ClassicFlix Discussion Thread (2 Viewers)

[ClassicFlix]

Since many broader discussions about our label regarding releases, sales and other topics show up on specific title threads, and can often get overlooked, we've started a thread dedicated to all things ClassicFlix.

About ClassicFlix

We know classics! We started as an online video rental service and retail site in 2007 and started our own video label in 2016 which focuses exclusively on classic film (pre-1960) and television (pre-1970).

We've released over 50 titles in the last five years and the best it yet to come. We say this (even though over the last 10 years physical video sales have declined) because rights holders have recently been more open to licensing out their catalog titles than in the past. As well, content is more readily available in digital format and licensing fees are generally more reasonable.

Our Three Lines

Our main ClassicFlix™ line features top-notch restorations, premium packaging and artwork, as well as subtitles for non-TV releases. Our restoration work on such titles as Raw Deal (1948), T-Men (1947) and The Little Rascals have been praised by Leonard Maltin and Robert Harris, among many others.

Our Silver Series line shines the light of day on lesser known titles which would likely otherwise not get a home video release from major (or even minor) studios or rights holders. Because we keep production costs low, we're able to release many previously unseen and longed-for classics by making them available in affordable, no-frill editions; rescuing them from studio vaults and other archives where they have been collecting dust for years, and sometimes decades.

With countless rare and almost never seen classic TV shows unavailable, we started a new Rare Television line in 2023 to focus exclusively on such properties and have several more lined up in the months ahead.

 

[ClassicFlix]

We'll keep this second post updated on a regular basis to display our entire catalog for future reference.

