Press Release HTF EXCLUSIVE! Twilight Time August 2019 Release Announcements (2 Viewers)

[John Hermes]

Shucks! A Elvis title and it’s one I already have ( German Blu)

That being said, I strongly recommend those who do not yet have Wild In The Country (1961), get this release!

Unfortunately, it seems we are down to the unreleased Paramount and Warner-controlled MGM titles now, and there seems to be nothing in sight for those.

 

[Kyrsten Brad]

Unfortunately, it seems we are down to the unreleased Paramount and Warner-controlled MGM titles now, and there seems to be nothing in sight for those.

Actually there are HD releases very much in sight for at least 3 Elvis titles. The catch though that at least for now, those titles are only available online.

Copied from my thread over on the Online forum:

==========================


@Josh Steinberg indicated in the Little Darlings thread that The Mountain (Paramount) was releasing HD masters to several online services. So I did some checking for Elvis titles released by Paramount and found three Elvis movies now are available in HD from Amazon Prime. These three are:

Blue Hawaii (1961)
GI Blues (1960) (date corrected)
Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1966)

I just purchased Paradise, Hawaiian Style.

None of these titles have been released on Blu-ray as of this writing but now I have some hope we will see Blu-ray releases of these titles.

Unfortunately King Creole (1958) isn’t yet available in HD but hopefully that will soon be rectified.

==============================

Twilight Time, any chance of getting a Paramount deal together?

 

[John Hermes]

Actually there are HD releases very much in sight for at least 3 Elvis titles. The catch though that at least for now, those titles are only available online.

Copied from my thread over on the Online forum:

Well, I was talking about Blu-ray.

 

[Stefano B]

Now that The Tall Men has been announced, l hope TT will consider releasing another great mid-1950s western, Delmer Daves's The Last Wagon (1956), in one of its next slates... That, too, has been available for a few years in Germany, though I couldn't find much information about the quality of the transfer.

 

[Robin9]

Unfortunately, it seems we are down to the unreleased Paramount and Warner-controlled MGM titles now, and there seems to be nothing in sight for those.

??? Since when has Twilight Time been releasing titles owned by Paramount and Warners?

 

[John Hermes]

??? Since when has Twilight Time been releasing titles owned by Paramount and Warners?

I wasn't talking about Twilight Time, just Paramount and Warner Elvis titles in general.

 

[Jimbo64]

??? Since when has Twilight Time been releasing titles owned by Paramount and Warners?

They haven’t, the posters have just gotten way off track of the subject. This is not the Elvis thread but the TT one

 

[Nick*Z]

I'm wondering what became of TT's alliance with Sony to release old Columbia movies. Noticed other distributors are getting some Columbia stuff - Indicator, Mill Creek, Kit Parker. Would be nice to have these from Columbia get a Blu-ray release at last:

Holiday
The Talk of the Town
You Were Never Lovelier
Queen Bee
The Story of Esther Costello
Theodora Goes Wild
Too Many Husbands
The Doctor Takes A Wife
The Howards of Virginia
Arizona
What's Buzzin' Cousin?
The Prince of Thieves
The Fuller Brush Girl
The Four Poster
The Solid Gold Cadillac
It Should Happen To You
The Marrying Kind
Jeanne Eagels
Cactus Flower
Seems Like Old Times
North
Little Women
The Juror
Fly Away Home


As for Fox catalog that ought to have been out by now:

Star!
Wilson
The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit
The Rains Came
The House on Telegraph Hill
Nightmare Alley
Alexander's Ragtime Band
In Old Chicago
Springtime in the Rockies
Greenwich Village
The Dolly Sisters
Dimples
Pigskin Parade
King of Khyber Rifles
Heidi
Stowaway
Lloyd's of London
A Little Princess
Wee Willie Winkie
Cafe Metropole
Thin Ice
All of the Charlie Chan/Mr. Moto mysteries
Rose of Washington Square
Lillian Russell
Johnny Apollo
Hudson's Bay
Tobacco Road
Sun Valley Serenade
Belle Starr
Weekend in Havana
Footlight Serenade
Back Home In Indiana
My Friend Flicka
Nob Hill
Doll Face
Black Beauty
Call Me Madam
Carnival in Costa Rica
I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now
The Lady in Ermine
Halls of Montezuma
Sink the Bizmarck
Sons and Lovers
The Millionairess
The Left Hand of God
The Nanny
The Paper Chase
Centennial Summer

 

[Robert Crawford]

