VCI Serials - White Eagle & Battling with Buffalo Bill in December

**VCI** is staying busy with two more new to DVD releases on December 4th. They are Battling with Buffalo Bill (1931) with Tom Tyler and White Eagle (1941) starring Buck Jones . Each single disc release will retail for $29.99, but can be purchased here at Classicflix.com for only $19.99. Details below.

(note: Barbara Weeks is not in this film. VCI will correct the artwork shortly)

Battling with Buffalo Bill (1931, 217 min)
Gold is discovered in a small western town and the local gambler Jim Rodney plans to seize by having the townspeople murdered or frightened away by Indians. To put his plan in motion, Rodney has an Indian woman murdered and steals the horses. When “Buffalo Bill” Cody and the US Cavalry appear things get a bit tricky. Rodney then goes to the second plan to have himself elected as town marshal. Of course, the election is rigged and Cody then takes on the task of bringing Rodney to justice – while still fighting off the attacks by the Indians. 12 Chapters of Thrilling Suspense!

BONUS FEATURES:

• Trailers
• Cowboy Montage Video

White Eagle (1941, 290 min)
After the young boy’s father, a US army officer, is killed in an Indian raid, he becomes White Eagle – being raised by Indians. White Eagle believes that the Indians and white settlers can live together and works to see that happen. However, a gang leader who has his own reasons for not wanting that peaceful union sets out to stir up as much trouble between them as possible. 15 Chapters of fighting for love and honor!

BONUS FEATURES:

• Trailers
• Cowboy Montage Video

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VCI Honors 150th Anniversary of Lourdes with 2 DVDs in December

**VCI** has announced a December 4th release date of two DVDs to honor the 150th Anniversary of the first apparition at Lourdes. They are: Loretta Young's The Road to Lourdes and Other Miracles of Faith & Bernadette of Lourdes. Each DVD will retail for $14.99, but are available at Classicflix.com for $10.99. Details below:

Loretta Young's The Road to Lourdes and Other Miracles of Faith - Contains four episodes from her TV show.

The Road to Lourdes (1959)
Loretta Young stars as a spoiled American in Paris diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. During a drive to Spain she makes a surprise visit to Lourdes, through the eyes of a local boy she meets along the road, she comes to understand the pure faith of those who line up to bathe in the healing waters of the popular religious shrine and discovers that miracles really do happen. Filmed entirely in France in 1959, the inspirational film was an episode of the Emmy Award winning series The Loretta Young Show.

Also included are three special episodes from The Loretta Young Show:

Three, and Two Please A.K.A. Sister Ann's Christmas (Original air date: 12-16-56)
Loretta Young portrays Sister Ann, head nurse in a busy hospital who works hard to make this a merry Christmas for two of her more difficult patients - a crotchety old man played by Vaughn Taylor, and a small boy, Eugene Martin, who is in despair over the bicycle nobody can afford to buy him for Christmas.

Sister Ann (Original air date: 1-11-59)
When Sister Ann (Loretta Young) decides to contribute her tiny fortune to a building fund for Mercy Hospital, her contribution goes to much more than just building an additional hospital floor.

Faith, Hope and Mr. Flaherty (Original air date: 5-08-60)
In this episode, Sister Ann makes an investment with money that isn’t hers. When Mrs. Flaherty, a patient at Mercy Hospital, gives the nun five dollars for the hospital building fund Sister Ann invests the sum in another way. Her investment reaps big returns, but it also brings big problems with it. J. M. Kerrigan plays Mrs. Flaherty.

BONUS FEATURES:

• The 67 cures at Lourdes recognized as miracles by the Church
• The Prayer of Bernadette
• Christopher Lewis, Loretta Young's son, interview on the making of the Road to Lourdes
• Linda Lewis, Loretta Young's daughter-in-law, on the continuing miracles of the Road to Lourdes
• Classic TV Commercials.
• Trailers

Bernadette of Lourdes (1961) - Filmed in France (English Dubbed)
Filmed adaptation of the life of St. Bernadette of Lourdes. As a 14 year old peasant girl growing up in the tiny French village of Lourdes in the 19th century, Bernadette (Daniele Ajoret) experiences visions of the Virgin Mary in a nearby grotto during February and March of 1858. Doing as instructed, Bernadette digs by a large rock, revealing a “healing spring” that is still visited today – the Lourdes.

Bernadette joined the Sisters of Charity at Nevers (1866) and remained in seclusion until her death at 35. After her death, Bernadette’s body remained “incorruptible”, and the shrine at Lourdes went on to become a major site for pilgrimage, attracting millions of Catholics each year. On December 8, 1933 she was canonized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.

BONUS FEATURES:

• The 67 cures at Lourdes recognized as miracles by the Church
• The Prayer of Bernadette
• Making Bernadette a Saint
• Trailers

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Postwar Kurosawa - Eclipse Series 7 in January

**Criterion** has announced a January 15th release date for Postwar Kurosawa - Criterion Eclipse Series 7. The 5-Disc DVD set will retail for $69.95, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $49.99. Details below.

Perhaps best known for his action-packed samurai classics, Akira Kurosawa began his career by delving into the state of his nation immediately following World War II, with visual poetry and direct emotion. Amid Japan’s economic collapse, moral waywardness, and American occupation, Kurosawa managed to find humor and redemption existing alongside despair and anxiety. In these five films, which range from the whimsically Capraesque to the icily Dostoyevskian, from political epics to courtroom potboilers, Kurosawa established both the artistic range and social acuity that would inform his entire career.

