ARTWORK, DETAILS UPDATE: Chan, Vol. 5

--Artwork added to previous announcement plus additional details below--


Changes from the previous announcement:

  • Number of discs are 4 instead of 8
  • The documentary is titled "The Era of Chan" and not "Chan: The Fox Years.
Additional Details:
  • Per Press Release: All titles included in the collection feature original theatrical trailers as well as still and advertising galleries.
FULL PRESS RELEASE:

Volume Five

The Final Installment Of Sleuth’s Series Featuring Seven Films
Arrives On DVD September 16 From Fox Home Entertainment

Four-Disc Set Includes Charlie Chan At The Wax Museum, Murder Over New York,
Dead Men Tell, Charlie Chan In Rio, Charlie Chan In Panama,
Charlie Chan’s Murder Cruise And Castle In The Desert

CENTURY CITY, Calif. – “Truth, like oil, will in time rise to surface.” Law-breakers beware for the venerable Charlie Chan is back on the case in seven new perilous, globe-trotting adventures coming to DVD in The Charlie Chan Collection – Volume Five on September 16 from Fox Home Entertainment. Starring Sidney Toler as the sage detective and filled with the clever crime-solver’s signature fortune cookie wisdom, each case is packed with a delightful blend of dangerous intrigue, criminal mischief and insightful aphorisms. A stalwart presence in the 30s and 40s, Charlie Chan’s mysteries transcend generations and establish the Chinese policeman as a cinematic icon. Including the final seven Charlie Chan films from 20th Century Fox, The Charlie Chan Collection – Volume Five contains some of Chan’s most scintillating cases including Charlie Chan At The Wax Museum, Murder Over New York, Dead Men Tell featuring the legendary George Reeves (“Adventures of Superman”), Charlie Chan In Rio, Charlie Chan In Panama, Charlie Chan’s Murder Cruise and Castle In The Desert, as well as the retrospective featurette The Era of Chan. The Charlie Chan Collection – Volume Five will be available for the suggested retail price of $49.98 U.S./$69.98 Canada. Prebook is August 20.

DVD FEATURES

The Charlie Chan Collection – Volume Five is presented in English Mono sound, as well as Spanish and French subtitles, in the original full screen format. All titles included in the collection feature original theatrical trailers as well as still and advertising galleries. Also included is The Era of Chan, a 30 minute documentary celebrating the legacy of the Chan series at Fox. Focusing on the series’ final seven films and the talents behind them, this piece gives an overview of the series’ success and how the Chan character rose to the status of icon, influencing many screen detectives to come.

Charlie Chan At The Wax Museum
When a convicted murderer, brought to justice by Charlie Chan himself, escapes into the night, the resourceful Chan tracks the killer to a mysterious Wax Museum, whose proprietor specializes in giving new faces to those who want to escape their past.

Murder Over New York
While Charlie Chan and his Number Two Son, Jimmy, are on vacation in the Big Apple, they find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation. As more bodies fall, Chan must find a way to bring the evildoers to justice before more lives are lost!

Dead Men Tell
In this seafaring thrill-ride that “will be relished by Chan fans” (Variety), the unflappable sleuth teams up with Number Two Son, Jimmy, to solve a mystery that takes place aboard a ship bound for a treasure hunt.

Charlie Chan In Rio
Adventure and intrigue travel south of the Equator, as the incomparable international sleuth Charlie Chan--with a little help from Number Two Son, Jimmy Chan-- must crack the mystery of a beautiful nightclub singer who turns up dead after announcing her plans to elope with a wealthy American playboy.

Charlie Chan In Panama
Ingenious crime solver Charlie Chan is busily working undercover in the volatile wartime region of Panama — rife with spies and conspirators — when he uncovers a sinister plot to blow up the Panama Canal and destroy the U.S. naval fleet!

Charlie Chan’s Murder Cruise
When a trusted colleague requests assistance in investigating a murder on a high-society pleasure cruise, unflappable sleuth Charlie Chan is all too happy to help. But when his friend also turns up dead, Chan must take matters into his own hands!

Castle In The Desert
Wise and inscrutable Charlie Chan is summoned to a mysterious, secluded castle deep in California’s Mojave Desert, to investigate a brutal murder that may have been committed by a descendant of the infamous Borgia family.


