Full Transcript for Warner Archive January Announcement: 6 Classic Films, A Hanna Barbera Series, PLUS Two Film Collections

times, mostly due to the fact that Jean Harlow passed away at 26 years of age, such a young, young woman when she died, and re-releases and retrospectives of her films really preceded the growth of revival cinemas in the 70s and 80s. 00:04:09.550 --> 00:04:14.189 And so this is a film that just never wasn't popular. 00:04:14.189 --> 00:04:20.509 But we did have our difficulties making it even digestible for DVD. 00:04:20.509 --> 00:04:29.230 Now, here we are years later, 13 years later, and we need to make it shine on Blu-ray. 00:04:29.230 --> 00:04:39.150 And I'm thrilled with what Warner Brothers Motion Picture Imaging and the artists that labor there have done on our behalf. 00:04:39.150 --> 00:04:41.150 It looks really great. 00:04:41.150 --> 00:04:42.990 It sounds really great. 00:04:42.990 --> 00:04:46.189 It doesn't feel like a 93-year-old movie. 00:04:46.189 --> 00:04:46.750 Wow. 00:04:46.750 --> 00:04:48.030 93. 00:04:48.030 --> 00:04:56.590 But this is also one of the most important films that cemented the chemistry of Gene Harlow and Clark Gable. 00:04:56.590 --> 00:05:04.750 And they made, you know, several films together, uh, some of which we've talked about here on the extras in the past. 00:05:04.750 --> 00:05:07.150 But people were frustrated. 00:05:07.150 --> 00:05:12.030 Oh, it's great that you release Saratoga, but where is where is red dust? 00:05:12.030 --> 00:05:18.189 I don't think anything we release gets just you know a thumbs up, and that's great. 00:05:18.189 --> 00:05:22.990 But it usually is followed by, but what about dot, dot, dot, dot, dot? 00:05:23.310 --> 00:05:23.389 Right. 00:05:23.629 --> 00:05:28.430 And I'm not saying that in a pejorative or negative way uh towards anyone. 00:05:28.430 --> 00:05:34.189 Enthusiasm for classic film is something I am euphoric over. 00:05:34.189 --> 00:05:43.069 And our job is to try to please everyone, which is impossible, but we do our best to try and hit all the buttons. 00:05:43.069 --> 00:05:56.430 And based on what we've got planned in 2026, Red Dust is very indicative of the well-known, high-level, well-loved films that a lot of people have been waiting for. 00:05:56.430 --> 00:06:00.670 And there will be a lot more following Red Dust. 00:06:00.670 --> 00:06:06.829 But this is one of the great MGM classics of the 30s, directed by Victor Fleming. 00:06:06.829 --> 00:06:11.389 The chemistry between Harlow and Gable is electric. 00:06:11.389 --> 00:06:21.230 Mary Astor is wonderful, uh, Gene Raymond is terrific, which is not something I would often say, but he really gives a great performance in this film. 00:06:21.230 --> 00:06:36.910 And it's just to see the application of our technology to make it as clean as possible and have it look as much as if you were looking at a brand new print in 1932. 00:06:36.910 --> 00:06:38.829 I think we've achieved that. 00:06:38.829 --> 00:06:41.230 It has a very healthy grain structure. 00:06:41.230 --> 00:06:54.189 It looks wonderful considering how weathered the surviving elements are, because this was one of the films that MGM converted from nitrate to safety early on in their preservation program. 00:06:54.189 --> 00:07:05.709 So uh we have a radio broadcast from 1940 with Gable, but uh obviously Gene Harlow had passed away, could not recreate her performance. 00:07:05.709 --> 00:07:11.949 But interestingly, her role is taken on by Ann Southern. 00:07:11.949 --> 00:07:35.389 And what's interesting about that is Ann Southern had just started making a series of films where she played the character of Maisie, and uh an early film in the Maisie series was Congo Maisie, which was written by Wilson Collison, who wrote the play on which Red Dust is based. 00:07:35.389 --> 00:07:48.990 And I've often heard it said that the Maisie films that Ann Suthern did, that that character was originally something the studio had in mind for Harlow. 00:07:48.990 --> 00:07:59.470 And I'm not a Gene Harlow expert, so I can confirm that with 100% accuracy, nor have I ever plowed through the files to see if it's true, but I bet it is. 00:07:59.470 --> 00:08:11.709 But they're great in the radio version, and Screen Guild Theater had to condense the 90-minute movie or 83-minute movie to be exact into a half hour. 00:08:11.709 --> 00:08:17.870 And it's a good condensation, and a lot of the visuals that you can't see when you're listening to a radio show. 00:08:17.870 --> 00:08:22.990 I think they did a very good job at conveying the atmosphere for audio only. 00:08:22.990 --> 00:08:25.310 But that's one of the bonuses on here. 00:08:25.310 --> 00:08:34.429 And we also have two 1932 two-color technicolor short subjects from the era, something you would have seen in the theater. 00:08:34.429 --> 00:08:47.789 And then the trailer for red dust we have, which we used on our DVD in 2012, is very interesting because it's the only surviving trailer element we have. 00:08:47.789 --> 00:08:54.109 Usually from 1932, the selection of MGM trailers is really limited. 00:08:54.109 --> 00:08:56.909 It gets better as the decade goes on. 00:08:56.909 --> 00:08:59.870 But this is an original release trailer. 00:08:59.870 --> 00:09:16.989 The kicker is the text is all in Spanish, the audio is English, and the scenes in the trailer, some of them were not used in the final film of Red Dust. 00:09:16.989 --> 00:09:21.069 So you're actually getting to see alternate scenes. 00:09:21.069 --> 00:09:31.549 But when we came upon this film element back in 2012, we were like, oh, this is so awesome because it's very, very different. 00:09:31.549 --> 00:09:34.669 And so that trailer will be on here. 00:09:34.669 --> 00:09:39.149 It is a very weathered film element, but it is an HD. 00:09:39.149 --> 00:09:45.069 It's gonna be a terrific disc, and I'm thrilled that we get to kick off the year with such an important film. 00:09:45.309 --> 00:09:45.629 Yeah. 00:09:45.629 --> 00:09:49.469 And I don't know if we if we mention the