No Regrets for Our Youth (1946)
In Akira Kurosawa's first film after the end of World War II, Japanese film star (and eventual Ozu regular) Setsuko Hara gives an astonishing performance as Yukie, Kurosawa's only female protagonist and one of his strongest heroes. Transforming herself from genteel bourgeois daughter to independent social activist, Yukie journeys across a decade of tumultuous Japanese history.

One Wonderful Sunday (1947)
Akira Kurosawa examined the harsh economic truths of postwar Japan with this affectionate tribute to young love. Trying to make their meager thirty-five yen last during a Sunday trip into a war-ravaged Tokyo, Yuzo and Masako look for work and lodging, as well as affordable entertainments to pass the time. Reminiscent of Frank Capra’s social realist comedies as well as contemporaneous Italian neorealist films, One Wonderful Sunday touchingly offers a bit of hope amidst misery.

Scandal (1950)
A handsome, suave Toshiro Mifune lights up the screen as painter Ichiro, whose circumstantial meeting with a famous singer (Yoshiko Yamaguchi) is construed by the tabloid press as a torrid affair. When Ichiro files a lawsuit against the incriminating gossip magazine, he hires the ethically dubious lawyer Hiruta (Kurosawa stalwart Takashi Shimura)—who's playing both sides. A portrait of moral decline during Japan’s postwar reparations, Scandal is also a compelling courtroom drama and a tale of human redemption.

The Idiot (1951)
After finishing what would become his international phenomenon Rashomon, Akira Kurosawa immediately turned to one of the most daring—and problem-plagued—productions of his career. The Idiot, adapted faithfully from Fyodor Dostoyevsky's nineteenth-century masterpiece about a wayward, pure soul's reintegration into society, yet updated to capture Japan’s postwar aimlessness, was a victim of studio interference and, finally, public indifference. Today, Kurosawa's onetime "folly" looks ever more fascinating, a stylish, otherworldly evocation of one man’s wintry mindscape.

I Live in Fear (1955)
Both the final film in which Kurosawa would so directly wrestle with the demons of the second world war and his most literal representation of living in an atomic age, Akira Kurosawa’s galvanizing I Live in Fear presents Toshiro Mifune as an elderly, stubborn businessman so fearful of a nuclear attack that he vows to move his reluctant family to South America. With this mournful film, the director depicts a society emerging from the shadows but still terrorized by memories of the past and anxieties of the future.

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Tammy Triolgy, Portrait in Black & Madame X in February

After a lackluster release schedule for the second half of 2007, **Universal** is off to a decent start with their February 5th releases. In addition to the previously posted Imitation of Life (Special Edition), they've also announced the release of two other 2 disc sets: The Tammy Trilogy & Portrait in Black / Madame X. Details below...

The Tammy Trilogy inlcudes Tammy and the Bachelor (1957), Tammy Tell Me True (1961) and Tammy and the Doctor (1963) on 2 DVDs. BONUS FEATURES: Trailers. Retail: $19.98, Ours: $14.99.

Portrait in Black / Madame X includes Portrait in Black (1961) & Madame X (1966) on 2 DVDs. BONUS FEATURES: Trailers. Retail: $14.98, Ours: $10.99.

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Imitation of Life - Special Edition in February

**Universal** has announced a February 5th release date for Imitation of Life - Special Edition. Both the 1934 and 1959 version have been previously released on a double feature single disc DVD, but this 2-Disc DVD set tops the previous release by adding commentaries, a featurette and trailers. The set will retail for $26.98, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $19.99. Details below.

Imitation Of Life (1934, 111 min)
In this Academy Award-nominated Best Picture, Claudette Colbert and Louse Beavers are superb as two women with young daughters who build a fortune together. But success doesn't save them from sorrow with the passing years.
Delilah's light-skinned teenager rejects her mother and her race, while Bea must choose between the man she loves and the daughter who loves him, too. Now all of them will pay the price of love in this spellbinding classic.

Imitation Of Life (1959, 125 min)
Lana Turner heads the outstanding cast with Juanita Moore in the second screen version of this emotionally-charged story about two widows and their troubled daughters.
Lora's search for success causes her to neglect her daughter, while Annie's daughter rejects her culture by trying to pass for white. As the years pass, each of the four women realizes that she has been living out an emotionally troubled existence.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Feature Commentary with Film Historian/Scholar
• Lasting Legacy - An Imitation of Life
• Theatrical Trailers

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El Cid in January

**The Weinstein Company** has announced a January 29th release date for El Cid (Deluxe Edition). The 2-Disc DVD set will retail for $24.95, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $19.99. Also being released is El Cid (Limited Collector’s Edition) which is reported to have the film and all the special features of the Deluxe Edition, but will also contain a book. Retail will be $39.92, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $27.99. More details to follow.

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Pioneers Of Television from PBS in January

**PBS Home Video** has announced a January 29th release date for Pioneers Of Television. The DVD will retail for $24.99, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $16.99. Details below:

Pioneers Of Television comes in the wake of Steve Boettcher’s Pioneers Of Primetime special — one of the top-rated television shows for PBS in 2005 — which chronicled a select few of television’s comedic trailblazers from vaudeville to the golden age of television.

Pioneers Of Television continues the tradition, featuring new interviews with nearly 100 entertainers from television’s rich heritage. Nearly every living star from television’s early days has been interviewed, including: Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Art Linkletter, Andy Griffith, Betty White, Phyllis Diller, Jim Nabors, Marlo Thomas, Jonathan Winters, Andy Williams, Ed McMahon, Bob Barker, Tommy Smothers and many more.

