TIMELESS: Peter Gunn - The Complete Series in October

WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

Peter Gunn - The Complete Series October 23rd Timeless Media Group Retail: $99.98, Our: $84.99

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High on the list of unavailable TV shows has been Peter Gunn. No longer.

Previously released in best of sets by A & E, the entire series has been announced by Timeless Media for release on October 23rd.

The 12-disc set will retail for $99.98, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $84.99. A bonus CD will be included.


Peter Gunn, played by Craig Stevens, Pete to his friends, is a handsome, suave detective working out of a smoke-filled jazz club. Actors featured: Lola Albright, Hope Emerson, Minerva Urecal, Herschel Bernardi. Created and produced by Black Edwards.

Mary Pickford Rags and Riches Collection in November

WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: TITLES:

Mary Pickford Rags and Riches Collection November 6th Milestone Retail: $34.95, Our: $27.99 The Poor Little Rich Girl (1917), The Hoodlum (1918), Sparrows (1926)

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WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE: TITLES:

Mary Pickford Rags and Riches Collection (Blu-Ray) November 6th Milestone Retail: $39.95, Our: $31.99 The Poor Little Rich Girl (1917), The Hoodlum (1918), Sparrows (1926)

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No longer licensing out their catalog to Image Entertainment, Milestone is now producing their own products.

Although up to this point they had been mostly re-releasing material, that all changes with today's announcement of their Mary Pickford Rags and Riches Collection on both standard and Blu-Ray set for November 6th.

Poor Little Rich Girl and The Hoodlum are making their DVD & Blu debut's, while this will be the Blu bow for Sparrows. Bonus features abound (below).


SYNOPSIS:
Mary Pickford is known today as the first film actress to achieve international super stardom. Funny, feisty and diminutive, she was also the first actor to have complete artistic control of her films. And because Pickford chose to work with the best directors, writers, craftsmen and editors, what incredible films they are.

These three titles, newly mastered with full orchestral scores, demonstrate the star‘s commitment to excellence and the brilliant range of her acting.

The Poor Little Rich Girl (1917)
The story of Gwendolyn, a lonely child who is neglected by parents who chase after wealth and social status.

Given an accidental overdose of dangerous sleeping potion, the young girl feverishly dreams wild adventures, culminating in meeting Death itself. Maurice Tourneur's masterpiece, combining fantasy and macabre drama, was selected to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Commentary by film historian Scott Eyman
• A home movie from Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbank’s legendary Hollywood home, Pickfair.

The Hoodlum (1918)
Pickford is the pampered and ill-tempered Amy Burke, who lives with her wealthy grandfather in a New York mansion. Bored with her posh surroundings, she decides to try slumming with her sociologist father in an East Side tenement, with hilarious results!

BONUS FEATURE:

• Mary Pickford in Ramona (1910. 17 mins.)

Sparrows (1926)
Ernst Lubitsch called Sparrows “one of the eight wonders of the world” and this wonderful film still ranks as a masterpiece of Gothic suspense.

Deep in the Southern swamps, the Grimes family operates a baby farm where unwanted or “lost” children are cruelly underfed and overworked. When the children are threatened, Mama Mollie (Pickford), the oldest of the kids, leads her troop through an alligator-infested swamp in one of the most harrowing escapes in cinema history.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Video interview with Mary Louise Miller's daughter Louise Paziak
• Commentary by film historians Jeffrey Vance and Tony Maietta
• An original 1926 trailer
• The “Angel” outtakes

FILM CHEST: Suddenly (Blu-Ray) in September

WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

Suddenly (Blu-Ray / DVD Combo) September 25th Film Chest Retail $15.98, Our: $12.99 SPECIAL 3-Day Price $9.98

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Coming off impressive restorations of The Red House and The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, Film Chest has scheduled a September 25th release date for Suddenly (Blu-Ray / DVD Combo).

The chilling hostage thriller starring Frank Sinatra will come with bonus features which have not yet been determined.

Retail is $15.98, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $12.99. However, for 3 days only (until Friday July 13th) it'll have a special pre-order price of $9.98.

