FOX MAY BE ON ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST, BLU-RAY WISE (1 Viewer)

[Beckford]

I’m a senior who grew up loving that beautiful 20th Century Fox logo and the stars and films it represented. As most collectors know, the whole Fox catalogue was acquired in recent years by Disney.
And that company’s attitude toward releasing physical media (beyond high profile franchises) seems to be save it for possible streaming or bury it in the vaults. Not good news for those of us who love Golden Age Fox films.
Here’s a chronological rundown of my 50 favorite vintage (pre-60’s) Fox titles. I’ve asterisked the ones I own on Blu-ray; most of these are still available for purchase online. The rest are either out of print or have not appeared in the format. Sadly, now, they perhaps never will.

THE BIG TRAIL(1930) John Wayne *
MUSIC IS MAGIC(1935) Alice Faye
RAMONA(1936) Loretta Young
LITTLE MISS BROADWAY(1938) Shirley Temple
THANK YOU, MR. MOTO(1938) Peter Lorre
THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES(1939) Basil Rathbone *
SECOND FIDDLE(1939) Sonja Henie, Tyrone Power
THE STORY OF ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL(1939) Don Ameche, Loretta Young
CHARLIE CHAN IN PANAMA(1940) Sidney Toler
THE MARK OF ZORRO(1940) Tyrone Power *
TIN PAN ALLEY(1940) Alice Faye, Betty Grable
BLOOD AND SAND(1941) Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell
SUN VALLEY SERENADE(1941) Sonja Henie
WESTERN UNION(1941) Randolph Scott *
ICELAND(1942) Sonja Henie
THE SONG OF BERNADETTE(1943) Jennifer Jones *
STORMY WEATHER(1943) Lena Horne, Bill Robinson *
WINTERTIME(1943) Sonja Henie
JANE EYRE(1944) Joan Fontaine, Orson Welles *
HANGOVER SQUARE(1945) Laird Cregar, Linda Darnell *
LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN(1945) Gene Tierney *
A WALK IN THE SUN(1945) Dana Andrews (Kit Parker Films is bringing this one out in January, 2022)
CENTENNIAL SUMMER(1946) Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell
DRAGONWYCK(1946) Gene Tierney, Vincent Price *
THE RAZOR’S EDGE(1946) Tyrone Power, Gene Tierney *
THREE LITTLE GIRLS IN BLUE(1946) June Haver
CAPTAIN FROM CASTILE(1947) Tyrone Power *
I WONDER WHO’S KISSING HER NOW(1947) June Haver
KISS OF DEATH(1947) Victor Mature *
CRY OF THE CITY(1948) Victor Mature *
FURY AT FURNACE CREEK(1948) Victor Mature
CANADIAN PACIFIC(1949) Randolph Scott *
A LETTER TO THREE WIVES(1949) Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell *
PINKY(1949) Jeanne Crain
PRINCE OF FOXES(1949) Tyrone Power *
NO WAY OUT(1950) Richard Widmark, Sidney Poitier *
PANIC IN THE STREETS(1950) Richard Widmark *
DON’T BOTHER TO KNOCK(1952) Marilyn Monroe, Richard Widmark *
WAY OF A GAUCHO(1952) Rory Calhoun, Gene Tierney
THE FARMER TAKES A WIFE(1953) Betty Grable, Dale Robertson
GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES(1953) Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell *
NIAGARA(1953) Marilyn Monroe *
POWDER RIVER(1953) Rory Calhoun
TITANIC(1953) Clifton Webb, Barbara Stanwyck *
THE ADVENTURES OF HAJJI BABA(1954) John Derek *
THE EGYPTIAN(1954) Edmund Purdom, Jean Simmons
RIVER OF NO RETURN(1954) Marilyn Monroe, Robert Mitchum *
THERE’S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS(1954) Ethel Merman, Marilyn Monroe *
BOY ON A DOLPHIN(1957) Alan Ladd, Sophia Loren *
JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH(1959) James Mason, Pat Boone *

I imagine others have different Fox favorites they’d love to see on Blu-ray.
Current marketing trends may not favor physical media but hope springs eternal.
After all, salmon continue to swim upstream to their spawning grounds every year.
And most either make it or die trying.

 

[Capt D McMars]

I too am from a generation where "owning" a personal copy of your favorite films was just a daydream, LOL!! There are many on your list I too either own or have on my hitlist. I agree with your picks of: JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH(1959) James Mason, Pat Boone (twilight time), THE EGYPTIAN(1954) Edmund Purdom, Jean Simmons isn't Peter Ustiove in this as well? Still the only copies are fair imports from Spain or France. All the Tyrone Power titles seem to be coming out on BRDs, PRINCE OF FOXES(1949) CAPTAIN FROM CASTILE(1947) BLOOD AND SAND(1941) and THE MARK OF ZORRO(1940).

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Unfortunately, prospects for the future of Fox catalog titles on physical media looks bleak in general due to Disney's apparent MO going forward...