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Harry Langdon Collection - Lost and Found in December

**All Day Entertainment** has announced a December 26th release date for The Harry Langdon Collection - Lost and Found. The 4-Disc DVD set will retail for $39.95, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $29.99. Details below:

Silent comedy pioneer Mack Sennett considered Harry Langdon the best comedian he'd ever seen--and Sennett worked with Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Roscoe Arbuckle, and W.C. Fields!

For a time in the 1920s, audiences agreed with Sennett: Langdon was the screen's most popular comedian next to Chaplin. He directly influenced (and wrote for) Laurel and Hardy; he launched the career of Frank "It's a Wonderful Life" Capra, and he made funny movies--weird, wonderful, sometimes perplexing funny movies.

This multi-disc DVD set collects most of his work at Sennett's studio. Digitally remastered from original negatives and archival preservation material, this essential collection also features new restorations of several previously "lost" films.

The presentations are accompanied by original musical scores, audio commentaries by silent film historians, rare clips, and a documentary featurette covering Langdon's career.

DISC 1

Picking Peaches Feb 3, 1924 • 21:30
Source material from Richard M. Roberts. Music by Andrew Simpson. Commentary by Richard M. Roberts.

Smile Please March 2, 1924 • 18:32
Source material from Lobster Films and Film Preservation Associates. Music by Maurice Saylor. Commentary by Ben Model, Steve Massa, Bruce Lawton, and Robert Arkus.

His New Mamma June 22, 1924 • 15:15
Partial restoration using source material from Getty Images, Lobster Films, and David Kalat. Music by Andrew Simpson. Commentary by Ben Model, Steve Massa, Bruce Lawton, Robert Arkus, and David Kalat.

The First 100 Years Aug 17, 1924 • 13:19
Partial restoration using source material from Lobster Films. Music by Andrew Simpson. Commentary by Wayne Powers and David Kalat.

Luck o' the Foolish Sept 14, 1924 • 21:13
Source material from Lobster Films and Jack Roth, special thanks to Ulrich Ruedel. Music by Maurice Saylor. Commentary by Wayne Powers and David Kalat.

The Hansom Cabman Oct 12, 1924 • 19:25
Source material from Lobster Films. Music by Andrew Simpson. Commentary by David Kalat.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Horace Greely, Jr. June 9, 1925 • 1:42
  • Filmed in 1923 for Principal Pictures, presented here as a fragment. Music by Andrew Simpson. Audio commentary by Jules White (archival recording)
• The Funny Manns episode 4 • 9:28
  • This 1961 syndicated TV series adapts HIS NEW MAMMA for a new audience.
• The Funny Manns episode 68 • 9:19
  • This 1961 syndicated TV series adapts LUCK O’ THE FOOLISH.
• Catalina, Here I Come April 17, 1927 • 17:21
  • One of a series of faux-Langdon comedies starring Eddie Quillan made after Langdon left the studio. Source material from Film Preservation Associates. Music by Denis Malloy.

DISC 2

All Night Long Nov 9, 1924 • 19:29
Source material from Film Preservation Associates. Music by Phil Carluzzo. Commentary by Richard M. Roberts.

Feet of Mud Dec 7, 1924 • 17:34
Source material from Film Preservation Associates. Music by Phil Carluzzo. Commentary by Ben Model, Steve Massa, Bruce Lawton, and Robert Arkus.

The Sea Squawk Jan 4, 1925 • 18:42
Source material from Lobster Films. Piano score in 1920s style. Commentary by Ben Model, Steve Massa, Bruce Lawton, and Robert Arkus.

Boobs in the Wood Feb 1, 1925 • 19:52
Source material from Film Preservation Associates and Wayne Powers. Music by Maurice Saylor. Commentary by Richard M. Roberts.

His Marriage Wow Mar 1, 1925 • 20:39
Source material from David Kalat. Music by Ben Redwine. Commentary by Ben Model, Steve Massa, Bruce Lawton, and Robert Arkus.

Plain Clothes March 29, 1925 • 15:47
Source material from Ed Watz. Music by Andrew Simpson. Commentary by Ed Watz.

Remember When April 26, 1925 • 19:04
Source material from Film Preservation Associates and David Kalat. Music by Maurice Saylor. Commentary by David Kalat.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Lost and Found 12:12
  • A one-reel Comedy Capers digest version of REMEMBER WHEN
• Photo Gallery

DISC 3

Lucky Stars Aug 16, 1925 • 21:24
Source material from Film Preservation Associates. Music by Andrew Simpson. Commentary by Ken Gordon.

Saturday Afternoon Jan 31, 1926 • 27:12
Source material from Film Preservation Associates and David Kalat. Music by Maurice Saylor. Commentary by Ken Gordon.

Fiddlesticks April 1, 1926 • 19:55
Source material from Film Preservation Associates. Music by Maurice Saylor. Commentary by Ben Model, Steve Massa, Bruce Lawton, Robert Arkus and David Kalat.

Soldier Man May 1, 1926 • 31:13
Originally filmed as a 4-reel feature, eventually released after Langdon left Sennett in the 3 reel version shown here. Source material from Film Preservation Associates. Music by Andrew Simpson. Commentary by Ken Gordon.

His First Flame May 3, 1927 • 44:36
The first feature Harry Langdon made, but not released until after LONG PANTS. New restored version by Harold Casselton and David Kalat from source material provided by the Larson-Casselton Collection. Music by Franklin Stover. Commentary by David Kalat.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Saturday Afternoon
  
  • One reel Pathegrams condensation of Langdon's best known short
    
• Heart Trouble
  
  • PDF reprint of original presskit, for viewing in a DVD-ROM drive

DISC 4

Knight Duty May 7, 1933 • 21:03
Source material from Lobster Films and David Kalat. Commentary by Ben Model, Steve Massa, Bruce Lawton, and Robert Arkus.