I'm wondering what became of TT's alliance with Sony to release old Columbia movies. Noticed other distributors are getting some Columbia stuff - Indicator, Mill Creek, Kit Parker. Would be nice to have these from Columbia get a Blu-ray release at last:

Holiday
The Talk of the Town
You Were Never Lovelier
Queen Bee
The Story of Esther Costello
Theodora Goes Wild
Too Many Husbands
The Doctor Takes A Wife
The Howards of Virginia
Arizona
What's Buzzin' Cousin?
The Prince of Thieves
The Fuller Brush Girl
The Four Poster
The Solid Gold Cadillac
It Should Happen To You
The Marrying Kind
Jeanne Eagels
Cactus Flower
Seems Like Old Times
North
Little Women
The Juror
Fly Away Home


As for Fox catalog that ought to have been out by now:

Star!
Wilson
The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit
The Rains Came
The House on Telegraph Hill
Nightmare Alley
Alexander's Ragtime Band
In Old Chicago
Springtime in the Rockies
Greenwich Village
The Dolly Sisters
Dimples
Pigskin Parade
King of Khyber Rifles
Heidi
Stowaway
Lloyd's of London
A Little Princess
Wee Willie Winkie
Cafe Metropole
Thin Ice
All of the Charlie Chan/Mr. Moto mysteries
Rose of Washington Square
Lillian Russell
Johnny Apollo
Hudson's Bay
Tobacco Road
Sun Valley Serenade
Belle Starr
Weekend in Havana
Footlight Serenade
Back Home In Indiana
My Friend Flicka
Nob Hill
Doll Face
Black Beauty
Call Me Madam
Carnival in Costa Rica
I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now
The Lady in Ermine
Halls of Montezuma
Sink the Bizmarck
Sons and Lovers
The Millionairess
The Left Hand of God
The Nanny
The Paper Chase
Centennial Summer

I hate to be Debbie Downer, but most of those titles wouldn't come close to selling 3000 discs. TT needs to be very careful in which titles they select for BD release. Wish lists are great, but usually they're not practical from a business point of view in today's physical media market when you're selling discs at premium pricing.

 

[Nick*Z]

I hate to be Debbie Downer, but most of those titles wouldn't come close to selling 3000 discs. TT needs to be very careful in which titles they select for BD release. Wish lists are great, but usually they're not practical from a business point of view in today's physical media market when you're selling discs at premium pricing.

Well, if they can release The Whole Town's Talking, and You'll Never Get Rich (widely regarded as the lesser of the two Astaire/Hayworth outings) then I sincerely think there is room for the rest - especially since Sony's archival program under Grover Crisp has found ways to release a lot of even lesser known titles to Blu through third party distributors and make it work. I am a die-hard classic movie lover - yes, but even I had never heard of The Guilt of Janet Ames, and, The Black Book - both of which I now love, and came out as part of the Film Noir Vol. 1 collection. So, if there is room for those obscure titles (and clearly - they sold, as Kit Parker's already prepping a Vol. 2 and 3) with even more back catalog I have NEVER seen, then such high profile back catalog as I listed definitely can find a home somewhere on Blu. If the aforementioned titles prove anything, it is that here is always a way. Always!

 

[Robert Crawford]

Well, if they can release The Whole Town's Talking, and You'll Never Get Rich (widely regarded as the lesser of the two Astaire/Hayworth outings) then I sincerely think there is room for the rest - especially since Sony's archival program under Grover Crisp has found ways to release a lot of even lesser known titles to Blu through third party distributors and make it work. I am a die-hard classic movie lover - yes, but even I had never heard of The Guilt of Janet Ames, and, The Black Book - both of which I now love, and came out as part of the Film Noir Vol. 1 collection. So, if there is room for those obscure titles (and clearly - they sold, as Kit Parker's already prepping a Vol. 2 and 3) with even more back catalog I have NEVER seen, then such high profile back catalog as I listed definitely can find a home somewhere on Blu. If the aforementioned titles prove anything, it is that here is always a way. Always!

Releasing a couple of titles doesn't mean they can release the entire listing you posted. Furthermore, we're talking about Twilight Time, not Kit Parker that is selling their titles at a much lower price point. Two different business models.

