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Olive Films Announces October 2017 Titles
'Olive Films Announces October 2017 Titles'
October is a showstopping month at Olive and we’re so excited to show you what we have in store. You asked and we’ll deliver: Season 3 of Flipper is following behind Season 1 and Season 2 to DVD and Blu-ray. Add to that classics such as The Miracle Worker and The Madness of King George, new cult favorites Stay Hungry and Rock-A-Doodle, and fun genre gems The Vampire’s Ghost, S.O.S. Tidal Wave, and Return of the Ape Man, and you’ll find something for everyone! Treat yourself to one of our October releases, or get some early holiday shopping done!
These DVDs and Blu-rays will all be available to own on October 31st, Halloween Day. Preorder now!
FLIPPER SEASON 3 (1966-1967)
BRIAN KELLY (Around the World Under the Sea, TV’s Straightaway, TV’s 21 Beacon Street)
LUKE HALPIN (Island of the Lost, Shock Waves, Nobody’s Perfekt)
TOMMY NORDEN (Five Miles to Midnight, TV’s Search for Tomorrow, TV’s Naked City)
No one you see, is smarter than he! They call him Flipper …
The classic TV series Flipper, starring Brian Kelly (Around the World Under the Sea) as Porter Ricks, Chief Warden and Park Ranger at Coral Key Park and Marine Preserve, comes to DVD and Blu-ray in a beautiful new presentation that captures the pristine aquatic Florida backdrop in all its glory. Ricks, along with his two young sons Sandy (Luke Halpin, Island of the Lost) and Bud (Tommy Norden, Five Miles to Midnight) share weekly adventures aided by Flipper, their friend and pet, a highly intellectual and daring dolphin adept at protecting the preserve and sleuthing out unsavory characters.
Throughout its three-season run (1964 through 1967), Flipper featured a galaxy of guest stars including Burt Reynolds (Shark), John Kerr (South Pacific), Jessica Walter (Play Misty for Me), Martin Sheen (Apocalypse Now), Barbara Feldon (TV’s Get Smart), David Soul (TV’s Starsky and Hutch), Bo Svenson (Heartbreak Ridge), Huntz Hall (The Bowery Boys), Daniel J. Travanti (TV’s Hill Street Blues), Marshall Thompson (It! The Terror from Beyond Space), Julie Sommars (TV’s Matlock), Pat Henning (On the Waterfront), Denise Nickerson (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory), John Castle (Blow-Up), Michael Conrad (TV’s Hill Street Blues), Aline Towne (The Invisible Monster), John Abbott (Gigi), Jon Cypher (TV’s Major Dad), Karen Steele (Marty), Andy Devine (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance), Wende Wagner (Rosemary’s Baby), Jean-Pierre Aumont (Day for Night), and Gloria DeHaven (Summer Stock).
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH (with optional English subtitles)
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 728 mins
VIDEO: 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; COLOR
Flipper Season 3 will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on October 31st.
ROCK-A-DOODLE (1991)
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER (The Sound of Music, Beginners, The Man Who Would Be King)
GLEN CAMPBELL (True Grit, Norwood, The Cool Ones)
PHIL HARRIS (The Jungle Book, Robin Hood, The Aristocats)
EDDIE DEEZEN (Zapped, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, Grease)
SANDY DUNCAN (Star Spangled Girl, The Fox and the Hound, The Million Dollar Duck)
ELLEN GREENE (Little Shop of Horrors, I’m Dancing as Fast as I Can, Leon: The Professional)
DEE WALLACE (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Howling, Cujo)
CHARLES NELSON REILLY (Cannonball Run II, Body Slam, TV’s The Ghost & Mrs. Muir)
Directed by DON BLUTH (An American Tail, Anastasia, The Land Before Time)
Chanticleer’s (Glen Campbell, True Grit) a rooster who’s quite literally the cock of the walk. His ability to wake the sun with his morning crow is the envy of all. With one exception. The Grand Duke of Owls (voiced by Christopher Plummer, The Sound of Music) is one very foul fowl. Bent on destroying Chanticleer, the jealous Duke devises a plan so that it appears that the sun can rise on its own without Chanticleer’s help. Shunned by the farm animals whose reaction is swift and pitiless, Chanticleer heads to the big city to start a new life, leaving the farm on the edge of disaster.
