Classicflix.com Blog: April 2011

Laila (1929) Solid May 17th Release Date

Word from Flicker Alley that Laila (1929), originally scheduled for release on April 12th, then delayed, has now been given a new, and solid, release date of May 17th.

ORIGINAL ANNOUNCEMENT

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

Laila (1929)
~~April 12th~~
Flicker Alley
Retail: 29.95, Our: $23.99

Flicker Alley has announced an April 12th release date for the silent Norwegian epic Laila (1929).

The single disc DVD will retail for $29.95, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $23.99. Bonus features are not yet known.

MGM: 11 More MODs Including The Gun Runners, Chicago Confidential

Eleven more MGM MODs have been released over the last couple of weeks and are now available for rent. They are:

The Ceremony (1963) - Laurence Harvey, Sarah Miles, Robert Walker Jr., John Ireland, Ross Martin
Chicago Confidential (1957) - Brian Keith, Beverly Garland, Dick Foran
Cloudburst (1951) - Robert Preston, Elizabeth Sellars
Davy Crockett, Indian Scout (1950) - George Montgomery, Ellen Drew, Philip Reed, Noah Beery Jr.
Fort Bowie (1958) - Ben Johnson, Jan Harrison, Kent Taylor
Fort Defiance (1951) - Dane Clark, Ben Johnson, Peter Graves
Four Boys and a Gun (1957) - Frank Sutton, Larry Green, James Franciscus
Geronimo (1962) - Chuck Connors, Kamala Devi
The Gun Runners (1958) - Audie Murphy, Eddie Albert, Patricia Owens, Everett Sloane, Richard Jaeckel
The Happy Thieves (1961) - Rita Hayworth, Rex Harrison, Joseph Wiseman, Alida Valli
Stolen Hours (1963) - Susan Hayward, Michael Craig, Diane Baker

You can also view them in our recent additions section.

Place them in your rental queue and they'll be available for shipment in the next few weeks.

Sands of the Kalahari (1965) Standard & Blu in August

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WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

Sands of the Kalahari (1965)
August 2nd
Olive Films
Retail $29.95, Our: $17.99

WHAT:
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STUDIO:
PRICE:

Sands of the Kalahari (Blu-Ray) (1965)
August 2nd
Olive Films
Retail $29.95, Our: $17.99

Olive Films will release Sands of the Kalahari starring Stuart Whitman, Stanley Baker and Susannah York on both standard DVD & Blu-Ray on August 2nd. Bonus features are not expected.

SYNOPSIS:
A chartered plane crashes in a remote African desert after colliding with a swarm of locusts. It’s not the harsh surroundings or the vicious baboons that the survivors have to worry about, but a fellow crazed passenger.

The stellar cast includes Stuart Whitman as a businessman and big-game hunter, Stanley Baker as a chain-smoking and alcoholic mining engineer, Susannah York as a beautiful young divorcee, Nigel Davenport as the plane’s captain, Theodore Bikel as a doctor and Harry Andrews as an elderly German gentleman. This was the sixth and final teaming of Baker and his Zulu director Cy Endfield.

UNIVERSAL VAULT: 4 With Welles, McCrea, Dunne & Day

It's a star-studded wave from Universal and their Vault Series as they have added the four titles below over at Amazon.

Lady in a Jam (1942) - Irene Dunne, Patric Knowles, Ralph Bellamy, Eugene Pallette
The Virginian (1946) - Joel McCrea, Brian Donlevy, Sonny Tufts, Barbara Britton
Man in the Shadow (1957) - Jeff Chandler, Orson Welles, Colleen Miller, Ben Alexander, Barbara Lawrence
The Ballad of Josie (1967) - Doris Day, Peter Graves, George Kennedy, Andy Devine, William Talman

All are new to DVD are now available for rent at ClassicFlix... and nowhere else!

WARNER ARCHIVE: Naughty Marietta, Sweethearts

Currently exclusive to buy at TCM.com, Naughty Marietta (1935) and Sweethearts (1938), two MacDonald / Eddy films, are being released on May 10th via Warner's Archive Collection.

And while these titles may be exclusive to TCM, nowhere else will these films be available to rent except at ClassicFlix.com. Put them in your rental queue now and they will be available for shipment in mid to late May.

WARNER ARCHIVE: Garner, Remick in The Wheeler Dealers

The Wheeler Dealers (1963), starring James Garner and Lee Remick, with support from Phil Harris, Chill Wills, Jim Backus, Louis Nye and John Astin has been posted over at WBShop.

This new DVD brings the total Warner Archive titles exclusively available for rent at ClassicFlix.com to 645.

It is now available to put in your rental queue, but may be approximately four weeks before it is available for shipment.

ARTWORK ADDED: Buster Keaton Short Film Collection

--ARTWORK ADDED TO PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENT--

ORIGINAL ANNOUNCEMENT

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

Buster Keaton Shorts Collection (1920 - 1923)
July 12th
Kino
Retail $34.95, Our: $24.99

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

Buster Keaton Shorts Collection - Blu-Ray (1920 - 1923)
July 12th
Kino
Retail $49.95, Our: $34.99

More Buster in Blu as Kino has announced the 3-disc Buster Keaton Shorts Collection (1920 - 1923) for release on July 12th in Standard DVD & Blu-Ray formats.