director. 00:09:49.789 --> 00:09:50.109 Mr. 00:09:50.109 --> 00:09:50.829 Fleming. 00:09:51.069 --> 00:09:56.029 Victor Fleming uh also did a small picture, Gone with the Wind. 00:09:56.349 --> 00:09:56.750 A few. 00:09:57.149 --> 00:09:58.989 And a little picture called The Wizard of Oz. 00:09:58.989 --> 00:10:08.029 Yeah, and uh a lot of other wonderful films at MGM uh before his relatively early death. 00:10:08.029 --> 00:10:10.589 He died, I believe, in 1949. 00:10:10.589 --> 00:10:17.949 But uh his work speaks for itself, and I think he did a great job with this film. 00:10:17.949 --> 00:10:27.629 This film is one of those really old feature films that you can put in front of a contemporary audience and they'll be thrilled by it. 00:10:27.629 --> 00:10:41.629 And just the pre-code nature of it is quite uh unexpected for those who are more familiar with older films having all the constrictions of the production code. 00:10:41.789 --> 00:11:03.980 Uh I I think you wrote up that there's a erotic kind of a comedy. 00:11:04.299 --> 00:11:04.779 Without question. 00:11:04.779 --> 00:11:05.659 Yeah, erotic comedy. 00:11:05.659 --> 00:11:11.820 I mean, basically, Gene Harlow and uh Mary Astor's characters both want Mr. 00:11:11.820 --> 00:11:18.220 Gable, not an unusual uh request from ladies of that era. 00:11:18.220 --> 00:11:18.620 Mr. 00:11:18.620 --> 00:11:20.539 Gable was quite popular. 00:11:20.539 --> 00:11:23.820 There's a reason why they called him the King of Hollywood. 00:11:23.820 --> 00:11:30.700 He had by 1932 really ratcheted in his stardom. 00:11:30.700 --> 00:11:31.340 Right. 00:11:31.340 --> 00:11:49.580 You know, he had the previous, I'd say 18 months, made some other films at MGM that underscored his superstar quality, and it was very much cemented by the time of the release of Red Dust. 00:11:49.580 --> 00:11:58.539 So I think people are gonna love the disc, and uh, I'm excited that we get to kick off the year with talking about movies like Red Dust. 00:11:58.779 --> 00:12:00.700 Yeah, very exciting, very exciting. 00:12:00.700 --> 00:12:07.340 Well, next we have up uh a drama from 1941, Manpower. 00:12:07.340 --> 00:12:08.460 Love the title. 00:12:08.460 --> 00:12:11.259 Uh, what can you tell us about this release? 00:12:12.059 --> 00:12:37.259 Well, Manpower has a very interesting production history because it was directed by Roe Walsh, and you had two Warner Brothers leading men who uh are known for being tough guys, and they're basically fighting over Marlena Dietrich, who is not a Warner Brothers contract player. 00:12:37.259 --> 00:12:44.299 She did work at many studios, primarily Paramount in the early part of her American career. 00:12:44.299 --> 00:13:00.940 But the chemistry between the three stars is quite electric, and I say that with a little bit of tongue-in-cheek, because this is all about power lines and people who work them and the danger of it. 00:13:00.940 --> 00:13:10.620 And then there's the explosive nature of the jealousy between Robinson and George Raft. 00:13:10.620 --> 00:13:23.019 And interestingly enough, I believe I read in some legitimate history uh book about the making of this film, uh, that Mr. 00:13:23.019 --> 00:13:23.980 Robinson and Mr. 00:13:23.980 --> 00:13:26.460 Raft didn't exactly get along very well. 00:13:26.460 --> 00:13:31.580 And I think it actually ended up in a physical altercation on the set. 00:13:31.580 --> 00:13:34.620 Um, not sure about that. 00:13:34.620 --> 00:13:43.580 There are people who probably know this like the back of their hand, but I have to keep 8,000 movies in my head at once, so I can't give you every single detail. 00:13:43.580 --> 00:13:50.460 I do believe there was a very conflicted set on this movie, but the movie was a hit. 00:13:50.460 --> 00:14:01.580 And uh Raul Walsh, I'm thrilled that we're bringing more of his works to Blu-ray and to high definition and make them look terrific. 00:14:01.580 --> 00:14:09.820 As I'm looking at these films, when the work is completed and we've gone back to the camera negative, it just blows my mind. 00:14:09.820 --> 00:14:12.700 I've never seen these films look so good. 00:14:12.700 --> 00:14:22.139 And it transcends the viewing experience from entertaining to superbly entertaining. 00:14:22.139 --> 00:14:24.220 You're just drawn into it. 00:14:24.220 --> 00:14:27.259 And I think people are gonna love this disc. 00:14:27.259 --> 00:14:35.100 And we added two cartoons from 1941, one in black and white, one in color. 00:14:35.100 --> 00:14:43.500 They're not very commonly seen Warner Brothers cartoons, so I think people will enjoy having the uh addition of them. 00:14:43.500 --> 00:14:57.019 But Manpower is one of those films that we were constantly being, you know, and I look at the lists of people sending in, you know, their their posts on our Facebook page or what have you. 00:14:57.019 --> 00:14:59.100 This is asked for a lot. 00:14:59.100 --> 00:15:06.620 So uh I'm very happy whenever we can check off another box of something that people really wanted. 00:15:06.620 --> 00:15:13.419 For those who don't know the movie, I think it is no pun intended dynamite entertainment. 00:15:13.419 --> 00:15:18.779 I think Dietrich is just pure Dietrich in this movie. 00:15:18.779 --> 00:15:29.259 And uh I love watching the interaction between the actors and the great Warner Brothers supporting players who are wonderful in the film. 00:15:29.259 --> 00:15:31.259 It's a terrific movie. 00:15:31.580 --> 00:15:34.379 What a lineup between the director and the cast. 00:15:34.379 --> 00:15:36.940 Uh, it's it's uh it's fantastic. 00:15:36.940 --> 00:15:50.460 And just to go back to those extras, if anybody wanted to know the titles on those, it's no time for comedy and Joe Glow the Firefly, that's probably not gonna mean a lot to a lot of people, but there might be a few people listening that that hits a button for them. 00:15:50.779 --> 00:15:56.220 Joe Glow the Firefly is