**Fox** has announced a September 16th release date for Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 5. The set will include the last seven Chan's from Fox previously unreleased on DVD. The 4 8 disc set, including a Bonus Disc The Era of Chan (Chan - The Fox Years), is a great value at the retail price of $49.98, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $37.99.


SINGLES ARTWORK ADDED: Busby Berkeley, Vol. 2


--Singles artwork added to previous announcement--
--No artwork yet for Varsity Show--








**Warner Home Video** has announced a September 16th release date for The Busby Berkeley Collection, Vol. 2. The titles in the 4 DVD set are: Gold Diggers of 1937, Hollywood Hotel, Varsity Show and Gold Diggers in Paris.


It will retail for $39.92, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $29.99. However, for 3 days only (until May 22nd), we'll have it for the SPECIAL PRE-ORDER PRICE of $26.99. Singles will be also be available and retail for $19.97, and are available for $14.49. Details below.


The Buzz continues when word gets around that Warner Home Video will debut more musical extravaganzas in the Busby Berkeley Collection Volume 2 on September 16. The collection features four more Berkeley classics which are not only new-to-DVD titles, but are making their long-awaited home video debut. Included in the collection are Gold Diggers of 1937, Gold Diggers in Paris, Hollywood Hotel and Varsity Show. Following in the dancing footsteps of Warners successful 2006 collection, this second spectacular volume from one of the greatest motion picture choreographers of all time also includes musical shorts, featurettes and classic cartoons. Its musical entertainment magic at its toe-tapping, finger-snapping best by the Oscar nominated master.

Gold Diggers of 1937 (1936)
Dick Powell plays an insurance agent with musical ambitions while Joan Blondell is a showgirl who gives up spangles for a stenographer’s pad. But the plot is secondary as dance creator Busby Berkeley turns a garden party into a tap-happy romp, and Blondell leads leggy soldiers in a banner-waving, precision-formation rendition of “All’s Fair in Love and War” that’s Berkeley spectacle at its showy best. Berkeley received an Academy nod for Best Dance Direction.

BONUS FEATURES:

  • 1997 documentary Busby Berkeley: Going Through the Roof
  • Technicolor historical short The Romance of Louisiana
  • Classic cartoons Plenty of Money and You and Speaking of the Weather
  • Two excerpts from 1929’s Gold Diggers of Broadway
  • Theatrical trailer
Hollywood Hotel (1937)
The plot about a Hollywood newcomer (Dick Powell) caught between a spoiled star (Lola Lane) and her likeable look-alike (Lola’s look-alike sister Rosemary Lane) is secondary to watching Busby Berkeley’s ace direction – and music, music, music. The film opens with the jubilant debut of Tinseltown’s unofficial anthem Hooray for Hollywood. The jaunty Let That Be a Lesson to You shows off Berkeley’s mastery of editing and camera angles. And Benny Goodman and his Orchestra -- with Harry James on trumpet and Gene Krupa on drums – swing, swing, swing into Sing, Sing, Sing.

BONUS FEATURES:
  • Technicolor historical short The Romance of Robert Burns
  • Edgar Bergen/Charlie McCarthy comedy short Double Talk
  • Classic cartoon Porky’s Five & Ten
  • Theatrical trailer
Varsity Show (1937)
Broadway impresario Chuck Daly (Dick Powell) leads an A+ cast of coeds and their guys, including film-debuting sisters Priscilla and Rosemary Lane and fluty-voiced comic character star Sterling Holloway, in this exuberant college musical. Oscar nominated for his dance direction in this film, Berkeley creates and directs a rah-rah, football-themed finale featuring high-style overhead shots, kinetic camerawork and hundreds of dancers on a 50 ft. by 60 ft. staircase.

BONUS FEATURES:
  • Musical short Flowers from the Sky
  • Edgar Bergen/Charlie McCarthy comedy short A Neckin’ Party
  • Classic cartoon Have You Got Any Castles
  • Theatrical trailer
Gold Diggers in Paris (1938)
The Gold Diggers are headed for Paris, bringing their feathers, frills, and ballet shoes. A French diplomat has mistaken 43rd Street’s Club Ballé for the American Academy Ballet, and the chorus cuties aren’t going to turn down a free trip to the City of Light over such a tiny misunderstanding. Rudy Vallee stars as the club’s impresario and Busby Berkeley creates and directs the inventive musical numbers, both ‘magnifique’ and loaded with moxie.

