Kyrsten Brad
Senior HTF Member
Well here's one I haven't seen recently, the 1991 Michael J. Fox romantic comedy Doc Hollywood. This was Michael J. Fox a couple years after his last BTTF movie and it shows Michael's growth as a actor (well so did Secret of My Success but you get the point).
It is no small wonder why (until recently) that this movie hasn't been seen on any home entertainment media. I think it did get a VHS release shortly after its theatrical run. It then got a low-quality (read, lousy transfer) full-screen (4:3) DVD release.
Recently though Amazon Instant Video has made it available in both SD and HD. My experience with Amazon HD has been better than DVD but doesn't match up to a blu. Hopefully the Doc (no, not Doc Brown) will see a blu-ray release shortly.
I believe Warner Bros. holds the rights (according to Wiki) so maybe a WHV (Warner Home Video) release would be in the cards. Just wish there was a easy way to contact WHV and suggest this. I don't see any major music rights issues with this film (correct me if I'm wrong).
Wiki Entry for Doc Hollywood
IMDB Entry for Doc Hollywood.
IMDB Excerpt:
"Dr. Benjamin Stone (Michael J. Fox) is a hotshot young surgeon who longs to leave the drudgery of a Washington, D.C. emergency room and finally leaps at his chance at more money (for repaying his med school debts) and less death as a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills. On his last day, Ben's relationship with his co-workers is presumed to be anything but a warm one. None of his colleagues will join him for a drink, and a cake in his honor has an iced portion of the phrase "Good riddance, asshole" sliced out.
Ben's cross-country drive in a 1956 Porsche 356 Speedster to become a Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon is interrupted when he crashes in the rural redneck hamlet of Grady, South Carolina. The crash is through the hand-made fence of local Judge Evans (Roberts Blossom).The superficial Ben offers to pay for the fence,so he can be on his way,but the Judge isn't interested,and he sentences him to 16 hours of community service at a nearby hospital.Ben gets angry,and the stern judge increases his community service to 32 hours.
The local mechanic Melvin (Mel Winkler)tells Ben that he'll have his car fixed by the time he leaves,and Ben goes to report to the hospital, where the stiff Nurse Packer (Eyde Byrde) humbles him by ordering him to clock in and out, as would a factory worker and threatens to report him to the judge should he miss one day.
Though upset, Ben quickly makes friends with The Mayor Nick Nicholson (David Ogden Stiers), who is desperate to keep him in town because he knows it won't be long before their current doctor,Aurelius Hogue (Barnard Hughes) retires.He invites him to stay overnight at his lakeside lodge,where the town's café propieter/waitress (Frances Sternhagen),and her friends,make Ben feel welcome with food and alcohol.After a night of drinking,Ben wakes up feeling rough,and goes outside to the lake,where he sees a naked woman,Vialula "Lou" (Julie Warner) emerge from the water.She gets dressed and leaves,and it isn't long before he discovers that she's the town's tomboyish ambulance driver."
It is no small wonder why (until recently) that this movie hasn't been seen on any home entertainment media. I think it did get a VHS release shortly after its theatrical run. It then got a low-quality (read, lousy transfer) full-screen (4:3) DVD release.
Recently though Amazon Instant Video has made it available in both SD and HD. My experience with Amazon HD has been better than DVD but doesn't match up to a blu. Hopefully the Doc (no, not Doc Brown) will see a blu-ray release shortly.
I believe Warner Bros. holds the rights (according to Wiki) so maybe a WHV (Warner Home Video) release would be in the cards. Just wish there was a easy way to contact WHV and suggest this. I don't see any major music rights issues with this film (correct me if I'm wrong).
Wiki Entry for Doc Hollywood
IMDB Entry for Doc Hollywood.
IMDB Excerpt:
"Dr. Benjamin Stone (Michael J. Fox) is a hotshot young surgeon who longs to leave the drudgery of a Washington, D.C. emergency room and finally leaps at his chance at more money (for repaying his med school debts) and less death as a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills. On his last day, Ben's relationship with his co-workers is presumed to be anything but a warm one. None of his colleagues will join him for a drink, and a cake in his honor has an iced portion of the phrase "Good riddance, asshole" sliced out.
Ben's cross-country drive in a 1956 Porsche 356 Speedster to become a Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon is interrupted when he crashes in the rural redneck hamlet of Grady, South Carolina. The crash is through the hand-made fence of local Judge Evans (Roberts Blossom).The superficial Ben offers to pay for the fence,so he can be on his way,but the Judge isn't interested,and he sentences him to 16 hours of community service at a nearby hospital.Ben gets angry,and the stern judge increases his community service to 32 hours.
The local mechanic Melvin (Mel Winkler)tells Ben that he'll have his car fixed by the time he leaves,and Ben goes to report to the hospital, where the stiff Nurse Packer (Eyde Byrde) humbles him by ordering him to clock in and out, as would a factory worker and threatens to report him to the judge should he miss one day.
Though upset, Ben quickly makes friends with The Mayor Nick Nicholson (David Ogden Stiers), who is desperate to keep him in town because he knows it won't be long before their current doctor,Aurelius Hogue (Barnard Hughes) retires.He invites him to stay overnight at his lakeside lodge,where the town's café propieter/waitress (Frances Sternhagen),and her friends,make Ben feel welcome with food and alcohol.After a night of drinking,Ben wakes up feeling rough,and goes outside to the lake,where he sees a naked woman,Vialula "Lou" (Julie Warner) emerge from the water.She gets dressed and leaves,and it isn't long before he discovers that she's the town's tomboyish ambulance driver."
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