a very underrated uh animated short subject. 00:15:56.220 --> 00:15:59.659 I was gonna say cartoon, but I don't want that to be demeaning. 00:15:59.659 --> 00:16:02.299 It's a short film that happens to be animated. 00:16:02.299 --> 00:16:02.700 Right. 00:16:02.700 --> 00:16:05.980 And it's quite beautiful, and it's black and white. 00:16:05.980 --> 00:16:09.100 Um, and uh it is an HD. 00:16:09.100 --> 00:16:13.100 Uh, both cartoons are an HD, and I think people will enjoy both of them. 00:16:13.100 --> 00:16:17.980 And as a whole, it's really a very, very entertaining film. 00:16:17.980 --> 00:16:23.179 You will note that there is not a trailer on this film. 00:16:23.179 --> 00:16:30.940 We do not have any film elements of a trailer for manpower, which is just weird. 00:16:30.940 --> 00:16:37.019 We did extensive searches to see, you know, what was there one at one time? 00:16:37.019 --> 00:16:37.820 Did we lose it? 00:16:37.820 --> 00:16:38.779 Do we not have it? 00:16:38.779 --> 00:16:43.740 We have no record, we didn't even have like a 16 millimeter, we had nothing. 00:16:43.740 --> 00:16:44.220 Yep. 00:16:44.220 --> 00:16:47.019 Uh so we do the best that we can. 00:16:47.019 --> 00:16:56.779 But if someone has a trailer of manpower around and would like to help us add it to our archive, we would be very grateful for access to make a copy. 00:16:56.779 --> 00:16:58.379 For sure. 00:16:58.940 --> 00:17:03.820 Well, I've been excited for the first two, but I'm also really excited for this next one, George. 00:17:03.820 --> 00:17:06.700 Uh, it's called The Verdic from 1946. 00:17:06.700 --> 00:17:08.700 What can you tell us about this thriller? 00:17:09.419 --> 00:17:24.460 Well, in 1941, when John Houston made the Maltese Falcon, it introduced Sidney Greenstreet to the screen, and also a member of the cast of that amazing classic was Peter Lorrie. 00:17:24.460 --> 00:17:47.500 And there was a chemistry between Green Street and Lori that ended up making them basically a screen team, although you don't hear them referred to in that way, like you know, as Sterren Rogers or, you know, they were not cast in a series of films. 00:17:47.500 --> 00:17:56.539 Rather, they were Warner Brothers contract players that happened to appear together in the Maltese Falcon. 00:17:56.539 --> 00:18:04.779 And then from there, their performances on the screen became more frequent. 00:18:04.779 --> 00:18:19.819 And this film happens to represent the feature film directorial debut of a gentleman named Don Siegel, who had previously been an editor at Warner Brothers, and this was his graduation to direction. 00:18:19.819 --> 00:18:25.099 And of course, I think he's probably best known as the director of Dirty Harry. 00:18:25.099 --> 00:18:36.299 This is one of his greatest films, but this film is actually a remake of a 1934 movie that is almost never seen called The Crime Doctor. 00:18:36.299 --> 00:18:43.900 The rights to the story were bought by Warner Brothers and remade as the verdict in 1946. 00:18:43.900 --> 00:18:45.339 I always stress the year. 00:18:45.339 --> 00:18:54.140 I don't want people to confuse this with the 20th Century Fox Paul Newman film, The Verdict, which is also an amazing movie. 00:18:54.140 --> 00:18:56.140 Unfortunately, not part of our library. 00:18:56.299 --> 00:18:56.539 Right. 00:18:56.779 --> 00:19:00.619 This verdict is one that really warrants seeing. 00:19:00.619 --> 00:19:03.740 It's uh an investigative story. 00:19:03.740 --> 00:19:17.099 We did not have a trailer available for this either to include on the disc, although we are on the trail of getting one, but not we were not able to do so in time for this release. 00:19:17.099 --> 00:19:25.740 So what I did was include some very entertaining Peter DeLore and Sidney Greenstreet radio appearances. 00:19:25.740 --> 00:19:39.740 There's one from the series Suspense, which is a very famous radio series, Inner Sanctum, another famous radio series, and then The New Adventures of Nero Wolf, which Sidney Greenstreet did right before he passed away. 00:19:39.740 --> 00:19:59.339 So you've got those radio shows, and then we have two Warner Brothers cartoons, Hair Raising Hair, which is the introduction of the orange monster, also seen in Water Water Every Hair, that is called Gossamer, but this was his first appearance, and Birth of a Notion. 00:19:59.339 --> 00:20:10.859 So I thought that was perfectly appropriate for this disc. 00:20:10.859 --> 00:20:13.339 This is very, very entertaining. 00:20:13.339 --> 00:20:18.299 It is a very fast-paced, well-made film. 00:20:18.299 --> 00:20:22.140 And it's kind of a little bit of a proto-noir. 00:20:22.140 --> 00:20:26.059 It isn't a, you know, it's set in 1890 London. 00:20:26.059 --> 00:20:31.259 It's not set in 1940s Hollywood or San Francisco or New York, you know. 00:20:31.259 --> 00:20:39.099 But there is a definite sense of shadow and light that gives it a noir-ish quality. 00:20:39.099 --> 00:20:41.980 And Green Street and Laurie are terrific. 00:20:42.059 --> 00:20:42.380 Yeah. 00:20:42.539 --> 00:20:47.339 And I think people are going to really appreciate the verdict when it ends up on their shelf. 00:20:47.579 --> 00:20:47.819 Yeah. 00:20:47.819 --> 00:20:48.140 Yeah. 00:20:48.140 --> 00:20:49.740 Looking forward to this one. 00:20:49.740 --> 00:20:51.420 Uh, it should be a lot of fun. 00:20:51.420 --> 00:20:58.700 Well, next we have a classic noir, The Narrow Margin from 1952. 00:20:58.700 --> 00:21:00.539 A lot of excitement for this one, George. 00:21:00.539 --> 00:21:01.819 What can you tell us about this? 00:21:02.220 --> 00:21:05.980 I I would say there's more excitement for this than almost everything. 00:21:05.980 --> 00:21:17.019 Um, this has been so heavily requested, and the DVD we had was not anything to write home for. 00:21:17.019 --> 00:21:19.259 It came from a fourth generation element. 00:21:19.259 --> 00:21:25.819 By going back to the camera negative, wow,

