Due to street on March 31st, 2020, this set marks the first official home video release of all six delightful military comedies, with their final film, Cinecolor produced Here Comes Trouble (1948) - specifically remastered in color from a 35mm print for this set (details at ClassicFlix).
Check out this clip we just posted from Out of the Blue (1947).
Out next Tuesday, November 26th, the star-packed screwball comedy stars George Brent, Virginia Mayo, Turhan Bey, Ann Dvorak and Carole Landis.
If when the cat’s away the mice will play... then henpecked husband Arthur Earthleigh is due for a real rave-up of a weekend when his domineering wife Mae (Carole Landis) goes out of town to visit her sister.
After dropping off his wife at Grand Central Station, Arthur (George Brent) plans to dine alone at a local restaurant, but unexpectedly meets up with tipsy flibbertigibbet Olive Jensen (Ann Dvorak) and later invites her back to his place for a nightcap. It’s all perfectly innocent, of course, but Olive has a tendency to ignore any sign that she’s worn out her welcome. And although she seems to have an iron constitution, Olive soon confesses that she’s subject to fainting spells — a fact Arthur ignores as he later believes he’s killed her when she succumbs to one of her “episodes.”
To avoid scandal, Arthur moves the unconscious Olive to the terrace of his neighbor David Galleo (Turhan Bey) and is doubly pleased in doing so because he’s been trying to evict the bohemian artist and his vexing dog Rabelais. But David and girlfriend Deborah (Virginia Mayo) are on to his scheme and think up their own plot to ensure that Arthur won’t be pushing for dispossession any time soon.
A delightful comedy that echoes the classic screwball farces of the 1930s, Out of the Blue features Carole Landis in one of her final roles (also playing against type as the disapproving Mae) before her tragic passing in 1948, and both Turhan Bey and Virginia Mayo who make an attractive couple as they’re swept up in the insanity. But it’s Ann Dvorak who steals the show as the delightful Olive… the infuriatingly funny and unstoppable force who turns poor Arthur’s world upside down.
Author Vera Caspary, whose works were adapted for such classic films as Laura and A Letter to Three Wives, wrote the story and co-scripted Out of the Blue which was directed by screwball comedy veteran Leigh Jason.
Officially out next Tuesday, 11/12, shipping of the set will begin today for those who have made their purchases at ClassicFlix.com.
Locked away for decades, all five Michael Shayne films made at PRC Studios are making their DVD debut in this special collection from ClassicFlix!
Lloyd Nolan starred as Private Detective Michael Shayne in seven features made at 20th Century-Fox in the early 1940s. After the major studio dropped the series, Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) brought Brett Halliday’s ace crime-solver over to “Poverty Row” in 1946 for these five fun, action-packed whodunnits starring Hugh Beaumont (Leave It to Beaver) as the famed fictional detective.
Whether you're a fan of Brett Halliday, B-mysteries or Hugh Beaumont, The Complete PRC Michael Shayne Mystery Collection delivers the goods with over five hours of crime-solving excitement that will keep you guessing until the very end.
Murder Is My Business (1946, 64 min.)
When a former hood and acquaintance of Michael Shayne is found dead alongside a wealthy client, the private eye looks to stay one step ahead of Chief Detective Pete Rafferty, who wants to implicate Shayne in the crime.
This clever mystery sets the pace well for the remainder of the series and co-stars Cheryl Walker in her first of three turns as the loyal and longing Phyllis Hamilton. Also featuring Ralph Dunn, Lyle Talbot, George Meeker and Virginia Christine.
Larceny in Her Heart (1946, 68 min.)
A desperate step-father pleads with Michael Shayne to find his missing step-daughter, and after clues start piling up, the detective goes undercover in a sanitarium in an attempt to solve the case.
Cheryl Walker is back again as “Phil” and Paul Bryar makes his first of three appearances as reporter and sidekick Tim Rourke. Also featuring Ralph Dunn, Douglas Fowley, Charles C. Wilson and Marie Harmon.
Blonde for a Day (1946, 66 min.)
Michael Shayne has relocated to San Francisco, but returns to Los Angeles when he learns that reporter Tim Rourke is near death after being shot for getting too close to solving three murders tied to a gambling syndicate which uses a blonde to do its dirty work.
Kathryn Adams (real-life Mrs. Hugh Beaumont at the time) played Phyllis Hamilton for the first and only time and retired from acting after this film. Also featuring Cy Kendall (as Inspector Rafferty), Paul Bryar, Charles C. Wilson and Frank Ferguson.
Three on a Ticket (1947, 62 min.)
A man drops dead in his office, a woman asks him to bump off her husband and two mugs jump and beat him unconscious. It’s all in a day’s work for Detective Michael Shayne who tries to piece together the mystery of what makes a baggage check ticket so valuable that it’s worth committing murder.
Cheryl Walker and Ralph Dunn are back in their respective roles of “Phil” and Inspector Rafferty while Paul Bryar takes his third and final turn as Tim Rourke. Also featuring Louise Currie, Douglas Fowley and Gavin Gordon. Too Many Winners (1947, 60 min.)
When too many winning tickets are claimed at Santa Rosita Race Track, everybody’s target is Michael Shayne: the curvaceous tipster who won’t take no for an answer, the shady operator who offers him dough to lay off and the criminal mastermind whose thugs tangle with the sly detective at every turn.
