes place on a lovely bella notte as Lady learns what it means to be footloose and leash-free.

BONUS FEATURES:

Three Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scenes**
Never-Before-Heard Deleted Song**
Inside Walt's Story Meetings with Disney Second Screen**
Diane Disney Miller: Remembering Dad**
The Siamese Cat Song - Finding a Voice for the Cats
PuppyPedia: Going To The Dogs
Lady's Pedigree: The Making of Lady And The Tramp
And Much More!

**NEW BONUS FEATURES

NOTE: This is a Blu-Ray / DVD Combo Pack which contains the standard version on the 2nd disc. While that disc is not rentable, you may rent the standard version by clicking here.

UNIVERSAL VAULT: Seminole (1953) and Phantom of the Opera (1962)

2011-11-21T16:34:00.000-08:00

Two more titles have been added from Universal's Vault Series. They are

Seminole (1953) - Rock Hudson, Barbara Hale, Anthony Quinn, Lee Marvin, Richard Carlson, Hugh O'Brian, Russell Johnson
The Phantom of the Opera (1962) - Herbert Lom, Heather Sears, Edward de Souza, Thorley Walters, Michael Gough

Both are now available for rent at ClassicFlix... and nowhere else!

OLIVE: 3 Jerry Lewis Films Including Rock-a-Bye Baby in February

2011-11-18T14:16:00.001-08:00

It's official -- As we reported on Wednesday, first up in Olive Films' second wave of Paramount titles are three Jerry Lewis films: The Geisha Boy (1958), Rock-a-Bye Baby (1958) and Boeing, Boeing (1965). We can now pass on the specifics.

All will be released on February 14th and will be on both standard and Blu-Ray formats. No bonus features are expected. All can be easily viewed in our recent additions section.

WARNER ARCHIVE: Action and Adventure in New Wave

2011-11-18T12:05:00.000-08:00

Action and Adventure are this week's Warner Archive theme with three releases that have been posted over at WBShop. They are available for rent or purchase here at ClassicFlix with a release date of December 13th. They are:

Around the World Under the Sea (1965)
Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion (1965)
Daktari - The Complete First Season (1966)

NOTE ON RELEASE DATES: Warner's Archive releases now have a softer release date for retailers. Previously, titles had been made available to retailers eight weeks after Warner announced them. More recently, four weeks seems to be about the norm from their announcement to when we have it them stock. This will be our new window until further changes.

Also, according to WB's pre-order section, lots of great films are going to street in the next few weeks.

These new DVDs add to the total of over 700 Warner Archive titles exclusively available for rent at ClassicFlix.com.

Count of Monte Cristo (1934) & Man in the Iron Mask (1939) in February

2011-11-16T16:08:00.000-08:00

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The Count of Monte Cristo (1934)
February 7th
Hen's Tooth
Retail: 19.95, Our: $17.99

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The Man in the Iron Mask (1939)
February 14th
Hen's Tooth
Retail: 19.95, Our: $17.99

Little known Hen's Tooth video, who has released such well-received titles such as The Battle of the River Plate (1956) and Ill Met by Moonlight (1957) have two more titles on tap for February:

The Count of Monte Cristo (1934) starring Robert Donat and Elissa Landi
The Man in the Iron Mask (1939) starring Louis Hayward, Joan Bennett, Warren William, Joseph Schildkraut, Alan Hale and directed by James Whale

These are officially licensed releases and both have new transfers from fine grain elements as well as English subtitles. Bonus features are not expected.

OLIVE: 32 Classics Coming in New Wave

2011-11-16T13:29:00.000-08:00

Olive Films has again struck a deal with Paramount allowing for a second wave of films.

Some of the standouts from the first wave were The Colossus of New York (1958), Crack in the World (1965) and Dark City (1950), but this second wave, with numerous top names such as Barbara Stanwyck, Charlton Heston, Frank Sinatra and many, many more, shows even more potential.

Out of 32 releases, Jerry Lewis is the most prominent star with 5; with three of his titles scheduled to make up the first wave in February: The Geisha Boy (1958), Rock-a-Bye-Baby (1958) and Boeing Boeing (1965).

As soon as we get more specifics, we'll pass them along.