_Man_

 

[RobertMG]

Unfortunately, prospects for the future of Fox catalog titles on physical media looks bleak in general due to Disney's apparent MO going forward...

_Man_

Maybe KINO would go a knocking at the House of Mouse?

 

[Dick]

Maybe KINO would go a knocking at the House of Mouse?

I suspect that no one would answer. This is a terrible precedent to set, but they don't care.

 

[Neil S. Bulk]

CENTENNIAL SUMMER(1946)

There's a rights issue with that one.

 

[DVBRD]

"Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" (1939) is with CBS/Paramount now.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Disney does not seem interested at all in releasing Fox catalog titles to disc.

There's so much 4k potential and just no interest

 

[StarDestroyer52]

Maybe KINO would go a knocking at the House of Mouse?

Kino has said there has been no interest on Disney's side to licensing at this time, which will probably be the unfortunate reality going forward. Except maybe for a Fox film occasionally from Criterion, we are probably done with any licensing out from Fox.

 

[StarDestroyer52]

Disney does not seem interested at all in releasing Fox catalog titles to disc.

There's so much 4k potential and just no interest

Didn't Fox give Patton a mass restoration and all Disney would have to do is release it on UHD? Seems such a shame for Disney not to release least some of the bigger catalog films on UHD

 

[willyTass]

Interestingly, Warner Bros in Japan is re-releasing the out of print Fox release of 12 Angry Men in Japan on Blu ray

12 Angry Men Blu-ray (Japan)

12 Angry Men Blu-ray Release Date December 3, 2021. Blu-ray reviews, news, specs, ratings, screenshots. Cheap Blu-ray movies and deals.

www.blu-ray.com

the original 2013 Japanese Fox release went out of print and skyrocketed in price

be interesting to see what other titles of fox Warners Bros releases .
disney taking over Fox was a cultural Pearl Harbour

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Interestingly, Warner Bros in Japan is re-releasing the out of print Fox release of 12 Angry Men in Japan on Blu ray

This is because 12 Angry Men is an MGM title, and Fox used to distribute mass market MGM titles on disc. That deal ended some time ago, and MGM signed a new deal with Warner to do the same.

 

[Worth]

Didn't Fox give Patton a mass restoration and all Disney would have to do is release it on UHD? Seems such a shame for Disney not to release least some of the bigger catalog films on UHD

It's on Disney+ in 4K HDR in Canada.

 

[Nick*Z]

Let's be honest here. WD cannot even be bothered to release its own remaining live action back catalog and MIA animated anthologies. And you want them to concentrate on UHD Fox titles, many for which no original elements exist?

If Disney had any idea at all what a gold mine they possess, they'd start by remastering those hideous teal and/or blue leaning Blu's pumped out under the old regime to include all the R&H titles and movies like Desk Set, The Blue Max, Anastasia, The Best of Everything, Inn of the Sixth Happiness, The Black Swan, for kick starters. They'd also release Star! But, as I say, they haven't even come around to their own, Rob Roy, Make Mine Music, Song of the South, The Happiest Millionaire, That Darn Cat, The Shaggy Dog, and so on.

Let alone, releasing comprehensive Blu's of the titles that were given deluxe treatments on DVD but no such consideration in hi-def. Bedknobs and Broomsticks....is anyone listening?!? So, Disney/Fox UHD....even Disney/Fox Blu-rays - seriously?!?! And we're surprised by this?!?!

 

[Bert Greene]

Yeah, love talking about Fox fare. Over the decades, as I've seen more and more Fox product, my opinion of the studio has kept rising. Even down to the more modest-budgeted fare, the studio made good, reliable stuff. Always been a big fan of their series films, Chan, Moto, Shayne, etc. Their George O'Brien films are some of my favorite westerns. I even love the minor ones, like "Robbers Roost" (1933) and "Smoke Lightning" (1933). One later western that Fox released (but might have been an indy production) that I'd like to see cleaned up and remastered is "Rose of Cimarron" (1952), with Mala Powers, one of my favorite 1950s actresses. No, it's no classic of a film, but the only prints I've seen (some Cinecolor type effort) look horrible. I think "Fighting Man of the Plains" (1949) with Randolph Scott might need similar attention. "Princess of the Nile" (1954), with Debra Paget, would be one I'd especially like to see on blu. Plus, "Way of a Gaucho" (1952), with its intriguing location-work would also be quite welcome.

Fox made a lot of great little B's like "Dangerously Yours" (1937), with Cesar Romero and Phyllis Brooks, about jewel thieves on an ocean-liner, and a script full of fun twists and turns. I like Alice Faye a whole lot, although I prefer her little 1930s musi-comedies to the glossier ones from the 1940s. Enjoy the Will Rogers films too, with the lesser-seen "Handy Andy" (1934) probably being my favorite. Fox also sure had some interesting oddballs in that earlier, pre-20th period, like "Zoo in Budapest" (1933), which I've always loved. Then there was that peculiar "Face in the Sky" (1933), with its charming scene of Marian Nixon interacting with characters in advertising billboards come to life. "Sailor's Luck" (1933) had the amusingly delirious casting of Victor Jory playing a seedy dance-hall proprietor. Fun film. And nothing is weirder than "I Am Suzanne" (1934), with Lillian Harvey. That is one strange movie. Yet I still somehow rather like it.