This marks the first time these shorts are available as a collection and it contains plenty of bonus features (below).

SYNOPSIS:
For the first time ever, Kino International proudly presents a box set of all of Buster Keaton’s classic silent short films in one collection. All films have been digital remastered in high definition and include all new extras.

DISC 1:

The High Sign (1920/21, 19 Min.)
One Week (1920, 24 Min.)
Convict 13 (1920, 19 Min.)
The Scarecrow (1920, 18 Min.)
Neighbors (1921, 19 Min.)
The Haunted House (1921, 20 Min.)
Hard Luck (1921, 21 Min.)

DISC 2:

The Goat (1921, 23 Min.)
The Play House (1921, 23 Min.)
The Boat (1921, 23 Min.)
The Paleface (1922, 20 Min.)
Cops (1922, 18 Min.)
My Wife’s Relations (1922, 17 Min.)

DISC 3:

The Blacksmith (1922, 21 Min.)
The Frozen North (1922, 17 Min.)
Day Dreams (1922, 19 Min.)
The Electric House (1922, 23 Min.)
The Balloonatic (1923, 22 Min.)
The Love Nest (1923, 20 Min.)

BONUS FEATURES:

Fifteen visual essays, illustrated with clips and stills, written by various Keaton experts.
Four visual essays on the film’s locations by Silent Echoes author John Bengston
Eight page booklet with an essay by Jeffrey Vanc, author of Buster Keaton Remembered
The Men Who Would Be Buster, a collection of clips from slapstick films influenced by Keaton’s work
Character Studies (ca. 1925) a gag film starring Carter DeHaven, with cameos by Keaton, Harold Lloyd Fatty Arbuckle and others
Seeing Stars (excerpts) a 1922 promotional film featuring cameos by Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and others
A series of brief, alternate / deleted shots from The Goat, The Blacksmith and The Ballonatic

KINO: Keaton Shorts Collection (1920 - 23) in Standard & Blu This July

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

Buster Keaton Shorts Collection (1920 - 1923)
July 12th
Kino
Retail $34.95, Our: $24.99

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

Buster Keaton Shorts Collection - Blu-Ray (1920 - 1923)
July 12th
Kino
Retail $49.95, Our: $34.99

The High Sign (1920/21, 19 Min.)
One Week (1920, 24 Min.)
Convict 13 (1920, 19 Min.)
The Scarecrow (1920, 18 Min.)
Neighbors (1921, 19 Min.)
The Haunted House (1921, 20 Min.)
Hard Luck (1921, 21 Min.)

DISC 2:

The Goat (1921, 23 Min.)
The Play House (1921, 23 Min.)
The Boat (1921, 23 Min.)
The Paleface (1922, 20 Min.)
Cops (1922, 18 Min.)
My Wife’s Relations (1922, 17 Min.)

DISC 3:

The Blacksmith (1922, 21 Min.)
The Frozen North (1922, 17 Min.)
Day Dreams (1922, 19 Min.)
The Electric House (1922, 23 Min.)
The Balloonatic (1923, 22 Min.)
The Love Nest (1923, 20 Min.)

BONUS FEATURES:

Fifteen visual essays, illustrated with clips and stills, written by various Keaton experts.
Four visual essays on the film’s locations by Silent Echoes author John Bengston
Eight page booklet with an essay by Jeffrey Vanc, author of Buster Keaton Remembered
The Men Who Would Be Buster, a collection of clips from slapstick films influenced by Keaton’s work
Character Studies (ca. 1925) a gag film starring Carter DeHaven, with cameos by Keaton, Harold Lloyd Fatty Arbuckle and others
Seeing Stars (excerpts) a 1922 promotional film featuring cameos by Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and others
A series of brief, alternate / deleted shots from The Goat, The Blacksmith and The Ballonatic

BLU: Houdini, Jaunty Jalopies, Man Who Could Cheat Death in May

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

Houdini / Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies (Blu)
May 3rd
Legend Films
Retail $16.95, Our: $14.99

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

The Man Who Could Cheat Death (Blu-Ray)
May 3rd
Legend Films
Retail $16.95, Our: $14.99

Legend Films has announced Houdini / Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies (Blu-Ray) and The Man Who Could Cheat Death (Blu-Ray) for release on May 3rd.

Previously released by Legend in standard definition as single disc releases, these Blu releases are part of 2-disc sets.

That includes The Man Who Could Cheat Death as it includes The Skull (1965). And while it is part of the set when purchased, The Skull is not available for rent.

Each will retail for $16.95, but are available at ClassicFlix.com for only $14.99.

WARNER ARCHIVE: 6 More in Myrna Loy Wave

Six new Archive releases have been posted over at WBShop and all six feature Myrna Loy. Her early-sound vamp period is represented by:

The Great Divide (1929) - Dorothy Mackaill, Ian Keith, Lucien Littlefield, Creighton Hale
The Squall (1929) - Richard Tucker, Alice Joyce, Loretta Young
New Morals for Old (1932) - Robert Young, Margaret Perry, Lewis Stone, Laura Hope Crews
The Prizefighter and the Lady (1933) - Max Baer, Primo Carnera, Jack Dempsey, Walter Huston

while the post-vamp titles are:

Third Finger, Left Hand (1940) - Melvyn Douglas, Raymond Walburn, Lee Bowman, Bonita Granville
So Goes My Love (1946) - Don Ameche, Rhys Williams, Bobby Driscoll

These new DVDs bring the total Warner Archive titles exclusively available for rent at ClassicFlix.com to 644.

They are now available to put in your rental queue, but may be approximately four weeks before they are available for shipment.

Today's VCI Titles Pushed Back Two Weeks

Running into "production delays beyond our control," VCI has pushed back to May 3rd the release date of the four titles below that were to release today.

CRITERION BLU: Beauty and the Beast, High and Low in July

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

Beauty and the Beast (Blu-Ray) (1946)
July 19th
Criterion
Retail $39.95, Our: $31.99

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

High and Low (Blu-Ray) (1963)
July 26th
Criterion
Retail $39.95, Our: $31.99

More Blu-Ray from Criterion as they have announced Beauty and the Beast (1946) and High and Low (1963) for release on July 19th and July 26th respectively.

Bonus features will carry over from the standard def releases.

Each will retail for $39.95, but are available at ClassicFlix.com for only $31.99.

SHOUT!: Dennis the Menace - Season 2 in July

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STUDIO:
PRICE:

Dennis the Menace - Season 2
July 26th
Shout! Factory
Retail: $29.99, Our: $23.99

On the heels of the recently released Season 1, Shout! Factory has announced a July 26th release date for Dennis the Menace - Season 2.

Retail will be $29.99, but it's available at ClassicFlix.com for only $23.99. Bonus features, if any, are unavailable.

Gene Autry Show - Season 1 in June

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STUDIO:
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The Gene Autry Show - Season 1
June 7th
Timeless Media
Retail: 35.99, Our: $27.99

While the major studios have slowed down, or in some cases stopped releasing standard DVDs, smaller companies like VCI, Olive Films and Shout Factory have helped pick up the slack.

None more abundantly however as Timeless Media as they have increased their pace of releases and will likely top 2010's output.

Today's announcement of The Gene Autry Show - Season 1 is another example of Timeless' continued efforts to greatly expand the availability of "second tier" TV Westerns that have been ignored for far too long.

Retail will be $35.99, but it is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $27.99. Bonus features and synopsis are below.

WARNER ARCHIVE: Vitaphone Varieties, Rose Marie

Three new Archive releases have been posted over at WBShop and are available to put in your rental queue.

Warner's second Vitaphone set, the 4-disc Vitaphone Varieties (1926 - 1930), is part of this wave following December's 6-disc Vitaphone - Cavalcade of Musical Comedy Shorts.

Also out is Rose Marie (1954) with Ann Blyth, Howard Keel, Fernando Lamas, Bert Lahr and Marjorie Main; and Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956) with Dan Dailey, Cyd Charisse, Agnes Moorehead and Jim Backus.

Regarding the latter two, Warner has included outtakes as bonus features.

Additionally, in the first of what are to be several re-releases, a remastered version of I Love Melvin is now available at WBshop. However, we'll likely stick with the older version for a few more months.

These new DVDs bring the total Warner Archive titles exclusively available for rent at ClassicFlix.com to 638.

They are now available to put in your rental queue, but may be approximately four weeks before they are available for shipment.

Laila (1929) Pushed Back

Word from Flicker Alley that Laila (1929), originally scheduled for release tomorrow and then pushed back to April 19th, has now been pushed back at least another two weeks. The earliest it will be available is May 3rd. We'll keep you posted.

ORIGINAL ANNOUNCEMENT

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

Laila (1929)
~~April 12th~~
Flicker Alley
Retail: 29.95, Our: $23.99

ARTWORK ADDED: May VCI Titles

--ARTWORK ADDED TO PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENT--

ORIGINAL ANNOUNCEMENT

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

The 39 Steps (1959)
May 17th
VCI
Retail $19.99, Our: $15.99

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

We Dive at Dawn (1943)
May 17th
VCI
Retail $19.99, Our: $15.99

More British classics are on the way from VCI as they have announced The 39 Steps (1959) and We Dive at Dawn (1943) for release on May 17th.

We Dive at Dawn has previously been released on DVD by public domain companies, but this is the first region 1 release for 1959's The 39 Steps which stars Kenneth More and Taina Elg. Bonus features are not expected.

Each will retail for $19.99, but are available at ClassicFlix.com for only $15.99.

VCI: The 39 Steps (59), We Dive at Dawn in May

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

The 39 Steps (1959)
May 17th
VCI
Retail $19.99, Our: $15.99

WHAT:
WHEN:
STUDIO:
PRICE:

We Dive at Dawn (1943)
May 17th
VCI
Retail $19.99, Our: $15.99