ALPHABETICAL LISTING:

Assault on the Queen (1966) – Frank Sinatra, Virna Lisi, Anthony Franciosa, Richard Conte
Boeing Boeing (1965) – Tony Curtis, Jerry Lewis
The Buccaneer (1958) – Yul Brynner, Claire Bloom, Charles Boyer, Inger Stevens, dir. Anthony Quinn
The Buccaneer (1938) – Fredric March, Walter Brennan, Akim Tamiroff, Anthony Quinn, dir. by Cecil B. Demille
Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950) – Alan Ladd, Wanda Hendrix, Francis Lederer, Joseph Calleia
Come Blow Your Horn (1963) – Frank Sinatra, Lee J. Cobb
Denver and the Rio Grande (1952) – Edmond O’Brein, Sterling Hayden, Dean Jagger, J. Carrol Naish, Zasu Pitts
The Geisha Boy (1958) – Jerry Lewis
The Hangman (1959) – Robert Taylor, Tina Louise, Fess Parker, Jack Lord, dir. Michael Curtiz
It's Only Money (1962) – Jerry Lewis
The Jayhawkers (1959) – Jeff Chandler, Fess Parker
The Lawless (1950) – Macdonald Carey, Gail Russell, dir. Joseph Losey
Man-Trap (1961) – Jeffrey Hunter, David Janssen, Stella Stevens
My Son John (1952) – Helen Hayes, Van Heflin, Dean Jagger, Robert Walker, dir. by Leo McCarey
The Night of the Grizzly (1966) – Clint Walker, Martha Hyer, Keenan Wynn, Jack Elam
No Man of Her Own (1950) – Barbara Stanwyck
Pony Express (1953) – Charlton Heston, Rhonda Fleming, Jan Sterling, Forrest Tucker
The Proud and the Profane (1956) – William Holden, Deborah Kerr, Thelma Ritter
Rock-a-Bye-Baby (1958) – Jerry Lewis
Run for Cover (1955) – James Cagney, Viceca Lindfors, John Derek, Jean Hersholt, Ernest Borgnine, dir. by Nicholas Ray
The Savage (1952) – Charlton Heston
The Savage Innocents (1960) – Anthony Quinn, Peter O’Toole
Silver City (1951) – Edmond O’Brien, Yvonne De Carlo, Richard Arlen, Barry Fitzgerald, Gladys George
The Slender Thread (1965) – Sidney Poitier, Anne Bancroft, Telly Savalas
Something to Live For (1952) – Joan Fontaine, Ray Milland, Teresa Wright
The Spirit is Willing (1967) – Sid Caesar, Vera Miles
Too Late Blues (1961) – Bobby Darin, Stella Stevens
The Trap (1959) – Richard Widmark, Lee J. Cobb, Tina Louise, Earl Holliman, Lorne Greene
The Turning Point (1952) – William Holden, Edmond O’Brien, Alexis Smith
Warpath (1951) – Edmond O’Brien, Dean Jagger, Forrest Tucker, Harry Carey Jr., Polly Bergen, Wallace Ford
Who's Minding the Store (1963) – Jerry Lewis
Who's Got the Action (1962) – Dean Martin, Lana Turner, Eddie Albert, Walter Matthau, Paul Ford

LISTING BY YEAR:

The Buccaneer (1938) – Fredric March, Walter Brennan, Akim Tamiroff, Anthony Quinn, dir. by Cecil B. Demille
Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950) – Alan Ladd, Wanda Hendrix, Francis Lederer, Joseph Calleia
The Lawless (1950) – Macdonald Carey, Gail Russell, dir. Joseph Losey
No Man of Her Own (1950) – Barbara Stanwyck
Silver City (1951) – Edmond O’Brien, Yvonne De Carlo, Richard Arlen, Barry Fitzgerald, Gladys George
Warpath (1951) – Edmond O’Brien, Dean Jagger, Forrest Tucker, Harry Carey Jr., Polly Bergen, Wallace Ford
Denver and the Rio Grande (1952) – Edmond O’Brein, Sterling Hayden, Dean Jagger, J. Carrol Naish, Zasu Pitts
My Son John (1952) – Helen Hayes, Van Heflin, Dean Jagger, Robert Walker, dir. by Leo McCarey
The Savage (1952) – Charlton Heston
Something to Live For (1952) – Joan Fontaine, Ray Milland, Teresa Wright
The Turning Point (1952) – William Holden, Edmond O’Brien, Alexis Smith
Pony Express (1953) – Charlton Heston, Rhonda Fleming, Jan Sterling, Forrest Tucker
Run for Cover (1955) – James Cagney, Viceca Lindfors, John Derek, Jean Hersholt, Ernest Borgnine, dir. by Nicholas Ray
The Proud and the Profane (1956) – William Holden, Deborah Kerr, Thelma Ritter
The Buccaneer (1958) – Yul Brynner, Claire Bloom, Charles Boyer, Inger Stevens, dir. Anthony Quinn
The Geisha Boy (1958) – Jerry Lewis
Rock-a-Bye-Baby (1958) – Jerry Lewis
The Jayhawkers (1959) – Jeff Chandler, Fess Parker
The Hangman (1959) – Robert Taylor, Tina Louise, Fess Parker, Jack Lord, dir. Michael Curtiz
The Trap (1959) – Richard Widmark, Lee J. Cobb, Tina Louise, Earl Holliman, Lorne Greene
The Savage Innocents (1960) – Anthony Quinn, Peter O’Toole
Man-Trap (1961) – Jeffrey Hunter, David Janssen, Stella Stevens
Too Late Blues (1961) – Bobby Darin, Stella Stevens
It's Only Money (1962) – Jerry Lewis
Who's Got the Action (1962) – Dean Martin, Lana Turner, Eddie Albert, Walter Matthau, Paul Ford
Come Blow Your Horn (1963) – Frank Sinatra, Lee J. Cobb
Who's Minding the Store (1963) – Jerry Lewis
Boeing Boeing (1965) – Tony Curtis, Jerry Lewis
The Slender Thread (1965) – Sidney Poitier, Anne Bancroft, Telly Savalas
Assault on the Queen (1966) – Frank Sinatra, Virna Lisi, Anthony Franciosa, Richard Conte
The Night of the Grizzly (1966) – Clint Walker, Martha Hyer, Keenan Wynn, Jack Elam
The Spirit is Willing (1967) – Sid Caesar, Vera Miles

