Missing Musicals (2 Viewers)

This was a good year for Musical film releases on DVD. There are still some on my list anyone know if they are coming?

Both "Finian's Rainbow" & "Oh! What a Lovely War" were rumored for this year yet no sign of either.

"Bells are Ringing" "The Bandwagon" & "Damn Yankees" are rumored for 2005 from Warner Bros.

Others on my list: Can-Can & State Fair (Fox)
Li'l Abner, Darling Lili & On a Clear Day (Paramount)

The egyptian theater is screening a restored print of the 1973 disaster "Lost Horizon" leading me to believe a DVD may be on the way (Columbia did the same thing with "1776")

Joe Capps any word on any of these?

Both "Seven Brides for Seven Bros" & "That's Entertainment" Are scheduled for October

All the Rodgers & Hammersteins from Fox need remastering desperately. They're unwatchable in their present state (especially Oklahoma!, pardon the pun.)

I'd like to see both versions of "Oklahoma!" in a SE two or three disc package.

i agree wholeheartedly about Oklahoma!
i would love to have that movie in my collection (but refuse to buy the current dvd- i broke down for the current Carosuel and regreted it).

i'm surprised we haven't seen Swing Time yet- or even Top Hat which was supposed to be the first F&G movie to make it out.

State Fair has been available on a Fox DVD for a few years now. It's one of the R&H titles that, as Mark pointed out, needs a re-do.

I was referring to the 1962 Ann-Margret version of "State Fair"

One of the actual R&H set isn't on DVD at all, "Flower Drum Song."

Ah, never mind.

Peter Staddon has stated previously that reissues of the Fox musicals weren't imminent because it wouldn't be cost effective, but that Fox would continue to assess things as time went on. Or something like that.

Well, I hope they see their way clear to do these again soon. I have the current DVDs but don't have much desire to get them out and watch since they look so poor compared to all the other stuff being put out these days. Warner's previous Singin' in the Rain and upcoming 7 Brides reissues shows that they must think it's cost effective to put out good SE releases of these type of musicals. Although Warner may have deeper pockets than Fox, I think it's time for Fox to step up to the plate.

Don't forget Summer Stock. I really would like to see "Daddy Long Legs" with Fred Astaire and Leslie Caron.

I have this on laser and it still looks better than some new dvd releases. And it's widescreen.

In fairness to Fox, all the R and H musicals got thx transfers for laser and the thx people did the best they could with the material. Fox transferred Oklahome from 70mm and CArousel and King and I from 55mm and these transfers cost Fox a fortune. I can't blame them for not wanting to redo them as they could spend a lot of money and get nothing better for their cash.
Greg M is correct. There are a lot of fun musicals that have not even been touched. A few monthsw ago the R and H website told folks to contact Universal about Flower Drum Song as the R and H people would like to see it out. I too would love the Ann Margret State Fair.
Universal is releasintg their first set of Deanna Durbin musicals next week. I hope they do more.
Warners - Where are those great Doris Day - Gordon Macrae musicals?
Would also like the gordon Macrae Desert Song.
Also need much more of the Jane Powell musicals, and Words and Music, Till the Clouds Roll By, Jupieters Darling, Deep in my Heart Dear, Gigi special edition.
Fox - hoa bout more 50s scope stereo musicals - Daddy Long Legs, mardi Gras, April Love, The Best Things in Life are free.
Fox - some forties stuff - Centenial Summer, Whre do We Go From Here, Dolly Sisters, all those Betty Grable and Alice Faye musicals?
Columbia - where is My Sister Eileen and (god help us) Lost Horizon?
Universal - has released a bunch of forties and thirties Paramount Bing Crosby musicals - good - but there are many more never on tv and not home vid at all. Get them out.

I think (and this is pure speculation on my part) it's possible that Fox may do something with their R&H titles next year.

See this link which shows restoration activity on the CinemaScope 55 duo:

http://www.filmimaging.com/articles/....jsp?id=26307#

THREE FOR THE SHOW (LBX): Betty Grable and Jack Lemmon
LADY IN THE DARK--if they can clear the rights from Kitty Carlisle (Moss Hart estate)
DIXIE (Bing Crosby Technicolor)
INCENDIARY BLONDE (Betty Hutton as Texas Guinan)
SOMEBODY LOVES ME (Betty Hutton as Blossom Seeley)
DuBARRY WAS A LADY and BEST FOOT FORWARD
SUMMER HOLIDAY (a Mickey Rooney remake of "Ah! Wildeness," beautifully staged by Rouben Mamoulian)
CALL ME MISTER (DAILEY, Grable, Danny Thomas, Bobby Short; choreography by Busby Berkley)
THAT LADY IN ERMINE with Grable directed by Otto Preminger when Lubitsch passed away.
MEET ME IN LAS VEGAS (Dan Dailey and Cyd Charisse)
In the days of laserdiscs, MGM used to release double features discs (e.g., ATHENA and SUMMER HOLIDAY, GIVE A GIRL A BREAK and I LOVE MELVIN).

This may have been mentioned (it certainly has been elsewhere) but THE PIRATE is definitely at the top of my most wanted list. This is followed by the previoulsy mentioned BAND WAGON and please please please give us DAMN YANKEES...my vhs tape is disgusting but it's all I've got!

My mouth waters at the thought of how well Warner will present these.

The Durbin set actually is available now. It came out Tuesday.

Here, I have to seriously disagree with you. I am sure they could get a lot better results by having these titles re-transferred on state of the art telecine systems and remastered using the latest authoring techniques and systems. These new HD masters could also be used for future HD releases.

Just my $.02

Ted

How about BUGSY MALONE? (Don't hit me.)

If they do have Hi Def masters they should at least transfer them to anamorphic rather then 1.33:1 standards for DVD. As far as Oklahoma! goes, the 70mm elements were/are not in the best of shape I have been led to believe. The Goldwyn Studios did a restoration job on them in the film domain in the 70s for a limited 70mm theatrical release (which I saw at the Egyptian in Hollywood). Color timing seemed to be off. A comparison of the Todd AO and CinemaScope versions does show a obvious difference in colors with the CS version having more saturated tones then the TAO. It's just a matter of re-doing the DVD mastering again to eliminate some of the EE and other artifacts I would think.

The Student Prince with the voice of Mario Lanza.