Quarterly Laurel & Hardy plea (1 Viewer)

[Randy_M]

1. All the sound shorts.
2. All the Hal Roach feature length films.
Please, someone issue these, my VHS tapes are dying!!!!
If Columbia can publish the friggin Three Stooges, I don't see why L & H can't also be done.....!

 

[Lee Bombard]

Randy,
I agree with all of these!
Any idea where the rights reside?
Regards,
Lee

 

[Randy_M]

Alas, I believe the rights are in the public domain - however, that does not mean that a publisher can't do it right....
I'm not asking for frame by frame restoration here, just reasonable quality and uncut...
Cheers

 

[BradC]

I can't tell you how excited I would be the see the Laurel and Hardy catalogue released on DVD! It is about time that somebody looked into releasing these. I am certain that there is a market for this collection...

 

[Lee Bombard]

Randy - I kind of doubt that they are in the Public Domain. I have no real reason to know except that it seems anything of even remote interest that is in the public domain seems to be everywhere from all the rinky-dink distributors...and Laurel & Hardy are not. I hold out hope that whoever has control comes up with something worth waiting for.
By the way. The silents from Image are pretty good prints presented nicely. I would recommend them to any L&H fan.
Regards,
Lee
[Edited last by Lee Bombard on September 05, 2001 at 02:25 PM]

 

[Matthew H]

All of the sound L&H shorts belong to MGM (though the rights are different overseas as they have been released there). It would be nice to see the sound shorts remastered, as my tapes from the mid 80s are in rough shape.
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Matt
Mobu? Sounds like some sort of damn car polish.
My DVD Collection

 

[Randy_M]

Nice to find out that MGM owns the rights...they have been a rising star of late.
Think if I cry and kick my feet real loud, they will release them???
They could have a nice rivalry with Columbia's Stooge effort (which is quite nice, by the way), in a little contest of one-upsmanship!

 

[Tommy G]

Wow, I am definitely on this bandwagon. I couldn't bring myself to buy the VHS because I know it is just a matter of time before they begin to deteriorate (if you don't watch them they become demagnetized, if you do watch them they degrade). C'mon MGM gives us Laurel and Hardy.

 

[Danny_N]

The rights to the Hal Roach sound shorts and features are held by Hallmark/Artisan in the USA not MGM. Don't expect anything anytime soon from them. Hallmark/Artisan planned to release a 14 DVD set of Little Rascals material but cancelled that after the release of just one DVD - presumably because they did not make enough money on it. It is more than likely that they feel the same way about the L&H material they own.
In Europe the rights are held by the Kirchgruppe. If you can play R2 material you may want to check out the 11 DVD's Kinowelt has released in Germany thus far. The quality of the DVD's is outstanding if a bit sparse (they usually have only one feature or three shorts). Released so far are:
Be Big/Laughing Gravy (the original and phonetic versions!)
Going Bye Bye/Tit For Tat/Them Thar Hills
Way Out West
Sons Of The Desert
Brats/Helpmates
Our Relations
Big Business/Below Zero/The Music Box
A Chump At Oxford
Come Clean/Blotto/Chickens Come Home
Blockheads
Men O' War/Towed In A Hole/Any Old Port
Planned for October is The Devil's Brother (Fra Diavolo) and for December One Good Turn/County Hospital/Their Purple Moment.
Danny

 

[Randy_M]

This is really bad news!
One reason to own a multi-region player, I guess (wouldn't even know where to get one...)

 

[Lee Bombard]

With some of the absolute garbage that is being released and sold on the DVD medium, I can't believe they can't make a profit on these comedy classics. As a collector of L&H since the old 8mm Blackhawk Films days, I would kill for decent prints on DVD.
Regards,
Lee

 

[Matt_A]

I too would really like to see the Laurel and Hardy films on DVD. I've started collecting the silent films, but the Hal Roach Talkies are some of the best comedy films out there.
Matt

 

[Keith Paynter]

Several titles are also available in England (Region 2 PAL) and are distributed by Universal. Way Out West is available in a single disc with both the original B&W and Roach-colorized versions, with the classic short 'Big Business'
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...545311-7735650
"He don't want me...he wants the other monkey!"
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"Fearless Freep?! That's mmma boy!"