CRITERION: Anatomy of a Murder Standard & Blu in February

2011-11-16T09:38:00.000-08:00

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Anatomy of a Murder
February 21st
Criterion
Retail: 29.95, Our: $23.99

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Anatomy of a Murder (Blu-Ray)
February 21st
Criterion
Retail: 39.95, Our: $31.99

More studio cherry picking from Criterion, this time from Sony, as they have announced a February 21st release date for Anatomy of a Murder (1959) on both standard & Blu.

The bonus features will be numerous (below), and the standard release will be a 2-disc set.

SYNOPSIS:
A virtuoso James Stewart plays a small-town Michigan lawyer who takes on a difficult case: that of a young Army lieutenant (Ben Gazzara) accused of murdering the local tavern owner who he believes raped his wife (Lee Remick).

This gripping, envelope-pushing courtroom potboiler, the most popular film from Hollywood provocateur Otto Preminger, was groundbreaking for its frankness —more than anything else, it is a striking depiction of the power of words.

With its outstanding supporting cast—including a young George C. Scott as a fiery prosecuting attorney and legendary real-life attorney Joseph N. Welch as the judge—and influential jazz score by Duke Ellington, Anatomy of a Murder is a Hollywood landmark; it was nominated for seven Oscars, including best picture.

BONUS FEATURES:

New interview with Otto Preminger biographer Foster Hirsch
Critic Gary Giddins explores Duke Ellington’s score in a new interview
A look at the relationship between graphic designer Saul Bass and Preminger with Bass biographer Pat Kirkham
Newsreel footage from the set
Excerpts from a 1967 episode of Firing Line, featuring Preminger in discussion with William F. Buckley Jr.
Excerpts from the work in progress Anatomy of “Anatomy”: The Making of a Movie
Behind-the-scenes photographs by Life magazine’s Gjon Mili
Trailer, featuring on-set footage
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Nick Pinkerton and a 1959 Life magazine article on real-life lawyer Joseph N. Welch, who plays the judge in the film

State Trooper - Seasons 2 & 3 in December

2011-11-15T16:43:00.001-08:00

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PRICE:

State Trooper - The Complete Second and Third Seasons
December 13th
Timeless Media Group
Retail: $39.98, Our: $29.99

Timeless Media has announced State Trooper - The Complete Second and Third Seasons for release on December 13th.

The 6-disc set will be another feather in the cap for Timeless as they have completed another classic TV series to DVD.

It will retail for $39.98, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $29.99. Bonus features are not expected.

SYNOPSIS:
Tall, good looking and rugged, Rod Cameron stars as Officer Rod Blake in this western themed crime drama set in Las Vegas, Nevada. Based on true cases from the files of the Nevada State Police, each episode finds Blake and his fellow officers fighting crime in the Silver State. Robert Armstrong (Sheriff Andy Anderson) and Don Haggerty (Sheriff Elder) join Cameron in their crusade to keep peace and justice in the new old-west, in stories of ranchers, miners, convicts and murder!

Each weekly episode features guest stars from the world of stage, screen, and television, including Craig Stevens (One Way to Tahoe), Claude Akins (The Gandy Dancers of Steptoe Valley), Lee Van Cleef (710 Hysteria Street), Jeanette Nolan (Still Waters Run Red), Barbara Baxley (When the Cat’s Away) Richard Farnsworth (Lonely Valley), Deforest Kelley (The Patient Skeleton), and many, many more!

FULL DETAILS: Wings (1927) - Standard & Blu in January

2011-11-15T05:46:00.001-08:00

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

Wings
January 24th
Paramount
Retail: 24.99, Our: $19.99

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

Wings (Blu-Ray)
January 24th
Paramount
Retail: 29.99, Our: $23.99

Full details are now out for Wings (1927), the first-ever winner of the Academy Award for best picture.