BONUS FEATURES:
  • Two Broadway Brevities musical shorts: The Candid Kid and Little Me
  • Classic cartoon Love and Curses
  • Theatrical trailer


The Beverly Hillbillies, Season 2

After MPI covered the first 55 episodes of The Beverly Hillbilies (Beverly Hillbillies, Vol. 1 and The Beverly Hillbillies, Vol. 2) in 2005 and 2006 which took the series smack in the middle of season 2, many fans were wondering when the next set would be announced. Well now **Paramount** has announced an October 7th release date for The Beverly Hillbillies, Season Two!!!

Kudos to Paramount for seeing the value in their classic TV vault!

No details on disc count or bonus features, but it will retail for $49.99, and is available at Classicflix.com for only $34.99. However, for 3 days only (until June 26th), we'll have it for the SPECIAL PRE-ORDER PRICE of $29.98. More details to come.


My Three Sons - Season 1, Vol. 1 in September

This time it's for real! After being postponed almost immediately after being announced in February, **Paramount** has announced a September 30th release date for My Three Sons - Season 1, Vol. 1.

No word yet on how many discs and which episodes, but if it's consistent with other Paramount half season releases, it'll be a 3 disc set with the first 18 of season one's 36 episodes.

Below is the artwork that was put out in February before it was pulled. No mention of special features yet either. It will retail for $39.99, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $29.99.



My Three Sons is a delightful slice-of-life comedy about the American family. The series chronicles the life of the Douglas family; a seemingly simple premise that was a huge hit with audiences and a keystone of the TV family lineup in the ‘60s. Fred MacMurray delivers a standout portrayal as Steve Douglas, an aeronautical engineer and widower raising his three sons alone. Join the Douglas family in Season One, Volume One as Steve guides his oldest son Mike (Tim Considine) through college, Robbie (Don Grady) through those tumultuous high-school years and youngest son Chip (Stanley Livingston) through adolescence. Wrangling this rambunctious group is a fulltime job; and that’s where Grandpa “Bub” (William Frawley) comes in. Being the cook, the nanny and the housekeeper to three growing boys isn’t easy, as BUb quickly finds out! Loaded with laughs, this first volume of Season One will let you relive one of the all-time longest running classic comedy series in television history!

An American in Paris, Gigi - Special Editions in September

**Warner** has announced a Septempber 16th release date for two Special Editions: An American in Paris (Special Edition) and Gigi (Special Edition). Each 2-Disc DVD release will retail for $20.97, but each can be purchased here at Classicflix.com for only $15.99. Details below.


An American in Paris (Special Edition)
An American in Paris is “one of the greatest, most elegant, and most celebrated of M-G-M’s 50s musicals” (filmsite.org). Legendary producer Arthur Freed developed the film based on George Gershwin’s celebrated 1928 orchestral work, and assembled a stellar team of talents to bring forth what would become a landmark film. With Alan Jay Lerner crafting an original screenplay around the songs of George and Ira Gershwin, Vincente Minnelli directing and Gene Kelly starring (and choreographing) with newcomer Leslie Caron, the results were, and still are, unforgettable. More than two dozen Gershwin songs are used throughout the film, including such favorites as “Love Is Here to Stay,” “I Got Rhythm,” “‘S Wonderful” and “Embraceable You.” Add to this a mix of lavish sets and costumes, tremendous Technicolor cinematography, a romantic love story and a climactic show-stopping ballet, and you’ve got a film that easily captured six Oscar wins (including Best Picture, Director and Music). An American in Paris also holds the distinction of being the first musical to win a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical).

The plot revolves around ex-GI Jerry Mulligan (Kelly), a struggling American painter in Paris, who is discovered by an influential heiress (Nina Foch) with an interest in more than Jerry’s art. Jerry in turn falls for Lise (Caron), a young French girl already engaged to a cabaret singer. Jerry jokes, sings and dances with his best friend, an acerbic would-be concert pianist (Oscar Levant), and romantic complications abound.