 

[Astairefan]

I'm wondering what became of TT's alliance with Sony to release old Columbia movies. Noticed other distributors are getting some Columbia stuff - Indicator, Mill Creek, Kit Parker. Would be nice to have these from Columbia get a Blu-ray release at last:

Holiday
The Talk of the Town
You Were Never Lovelier
Queen Bee
The Story of Esther Costello
Theodora Goes Wild
Too Many Husbands
The Doctor Takes A Wife
The Howards of Virginia
Arizona
What's Buzzin' Cousin?
The Prince of Thieves
The Fuller Brush Girl
The Four Poster
The Solid Gold Cadillac
It Should Happen To You
The Marrying Kind
Jeanne Eagels
Cactus Flower
Seems Like Old Times
North
Little Women
The Juror
Fly Away Home


As for Fox catalog that ought to have been out by now:

Star!
Wilson
The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit
The Rains Came
The House on Telegraph Hill
Nightmare Alley
Alexander's Ragtime Band
In Old Chicago
Springtime in the Rockies
Greenwich Village
The Dolly Sisters
Dimples
Pigskin Parade
King of Khyber Rifles
Heidi
Stowaway
Lloyd's of London
A Little Princess
Wee Willie Winkie
Cafe Metropole
Thin Ice
All of the Charlie Chan/Mr. Moto mysteries
Rose of Washington Square
Lillian Russell
Johnny Apollo
Hudson's Bay
Tobacco Road
Sun Valley Serenade
Belle Starr
Weekend in Havana
Footlight Serenade
Back Home In Indiana
My Friend Flicka
Nob Hill
Doll Face
Black Beauty
Call Me Madam
Carnival in Costa Rica
I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now
The Lady in Ermine
Halls of Montezuma
Sink the Bizmarck
Sons and Lovers
The Millionairess
The Left Hand of God
The Nanny
The Paper Chase
Centennial Summer

I have to agree with Robert. While I can't speak to all of the Sony titles on your list, there are a few I can comment on, based on comments I've seen. I don't know whether you are referring to the 1938 or 1930 version of Holiday, but the 1938 version has more or less been confirmed as coming from Criterion (short of a release date, and I know some of us are wondering whether they will try to give us both versions). Assuming you are referring to the Cary Grant film Talk Of The Town, I think most of us are assuming Criterion will release that one as well, since they have been regularly releasing at least one of the Sony-owned Cary Grant films every year for the last few years. And you were commenting on You'll Never Get Rich, the lesser of the two Astaire/Hayworth films being released. That one didn't have the clearance issues that You Were Never Lovelier apparently has, as Twilight has stated previously that they DO have it licensed, but that there were some clearance issues (music clearances, if I remember correctly), which apparently Sony had to deal with (and it seems they still haven't).
I don't know what is going on with their license with Sony, as I thought it was stated a few years back that they had licensed titles through Sony and Fox through 2020. I have been wondering if they have been emphasizing the Fox titles if only because of Disney's recent acquisition of Fox, and whatever issues may have arisen because of that.

 

[Robin9]

Releasing a couple of titles doesn't mean they can release the entire listing you posted. Furthermore, we're talking about Twilight Time, not Kit Parker that is selling their titles at a much lower price point. Two different business models.

There's also the fact that the elements for some of those titles are known to be severely problematic. Wilson is a good example.

 

[Nick*Z]

There's also the fact that the elements for some of those titles are known to be severely problematic. Wilson is a good example.

Didn't stop them from releasing a lackluster Blu of Forever Amber!

 

[Nick*Z]

Releasing a couple of titles doesn't mean they can release the entire listing you posted. Furthermore, we're talking about Twilight Time, not Kit Parker that is selling their titles at a much lower price point. Two different business models.

Dear Robert:

Was not suggesting TT release everything on my list. Just making the general query about Columbia catalog as TT's interest in it seems to have dried up considerably with a full-on concentration on Fox catalog. I have to concur with AstaireFan that the decision might be made to spearhead as much Fox catalog to Blu before the Disney acquisition of Fox rewrites their rules of distribution.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Dear Robert:

Was not suggesting TT release everything on my list. Just making the general query about Columbia catalog as TT's interest in it seems to have dried up considerably with a full-on concentration on Fox catalog. I have to concur with AstaireFan that the decision might be made to spearhead as much Fox catalog to Blu before the Disney acquisition of Fox rewrites their rules of distribution.

Come on Nick, you want everything released just like the rest of us.