Hooks and Jabs Aug 25, 1933 • 18:31
Source material from David Kalat. Commentary by Hooman Mehran and David Kalat, with archival audio of Mrs. Eunice Dent and Nell O’Day provided by Ed Watz.

Love, Honor and Obey (the Law) 1935 • 21:31
Harry Langdon and Monte Collins in a 1935 industrial film intended to promote Goodrich Tires. Source material from Ralph Celentano and David Kalat. Commentary by Ben Model, Steve Massa, Bruce Lawton and Robert Arkus.

Lost and Found
An original feature length documentary on the life and films of Harry Langdon featuring various rare clips, photographs, and interviews with film historians.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Hal Roach Announcement June 1929 • 7:12
  • Never screened for the public, this rare short introduces Langdon as the newest “All-Star” on the Lot of Fun. Source material provided by Alan Boyd
• Voice of Hollywood 1930 • 9:00
  • Harry Langdon speaks on screen for the first time publicly.
• Hollywood on Parade episode 4 • 7:57
  • Langdon contributes a brief cameo in this star-studded short.
• Home Movies circa 1936 • 6:14
  • Harry relaxes at home with wife Mable and son Harry Jr. Source material provided by Paul E. Gierucki
• Fashions of 1942 1942 • 2:39
  • Harry Langdon sings!

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Joan Crawford Collection, Vol. 2 in February - SPECIAL PRICE

**Warner Home Video** has announced a February 12th release date for The Joan Crawford Collection, Vol. 2. The set will include Sadie McKee (1934), (1940), Strange CargoA Woman’s Face (1941), Flamingo Road (1949) and Torch Song (1953). The 5 DVD set will be sold only as a complete set and will retail for $49.92, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $37.99. However, until this Friday October 19th, we'll have the set for the set for a SPECIAL PRE-ORDER PRICE of $33.99. Full details below:

Following the success of its best-selling Joan Crawford Collection in 2005, Warner Home Video is proud to honor the ever-popular screen legend with the debut of the Joan Crawford Collection Vol. 2 February 12. This tantalizing new set of Crawford classics features some of the Oscar®-winning actress’ finest films – A Woman’s Face, Flamingo Road, Sadie McKee, Strange Cargo and Torch Song. Drawn from her years at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Warner Bros., each film has been restored and remastered for its DVD debut, with bonus material including new featurettes, radio shows, vintage short subjects, trailers, and much more. Packaged as a collectible gift set, the five-disc Joan Crawford Collection Vol. 2 will sell for $49.92 SRP.

About the Star
Ms.Crawford was born Lucille Fay LeSueur on March 23, 1908 in San Antonio, Texas. Lucille’s parents, divorced before she was born, were extremely poor; and Lucille subsequently was able to use her talent to escape a life of poverty by dancing in contests and entertaining in nightclubs.

Shortly after moving to Hollywood in 1925, she landed her first film part, in Pretty Ladies but it was her role in Our Dancing Daughters in 1928 that made her a star. She became Joan Crawford after a fan magazine ran a contest to name her. By the 1930's, Ms. Crawford became one of the biggest stars at M-G-M, starring in such films as The Women and Grand Hotel. But it wasn’t until she signed with Warner Bros. in the 1940’s that she earned her one and only Oscar for her starring role in Mildred Pierce. Following her win, Crawford starred in the critically lauded Humoresque and Possessed, the latter of which earned her a second Oscar nomination. She worked steadily throughout the ‘50s, receiving a third nomination for her role in Sudden Fear. In the early ‘60s, she made a career comeback in her last great role in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? which co-starred her longtime arch-rival, Bette Davis.

“We’re fortunate to have most of Joan Crawford’s films within the enormous Warner Bros. Entertainment library. The films in this new collection represent some of her most requested appearances, and we’re happy to be offering them, with beautifully new masters, to her ever-loyal fans,” said Warner Home Video’s George Feltenstein, Senior Vice President, Theatrical Catalog Marketing.


About the Films

Sadie McKee (1934)
Sadie McKee was made during the period when Crawford was queen of the box-office, and every film she made was sure to be a hit. Many of them followed a similar formula, where Crawford rises from poverty to wealth, with conflict between two suitors vying for her affections. What sets this film apart from most of her other work of the era, is the direction of the legendary Clarence Brown, whose fine talents brought out the best in Metro’s stars, most notably Garbo and Crawford. Co-starring with Franchot Tone (whom she would marry the following year), Gene Raymond, and Edward Arnold, the film is also well-known for being the Crawford film her Blanche Hudson character watches on television years later in the unforgettable Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962). In addition, Sadie McKee is famous for introducing the classic Arthur Freed/Nacio Herb Brown song “All I Do is Dream of You.”

DVD Special Features: (waiting confirmation from Michael Crawford)
· Vintage comedy short Goofy Movies #4
· Classic cartoon Toyland Broadcast
· Theatrical trailer

Strange Cargo (1940)
Joan Crawford first shared the screen in 1931 with an up-and-coming young actor whose charm and machismo would soon make him a superstar. The film was called Laughing Sinners and the leading man was none other than Clark Gable. Their on-screen chemistry was undeniable, and Metro ended up teaming them in a total of eight films over the next 9 years (including Dancing Lady, also available on DVD from WHV). Strange Cargo was their 8th and final collaboration, a rugged adventure story that eschewed the usual M-G-M elegance that had been present in so many of their other films together. Under the superb direction of Frank Borzage (Seventh Heaven, The Mortal Storm), this film is the rare action-packed adventure that carries an underlying spiritual theme which further enhances the Crawford/Gable chemistry. The film co-stars a bevy of famous Hollywood character actors, including Paul Lukas and the legendary Peter Lorre.

