Tom and Jerry - Chuck Jones Collection in June

WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

Tom and Jerry - Chuck Jones Collection June 23rd Warner Home Video Retail $26.99, Our: $20.99

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Warner Home Video has announced a June 23rd release date for Tom and Jerry - Chuck Jones Collection. All 34 Chuck Jones Tom & Jerry theatrical shorts, in their original aspect ratio, are contained in this 2-disc set.

Bonus features include two new documentaries (below). It will retail for $26.99, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $20.99.

All 34 Chuck Jones Tom & Jerry Shorts:

• Penthouse Mouse (1963)
• The Cat Above and The Mouse Below (1964)
• Is There a Doctor in the Mouse? (1964)
• Much Ado About Mousing (1964)
• Snowbody Loves Me (1964)
• The Unshrinkable Jerry Mouse (1964)
• Ah, Sweet Mouse-story of Life (1965)
• Tom-ic Energy (1965)
• Bad Day at Cat Rock (1965)
• The Brothers Carry-Mouse Off (1965)
• Haunted Mouse (1965)
• I'm Just Wild About Jerry (1965)
• Of Feline Bondage (1965)
• The Year of the Mouse (1965)
• The Cat's Me-ouch (1965)
• Duel Personality (1966)
• Jerry, Jerry, Quite Contrary (1966)
• Jerry-Go-Round (1966)
• Love Me, Love My Mouse (1966)
• Puss 'n' Boats (1966)
• Filet Meow (1966)
• Matinee Mouse (1966)
• The A-Tom-inable Snowman (1966)
• Catty Cornered (1966)
• Cat and Dupli-cat (1966)
• O-Solar Meow (1966)
• Guided Mouse-ille (1966)
• Rock 'n' Rodent (1967)
• Cannery Rodent (1967)
• The Mouse from H.U.N.G.E.R. (1967)
• Surf-Bored Cat (1967)
• Shutter Bugged Cat (1967)
• Advance and Be Mechanized (1967)
• Purr-Chance to Dream (1967)

BONUS FEATURES:

• New Documentaries:
  • Tom and Jerry…and Chuck
  • Chuck Jones: Memories of a Childhood

The Donna Reed Show - Season 2 in May

WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

The Donna Reed Show - Season 2 May 5th Virgil Films Retail $39.99, Our: $29.99

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Virgil Films, formally Arts Alliance America who released Season 1 of The Donna Reed Show in October, has announced a May 5th release date for The Donna Reed Show - Season 2.

The 4 disc set will contain all 38 episodes from Season 2. No word on bonus features. It will retail for $39.99, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $29.99.

DELAYED: VCI Releases

Yesterday's scheduled releases of the titles below have been delayed. In correspondence directly with VCI, Martin Luther (1953) should ship to retailers this week while the others will most likely ship out by the end of next week. All orders will ship out as received.

• Martin Luther (1953)
• Gasoline Alley and Friends
• British Cinema - Renown Pictures Literary Classics Collection
  • The Pickwick Papers (1952)
  • Tom Brown's Schooldays (1951)
  • Svengali (1954)

FLICKER ALLEY: Under Full Sail - Silent Cinema on the High Seas

WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

Under Full Sail - Silent Cinema on the High Seas April 14th Flicker Alley Retail $29.99, Our: $23.99

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Flicker Alley has announced an April 14th release date for Under Full Sail - Silent Cinema on the High Seas. This nautical themed set contains the most complete version of The Yankee Clipper (1927) as well as four other titles.

Included is an audio reminiscence by Frank Coghlan, Jr. who played Mickey in the The Yankee Clipper. It is not known whether the interview took place specifically for this release, but could have as Mr. Coghlan is now 92.

It will retail for $29.99, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $23.99. Details below.

Flicker Alley, in association with the Blackhawk Film Collection, announces the release of Under Full Sail – Silent Cinema on the High Seas, a new DVD release featuring five breathtaking films that preserve the romance, grandeur and allure of windjammers sailing open waters, exquisitely photographed in the style of the time.