DUKE: Three Mesquiteers Wave on Standard & Blu in October

Four John Wayne Three Mesquiteers Westerns are coming to DVD and Blu-Ray on October 2nd courtesy of Olive films. They are:

• Overland Stage Raiders (1938)
• Red River Range (1938)
• The Night Riders (1939)
• Three Texas Steers (1939)

All can be found in the recent additions section. Notable co-stars in two of the oaters are Louise Brooks (Overland Stage Raiders) in here final screen appearance and a young Carole Landis (Three Texas Steers).

Slapstick Encyclopedia in September

WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

Slapstick Encyclopedia September 25th Image Entertainment Retail: $16.98, Our: $13.99

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Slapstick Encyclopedia is coming back into print from Image Entertainment on September 25th.

Released 10 years ago, the 5-disc set includes ten volumes with over 21 hours of slapstick fun! Retail will be $16.98, but it is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $13.99.

SYNOPSIS:
Highlighting the Golden Age of screen comedy as it has never been presented before, Slapstick Encyclopedia collects more than fifty silent short comedies with new musical soundtracks.

Laurel and Hardy, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Buster Keaton, Mack Sennett, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Harry Langdon, Will Rogers, Ben Turpin and more—from the early innovators, who redesigned the routines of vaudeville with narrative form, to the celebrated masters whose inspired improvisations helped establish the world dominance of American film, Slapstick Encyclopedia is your laugh-filled tour of this eternally appealing art.

10 Volumes:

• In the Beginning - Film Comedy Pioneers
• Keystone Tonight!
• Mack Sennett Comedies - Sennett in the Twenties
• Funny Girls: Genders and Their Benders
• Keaton, Arbuckle and St. John
• Hal Roach's All-Star Comedians
• Hal Roach - The Lot of Fun
• Chaplin and the Music Hall Tradition
• The Race is On
• Tons of Fun - The Anarchic Fringe

Federal Men in July

WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

Federal Men July 31st Film Chest Retail: $24.98, Our: $19.99

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Film Chest has announced the crime-drama series Federal Men set for release on July 31st.

The series, also known as Treasury Men in Action, had a five-year run with over 180 episodes and starred Walter Greaza.

The 3-disc set, with 16 episodes from season 5, will retail for $24.98, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $19.99. More details below.


Federal Men, which ran for five seasons (1950-55) on ABC, featured true government stories of fraud and deception. In each thrilling episode – based on real-life cases – “The Chief” (Walter Greaza, The Street With No Name) and his agents pursue counterfeiters, loan sharks, gamblers, bootleggers, swindlers, smugglers and confidence men.

Featuring a who’s-who of Hollywood, series guest stars included James Dean, Claude Atkins, Carolyn Jones and Ben Gazzara and more.

Episodes featured in this three-disc collection from the fifth and final season include:

• The Case of the Man Outside
• The Case of the Bad Bargain
• The Case of the Black Sheep
• The Case of the Little Tin Box
• The Case of the Man Trap
• The Case of the Gentleman Cheat
• The Case of the Green Feathers
• The Case of the Buried Treasure
• The Case of the Princely Pauper
• The Case of the Iron Curtain
• The Case of the Man Next Door
• The Case of the Tight Squeeze
• The Case of the Leather Bags
• The Case of the Chartered Chiseler
• The Case of the Slippery Eel
• The Case of the Steady Hand

ARTWORK ADDED: Baby Jane, Dead Ringer Blus

--ARTWORK ADDED TO PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENT--

ORIGINAL ANNOUNCEMENT

WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (Blu-Ray) October 9th Warner Bros. Retail: $34.99, Our: $30.99

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WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (50th Anniversary Edition) October 9th Warner Bros. Retail: $14.96, Our: $12.99

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WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

Dead Ringer (Blu-Ray) October 9th Warner Bros. Retail: $19.98, Our: $15.99

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Bette Davis will go Blu twice on October 9th as Warner has scheduled the Blu-Ray debuts of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? and Dead Ringer.

Also out will be a 2-disc standard DVD (50th Anniversary Edition) of Baby Jane which will carry over the bonus features from the previous edition. Ringer is expected to carry over bonus features as well.

The Blu-Ray Book release of Baby Jane will carry over all the bonus features too, plus include 36 pages of essays and behind-the-scenes photography.

COLUMBIA CLASSICS: Time Out for Rhythm, The Heat's On & Westerns

Sony has announced eight Columbia Classic DVDs for release on August 7th.