it just looks amazing. 00:21:25.819 --> 00:21:26.460 It moves. 00:21:26.460 --> 00:21:28.460 Like a bat out of hell. 00:21:28.460 --> 00:21:41.660 And no one expected this movie to be of any substantial nature because uh Richard Fleischer was not a well-known director at that time. 00:21:41.660 --> 00:21:44.299 He had directed some other uh features. 00:21:44.299 --> 00:21:52.220 He is the son of Max Fleischer, by the way, the famed animator whose work is always something I cheer. 00:21:52.220 --> 00:21:58.059 But Richard Fleischer developed a reputation for being an excellent film director. 00:21:58.059 --> 00:22:03.579 And uh as he was on staff at RKO, he was assigned this picture. 00:22:03.579 --> 00:22:06.460 There were no big stars in it. 00:22:06.460 --> 00:22:13.740 Charles McGraw, Marie Windsor, Jaclyn White, they were all like B stars. 00:22:13.740 --> 00:22:17.660 And this was a very short, lower budget movie. 00:22:17.660 --> 00:22:23.500 But the reviews this movie got when it came out were all spectacular. 00:22:23.500 --> 00:22:37.900 And as Phil Noir has grown in re-evaluation and popularity in the last two or three decades, the narrow margin is like an essential noir. 00:22:37.900 --> 00:22:41.339 And it did get remade in the 90s. 00:22:41.339 --> 00:22:45.579 And uh the original is always the best, you know. 00:22:45.579 --> 00:23:00.460 So uh we have a uh commentary here that was done by uh a good friend of mine who passed away recently, but people know his work as a film director, William Friedkin. 00:23:00.460 --> 00:23:14.859 He was a passionate film fan, and he wanted to record commentaries for films that he was passionate about, and he approached us when we were doing the DVD to do this commentary. 00:23:14.859 --> 00:23:20.460 And since we lost him, it's all the more something to treasure to have his comments. 00:23:20.460 --> 00:23:30.299 And he's speaking to it both as a fan of film from the classic era and being a film director himself. 00:23:30.299 --> 00:23:32.380 So that's quite fascinating. 00:23:32.380 --> 00:23:51.819 And then we also have interview excerpts that Richard Fleischer did for our archival interview project that are cut in with Friedkin's commentary, so you actually get to hear Richard Fleischer speaking about the film and his own perspective of making it. 00:23:51.819 --> 00:24:03.819 And then we've added onto the disc uh Joe McDoak's short, So You Never Tell a Lie, and a Looney Tunes uh classic cartoon in HD, The Super Snooper. 00:24:03.819 --> 00:24:09.259 And even though it's an archaeo film, we actually do have the trailer for this movie. 00:24:09.259 --> 00:24:17.579 A lot of people say that this is almost Hitchcockian, and uh it would be a good cousin to Strangers on a train. 00:24:17.579 --> 00:24:19.259 It's just great. 00:24:19.259 --> 00:24:28.140 And I'm so thrilled we can finally bring it out with this beautiful new master with a 4K scan off the camera negative. 00:24:28.140 --> 00:24:29.900 It's something we're very proud of. 00:24:29.900 --> 00:24:32.859 And I'm excited to hear what people think when they see the disc. 00:24:33.099 --> 00:24:33.660 Right, right. 00:24:33.660 --> 00:24:38.380 And you mentioned it, but this is a 4K scan of the original camera negative. 00:24:38.380 --> 00:24:39.259 So right. 00:24:39.500 --> 00:24:47.019 As the verdict is and as manpower is, all of them are 4K scans of the camera negative. 00:24:47.019 --> 00:24:50.539 To have that luxury, obviously, we don't have that luxury with red dust. 00:24:50.539 --> 00:24:52.619 We do our best with what we have. 00:24:52.619 --> 00:25:00.140 But when the negative survives, we're able to bring so much more clarity to the presentation. 00:25:00.140 --> 00:25:03.579 And that's particularly exciting when it comes to R. 00:25:03.579 --> 00:25:13.259 KO movies because RKO was not as meticulous in taking care of the original negatives as many other studios were. 00:25:13.259 --> 00:25:18.940 So it's a victory for noir films everywhere, and I hope people enjoy the disc. 00:25:19.339 --> 00:25:19.579 Yeah. 00:25:19.579 --> 00:25:20.059 Yeah. 00:25:20.059 --> 00:25:28.059 So many people, you're making their month of January uh bringing this one out very, very exciting. 00:25:28.059 --> 00:25:33.259 Uh, I mentioned the the the 4K scan for the previous films. 00:25:33.259 --> 00:25:45.579 You know, you just clarified, but I also wanted to kind of lead that into this next one because when you do these scans of these technicolor negatives, the final movie looks fantastic. 00:25:45.579 --> 00:25:50.059 And we're talking about by the light of the silvery moon from 1953. 00:25:50.059 --> 00:25:51.900 What can you tell us about this one? 00:25:52.299 --> 00:26:00.619 Well, this was a rarity of its era, but certainly not a rarity in the world we live in now or have been for decades. 00:26:00.619 --> 00:26:05.660 It was very unusual for a studio to have a hit film and then make a sequel. 00:26:05.660 --> 00:26:11.259 There were series films like the Andy Hardy movies uh or the Nancy Drew movies. 00:26:11.259 --> 00:26:14.220 You know, there were there were all sorts of film series. 00:26:14.220 --> 00:26:24.220 But to have a film where you bring back the whole cast and pick up where the story left off of the first movie, that's exactly what happened here. 00:26:24.220 --> 00:26:38.539 Warner Brothers produced a Technicolor musical in 1951 called On Moonlight Bay that was set in just before World War I and had lots of music from the era. 00:26:38.539 --> 00:26:51.099 It was a gorgeous Technicolor production, and we had the good fortune of having one of our signature Technicolor restorations created for that movie. 00:26:51.099 --> 00:26:58.380 By the time this comes out, it will be the five-year anniversary of when we put out on Moonlight Bay. 00:26:58.380 --> 00:27:05.180 But literally, the story picks up basically where the uh first film left off. 00:27:05.180 -->