Regarding bonus features, according to Paramount there will be three on the Blu-Ray and one on the standard release:

Wings: Grandeur in the Sky
Restoring the Power and Beauty of Wings (Blu-Ray Only)
Dogfight! (Blu-Ray Only)

They are likely featurettes and not documentaries.

TIMELESS: Overland Trail - The Complete Series in February

2011-11-14T18:23:00.000-08:00

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

Overland Trail - The Complete Series
February 14th
Timeless Media Group
Retail: $34.98, Our: $27.99

More classics TV Westerns from Timeless as they have announced Overland Trail - The Complete Series for release on February 14th.

The short-lived series (17 episodes) starred William Bendix and Doug McClure and will be released in a 4-disc set.

It will retail for $34.98, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $27.99. Bonus features are not expected.

SYNOPSIS:
In this 1960 NBC TV western, William Bendix (The Life of Riley) and Doug McClure (The Virginian, Checkmate) star as the Overland Stage superintendent and his young sidekick as they struggle to keep the stagecoach safe from thieves, vigilantes, Native Americans and general mayhem as they move the stage line West from Missouri, across the Rockies, and on to California.

Bendix shines as Frederick Kelly, the crusty superintendent who, in addition to his official duties, must keep an eye on his more reckless young assistant, Flip Flippen, played with élan by a young Doug McClure in his first series starring role. The chemistry between McClure and Bendix is nowhere more apparent than when the two share danger, but the show is filled with good humor as well, and has been described as a cross between Tales of Wells Fargo and Laredo.

Each episode of Overland Trail finds the pair pitted against some new threat to the stage line, and the series, although short-lived, has an impressive guest cast list, including Harry Guardino (Perilous Passage), John Anderson (The High Bridge), Denver Pyle (Lawyer in Petticoats), Werner Klemperer (The Vigilantes of Montana), Claude Akins (Fire in the Hole), Slim Pickens and Mercedes McCambridge (Sour Annie), John Carradine (The Reckoning), John McIntire (The Most Dangerous Gentleman) and many more.

ARTWORK: Wings

2011-11-14T15:45:00.000-08:00

Still no solid price point for Wings (1927), but we've got the artwork for you. Stay tuned...

Fort Apache (Blu-Ray) in February

2011-11-14T15:31:00.000-08:00

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

Fort Apache (Blu-Ray)
February 21st
Warner Bros.
Retail: $19.98, Our: $15.99

More Blu-Ray from Warner Bros. as they have announced Fort Apache (Blu-Ray) for release on February 21st.

It will retail for $19.98, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $15.99. Bonus features, if any, are not yet known.

SYNOPSIS:
The soldiers at Fort Apache may disagree with the tactics of their glory-seeking new commander. But to a man, they're duty-bound to obey - even when it means almost certain disaster.

John Wayne, Henry Fonda and many familiar supporting players from master director John Ford's "stock company" saddle up for the first film in the director's famed cavalry trilogy (She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Rio Grande are the others). Roughhouse camaraderie, sentimental vignettes of frontier life, massive action sequences staged in Monument Valley - all are part of Fort Apache. So is Ford's exploration of the West's darker side. Themes of justice, heroism and honor that Ford would revisit in later Westerns are given rein in this moving, thought-provoking film that, even as it salutes a legend, gives reasons to question it.

PARAMOUNT: Wings (1927) - Standard & Blu in January

2011-11-14T07:04:00.000-08:00

We have some preliminary information about the first-ever winner of the Academy Award for best picture coming to DVD and Blu-Ray.

According to Paramount, Wings (1927), starring Clara Bow, Charles "Buddy Rogers, Richard Arlen and Gary Cooper, has a solid street date of January 24th.

No further details are known except a bonus feature, likely a featurette, called Grandeur in the Sky will be included.

Stay tuned...

Laramie - The Complete Second Season in February

2011-11-10T17:55:00.001-08:00

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

Laramie - The Complete Second Season
February 7th
Timeless Media Group
Retail: $39.98, Our: $29.99

With season's 1, 3 and 4 of Laramie already released, Timeless Media has brought DVD closure to yet another western series with their announcement of Laramie - The Complete Second Season.

Set for release on February 7th, the 6-disc set will retail for $39.98, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $29.99. Bonus features are listed below.

SYNOPSIS:
Laramie, considered by many to be one of the best family westerns of all time, debuted on NBC on September 15, 1959. Long sought after by collectors and fans, TMG and NBC are proud to present for the first time the complete, authorized season two of this great television series.

With great western scenery and action, these stirring tales of life on the edge of the frontier in Wyoming Territory in the 1870’s bring the Old West to life again as Slim Sherman and Jess Harper team up to tame a wild new country. Serious, funny and a bit violent, each thrilling Laramie episode embodies the lasting values of the Code of the West, loyalty, morals and pride.