Cat #	Title	Year	Format	Street Date
	MAIN LINE
1	Another Man's Poison	1952	Blu-ray/DVD	03/28/17
2	Miss Annie Rooney	1942	Blu-ray/DVD	04/04/17
3	The Killer Is Loose (OOP)	1956	Blu-ray/DVD	06/13/17
4	It's About Time - The Complete Series (OOP)	1966	DVD	06/27/17
5	You Only Live Once	1937	Blu-ray/DVD	07/25/17
6	The Noose Hangs High (OOP)	1948	Blu-ray/DVD	08/15/17
7	Crime of Passion (OOP)	1957	Blu-ray/DVD	09/05/17
8	T-Men (Special Edition)	1947	Blu-ray/DVD	10/10/17
9	He Walked by Night (Special Edition) (OOP)	1948	Blu-ray/DVD	10/31/17
10	Tomorrow is Forever (OOP)	1946	Blu-ray/DVD	12/19/17
11	Raw Deal (Special Edition) [re-release 07/26/22]	1948	Blu-ray/DVD	01/16/18
12	Along Came Jones (OOP)	1945	Blu-ray/DVD	02/06/18
13	Casanova Brown (OOP)	1944	Blu-ray/DVD	02/06/18
14	The John Alton Film Noir Collection (The ClassicFlix Restorations) (OOP)	1947	Blu-ray/DVD	03/20/18
15	Five Steps to Danger (OOP)	1957	Blu-ray/DVD	04/24/18
16	Down Three Dark Streets (OOP)	1954	Blu-ray/DVD	04/24/18
17	The Man Who Watched Trains Go By (AKA The Paris Express)	1952	Blu-ray/DVD	05/29/18
18	Merrily We Live	1938	Blu-ray/DVD	08/14/18
19	Blondie - The Complete 1957 Television Series	1957	Blu-ray/DVD	09/18/18 04/18/23 (Blu-ray)
20	Stand-In	1937	Blu-ray/DVD	02/26/19
21	Out of the Blue	1947	Blu-ray/DVD	11/26/19
22	Africa Screams (Special Limited Edition) (Special Edition BD is OOP)	1949	Blu-ray/DVD	06/23/20
23	Zenobia	1939	Blu-ray/DVD	11/24/20
24	A Night in Casablanca	1946	Blu-ray/DVD	12/15/20
25	The Little Rascals - The ClassicFlix Restorations, Vol. 1	1929	Blu-ray	06/01/21
26	The Little Rascals - The ClassicFlix Restorations, Vol. 2	1930, 1931	Blu-ray	07/27/21
27	The Little Rascals - The ClassicFlix Restorations, Vol. 3	1932, 1933	Blu-ray	10/19/21
28	Black Magic	1949	Blu-ray/DVD	01/25/22
29	The Abbott and Costello Show - Season 1	1952	Blu-ray/DVD	12/14/21
30	The Little Rascals - The ClassicFlix Restorations, Vol. 4	1933, 1934	Blu-ray	01/18/22
31	The Little Rascals - The ClassicFlix Restorations, Vol. 5	1935, 1936	Blu-ray	04/05/22
32	The Little Rascals - The ClassicFlix Restorations, Vol. 6	1936-38	Blu-ray	06/14/22
33	Jack and the Beanstalk - 70th Anniversary Limited Edition	1952	Blu-ray/DVD	07/26/22
34	I, The Jury (Special Limited Edition, 4K UHD/BD/3DBD Combo) | DVD is bare bones without bonus features	1953	(4K UHD/BD/3DBD Combo) / DVD	11/08/22
35	The Little Rascals - The Complete Collection (Centennial Edition)	1929-38	Blu-ray/DVD	11/15/22
36	Obsessed (A.K.A. The Late Edwina Black)	1951	Blu-ray/DVD	02/28/23
37	The Long Wait (Limited Edition, 4K UHD/BD Combo) | DVD is bare bones without bonus features	1954	(4K UHD/BD Combo) / DVD	03/21/23
38	Blonde Ice	1948	Blu-ray/DVD	07/18/23
39	Our Town	1940	Blu-ray/DVD	12/07/23
40	Cause for Alarm!	1951	Blu-ray/DVD	01/16/24
41	The Abbott and Costello Show - Season 2	1953	Blu-ray/DVD	01/30/24
42	Meet John Doe	1941	BD/DVD	04/30/24
	SILVER SERIES LINE
1	The Complete Hal Roach Thelma Todd and Patsy Kelly Comedy Collection	1933-1936	DVD	06/26/18
2	I Met My Love Again	1938	DVD	11/06/18
3	Public Defender - The Official First Season (OOP)	1954	DVD	05/21/19
4	Public Defender - The Official Second Season (OOP)	1954	DVD	08/13/19
5	The Complete PRC Michael Shayne Mystery Collection	1946-1947	DVD	11/12/19
6	The Complete Hal Roach Streamliners Collection, Volume 1 (The Tracy & Sawyer Military Comedies) (OOP)	1941-43, 1947	DVD	03/31/20
7	The Complete Hal Roach Streamliners Collection, Volume 2 (The Westerns) (OOP)	1942-43	DVD	06/16/20
8	The Complete Hal Roach Streamliners Collection, Volume 3 (The Taxi Comedies) (OOP)	1942-43	DVD	06/30/20
9	The Complete Hal Roach Streamliners Collection, Volume 4 (The Musicals) (OOP)	1941-42	DVD	08/25/20
10	The Complete Hal Roach Streamliners Collection, Volume 5 (Pitts & Summerville Plus Other Rarities) (OOP)	1941-43, 1947	DVD	10/13/20
11	The Complete Hal Roach Streamliners Collection, Volume 6 (The Curley Comedies)	1947, 1948	DVD	06/08/21
12	The Crystal Ball	1943	DVD	06/15/21
13	The Duke of West Point	1938	DVD	06/15/21
14	The Black Beauty Collection	1946, 1957	DVD	08/17/21
15	International Lady	1941	Blu-ray/DVD	09/21/21
16	Silver Queen	1942	DVD	09/28/21
17	Young and Willing	1943	DVD	09/28/21
18	The O. Henry Playhouse - The Complete Series, Vol. 1 (OOP)	1957	DVD	11/30/21
19	The O. Henry Playhouse - The Complete Series, Vol. 2	1957	DVD	03/22/22
20	Public Defender - The Official Complete Series	1954	DVD	09/13/22
21	The O. Henry Playhouse - The Complete Series, Vol. 3	1957	DVD	02/21/23
22	The Human Monster (A.K.A. The Dark Eyes of London)	1939	Blu-ray/DVD	02/28/23
23	The Night Has Eyes	1942	Blu-ray/DVD	02/28/23
24	Trade Winds	1938	DVD	03/14/23
25	Vogues of 1938	1937	DVD	03/14/23
26	Life With Father	1947	DVD	04/25/23
27	Hi Diddle Diddle	1943	Blu-ray/DVD	06/13/23
28	The Complete Hal Roach Streamliners Collection (All 22 Films)	1941-48	DVD	12/12/23
	RARE TELEVISION LINE
1	21 Beacon Street - The Complete Series	1959	DVD	06/27/23
2	World of Giants - The Complete Series	1959	Blu-ray/DVD	10/24/23

 

[Robert Crawford]

What's the difference with the Silver Series Line with "International Lady" Blu-ray release vs. "Black Magic" Blu-ray release?

