Olive Films Blu-ray Release and Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Rodney]

I started watching this BD yesterday and I'm about half way through it, but IMO, the video presentation so far, isn't as pleasing to my eyes as the HD broadcast of it on HDnet Movie channel a month or two ago.

Thanks for answering. That is a bit disappointing, but as I missed the HDnet Movie channel broadcast, I think I will take the chance and replace my DVD with this Blu-Ray release.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Thanks for answering. That is a bit disappointing, but as I missed the HDnet Movie channel broadcast, I think I will take the chance and replace my DVD with this Blu-Ray release.

I finished the BD the other day and I came away not as impressed as I was with the HDnet broadcast. Perhaps, I'll catch it again and then do a real comparison with the BD.

 

[Professor Echo]

I admit I didn't read every post in this thread, so apologies if I missed it, but can someone explain to me how Olive got the rights to THE DEVIL AND MISS JONES, which started life as an RKO Radio picture?

 

[Robert Crawford]

I admit I didn't read every post in this thread, so apologies if I missed it, but can someone explain to me how Olive got the rights to THE DEVIL AND MISS JONES, which started life as an RKO Radio picture?

Probably due to it being a Melange Pictures property as to its video rights.

 

[Professor Echo]

Probably due to it being a Melange Pictures property as to its video rights.

Following the rights trail to movies is like trying to tell who the players are without a scorecard, as they used to say to get you to buy a scorecard at the old ball game. Who or what is Melange Pictures? A Google search brings up pictures of food. ???

 

[moviepas]

Melange Pictures, as has been in these threads before, a name Paramount uses for its Republic Properties and others that have drifted into the pot.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Following the rights trail to movies is like trying to tell who the players are without a scorecard, as they used to say to get you to buy a scorecard at the old ball game. Who or what is Melange Pictures? A Google search brings up pictures of food. ???

Melange is a company owned by Viacom/Paramount which owns the Republic titles. RKO only had the film distribution rights while Republic somehow acquired it's video rights over the years.

 

[Professor Echo]

Interesting, but still rather curious as to how an RKO title wound up at Republic for home video given that the vast majority of RKO titles now reside at WB. Thanks for the info, Moviepas and Robert.

 

[ahollis]

Interesting, but still rather curious as to how an RKO title wound up at Republic for home video given that the vast majority of RKO titles now reside at WB. Thanks for the info, Moviepas and Robert.

The producer of THE DEVIL AND MISS JONES, Frank Ross retained the rights and only had a theatrical distribution agreement with RKO. When the agreement lapsed he ended up making an agreement with Republic. There is also another title that Mr. Ross sold to Republic and that was A LADY TAKES A CHANCE.

 

[JoHud]

The producer of THE DEVIL AND MISS JONES, Frank Ross retained the rights and only had a theatrical distribution agreement with RKO. When the agreement lapsed he ended up making an agreement with Republic. There is also another title that Mr. Ross sold to Republic and that was A LADY TAKES A CHANCE.

Correct. Many independently produced films from the 40s and 50s were distributed through RKO and other studios while maintaining ownership to the film properties or allowing only a limited distribution window before reverting to the production company. It seems many independently produced films of that era had a tendency to end up in what became the Republic library that Paramount now owns. It's a Wonderful Life is another that went to the Republic library after originally being distributed by RKO (before lapsing into the public domain)

Significant film libraries by independent companies that fully or partially ended up in the Republic library include those by Rainbow Productions, United States Pictures, and Enterprise Productions. I always assumed A Lady Takes a Chance was originally done by Republic Studios because it starred John Wayne. I wasn't even aware of the Frank Ross-Norma Krasna Incorporated link myself until The Devil and Miss Jones was announced

 

[Professor Echo]

Many thanks to Allen and JoHud for breaking this down. I love when you guys follow the trail and share your expansive knowledge.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Many thanks to Allen and JoHud for breaking this down. I love when you guys follow the trail and share your expansive knowledge.

What, no love for Crawdaddy?????