With his career on the rise, thanks to his manager Pinky Fox (Sorrell Booke, TV’s The Dukes of Hazzard) with an assist from the duplicitous Grand Duke, Chanticleer’s future is looking golden. But he’ll soon realize that family, friends and home mean more than fleeting fame in the touching and comic animated film for the entire family, Rock-A-Doodle.
Rounding out the Rock-A-Doodle voice talent cast are Sandy Duncan (The Fox and the Hound) as Peepers, Eddie Deezen (1941) as Snipes, Ellen Greene (Little Shop of Horrors) as Goldie, Dee Wallace (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial) as Dory, Charles Nelson Reilly (Cannonball Run II) as Hunch and Phil Harris (The Jungle Book) as Patou.
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH (with optional English subtitles)
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 74 mins
VIDEO: 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio; COLOR
Rock-A-Doodle will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on October 31st.
STAY HUNGRY (1976)
JEFF BRIDGES (Hell or High Water, The Last Picture Show, TRON)
SALLY FIELD (Places in the Heart, Norma Rae, Not Without My Daughter)
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (The Terminator, True Lies, Predator)
ED BEGLEYJR. (Cat People, Goin’ South, TV’s St. Elsewhere)
SCATMAN CROTHERS (The Shining, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Silver Streak)
Directed by BOB RAFELSON (Five Easy Pieces, The Postman Always Rings Twice, The King of Marvin Gardens)
You meet the most amazing people at the gym. The rich, aimless Craig Blake (Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water) is about to find that out firsthand in the comedy-drama Stay Hungry.
Director Bob Rafelson (Five Easy Pieces) effortlessly guides his cast through a plot that involves shady business dealings, romance and body building when Craig, the hapless hero of the piece, becomes smitten with Mary Tate Farnsworth (Sally Field, Places in the Heart), the free-spirited receptionist at a tiny gym he’s been tasked with observing for slimy con man Jabo (Joe Spinell, The Godfather: Part II), who has a penchant for land grabs. And Jabo has his sights set on demolishing the gym to make way for new high-rise construction.
What begins as an errant errand soon turns into the adventure of a lifetime for Craig, Mary Tate and Joe Santo, a Mr. Universe-title-seeking body builder and bluegrass fiddler portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Flexing his acting muscles in his first sustained screen role (and using his actual voice), Mr. Schwarzenegger, for his efforts, would take home a Golden Globe for “Best Acting Debut in a Motion Picture” in 1977.
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH (with optional English subtitles)
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 102 mins
VIDEO: 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio; COLOR
Stay Hungry will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on October 31st.
THE MIRACLE WORKER (1962)
ANNE BANCROFT (The Graduate, The Elephant Man, Heartbreakers)
PATTY DUKE (Valley of the Dolls, Billie, TV’s The Patty Duke Show)
VICTOR JORY (Gone with the Wind, Papillon, The Man from the Alamo)
ANDREW PRINE (Chisum, Kiss Her Goodbye, Advance to the Rear)
INGA SWENSON (Advise & Consent, The Betsy, TV’s Benson)
KATHLEEN COMEGYS (Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell, The First Time, Birth of a Baby
Directed by ARTHUR PENN (Bonnie and Clyde, Little Big Man, Alice’s Restaurant)
The powerhouse performances of Anne Bancroft (The Graduate) and Patty Duke (Valley of the Dolls) are the heart and soul of director Arthur Penn’s (Bonnie and Clyde) screen adaptation of The Miracle Worker. Working on familiar ground (having directed Bancroft and Duke in the Broadway play), Penn would find a fresh approach in transitioning the story of Helen Keller from stage to screen by opening up the action with on-location shooting, unique camera work by Ernest Caparros (TV’s Naked City), razor sharp editing by Aram Avakian (Lilith) and several bravura set pieces.