BONUS FEATURES:

DISC 1:
  • 1938 MGM short: Paris on Parade
  • 1951 MGM cartoon: Symphony in Slang
  • Theatrical trailer
DISC 2:
  • 2002 American Masters Documentary: Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer
  • ‘S Wonderful: The Making of An American in Paris, an all new documentary, produced especially for this release. A dynamic history of the making of the film, which reveals how George and Ira Gershwin’s classic songs, the dazzling art of the French impressionists and the ultimate teamwork of MGM’s legendary “Freed Unit” came together to create a musical masterpiece. Featuring ten new interviews, including co-stars Leslie Caron and Nina Foch
  • Outtakes: Georges Guetary performing Love Walked In and Gene Kelly performing I Got a Crush on You (audio only)
  • Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron promotional radio interview with Dick Simmons
  • Love Walked In Outtake
  • Audio Outtakes
  • Alternate Main Title
    • But Not for Me Guetary
    • Leslie Caron
    • But Not for Me Levant Piano Solo
    • Gershwin Prelude #3
    • I've Got a Crush on You
    • Nice Work if You Can Get It
    • 'S Wonderful
  • Radio Interviews
    • Johnny Green
    • Gene Kelly
    • Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron


Gigi (Special Edition)
For nearly a decade Arthur Freed hoped to make a musical film based on Colette’s enchanting novel “Gigi,” but he garnered little support from the M-G-M brass. That changed after the opening of My Fair Lady in early 1956. The show was an immediate smash hit and went on to a record-breaking theatrical run but didn’t get to the screen until 1964. So when Freed came up with the idea of assembling some of the same My Fair Lady creative team -- lyricist Alan Jay Lerner, composer Frederick Loewe and costumer Cecil Beaton -- he quickly received a green light to proceed with his project.

The plot, about a school girl who becomes a Frenchman’s mistress, was considered very risqué and daring for its time. Under the inspired and tasteful direction of Vincente Minnelli, however, the result was nothing short of a triumph --so much so that M-G-M opened the film in a legitimate Broadway theater, where it played on a reserved-seat basis like a new stage musical. The film became a hit all over the world and handily won every Academy Award category in which it was nominated -- Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay (Lerner), Best Color Cinematography, Best Art/Set Direction, Best Song (“Gigi” by Lerner and Loewe), Best Musical Score (Andre Previn), Best Costume Design, and Best Editing. It was highly unusual that none of the excellent cast -- Leslie Caron, Louis Jourdan, Hermione Gingold, or Maurice Chevalier -- received acting nominations, although Chevalier, known for his singing of “Thank Heaven For Little Girls,” was presented with an honorary Oscar. Other delightful songs on the soundtrack include “I’m Glad I’m Not Young Anymore,” “The Night They Invented Champagne,” “I Remember it Well,” and of course, the title tune, “Gigi.” Considered by many the last of the great M-G-M musicals, the film was selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

Gigi tells the story of Gaston (Louis Jordan), a handsome playboy from a wealthy Parisian family, who finds emotional refuge from the superficial lifestyle of upper class Parisian 1900s society with the former mistress (Gingold) of his uncle (Maurice Chevalier) and her outgoing, tomboy granddaughter, Gigi (Leslie Caron). When Gaston becomes aware that Gigi has matured into a woman, her grandmother and aunt (Isabel Jeans), who have groomed Gigi to be a wealthy man’s mistress, encourage him to become her provider and try to persuade her to accept such a golden opportunity. However, love adds a surprise twist to this delightful turn-of-the 20th century Cinderella story.

BONUS FEATURES:

DISC 1:
  • The Million Dollar Nickel - 1952 MGM short
  • The Vanishing Duck - 1958 MGM cartoon
  • Theatrical Trailer
DISC 2:
  • Thank Heaven! The Making of Gigi - The story of how 1958's Best Picture winner (the last of the classic MGM musicals) survived a turbulent production that included censorship battles over its daring content and creative struggles between a studio in turmoil and a demanding, visionary director. Featuring an all-new interview with star Leslie Caron, and a rare interview with Oscar-winning director Minnelli.

ARTWORK UPDATE: Fox Horror Classics, Vol. 2

--Artwork and added to previous announcement--
--Also, slight changes in the Bonus Features--










Chandu the Magician (1932)
Megalomaniac and would-be world dominator Roxor has kidnapped Robert Regent, along with his death ray invention, in hopes of using it to degenerate humanity into mindless brutes, leaving himself as Earth’s supreme intelligence. Faced with revealing the machine’s secrets or allowing his family to die a horrible death at the hands of Roxor, Regent’s only hope lies with the intervention of his brother-in-law, the be-turbaned yogi and magician Chandu, who has the power to make men see what is not there.

