OLIVE: 3 Jerry Lewis Films Including Rock-a-Bye Baby in February

It's official -- As we reported on Wednesday, first up in Olive Films' second wave of Paramount titles are three Jerry Lewis films: The Geisha Boy (1958), Rock-a-Bye Baby (1958) and Boeing, Boeing (1965). We can now pass on the specifics.

All will be released on February 14th and will be on both standard and Blu-Ray formats. No bonus features are expected. All can be easily viewed in our recent additions section.

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

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WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

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

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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.

MGM BLU: Some Like It Hot, Misfits, Horse Soldiers in May

WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

The Horse Soldiers (Blu-Ray) May 10th MGM Retail $16.99, Our: $13.99

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WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

The Misfits (Blu-Ray) May 10th MGM Retail $19.99, Our: $15.99

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WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

Some Like It Hot (Blu) May 10th MGM Retail $19.99, Our: $15.99

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MGM's Hi-Def output has moved into high gear as they've announced three more Blu-Ray's for release on May 10th: The Horse Soldiers (Blu-Ray), The Misfits (Blu-Ray) and Some Like It Hot (Blu).

Bonus features are not forthcoming, but with the low price points, they are likely to be slim.

TCM VAULT: Audie Murphy Westerns Collection in June

WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: TITLES:

Audie Murphy Westerns Collection (TCM Vault) June 6th Universal Sierra (1950), Ride Clear of Diablo (1954), Drums Across the River (1954), Ride a Crooked Trail (1958)

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More Audie Murphy has been the call, and Universal has heard it loud and clear with the scheduled D-Day release of their Audie Murphy Westerns Collection.

Owned by Universal, and released via TCM's Vault line, this set is now up for pre-order at TCM.com.

The likely four-disc set features:

• Sierra (1950) - Wanda Hendrix, Burl Ives, Dean Jagger, Richard Rober, Tony Curtis
• Ride Clear of Diablo (1954) - Susan Cabot, Dan Duryea
• Drums Across the River (1954) - Walter Brennan, Hugh O'Brian, Jay Silverheels, Regis Toomey, Bob Steele
• Ride a Crooked Trail (1958) - Gia Scala, Walter Matthau, Henry Silva

And while this set 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 early June.

SYNOPSIS:
The most decorated American soldier of World War II, Audie Murphy parlayed his heroic exploits on the battlefield into a successful film career in Hollywood. His handsome, boyish appearance and shy, soft-spoken manner made him an appealing and uniquely different kind of action hero which provided an intriguing contrast to his athletic skill and quiet intensity.

While Murphy was lauded for his fine performances in John Huston's The Red Badge of Courage (1951) and his own film autobiography To Hell and Back (1955), the actor's real claim to fame was his convincing embodiment as a movie archetype - the strong, resilient man of the West.

Of the 44 films that he made, more than half of them were westerns. The Audie Murphy Westerns Collection presents four of his best entries in this popular genre, each digitally remastered.

CRITERION: Sweet Smell of Success - Standard & Blu in February

WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

Sweet Smell of Success February 22nd Criterion Retail $39.95, Our: $31.99

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WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

Sweet Smell of Success (Blu-Ray) February 22nd Criterion Retail $39.95, Our: $31.99

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Previously released by MGM in standard definition, Sweet Smell of Success has been announced by Criterion in both standard & Blu-Ray for release on February 22nd.

The SD release will be a 2-disc set, while the Blu-Ray will be a single disc. Bonus features abound (below).

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

SYNOPSIS:
In Alexander Mackendrick’s swift, cynical Sweet Smell of Success, Burt Lancaster stars as barbaric Broadway gossip columnist J. J. Hunsecker, and Tony Curtis as Sidney Falco, the unprincipled press agent he ropes into smearing the up-and-coming jazz musician romancing his beloved sister.

Featuring deliciously unsavory dialogue in an acid, brilliantly structured script by Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman and noirish neon cityscapes from Oscar-winning cinematographer James Wong Howe, Sweet Smell of Success is a cracklingly cruel dispatch from the kill-or-be-killed wilds of 1950s Manhattan.

BONUS FEATURES:

• New audio commentary by film scholar James Naremore
• Mackendrick: The Man Who Walked Away, a 1986 documentary featuring interviews with director Alexander Mackendrick, actor Burt Lancaster, producer James Hill, and more
• James Wong Howe: Cinematographer, a 1973 documentary about the Oscar-winning director of photography, featuring lighting tutorials with Howe
• New video interview with film critic and historian Neil Gabler (Winchell: Gossip, Power and the Culture of Celebrity) about legendary columnist Walter Winchell, inspiration for the character J. J. Hunsecker
• New video interview with filmmaker James Mangold about Mackendrick, his instructor and mentor
• Original theatrical trailer
• PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Gary Giddins, two short stories by Ernest Lehman featuring the characters from the film, notes about the film by Lehman, and an excerpt from Mackendrick’s book On Film-making

Spartacus (Blu-Ray) - 50th Anniversary Edition in May

WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

Spartacus (Blu-Ray) - 50th Anniversary Edition May 25th Universal Retail: $26.98, Our: $20.99

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Universal has announced a May 25th release date for Spartacus (Blu-Ray) - 50th Anniversary Edition.

Unlike the 2006 HD-DVD release of Spartacus, this hi-def release comes with plenty of bonus features (below). Oddly, no standard definition edition has been announced to coincide with this blu release.

It will be a single disc and retail for $26.98, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $20.99.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Deleted Scenes
• Interview with Peter Ustinov
• Interview with Jean Simmons
• Behind-the-Scenes Footage
• Vintage Newsreels
• Theatrical Trailer
• Production Stills
• Concept Art
• Costume Designs
• Saul Bass Storyboards
• Posters & Print Ads
• My Scenes
• BD Live

M.G.M. Begins MOD Line With Trapeze, Return to Paradise

Dormant since May, M.G.M. is quietly re-entering classic film distibution with the almost stealth placement of some classics over at Amazon.com. However, these aren't standard pressed DVDs, but MOD (manufactured-on-demand) DVD-R's with generic packaging like the Warner Archive line. Due out later this month are:

• Trapeze (1956) - Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Gina Lollobrigida, Katy Jurado, Thomas Gomez
• Return to Paradise (1953) - Gary Cooper
• Two for the Seesaw (1962) - Robert Mitchum, Shirley MacLaine

With no press release forthcoming, we are assuming these are exclusive to Amazon for now. But we have pre-ordered them and they are available to put in your queue.