00:27:11.819 And Dara Stay and Gordon McCrae were a really great team together. 00:27:11.819 --> 00:27:18.539 I think they did four movies together, and then they also were guest stars in another film, so that would be five. 00:27:18.539 --> 00:27:22.299 But their voices blended together wonderfully. 00:27:22.299 --> 00:27:25.500 And this is a funny, funny movie. 00:27:25.500 --> 00:27:27.339 I wouldn't call Meet Me in St. 00:27:27.339 --> 00:27:31.900 Louis a funny movie, but it's a delightful entertainment. 00:27:31.900 --> 00:27:36.059 This is similar to Meet Me in St. 00:27:36.059 --> 00:27:47.500 Louis and being a nostalgic look back at years gone by from a 1953 perspective, but it's also got a very funny script. 00:27:47.500 --> 00:27:59.259 And the comedy, a lot of it comes from the magnificent Mary Wicks, who was a great character actress and comedian for decades. 00:27:59.259 --> 00:28:07.500 Billy Gray, who plays Doris Day's little brother in these movies, later went on to do the Father Knows Best series. 00:28:07.500 --> 00:28:14.220 And happily he's still with us and has a great perspective on his Hollywood career. 00:28:14.220 --> 00:28:25.740 But these films, both on Moonlight Bay and by the light of the silvery moon, are loosely adapted from Booth Tarkington's Penrod stories. 00:28:25.740 --> 00:28:40.940 And Warner Brothers had made Penrod and Sam uh in the early 30s, and then they made a remake in the late 30s with a different cast, and there was a silent film developed from these properties. 00:28:40.940 --> 00:28:51.180 So this was a modern reboot, if you will, with music, with Ray Heindorf leading the Warner Brothers Orchestra, great songs. 00:28:51.180 --> 00:28:53.180 It's just delightful. 00:28:53.180 --> 00:29:12.059 I carried over all of the special features that were on the original DVD because we have two Joe McDoak shorts, and one of them, So You Want a Television set, has a little cameo appearance by Doris Day and Gordon McCrae. 00:29:12.059 --> 00:29:16.140 So that doesn't wasn't even in my team count for them. 00:29:16.140 --> 00:29:17.740 But so I had to put that on here. 00:29:17.740 --> 00:29:25.660 And we also have another Joe McDogue short, So You Want to Learn to Dance, and then the Roadrunner and the Coyote in From A to Z Z Z Z Z. 00:29:25.660 --> 00:29:30.059 So, and that's in HD, and we've got the original trailer. 00:29:30.059 --> 00:29:34.539 People who bought on Moonlight Bay were saying, We want the sequel, we want the sequel. 00:29:34.539 --> 00:29:36.059 Well, now you have it. 00:29:36.059 --> 00:29:36.859 Right. 00:29:37.660 --> 00:29:38.460 That's exciting. 00:29:38.460 --> 00:29:52.779 It's kind of interesting, you know, what you're saying about they didn't do these sequels, and and now that's you know, yeah, it was a it was a real rarity at really any studio, it just wasn't part of thinking. 00:29:52.940 --> 00:30:15.420 It was a rare occasion that it would happen, but here it was so comfortable for Warner Brothers to just take the story of those characters and take it into a new scenario, and it's a lot of fun, and there's there's great songs, and it's the TechnoColor is just stunning. 00:30:15.420 --> 00:30:26.220 I mean, our folks did such a great job as they always do in aligning the Technicolor records for that sharpness and breathtaking Technicolor. 00:30:26.220 --> 00:30:32.619 And this is one of those rare films that was shot on Safety Film and in Technicolor. 00:30:32.619 --> 00:30:42.299 So uh there are only uh small number of films that were made that way before the industry moved to a single strand Eastman Color Negative. 00:30:42.299 --> 00:30:43.900 This is gorgeous. 00:30:43.900 --> 00:30:48.539 And uh I think people are gonna be very, very happy to add it to their shelves. 00:30:48.940 --> 00:30:57.259 Well, we have more music in film to talk about for our next title, and that's For the First Time from 1959. 00:30:57.259 --> 00:30:59.900 What can you tell us about this film? 00:31:00.779 --> 00:31:06.380 Well, this was the last film in which Mario Lanza appeared. 00:31:06.380 --> 00:31:15.259 And this film was released, I think about two or three months before he died, at a very young age. 00:31:15.259 --> 00:31:18.539 He had health problems during the production of this. 00:31:18.539 --> 00:31:32.700 And I think I've talked on the podcast before with you about when we talked about That Midnight Kiss, about some of the challenges he had with alcohol and overeating, and just he had a lot of problems. 00:31:32.700 --> 00:31:40.059 This film was actually well received by the public and critics. 00:31:40.059 --> 00:31:51.900 I went back to the New York Times review of this movie, and the reviewer was like surprised to be able to say, hey, this is a really good film. 00:31:51.900 --> 00:31:58.460 And Lanza looks better, he looks healthier, and uh, it's a sweet little love story. 00:31:58.460 --> 00:32:11.579 And if you're into uh opera, there are some operatic excerpts really in the center of the storytelling that would be like gold for Lanza fans. 00:32:11.579 --> 00:32:21.099 And even though he passed away over 65 years ago, there's still a legion of rapt fans for Mr. 00:32:21.099 --> 00:32:24.539 Lanza's unique vocal gifts. 00:32:24.539 --> 00:32:32.140 And what makes this film interesting from a technical standpoint is it was shot in technorama. 00:32:32.140 --> 00:32:35.579 We've talked about technorama before. 00:32:35.579 --> 00:32:49.099 It went through the camera sideways like this division, only it was with a 2.35 aspect ratio like traditional cinema scope of the period. 00:32:49.099 --> 00:32:55.099 So the film was shot on location throughout Europe. 00:32:55.099 --> 00:33:16.460 And I would say one of the most important members of the cast, and I'm speaking figuratively, are the various locations where this film was shot, with the added benefit of Technorama, you get that incredible depth of field, the sharpness,