Two highly anticipated titles are Time Out for Rhythm (1941) starring Rudy Vallee and Ann Miller and featuring Rosemary Lane, Allen Jenkins and the Three Stooges; and The Heat's On (1943) starring Mae West.

Also out are:

• The Crooked Web (1955) - Frank Lovejoy, Mari Blanchard, Richard Denning
• The Nebraskan (1953) - Philip Carey, Roberta Haynes, Wallace Ford, Richard Webb, Lee Van Cleef
• A Tornado in the Saddle (1942) - Russell Hayden, Dub Taylor, Tristram Coffin
• The World Was His Jury (1958) - Edmond O'Brien, Mona Freeman, Karin Booth, Robert McQueeney, Paul Birch
• Wyoming Renegades (1954) - Philip Carey, Gene Evans, Martha Hyer, William Bishop, Douglas Kennedy

Lord Jim (1965), which has long been out of print on standard DVD, is also being released as part of this MOD wave.

BLU: Universal Classic Monsters - The Essential Collection in October

WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: PRICE:

Universal Classic Monsters (Blu-Ray) October 2nd Universal Retail: $159.98, Our: $129.99

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Expected for some time, Universal has announced an October 2nd release date for Universal Classic Monsters - The Essential Collection (Blu-Ray).

The 8-disc set features eight of the "most iconic monsters in motion picture history including Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, Phantom of the Opera and Creature from the Black Lagoon (2D & 3D)."

It contains an exclusive collectible book, as well as over 12 hours of bonus features, with old and new ones in the mix. Details below.

It will retail for $159.98, but is available at ClassicFlix.com for only $129.99.

NOTE: Singles will not be made available. When there are, we will have them for rent.

SYNOPSIS:
From the era of silent movies through present day, Universal Pictures has been regarded as the home of the monsters. Now, Universal Classic Monsters - The Essential Collection showcases 8 of the most iconic monsters in motion picture history including Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, Phantom of the Opera and Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Starring Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney, Jr., Claude Rains and Elsa Lanchester in the roles that they made famous, these original films set the standard for a new horror genre with revolutionary makeup, mood-altering cinematography and groundbreaking special effects.

Featuring over 12 hours of revealing bonus features plus an exclusive collectible book, each film has been digitally restored from high resolution film elements for the ultimate classic monster experience.

Dracula (1931) - English & Spanish Versions
Relive the horror, the mystery, and the intrigue of the original 1931 vampire masterpiece starring Bela Lugosi and directed by Tod Browning. The inspiration for hundreds of subsequent remakes and adaptations, this classic film launched the Hollywood horror genre with its eerie passion, shadowy atmosphere, and thrilling cinematography. The children of the night are calling…

BONUS FEATURES:

• The Road to Dracula
  
• Lugosi: The Dark Prince
  
• Dracula: The Restoration
• Monster Tracks
• Dracula Archives
  
• Alternate Score by Philip Glass Performed by The Kronos Quartet
• Feature Commentary with Film Historian David J. Shal
• Feature Commentary with Screenwriter Steve Haberman
• Trailer Gallery

Frankenstein (1931)
Boris Karloff stars as the screen's most memorable monster in what many consider to be the greatest horror film ever made. Dr. Frankenstein (Colin Clive) dares to tamper with the life and death by creating a human monster (Karloff) out of lifeless body parts. It's director James Whales' adaption of the Mary Shelley novel blended with Karloff's compassionate portrayal of a creature groping for identity that makes Frankenstein a masterpiece not only of genre, but for all time.

BONUS FEATURES:

• The Frankenstein Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster
  
• Karloff: The Gentle Monster
  
• Monster Tracks
  
• Universal Horror
  
• Frankenstein Archives
  
• Boo! A Short Film
  
• Feature Commentary with Film Historian Rudy Behlmer
• Feature Commentary with Historian Sir Christopher Frayling
• Trailer Gallery
• 100 Years of Universal: Restoring the Classics
  

