"Repeat Performance" (1947) - lost? (1 Viewer)

[Esten]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039761/

Summary via IMDB:


Are the rights to this film in limbo, or is it lost? I've not heard of it even airing on TV since the 70s.

Anyone know anything?

 

[Charles Ellis]

I've also wanted to see this film. If memory serves me right, Sony owns the Eagle-Lion catalog, so maybe there's a chance it will be put out in the near future. Now here's where the confusion comes in: a number of that studio's films fell into public domain. Some of the titles are: Tulsa. He Walked By Night, The Stranger with Orson Welles and Loretta Young, Adventures of Gallant Bess, and Raw Deal . Is Repeat Performance among them? Your guess is as good as mine.

 

[Will Krupp]

I remember seeing this and liking it quite a bit.....but I want to say it was in the mid 80's (I had it on an old vhs tape for awhile.) It was either on WOR Channel 9 from New Jersey or Channel 17 from Philadlephia as both used to show afternoon movies. I can't quite remember so many years back, but it was at least around until then.

 

[Esten]

Warner said that the Eagle-Lion catalog was bought out by United Artists, which was bought by MGM, which is now owned by Sony.... of which Fox will distribute future MGM titles from now on.

Confusing.

Has Fox released many Noirs?

 

[GregoryMesh]

But Fox is not going to control which titles they will release. MGM is going to decide that... with an input from Sony

 

[Esten]

But will MGM be able to make a release decision on their own, or does Sony have to agree?

 

[Charles H]

REPEAT PERFORMANCE was remade as a tv movie called TURN BACK THE CLOCK with Connie Selleca, Dina Merrill, Gene Barry, and Joan Leslie (the star of the original in a bit) in 1989. REPEAT had an inspired idea and it would make a great dvd, but print condition would be an important issue. MGM (pre-the Sony debacle) did release exemplary dvds of Eagle-Lion's THE JACKIE ROBINSON STORY, HE WALKED BY NIGHT, and THE NOOSE HANGS HIGH, but many of E-L's properties fell into pd (Witness the pathetic condition of Anthony Mann's great French Revolution noir REIGN OF TERROR aka THE BLACK BOOK), but until MGM finds an "official" home, don't expect any movement on their catalog.

 

[Esten]

Which is what reminded me of this film. Found TURN on an old tape, which I also found to be quite good, especially considering the TV origins.

Weren't alot of pre-50s films stored on a nitrate-based film, that's very flammable? I may be mistaken.

 

[KellyBo]

Growing up in NYC I remember REPEAT PERFORMANCE as well as another Eagle Lion film OUT OF THE BLUE which starred Virginia Mayo and the wonderful Ann Dvorak being shown all the time on TV. For some reason both films have now vanished from sight. A few years ago the Egyptain Theatre (American Cinemateque) ran an excellent print of REPEAT PERFORMANCE as part of their Film Noir series. Joan Leslie appeared in person to talk about this film. Almost 60 years later, I feel this film stands the test of time. If I am not mistaken the print screened was from an independent source.

 

[Charles H]

OUT OF THE BLUE (with Carole Landis, Turhan Bey, Virginia Mayo, Ann Dvorak, George Brent, and Virginia Mayo) was a terrific comedy based on a story by Vera Caspary (LAURA). It came out on an Image LD. Would also love to see another Eagle-Lion--Edgar G. Ulmer's RUTHLESS starring Zachary Scott, Lucille Bremer, Louis Hayward, Diana Lynn, Raymond Burr, and Sidney Greenstreet--coming outon dvd. There are a lot of films perhaps owned by Sony (e.g., SLEEP, MY LOVE. HEAVEN ONLY KNOWS, BLACK MAGIC, TRADE WINDS, LET'S LIVE A LITTLE) that were shown in the early days of television but seem to have slipped through the homevideo cracks. It would be great to have some sort of clearing house that could determine the ownership and the print status of these films.

 

[Bert Greene]

Well, the A&E cable network ran a very nice print of it, back in its early days before they had a very cohesive identity. To be specific, they aired it back on February 2, 1986. I taped it, and that's the date listed in my files (gosh, what pointless minutea I tend to maintain). It's a nice little movie. Not a great, undiscovered classic, but interesting and entertaining nonetheless. I've been meaning to get out my tape and re-watch it.

 

[Rex Sinclair]

Dear Bert,

Lucky bugger (sorry, I'm an Australian and that's a term of affection).

You don't appriciate what you have, I have been looking for this film for 2 decades. Can I have a copy please? You can put an end to my quest.

Someone posted a copy in 2 parts on You Tube a few months ago but it was such a poor lowres quality that I forced myself to look away. It has since been removed.

Can I have a copy pretty please with sugar on top?

 

[Mark Edward Heuck]

Maybe this will finally surface in MGM's MOD program?

 

[dstrong]

This movie was restored and shown by TCM several months ago. It's supposed to be released on Blu Ray but I haven't heard of a release date yet.

 

[StarDestroyer52]

This movie was restored and shown by TCM several months ago. It's supposed to be released on Blu Ray but I haven't heard of a release date yet.

When it debuted on Noir Alley, Eddie Mueller mentioned something about it or I seem to remember him saying something along the lines of it getting a home video release. Maybe the Flicker Alley people would know more, I would ask them but at the moment I'm on a social media sabbatical. They generally are very quick to answer when contacted via Facebook as I can attest to.

 

[Robert Crawford]

This movie was restored and shown by TCM several months ago. It's supposed to be released on Blu Ray but I haven't heard of a release date yet.

No release date so far, we talked about "Repeat Performance" in my thread. Hopefully, we get some news soon as I'm sure this pandemic has kind of ruffle the feathers with some BD release plans.

 

[MartinP.]

Hopefully, we get some news soon

We didn't.

 

[Robert Crawford]

No release date so far, we talked about "Repeat Performance" in my thread. Hopefully, we get some news soon as I'm sure this pandemic has kind of ruffle the feathers with some BD release plans.

We didn't.

Actually, we did as perhaps you should read my thread.

 

[MartinP.]

I mean I didn't! Heh!

Thank you, Robert, I actually had been searching around various threads for quite awhile, but didn't see this. Very happy to hear!

 

[Robert Crawford]

I mean I didn't! Heh!

Thank you, Robert, I actually had been searching around various threads for quite awhile, but didn't see this. Very happy to hear!

If you have the TCM channel, we'll be able to see the restoration for the first time on "Noir Alley" the first weekend of 2022.