The Yankee Clipper (1927)
Produced by Cecil B. DeMille and directed by Rupert Julian, restored to the most complete version available since the film’s release, is a feature-length melodrama recreating the real-life race from Foo Chow to Boston for the China tea trade. The gorgeous production filmed at sea for six weeks aboard the 1856 wooden square-rigger Indiana with stars William Boyd, Elinor Fair and Frank “Junior” Coghlan. Renowned organist Dennis James, in his solo DVD premiere, accompanies the film on an original-installation 1928 Wurlitzer pipe organ recorded at Seattle’s Paramount Theatre.

Around the Horn in a Square Rigger (1933)
Filmed by noted sailor, author, and photographer Alan Villiers documenting the record-breaking 83-day voyage of the 1902 barque Parma from Australia to England in the 1933 Grain Race. Villiers writes, “We wanted to make a picture that would capture some of the stirring beauty of these ships…some glimmer of understanding of the attraction which they hold over those who sail in them.” Music by Eric Beheim.

The Square Rigger (1932), an early sound short filmed as part of Fox’s Magic Carpet of Movietone, shows life aboard the schoolship Dar Pomorza, “The White Frigate.” Built in 1909 as the Prinzess Eitel Friedrich, it was ceded from Germany to France as a prize of World War I, and was later donated to the Polish State Maritime School in 1930 where it served 50 years and trained more than 13,000 cadets.

Ship Ahoy (1928)
A unique record of the conditions and traditions of the North American lumber trade, featuring an unidentified schooner equipped with a fore and aft rig as it transports lumber from the Carolinas up the coast to a northern port. Music by Eric Beheim.

The collection is rounded off with a ten-minute sequence from Down to the Sea in Ships (1922), documenting an authentic whale hunt from the 1878 wooden ship Wanderer out of New Bedford, Massachusetts. The cameramen risk their lives to capture practices unchanged since Herman Melville immortalized them in Moby Dick. Music by Dennis James.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Audio Reminiscence by Frank “Junior” Coghlan about the filming of The Yankee Clipper
• PLUS: An enclosed booklet includes detailed program notes by film scholar and U.S. Navy marine engineer John E. Stone and an essay about the scoring of The Yankee Clipper by organist Dennis James.

Gunsmoke - Season 3, Vol. 2 in May

WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

Gunsmoke - Season 3, Vol. 2 May 26th Paramount Retail $36.99, Our: $27.99

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Paramount has announced a May 26th release date for Gunsmoke - Season 3, Vol. 2. Containing the last 20 episodes from season 3, it will retail for $36.99, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $27.99.

Paramount Centennial Wave 4 - Liberty Valance, El Dorado

WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Centennial Collection) May 19th Paramount Retail $24.99, Our: $17.99

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WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

El Dorado (Centennial Collection) May 19th Paramount Retail $24.99, Our: $17.99

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Continuing at about a once every two month pace, Paramount has announced release numbers 8 and 9 in their Centennial Collection series. This fourth wave includes: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Centennial Collection) and El Dorado (Centennial Collection).

Previous releases for both films only contained trailers so all the bonus features are new to DVD. They will retail for $24.99, but are available at ClassicFlix.com for only $17.99. Details below.



The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Centennial Collection)

SYNOPSIS:
"This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." Behind the camera? John Ford, a director whose name is synonymous with "Westerns." Gathered in front of it? An ideal cast – James Stewart, John Wayne, Vera Miles and Lee Marvin. Now presented on two discs, with all-new special features, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance rides into town as classic entry in the Paramount Centennial Collection. Director Ford brings us to the lawless frontier village of Shinbone, a town plagued by a larger-than-life nemesis, Liberty Valance (Marvin). Stewart plays the bungling but charming big-city lawyer determined to rid Shinbone of Valance, and he finds that he has an unlikely ally -- in the form of a rugged, local rancher (Wayne). The two men also share the same love interest (Miles). But when the final showdown becomes inevitable, one of the two will attempt to get the gunman … but the other one will wind up getting the gal.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Commentary by Filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich along with his archival recordings with John Ford, John Wayne and James Stewart
• Selected Scene Commentary with intro by Dan Ford along with his archival recordings with John Ford
• The Size of Legends
• The Soul of Myth
• James Stewart and Lee Marvin
• Galleries
• Theatrical Trailer

El Dorado (Centennial Collection)

