MGM MOD: Fox Bows On Demand MGM Movies for Retailers (1 Viewer)

[bgart13]

Considering the options MGM has for INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN, the cover is disappointing (but it is only a cover...).

 

[PaulaJ]

Answering my own question, according to the AFI website (thanks to a friend who looked it up there)... Rebel in Town is a widescreen (1:85) film. I have e-mailed Allied Vaughn to find out what is going on with this title's transfer onto DVD.

 

[WaveCrest]

Some interesting sounding titles in the list above:

The Broken Star (1956)
Death Valley Rangers (1943)
Doomed to Die (1940)
Hero's Island (1962)
The Iron Sheriff (1957)
Outlaw's Son (1957)
Rebel in Town (1956).

The standout titles are Hickey and Boggs (1972) and The Last of the Finest (1990).

 

[Charles Smith]

[COLOR= rgb(153, 0, 0)][SIZE= 18px]Master of the World??? [/COLOR][/SIZE]

FANTASTIC! And how many years overdue is it? This is excellent news!

Excuse me while I take a brief moment to delete my eBay search bookmark for the eternally unaffordable laserdisc.

 

[Corey3rd]

Does RAIDERS OF THE SEVEN SEAS have a scene with people being buried up to their necks on a beach and horses being charged towards them?

 

[MLamarre]

Thumbs up for Hickey & Boggs and Tomorrow is Forever. Also nice to see them continue the World Films banner, even if it's on MOD.

 

[benbrigade]

Attention Paula J:
REBEL IN TOWN was not a widescreen film if presented in 1.85:1 the image would have to be cropped.
Good to see this very Noirish little Western finally make it to DVD.
Also good to see RAIDERS OF THE SEVEN SEAS presented in Color as some of this Edward Small stuff is appearing on DVD in black & white (CAPTAIN KIDD & THE SLAVE
GIRL)
Also it would seem that THE STEEL LADY is not in Color.
This may have something to do with the cheap color process Small was using at the time (i.e. Color Corp of America & Pathecolor).
Paula;did you pick up on THE BOSS;I thought that this was the worst transfer in this series so far; a pity because its a great Film Noir.
RAIDERS OF THE SEVEN SEAS is a most enjoyable romp and gives John Payne the
opportunity to lighten up for a change.
There are several other rare Payne titles in the UA files including BAILOUT AT 43,00 and HIDDEN FEAR.
Does anyone out there in HTF land know how MGM/UA have got their hands on this Monogram stuff like the Karloff Mr Wong titles and DEATH VALLEY RANGERS?
Returning to REBEL IN TOWN the film would not be enhanced by widescreen as it is shot and lit like "Classic Noir and has very few exterior scenes.
Film is also pretty violent for its era.

 

[Wade Sowers]

In his reference book THE WESTERN, Phil Hardy admires the work of director Alfred Werker - I enjoyed THREE HOURS TO KILL a couple of months ago when it was released by Sony MOD, so I will be getting REBEL IN TOWN as well.

 

[Charles H]

Attention Paula J:
REBEL IN TOWN was not a widescreen film if presented in 1.85:1 the image would have to be cropped.
Good to see this very Noirish little Western finally make it to DVD.
Also good to see RAIDERS OF THE SEVEN SEAS presented in Color as some of this Edward Small stuff is appearing on DVD in black & white (CAPTAIN KIDD & THE SLAVE
GIRL)
Also it would seem that THE STEEL LADY is not in Color.
This may have something to do with the cheap color process Small was using at the time (i.e. Color Corp of America & Pathecolor).
Paula;did you pick up on THE BOSS;I thought that this was the worst transfer in this series so far; a pity because its a great Film Noir.
RAIDERS OF THE SEVEN SEAS is a most enjoyable romp and gives John Payne the
opportunity to lighten up for a change.
There are several other rare Payne titles in the UA files including BAILOUT AT 43,00 and HIDDEN FEAR.
Does anyone out there in HTF land know how MGM/UA have got their hands on this Monogram stuff like the Karloff Mr Wong titles and DEATH VALLEY RANGERS?
Returning to REBEL IN TOWN the film would not be enhanced by widescreen as it is shot and lit like "Classic Noir and has very few exterior scenes.
Film is also pretty violent for its era.

