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INSPECTOR GENERAL

post #1 of 19
7/19/11 at 3:35pm
Thread Starter 
Watch for the release of the new DVD from Shout Factory. The quality is excellent. The supplementary materials came from our family home movies. Dad directed the film. I narrate the home movie part. Not bad,if I do say so myself.
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The Inspector General [Special Edition]
post #2 of 19
7/19/11 at 3:52pm
Did you preview the transfer yourself? I'll buy it if it has truely been remastered from a good source. I already have the Roan Group release, but I wouldn't mind an upgrade.

Didn't know this was being released. Thanks for the heads up.
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post #3 of 19
7/19/11 at 5:27pm
It's listed on Amazon . The cover art claims newly remastered . I missed the Roan edition .Which is now going for over $100 . So this is an easy choice for me . It's being released in September .
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post #4 of 19
7/20/11 at 6:17am
This is great news and a special edition to boot. I understand that much of Barbara Bates' footage was cut by Sylvia Fine because of her husband"s dalliance with Ms. Bates. Despite having the final shot in ALL ABOUT EVE, her promising career never caught fire and she committed suicide at the age of 41. It's nice to see some input from the Koster estate and with MY COUSIN RACHEL coming out from Twilight Time in September, it might give Shout Factory an impetus to bring out the remastered and once-upon-a-time-until-the-economy-tanked STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER, as well as NO HIGHWAY IN THE SKY and COME TO THE STABLE. Koster was a very underrated director. Auteurists probably held his versatility against him: Where else would you find a filmography that embraced everything from Deanna Durbin to THE ROBE to HARVEY (and four other Jimmy Stewart films), DESIREE and THE FLOWER DRUM SONG? I might add that Warner Archive MOD of THE UNFINISHED DANCE is gorgeous.

The Technicolor in THE INSPECTOR GENERAL is by Woody Bredell who around the same time did ROMANCE ON THE HIGH SEAS and THE ADVENTURES OF DON JUAN. Talk about eye-popping!
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post #5 of 19
7/20/11 at 7:23am
Thread Starter 
It was remastered from an absolutely pristine 35m print we found in a collection in Southern California. The quality is fabulous.
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post #6 of 19
7/20/11 at 7:30am
Thread Starter 
Quite a bit of footage in the home movies of Barbara Bates. Dad had an eye for the ladies too, although dalliance was not in his repertoire to my knowledge. You managed to mention four films that my half-brother Nicolas acted in,MY COUSIN RACHEL, STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER, THE ROBE, DESIREE.. He was also in GOOD MORNING, MISS DOVE. Made the money for his medical school, became an MD, died way too young of a heart attack in 1982. RIP
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post #7 of 19
7/20/11 at 7:41am
Henry Koster is a very underrated director. The Bishop's Wife and Harvey are two of my favourites. Looking forward to a decent release of Inspector General at last.
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post #8 of 19
7/20/11 at 8:36am
Love love love this film. Look forward to picking it up.
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post #9 of 19
7/20/11 at 8:39am
Excellent news...I missed the Roan release as well so this is a definite purhcase for me!
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post #10 of 19
7/20/11 at 9:06am
If it keeps going, I would think that a Twilight Time release of Stars and Stripes Forever would be very likely (unless Fox wants to bring out a big Clifton Webb box set, which I would not mind either).
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post #11 of 19
7/20/11 at 4:59pm

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Worth View Post

Henry Koster is a very underrated director. The Bishop's Wife and Harvey are two of my favourites. Looking forward to a decent release of Inspector General at last.


I'm not sure they (dared to) underrate him.  smile.gif  He made several great movies, and he made many movies.

 

Harvey is one of my all-time favourites, firstly pointed out to me when I was quite young by my mother who loved it from the day she watched it in the cinema.

My mother knew his name, she mentioned a few German-titled movies she had seen before or just after WWII, but I don't remember the exact titles. She also told me he had to leave (Hitler-) Germany after beating up an SA-man who verbally abused him in public.

 

Several of his other movies are on my (virtual) "great films" list and I'm happy that several of those are actually in my library (I own a Deanna Durbin pack of which Henry Koster directed a few: I consider those the best of that collection, and also The Bishop's Wife, Harvey, The Inspector General, The Robe); not Desirée though.

 

I do hope that after The Robe more films he directed will be released as a Blu-ray version. I just pre-ordered the new DVD of The Inspector General at Amazon.

 

 

Cees

 

 

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post #12 of 19
7/20/11 at 8:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cees Alons View Post

 

...She also told me he had to leave (Hitler-) Germany after beating up an SA-man who verbally abused him in public.

 


From a great piece his son Bob (the thread starter) wrote for CineSource:

 

 

Quote:

Dad knew his career was to be interrupted anyway. Extras wore Nazi uniforms to the set and refused to change into character costumes. Nazi officers ordered him to drive them to headquarters, making him late to work. Worse, his friends, normally most friendly and welcoming, were suddenly refusing to be seen in public with him. Dad decided that when the picture wrapped he would leave the country and relocate in a more accommodating climate. So during lunch break at the studio, he went to his bank to withdraw his savings. Four days left to film.

In the bank, the teller refused to recognize him. More than that, he said that since Dad was Jewish he didn’t have any money there – it had been confiscated by the Nazis. The teller, dressed in the uniform of a Sturmabteilung officer, tore up his passbook and threw it on the floor. Dad’s temper was seething by this time, and he said he’d see the bank manager, a certain Herr Schànfeld. When the teller said that Herr Schànfeld wasn’t there, Dad said he’d wait. The teller picked up the phone and dialed, then said, “Herr Schànfeld, I have a Jew here named Koster who wants to take his money out…. OK, I’ll tell him.”

The teller hung up, then turned to Dad (Henry Koster) and said, “The manager isn’t here.”

Dad said, “I just saw you speaking to him.”

The teller replied, “You filthy Jew bastard, are you calling me a liar?”

With that, Dad lost it – he jumped over the desk, grabbed the telephone, and knocked the teller unconscious. Herr Schànfeld appeared suddenly and helped to pull Dad off the officer. He took Dad out the front door, handing him some money from his own wallet. He told Dad to go straight to the railroad station and leave the country on the next train: “Don’t go back to work, don’t go home and pack, just leave the country right now.”

 

I recommend reading the entire article.

 

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post #13 of 19
7/21/11 at 1:37am

Adam,

 

Great story. The SA were the worst (lowest), I have been told.

Thanks for the link!

 

 

Cees

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post #14 of 19
7/21/11 at 4:43am
Radioman's Favorite comedy list:
1. Paper Moon
2. Inspector General

I have the Roan Group release but was always disappointed about the lack of extras on the disc. Looking forward to a detailed listing of what we get! Happy Times! biggrin.gif

Just wanted to say that I feel Inspector General is beautifully directed and produced. I adore the musical numbers, particularly the (had to look up the title of the song) "Soliloquy for Three Heads". Truly hysterical! I wish my dad had directed this film. haha!

Pre-ordering as soon as I get home later today. So glad there's a reason to buy this film again.
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post #15 of 19
7/21/11 at 4:34pm
The "Gypsy Song" in this film is perhaps the single funniest musical number in memory for me (and, yes, I've seen SINGIN' IN THE RAIN). Worth the price of admission all by itself.
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post #16 of 19
7/22/11 at 4:35am
"Make for me 'stalk stalk!" hee hee!

Kaye was an amazing comedic talent. The opening scene of the medicine show come across like a movie classic that never gets mentioned enough.
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post #17 of 19
7/28/11 at 4:22am
Just pre-ordered this while ordering the Matrix set.

Hoping for a good review with some good quality screen grabs for comparison to hold me over until Sept. hinthint
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post #18 of 19
7/28/11 at 9:38am

I have never seen IG before.  You have got me curious now!

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post #19 of 19
7/28/11 at 11:28am
TRAILER

It's pure comedy gold. May be the one film I'll want to watch on my death bed.

I had plans at one time to do a web site dedicated to it. I was going to especially have a section wtih all the music lyrics, which I never completely found already on the net. And the songs are superb. Won a golden Globe, I believe.
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

The Inspector General [Special Edition]