The young Helen, blind and deaf since infancy as a result of scarlet fever, becomes prone to violent outbursts that grow more frequent and intense, resulting in her parents, Captain Arthur Keller (Victor Jory, Gone with the Wind) and Kate Keller (Inga Swenson, Advise & Consent), reaching out to a school for the blind for help. That help arrives in the form of Anne Sullivan, a teacher whose personal struggles have provided her with the tools to assist Helen. And so begins a battle of wills between the obstinate Helen and the equally stubborn Anne (a breakfast scene between the two becomes a virtual wrestling match). Through sheer willpower and compassion, the walls separating Helen from the outside world begin to crumble, as student and teacher forge a connection.
The Miracle Worker is directed by Arthur Penn, written for the screen by William Gibson (based upon his stage play), produced by Fred Coe and features music by two-time Academy Award nominee Laurence Rosenthal (Best Score, Becket – 1965; Best Musical Adaptation, Man of La Mancha – 1974).
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH (with optional English subtitles)
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 106 mins
VIDEO: 1.66:1 Aspect Ratio; B&W
The Miracle Worker will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on October 31st.
THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE (1994)
NIGEL HAWTHORNE (Amistad, Demolition Man, The Object of My Affection)
HELEN MIRREN (The Queen, The Debt, Trumbo)
IAN HOLM (Another Woman, Time Bandits, Brazil)
RUPERT EVERETT (My Best Friend’s Wedding, Dance with a Stranger, The Comfort of Strangers)
RUPERT GRAVES (TV’s Sherlock, Death at a Funeral, Damage)
AMANDA DONOHOE (The Lair of the White Worm, Liar Liar, One Night Stand)
Directed by NICHOLAS HYTNER (The Crucible, The Object of My Affection, The History Boys)
Based on the true story of the deteriorating mental health of Britain’s King George III, The Madness of King George is historical drama at its entertaining best. With a cast of British acting royalty led by Nigel Hawthorne (Amistad) as the “Mad King”, George III, the film features Helen Mirren (The Queen) as Queen Charlotte, the King’s wife and staunchest supporter; Rupert Everett (My Best Friend’s Wedding) as George, eldest son and the Prince of Wales; Ian Holm (Time Bandits) as the caring Dr. Willis whose radical treatment of mental disorders is viewed with skepticism by the royals; Rupert Graves (TV’s Sherlock) as Captain Greville, the King’s equerry; and Amanda Donohoe (The Lair of the White Worm) as Lady Pembroke, attendant to the Queen.
The Madness of King George is directed by Nicholas Hytner (The Crucible), written by Alan Bennett (based on his stage play The Madness of George III), photographed by Andrew Dunn (Precious, Gosford Park) and features a selection of classical compositions by George Frideric Handel, adapted and arranged by George Fenton (Dangerous Liaisons, The Crucible).
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH (with optional English subtitles)
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 111 mins
VIDEO: 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio; COLOR
The Madness of King George will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on October 31st.
S.O.S. TIDAL WAVE (1939)
RALPH BYRD (Jungle Book, A Yank in the R.A.F., Desperate Cargo)
GEORGE BARBIER (Yankee Doodle Dandy, The Man Who Came to Dinner, The Return of Frank James)
KAY SUTTON (Carefree, Lawless Valley, Li’l Abner)
FRANK JENKS (His Girl Friday, Christmas in Connecticut, Woman on the Run)
MARC LAWRENCE (Flame of Barbary Coast, Marathon Man, From Dusk Till Dawn)
DOROTHY LEE (Roar of the Press, Too Many Blondes, The Curtain Falls)
FERRIS TAYLOR (A Man Betrayed, Magnificent Doll, Bringing Up Father)
Directed by JOHN H. AUER (The Eternal Sea, Johnny Trouble, Hell’s Half Acre)
S.O.S. Tidal Wave is both a political thriller and one of the earliest examples of the disaster film genre. The corrupt Clifford Farrow (Ferris Taylor, A Man Betrayed), his sights set on winning the New York City mayoral race with backing from the nefarious political boss Melvin Sutter (Marc Lawrence, Flame of Barbary Coast), sees the world as his oyster.
