Fools Parade (1971) James Stewart - any legal release anywhere? (1 Viewer)

[Josh Steinberg]

Here’s one I’ve never seen but would like to: Fools Parade, from 1971 with Jimmy Stewart.

My google skills are failing me.

Is this available anywhere in any format?

 

[ahollis]

I saw it in the theatre and have wanted first a laserdisc, then a DVD and finally crave a Blu-Ray. James Stewart was great but Strother Martin stoke the show.

I do hope it gets released soon.

 

[Flashgear]

I remember seeing it first run theatrical, but the last time I saw Fool's Parade was in the early '70s on television. Loved it! And what a cast...Jimmy Stewart as such a lovable but troubled rogue, George Kennedy, Strother Martin, Anne Baxter, Kurt Russell, David Huddleston,William Windom, Mike Kellin etc., atmospheric depression era setting, West Virginia locations...alternately funny and heartbreaking. The script was based on the novel of the same title by Davis Grubb, and most of the movie was filmed in the author's home town of Moundsville, West Virginia! A Columbia release, it's an effective and sentimental movie that is only frustrating in it's lack of a worthy and legitimate home video release in any format that I'm aware of. I do see that it has been released in a dubbed spanish DVD...I don't think it's licensed and legit, but I really don't know.

Fool's Parade is one of my most desired, and thus far MIA, American movies of 1971...the other being Red Sky at Morning, another nostalgic and sentimental melodrama with Strother Martin that is a truly great film. It kills me that neither film has ever had a quality release in any home video format, let alone a remastered HD transfer...I know that there are long standing problems with the original film elements for Universal's Red Sky at Morning, (Richard Thomas, Catherine Burns, Richard Crenna, Claire Bloom, Strother Martin, John Colicos, Desi Arnaz Jr., Harry Guardino, Nehemiah Persoff, a WW2 home front drama beautifully filmed in New Mexico...directed by Hal Wallis...in my mind, it's in the class of Summer of '42) Perhaps some similar affliction concerning the film elements for Fool's Parade explains it's current disappointing fate.

Jimmy Stewart's "glass eye" provides some funny sight (ha, ha) gags in the film...

The poster for Red Sky at Morning...Universal has abused their elements, re-cutting it carelessly for TV and adding voice over narration by Richard Thomas...in the style of his then hugely popular TV series The Waltons...leaving the question as to whether the original theatrical cut could ever be re-assembled...speaking of the lovely and talented Catherine Burns (and coincidentally, Richard Thomas once again!), we're also waiting forever for Warner Archive to rescue and rehabilitate her other truly great film, Last Summer (1968)...wouldn't you know it? Abused and neglected film elements once again!

I hope Warner Archive is making progress on restoring the film elements for Last Summer...a lot of fans have inquired on their FB page, and they have responded that chemical and digital treatments and restoration is required...if I recall, they have said that they are working on it...

 

[Josh Steinberg]

It’s really gonna bum me out that I’ll be able to cross everything off my Jimmy Stewart list except this!

 

[Worth]

Never mind.

 

[cinefan]

TCM has aired Fools' Parade within the last couple of years -- I think maybe November 2017 when Stewart was star of the month. I remember my surprise at seeing a late Jimmy Stewart title on the schedule that I had never even heard of. I DVRed it and watched it then. I recall it as very enjoyable with lots of period color and a great cast. It is long gone from my DVR but I don't remember that the transfer shown looked substandard in any way -- however I have neither a very good eye nor a very good memory for such things.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Never mind.

I’m going to live in suspense forever over this!

TCM has aired Fools' Parade within the last couple of years

I’ll have to keep a closer eye on TCM in case it pops up again. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[ahollis]

I had hopped that it would at least show up when Sony was releasing MOD’s. Alas, it wasn’t nor has it showed up at Twilight Time nor Mill Creek. That’s a shame.

 

[Worth]

I’m going to live in suspense forever over this!

I thought there was a German DVD, but it looks to be the Spanish one referenced in the previous post - though the listing on amazon.gr says it has an English soundtrack.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I removed the active link to a Spanish bootleg DVD. People can search that site if they want to.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I had hopped that it would at least show up when Sony was releasing MOD’s. Alas, it wasn’t nor has it showed up at Twilight Time nor Mill Creek. That’s a shame.

I’d even settle for a streaming rental at this point!

 

[Flashgear]

I'm in Western Canada, and I see from my DVR Guide that FOOLS' PARADE (1971, Jimmy Stewart, George Kennedy, Strother Martin, Kurt Russell, Anne Baxter, William Windom) is scheduled to air on TCM at 4 AM my time, Mountain, tomorrow morning Wednesday March 10...as I assume my cable provider uses the Western feed for TCM, and both continental TCM feeds are in synch (not always), you should be able to find it at 6 AM Eastern and 3 AM Pacific...

As this thread attests, many of us would dearly love for this memorable and lovable Jimmy Stewart film to get a quality HD restoration and Blu-ray...

 

[MLamarre]

It's streaming on Amazon Prime.

 

[jayembee]

I've wanted to see this for a long time. I'm a fan of the author of the original novel, Davis Grubb. He wrote a lot of stories about Glory, and is often thought of as being to West Virginia what William Faulkner was to Mississippi.

Grubb's first -- and best known -- novel was The Night of the Hunter (yes, that Night of the Hunter).

 

[RBailey]

It's streaming on Amazon Prime.

I just looked it up. Says "This video is unavailable".

 

[jayembee]

It's on YouTube...

 

[MLamarre]

I just looked it up. Says "This video is unavailable".

Might only be available in Europe.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[Robert Crawford]

The movie is on the TCM app for about a week.

 

[Flashgear]

I recorded Fools' Parade from TCM the other morning (why at 4 AM?! Has it ever aired on TCM before?), the movie looked beautiful, apparently complete at 98 minutes and in proper A/R of 1.85...from excellent film elements that you would think would support a new HD scan and potential Blu-ray...why hasn't this lovable and charming Columbia/Sony film ever had a home video release? My understanding is that it never got a release even during the VCR era? Is it the foundational literary rights as the issue? Or something else?

The movie is on the TCM app for about a week.

Robert, does that mean that this movie literally expires off of TCM's streaming app so quickly? Is that something typical for some titles? I don't think the TCM app is even available in Canada, and thus I'll hold my recording on my DVR till doomsday if need be...from my cold, dead hands, ha, ha...