the images are beautiful. 00:33:16.460 --> 00:33:19.900 We released a DVD of this film many years ago. 00:33:19.900 --> 00:33:25.339 It was not so beautiful, but it was the best we could do on a limited budget for a DVD. 00:33:25.339 --> 00:33:28.220 This makes up the difference for that. 00:33:28.220 --> 00:33:31.099 The audio for this film is mono. 00:33:31.099 --> 00:33:34.940 We do not have any stereophonic audio elements. 00:33:34.940 --> 00:33:52.299 And given that it was produced in Europe for MGM's distribution, I went through the files quite viciously trying to find out was this ever released with stereophonic sound, even though we we don't have it. 00:33:52.299 --> 00:33:56.140 If you go to IMDB, it says, you know, four tracks there. 00:33:56.140 --> 00:34:05.259 IMDB is not a hundred percent reliable with technical facts, because anybody can go in there and put in whatever they want. 00:34:05.259 --> 00:34:13.579 I could find no evidence that a stereo track was ever created for this film, but what we have is what we have, and we did the best we could do. 00:34:13.579 --> 00:34:19.420 The sound is good, the picture is gorgeous, it's very entertaining, and it's charming. 00:34:19.420 --> 00:34:25.820 One of the cast members in this movie is the famous Jahabor, the Queen of Outer Space. 00:34:25.820 --> 00:34:28.460 She made this movie after Queen of Outer Space. 00:34:28.460 --> 00:34:34.539 She's actually quite charming and good and not a caricature of herself in this movie. 00:34:34.539 --> 00:34:38.139 And uh I think people will be surprised by the film. 00:34:38.139 --> 00:34:40.940 It is a lovely piece of entertainment. 00:34:40.940 --> 00:34:49.260 I'm very passionate about wide format film and being able to get it out there so that people can see. 00:34:49.260 --> 00:34:52.940 We've we've run the course with VistaVision. 00:34:52.940 --> 00:34:57.340 Now we're taking on Technorama, and there will be more Technorama. 00:34:57.340 --> 00:35:04.300 But right now, the film we're saluting in Technorama is for the first time. 00:35:04.300 --> 00:35:10.460 And uh I think people need to give it a chance if they haven't seen the film before. 00:35:10.460 --> 00:35:17.260 They'll find it is a refreshing entertainment and a salute to the incredible vocal talents of Mr. 00:35:17.260 --> 00:35:17.900 Lonza. 00:35:18.619 --> 00:35:20.940 You know, the film you released just a month or two back. 00:35:20.940 --> 00:35:25.019 I don't know why the name's escaping me, but I really enjoyed that one. 00:35:25.019 --> 00:35:28.619 Um, the last kiss. 00:35:28.619 --> 00:35:30.219 Uh, I really enjoyed it. 00:35:30.219 --> 00:35:40.699 And I'm a sucker for music in movies, whether it's a you know outright musical or just something where it just fits into the plot line. 00:35:40.699 --> 00:35:50.380 And uh so I I highly recommend it because I'm not somebody who was that familiar with Mario Lanza, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 00:35:50.380 --> 00:35:55.099

And I'm really looking forward to seeing this one after what you just described. 00:35:55.099 --> 00:35:57.739 I mean, it says here from a 6K scan. 00:35:57.739 --> 00:35:58.460 Wonderful. 00:35:58.460 --> 00:36:01.500 Um the last thing you did was was fantastic. 00:36:01.500 --> 00:36:04.699 So oh, we didn't talk about the extras here, uh, George. 00:36:04.780 --> 00:36:08.780 Uh there's only, aside from the trailer, there's only one extra. 00:36:09.019 --> 00:36:09.340 Okay. 00:36:09.579 --> 00:36:20.940 And and that is I put one of my favorite Bugs Bunny cartoons on here, Long Haired Hair, and it's where Bugs is basically doing battle with an opera tenor. 00:36:20.940 --> 00:36:24.780 You know, it was made way before for the first time. 00:36:24.780 --> 00:36:28.219 So it isn't, oh, it's a 1959 cartoon. 00:36:28.219 --> 00:36:33.980 I wanted it to be something that would thematically sit nicely with the feature. 00:36:33.980 --> 00:36:35.900 It's a Chuck Jones cartoon. 00:36:35.900 --> 00:36:41.739 He was just brilliant, and uh it's bugs at his best, and it's a nice little extra. 00:36:41.739 --> 00:36:43.099 That's what extras are for. 00:36:43.099 --> 00:36:43.659 There you go. 00:36:43.659 --> 00:36:47.739 Is to entertain, yeah, and uh, I think people will enjoy it. 00:36:48.059 --> 00:36:52.460 Well, let's jump from that animation to our last title. 00:36:52.460 --> 00:36:56.780 What can you tell us about this TV series now from Hanna Barbera? 00:36:57.179 --> 00:37:04.699 Well, this is the new Fred and Barney show, which is not that well known. 00:37:04.699 --> 00:37:12.699 It was done in 1979, and it was shown on Saturday mornings on NBC. 00:37:12.699 --> 00:37:33.420 But in the early 70s, Hanna Barbera revisited the Flintstones by having Pebbles and Bam Bam grown up as teenagers, and this kind of took the Flintstones back to the original format where Pebbles and Bam Bam are little children again. 00:37:33.420 --> 00:37:41.900 When originally broadcast, these shows were formatted with other characters. 00:37:41.900 --> 00:37:50.940 There was The Thing and The New Schmoo, both of which were not Hanna Barbera created characters. 00:37:50.940 --> 00:37:59.500 We do not have the rights to release those programs as they were originally broadcast. 00:37:59.500 --> 00:38:08.780 So this brings together the actual Flintstones segments of the new Fred and Barney show. 00:38:08.780 --> 00:38:18.300 So the permutations, it's 17 episodes that were spread the end of the 1978-79 season, then the 7980 season. 00:38:18.300 --> 00:38:34.219 But what's interesting about this is that we had planned to release this on DVD when we were going very deep into the Hanna-Barbera library, and the existing masters were unusable. 00:38:34.219 --> 00:38:36.619 They were so old and so terrible. 00:38:36.619 --> 00:38:47.980 We were doing a limited remastering on a lot of Hanna-Barbera things, you know, 10 years ago, uh, 12 years ago. 00:38:47.980 --> 00:38:58.300 I think it was even a little later in the history that we started to work on the new Fred and Barney show just for DVD. 00:38:58.300 --> 00:39:03.019 And we ran into serious film element problems and missing footage. 00:39:03.019 --> 00:39:05.980 So that project had to be aborted. 00:39:05.980 --> 00:39:12.539 And now we're able to go back to the original negatives and have the shows be. 00:39:12.539 --> 00:39:18.380 They run about 24 minutes apiece, leaving room for commercials, which we don't have any. 00:39:18.380 --> 00:39:21.340 There are 17 episodes on two discs. 00:39:21.340 --> 00:39:26.380 They come from 4K scans of the original negatives, and they look terrific. 00:39:26.380 --> 00:39:42.460 By the point that this show is done, Alan Reed, who was the original voice of Fred Flintstone, had passed away about two years before, and Henry Corden had taken over as the voice of Fred Flintstone, which he did for decades. 00:39:42.460 --> 00:39:52.940 And you have Mel Blank, the original Barney, uh returning as Barney Rubble, and Jean Vanderpeil, the original Wilma, returning to her role. 00:39:52.940 --> 00:39:57.659 Then there's another actress who does the voice of Betty. 