It's nice to see John Payne enjoying a Renaissance. His career was similar to Dick Powell's in morphing from a foil in musicals to film noirs and westerns. It would be nice if Warner Archive brought out the very rare HOLD BACK THE NIGHT and if Paramount would bring out HELL'S ISLAND, Payne's third collaboration with Phil Karlson although that is very, very unlikely unless they still have a "relationship" with Olive Films. Also: Universal's LARCENY, CAPTAIN CHINA, and RAILS INTO LARAMIE.

 

[Scott MacGillivray]

Certain of the Monogram backlog was originally handled by Motion Pictures for Television in the 1950s; the rights passed through Associated Artists Productions, then to Seven Arts, then to United Artists. Other Monogram packages (Bowery Boys, Bomba, some Charlie Chan) went from Allied Artists to Warner, then Lorimar, and now Turner.

 

[PaulaJ]

Attention Paula J:
REBEL IN TOWN was not a widescreen film if presented in 1.85:1 the image would have to be cropped.

BenBrigade/John -- thank you, the information is most welcome! That would mean the IMDB specs (1:37) are correct and the AFI's specs (1:85) are incorrect. I feel much better.
Although this brings up the subject of movie history and widescreen formats -- I thought by 1956 all films were being shot and released widescreen?
Yes, I too am thrilled about all the John Payne titles coming out -- including Garden of the Moon as a new Warner Archive disc. Hope more is on the way. I'm also really happy about Rebel in Town because it was the first acting job for Ben Johnson in nearly three years -- his career hit a temporary rough patch then for a number of reasons.
More John Payne -- Tennessee's Partner was recently reissued in widescreen format, and Silver Lode also got a remastered release.

 

[kingfish]

hold back the night is an excellent war movie with chuck connors guest staring.

 

[benbrigade]

A good guide to screen ratios is LEONARD MALTINS CLASSIC MOVIE GUIDE.
Not only does he tell you if the film was widescreen;but also the variation
i.e. Cinemascope,Hammerscope,Superscope;Techniscope and so on.
Ben Johnsons "comeback" in REBEL IN TOWN was due to the two years that he
returned to the rodeo circuit after "SHANE"
His role in REBEL IN TOWN is very minor indeed.
The same production company (Bel-Air) gave him a supporting role in WAR DRUMS
then finally gave him his own show with the excellent FORT BOWIE.
I also understand Ben had a falling out with John Ford;in fact Ford never used him again
after RIO GRANDE.
Regarding John Payne LARCENY certainly needs a DVD release.
It is a stunning Film Noir with Dan Duryea (in blistering form) and his pack of grifters
(Payne,Shelly Winters,Dan O Herlihy and Richard Rober) targeting the wealthy but ever
so gullible widow of a war hero (Joan Caufield).
One liners come with a Gatlin Gun type quickness and Winters almost steals the show as
Duryeas moll who secretly lusts after Payne.
Considering when it was made (1949) film presents a very sour portrait of post-war America.
Hopefully film will surface from Universal perhaps as part of a Shelley Winters collection.
In any case films reputation as a classic "lost" Noir seems to be growing.
Duryeas final line is a classic.

 

[PaulaJ]

Ben Johnson had a big falling out with Ford (described in detail in Harry Carey Jr.'s wonderful book Company of Heroes) and his career went instantly from Ford's A-Westerns to (after six months of no work at all) B-westerns... then Johnson's father, a three-time rodeo world champion in roping, died and in the wake of his father's death he decided to pursue a rodeo world championship himself. It took a year but he won the World Team Roping Championship in 1953. He was broke after winning the championship, though, and he had to go back to stunt work to make a living, most notably in Oklahoma! where he doubled for Rod Steiger in the big runaway wagon sequence. You can also see him as an extra in the "Kansas City" number. There he is, on the left. : )