Starring John Smith (Cimarron City) as Slim Sherman and Robert Fuller (Wagon Train, Emergency) as Jess Harper, the show attracted some of Hollywoods’s greatest stars in guest roles, including Julie London (Queen of Diamonds), Vera Miles and Denver Pyle (Three Roads West), Lee Van Cleef (.45 Caliber), Rod Cameron (Drifter’s Gold), Ben Johnson (A Sound of Bells), James Coburn (The Mark of the Manhunters), Warren Oates (Two for the Gallows), Elisha Cooke, Jr. and Jack Elam (The Tumbleweed Wagon) and many more.

BONUS FEATURES:

A special tribute to John Smith, with interviews, clips from his movies and TV shows and photographs from the collection of Mary Brown, founder of the Festival of the West
“Ride into Darkness”, from season one

WARNER ARCHIVE: 3 Keaton & 3 Wellman

2011-11-08T12:59:00.001-08:00

Three early 30's Buster Keaton comedies and three William Wellman features make up this week's Archive releases that have been posted over at WBShop. They are available for rent or purchase here at ClassicFlix with a release date of January 3rd.

Keaton:

Doughboys (1930)
Sidewalks of New York (1931)
What! No Beer? (1933)

William Wellman:

Lafayette Escadrille (1957) - Tab Hunter, David Janssen & Wellman's Last Directorial Effort
My Man and I (1952) - Shelley Winters, Ricardo Montalban, Wendell Corey, Claire Trevor
Safe in Hell (1931) - Dorothy Mackaill, Donald Cook

These new DVDs add to the total of over 700 Warner Archive titles exclusively available for rent at ClassicFlix.com.

SHOUT: Here Come the Brides - Season 2 in February

2011-11-07T17:17:00.001-08:00

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

Here Come the Brides - The Complete Second Season
February 28th
Shout! Factory
Retail: $44.99, Our: $31.99

Shout! Factory has announced Here Come the Brides - The Complete Second Season for release on February 28th.

Like Hazel, Sony released Season 1 in 2006, and now Shout! has taken over series for its second and last season.

The 6-disc set will retail for $44.99, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $31.99.

SHOUT: Hazel - Season 2 in February

2011-11-07T17:16:00.000-08:00

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

Hazel - The Complete Second Season
February 21st
Shout! Factory
Retail: $34.93, Our: $27.99

Shout! Factory has announced Hazel - The Complete Second Season for release on February 21st.

Sony released Season 1 way back in 2006, and now Shout! has taken over series which ran for five seasons.

The 4-disc set will retail for $34.93, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $27.99.

TCM VAULT: Humphrey Bogart - The Columbia Pictures Collection

2011-11-07T09:34:00.001-08:00

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
TITLES:

Humphrey Bogart - The Columbia Pictures Collection (TCM Vault)
November 28th
Sony
Love Affair (1932), Knock on Any Door (1949), Tokyo Joe (1949), Sirocco (1951),The Harder They Fall (1956)

Released via TCM's Vault line, Humphrey Bogart gets a 5-disc set due November 28th in Sony's announcement of Humphrey Bogart - The Columbia Pictures Collection.

Love Affair (1932) and Knock on Any Door (1949) are new-to-DVD, while the latter three titles were previously released, but are now out of print.

All five titles will be fully restored and remastered and will include bonus features such as introductions by Ben Mankiewicz, a Humphrey Bogart biography, lobby cards, publicity stills, movie posters and more.

Available exclusively for purchase at TCM.com, this set will be available for rent here at ClassicFlix.

WARNER ARCHIVE: Esther Williams, Eleanor Powell & Hollywood Party

2011-11-02T17:57:00.001-07:00

Two-and-a-half years into the Warner Archive program, and Warner is still releasing A-grade titles from their library.

Recent announcements from their deep catalog include the Harlow Collection and five Bette Davis titles. Now comes 10 new-to-DVD titles featuring Esther Williams, Eleanor Powell and the long overdue Hollywood Party (1934), among others. All will be available on December 27th.

Esther Williams' releases are Duchess of Idaho (1950) with Van Johnson; Texas Carnival (1951) with Red Skelton, Howard Keel and Ann Miller; and Skirts Ahoy! (1952) with Joan Evans, Vivian Blaine and Barry Sullivan.

Eleanor Powell gets things moving with Honolulu (1939) co-starring Robert Young and Burns & Allen; and Ship Ahoy (1942) with Red Skelton, Bert Lahr, Virginia O'Brien and Tommy Dorsey.

Hollywood Party (1934), the all-star comedy is "8 directors and 8 writers strong – wild, and wildly inconsistent but ever fun." Starring Jimmy Durante as "Schnarzan" and featuring Lupe Velez, Laurel & Hardy, Charles Butterworth, The Three Stooges, Robert Young, Arthur Treacher and many more.

Also out is the Tim Holt Western Collection, Vol. 3 featuring 10 more B westerns on 5 discs. Debbie Reynolds in The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953) also makes its DVD debut.

