John Ritter movies unreleased on DVD (1 Viewer)

[Jodee]

The untimely passing of John Ritter got me thinking about how my favorite work of his was not the sitcoms he was most known for, but some of the films he has done.

And then I started thinking about what a shame that so many of these films are not even available on DVD.

I am especially thinking of 3 films he made with director Peter Bogdanovich: 1976's Nickelodeon, 1981's They All Laughed, and 1992's Noises Off!. They All Laughed is especially bittersweet since Dorothy Stratten, Audrey Hepburn, and now Ritter are all no longer with us.

I am also a fan of 1979's Americathon. I hope that the studios of these respective films release these soon on DVD. Would anyone else be interested in these or other notable unreleased John Ritter films?

It would be great to get the Bogdanovich films with a commentary to hear him share his memories of Ritter. The two worked together so many times throughout the years there would probbaly be some good stories there.

 

[Derek P]

What is the status of the 2 Problem Child movies. I love those.

 

[James L White]

I just wish we'd see an SE of Sling Blade.

 

[Matthew Kiernan]

Come on, people - HERO AT LARGE!

R.I.P., Tripper.

 

[Haden]

Isn't the upcoming December release of REAL MEN a crummy P&S only transfer? What a shame... that's a damn funny movie.

 

[Robert Ringwald]

Universal owns both PROBLEM CHILD films (the 3rd was TV only, and had none of the original cast but the grandfather I think).

Problem Child was released by Goodtimes, full-frame only, with the trailer.

Problem Child 2 has not yet been released.

I hope Universal puts these out quickly.

 

[Michael Allred]

Yup, "Real Men" is full frame only. What a shame.

Hopefully Disney will get cracking on an OAR "Noises Off" soon, I love that movie.

 

[Aaron_Brez]

Noises Off! is the only item left on my "unreleased, unannounced must-haves" list (I removed the Original Star Wars Trilogy long ago due to futility).

I, too, wish Touchstone/Buena Vista would put this gem out on DVD, and soon!

 

[Michael Elliott]

Nickelodeon was just released in R2.

http://www.xploitedcinema.com/dvds/dvds.asp?title=1267

 

[Jodee]

Nickelodeon was just released in R2.

http://www.xploitedcinema.com/dvds/dvds.asp?title=1267

Hey, wow! Thanks! And anamorphic widescreen! Off to Amazon UK I go.

And to think, I just bought a crappy pan & scan DVD-R copy with Portuguese subtitles.

 

[Paul_Nyman]

Is Skin Deep on DVD? I thought this was a very funny movie back when it played in the cinema.

RIP John Ritter.

 

[AlanBrom]

What a sad day, and what a loss. A funny and talented man always welcomed in my living room. He will be missed.

His debut film, I believe was THE OTHER (Fox, 1972)

 

[Craig Beam]

Paul: SKIN DEEP is indeed available on DVD, and in anamorphic widescreen to boot. The glow-in-the-dark condom scene alone is worth the purchase price!

 

[Joey Gunz]

John Ritter made a terrific movie called "The Dreamer of OZ" some years ago. He played L. Frank Baum , the author of the Wizard of OZ books. I haven't seen it since it originally aired. Would love to see it come out on DVD.

 

[Damin J Toell]

Early specs for Skin Deep included a commentary by Ritter and Blake Edwards. I know it's purely selfish of me, but what a shame that it didn't happen.

DJ

 

[Dan Rudolph]

I loved Noises Off. I'd buy it in a minute if it ever came out.

 

[Ryan Crosby]

Problem Child 2 is one of my all time favs. I hope this one makes it out soon

 

[Brenton]

John Ritter made a terrific movie called "The Dreamer of OZ" some years ago. He played L. Frank Baum , the author of the Wizard of OZ books. I haven't seen it since it originally aired. Would love to see it come out on DVD.

I was going to bring up this one. The Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum Story is a terrific drama about the life of the creator of the Oz stories. It's a tragedy that not only is it unavailable on DVD, but it's also never been available on ANY home video format, not even VHS. I've had this film recorded on tape ever since its television debut, and that worn-out videocassette got me to read the Oz books, and I've been a fan ever since. While the film isn't as true-to-fact as it could have been, Ritter gives a very touching performance as Baum. I used to watch this tape over and over. The fantasy sequences in the film blew my mind and stimulated my imagination. Because of my attachment to this film and to Ritter's performance as Baum, the news of his death was very saddening to me. He will be sorely missed.

 

[Todd Robertson]

The Other from '72 is an all-time fav of mine....and it needs to hit dvd asap. They All Laughed is to me....a classic and hilarious film!!!!!!

 

[Scott Weinberg]

Like most of you, I've been a big fan of John Ritter's for pretty much my entire life. So I guess I'd like to share my opinions on some of his (as yet unreleased) movies.

Hero at Large - John's very charming and goofy. Silly clean fun. A cute Anne Archer. A mild satire on commercialism, public relations and politics too!

Nickelodeon - Finally caught this one a few years ago on AMC. I thought it was quite funny. I'm a huge fan of the 'ensemble comedy', and this is a solid one indeed.

Americathon - Urgh. It runs on the Encore channel sometimes. Half Mad Magazine, half awful. Worth a look if you're curious; I wouldn't run out and buy it...

Wholly Moses! - VERY lame attempt to do a Life of Brian type biblical comedy...and it's just bad. Dudley Moore and Larraine Newman wander in and out of some Old Testament schtick, there's an array of guest star cameos, and John Ritter pops up for about 4 minutes as The Devil...yes, dressed in red tights and a pointy tail. It's a pretty painful flick.

Unnatural Causes - I remember this TV movie being big news around my house. ABC had been hyping it heavily as "John Ritter's dramatic debut" - and I vaguely recall his performance being rather well-received. He plays a former soldier stricken with Agent Orange Syndrome. I don't remember much else about it...but I'd be interested in seeing it again some day.

Real Men - A pretty bad flick, but it's funbad. Dunno if I'd buy the DVD...and if it's P&S only then screw that.

Problem Child - If Universal does it, I'd probably buy it. It's a fun slapstick, Ritter's great in it, and it's a movie that brings back fun memories from the summer of 1990. Not the sequel though.

Noises Off... - Like I said, I dig a frantic Ensemble Comedy. Give it to me in OAR and I'd buy this one tomorrow.

Stay Tuned - Yeah I know this one's already on DVD but I like it so it earned a mention anyway.

Speaking of titles already on DVD, I'd recommend these ones for those who've yet to see them:

Tadpole - Not a great film; John's still well worth seeing in it.

Panic - William H. Macy as a hitman. Ritter as his therapist. And Donald Sutherland in the background acting all oily. Definitely worth a rental.

Terror Tract - Silly horror anthology watchable mainly for Ritterites, as he has a healthy role here in the 'wraparound' story.

OK, that's enough JR talk for now. I'm getting all sad again. :frowning: