The Vivien Leigh Anniversary Collection DVD & Blu in November

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The Vivien Leigh Anniversary Collection
November 19th
Cohen Media
Retail $49.98, Our: $40.99
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The Vivien Leigh Anniversary Collection (Blu)
November 19th
Cohen Media
Retail $59.98, Our: $47.99
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To mark the 100th year of her birth, Cohen Media has announced The Vivien Leigh Anniversary Collection on both standard DVD and Blu-Ray with a street date of November 19th.

Making their Blu debut, all four films, Dark Journey (1937), Fire Over England (1937), Storm in a Teacup (1937) and Sidewalks of London (1938) were releasd on DVD by Genius Entertainment in 2003. The set has long been out of print.

Bonus features are not forthcoming.


COLUMBIA CLASSICS: Betty Compson is The Belle of Broadway

A first for Sony this week as they have announced a silent film, The Belle of Broadway (1926), to be released as part of their Columbia Classic line. Prior to Belle, the studios MOD program had only offered sound films.

As the original poster art declared, the Betty Compson film is "A romantic drama of youth glorified -- age defied.  It is due to street on December 3rd.
ORIGINAL POSTER

FOX ARCHIVES: Cesar Romero Stars in 2 Cisco Features

Three more from Fox's Cinema Archives line are due on October 15th.

Two star Cesar Romero as the Cisco Kid: The Cisco Kid and the Lady (1939) & The Gay Caballero (1940).

The other is the 1950 war documentary Farewell to Yesterday.

These new DVDs add to the total of over 200 Fox Cinema Archive titles exclusively available for rent at ClassicFlix.com.





WARNER ARCHIVE: Vivacious Lady & More in James Stewart Wave

Four and a half years into their MOD program and Warner is still cranking out gems.

This week is no exception as James Stewart is headlined in three releases from the Warner Archive Collection. They are:
  • No Time for Comedy (1940) - Rosalind Russell, Charles Ruggles, Genevieve Tobin, Louise Beavers, Allyn Joslyn
  • Of Human Hearts (1938) - Walter Huston, Beulah Bondi, Gene Reynolds, Guy Kibbee, Charles Coburn, John Carradine, Ann Rutherford, Charley Grapewin, Gene Lockhart
  • Vivacious Lady (1938) - Ginger Rogers, James Ellison, Beulah Bondi, Charles Coburn
All will be available here at ClassicFlix on October 22nd.

These new DVDs add to the total of over 1,200 Warner Archive titles exclusively available for rent at ClassicFlix.com.





ARTWORK UPDATE: Cinerama Holiday & South Seas Adventure

-- SLIGHT CHANGE IN COVER ART FOR FLICKER'S UPCOMING CINERAMA RELEASES --
-- UPDATED ARTWORK ADDED TO PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENT --



ORIGINAL ANNOUNCEMENT

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Cinerama Holiday (Blu-Ray / DVD)
October 22nd
Flicker Alley
Retail: $39.95, Our: $34.99
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Cinerama South Seas Adventure (Blu-Ray / DVD)
October 22nd
Flicker Alley
Retail: $39.95, Our: $34.99
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Flicker Alley has announced two more Cinerama releases: Cinerama Holiday (Blu-Ray / DVD) and Cinerama South Seas Adventure (Blu-Ray / DVD).

Both are Blu-Ray/DVD combo sets with a street date of October 22nd. Each will come with loads of bonus features (below).




It’s winter in Switzerland, it’s summer in New England, it’s daybreak on the desert, it’s dancing till dawn, it’s spring in Paris, it’s jazz in New Orleans…it’s every holiday you ever dreamed of…come true!
 