The Mummy (1932)
In 1921 a field expedition in Egypt discovers the mummy of ancient Egyptian prince Im-Ho-Tep, who was condemned and buried alive for sacrilege. Also found in the tomb is the Scroll of Thoth, which can bring the dead back to life. One night a young member of the expedition reads the Scroll out loud, and then goes insane, realizing that he has brought Im-Ho-Tep back to life. Ten years later, disguised as a modern Egyptian, the mummy attempts to reunite with his lost love, an ancient princess who has been reincarnated into a beautiful young woman.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed
  
• He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art of Jack Pierce
  
• Unraveling The Legacy of The Mummy
  
• The Mummy Archives
  
• Feature Commentary with Rick Baker, Scott Essman, Steve Haberman, Bob Burns and Brent Armstrong
• Feature Commentary with Film Historian Paul M. Jensen
• Trailer Gallery
• 100 Years of Universal: The Carl Laemmle Era
  

The Invisible Man (1933)
Claude Rains delivers a remarkable performance in his screen debut as a mysterious doctor who discovers a serum that makes him invisible. Covered by bandages and dark glasses, Rains arrives at a small English village and attempts to hide his amazing discover. But the same drug which rends him invisible slowly drives him to commit acts of unspeakable terror.

Based on H.G. Well' classic novel and direct by the master of macabre James Whale, The Invisible Man no only fueled a host of sequels but features some special effects that are still imitated today.

The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
One of the most popular horror classics of all time and an acclaimed sequel to the original Frankenstein. The legendary Boris Karloff reprises his role as the screen's most understood monster who now longs for a mate of his own. Colin Clive is back as the overly ambitious Dr. Frankenstein, who creates the ill-faed bride (Elsa Lanchester).

Directed by the original's James Whale (his last horror film) and featuring a haunting musical score, The Bride of Frankenstein ranks as one of the finest films not only of the genre, but for all time.

BONUS FEATURES:

• She's Alive! Creating The Bride of Frankenstein
  
• The Bride of Frankenstein Archive
  
• Feature Commentary with Scott MacQueen
• Trailer Gallery
• 100 Years of Universal: Restoring the Classics
  

The Wolf Man (1941)
Upon the death of his brother, Larry Talbot returns from America to his ancestral home in Wales. He visits a gypsy camp with village girl Jenny Williams, who is attacked by Bela, a gypsy who has turned into a werewolf. Larry kills the werewolf but is bitten during the fight.

Bela's mother tells him that this will cause him to become a werewolf at each full moon. Larry confesses his plight to his unbelieving father, Sir John, who then joins the villagers in a hunt for the wolf. Larry, transformed by the full moon, heads for the forest and a fateful meeting with both Sir John and Gwen.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Monster by Moonlight
  
• The Wolf Man: From Ancient Curse to Modern Myth
  
• Pure in Heart: The Life and Legacy of Lon Chaney, Jr.
  
• He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art of Jack Pierce
  
• The Wolf Man Archives
  
• Trailer Gallery
  
• 100 Years of Universal: The Lot
  
• Feature Commentary with Film Historian Tom Weaver

Phantom of the Opera (1943)
This spectacular retelling of Gaston Leroux's immortal horror tale stars Claude Rains as the masked phantom of the Paris opera house - a crazed composer who schemes to make a beautiful young soprano (Susanna Foster) the star of the opera company and wreak revenge on those who stole his music. Nelson Eddy, the heroic baritone, tries to win the affections of Foster as he tracks down the disfigured "monster" who has begun murdering those who resist his mad demands. This lavish production remains a masterpiece not only of the genre, but for all time.

Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) - 2D & 3D
Scientists drug and capture the creature, who becomes enamored with the head scientist's female assistant (Julie Adams). The lonely creature, "a living amphibious missing link," escapes and kidnaps the object of his affection.

Chief scientist (Richard Carlson) then launches a crusade to rescue his assistant ans cast the ominous creature back to the depths from where he came. Well-acted and directed, and with Bud Westmore's brilliantly designed monster, Creature From The Black Lagoon remains an enduring tribute to the imaginative genius of its Hollywood creators.

WARNER ARCHIVE: Maisie Collection, Vol. 2

Maisie's second and final volume has been announced as The Maisie Collection, Vol. 2 is posted over at WBShop.

A presumed 5-disc set, it will be available here at ClassicFlix on August 7th.

These new DVDs add to the total of over 900 Warner Archive titles exclusively available for rent at ClassicFlix.com.