Ford did use Johnson one more time -- 14 years after their split Ford hired him to play Trooper Plumtree in his (Ford's) last Western, Cheyenne Autumn.
Rebel in Town was produced by Howard W. Koch and Aubrey Schenck's production company Bel-Air as part of their contract for films with United Artists, and apparently they got along well with Johnson, as they cast him in a major supporting role in War Drums (which I also hope MGM/UA will get around to releasing) and then the lead in Fort Bowie, which Koch directed. I've also heard that Johnson was the technical advisor for the rodeo scenes in the Mamie Van Doren vehicle Born Reckless (also directed by Koch), which was released through Warner Bros. and I hope is a Warner Archive MOD DVD someday. It's not as deliriously trashy as one might hope but it is fun and would you believe Mamie plays the good girl next door in this one? ; ) (A very sexy girl next door, though.) ; ) Carol Ohlmart was the femme fatale in Born Reckless and my TV's screen nearly melted down when she slinked into the picture. : )
Is it possible that Rebel in Town was shot 1:37 and matted in theaters for widescreen (probably 1:85?) and then unmatted for television and that's now how it is? I think The Girl Most Likely is another movie in the same situation. It's a 1958 release, but the way the credits looked on TCM it was filmed 1:37; the IMDB says it was filmed 1:37 and intended release ratio was 1:85. A double disc of Rebel in Town in both formats would have been interesting but I can't imagine that MGM/UA would ever want to expend that much money on such a release.

 

[benbrigade]

Paula;thanks for all that fantastic information.
I too hope that MGM/UA will release WAR DRUMS sometime in the future.
Also a Warner Archive release of BORN RECKLESS would be great too!
Although the MGM MODs are not of the same high quality as the Warner and
Columbia product they do seem to like these oddball titles like the Bel-Air
output.Did you catch up with THE GIRL IN BLACK STOCKINGS a very strange
little thriller with a most diverting cast. Bel-Air did seem to like using the same
actors and directors,time after time.
Paula,have you seen Toby Roans website "Fifty Westerns From The Fifties"
through Wordpress? Its an absolute must for any fan of vintage Westerns!

 

[kingfish]

i was watching the holcroft covenant and noticed that it is a cannon title put out by mgm. i guess they own the entire cannon films library.

 

[Worth]

i was watching the holcroft covenant and noticed that it is a cannon title put out by mgm. i guess they own the entire cannon films library.

Most of them, but not all. Superman IV and Barfly were Cannon films, but Warner controls the video rights.

 

[WaveCrest]

Originally Posted by benbrigade
Although the MGM MODs are not of the same high quality as the Warner and
Columbia product they do seem to like these oddball titles like the Bel-Air
output.Did you catch up with THE GIRL IN BLACK STOCKINGS a very strange
little thriller with a most diverting cast. Bel-Air did seem to like using the same
actors and directors,time after time.

Have checked the synopsis for The Girl in Black Stockings (1957) on it's main IMDb page. Very interesting, sounding murder mystery film.

 

[PaulaJ]

I think we finally have some resolution on the aspect ratio issue concerning Rebel in Town, thanks to a good friend of mine who researched this by looking up a review in Box Office, an old industry publication which always included aspect ratios in its reviews. The aspect ratio for Rebel in Town, as the AFI website also indicated, was 1:85. So the MGM/UA disc, if full-frame, will indeed be the wrong ratio.

 

[GregoryMesh]

September titles:
Mid-Spetemober:
Beer (1985)
Bright Angel (1990)
Cage of Evil (1960)
Campus Rhythm (1943)
Consuming Passions (1988)
Dark Angel (aka I Come in Peace) (1990)
Grayeagle (1977)
Little Cigars (aka The Little Cigars Mob) (1973)
Mrs. Pollifax-Spy (1971)
The Passage (1979)
Top Banana (1954)
Late-September:
Act of Vengeance (aka Rape Squad) (1974)
The Christine Jorgensen Story (1970)
The Dalton Girls (1957)
Five Guns to Tombstone (1960)
The Living Ghost (aka A Walking Nightmare) (1942)
Love, Cheat & Steal (1993)
The Music Lovers (1970)
No Escape (1953)
The Quatermass Xperiment (aka The Creeping Unknown) (1955)
Sugar Hill (aka The Zombies of Sugar Hill) (1974)
Top Gun (1955)
Trooper Hook (1957)
Valerie (1957)
War Paint (1953)