Lastly, the Three Stooges documentary The Lost Stooges is available as well as Warner's version of the public domain Swing Parade of 1946. --Note on Swing Parade: We usually only carry the best version of a film, but in Swing's case, we'll still carry the Legend version as it is colorized and comes with numerous bonus features.

Also, previously released on standard DVD, but now re-released as part of Warner's Archive collection are Good News (1947) and A Date with Judy (1948). Additionally, Give a Girl a Break (1953) gets a new remastered release.

These new DVDs add to the total of over 700 Warner Archive titles exclusively available for rent at ClassicFlix.com.

MGM MOD: Crime-Thrillers in November

2011-11-01T17:55:00.001-07:00

Crime-thrillers are the theme as MGM has announced four classic titles for release on November 22nd. They are:

The Big Caper (1957) - Rory Calhoun, Mary Costa, James Gregory
Gog (1954) - Richard Egan, Constance Dowling, Herbert Marshall
Three Came to Kill (1960) - Cameron Mitchell, John Lupton, Lyn Thomas
You Have to Run Fast (1961) - Craig Hill, Elaine Edwards

I'm Dickens, He's Fenster, Vol. 1 in December

2011-10-31T15:29:00.001-07:00

I'm Dickens, He's Fenster, the short-lived comedy series starring John Astin and Marty Ingels, finally has an official release date as I'm Dickens, He's Fenster, Vol. 1 (50th Anniversary Collector's Edition) is scheduled to street on December 6th.

The 3-disc set has the first 16 of the series' 32 episodes and will be available for sale exclusively atImdickenshesfenster.com. We will, of course, have it for rent shortly after its release.

Tons of extras are included and are listed below.

SYNOPSIS:
I'm Dickens...He's Fenster followed the comic exploits of two construction workers and bosom buddies (played by John Astin and Marty Ingels). After producing thirty-two side-splittingly hilarious episodes, and despite critics' raves in The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter and Time Magazine, the show was prematurely canceled in its first season. By the time its final ratings came in, showing it having beaten Sing Along with Mitch and Route 66 for its time slot, it was too late to reassemble the cast, who had moved on to other projects. The successful and beloved show had become a casualty of timid programming and unlucky timing.

Although short-lived, I'm Dickens...He's Fenster featured an extraordinary roster of guest stars, many of whom made their television debuts on the show including: Yvonne Craig ("Batgirl" from Batman), Harvey Korman (The Carol Burnett Show), Sally Kellerman (M*A*S*H), Peter Lupus (Mission: Impossible), Lee Meriwether (The Time Tunnel), Ellen Burstyn (The Exorcist), Edy Williams (Beyond the Valley of the Dolls), and Jim Nabors (The Andy Griffith Show, Gomer Pyle USMC). The series also featured such directing talent as Arthur Hiller (Love Story, The In-Laws), Jay Sandrich (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls) , Norman Abbott, (The Munsters), Claudio Guzman (I Dream of Jeannie) and writers Mel Tolkin (Your Show of Shows, All in the Family), Don Hinkley (The Steve Allen Show, The Muppet Show) and Jay Sommers (Green Acres, Ozzie & Harriet).

In addition to being creator, writer, director and producer on I'm Dickens...He's Fenster, Leonard Stern's remarkable career included writing for the Abbott and Costello and Ma and Pa Kettle movies, and the classic TV shows The Honeymooners, Sergeant Bilko and The Steve Allen Show.

From 1965-1970, Mr. Stern was executive producer, writer and director on the classic spy spoof Get Smart (starring Don Adams and Barbara Feldon). He also created, produced and directed the TV series He & She (co-starring Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentiss) and McMillan & Wife (starring Rock Hudson and Susan St. James). He also co-created the immensely popular series of children's game books, Mad Libs.

BONUS FEATURES:

Video features with all-new interviews including stars John Astin (The Addams Family) and Marty Ingels (The Dick Van Dyke Show), Directors Arthur Hiller (The In-Laws, Silver Streak), Norman Abbott (The Munsters) and Creator/Producer Leonard Stern (Get Smart)
Audio commentaries featuring John Astin and Marty Ingels, Yvonne Craig (Batman), Lee Meriwether (The Time Tunnel), series regular Dave Ketchum (who played "Mel Warshaw"), Chris Korman, son of Harvey Korman (Blazing Saddles, The Carol Burnett Show), and creator/producer Leonard Stern
I'm Dickens...He's Fenster Get Physical featurette
Video tribute to the late Leonard Stern, Creator/Producer of I'm Dickens...He's Fenster
The Joke featurette
Love Me, Love My Dog featurette
How Not to Succeed in Business featurette
I'm Dickens...He's Fenster Commercial Bumpers
Rare I'm Dickens...He's Fenster ABC TV Network Promo
Rare I'm Dickens...He's Fenster Cast Commercial
Thank You slide show video featuring the dozens of people who helped make the 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition a reality
I'm Dickens...He's Fenster six-page Collector's Booklet
Three discs in a Collector's Edition Digipak with Slipcase

COLUMBIA CLASSICS: Island of Doomed Men Part of 8 in December

2011-10-26T08:46:00.001-07:00

More Columbia Classic titles are on their way from Sony as they have announced eight releases forDecember 6th.

