A Few Words About A few words about...™ Call of the Wild -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Garysb]

I can't understand why there is not more publicity about this being the original 1935 version of the film not seen in almost 80 years. What is wrong with Fox. They have released something that most people didn't know existed. This is major news. There should be a showing at the AFI theater outside of DC. This should be shown at the Turner Classic Film Festival. There should be big block letters proclaiming this on the cover of the blu ray. Instead there was a mention in the NY Post and this thread. It's about 3 minutes of film that have been added. Running time per the blu ray is 1:31.40.

From Lou Lumenick's December 17 column:

“The Call of the Wild” (1935)20th Century Fox Home Video borrowed an old gimmick from WHV and polled the public on which films they listed were most requested on Blu-ray. Six top vote-getters (two apiece) from the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and 1960s have just been released. My favorite is the stunning new transfer of William Wellman’s lusty adaptation of the Jack London adventure classic with the sizzling duo of Clark Gable and Loretta Young (who conceived a child she later adopted during the shoot). Not only does the location shooting look fantastic, this is apparently the first time the 92-minute original cut has been seen in nearly 80 years. The previous video and TV iterations are the version that was prepared for a 1945 reissue; among the thing restored is the appearance of Katherine De Mille as a prostitute who somehow managed to squeak by just after enforcement of the Production Code began.

 

[Ray Faiola]

Cut from the original release were the scene with Katherine DeMille and Leroy Mason (and preceding footage when Gable asks Thomas Jackson where DeMille is); the rabbitt chase and subsequent campfire scene; The morning coffee scene where Buck returns; the clothes drying scene after the river crossing; the End Title with the NRA logo was replaced with one that had a Buy War Bonds emblem.

When the film was released to television, NTA made additonal cuts because they didn't want to pay music fees for "It Ain't Gonna Rain No More". So all footage of Jack Oakie singing this dittie were removed. In the last scene, when Gable hears him singing outside they simply muted the soundtrack (including Gable saying "Shorty!"). NTA wreaked havoc on the Fox library due to compositions not covered by blanket music license.

 

[Garysb]

Cut from the original release were the scene with Katherine DeMille and Leroy Mason (and preceding footage when Gable asks Thomas Jackson where DeMille is); the rabbitt chase and subsequent campfire scene; The morning coffee scene where Buck returns; the clothes drying scene after the river crossing; the End Title with the NRA logo was replaced with one that had a Buy War Bonds emblem.

When the film was released to television, NTA made additonal cuts because they didn't want to pay music fees for "It Ain't Gonna Rain No More". So all footage of Jack Oakie singing this dittie were removed. In the last scene, when Gable hears him singing outside they simply muted the soundtrack (including Gable saying "Shorty!"). NTA wreaked havoc on the Fox library due to compositions not covered by blanket music license.

Thanks for the information about what was cut. Not sure where your information about the song "It Ain't Gonna Rain No More" not being covered by a blanket music license is coming from. It is a song included in ASCAP catalog and therefore should be covered by ASCAP blanket license. At least it currently is. A TV station with an ASCAP license, which they all have, should have been able to play the song without penalty. Perhaps the song was licensed for theatrical use only and it couldn't be used on TV without paying the publisher an additional fee. That would have nothing to do with ASCAP or a blanket music license. Similar to today where music is not licensed for home video use and has to be changed.

https://www.ascap.com/Home/ace-title-search/index.aspx

 

[Ray Faiola]

I meant a Fox blanket license. Compositions for which extra-contract arrangements had to be made. NTA cut scenes from many Fox pictures because Fox did not control or have extended license for music in the films. Notorious examples are LAURA, JOHNNY APOLLO, WAKE UP AND LIVE and many others.

 

[Garysb]

Thank you for mentioning " Laura." For years when watching the film on TV it was obvious there had been a cut during the flashback scene where Waldo describes Laura's rise in her career and their life together. Back in the day, the scene jumped where the cut was made. For whatever reason Fox insists on calling the original restored version the extended version of the film on both the DVD and blu ray. You have to manually choose it in the set up. They have smoothed the cut version so that it doesn't jump like it did on TV but if you listen to the dialogue before and after the cut it doesn't make much sense and seems obvious something is missing. From memory it goes something like " I helped her get other endorsements but it was her elate breeding that allowed her to rise to the top of her profession. (cut) but on Thursdays we dined alone. To Fox's credit whenever the movie is shown on TV today or in theaters the original so called extended version is shown.