Cinerama Holiday was the 2nd of the original, 3-panel Cinerama travelogues. Released in 1955, the motion picture crisscrosses two hybridized travelogues of the “Cinerama camera accompanied” vacations of two adventurous, real-life, married couples. We meet first, Fred and Beatrice Troller, from Zurich, Switzerland, who upon their arrival on the first transatlantic flight to ever land in Kansas City, unload their motor scooter and begin a panoramic tour of America, which begins with them driving up Fremont Street in Las Vegas and catching a casino floor show. Meanwhile, Betty and John Marsh, leave their Kansas City home to take off on the same plane the Troller’s arrived on, for a return flight to Switzerland where this couple take in an outdoor ice show in St. Moritz, and where John rides a bobsled, beginning their European vacation. The latter of which provides just one of the film’s obvious, immersive, “thrill” sequences accentuated by the three-camera/curved-view format.
 
The Swiss couple are awed by sights of the American west viewed from the “Vista-Dome” of a speeding California Zephyr train, ride a cable car in San Francisco, observe a New Orleans “jazz funeral”, a performance of “Tiger Rag” by Oscar Celestin, and visit a New England county fair, where the Ferris wheel provides another immersive cinematic experience.  Meanwhile, the American couple ski the Swiss Alps with hundreds of fellow skiers, and thereafter discover the joy of singing and “fondue” in a Swiss tavern, and then move on to Paris, where they take in the Paris Opera, the Louvre, High Mass at the Cathedral of Notre Dame, a Grand Guignol puppet show, see the spring line in a fashion show, and a floor show in the famous Lido. Both couples meet up in New York City to “finish” their movie, so to speak, and are treated to a finale of the U.S. Navy’s “Blue Angels” performing near-supersonic aerial maneuvers and landing on an aircraft carrier. And all of that’s a Cinerama Holiday!
 
Unseen theatrically since the early 1970’s, and never before broadcast or issued on home video, the picture now digitally remastered from its original camera negatives, is now newly presented in the Smilebox Curved Screen Simulation. It is a fascinating time capsule of the 1950’s, an age in which most people had yet to experience a flight in a plane.

BONUS FEATURES:
  • The original Cinerama Holiday breakdown reel
  • New interviews with original participants
  • Original 8 mm home movies
  • A demonstration and comparison of the film’s restoration
  • An amazing scrapbook of images made during production
  • A booklet reproduction of an original program
  • And much more!



Cinerama South Seas Adventure proved to be the 5th and last of the original, 3-panel Cinerama travelogues. Released in 1958, and 4 months after the 3-panel competitor, “Windjammer: The Voyage of the Christian Radich”, it is at moments similar, although overall an entirely different tale than previously seen in the format.  Five separate stories are dramatized, woven out of a series of theoretical, island-hopping voyages that start en route to Hawaii, and after traversing the South Seas as far as Australia, end up flying back home from Honolulu.


In between, through both an adventurous shipboard passenger, a returning American WWII veteran, and the enthused narration, we're taken island hopping to stops in places lush, tranquil, and inviting, like Tahiti, Tonga and Fiji, then to and the even more exotic, primitive Pentecost Island.  Native dancing and song are celebrated alongside cultures and customs spanning thousands of years. Sailing onward to New Zealand, we're reminded it's also an island, in fact two, with an unexpected geography including volcanoes and snow-covered mountain ranges. From there we' travel on to Australia, where we follow the arrival of a new European immigrant man and his young daughter, as they get accustomed to native animals like koalas and kangaroos, and then settle in for a new life in the "outback". There, they become integral in stories illustrating life in such isolated areas, including both the "School of the Air", a classroom conducted over the radio and the Flying Doctor Service, similarly radio-dispatched.
 
Unseen theatrically since the early 1970’s, and never before issued on home video, Cinerama South Seas Adventure is the original road show version of the picture, complete with overture, intermission and exit music, now newly presented in the Smilebox Curved Screen Simulation. Now digitally remastered from the original camera negatives, the picture shines bright emitting both a panorama that is at times breathtakingly colorful, and a sparklingly clear, seven-channel sound track, as well as a fascinating time capsule of 1950’s innocence and quaintness. With a partial narration by Orson Welles, the picture also, surprisingly may be the first to chronicle primitive bungee jumping.