That’s until stalwart television journalist Jeff Shannon (Ralph Byrd, Jungle Book) unmasks a system that would place the unscrupulous and unqualified Farrow into power. S.O.S. Tidal Wave remains true to its crime thriller roots until a very surprising twist. The devious Farrow and Sutter, using stock horror film footage of a tsunami-like tidal wave, try to convince an unsuspecting public that the killer wave is about to hit New York, thereby throwing voters into a War of the Worlds-type panic. Will Jeff be able to convince the public of this hoax in time to save the election?
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH (with optional English subtitles)
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 62 mins
VIDEO: 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; B&W
S.O.S. Tidal Wave will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on October 31st.
THE VAMPIRE’S GHOST (1945)
JOHN ABBOTT (Gigi, Mrs. Miniver, Gambit)
CHARLES GORDON (Captain Tugboat Annie, Swamp Fire, Road to Alcatraz)
PEGGY STEWART (The Runaways, That’s My Boy, Beyond Evil)
GRANT WITHERS (Rio Grande, Fort Apache, My Darling Clementine)
ADELE MARA (Sands of Iwo Jima, Wake of the Red Witch, You Were Never Lovelier)
EMMETT VOGAN (The Mummy’s Tomb, The Mummy’s Ghost, San Quentin)
Directed by LESLEY SELANDER (The Catman of Paris, Dragonfly Squadron, Brothers in the Saddle)
Vampires and voodoo and priests, oh my!
The Vampire’s Ghost, starring John Abbott (Gigi), Charles Gordon (Road to Alcatraz), Grant Withers (Rio Grande) and Peggy Stewart (The Runaways), grabs the viewer by the throat and doesn’t let go.
In the African port town of Bakunda, the undead are restless. Webb Fallon (Abbott), having fallen under the curse of the vampire, is unable to find eternal peace. With an unquenchable thirst for blood, Fallon wanders the vast landscape in search of sustenance and the local missionary Father Gilchrist (Withers), along with friends Roy Hendrick (Gordon) and Julie Vance (Stewart) could very well be his next … victims!
Directed by Lesley Selander (Dragonfly Squadron) and written by John K. Butler (Drums Across the River) and Leigh Brackett (The Big Sleep, The Long Goodbye) based on an original story by Brackett, The Vampire’s Ghostis the quintessential 1940s horror film – when an ominous shadow and a widened eye conveyed all one needed to know of the horror to come.
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH (with optional English subtitles)
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 59 mins
VIDEO: 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; B&W
The Vampire’s Ghost will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on October 31st.
RETURN OF THE APE MAN (1944)
BELA LUGOSI (Dracula, Voodoo Man, The Ape Man)
JOHN CARRADINE (Voodoo Man, Blood and Sand, The Grapes of Wrath)
GEORGE ZUCCO (Dead Men Walk, Voodoo Man, The Black Raven)
FRANK MORAN (The Corpse Vanishes, Sullivan’s Travels, The Palm Beach Story)
MARY CURRIER (Joan of Arc, Angel in Exile, The Valley of Decision)
Directed by PHILIP ROSEN (Murder by Invitation, Captain Tugboat Annie, It Could Happen To You!)
The titular ape man (incarnated by Frank Moran, The Corpse Vanishes, and fleetingly by George Zucco, Voodoo Man) is featured alongside Bela Lugosi (Dracula), John Carradine (Voodoo Man) and Mary Currier (Joan of Arc) in the fright fest Return of the Ape Man.
Directed by Philip Rosen (Murder by Invitation), Return of the Ape Man stars Lugosi as Professor Dexter, the doctor who put the mad in mad scientist. On the verge of restoring a recently unearthed simian from its frozen sleep, Dexter’s plans for the apesicle will have chilling consequences when he sets about transplanting a human brain into his frozen find. With unwitting (and unwilling) help from fellow scientist Professor Gilmore (Carradine), Dexter hopes to unravel the mystery of the “missing link.”
Return of the Ape Man also features Michael Ames (From Hell It Came), Judith Gibson (Bluebeard), Ed Chandler (The Ghost and the Guest) and Ernie Adams (Invisible Ghost).
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH (with optional English subtitles)
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 61 mins
VIDEO: 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; B&W
Return of the Ape Man will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on October 31st.