BONUS FEATURES:
  • Commentary by Author Gregory William Mank
  • Masters of Magic: The World of Chandu featurette
  • Restoration Comparison
Dr. Renault's Secret (1942)
A young man visits his fiancée in a remote French villa where her scientist father (George Zucco) resides. There he meets Noel (J. Carrol Naish), Dr. Renault’s mysterious assistant, who has a strange attraction to Renault’s daughter. Soon he learns Noel’s true identity: he is an ape that was turned into a man by Renault’s bizarre experiments!

BONUS FEATURES:
  • By the Book: Horror, Suspense, and Literary Inspiration Featurette
  • Restoration Comparison
  • Trailer
  • Still Gallery
Dragonwyck (1946)
When Miranda Wells was invited to live with her dark and charming distant cousin Nicholas Van Ryan in order to school his daughter at Dragonwyck manor she was a naive farm girl. As she watches the dark secrets of the house unfold, she becomes more aware of selfishness, desire, and insanity while becoming more involved with Nicholas. The closer Miranda grows to the community and the Van Ryan’s, the more she wishes she had never come to Dragonwyck.

BONUS FEATURES:
  • A House of Secrets: Exploring Dragonwyck featurette
  • “Dragonwyck” Radio Show Performed by Vincent Price and Gene Tierney – October 7, 1946
  • Isolated Score Track
  • Restoration Comparison
  • Trailer
  • Still Galleries



On the radar for some time, **Fox** has officially announced a September 9th release date for Fox Horror Classics, Vol. 2. The three disc set will include: Chandu the Magician (1932), Dr. Renault's Secret (1942) and Dragonwyck (1946).

It will retail for $19.98, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $14.99. However, for 3 days only (until June 7th), we'll have it for the SPECIAL PRE-ORDER PRICE of $12.98.

Stars include Gene Tierney, Walter Huston, Edmund Lowe, Bela Lugosi, Vincent Price, Glenn Langan, J. Carrol Naish and George Zucco. More details to follow.


ARTWORK ADDED: Three Stooges, Vol. 3

--Artwork added to previous announcement--


Great news!!! The Three Stooges Collection, Vol. 3 has been announced with an August 26th release date. This set from **Sony** will continue the chronological format with great shorts like You Nazty Spy!, A Plumbing We Will Go, An Ache in Every Stake, Some More of Somoa, Matri-Phony and Three Smart Saps to name a few. It will retail for $24.96, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $19.99.

This release may be a good sign of things to come with seven months between volumes 1 (Oct 2007) and 2 (May 2008), and only three months between this release and volume 2.

The shorts included should be:

1940
  • You Nazty Spy!
  • Rockin' Thru the Rockies
  • A Plumbing We Will Go
  • Nutty But Nice
  • How High is Up?
  • From Nurse to Worse
  • No Census, No Feeling
  • Cookoo Cavaliers
  • Boobs in Arms
1941
  • So Long Mr. Chumps
  • Dutiful But Dumb
  • All the World's a Stooge
  • I'll Never Heil Again
  • An Ache in Every Stake
  • In the Sweet Pie and Pie
  • Some More of Samoa
1942
  • Loco Boy Makes Good
  • Cactus Makes Perfect
  • What's the Matador?
  • Matri-Phony
  • Three Smart Saps
  • Even as IOU
  • Sock-a-Bye Baby

Popeye, Vol. 3 - Confirmation of Shorts

--Confirmation of Shorts--

We are pleased to confirm through a studio source that the 32 titles in the upcoming Popeye the Sailor, Vol 3 (1941 - 1943) on September 30th will be truly chronological and include the shorts below. Speculation as to Warner withholding some cartoons based on political correctness are not the case in this set. You're a Sap, Mr. Jap, Scrap the Japs and Seein' Red, White 'N' Blue will be in this set. The next set will start off with Her Honor the Mare which marked the beginning of Popeye cartoons produced only in color.