BONUS FEATURES:

  • Interviews with original participants
  • A vintage Renault promotional film as originally presented in 3-panel Cinerama
  • Clips from “In The Wake of Captain Cook,” a Carl Dudley short on the South Seas with behind the scenes filming of South Seas Adventure
  • Many behind the scene stills and promotional materials
  • A booklet reproduction of an original program
  • And much more!

D. W. Griffith's Intolerance - DVD & Blu in November

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Intolerance
November 5th
Cohen Media
Retail $39.98, Our: $30.99
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Intolerance (Blu-Ray)
November 5th
Cohen Media
Retail $49.98, Our: $40.99
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Cohen Media has announced D.W. Griffith's Intolerance (1916) on both standard DVD and Blu-Ray.

The 197 minute epic is set for a November 5th release date. Bonus features are not forthcoming.


Intolerance and its terrible effects are examined in four historical eras.

In ancient Babylon, a mountain girl is caught up in the religious rivalry that leads to the city's downfall. In Judea, the hypocritical Pharisees condemn Jesus Christ. In 1572 Paris, unaware of the impending St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre two young Huguenots prepare for marriage. Finally, in America, social reformers destroy the lives of a young woman and her beloved.

NOTE: We will continue to carry Kino's previous DVD version as the bonus features on it are numerous.

WARNER ARCHIVE: Bette Davis & Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

Three releases from the Warner Archive Collection this week with Bette Davis, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and George Arliss headlining. They are:
  • Love is a Racket (1932) - Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Ann Dvorak, Frances Dee, Lee Tracy, Lyle Talbot, Warren Hymer
  • Parachute Jumper (1933) - Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Bette Davis, Frank McHugh, Claire Dodd, Leo Carrillo, Harold Huber
  • The Working Man (1933) - George Arliss, Bette Davis
All will be available here at ClassicFlix on October 15th.

These new DVDs add to the total of over 1,200 Warner Archive titles exclusively available for rent at ClassicFlix.com.





OLIVE: The Bells of St. Mary's - DVD & Blu in November

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The Bells of St. Mary's
November 19th
Olive Films
Retail: $19.95, Our: $14.99
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The Bells of St. Mary's (Blu-Ray)
November 19th
Olive Films
Retail: $29.95, Our: $21.99
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Previously released by Republic on DVD, Olive Films has announced the DVD and Blu-Ray release of The Bells of St. Mary's (1945) with a scheduled street date of November 19th.

Unlike many of Olive's offerings, Bells includes a bonus feature: The Look of Love: An Essay by Film Critic R. Emmet Sweeney.



Witty, heartwarming and one of the most beloved classics of all time, The Bells of St. Mary's delivers all the entertainment of its predecessor, the award winning Going My Way. Bing Crosby recreates his Oscar-winning (Best Actor) role as parish priest Father O’Malley.

The easy-going O’Malley is sent to revive a financially ailing parochial school and immediately finds himself at odds with no-nonsense Sister Benedict (Ingrid Bergman) on how to educate the children. Beyond their delightful battle of wits lies a bigger problem--the skinflint businessman next door (Henry Travers) wants St. Mary’s condemned, so he can build a parking lot for his employees.

Only a miracle can save St. Mary’s now … how a devilish situation finds a heavenly solution remains to be seen in this captivating family classic that was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress. Directed by Leo McCarey (Going My Way).

BONUS FEATURE: 

  • The Look of Love: An Essay by Film Critic R. Emmet Sweeney

TCM VAULT: John Ford - The Columbia Films Collection

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John Ford - The Columbia Films Collection (TCM Vault)
October 15th
Sony
The Whole Town's Talking (1935), The Long Gray Line (1955), Gideon of Scotland Yard (1958), The Last Hurrah (1958), Two Rode Together (1961)
 

John Ford is getting a TCM Vault release on October 15th.