'Olive Films Announces October 2017 Titles'
October is a showstopping month at Olive and we’re so excited to show you what we have in store. You asked and we’ll deliver: Season 3 of Flipper is following behind Season 1 and Season 2 to DVD and Blu-ray. Add to that classics such as The Miracle Worker and The Madness of King George, new cult favorites Stay Hungry and Rock-A-Doodle, and fun genre gems The Vampire’s Ghost, S.O.S. Tidal Wave, and Return of the Ape Man, and you’ll find something for everyone! Treat yourself to one of our October releases, or get some early holiday shopping done!
These DVDs and Blu-rays will all be available to own on October 31st, Halloween Day. Preorder now!
FLIPPER SEASON 3 (1966-1967)
BRIAN KELLY (Around the World Under the Sea, TV’s Straightaway, TV’s 21 Beacon Street)
LUKE HALPIN (Island of the Lost, Shock Waves, Nobody’s Perfekt)
TOMMY NORDEN (Five Miles to Midnight, TV’s Search for Tomorrow, TV’s Naked City)
No one you see, is smarter than he! They call him Flipper …
The classic TV series Flipper, starring Brian Kelly (Around the World Under the Sea) as Porter Ricks, Chief Warden and Park Ranger at Coral Key Park and Marine Preserve, comes to DVD and Blu-ray in a beautiful new presentation that captures the pristine aquatic Florida backdrop in all its glory. Ricks, along with his two young sons Sandy (Luke Halpin, Island of the Lost) and Bud (Tommy Norden, Five Miles to Midnight) share weekly adventures aided by Flipper, their friend and pet, a highly intellectual and daring dolphin adept at protecting the preserve and sleuthing out unsavory characters.
Throughout its three-season run (1964 through 1967), Flipper featured a galaxy of guest stars including Burt Reynolds (Shark), John Kerr (South Pacific), Jessica Walter (Play Misty for Me), Martin Sheen (Apocalypse Now), Barbara Feldon (TV’s Get Smart), David Soul (TV’s Starsky and Hutch), Bo Svenson (Heartbreak Ridge), Huntz Hall (The Bowery Boys), Daniel J. Travanti (TV’s Hill Street Blues), Marshall Thompson (It! The Terror from Beyond Space), Julie Sommars (TV’s Matlock), Pat Henning (On the Waterfront), Denise Nickerson (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory), John Castle (Blow-Up), Michael Conrad (TV’s Hill Street Blues), Aline Towne (The Invisible Monster), John Abbott (Gigi), Jon Cypher (TV’s Major Dad), Karen Steele (Marty), Andy Devine (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance), Wende Wagner (Rosemary’s Baby), Jean-Pierre Aumont (Day for Night), and Gloria DeHaven (Summer Stock).
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH (with optional English subtitles)
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 728 mins
VIDEO: 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; COLOR
Flipper Season 3 will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on October 31st.
ROCK-A-DOODLE (1991)
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER (The Sound of Music, Beginners, The Man Who Would Be King)
GLEN CAMPBELL (True Grit, Norwood, The Cool Ones)
PHIL HARRIS (The Jungle Book, Robin Hood, The Aristocats)
EDDIE DEEZEN (Zapped, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, Grease)
SANDY DUNCAN (Star Spangled Girl, The Fox and the Hound, The Million Dollar Duck)
ELLEN GREENE (Little Shop of Horrors, I’m Dancing as Fast as I Can, Leon: The Professional)
DEE WALLACE (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Howling, Cujo)
CHARLES NELSON REILLY (Cannonball Run II, Body Slam, TV’s The Ghost & Mrs. Muir)
Directed by DON BLUTH (An American Tail, Anastasia, The Land Before Time)
Chanticleer’s (Glen Campbell, True Grit) a rooster who’s quite literally the cock of the walk. His ability to wake the sun with his morning crow is the envy of all. With one exception. The Grand Duke of Owls (voiced by Christopher Plummer, The Sound of Music) is one very foul fowl. Bent on destroying Chanticleer, the jealous Duke devises a plan so that it appears that the sun can rise on its own without Chanticleer’s help. Shunned by the farm animals whose reaction is swift and pitiless, Chanticleer heads to the big city to start a new life, leaving the farm on the edge of disaster.