00:39:57.659 --> 00:40:00.300 And the original Betty was, of course, B. 00:40:00.300 --> 00:40:05.980 Ben and Derrett, and then she left the Flintstones to star in Petticoat Junction. 00:40:05.980 --> 00:40:12.539 So the woman who voices Betty in this particular series, her name was Gay Otterson. 00:40:12.539 --> 00:40:19.179 But you have the whole core Hannah Barbera crew working on these shows. 00:40:19.179 --> 00:40:25.659 And uh, for people who love Fred and Barney, this is a nice little piece of nostalgia. 00:40:25.659 --> 00:40:30.699 When we announced that this was coming out, a lot of people said, I've never heard of this. 00:40:30.699 --> 00:40:39.980 And uh, you know, uh, I've also seen many people say, we want Hanna Barbera that's never been released before. 00:40:39.980 --> 00:40:53.340 And given how deeply we went into the Hanna Barbera library with DVD releases, there are some people that don't care that it's Blu-ray and looks so beautiful. 00:40:53.340 --> 00:40:56.460 You know, they consider it released already when it's on DVD. 00:40:56.460 --> 00:40:59.019 We have a responsibility to make things look great. 00:40:59.019 --> 00:41:06.699 So finding that balance, here was an unreleased show that never came out on DVD, although we planned to. 00:41:06.699 --> 00:41:19.260 I had heard there was VHS like in Europe, and I don't know if that's legit or bootlegs, frankly, but I could find no record of legitimate release here in the US, even on video cassette. 00:41:19.260 --> 00:41:21.900 So it's really a repremiere. 00:41:21.900 --> 00:41:26.460 These things were on television, and uh, you know. 00:41:26.460 --> 00:41:45.500 So they would appear on uh Boomerang or on Me TV Tunes, uh, but this is the first time they're getting a home entertainment physical release,

and on Blu-ray, I think fans of Hanna Barbera and fans of the Flintstones will be very happy with it. 00:41:45.739 --> 00:41:46.139 Yeah, yeah. 00:41:46.139 --> 00:41:51.980 I love it when when you're able to release for the first time, you know, never on DVD, so to speak. 00:41:51.980 --> 00:41:54.539 You've done that a few times this year, maybe. 00:41:55.340 --> 00:41:58.699 I mean, all of Huckleberry Hound, except for the first season, was unavailed. 00:41:59.019 --> 00:41:59.739 Except for the first season. 00:41:59.739 --> 00:42:00.460 Yeah, there you go. 00:42:00.539 --> 00:42:04.059 And and so it's and we have a lot of other things in store. 00:42:04.059 --> 00:42:16.860 So people who want the unreleased will be happy with what's coming out, and people who want an upgrade from something that didn't look so good in prior iterations will also get their wishes fulfilled. 00:42:16.860 --> 00:42:18.539 And will everybody be happy? 00:42:18.539 --> 00:42:24.380 No, you can't please everybody all the time, but we really try. 00:42:24.380 --> 00:42:35.420 And we know we have a dedicated fan base for our releases, and there are fan groups of different kinds of entertainment. 00:42:35.420 --> 00:42:47.659 Some people want, you know, this kind of film or this kind of television series, or they want a comedy, or they want a western, or they want a drama, they don't want old TV, they want new TV. 00:42:47.659 --> 00:42:49.980 They, you know, everybody wants something different. 00:42:49.980 --> 00:42:58.300 We've got a lot of people to try and please, so we're never going to be able to be a hundred percent successful every month. 00:42:58.300 --> 00:43:08.539 But I think what's nice about the January release slate is there's a little bit of diversity, and yet an emphasis on quality entertainment. 00:43:08.539 --> 00:43:12.460 And I hope people really enjoy the January releases. 00:43:12.860 --> 00:43:15.099 I think it's a terrific, uh, terrific month. 00:43:15.099 --> 00:43:22.619 You got classic films, including Technocolor musicals, noir dramas, and then you've got more animation. 00:43:22.619 --> 00:43:44.059 And I almost forgot, but we're not gonna finish our episode without mentioning you come back with two film collections also in early January, and it escaped my mind for a bit, but those we should mention because this podcast is to announce everything coming from the Warner Archive in January. 00:43:44.059 --> 00:43:52.539 So two uh you know, kind of known guys, uh James Stewart for films and uh Robert Taylor. 00:43:52.539 --> 00:43:54.699 So maybe you could tell us a little bit about those. 00:43:55.179 --> 00:44:01.420 Well, I feel badly that people have forgotten Robert Taylor. 00:44:01.420 --> 00:44:15.099 You know, he first burst upon the scene in an MGM short in the mid-30s, and soon thereafter was the leading man for Garbo and Camille, and he could do everything. 00:44:15.099 --> 00:44:24.780 And one of the last things he ever did was a

maid for television, but of theatrical quality movie called Return of the Gunfighter in 1967. 00:44:24.780 --> 00:44:47.340 He died of lung cancer, very young, heavy smoker, and he died at a time where people were just becoming aware of the dangers of cigarette smoking and cancer, and um the tragedy of his early death, relatively early death, kind of made an impact on a lot of people. 00:44:47.340 --> 00:44:56.059 But the screen career that he had as a leading man, the 30s, the 40s, the 50s, the 60s, quite remarkable. 00:44:56.059 --> 00:45:19.980 And this four-film collection, which I've talked about the film, the multi-film collections before, they're not designed primarily for our core Warner Archive consumers, because our core Warner Archive consumers and collectors will have likely bought some or all of the films in these collections. 00:45:19.980 --> 00:45:37.340 They're designed to provide a value proposition to build your library if you're missing one thing or the other, one performer, one director, one genre, and be able to affordably a four-film collection is $39.98. 00:45:37.340 --> 00:45:39.260 That's a very attractive price. 00:45:39.260 --> 00:45:41.659 Sometimes they get discounted. 00:45:41.659 --> 00:45:46.139 So I'm very, very excited about the Robert Taylor collection. 