FOX/MGM DVDS on 05-22-07 including westerns, musicals and Gary Cooper films. (1 Viewer)

[DanMel]

Yes I know there are not that many Gary Cooper fans here (most watch for others that are in his movies) but did think I would pass on a little that I heard from high up. I don't know anything about any other movies as I am a Gary Cooper specilist:

Rumor from a high source in the know states that Universial is planing a Vol 2 For Gary Cooper for next year. Movies will include:

1) Bluebeard's Eigth Wife
2) Desire
3) One Sunday Afternoon
4) The Virginia restored version

And Possibly the 1930 movie the "The Spoilers".

Also Fox plans to release Garden of Evil with a special making of documentory by the end of this year or in 2008.

Also, a new documentory on High Noon has been made and was suppose to be released on a two disc set which interviews Bill Clinton who was quite knowlegable on the movie. Paramont was going to release a 2 disc version of High Noon but lost the rights to the U.S. version and will not have them back until the earliest of next year and maybe not even then. The documentory that is done will be one hour long and cover everything, especially the blacklist controversy, Cooper's extraordinary courage in putting his career on the line for Carl Foreman both during and after the film was finished in the face of John Wayne and other opposition ect.

Also as you all probably know The Hanging Tree will not be coming out any time soon as Cooper daughter owns 70 percent of the picture and WB does not feel they can make up the cost of getting it restored.

There is nothing on Man of the West getting released anytime soon in region 1format and I do not think it will come out in the next couple of years.

 

[RafaelPires]

Great news Dan if the rumors become true. I'll sure get Universal's vol. 2 it those are the titles selected.
Maybe they could release a vol. 3 with "City Streets", "A Farewell to arms" (restored), "If I had a million", "Souls at Sea" and the 2r emaining Cecil B DeMille's titles (North West Mounted Police and "The Story of Dr. Wassell ".

And Garden of Evil, finally!!

 

[DanMel]

The Spoilers 1930 is the one that I am the most after at this point as I have Garden of Evil on Region 2 most of the others except for One Sunday Afternoon on VHS, but it will be nice to get them on dvd.

There are only three talking Gary Cooper movies that I have not seen which are The Spoilers, The Texan and I Take This Woman. Any set that releases any of these is a sure buy for me.

This was a good choice of movies as One Sunday Afternoon is my favorite pre-1935 Gary cooper movie and Bluebeard's Eigth wife is a movie that get's extremely funny on repeated viewings.

Your choices all sound excellent but they ussually pick one's that have been restored and I'm not sure if City Streets is in all that good of shape. A farewell to arms is still public domain and Image did a pretty decent job on their version of it.

 

[DanMel]

The rumors come from a person that is very much in the Gary Cooper know by the name of John Mulholland who works for MODA Entertainment and is a true Gary Cooper expert and fan.

I am doing some very big pushing on john's way to see if he can convince them to release the Spoilers 1930 if he has any pull with Universial Studios as I think it would sell more units with this highly sought after western.

 

[DanMel]

My guess on this set if in fact it does come out would be May 2008 as this is the month that Gary Cooper was both born and died. It is also the month that the vol 1 universial box set came out in 2005 and also the month that MGM released theirs box set in 2007. So there is a very good bet that this set will be released in May of 2008.

For anyone that in the know with Universial or if Universial reads this thread, please release the restored version of 1930 "The Spoilers" in this set as you will sell more units I am sure.

 

[DanMel]

RafaelPires, I think the cycle of these box sets from Universial seem to be in three year intervals so any more movies would have to be released more than likely in a Cicil B Demille collection which looks like both Northwest Mounted Police and The Story of Dr Wassell would fall into, but haven't heard anything on them coming out soon. Souls at sea would be a good canidate for a fifth movie if The Spoilers is not included but I am hoping that they release The Spoilers 1930 instead myself. I have a very good copy of Souls at Sea from Universial on VHS tape. Also perhaps they will release If I had a Million in the next W.C. Fields collection as Gary doesn't have that big of a part in that movie and might not be a good choice to represent him in a box set. Actually, I am quite happy with all the choices selected and couldn't be happier with them if I would have picked them myself. I am sure that City Streets is in unrestored form and in bad shape at the present.

However, I Take this Woman with Carole Lumbard and Gary Cooper has been restored:

"You mention I Take This Woman, from 1930. Several years ago, an acquaintance, Tom Toth, restored this film. Though allegedly a lost film, Tom discovered a print and restored it. It showed at the Film Forum in 2001, here in NYC. Sold out. Tom and I spoke before and after the showing. Then we showed it in Helena, Mt., 8/2001, where it also sold out. I again nattered my nonsense during that showing.