 

[ClassicFlix]

What's the difference with the Silver Series Line with "International Lady" Blu-ray release vs. "Black Magic" Blu-ray release?

Thanks for asking Robert.

In general, our main line is for titles which have good film elements, or an existing master, that can be restored to our high standards within a certain budget AND which has broad market appeal making our investing in the project less risky.

Our Silver Series line is for titles that have limited market appeal AND/OR do not have good film enough film elements (or masters) to be included in our top line.

To the specific case of International Lady and Black Magic, Magic certainly hits the "broad appeal" aspect given Welles stars in the film, additionally, the elements were judged as suitable so that we could stay on budget and still eventually go in the black.

Lady, on the other hand, was going to be a DVD release only, but came to us already being mastered in HD. We took a look at the master, and while good, isn't quite up to the standard of our top line. No amount of work could get it up to that standard and attempting to strike a new master would be costly and wouldn't guarantee success (see clip below).

Additionally, it's a great little film, but doesn't have the broad appeal I believe is necessary to warrant such expenditures.

We hope this is the first of many Blu-ray for our Silver Series line.

Lastly, there are Silver Series titles that I'd personally love to see get main line ClassicFlix treatment. Michael Shayne is one, but the only elements that exist on Shayne are 16mm so that's not gonna happen. Todd/Kelly is another and certainly deserving of top line status in my opinion, but it would likely be a minimum $60K project and not something we're likely to take a risk on.

​

- David
ClassicFlix Founder, Producer

 

[ClassicFlix]

Here's the artwork and synopsis for the just announced Black Magic (1949).

After watching his gypsy parents executed by hanging for the alleged crime of sorcery, a young Joseph Balsamo is tortured mercilessly for the insolence of objecting to his parents’ conviction. After a narrow escape from his captors, he vows revenge on the nobleman who sentenced his parents to death.

Having honed his skills as a charmer through his teen years and into adulthood, Joseph (Orson Welles) now dons the name Cagliostro and becomes a famous sorcerer throughout Europe earning wealth, fame and privilege. His misadventures culminate in a bit of palace intrigue with a plot against Queen Marie Antoinette (Nancy Guild)—whose exact double is under Cagliostro’s spell and is helpless to be his instrument in usurping the throne of France.

Despite having helmed such cinematic triumphs as Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons, the legendary Orson Welles often had trouble in acquiring directorial assignments throughout his career. Many of Welles’ film projects were independent ones—financed by acting he did in other directors’ pictures. The 1949 production of Black Magic is just such an assignment as Welles used the proceeds to make his version of Shakespeare’s Othello (1951).

An adaptation of the Alexandre Dumas novel Joseph Balsamo which tells the story of the 18th century sorcerer Cagliostro, Magic is directed by Gregory Ratoff and features a bravura performance of villainy from Welles, with excellent support from Guild, Stephen Bekassy and Akim Tamiroff (who would later appear with Welles in the director’s classic Touch of Evil).

Frank Latimore, Valentina Cortese and Margot Grahame are also featured, with future Perry Mason star Raymond Burr appearing at the film’s beginning as Alexandre Dumas’ son with Berry Kroeger as the senior Dumas.

- David
ClassicFlix Founder, Producer

 

[Yeoman007]

Great! Now this is the place on HTF to see ClassicFlix announcements. I'll be watching this thread.

Rick

 

[Thomas T]

You guys are great! I own 12 of your main line blu rays and 3 of your silver line series. Looking forward to adding Black Magic, International Lady, Young And Willing and Black Beauty.

 

[ClassicFlix]

You guys are great! I own 12 of your main line blu rays and 3 of your silver line series. Looking forward to adding Black Magic, International Lady, Young And Willing and Black Beauty.

Thanks for your support!

You can always check out our yt channel too if you want to see trailers and clips of other titles we offer.

ENJOY!

- David
ClassicFlix Founder, Producer

 

[Joel Arndt]

Excellent sale going on right now. I just picked up-

The Complete Hal Roach Thelma Todd and Patsy Kelly Comedy Collection and The Complete Hal Roach Streamliners Collection, Volume 4 (The Musicals).

And I was going to ask about Stand-In. I thought it had had a BD release as well. Does OOP mean that it's not coming back?