00:45:46.139 --> 00:45:51.260 Uh, some of the films in there we've talked about here on this podcast. 00:45:51.260 --> 00:45:51.820 Yes. 00:45:51.820 --> 00:46:01.500 I think the most recent uh release included in this collection is Devil's Doorway, which we just talked about last, but it's it's a great collection. 00:46:01.500 --> 00:46:19.659 And then for Jimmy Stewart, four film collection spans from 1940 to 1962, because we have The Shop Around the Corner, which is a beloved romantic comedy directed by Ernst Lubitsch. 00:46:19.659 --> 00:46:24.300 The Blu-ray we released, I think four or five years ago. 00:46:24.300 --> 00:46:26.780 Uh, it's a perennial Christmas favorite. 00:46:26.780 --> 00:46:35.980 It was the basis uh for remake for In the Good Old Summertime with Judy Garland and Van Johnson, and You've Got Mail with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. 00:46:35.980 --> 00:46:40.699 So it's a wonderful love story, and this is the original film. 00:46:40.699 --> 00:46:48.059 And the same year, James Stewart co-starred in Shop Around the Corner with Margaret Sullivan. 00:46:48.059 --> 00:47:09.420 He also co-starred with Margaret Sullivan in The Mortal Storm, which was really one of the first MGM films to address fascism and the coming threat of the Nazis in 1940, and uh is a film that definitely deserves to be seen more. 00:47:09.420 --> 00:47:27.420 Then you move into 1953, and you've got The Naked Spur, directed by Anthony Mann, one of our Technicolor Restorations, that is one of the many westerns Stuart made with Anthony Mann, and it's a terrific film. 00:47:27.420 --> 00:47:48.539 And then the set climaxes with an all-star film that was shot in the Cinerama process, released here in the United States in 1963, but it was released in Europe in 1962, so that's the actual release year, and that's how the West was won. 00:47:48.539 --> 00:47:55.500 And it's an all-star cast with three separate stories telling the settling of the West. 00:47:55.500 --> 00:48:02.460 But James Stewart really had a pivotal role in the film. 00:48:02.460 --> 00:48:09.420 I would say he and Debbie Reynolds probably have the most significant amount of screen time. 00:48:09.420 --> 00:48:18.619 So we thought it would be a a nice addition to this four-film selection because it's a nice diversity of storytelling. 00:48:18.619 --> 00:48:26.619 I think people will really enjoy it, especially if they don't own the majority or any of the films in these collections. 00:48:26.619 --> 00:48:33.340 That's what these collections are for, and there will be more of them released each month throughout the year. 00:48:33.739 --> 00:48:38.059 Yeah, that's uh it's a fantastic two collections for January. 00:48:38.059 --> 00:48:45.500 And like you said, I own most of them, but for those who don't, this is a terrific value. 00:48:45.500 --> 00:48:52.380 And uh just the amount of stars you have there at Warner Brothers that you can put these collections together around is fantastic. 00:48:52.539 --> 00:49:00.699 Uh and and genres and directors, and there's all there are gonna be some surprises. 00:49:00.699 --> 00:49:20.219 Uh we will have some four film collections and some six film collections, but they're all based on giving the consumer an opportunity to build or add to their collection with a very reasonable retail price. 00:49:20.219 --> 00:49:22.780 And uh I hope people are enjoying them. 00:49:22.780 --> 00:49:23.019 Yep. 00:49:23.019 --> 00:49:24.699 All indications are that they are. 00:49:24.940 --> 00:49:25.820 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:49:25.820 --> 00:49:26.460 Fantastic. 00:49:26.460 --> 00:49:27.340 I know I am. 00:49:27.340 --> 00:49:31.500 Well, George, a great month of January to kick off 2026. 00:49:31.500 --> 00:49:32.619 Uh, how do you do it? 00:49:32.619 --> 00:49:42.139 I don't know how you do it each month pulling together so much variety, pleasing so many people, and uh it's just a it's just a fantastic way to start the year. 00:49:42.139 --> 00:49:45.420 So as always, thank you for coming on and and sharing. 00:49:45.900 --> 00:49:50.780 Thank you, Tim, and thank you to everybody out there that supports the Warner Archive Collection. 00:49:50.780 --> 00:49:52.699 We really appreciate it. 00:49:54.460 --> 00:50:02.619 Well, it's another terrific month, and it's a great way to start 2026 with all of these fantastic releases from the Warner Archive. 00:50:02.619 --> 00:50:08.139 Now, it's a little unusual, but the pre-orders for all of these releases are available. 00:50:08.139 --> 00:50:13.340 So I do have those in the show notes so that you can order those right away. 00:50:13.340 --> 00:50:18.380 That includes the two film collections that we talked about as well. 00:50:18.380 --> 00:50:28.940 And I just want to clarify for those of you who are interested in the film collections that we mentioned what was on the James Stewart collection, but didn't go through the titles on the Robert Taylor. 00:50:28.940 --> 00:50:30.219 So let me do that real quick. 00:50:30.219 --> 00:50:36.219 And that's Devil's Doorway, West World The Women, Ivan Hope, and the last five. 00:50:36.219 --> 00:50:40.619 So those are the four films on the fourth film collection of Robert Taylor. 00:50:40.619 --> 00:50:42.380 Those are fantastic films, by the way. 00:50:42.380 --> 00:50:47.260 So what a great collection for those of you who do not have these Robert Taylor films. 00:50:47.260 --> 00:50:50.860 As always, if you haven't yet subscribed, you do ask me to do that. 00:50:50.860 --> 00:50:55.579 Help this show, and of course, the picture that you get these episodes right away. 00:50:55.579 --> 00:51:01.420 Whether you're an animation fan or tactical film fan, or just a fan of the one architect in general. 00:51:01.420 --> 00:51:08.699 The rest of 2026 is also looking very robust, and I know you won't want to miss any of those episodes when they come up. 00:51:08.699 --> 00:51:12.219 There's just a lot of great stuff in the community. 00:51:12.219 --> 00:51:16.460 Until next time, you've been listening to Tim Light today. 00:51:16.460 --> 00:51:17.500 Slightly.