DVD Special Features:
· New featurette: Gable & Crawford
· Vintage short More About Nostradamus
· Classic cartoon The Lonesome Stranger
· Theatrical Trailer

A Woman’s Face (1941)
It was director George Cukor who helped Crawford break free of her usual screen persona in 1939’s The Women, and in this dark thriller the masterful director brought out one of the leading lady’s best performances. Based on the play “Il Etat Une Fois” (It was one time”) by Francis de Croisset, A Woman’s Face casts Crawford as a horribly disfigured woman whose inner pain motivates her to live a life of evil. A kind doctor gives her a chance to remove her outer ugliness, and shows her a path to love and happiness, but can she adjust to this after years of such darkness? This conflict allowed Crawford to show her broad range as a talented actress, a task she felt essential at that point in her career. Despite excellent reviews for the film, and especially for Crawford, Cukor, and the leading man Melvyn Douglas, the film did not succeed initially at the box-office. It was only after re-release in later years that it finally earned its place as a true classic within the incomparable pantheon of M-G-M’s finest dramas.

DVD Special Features:
· Vintage Romance of Celluloid Short You Can’t Fool a Camera
· Classic cartoon Little Cesario
· Two audio-only radio adaptations with Bette Davis and Ida Lupino
· Theatrical trailer

Flamingo Road (1949)
Joan Crawford’s move from M-G-M to Warner Bros. in the mid-‘40s, revitalized her screen career under the direction of Michael Curtiz in the smash hit that earned her the Best Actress Oscar, Mildred Pierce (1945). Crawford’s Warner years continued to strengthen her stature as one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, and Flamingo Road provided a reunion between Crawford and Curtiz for the first time since Mildred Pierce. Crawford plays Lane Bellamy, a dancer touring with a low-rent carnival, who finds more than she bargained for when she ends up on Flamingo Road. The impressive list of supporting players includes Sydney Greenstreet, Zachary Scott and David Brian. The film was later the basis for a 1980s television series.

DVD Special Features:
· New featurette: Crawford at Warners
· Classic cartoon Curtain Razor
· Audio-only radio adaptation with the film’s stars
· Theatrical trailer

Torch Song (1953)
Joan Crawford made her highly-publicized return to M-G-M after a decade away to star in Torch Song, her first feature film entirely in Technicolor. This sudsy melodrama, directed by Charles Walters (High Society) has become a cult classic. Crawford portrays Broadway musical star Jenny Stewart, who seems to have everything in life - except someone to love. While most people ‘cow-tow’ to her diva-like behavior, only Ty Graham (played by Elizabeth Taylor’s then-husband Michael Wilding), a pianist blinded during WWII, will stand up to her. Graham’s secret passion for Jenny eventually awakens her vulnerability. But will they get together for a happy ending?

This is the film that inspired Carol Burnett’s famous parody Torchy Song, and an audience favorite that has been unavailable on home video for nearly 15 years. By popular demand, audiences can now watch Crawford’s famous dances, and her musical emoting (with vocals dubbed by singer India Adams). Actress Marjorie Rambeau gives a memorable star turn as Crawford’s beer-chugging Mom, a role that earned the venerable character actress an Oscar nomination.

DVD Special Features:
· New featurette: Tough Baby: Joan Crawford and Torch Song
· Audio bonus: Joan Crawford recording session
· Public service announcement trailer: At Home with Joan Crawford
· Vintage MGM cartoon: TV of Tomorrow
· Vintage MGM short
· Theatrical trailer

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Showtime USA from VCI in November

**VCI** has announced a November 13th release date for Showtime USA Collector's Pack, Vol. 1. The 4 disc DVD set will include four double features: Everybody's Dancin' (1950), Varieties on Parade (1951), Yes Sir, Mr. Bones! (1951), Square Dance Jubilee (1949), Hollywood Varieties (1950), Holiday Rhythm (1950), Kentucky Jubilee (1951), The Kid From Gower Gulch (1949). The set will retail for $39.99, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $27.99. Individual Double Features will retail for $14.99, and are available at Classicflix for $10.99. Details below:

Showtime USA, Vol. 1 - Everybody's Dancin' / Varieties on Parade
Showtime USA, Vol. 2 - Yes Sir, Mr. Bones! / Square Dance Jubilee
Showtime USA, Vol. 3 - Hollywood Varieties / Holiday Rhythm
Showtime USA, Vol. 4 - Kentucky Jubilee / The Kid from Gower Gulch

Attention, fans of vaudeville, minstrel shows and vintage musicals: Perk up your ears and put on your dancin' shoes as lost chapters from the big book of Live Entertainment history are re-opened in this one-of-a-kind classic compilation of feature films from the late 1940s to the and early '50s. Many of the most memorable vaudeville headliners preceding and including that era strut their stuff in these extravaganzas--the singers, dancers and acrobatic acts that got that generation's toes tappin' and funny bones ticklin'. Some performers are seen here in their ONLY on-camera appearances. For the true buffs, there is also rare home-movie footage of live vaudeville acts and a trio of expert historian commentators offering a high-energy crash course in the medium's history. Find yourself a front-row seat as the curtain once again rises on the fun-time of a lifetime! Chuy Reyes and His Rumba Band, Claude Casey, Cotton and Chick Watts, Cowboy Copas, Eddie Dean, George Arnold and the “Rhythm on Ice” Revue, Jerry Colonna, Les “Carrot Top” Anderson, Monette Moore, Nappy Lamare Dixieland Band, Pete Daily and His Chicagoans, Scatman Crothers, Shaw and Lee, Slim Andrews, The Sons of the Pioneers, Spade Cooley and His Band, Tex Ritter and the Cass County Boys, Broome Brothers, Chuy Reyes Mambo Band, Hoosier Hot Shots, Ike Carpenter Orchestra...and DOZENS MORE!