 

[BRAD1963]

I'm wondering what became of TT's alliance with Sony to release old Columbia movies. Noticed other distributors are getting some Columbia stuff - Indicator, Mill Creek, Kit Parker. Would be nice to have these from Columbia get a Blu-ray release at last:

Holiday
The Talk of the Town
You Were Never Lovelier
Queen Bee
The Story of Esther Costello
Theodora Goes Wild
Too Many Husbands
The Doctor Takes A Wife
The Howards of Virginia
Arizona
What's Buzzin' Cousin?
The Prince of Thieves
The Fuller Brush Girl
The Four Poster
The Solid Gold Cadillac
It Should Happen To You
The Marrying Kind
Jeanne Eagels
Cactus Flower
Seems Like Old Times
North
Little Women
The Juror
Fly Away Home


As for Fox catalog that ought to have been out by now:

Star!
Wilson
The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit
The Rains Came
The House on Telegraph Hill
Nightmare Alley
Alexander's Ragtime Band
In Old Chicago
Springtime in the Rockies
Greenwich Village
The Dolly Sisters
Dimples
Pigskin Parade
King of Khyber Rifles
Heidi
Stowaway
Lloyd's of London
A Little Princess
Wee Willie Winkie
Cafe Metropole
Thin Ice
All of the Charlie Chan/Mr. Moto mysteries
Rose of Washington Square
Lillian Russell
Johnny Apollo
Hudson's Bay
Tobacco Road
Sun Valley Serenade
Belle Starr
Weekend in Havana
Footlight Serenade
Back Home In Indiana
My Friend Flicka
Nob Hill
Doll Face
Black Beauty
Call Me Madam
Carnival in Costa Rica
I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now
The Lady in Ermine
Halls of Montezuma
Sink the Bizmarck
Sons and Lovers
The Millionairess
The Left Hand of God
The Nanny
The Paper Chase
Centennial Summer

The Paper Chase has been confirmed to be with another label. You Were Never Lovelier and Centennial Summer are held up with music rights issues. Fly Away Home was released by Sony a decade ago and Cactus Flower is available now with Mill Creek. Holiday has been confirmed to be coming from Criterion.

It would be great to have many of these titles, but who knows if the elements are in good enough condition or even if there are HD transfers.. Nick Redman used to mention all the time about titles they would love but the elements are in bad condition or the HD transfer is not good enough.

 

[Robin9]

Didn't stop them from releasing a lackluster Blu of Forever Amber!

Most people don't want lucklustre Blu-ray discs and see no point in requesting them; and how do you know the elements of Forever Amber and Wilson are in similar condition?

 

[ptb2017fr]

Now that The Tall Men has been announced, l hope TT will consider releasing another great mid-1950s western, Delmer Daves's The Last Wagon (1956), in one of its next slates... That, too, has been available for a few years in Germany, though I couldn't find much information about the quality of the transfer.

I have the French release of The Last Wagon. Via Sidonis it is an official Fox release and the quality is very good indeed.

 

[Nick*Z]

Most people don't want lucklustre Blu-ray discs and see no point in requesting them; and how do you know the elements of Forever Amber and Wilson are in similar condition?

I don't want a lackluster Blu-ray. Never said that. I hate the way Forever Amber looks on Blu-ray. But it was suggested that Wilson would not be a candidate, simply because its elements were not up to snuff for a 1080p release, to which I merely pointed out that Forever Amber's were far below par, and that still did not stop TT from putting out Forever Amber on Blu. That was my only point. And regarding your query about 'similar' condition of the respective film elements - both Amber and Wilson were released to Fox's own now defunct MOD DVD archive and both look pretty similar in terms of quality - or lack thereof.

A lot of the Fox catalog remains in a perilous state of decomposition, thanks to short-sightedness from the seventies which caused the studio to junk original separation masters and keep only some badly transferred and misaligned Eastman/Kodak composites as the only source for future restoration efforts to take place. To bring Forever Amber back to a condition that could mimic, though never recreate its former Technicolor glory would be a supremely costly endeavor. But Fox - when it was Fox and not part of the Mouse House - proved it was willing to go back to do their back catalog justice on Blu. Compare their DVD release of the Marilyn Monroe classic, Niagara to the Blu-ray and you'll see how much better these movies can look when proper time, money and care is ascribed. The results on Blu are stunning. The DVD is a Frisbee.

Work should be undertaken at some point on Forever Amber - ditto for Wilson - because these were 'important' pictures in the studio's cannon of their time and deserve such consideration...again, in a perfect world. Since we do not live in one, the chances of these movies getting their due on Blu is slim to nil. But seeing them in their present condition simply breaks my heart - especially Wilson - a super-production, personally supervised by Zanuck, that features an astonishing performance by Alexander Knox and production values that dwarf virtually every picture made in that same year. Oh, and some gorgeous Technicolor to boot and an incredible score by Alfred Newman.