SYNOPSIS:
"I'm paid to risk my neck. I'll decide where and when I'll do it. This isn't it." Now a two-disc presentation with all-new special features, this Paramount Centennial Collection edition of El Dorado delivers the goods. Legendary producer-director Howard Hawks teams up with two legendary stars, John Wayne and Robert Mitchum, in a classic Western drama. Mitchum plays to perfection an alcoholic but gutsy sheriff who relentlessly battles the "dark side" of the Wild West – ruthless cattle barons and crooked "businessmen." The Duke gives an equally adept performance as the sheriff's old friend, one who knows his way around a gunfight. Featuring a supporting cast that includes James Caan, Charlene Holt, Paul Fix, Ed Asner and Christopher George, and filled with both brawling action and unexpected humor, El Dorado is pure gold.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Commentary by Filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich
• Commentary with critic and film historian Richard Schickel featuring actor Ed Asner and author Todd McCarthy
• Ride, Boldly Ride: The Journey to El Dorado:
• The Artist and the American West (1967) - Vintage Featurette
• Behind the Gates: AC Remembers John Wayne
• Original Theatrical Trailer
  
• Galleries

Pillow Talk (50th Anniversary) in April

WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

Pillow Talk (50th Anniversary Edition) April 14th Universal Retail $19.98, Our: $14.99

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Universal has announced an April 14th release date for Pillow Talk (50th Anniversary Edition). This first pairing of Doris Day and Rock Hudson also co-stars Tony Randall, Thelma Ritter and Allen Jenkins.

It will retail for $19.98, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $14.99. The previous 2004 release contained no bonus features. Bonus features, including a commentary, for this release are listed below.

SYNOPSIS:
Rock Hudson and Doris Day light up the screen in the new 50th Anniversary Edition of Pillow Talk! This timeless romantic comedy tells the charming story of Jan Morrow (Day), an uptight interior decorator who must share a party line with laid-back playboy Brad Allen (Hudson). But the real connection is made when the two meet and he begins wooing her with late-night calls - while pretending to be someone else. Nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Actress, this enjoyable romp co-stars Tony Randall (TV’s "The Odd Couple") and features delightful new bonus material. Pillow Talk is the film that brought Rock Hudson and Doris Day together for the first time and is a dreamy addition to any DVD library!

BONUS FEATURES:

• Feature Commentary with Film Historian Jeff Bond, Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman
• Chemistry 101: The Film Duo of Doris Day and Rock Hudson
• Back in Bed With Pillow Talk
• Theatrical Trailer

Classic DVD Release Score Card

Just putting in print what we all know -- classic movie DVD releases are down this year. But not by as much as you'd think (about 20%). The chart below compares releases from minor and major labels during the first three months of this year and last.

As expected, Warner Bros. continues to lead the pack in number of releases and is ahead of last year's pace. VCI is second and is way ahead of last year.

Of the studio labels, Sony is ahead of last year, while Fox and Universal's output are downright pathetic (although good things are coming down the road). Paramount is about even, with both this year and last's being made up entirely of TV shows.

Although Infinity Entertainment hasn't slowed down, the economic downturn has hit smaller labels the hardest. All Day, Flicker, Classic Media, Image Ent., Lions Gate, Shout Factory!, S'More and Weinstein all have zero releases scheduled.

Not included here are PD labels like Mill Creek, Alpha and Televista.

Criteria:

• Only titles that are new to DVD are counted (no re-releases or "Special Editions")
  
• Boxed sets count the tiles in the set and not the set itself (ex. The recently released Warner Romance Collection counts as 4 and not 1)
  
• Does not include Blu-ray
• Yellow is for studios behind last year's pace. Green for ahead.

DVD SCORE CARD:

Star Trek - Season 1 (Blu-ray) in April

Paramount has announced an April 28th release date for Star Trek - Season 1 (Blu-ray) . The seven disc set will retail for $109.99, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $79.99.

Alexander Korda's Private Lives in May

WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: TITLES:

Alexander Korda's Private Lives - Eclipse 16 May 12th Criterion Retail $59.95, Our: $44.99 The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933), The Rise of Catherine the Great (1934), The Private Life of Don Juan (1934) & Rembrandt (1936)

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Criterion has announced a May 12th release date for #16 in their Eclipse Series - Alexander Korda's Private Lives - Criterion Eclipse Series 16. The four disc set includes: The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933), The Rise of Catherine the Great (1934), The Private Life of Don Juan (1934) and Rembrandt (1936).