However, I've lost touch with Tom and I'm nt sure why it has never been picked up for DVD or TCM. There was still some work to be don e on the print, but it looked wonderful."

Regarding The Spoilers here is what I got from John on that movie:

"The Spoilers, another allegedly lost film, is also around. Was a huge hit this March up at the Cine Fest in Syracuse. Not sure why these two aren't
out on DVD or on TCM."

This comment was made a few months back and now it is in fact being considered for DVD release in a Universial Vol 2 set for Gary Cooper.

Here's the exact quote from John on that:

"Universal owns all of Paramount pre-1950. There are rumblings that Universal
will be releasing a second GC collection, sometime next year. Would include
Bluebeard's Eighth Wife, Desire, One Sunday Afternoon, and The Virginian
(which was restored by UCLA several years ago, saw it at the Museum of the
Moving Image here in NYC in 2001, looked terrific), and one other (perhaps
The Spoilers?).

Garden Of Evil is coming out from Fox later this year or early next, with a
making of extra."

 

[CineKarine]

I would buy this set in a wink - what a superb selection that will be, DESIRE being one of the great romantic comedies ever I think and all the others fabulous gems as well. Another vote for THE SPOILERS from me too!

 

[DanMel]

I took out all references to newly restored The Spoilers as I searched back through all my emails from John and couldn't find where he stated it was newly restored. He did state that he watched it and it was a huge hit so it probably looks pretty good.

 

[Roger Rollins]

Deleted

 

[Roger Rollins]

Deleted.

 

[RafaelPires]

Roger, are you really sure of that?
Because One Sunday Afternoon is a pre 1949 Paramount picture.

 

[RafaelPires]

Dan, tank you very much for all this information.
Mine is another vote for the Spoilers on dvd. Have never seen it, but I would love to.

 

[DanMel]

WB did a remake of it that may cause some confusion but the 1933 version of One Sunday Afternoon is very much owned by Universial and was originally a Paramount picture. I was confused on this myself but John M set me straight on it.

I think someone here one time stated that One Sunday Afternoon was owned by Warner Brothers. So I assumed that somehow they got the rights to this paramount picture but Universial does own the 1933 version.

 

[Jefty]

Yes! Desire is extraordinary (along with about ten other Borzage films that aren't on DVD)! By all means, let us have this set as soon as possible!

 

[DanMel]

Yes Desire is my favorite Dietrich/Cooper film and like it better than their other movie together Morroco, which is out on R1 dvd.

 

[CineKarine]

Is there any news about TEN NORTH FREDERICKS (58), one of Cooper's very best I think.

 

[Charles H]

WB bought the rights to ONE SUNDAY AFTERNOON when they made STRAWBERRY BLONDE. It's the same situation as WATERLOO BRIDGE/ROBERTA/SHOW BOAT.

 

[DanMel]

deleted

 

[DanMel]

I'm deleting these last two posts as I figure we will all find out next year if WB or Universial owns the 1934 version of One Sunday Afternoon. My bet is that if Warner Brothers bought it years ago that Universial had to buy it off of them recently if they are planning on releasing it in Gary Cooper Vol 2 box set. There is no need to drag tons of Johns personal emails into all this discussion. He is who he is and is a world class expert on Gary Cooper. If John stated it to me that it was going to be released by universial next year then I trust his opinion over anyone that posts here.

 

[Jim Bur]

Dan: News of a Universal Vol 2 is great news. I'm especially glad to hear that the original version of The Virginian will be included, and it would also be great to see the original version of the Spoilers as well. Desire with Marlene Dietrich is also an excellent film.

The other two films are in my opinion not so hot. Bluebead was a real bomb, and even though its directed by Lubitch its not up to the level of Design For Living. I caught up with One Sunday Afternoon a few years ago on TCM and IMO it is one of Cooper's weaker films (I've seen virtually every one of them).

If they haven't already irrevocably decided on the films to be included in the set I would strongly recommend "Souls at Sea" be included. It is a unique and outstanding adventure film directed by Henry Hathaway who also directed Cooper in Lives of A Bengal Lancer, The Real Glory, etc. It also has the beautiful Francis Dee (Joel McCrea's wife) as the co-star, not to mention the likes of George Raft and Harry Carey. Cooper's working on slave ships as an undercover agent for the intelligence service of the Brits who had outlawed the slave trade and were seeking to stamp it out It is one of Coop's better films. A real sleeper, that holds up very well. If I'm not mistaken there is going to be a major film surrounding William Wilburfoce and the anti-slavery crusade, so Souls at Sea would also be a very topical film to include in the set.

In any event, its nice that Universal is giving us more Cooper.

It too bad about The Hanging Tree, which is one of Coop's best westerns. However, I've not surprised. I've come to expect very little from Warner's when it comes to western films.

c Jim Bur