With his career on the rise, thanks to his manager Pinky Fox (Sorrell Booke, TV’s The Dukes of Hazzard) with an assist from the duplicitous Grand Duke, Chanticleer’s future is looking golden. But he’ll soon realize that family, friends and home mean more than fleeting fame in the touching and comic animated film for the entire family, Rock-A-Doodle.
Rounding out the Rock-A-Doodle voice talent cast are Sandy Duncan (The Fox and the Hound) as Peepers, Eddie Deezen (1941) as Snipes, Ellen Greene (Little Shop of Horrors) as Goldie, Dee Wallace (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial) as Dory, Charles Nelson Reilly (Cannonball Run II) as Hunch and Phil Harris (The Jungle Book) as Patou.
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH (with optional English subtitles)
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 74 mins
VIDEO: 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio; COLOR
Rock-A-Doodle will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on October 31st.
STAY HUNGRY (1976)
JEFF BRIDGES (Hell or High Water, The Last Picture Show, TRON)
SALLY FIELD (Places in the Heart, Norma Rae, Not Without My Daughter)
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (The Terminator, True Lies, Predator)
ED BEGLEYJR. (Cat People, Goin’ South, TV’s St. Elsewhere)
SCATMAN CROTHERS (The Shining, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Silver Streak)
Directed by BOB RAFELSON (Five Easy Pieces, The Postman Always Rings Twice, The King of Marvin Gardens)
You meet the most amazing people at the gym. The rich, aimless Craig Blake (Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water) is about to find that out firsthand in the comedy-drama Stay Hungry.
Director Bob Rafelson (Five Easy Pieces) effortlessly guides his cast through a plot that involves shady business dealings, romance and body building when Craig, the hapless hero of the piece, becomes smitten with Mary Tate Farnsworth (Sally Field, Places in the Heart), the free-spirited receptionist at a tiny gym he’s been tasked with observing for slimy con man Jabo (Joe Spinell, The Godfather: Part II), who has a penchant for land grabs. And Jabo has his sights set on demolishing the gym to make way for new high-rise construction.
What begins as an errant errand soon turns into the adventure of a lifetime for Craig, Mary Tate and Joe Santo, a Mr. Universe-title-seeking body builder and bluegrass fiddler portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Flexing his acting muscles in his first sustained screen role (and using his actual voice), Mr. Schwarzenegger, for his efforts, would take home a Golden Globe for “Best Acting Debut in a Motion Picture” in 1977.
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH (with optional English subtitles)
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 102 mins
VIDEO: 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio; COLOR
Stay Hungry will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on October 31st.
THE MIRACLE WORKER (1962)
ANNE BANCROFT (The Graduate, The Elephant Man, Heartbreakers)
PATTY DUKE (Valley of the Dolls, Billie, TV’s The Patty Duke Show)
VICTOR JORY (Gone with the Wind, Papillon, The Man from the Alamo)
ANDREW PRINE (Chisum, Kiss Her Goodbye, Advance to the Rear)
INGA SWENSON (Advise & Consent, The Betsy, TV’s Benson)
KATHLEEN COMEGYS (Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell, The First Time, Birth of a Baby
Directed by ARTHUR PENN (Bonnie and Clyde, Little Big Man, Alice’s Restaurant)
The powerhouse performances of Anne Bancroft (The Graduate) and Patty Duke (Valley of the Dolls) are the heart and soul of director Arthur Penn’s (Bonnie and Clyde) screen adaptation of The Miracle Worker. Working on familiar ground (having directed Bancroft and Duke in the Broadway play), Penn would find a fresh approach in transitioning the story of Helen Keller from stage to screen by opening up the action with on-location shooting, unique camera work by Ernest Caparros (TV’s Naked City), razor sharp editing by Aram Avakian (Lilith) and several bravura set pieces.