"Show Them No Mercy" (1935) remains one of my favorite of old-time crime films, with its intense finale featuring Rochelle Hudson brandishing a tommy-gun. One Fox movie that a lot of people like that didn't work for me is Jack Benny's version of "Charley's Aunt" (1941). Big fan of Benny, but that one landed with a dull thud for me. A Fox film I haven't seen in over 30 years but would like to revisit is "Home Sweet Homicide" (1946), with Randolph Scott and Peggy Ann Garner. Probably nothing all that special, but I'd like to see it again. Can't seem to remember anything about it. From that same year, "Margie" (1946) would probably be another goodie for blu, recalling its colorful backdrop. I've also always loved Elissa Landi in "The Yellow Ticket" (1931), and I'd welcome any number of her Fox films, with that one at the top of my list. Anyway tons and tons of interesting, enjoyable material in the Fox library, all locked up by the mouse.

 

[Dick]

"Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" (1939) is with CBS/Paramount now.

Thank God.

 

[Dick]

If Disney had any idea at all what a gold mine they possess, they'd start by remastering those hideous teal and/or blue leaning Blu's pumped out under the old regime to include all the R&H titles and movies like Desk Set, The Blue Max, Anastasia, The Best of Everything, Inn of the Sixth Happiness, The Black Swan, for kick starters.

Yes, along with WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER, WILD RIVER, and dozens more. I concur.

 

[RobertMG]

Thank God.

Thought it was with MPI? How did CBS/Paramount get it I really miss the weekly airings on MOVIES!

 

[Beckford]

Yeah, love talking about Fox fare. Over the decades, as I've seen more and more Fox product, my opinion of the studio has kept rising. Even down to the more modest-budgeted fare, the studio made good, reliable stuff.

Really enjoyed reading your memories/impressions of vintage treasures from Fox. What a wealth of wonderful material the studio gave us. And what a shame if the bulk of it winds up effectively off limits.
A few fond memories of my own involving 20th Century Fox's catalogue:
I saw "Cadet Girl", a 1941 musical with Carole Landis and George Montgomery on TV when I was about ten and loved it. Have never came across it since. And nowadays it seems as lost as Atlantis.
Caught "Walking Down Broadway"(1938) online last year and found it completely absorbing, with enough big city drama packed into its 75minutes to fuel a mini-series. Claire Trevor anchors the thing with customary excellence but she gets fine support from a group of talented Fox ingenues including Leah Ray, Phyllis Brooks, Jayne Regan and Lynn Bari.
My favorite of Alice Faye's 30's films is probably "Music is Magic"(1935). Her co-star in it is Bebe Daniels, delivering what may be that lady's best performance
I've always been a fan of John McGuire, an actor Fox seems to have had high hopes for in the mid 30's. He's a standout in Will Rogers' "Steamboat 'Round the Bend"(1935) and the Jane Withers vehicle "This is the Life" (same year). Have never managed to see him in his last starring part at Fox ,"Street of Memories"(1940). But that same year he was the main character in RKO's cult classic, "Stranger on the Third Floor" and did splendidly. This picture's often cited as the first genuine film noir. After a dual role in the under-rated "Invisible Ghost"(Monogram '41) with Bela Lugosi and Polly Ann Young (Loretta's sister), McGuire drifted into unbilled bits.
Also liked a couple of the indie westerns singer Smith Ballew made in the late 30's. Fox distributed them. "Hawaiian Buckaroo"(1938) is a breezy entertainer. Also solid is "Rawhide" from the same year. The latter teams Ballew with baseball great Lou Gehrig who proves a real natural as an actor.
Gene Tierney's porcelain beauty may have been a million miles away from the real-life character she played, but I found her "Belle Starr" from 1941 pretty irresistible. With Randolph Scott, Dana Andrews and perfect 40's Technicolor to sweeten the deal.
Anyway all of this is just the tip of the 20th Century Fox iceberg. And vintage Fox fans all have their own particular favorites. Darryl Zanuck Forever!

 

[cinemiracle]

Disney does not seem interested at all in releasing Fox catalog titles to disc.

There's so much 4k potential and just no interest

Time Disney was told that not everyone is interested in their Star Wars and Marvel films- many of which are rubbish in my opinion. Money makers- yes but classics -no. In fact I cannot think of any or their Star Wars and Marvel films that I would regarded as being a classic. Many or the Fox films are. In fact a massive amount are. They will be still remembered long after Star Wars and Marvel have been long forgotten.