DISC 1:
  • Problem Pappy
  • Quiet! Pleeze
  • Olive's Sweepstakes Ticket
  • Flies Ain't Human
  • Popeye Meets Rip Van Winkle
  • Olive's Boithday Presink
  • Child Psykolojiky (final cartoon with ship door titles)
  • Pest Pilot
  • I'll Never Crow Again
  • The Mighty Navy
  • Nix on Hypnotricks
  • Kickin' the Conga 'Round
  • Blunder Below
  • Fleets of Stren'th
  • Pip-eye, Pup-eye, Poop-eye and Peep-eye
  • Olive Oyl and Water Don't Mix
DISC 2:
  • Many Tanks
  • Baby Wants a Bottleship (last Fleischer cartoon)
  • You're a Sap, Mr. Jap
  • Alona on the Sarong Seas
  • A Hull of a Mess
  • Scrap the Japs
  • Me Musical Nephews
  • Spinach Fer Britain
  • Seein' Red, White 'N' Blue
  • Too Weak to Work
  • A Jolly Good Furlough
  • Ration Fer the Duration
  • The Hungry Goat
  • Happy Birthdaze
  • Wood-Peckin'
  • Cartoons Ain't Human


Adam-12 - Season 2 in September

After Season One's release by Universal three years ago, **Shout Factory** has announced a September 30th release date for Season Two of Adam-12. The four DVD set containing all 26 episodes will retail for $34.99, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $23.99.

Dick Tracy's G-Men, Space Angel in July

**VCI** continues to stay busy with two more titles scheduled for release on July 29th. They are the 1939 serial Dick Tracy's G-Men (Starring Ralph Byrd with a young Jennifer Jones) and the animated TV series Space Angel, Vol. 1. Details below.

Dick Tracy's G-Men (1939) - Retail: $29.99, Ours: $19.99 - 2 Discs


Nicholas Zarnoff, master spy and the most hated man on Earth, is sentenced to die in the gas chamber. By using a secret drug, which does not permit the gas to enter his lungs, Zarnoff cheats death and escapes. Dick Tracy, the government's ace investigator, is assigned the task of tracking down Zarnoff and bringing him to justice. For 15 episodes Dick Tracy and Zarnoff battle it out on land, on sea and in the air. Jennifer Jones, seen at the outset of her distinguished career, plays Gwen, Dick Tracy's loyal secretary.

BONUS FEATURES:
  • Trailers
  • Intro by Max Allan Collins
  • Adlets
Space Angel, Vol. 1 - Retail: $14.99, Ours: $10.99


Scott McCloud is the Space Angel, a secret agent for EBI (Earth Bureau of Investigation), who together with his friends, Taurus, Crystal, and Professor Mace, travel far and wide from their base on the space station Evening Star, on board the spaceship Starduster. Whether it's battling a mass exile, or stopping a brainwashing mad scientist, it's all in a day's work to secure the welfare of the solar system. Space Angel was an animated science fiction television series produced from early 1962 through 1964. It used the same Synchro-Vox (live-action moving lips over the mouths of the animated characters lips) technique as Clutch Cargo, the first cartoon produced by the same studio, Cambria Productions. The science fiction stories were serialized with five episodes comprising each adventure. Voices included Ned Lefebver as Scott McCloud, with Margaret Kerry and Hal Smith providing other incidental voices.

BONUS FEATURES:
  • Interview with Margaret "Tinker Bell" Kerry
  • Adlets

Honey West in September - 3 DAY SPECIAL PRICE

**VCI** has announced a September 2nd release date for Honey West. All 30 episodes of the only season (1965-1966) of this Anne Francis private eye TV series will be in this 4 disc set. It will retail for $39.99, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $29.99. However, for 3 days only (until June 14th), we'll have it for the SPECIAL PRE-ORDER PRICE of $22.98. Details below.



Honey West (Anne Francis), sensual and glamorous female private eye, was something of a trendsetter, she was one of television’s first liberated females. In an era when actresses were restrained to sedate housewives and girlfriend roles, this series marked an exceptional and original departure. In 1965 the character was introduced to television audiences in a Burke's Law episode, "Who Killed the Jackpot?" and true to form, Honey outwitted the suave detective played by Gene Barry. Producer Aaron Spelling spun the character off into a separate thirty-minute series which premiered in the fall of 1965. Honey West was the first dramatic TV show with a female star in an action-adventure role. In the show, Honey inherited her spying business from her late father, a top private eye. She also got his partner in the deal, rough and handsome Sam Bolt, played by John Ericson. There was a strong attraction between the partners, but Honey West's only true love was the thrill of adventure - and her pet ocelot, Bruce. In addition to being television's first modern, independent, self-sufficient woman, Honey frequently engaged in fight scenes and shootouts. She was expert at judo and held a black belt in karate. She is also the first character, male or female, on U.S. television to use martial arts as self-defense. A la James Bond, she also owned an arsenal of weapons filled with "scientific" gadgets including an exploding compact, a garter belt gas mask, teargas earrings and a lipstick microphone. Although short-lived, this series broke the mold and paved the way for future female action heroines such as The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., The Bionic Woman, and Alias.