The young Helen, blind and deaf since infancy as a result of scarlet fever, becomes prone to violent outbursts that grow more frequent and intense, resulting in her parents, Captain Arthur Keller (Victor Jory, Gone with the Wind) and Kate Keller (Inga Swenson, Advise & Consent), reaching out to a school for the blind for help. That help arrives in the form of Anne Sullivan, a teacher whose personal struggles have provided her with the tools to assist Helen. And so begins a battle of wills between the obstinate Helen and the equally stubborn Anne (a breakfast scene between the two becomes a virtual wrestling match). Through sheer willpower and compassion, the walls separating Helen from the outside world begin to crumble, as student and teacher forge a connection.
The Miracle Worker is directed by Arthur Penn, written for the screen by William Gibson (based upon his stage play), produced by Fred Coe and features music by two-time Academy Award nominee Laurence Rosenthal (Best Score, Becket – 1965; Best Musical Adaptation, Man of La Mancha – 1974).
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH (with optional English subtitles)
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 106 mins
VIDEO: 1.66:1 Aspect Ratio; B&W
The Miracle Worker will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on October 31st.
THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE (1994)
NIGEL HAWTHORNE (Amistad, Demolition Man, The Object of My Affection)
HELEN MIRREN (The Queen, The Debt, Trumbo)
IAN HOLM (Another Woman, Time Bandits, Brazil)
RUPERT EVERETT (My Best Friend’s Wedding, Dance with a Stranger, The Comfort of Strangers)
RUPERT GRAVES (TV’s Sherlock, Death at a Funeral, Damage)
AMANDA DONOHOE (The Lair of the White Worm, Liar Liar, One Night Stand)
Directed by NICHOLAS HYTNER (The Crucible, The Object of My Affection, The History Boys)
Based on the true story of the deteriorating mental health of Britain’s King George III, The Madness of King George is historical drama at its entertaining best. With a cast of British acting royalty led by Nigel Hawthorne (Amistad) as the “Mad King”, George III, the film features Helen Mirren (The Queen) as Queen Charlotte, the King’s wife and staunchest supporter; Rupert Everett (My Best Friend’s Wedding) as George, eldest son and the Prince of Wales; Ian Holm (Time Bandits) as the caring Dr. Willis whose radical treatment of mental disorders is viewed with skepticism by the royals; Rupert Graves (TV’s Sherlock) as Captain Greville, the King’s equerry; and Amanda Donohoe (The Lair of the White Worm) as Lady Pembroke, attendant to the Queen.
The Madness of King George is directed by Nicholas Hytner (The Crucible), written by Alan Bennett (based on his stage play The Madness of George III), photographed by Andrew Dunn (Precious, Gosford Park) and features a selection of classical compositions by George Frideric Handel, adapted and arranged by George Fenton (Dangerous Liaisons, The Crucible).
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH (with optional English subtitles)
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 111 mins
VIDEO: 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio; COLOR
The Madness of King George will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on October 31st.
S.O.S. TIDAL WAVE (1939)
RALPH BYRD (Jungle Book, A Yank in the R.A.F., Desperate Cargo)
GEORGE BARBIER (Yankee Doodle Dandy, The Man Who Came to Dinner, The Return of Frank James)
KAY SUTTON (Carefree, Lawless Valley, Li’l Abner)
FRANK JENKS (His Girl Friday, Christmas in Connecticut, Woman on the Run)
MARC LAWRENCE (Flame of Barbary Coast, Marathon Man, From Dusk Till Dawn)
DOROTHY LEE (Roar of the Press, Too Many Blondes, The Curtain Falls)
FERRIS TAYLOR (A Man Betrayed, Magnificent Doll, Bringing Up Father)
Directed by JOHN H. AUER (The Eternal Sea, Johnny Trouble, Hell’s Half Acre)
S.O.S. Tidal Wave is both a political thriller and one of the earliest examples of the disaster film genre. The corrupt Clifford Farrow (Ferris Taylor, A Man Betrayed), his sights set on winning the New York City mayoral race with backing from the nefarious political boss Melvin Sutter (Marc Lawrence, Flame of Barbary Coast), sees the world as his oyster.