Hugh Beaumont’s last appearance as Brett Halliday’s wisecracking crime-solver co-stars Trudy Marshall as Phyllis Hamilton, and also features Ralph Dunn, Claire Carleton, John Hamilton, Grandon Rhodes, Ben Welden and Byron Foulger.
Check out this restoration comparison which shows the work that went into making the films in this set look presentable for all to enjoy.
SYNOPSIS:
Locked away for decades, all five Michael Shayne films made at PRC Studios are making their DVD debut in this special collection from ClassicFlix!
Lloyd Nolan starred as Private Detective Michael Shayne in seven features made at 20th Century-Fox in the early 1940s. After the major studio dropped the series, Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) brought Brett Halliday’s ace crime-solver over to “Poverty Row” in 1946 for these five fun, action-packed whodunnits starring Hugh Beaumont (Leave It to Beaver) as the famed fictional detective.
Whether you're a fan of Brett Halliday, B-mysteries or Hugh Beaumont, The Complete PRC Michael Shayne Mystery Collection delivers the goods with over five hours of crime-solving excitement that will keep you guessing until the very end.
Murder Is My Business (1946, 64 min.)
When a former hood and acquaintance of Michael Shayne is found dead alongside a wealthy client, the private eye looks to stay one step ahead of Chief Detective Pete Rafferty, who wants to implicate Shayne in the crime.
This clever mystery sets the pace well for the remainder of the series and co-stars Cheryl Walker in her first of three turns as the loyal and longing Phyllis Hamilton. Also featuring Ralph Dunn, Lyle Talbot, George Meeker and Virginia Christine.
Larceny in Her Heart (1946, 68 min.)
A desperate step-father pleads with Michael Shayne to find his missing step-daughter, and after clues start piling up, the detective goes undercover in a sanitarium in an attempt to solve the case.
Cheryl Walker is back again as “Phil” and Paul Bryar makes his first of three appearances as reporter and sidekick Tim Rourke. Also featuring Ralph Dunn, Douglas Fowley, Charles C. Wilson and Marie Harmon.
Blonde for a Day (1946, 66 min.)
Michael Shayne has relocated to San Francisco, but returns to Los Angeles when he learns that reporter Tim Rourke is near death after being shot for getting too close to solving three murders tied to a gambling syndicate which uses a blonde to do its dirty work.
Kathryn Adams (real-life Mrs. Hugh Beaumont at the time) played Phyllis Hamilton for the first and only time and retired from acting after this film. Also featuring Cy Kendall (as Inspector Rafferty), Paul Bryar, Charles C. Wilson and Frank Ferguson.
Three on a Ticket (1947, 62 min.)
A man drops dead in his office, a woman asks him to bump off her husband and two mugs jump and beat him unconscious. It’s all in a day’s work for Detective Michael Shayne who tries to piece together the mystery of what makes a baggage check ticket so valuable that it’s worth committing murder.
Cheryl Walker and Ralph Dunn are back in their respective roles of “Phil” and Inspector Rafferty while Paul Bryar takes his third and final turn as Tim Rourke. Also featuring Louise Currie, Douglas Fowley and Gavin Gordon.
Too Many Winners (1947, 60 min.)
When too many winning tickets are claimed at Santa Rosita Race Track, everybody’s target is Michael Shayne: the curvaceous tipster who won’t take no for an answer, the shady operator who offers him dough to lay off and the criminal mastermind whose thugs tangle with the sly detective at every turn.
Hugh Beaumont’s last appearance as Brett Halliday’s wisecracking crime-solver co-stars Trudy Marshall as Phyllis Hamilton, and also features Ralph Dunn, Claire Carleton, John Hamilton, Grandon Rhodes, Ben Welden and Byron Foulger.
This November 12th, Michael Shayne fans can finally own something they've been trying to get for decades: all five Shayne films made at Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC).
Starring Reed Hadley, this popular anthology series, with all 43 second season episodes culled from original Hal Roach Studio masters, packs each episode with guest stars from the golden age of both film and television.
Starring Reed Hadley, this popular anthology series, with all 26 first season episodes culled from original Hal Roach Studio masters, packs each episode with guest stars from the golden age of both film and television.
Public Defender - The Official First Season hits the streets two weeks from today, and to commemorate the DVD release, ClassicFlix is hosting a free preview event tomorrow night of a full Public Defender episode from 5pm to 9pm PDT on our YouTube channel. We'll also be offering a giveaway of Public Defender - The Official First Season during the preview on our Facebook page (instructions on how to win will be posted in the YouTube comment section and on our Facebook page). The episode, Let Justice Be Done, like many in the series, boasts a terrific array of actors from the golden age and television of film: Patrick O'Neal (In Harm's Way), Skip Homeier (Cry Vengeance), Noel Neill (TVs Superman), Allene Roberts (The Red House). Don't miss this special one-time event to see a full episode from Hal Roach vault masters and a chance to win a free copy of this exciting series.
Having undergone a major restoration, the romantic comedy send-up of Tinseltown Stand-In (1937), starring Leslie Howard, Joan Blondell and featuring Humphrey Bogart, is set to be released on February 26th.
For your enjoyment, we've cut both a custom trailer as well as a restoration comparison which you'll find below.