Everybody's Dancin' (1950, 65 min)
Dance hall owner Dick Lane, in desperate need of "name" attractions, is helped by country music legends who agree to star in a TV special at his emporium. Appearances by Spade Cooley, the Sons of the Pioneers (including Ken Curtis and Shug Fisher), outstanding vaudeville specialties and guest stars Roddy McDowall, Jimmy Ellison, Russell Hayden, etc., are the real draw.

Varieties on Parade (1951, 57 min)
It's vaudeville on film as the camera passes a box office and ticket taker, proceeds to a front-row seat, and watches as master of ceremonies. Jackie Coogan comes out on stage to introduce singers, dancers, acrobats, jugglers, cyclists--even a skit spoofing the silent film “The Kid” which made Coogan a famous child star!

Yes Sir, Mr. Bones! (1951, 54 min)
A young boy wanders into a home for old minstrel men and wants to know more about them, cueing the oldsters to tell HIM (and the Lords of Flashback to show US) a performance from the days of riverboat shows. Songs (including "Is Your Rent Paid Up in Heaven?"), buck-and-wing and soft-shoe are all part of the nostalgic fun

Square Dance Jubilee (1949, 80 min)
New York television talent scouts (Don "Red" Barry and Wally Vernon) head west to look for musical talent for Spade Cooley's TV show and find plenty--and even help round up some cattle rustlers! With a whopping 25 songs, this one "stacks up as a strong entry in western music market...crackerjack exploitation potential"

Hollywood Varieties (1950, 60 min)
The advent of television brings back vaudeville, as emceed by Robert Alda (who also sings "Be There My Love"). Acts like the Hoosier Hot Shots, Sandy and His Seals, Hector and His Pals, The Four Dandies and Twirl, Whirl and a Girl resurrect that great entertainment medium of the past.

Holiday Rhythm (1950, 61 min)
It's the top-tappin' fun-time of a lifetime when singer-dancer David Street bumps his head and dreams that he's on a trip around the world, and seeing great variety acts at each port. A Dixieland band, a mambo orchestra, a "Rhythm on Ice" show and even comedians Sid Melton, Peter Marshall and Tommy Noonan are among the dream world talent.

Kentucky Jubilee (1951, 72 min)
A wild potpourri of hillbilly singers, dancers and specialty acts (including the Y-Knot Twirlers!); strung together by a crazy plot that involves a pop-eyed emcee (funnyman Jerry Colonna), a reporter (James Ellison), an actress (Jean Porter), a kidnapped movie director (Fritz Feld), a blackmailer and even an attempted bank robbery.

The Kid From Gower Gulch (1949, 68 min)
Spade Cooley plays a singing-western movie star who can neither sing nor ride, but a rancher believing that Spade is the real deal, bets 500 cattle that he can win a rodeo contest!

BONUS FEATURES:

• Commentaries on Varieties on Parade, by film historians Richard Roberts, Brent Walker and Randy Skretvedt
• Short subjects: “Foto Facts: Part 1” (1947), Foto Facts #2 (1947), “Hold “em Cowboy” (1940s) & “Vaudeville Home Movies” (1948)
• Technicolor Featurette: “The Shortest Way Home” (1946) “Square Dance Jubilee”
• Behind the Scenes: The Kid From Gower Gulch
• Original Theatrical Trailers
• Deleted Scenes

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Hawaii Five-O Season 3 in January

**Paramount Home Video** has announced a January 8th release date for Hawaii Five-O Season 3. The 6 DVD 24 episode set will retail is $49.99, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $34.99.

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Ford at Fox in December

In the works for quite some time, and officially announced about a month ago, **20th Century Fox** will release Ford at Fox - The Collection on December 4th. Some specs are still unresolved, but here's comprehensive breakdown with Fox's official press release below the cover art:

Ford at Fox - The Collection contains 25 Features on 21 DVDs. In addition, Fox is releasing three Mini-Sets (Silent Epics, American Comedies and The Essential John Ford and several singles that comprise the mega-collection boxed set.

Ford at Fox - The Collection (Retail: $299.98, Ours: $239.99)
Mini-Sets (Retail: $49.98, Ours: $37.99)
Singles (Retail: $19.98, Ours: $14.99)

NEW TO DVD AND ALSO AVAILABLE OUTSIDE Ford at Fox - The Collection:

• The Iron Horse Special Edition UK and US Versions (In Silent Epics and as a Single)
  
• Three Bad Men / Hangman's House (In Silent Epics and as a Single)
• When Willie Comes Marching Home / Up the River (In American Comedies and as a Single)
• Prisoner On Shark Island (Single Only)
• Pilgrimage / Born Reckless (Single Only)
• Frontier Marshal (In Essential John Ford)
• Dr. Bull / Judge Priest (In American Comedies)
• Four Sons (In Silent Epics )
• Just Pals (In Silent Epics )
• Becoming John Ford Documentary (In Essential John Ford)

NEW TO DVD AND ONLY AVAILABLE IN Ford at Fox - The Collection:

• Tobacco Road
• Wee Willie Winkie
• The World Moves On
• Four Men And A Prayer / Seas Beneath

PREVIOUSLY RELEASED ON DVD:

• My Darling Clementine (New Special Edition and also in Essential John Ford)
• Drums Along The Mohawk (New Special Edition and also in Essential John Ford)
• The Grapes Of Wrath (Essential John Ford)
  
• How Green Was My Valley (Essential John Ford)
• What Price Glory (Essential John Ford)
• Steamboat Round The Bend (American Comedies)
• Young Mr. Lincoln - Criterion Collection (Only in this set)

Note: We may not be able to clarify the items below until we actually get the collection in stock.