A couple of standouts are Island of Doomed Men (1940) with Peter Lorre and Rochelle Hudson andThe Fuller Brush Man (1948) with Red Skelton, Janet Blair, Don McGuire, Hillary Brooke and Adele Jergens.

Mr. Magoo makes an appearance in the age-old tale of Aladdin in the animated classic 1001 Arabian Nights (1959) with the voice talents of Jim Backus (of course), Kathryn Grant, Dwayne Hickman, Hans Conried, Herschel Bernardi, Alan Reed and Daws Butler. It is curiously listed with a run time of 43 minutes when it was released as a 75 minute full-length feature. We'll know more as the release date approaches.

Also out:

Beyond Mombasa (1957) - Cornel Wilde, Donna Reed, Leo Genn, Ron Randell, Christopher Lee & Dir. George Marshall
Escape from San Quentin (1957) - Johnny Desmond, Merry Anders
Harmon of Michigan (1941) - Tom Harmon, Anita Louise, Larry Parks, Lloyd Bridges
The Missing Juror (1944) - Jim Bannon, Janis Carter, George Macready, Jean Stevens, Joseph Crehan & Dir. by Budd Boetticher
Town on Trial (1957) - Charles Coburn, John Mills, Barbara Bates

ARTWORK ADDED: Nothing Sacred

2011-10-25T12:41:00.001-07:00

--ARTWORK ADDED TO PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENT--

ORIGINAL ANNOUNCEMENT

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

Nothing Sacred
December 20th
Kino
Retail $24.95, Our: $19.99

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

Nothing Sacred (Blu-Ray)
December 20th
Kino
Retail $29.95, Our: $23.99

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

A Farewell to Arms (1932)
December 20th
Kino
Retail $24.95, Our: $19.99

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

A Farewell to Arms (Blu-Ray) - 1932
December 20th
Kino
Retail $29.95, Our: $23.99

Boasting such superlatives as "Mastered from an original 35mm print" and as "being the only version(s) of the of the original film authorized for release from the estate of David O. Selznick," Kino has announced aDecember 20th release date for the above two perpetually public domain films on standard and Blu-Ray.

Neither will have bonus features, but both are expected to be a vast improvement of previous releases from various manufacturers.

Nothing Sacred
As potent today as it was when released in 1937, this classic screwball satire stars Carol Lombard as Hazel Flagg, the small-town girl who mistakenly believes she's dying of radium poisoning.

Sensing a great human interest story that will tug the public's heartstrings and help sell newspapers, exploitative journalist Wally Cook (Fredric March) brings Hazel to New York City and turns her into a media darling. Wally's callous strategy takes a sudden turn when he starts having feelings for the vulnerable Hazel.

Filmed in early three-strip Technicolor and scripted by Ben Hecht and James H. Street, this sharp comedy still sizzles with its cynical take on media profiteering, and the matching of Lombard and March is unforgettably entertaining.

A Farewell to Arms
A tale of the love between ambulance driver Lt. Henry (Cooper) and Nurse Catherine Barkley (Hayes) during World War I. The action takes place in Italy and the two fall in love during the war and will stop at nothing to be together. The film also analyses Lt. Henry's feelings on war and the purpose of fighting.

WARNER ARCHIVE: Elizabeth Taylor - Big Hangover, Julia Misbehaves

2011-10-25T11:52:00.001-07:00

Elizabeth Taylor is featured in this week's Archive releases that have been posted over at WBShop. They are available for rent or purchase here at ClassicFlix with a release date of December 20th.

Among them are two Van Johnson / Taylor films: The Big Hangover (1950); and The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954) - rescued from public domain and featuring Walter Pidgeon, Donna Reed and Eva Gabor.

Also out is Julia Misbehaves (1948) starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon and featuring Taylor, Peter Lawford, Cesar Romero, Lucile Watson, Nigel Bruce, Mary Boland and Reginald Owen.

These new DVDs add to the total of over 700 Warner Archive titles exclusively available for rent at ClassicFlix.com.

NOTE ON UPCOMING ARCHIVE RELEASES:

The titles below are in WB's pre-order section. As they haven't been confirmed, we are holding off on listing them for sale or rent.

Eleanor Powell:

Honolulu (1939) - Robert Young, George Burns, Gracie Allen
Ship Ahoy (1942) - Red Skelton, Bert Lahr

Hollywood Party (1934) - A hilarious Tarzan send-up with cameos galore.