BONUS FEATURES:
  • Vintage Commercials
  • Anne Francis Photo Gallery
  • Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery

P

Popeye, Vol. 3 (1941 - 1943) in September

Coinciding with the release of Popeye, Vol. 2 (1938 - 1940) next week, **Warner** has announced a September 30th release date for Popeye the Sailor, Vol 3 (1941 - 1943). The 2 disc set will retail for $34.98, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $26.99.

Of the 34 shorts listed below, only 32 will make it on this set with You're a Sap, Mr. Jap and Scrap the Japs expected to be withheld due to political correctness.


Shorts

1941
  • Problem Pappy
  • Quiet! Pleeze
  • Olive's Sweepstakes Ticket
  • Flies Ain't Human
  • Popeye Meets Rip Van Winkle
  • Olive's Boithday Presink
  • Child Psykolojiky (final cartoon with ship door titles)
  • Pest Pilot
  • I'll Never Crow Again
  • The Mighty Navy
  • Nix on Hypnotricks
1942
  • Kickin' the Conga 'Round
  • Blunder Below
  • Fleets of Stren'th
  • Pip-eye, Pup-eye, Poop-eye and Peep-eye
  • Olive Oyl and Water Don't Mix
  • Many Tanks
  • Baby Wants a Bottleship (last Fleischer cartoon)
  • You're a Sap, Mr. Jap
  • Alona on the Sarong Seas
  • A Hull of a Mess
  • Scrap the Japs
  • Me Musical Nephews
1943
  • Spinach Fer Britain
  • Seein' Red, White 'N' Blue
  • Too Weak to Work
  • A Jolly Good Furlough
  • Ration Fer the Duration
  • The Hungry Goat
  • Happy Birthdaze
  • Wood-Peckin'
  • Cartoons Ain't Human
  • Her Honor the Mare
  • The Marry-Go-Round

POSTPONED - The Night of the Hunter (Collector's Edition)

After announcing last week a September 9th release date for The Night of the Hunter (Collector's Edition), an industry source has now informed us that it has been removed from the schedule. When asked for a ballpark release date, he could only say that it will happen, but could not say when.

All pre-orders have been cancelled.


The Picture of Dorian Gray in October

**Warner** has announced an October 7th release date for The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945). The single disc DVD will retail for $19.97, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $14.49. Details below.

Warner Home Video Press Release

The Picture of Dorian Gray never gets old. On October 7, just in time for Halloween, Warner Home Video will introduce one of their most requested titles on DVD – MGM’s gripping 1945 adaptation of Oscar Wilde's Victorian horror novel about a man who stays eternally young while his famous portrait ages through the years. The film, starring George Sanders, Angela Lansbury and Donna Reed, was nominated for three Academy Awards,-winning one for Best Cinematography and a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Miss Lansbury.

BONUS FEATURES:
  • Cast commentaries by Angela Lansbury and film historian/screenwriter Steve Haberman
  • 1945 MGM short Stairway To Light
  • 1945 MGM cartoon Quiet Please!
  • Theatrical trailer


Three Stooges Collection, Vol. 3 in August

Great news!!! The Three Stooges Collection, Vol. 3 has been announced with an August 26th release date. This set from **Sony** will continue the chronological format with great shorts like You Nazty Spy!, A Plumbing We Will Go, An Ache in Every Stake, Some More of Somoa, Matri-Phony and Three Smart Saps to name a few. It will retail for $24.96, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $19.99.

This release may be a good sign of things to come with seven months between volumes 1 (Oct 2007) and 2 (May 2008), and only three months between this release and volume 2.