• According to Fox's press release and various Fox websites, Frontier Marshall isn't included in Ford at Fox - The Collection and can only be purchased as part of The Essential John Ford mini-set. However, the cover art doesn't even show it there.
  
• My Darling Clementine and the Iron Horse are listed as two disc sets, but that would put the number of DVDs over the stated amount for the set.
• Fox is re-releasing The Grapes of Wrath and How Green Was My Valley as Singles, but by their description it appears they have the same features as the previous releases.

TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX OPENS THE VAULT TO PRESENT THE ULTIMATE SHOWCASE COLLECTION FROM ONE OF CINEMA’S MOST INFLUENTIAL DIRECTORS

Multiple Academy-Award® Winning Legend John Ford Feted With Massive 24 Film Collection, All New In-Depth Documentary “Becoming John Ford,” Exclusive Coffee Table Book With Never-Before-Seen Photos And More

Arriving On December 4 In Time For Christmas, Set Includes 18 New To DVD Releases

-- Restored Classic The Iron Horse Selected For Both Venice And New York Film Festivals --

CENTURY CITY, Calif. – John Ford is considered by many to be one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. His sphere of influence touched contemporaries such as Ingmar Bergman and Orson Welles; as well as George Lucas, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg. For much of his early career, Ford’s home was Twentieth Century Fox where he made more than 50 films for the studio from 1920 through 1952, including such classics as The Grapes of Wrath, My Darling Clementine, Drums Along The Mohawk and How Green Was My Valley. It was one of the most productive director/studio relationships in the history of American film.

Now, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment presents a collection spanning the career of this remarkable visionary with FORD AT FOX, available December 4. Celebrating the legacy of the collected works of John Ford and their part in the Studio’s heritage and pedigree, FORD AT FOXFORD AT FOX DVD collection will be available for a suggested retail price of $299.98. Three mini-collections will also be available including The Essential John Ford, John Ford’s American Comedies and John Ford’s Silent Epics, all for a suggested retail price of $49.98. Single discs of selected films from the collection will be available for $19.98. Prebook is November 7, 2007. features 24 films as well as the new documentary “Becoming John Ford” by Academy Award nominated documentary maker and Ford historian Nick Redman. The beautifully packaged collection also includes an exclusive hard-cover book which features rare, unpublished photographs from Ford’s career, lobby card reproductions, production stills and an in-depth look at this maverick’s work. The premiere

Ford’s career began at Fox with Just Pals (1920), a rustic silent comedy set in rural America and starring cowboy actor Buck Jones. Other silent epics followed including the seminal film The Iron Horse (1924) which was the biggest grossing film of its day, the revenge tale 3 Bad Men (1926), family saga Four Sons (1928) and the redemption story Hangman’s House (1928) which features the screen debut of John Wayne; all of which are included in the FORD AT FOX collection completely restored and remastered and featuring all-new orchestral scores created specifically for each film.

While revered for his contributions to the Western genre, the collection also features some of Ford’s classic American comedies including three pairings with cowboy hero Will Rogers in Doctor Bull (1933), Judge Priest (1934) and Steamboat Round The Bend (1935), the legendary Dan Dailey in When Willie Comes Marching Home (1950) and the incomparable James Cagney in What Price Glory (1952).

No cinephile collection would be complete without Ford’s masterpieces, three of which feature one of his longtime friends and collaborators, Henry Fonda in Drums Along The Mohawk (1940), The Grapes of Wrath (1940) and My Darling Clementine (1946). The set also features How Green Was My Valley (1941), winner of five Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director, a category for which Ford took home the statue four times in his career. Rounding out the collection is Seas Beneath (1931), Up The River (1931), Pilgrimage (1934), The World Moves OnThe Prisoner of Shark Island (1936), Wee Willie Winkie (1937), Four Men and a Prayer (1938), Young Mr. Lincoln (1939), Tobacco Road (1941) and Born Reckless (1950). (1934),