Esther Williams:

Duchess of Idaho (1950) - Van Johnson
Texas Carnival (1951) - Red Skelton, Howard Keel, Ann Miller
Skirts Ahoy! (1952) - Joan Evans, Vivian Blaine

Debbie Reynolds:

The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953) - Bobby Van
Give a Girl a Break (1953) - Remastering of previous release

Buster Keaton:

Doughboys (1930)
Sidewalks of New York (1931)
What! No Beer? (1933)

Stooges:

Swing Parade of 1946 - Another release being rescued from public domain.
The Lost Stooges - A 1990 documentary narrated by Leonard Maltin.

WARNER ARCHIVE: Jean Harlow 100th Anniversary Collection

2011-10-21T08:56:00.000-07:00

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:
TITLES:

Jean Harlow 100th Anniversary Collection
November 1st
Warner
Retail: $64.99, Our: $59.99
Bombshell (1933), The Girl from Missouri (1934), Reckless (1935),Riffraff (1936), Suzy (1936), Personal Property (1937), Saratoga(1937)

The buzz of the web for some time, Warner has officially announced their Jean Harlow 100th Anniversary Collection.

Although a Warner Archive release, and not a standard DVD set, it is still a throwback similar to the kind of sets Warner Bros. used to produce as it contains bonus features as well as having each title with individual cases and artwork.

Seven films on seven DVDs, this set is available for sale now at WBShop. The normal lag time of eight weeks for Archive titles is waved for this set some as we will have all seven available on November 1st.

SYNOPSIS:
A true trend-setter, the first “Platinum Blonde” provided the template for an archetype that stretches from one century into the next. True film buffs owe it to themselves to celebrate, discover, or rediscover her achievements as an actor.

Join us in paying tribute with this special collection, celebrating her centennial year with seven of her films, three newly remastered. None ever before available on DVD. Lovingly packaged in a striking, glamour filled slipcase filled with special features.

Bombshell (1933)
Glamour queen Lola (Harlow) is quitting the movie biz – something her manipulative press agent (Lee Tracy) can’t allow!

The Girl from Missouri (1934)
Eadie’s not easy! A plucky bachelorette (Harlow) intends to bag a New York millionaire…without abandoning her virtue.

Reckless (1935)
Harlow goes dramatic as a Broadway star accused of murder after the death of her high-living, high society hubby. With William Powell, the last real-life love of Harlow’s short life.

Riffraff (1936)
She works in a cannery. He’s a fisherman. But their playful romance is fated to give way to a tragedy surrounding union activism. She’s Harlow, he’s Spencer Tracy.

Suzy (1936)
Harlow, Cary Grant, and Franchot Tone are involved in a World War I triangle of romance and spy intrigue.

Personal Property (1937)
Debt-ridden socialite Harlow puts on a show of wealth to impress a suitor who’s also making a pretense of fortune. Robert Taylor is the butler who sees through the ruses.

Saratoga (1937)
In Harlow’s final film she plays the daughter of a horse breeder who is engaged to a millionaire, but drawn to a bookie played by Clark Gable.

BONUS FEATURES:

Portfolio of seven 5” x 7” MGM studio portraits of Miss Harlow
Trailers for six films, including newly discovered trailers for Bombshell, The Girl From Missouri, and Personal Property
Rare, never before heard Reckless pre-recording sessions including Jean Harlow’s unused vocals captured live on the MGM stage
Lux Radio Theater presentation "Madame Sans-Gene" with Jean Harlow and Robert Taylor (Audio Only)
Two Leo is on the Air radio “air trailers”

ARTWORK ADDED: A Farewell to Arms

2011-10-20T11:19:00.001-07:00

--ARTWORK ADDED TO PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENT--
-Nothing yet for Sacred-

ORIGINAL ANNOUNCEMENT

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

Nothing Sacred
December 20th
Kino
Retail $24.95, Our: $19.99

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

Nothing Sacred (Blu-Ray)
December 20th
Kino
Retail $29.95, Our: $23.99

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

A Farewell to Arms (1932)
December 20th
Kino
Retail $24.95, Our: $19.99

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

A Farewell to Arms (Blu-Ray) - 1932
December 20th
Kino
Retail $29.95, Our: $23.99

Gene Autry Show - Season 2 in November

2011-10-19T17:18:00.001-07:00

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

The Gene Autry Show - Season 2
November 22nd
Timeless Media Group
Retail: $24.98, Our: $19.99

Timeless Media is on a roll.

With today's final announcement of The Gene Autry Show - Season 2, Timeless now has 11 scheduled classic releases for the last quarter of the year. That is a colossal output for such a small company.

The 4-disc set is scheduled for a November 22nd release and bonus features are expected, but not known.

It will retail for $24.98, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $19.99.