That’s until stalwart television journalist Jeff Shannon (Ralph Byrd, Jungle Book) unmasks a system that would place the unscrupulous and unqualified Farrow into power. S.O.S. Tidal Wave remains true to its crime thriller roots until a very surprising twist. The devious Farrow and Sutter, using stock horror film footage of a tsunami-like tidal wave, try to convince an unsuspecting public that the killer wave is about to hit New York, thereby throwing voters into a War of the Worlds-type panic. Will Jeff be able to convince the public of this hoax in time to save the election?
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH (with optional English subtitles)
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 62 mins
VIDEO: 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; B&W
S.O.S. Tidal Wave will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on October 31st.
THE VAMPIRE’S GHOST (1945)
JOHN ABBOTT (Gigi, Mrs. Miniver, Gambit)
CHARLES GORDON (Captain Tugboat Annie, Swamp Fire, Road to Alcatraz)
PEGGY STEWART (The Runaways, That’s My Boy, Beyond Evil)
GRANT WITHERS (Rio Grande, Fort Apache, My Darling Clementine)
ADELE MARA (Sands of Iwo Jima, Wake of the Red Witch, You Were Never Lovelier)
EMMETT VOGAN (The Mummy’s Tomb, The Mummy’s Ghost, San Quentin)
Directed by LESLEY SELANDER (The Catman of Paris, Dragonfly Squadron, Brothers in the Saddle)
Vampires and voodoo and priests, oh my!
The Vampire’s Ghost, starring John Abbott (Gigi), Charles Gordon (Road to Alcatraz), Grant Withers (Rio Grande) and Peggy Stewart (The Runaways), grabs the viewer by the throat and doesn’t let go.
In the African port town of Bakunda, the undead are restless. Webb Fallon (Abbott), having fallen under the curse of the vampire, is unable to find eternal peace. With an unquenchable thirst for blood, Fallon wanders the vast landscape in search of sustenance and the local missionary Father Gilchrist (Withers), along with friends Roy Hendrick (Gordon) and Julie Vance (Stewart) could very well be his next … victims!
Directed by Lesley Selander (Dragonfly Squadron) and written by John K. Butler (Drums Across the River) and Leigh Brackett (The Big Sleep, The Long Goodbye) based on an original story by Brackett, The Vampire’s Ghostis the quintessential 1940s horror film – when an ominous shadow and a widened eye conveyed all one needed to know of the horror to come.
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH (with optional English subtitles)
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 59 mins
VIDEO: 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; B&W
The Vampire’s Ghost will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on October 31st.
RETURN OF THE APE MAN (1944)
BELA LUGOSI (Dracula, Voodoo Man, The Ape Man)
JOHN CARRADINE (Voodoo Man, Blood and Sand, The Grapes of Wrath)
GEORGE ZUCCO (Dead Men Walk, Voodoo Man, The Black Raven)
FRANK MORAN (The Corpse Vanishes, Sullivan’s Travels, The Palm Beach Story)
MARY CURRIER (Joan of Arc, Angel in Exile, The Valley of Decision)
Directed by PHILIP ROSEN (Murder by Invitation, Captain Tugboat Annie, It Could Happen To You!)
The titular ape man (incarnated by Frank Moran, The Corpse Vanishes, and fleetingly by George Zucco, Voodoo Man) is featured alongside Bela Lugosi (Dracula), John Carradine (Voodoo Man) and Mary Currier (Joan of Arc) in the fright fest Return of the Ape Man.
Directed by Philip Rosen (Murder by Invitation), Return of the Ape Man stars Lugosi as Professor Dexter, the doctor who put the mad in mad scientist. On the verge of restoring a recently unearthed simian from its frozen sleep, Dexter’s plans for the apesicle will have chilling consequences when he sets about transplanting a human brain into his frozen find. With unwitting (and unwilling) help from fellow scientist Professor Gilmore (Carradine), Dexter hopes to unravel the mystery of the “missing link.”
Return of the Ape Man also features Michael Ames (From Hell It Came), Judith Gibson (Bluebeard), Ed Chandler (The Ghost and the Guest) and Ernie Adams (Invisible Ghost).
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH (with optional English subtitles)
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 61 mins
VIDEO: 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; B&W
Return of the Ape Man will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on October 31st.