FORD AT FOX DVD Collection Special Features & Disc Specifics
Just Pals (1920)
Feature film with Dolby 5.0 Surround Sound and Spanish/French subtitles
The Iron Horse (1924)
Two versions – U.K. and United States
Feature film with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and Spanish/French subtitles
Commentary by Author & Film Historian Robert Birchard
“Scoring The Past: The Iron Horse Sessions with Christopher Caliendo” featurette
Restoration comparison
Vintage program
Advertising gallery
3 Bad Men (1926)
Feature film with Dolby 5.0 Surround Sound and Spanish/French subtitles
Four Sons (1928)
Feature film with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and Spanish/French subtitles
Hangman’s House (1928)
Feature film with Dolby 5.0 Surround Sound and Spanish/French subtitles
Born Reckless (1930)
Feature film with English Mono and Spanish/French subtitles
Up The River (1930)
Feature film with English Mono and Spanish/French subtitles
Theatrical trailer
Still gallery
Seas Beneath (1931)
Feature film with English Mono and Spanish/French subtitles
Doctor Bull (1933)
Feature film with English Mono and Spanish/French subtitles
Pilgrimage (1933)
Feature film with English Mono and Spanish/French subtitles
Commentary by Biographer & Film Historian Joseph McBride
Restoration comparison
Judge Priest (1934)
Feature film with English Mono and Spanish/French subtitles
The World Moves On (1934)
Feature film with English Mono and Spanish/French subtitles
Steamboat Round The Bend (1935)
Feature film with English Stereo and English Mono and Spanish subtitles
Commentary by Author Scott Eyman
Restoration comparison
Theatrical trailer
Will Rogers Theater
Doubting Thomas
In Old Kentucky
Life Begins at 40
The Prisoner of Shark Island (1936)
Feature film with English Mono and Spanish/French subtitles
Restoration comparison
Interactive pressbook gallery
Advertising gallery
Still gallery
Wee Willie Winkie (1937)
Feature film (tinted version) in English Stereo or English Mono, Spanish Mono and Spanish/French subtitles
Feature film (black & white) in English Stereo or English Mono, Spanish Mono and Spanish/French subtitles
Restoration comparison
Four Men and a Prayer (1938)
Feature film with English Mono and Spanish/French subtitles
Drums Along The Mohawk (1939)
Feature film with English Stereo or English Mono, Spanish/French Mono and Spanish/French subtitles
Commentary by Film Historians Julie Kirgo & Nick Redman
Theatrical trailer
Still galleries
Advertising
Lobby cards
Studio portraits
Behind the scenes
Production stills
Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
Feature film with English Dolby Digital 1.0
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
Feature film with English Stereo or English Mono, Spanish Mono and Spanish subtitles
Commentary by Biographer & Film Historian Joseph McBride
U.K. prologue
Biography: Daryl Zannuck: 20th Century Filmmaker
Restoration comparison
Theatrical trailer
Movie Tone News
1934: “First Drought In Many Years Hits Mid-West”
1934: “Drought Distress Is Increasing In The Mid-West”
1934: “Mid-West Drought Distress Becomes National Disaster”
1934: “Outtakes”
1941: “Roosevelt Lauds Motion Pictures At Academy Fete”
Still gallery
Tobacco Road (1941)
Feature film with English Mono and Spanish/French subtitles
Interactive press book
Poster gallery
How Green Was My Valley (1941)
Feature film with English Stereo or English Mono, Spanish/French Mono and Spanish subtitles
Commentary by Anna Lee Nathan and Biographer & Film Historian Joseph McBride
Backstory: How Green Was My Valley
Still gallery
Theatrical trailer
My Darling Clementine (1946)
Feature film with English Stereo or English Mono, Spanish/French Mono and Spanish subtitles
Commentary by Wyatt Earp III
Alternate pre-release version (Ford’s cut)
What is the pre-release version featurette
Theatrical trailer
Behind the scenes
When Willie Comes Marching Home (1950)
Feature film with English Mono and Spanish/French subtitles
Restoration comparison
Advertising gallery
What Price Glory (1952)
Feature film with English Stereo or English Mono, Spanish Mono and Spanish subtitles
Two theatrical trailers
Fox Flix
Crash Dive
The Hunters
Morituri
Becoming John Ford (2007)
Feature-length documentary with English Stereo and Spanish/French subtitles
The Battle of Midway (doc Ð 1942)
Battle of Midway - Additional Footage (1942)
December 7th (doc Ð 1943)
Torpedo Squadron (doc Ð 1942)
Ford at Fox Photo Galleries (estimated 29 to be broken out by title)
Ford at Fox Movie Poster / lobby card gallery
Pressbook Galleries
Vintage Programs
- The Iron Horse
- Four Sons

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Universal Horror Classic Movie Archive

For the second time in a month, **Universal** has released five Horror films that are exclusive to Best Buy. Released today, the Universal Horror Classic Movie Archive features four new to DVD films (Black Cat is the exception) on 2 DVDs. While only available at Best Buy for $17.99 (a temporary price reduction from the $19.99 on the package ), the set is available for rent at Classicflix. Details below:

From the studio that created the horror genre comes five terrifying films that will send chills down your spine and bring terror to your heart in the Universal Horror Classic Movie Archive! Unearthed from the vaults and on DVD for the very first time, Universal Pictures invites you to journey through fog-filled moors, into haunted mansions and through secret hallways to meet a chilling collection of mad scientists, crazed circus performers, mysterious butlers, maniacal killers and one very ape-like woman! Prepare yourself for hours of pure terror starring some of the most iconic actors in the history of horror, including Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr.

The Black Cat (1941, 71 min)
Bela Lugosi and Basil Rathbone star in this mystery about a group of greedy heirs stuck in a creepy mansion where, one by one, both cats and people turn up dead.

Man Made Monster (1941, 60 min)
When a mad scientist transforms a carnival performer (Lon Chaney Jr.) into a murderous monster, he creates a path of destruction leading to an edge-of-you-seat climax!

Horror Island (1941, 61 min)
What started out as a treasure-making scheme ends up deadly for a group of people stuck in a seemingly haunted castle with a killer known only as "The Phantom."

Night Monster (1942, 73 min)
Bela Lugosi stars in this horrific tale filled with strange characters, secret passages, dark storms and a murderer who's mastered the art of "mind over matter."

Captive Wild Woman (1943, 61 min)
A mad scientist turns an ape into a beautiful, but deadly, woman (Acquanetta) in this frightening film featuring groundbreaking make-up effects.

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