The 5-disc set, John Ford - The Columbia Films Collection, will contain three new-to-DVD titles: The Whole Town's Talking (1935), Gideon of Scotland Yard (1958) and Two Rode Together (1961); and two that were previously released: The Last Hurrah (1958) and The Long Gray Line (1955).

Bonus features will be those usually associated with the Vault line (below).

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


Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, The Film Foundation and Turner Classic Movies partner to present John Ford: The Columbia Collection, a special set of fully restored and remastered films. In a remarkable career spanning 50 years and 140 films, John Ford established himself as one of the greatest American directors with such legendary Westerns as Stagecoach (1939) and The Searchers (1956) and literary adaptations as The Grapes of Wrath (1940) and Tobacco Road (1941), ultimately earning a record four Academy Awards for Best Director.

Now, John Ford: The Columbia Films Collection showcases the quality of Ford’s work for Columbia Pictures over the course of nearly three decades, in genres as diverse as Biopic and Romantic Comedy.

The Whole Town's Talking (1935)
Edward G. Robinson and Jean Arthur star in this comedic caper of mistaken identities, with Robinson playing the roles of a bland accountant who is mistaken for a notorious gangster and the gangster himself, who takes advantage of the resemblance for criminal schemes. Arthur finds herself caught in the crossfire in this fast-paced farce based on a story by W.R. Burnett (novelist, Little Caesar).

The Long Gray Line (1955)
Based on the true story of Marty Maher, a humble Irish immigrant who rose through the ranks to become one of West Point's most beloved instructors, The Long Gray Line is a rousing tribute to a remarkable man and his way of life. Director John Ford and star Tyrone Power, themselves the sons of Irish immigrants, bring an extra dimension of fidelity and fervor to this inspiring biography.

Newly arrived in America, Maher's first job was as a waiter at West Point. Clumsy and boisterous, he quickly broke so much of the military academy's china that he was forced to join the army to repay his debts. But once enlisted, the rough-and-ready Dubliner served his adopted nation with rare dedication, establishing himself as an inspirational coach at West Point.

Spanning 50 years and two world wars, the film shows Maher at his best, molding and motivating the young men who would become America's heroes and presidents. Filmed on location with a stellar supporting cast (including Ford favorites Maureen O'Hara, Ward Bond and Harry Carey, Jr.), The Long Gray Line) is a stirring reminder of Marty Maher's proud place in history.

Gideon of Scotland Yard (1958)
Based on the popular procedural novels by John Creasey, this ingenious comedic drama is a “typical” day in the life of Scotland Yard Inspector George Gideon (Jack Hawkins), which begins when an overzealous young officer issues him a ticket and ends when he returns home to find his daughter leaving on a date with that same officer. In between, the Inspector foils numerous crimes—all in a day’s work!

The Last Hurrah (1958)
In The Last Hurrah, John Ford explores the quintessential Irish-American rogue: the big city politician. Widely believed to be based on the life of Boston mayor James Curley. The Last Hurrah stars Spencer Tracey (whom Ford discovered) as mayor Frank Skeffington, the last of a dying breed of grassroots politicians.

Facing a re-election challenge from a new kind of candidate- the TV candidate- Skeffington pulls out all the stops in an old-fashioned, rip-roaring campaign which enrages the WASP establishment. Supported by a superb cast of character actors, including Pat O’Brien, John Carradine, Basil Rathbone and James Gleason (heralded at the time as the largest collection of scene-stealers ever assembled), Tracey gives a spellbinding performance in this frank and funny, and ultimately wrenching, portrait of a great man’s final days.

Two Rode Together (1961)
James Stewart plays an unethical US Marshall who is summoned to accompany an army officer (Richard Widmark) on a mission to secure the release of two prisoners from the Commanches—a journey that takes an unexpected turn when one of those captives turns out to be an alluring woman. A provocative script by Frank Nugent (The Searchers) tackles enduring questions of race, greed and love.