Getting back to the Olive preorders, a couple of April titles have been pushed back to May 14th, The Miracle of the Bells and Three Faces West.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Titles in bold updated with the latest releases:


Ambush at Cimarron Pass (1958) Jodie Copelan Scott Brady, Clint Eastwood, Margie DeanAmericano, The (1955) William Castle Glenn Ford, Frank Lovejoy, Cesar RomeroAngel and the Badman (1947) James Edward Grant John Wayne, Gail Russell, Harry Carey, Bruce CabotArch of Triumph (1948) Lewis Milestone Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer, Charles Laughton, Louis CalhernArmored Attack (1943) aka The North Star Lewis Milestone Anne Baxter, Dana Andrews, Farley GrangerAtomic Kid, The (1954) Leslie H. Martinson Mickey Rooney, Robert StraussBamboo Saucer, The (1968) Frank Telford Dan Duryea, James HongBang! Bang! You're Dead! (1966) Don Sharp Tony Randall, Senta Berger, Terry-Thomas, Herbert Lom, Klaus KinskiBells of St. Mary, The (1945) Leo McCarey Bing Crosby, Ingrid BergmanBeware, My Lovely (1952) Harry Horner Ida Lupino, Robert RyanBlood on the Sun (1945) Frank Lloyd James Cagney, Sylvia SidneyBlowing Wild (1953) Hugo Fregonese Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Anthony Quinn, Ward BondBreakthrough (1979) Andrew V. McLaglen Richard Burton, Rod Steiger, Robert MitchumBullfighter and the Lady, The (1951) Budd Boetticher Robert Stack, Joy Page, Gilbert Roland, Katy JuradoCadence (1990) Martin Sheen Charlie Sheen, Martin Sheen, Larry FishburneCaught (1949) Max Ophuls James Mason, Barbara Bel Geddes, Robert RyanCauldron of Blood (1970) AKA Blind Man's Bluff Santos Alcocer Jean-Pierre Aumont, Boris Karloff, Viveca LindforsChampion (1949) Mark Robson Kirk Douglas, Marilyn Maxwell, Arthur Kennedy, Paul StewartChina Gate (1957) Samuel Fuller Gene Barry, Angie Dickenson, Nat King Cole, Lee Van CleefCity That Never Sleeps (1953) John H. Auer Gig Young, Mala Powers, Chill WillsCloak and Dagger (1946) Fritz Lang Gary Cooper, Lilli Palmer, Robert AldaCopacabana (1947) Alfred E. Green Groucho Marx, Carmen MirandaCourt-Martial of Billy Mitchell, The (1955) Otto Preminger Gary Cooper, Rod SteigerCrashout (1955) Lewis R. Foster William Bendix, Arthur Kennedy, Gene EvansCry Danger (1951) Robert Parrish Dick Powell, Rhonda FlemingCry Vengeance (1954) Mark Stevens Mark StevensCujo (1983) Lewis Teague Dee Wallace, Danny PintauroDakota (1945) Joseph Kane John Wayne, Vera Ralston, Walter Brennan, Ward Bond, Mike MazurkiDark Command (1940) Raoul Walsh John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Roy Rogers, Walter PidgeonDevil and Miss Jones, The (1941) Sam Wood Jean Arthur, Robert Cummings, Charles Coburn, Edmund GwennDiary of a Chambermaid (1946) Jean Renoir Paulette Goddard, Burgess Meredith, Judith AndersonDistant Drums (1951) Raoul Walsh Gary Cooper, Mari AldonDr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965) Freddie Francis Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Michael GoughEnforcer, The (1951) Bretaigne Windust Humphrey Bogart, Zero MostelFather Goose (1964) Ralph Nelson Cary Grant, Leslie CaronFighter Attack (1953) Lesley Selander Sterling Hayden, J. Carrol Naish, Joy PageFighting Kentuckian, The (1949) George Waggner John Wayne, Vera Ralston, Oliver Hardy, Philip DornFighting Seabees, The (1944) Edward Ludwig John Wayne, Susan HaywardFire Maidens of Outer Space (1956) Cy Roth Anthony Dexter, Susan ShawFlame of Barbary Coast (1945) Joseph Kane John Wayne, Ann Dvorak, Virginia Grey, Paul FixFlat Top (1952) Lesley Selander Sterling Hayden, Richard CarlsonFlying Tigers (1942) David Miller John Wayne, John CarrollFrontier Horizon (1939) AKA New Frontier George Sherman John Wayne, Ray Corrigan, Rymond Hatton, Jennifer JonesGirl Who Knew Too Much, The (1969) Francis D. