Several Samuel Goldwyn titles announced for release by Movies Unlimited for mid-January (1 Viewer)

[revgen]

I'm sure they'll release more. But there is no indication of what they'll be releasing or when they'll do it.

I'm hoping WHV can fill us in on what their plans are with the Goldwyn catalog. What shape are the Colman & Cantor titles in? Do they need restoration? If restoration is too costly to pursue, would they be willing to release them through the Warner Archive collection from the old laserdisc masters to satisfy those who want to see them in some form besides hunting down old laserdiscs and VHS tapes?

 

[JoHud]

2 Eddie Cantor films, Whoopee! and Kid Millions, are being released in the Warner Archive Collection tomorrow on 4/09

 

[revgen]

This is good news.

I was hoping for a pressed DVD release, but a MOD release is better than nothing at all.

This is looking like a good sign for those seeking out those rare Goldwyn titles from the early talkie/precode era.

 

[Mike*HTF]

I am glad these titles are finally making their way out (although both have been released before on pressed discs). I do wish there might have been a Cantor box with inital runs issued in pressed DVDs as the Forbidden Hollywood collection.

 

[revgen]

^I remember now. They were issued as part of a huge boxed set with other movies. It was an expensive set that cost over $200.

 

[JoHud]

I actually bought that set (Hollywood Musicals Collection) in my belief that they might not get another shot at DVD. Granted I bought it because there were several other musicals in the set I wanted along with the Cantors. The set usually went for $400-$500, but I managed to get it for around $100.

I imagine these MODs use the same transfers that were on these DVDs.

 

[Doug Bull]

The two Cantor films announced are probably his most well known Goldwyn titles.
That's probably why they are on individual releases.

Here's hoping the balance of his lesser known, but equally enjoyable, Goldwyn films will arrive in a box set.

Warner Archives successfully used this approach with Wheeler and Woolsey.

The Technicolor sequence in "Kid Millions" looks gorgeous on the laserdisc, let's hope it also does on this new DVD.

Doug.

 

[Mike*HTF]

@Doug: Was the initial run of the Wheeler & Whoolsey box on pressed discs?
@JoHud: What was the quality of the two transfers for the Cantor titles in the Hollywood Musicals Box?

 

[revgen]

The Wheeler and Woolsey box set is a MOD release. Not pressed.

 

[Doug Bull]

Thanks revgen for saving me the trouble of getting the box set out of the cupboard.

Nothing to do with this Goldwyn thread or MOD vs Pressed, but I thought the new Wheeler and Woolsey DVD box set was disappointing quality wise.

Of those movies that previously appeared on Laserdisc, most of them look and sound much better on the Laser. (especially "High Flyers" which is like chalk and cheese)
What happened to the quality masters or source material they used for the Laserdiscs?
This is one case of the Laserdisc being better than the DVD.

It will now be interesting to see how the Cantor films on DVD stand up to the generally good quality Cantor Laserdiscs.

Doug.

 

[AnthonyClarke]

I've got a pretty good quality copy of Whoopee! on DVD but I guess I'll order the new Archive release just in case it's better quality!
And then I'll be waiting for Blu ray too .... and so it goes on and on...

 

[AnthonyClarke]

Well, I just went to Amazon and they're not listing 'Whoopee!'
Does anyone know from where this can be ordered? Warner will not send it to Australia for some obscure reason (obscure to me, anyway .... maybe they think we're all terrorists or something...)

 

[Doug Bull]

Hi Anthony,
Hang in there mate, I reckon they just haven't got around to listing it yet.
It's still showing on Warner Archives site as a pre-order.

I've got it and the other Cantor Goldwyn titles on laserdisc and they all look good so I'll possibly give them a miss. Possibly? being the key word ;-)

The HBO dvd of "The Goldwyn Follies"is definitely not as good a quality as the Laserdisc. The colours are gorgeous on the Laser.

It will be interesting to compare the new "Whoopee!" with your dvd.
I wonder if Warner have created a new and improved transfer.

Doug.

 

[JoHud]

@JoHud: What was the quality of the two transfers for the Cantor titles in the Hollywood Musicals Box?

Whoopee! looks excellent with a near pristine two-tone technicolor transfer of the film. Appears to have been slated as the more recent release of the two. One odd thing is that there's a bit of overscan on the left side of the screen during the opening credits sequence.

Kid Millions looks like an older transfer. It's still pretty good, but its Technicolor sequence does not look as sharp as Whoopee!'s transfer, which looks like a full restoration in comparison. Unlike the latter DVD, this DVD has a "previews" extra that includes a trailer for the 2-disc West Side Story Collection, which indicates that Kid Millions was on MGM's shelf since 2003 until it snuck out on the musicals set 5 years later

Of those movies that previously appeared on Laserdisc, most of them look and sound much better on the Laser. (especially "High Flyers" which is like chalk and cheese)
What happened to the quality masters or source material they used for the Laserdiscs?
This is one case of the Laserdisc being better than the DVD.

I'm thinking this may be a combination of the film elements degrading over time possibly requiring the use of secondary elements and WAC's recent unwillingness to reuse older analog video masters for new releases. I thought the set was overall pretty good in terms of transfers, but I had never seen the laserdiscs. I appreciate the heads-up for the laserdisc owners nonetheless.

 

[Mike*HTF]

Thanks for the comments everyone. I do have the Cantor laserdiscs and thought they look brilliant (Whoopee especially).
I'm quite curious as to how they release the rest of the Cantors and hopefully more Danny Kaye (Up in Arms, Wonderman, Secret Life of Walter Mitty, etc.)