 

[Rodney]

Oh, if we're comparing ClassicFlix titles in our collection, I'll throw my hat in the ring! I have 35 titles, and 6 pre-orders. Most, if not all were purchased direct so ClassicFlix get's all the ducats!

 

[ClassicFlix]

Excellent sale going on right now. I just picked up-

The Complete Hal Roach Thelma Todd and Patsy Kelly Comedy Collection and The Complete Hal Roach Streamliners Collection, Volume 4 (The Musicals).

And I was going to ask about Stand-In. I thought it had had a BD release as well. Does OOP mean that it's not coming back?

Thanks for supporting us!

Stand-In is out of print and have no immediate plans to re-press it. If we do it won't be until next year.

- David
ClassicFlix Founder, Producer

 

[ClassicFlix]

We've got our Annual Super Summer Sale going on right now and it runs through August 31st!

Just some of the low prices you'll find on our Blu-rays:

$7.98

- Along Came Jones (1945)
- Casanova Brown (1944)
- Miss Annie Rooney (1942)
- Out of the Blue (1947)
- The Killer Is Loose (1956)
- The Man Who Watched Trains Go By (1952)

$9.98

- Crime of Passion (1957)
- Down Three Dark Streets (1954)
- Five Steps to Danger (1957)
- Merrily We Live (1938)
- Tomorrow Is Forever (1946)
- You Only Live Once (1937)

$11.98

- A Night in Casablanca (1946)
- He Walked by Night (Special Edition) - 1948
- T-Men (Special Edition) - 1947
- Zenobia (1939)

 

[ScottHM]

Thanks. I just added three more to my ClassicFlix collection.

---------------

 

[ClassicFlix]

Our Super Summer Sale ends today!

Just some of the low prices you'll find on our Blu-rays:

$7.98

- Along Came Jones (1945)
- Casanova Brown (1944)
- Miss Annie Rooney (1942)
- Out of the Blue (1947)
- The Killer Is Loose (1956)
- The Man Who Watched Trains Go By (1952)

$9.98

- Crime of Passion (1957)
- Down Three Dark Streets (1954)
- Five Steps to Danger (1957)
- Merrily We Live (1938)
- Tomorrow Is Forever (1946)
- You Only Live Once (1937)

$11.98

- A Night in Casablanca (1946)
- He Walked by Night (Special Edition) - 1948
- T-Men (Special Edition) - 1947
- Zenobia (1939)

 

[ClassicFlix]

NEW ANNOUNCEMENT

Now available for the first time on DVD from ClassicFlix—a long lost television anthology series spotlighting the works of one of America's most beloved short story authors.

This November 16th, The O. Henry Playhouse - The Complete Series, Vol. 1 will be released containing the first 13 of 39 episodes in the series.

Oscar-winner Thomas Mitchell stars as O. Henry with many notable guest stars featured in each episode including Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson and DeForest Kelley.

More information at ClassicFlix.com.

 

[borisfw]

Any chance of Crystal Ball with Ray Milland coming out on Blu ray? Why was it only released on dvd?

 

[ClassicFlix]

Any chance of Crystal Ball with Ray Milland coming out on Blu ray? Why was it only released on dvd?

Good materials do not exist on it. Had they, we would have released it on Blu.

- David
ClassicFlix Founder, Producer

 

[borisfw]

So no chance. Bummer.

 

[ClassicFlix]

NEW ANNOUNCEMENT

One of the most influential comedies in television history, Season 1 of The Abbott and Costello Show makes its Blu-ray debut from ClassicFlix with all 26 stunningly sharp episodes this December.

Newly restored from original 35mm master elements by the 3-D Film Archive, in cooperation with the Library of Congress, it will be the first opportunity for fans to see the show from the original 35mm camera negatives. All previous transfers have been taken from second generation composite fine grains.

Also highlighting the release are 10 commentaries (including one from Gilbert Gottfried) and a Saving the Negatives featurette with Bob Furmanek.

In addition to the above bonus features, there will be options to hear episodes with non-audience tracks (2 full, 6 partial) that will be heard for the first time anywhere.

NOTE: It's remarkable that any non-audience tracks survive as they were part of the post-production process and the show has never been heard without audience laughter. Also, it's important to note that the laugh tracks were not "canned," they actually showed the finished program to a live audience and recorded the response. That response was then mixed with the film audio in post production and that's how the shows have always been heard.

- David
ClassicFlix Founder, Producer

 

[Gary OS]

Excellent news!!! Can’t wait for December!

Gary “long live Abbott & Costello” O.