The shorts included should be:

1940
  • You Nazty Spy!
  • Rockin' Thru the Rockies
  • A Plumbing We Will Go
  • Nutty But Nice
  • How High is Up?
  • From Nurse to Worse
  • No Census, No Feeling
  • Cookoo Cavaliers
  • Boobs in Arms
1941
  • So Long Mr. Chumps
  • Dutiful But Dumb
  • All the World's a Stooge
  • I'll Never Heil Again
  • An Ache in Every Stake
  • In the Sweet Pie and Pie
  • Some More of Samoa
1942
  • Loco Boy Makes Good
  • Cactus Makes Perfect
  • What's the Matador?
  • Matri-Phony
  • Three Smart Saps
  • Even as IOU
  • Sock-a-Bye Baby

Get Smart - Season 1 in August

Proving that patience is a virtue, many that held off on buying Get Smart which was previously distributed exclusively through Time Life, are being rewarded by the release of Get Smart - Season 1 on August 5th. Less expensive than the Time Life set, this general release from **HBO** will retail for $24.98, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $18.99.

Also, according to TVShowsonDVD.com, the four disc set will be a bare-bones release that will not include the 5th bonus disc in the Time Life set.

BONUS FEATURES ADDED: Fox Horror Classics, Vol. 2


-- Bonus features added to previous announcement --

Disc 1: Chandu the Magician

  • Commentary by Author Gregory William Mank
  • Masters of Magic: The World of Chandu
  • Chandu the Magician Radio Serial Episode
  • Restoration Comparison
  • Trailer
  • Still Gallery
Disc 2: Dr. Renault's Secret
  • By The Book: Horror, Suspense, and Literary Inspiration
  • Restoration Comparison
  • Trailer
  • Interactive Pressbook
  • Still Gallery
Disc 3: Dragonwyck
  • A House of Secrets: Exploring Dragonwyck
  • Dragonwyck Radio Show Performed by Vincent Price and Gene
  • Tierney - October 7, 1946
  • Restoration Comparison
  • Trailer
  • Interactive Pressbook
  • Still Gallery

On the radar for some time, **Fox** has officially announced a September 9th release date for Fox Horror Classics, Vol. 2. The three disc set will include: Chandu the Magician (1932), Dr. Renault's Secret (1942) and Dragonwyck (1946).

It will retail for $19.98, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $14.99. However, for 3 days only (until June 7th), we'll have it for the SPECIAL PRE-ORDER PRICE of $12.98.

Stars include Gene Tierney, Walter Huston, Edmund Lowe, Bela Lugosi, Vincent Price, Glenn Langan, J. Carrol Naish and George Zucco.





Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 5 in September

**Fox** has announced a September 16th release date for Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 5. The set will include the last seven Chan's from Fox previously unreleased on DVD. The 8 disc set, including a Bonus Disc (Chan - The Fox Years), is a great value at the retail price of $49.98, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $37.99.

The titles:

Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum (1940)
Murder Over New York (1940)
Dead Men Tell (1941)
Charlie Chan In Rio (1941)
Charlie Chan In Panama (1940)
Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise (1940)
Castle In The Desert (1942)
BONUS DISC (Chan - The Fox Years)

More details to follow.


Fox Horror Classics, Vol. 2 in September - 3 DAY SPECIAL PRICE

On the radar for some time, **Fox** has officially announced a September 9th release date for Fox Horror Classics, Vol. 2 . The three disc set will include: Chandu the Magician (1932), Dr. Renault's Secret (1942) and Dragonwyck (1946).

It will retail for $19.98, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $14.99. However, for 3 days only (until June 7th), we'll have it for the SPECIAL PRE-ORDER PRICE of $12.98.

Stars include Gene Tierney, Walter Huston, Edmund Lowe, Bela Lugosi, Vincent Price, Glenn Langan, J. Carrol Naish and George Zucco. More details to follow.


Steve McQueen in Never Love a Stranger in August

**Lions Gate** has announced an August 19th release date for Never Love a Stranger (1958). It will retail for $14.98, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $10.99. No details yet, but stars include John Drew Barrymore, Lita Milan and Steve McQueen.

The Night of the Hunter (Collector's Edition) in September

Some have been wondering when MGM would get around to it, and now they have! **MGM** has announced a September 9th release date for The Night of the Hunter (Collector's Edition). No details yet except that it will retail for $26.98, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $20.99.