BONUS FEATURES:

  • Ben Mankiewicz Intro
  • Leonard Maltin Commentaries on Each Title
  • Audie Murphy Biography
  • Scene Stills
  • Publicity Stills
  • Movie Posters
  • TCMDb Article

FOX: The Three Faces of Eve (Blu-Ray) in November

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The Three Faces of Eve (Blu-Ray)
November 5th
20th Century Fox
Retail $24.99, Our: $19.99
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More Blu from Fox as they have announced a November 5th release date for The Three Faces of Eve (Blu-Ray).

Bonus features will carry over from the DVD release. The studio is also issuing a repackaged DVD on the same day.


Eve White, a mousy, withdrawn housewife startles her husband (David Wayne) when she claims she did not buy the flashy, provocative clothes he finds in their bedroom. After she complains of blackouts, he takes her to a psychiatrist (Lee J. Cobb) who soon encounters her second personality, Eve Black, a sexy, uninhibited woman.

As Eve's therapy continues, her third self, the sensible, intelligent Jane appears to help resolve her rare multiple personality condition. Based on a true story, this acclaimed psychological drama brilliantly explores the dimensions of the human mind.

BONUS FEATURES:

  • Commentary by film historian Aubrey Solomon
  • Fox Movietone News: Academy Awards
  • Theatrical Trailer

WARNER ARCHIVE: William Powell at Warner Bros.

A very welcome release from Warner's Archive Collection this week as William Powell at Warner Bros. has been announced.

The 4-disc set contains the four films listed below and adds to the total of over 1,200 Warner Archive titles exclusively available for rent at ClassicFlix.com.

Between his matinee idol silent Paramount era and his grand gent days at MGM, William Powell enjoyed a 9-film interregnum on the gritty streets of the Warner Bros. lot. As the studio struggled with how to fit the suave thespian in amongst its assortment of rough-hewn character mooks and mugs, Powell himself struggled to find vehicles that would best show off his strengths. What emerged is a series of seldom-seen gems that display a truly titanic talent in its nascent stages.

The Road to Singapore (1931)
Powell plays the cad who came back in this tale of torpid torment and tempestuous passions in the tropics. Doris Kenyon plays the object of his attention while Louis Calhern plays the cuckold. Alfred E. Green (Baby Face) directs.

High Pressure (1932)
Mervyn LeRoy directs Powell as a scurrilous stock promoter cursed with the Achilles’ heel of actually buying into the hokum he’s peddling. A riotous, sly delight peppered with clever characters and quick wits.

Private Detective 62 (1933)
Powell plays a disgraced and disavowed secret agent who turns to divorce work to keep his kitchen from getting lean. Bankrolled by a hood and partnered with a fink, he gets tasked with getting the goods on a gambling lady. But in this game of cards it’s the lady who has the best hand. The indispensable Michael Curtiz directs.

The Key (1934)
Both sides of the Irish uprising — “the Irish problem” for the British, “the troubles” for the natives of Eire — bookends this tale of a romantic triangle among the occupying forces. Powell plays a cynical seducer soldier-of-fortune, Edna Best is the lass he left behind, and Colin Clive is the intel officer who courted and kept her. Michael Curtiz directs with a sympathetic eye to both sides.

TIMELESS: Gene Autry Collection, Vol. 4 in November

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Gene Autry Collection, Vol. 4
November 12th
Timeless Media Group
Retail: $16.97, Our: $14.99
The Old Barn Dance (1938), Blue Montana Skies (1939), Sierra Sue (1941) and Cowboy Serenade (1942)
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Warner has announced a May 21st release date for Ultimate Gangsters Collection (Blu-Ray).

All four titles (above) are making their DVD debut and bonus features are expected (below).

The 2-disc set will retail for $16.97, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $14.99.


Gene Autry is the only entertainer with all five stars on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, one each for Radio, Recording, Motion Pictures, Television and Live performance. He was the silver screen's first singing cowboy and is credited with creating the genre of the musical B Western.