There have been scattered previous PD releases of Catherine and Henry VIII as well as an MGM release of Rembrandt, however this will be the first Region 1 release of Don Juan. And with Criterion standards, elements are sure to be the best available.

Stars include: Charles Laughton, Robert Donat, Wendy Barrie, Elsa Lanchester, Merle Oberon, Douglas Fairbanks & Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.

It will retail for $59.95, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $44.99. Details below.

SYNOPSIS:
Though born to modest means in Hungary, Alexander Korda would go on to become one of the most important filmmakers in the history of British cinema. A producer, writer, and director who navigated toward subjects of major historical significance and mythical distinction, Korda made a name for his production company, London Films, with the Oscar-winning The Private Life of Henry VIII. He then continued his populist investigation behind the scenes and in the bedrooms of such figures as Catherine the Great, Don Juan, and Rembrandt. Mixing stately period drama with surprising satire, these films are exemplars of grand 1930s moviemaking.

TITLES:

The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933)
Charles Laughton gulps beer and chomps on mutton, in his first of many iconic screen roles, as King Henry VIII, the ultimate anti-husband. Alexander Korda’s first major international success is a raucous, entertaining, even poignant peek into the boudoirs of the infamous king and his six wives.

The Rise of Catherine the Great (1934)
A quick-witted and compelling dramatization of the troubled marriage of Catherine II (played by German actress Elisabeth Bergner, in her English-language debut) to Peter III (a randy Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) and her subsequent ascension to the throne as Empress of Russia. With its luxurious renderings of the eighteenth-century St. Petersburg royal court and its nearly screwball evocation of Catherine and Peter’s teasing relationship, The Rise of Catherine the Great was a wise and worthy follow-up to Henry VIII.

The Private Life of Don Juan (1934)
Douglas Fairbanks Sr. makes his big-screen swan song with Korda’s deliciously satiric deflation of the Don Juan myth. After having faked his own death and escaped Seville, the aging lothario returns, only to find that he has been promptly forgotten; perhaps Merle Oberon’s raven-haired beauty can coax him back into business. Don Juan was a rare “talkie” for Fairbanks, and a shrewd poking at the actor’s own persona.

Rembrandt (1936)
Charles Laughton once again teams up with Korda for this moving, elegantly shot biopic about the Dutch painter. Beginning when Rembrandt’s reputation was at its height, the film then tracks his quiet descent into loneliness and isolated self-expression, following the death of his wife to the unveiling of Night Watch to the ecclesiastical excommunication of his late-in-life lover and maid, Hendrickje Stoffels (played by Laughton’s wife, Elsa Lanchester). Though black and white, Rembrandt is shot by cinematographer Georges Périnal (Le million, The Fallen Idol) with an attention to light that’s particularly Rembrandtesque.

NO BONUS FEATURES

Man Hunt (1941) in May

WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

Man Hunt (1941) May 19th 20th Century Fox Retail $14.98, Our: $10.99

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Still on the calender without a solid date are A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) and Stars and Strips Forever (1952) -- but that can't be said for Man Hunt (1941) as Fox has officially has announced a May 19th release date. The Fritz Lang Thriller stars Walter Pidgeon, Joan Bennett, George Sanders, John Carradine and Roddy McDowall.

It will retail for $14.98, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $10.99. Bonus features, including a commentary, are listed below.



Based on the 1939 novel, “Rogue Male,” a British hunter on vacation in the Bavarian Alps, in the forests near Adolf Hitler’s home, gets Hitler in his gun sight, pondering whether or not he should shoot him.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Commentary by Author Patrick McGilligan
• Rogue Male: The Making of Man Hunt
• Restoration Comparison
• Trailer
• Interactive Pressbook
• Still Gallery

Languages: English(Original Language & Subtitled), Spanish(Subtitled & Dubbed)

ARTWORK ADDED: Three Stooges Collection, Vol. 5

Artwork added to previous announcement. Click here.