As the star of 89 feature films, Gene brings music, comedy and action to each of his roles. Now, for the first time on DVD, Gene Autry's rollicking big screen adventures and unforgettable tunes are brought home in these Western classics, fully restored and uncut from Autry's personal film archives.

The Old Barn Dance (1938, 60 min.)
Gene Autry and Frog Millhouse are horse traders who run into trouble when an unscrupulous tractor company starts selling the modern machines to farmers. To make money, Gene and his cowboy band perform on a radio station, only to be tricked into endorsing the tractors! Gene and Frog must soon clear their good names when the farmers are foreclosed on and think Gene has double-crossed them.

Gene sings "Ten Little Miles," "Rocky Mountain Rose," "The Old Barn Dance/Then And Now," "Roamin' Around The Range," "The Old Chisholm Trail" and Smiley Burnette sings "Old Nell" and "The New Jassackaphone," Additional numbers "Eating Wax" by Walter Shrum and His Colorado Hillbillies, "The Tree in the Wood" by the Maple City Four.

Blue Montana Skies (1939, 56 min.)
Federal Investigator Gene Autry and his pal, Frog Millhouse, head North to apprehend a gang of fur smugglers who swoop across the Canadian border, plunder the trappers' pelts, and then mysteriously return to the U.S. When the trail leads to the H-H dude ranch owned by a beautiful young gal, the action heats up with a cattle stampede, a kerosene explosion, and an avalanche.

Gene sings "Neath The Blue Montana Skies," and "I Just Want You," plus Gene and Smiley Burnette sing "Rockin' In The Saddle All Day," and "Old Geezer," plus Gene and Walter Shrum and His Colorado Hillbillies, sing "Famous Men of the West."

Sierra Sue (1941, 64 min.)
When poisonous devil weed threatens cattle, State Inspectors Gene Autry and Frog Millhouse try to help an old-fashioned ranching community opposed to the new modern methods. There's action on the ground and in the air with Gene racing stampeding cattle and Frog as "The Human Cannonball."

Gene Autry sings "Be Honest With Me," "I'll Be True While You're Gone," "Sierra Sue," and "Ridin' The Range." Sidekick Smiley Burnette sings "Heebie Jeebie Blues."

Cowboy Serenade (1942, 66 min.)
When a young member of the Cattlemen's Association is sent to sell cattle to a packing plant he is soon swindled by professional card sharks. Gene Autry and Frog Millhouse investigate to recover the cattle, find the young man, and clear his name. Things get complicated when the ringleader's unsuspecting daughter gets involved.

Gene and Smiley Burnette sing "Cowboy Serenade," while Gene sings "Nobody Knows," "Sweethearts or Strangers," Fay McKenzie sings "Tahiti Honey" and Gene and Fay reprise "Cowboy Serenade."

BONUS FEATURES (Both Discs):

  • Reminiscing with Gene Autry and Pat Buttram at the "Melody Ranch Theater"
  • Excerpts from the Original "Melody Ranch Radio Show"
  • Production and Publicity Stills
  • Poster and Lobby Card Art
  • Trivia and Movie Facts

UNIVERSAL VAULT: DeMille, Alan Ladd, Loretta Young & W.C. Fields

Four long overdue titles -- all with big names -- have been added from Universal's Vault Series:
  • China (1943) - Loretta Young, Alan Ladd, William Bendix, Philip Ahn & dir. by John Farrow
  • This Day and Age (1933) - Charles Bickford, Richard Cromwell, Judith Allen & dir. by Cecil B. DeMille
  • Tillie and Gus (1933) - W.C. Fields, Alison Skipworth, Baby LeRoy, Julie Bishop
  • Back to God's Country (1953) - Rock Hudson, Marcia Henderson, Steve Cochran, Hugh O'Brian
All are now available for rent at ClassicFlix... and nowhere else!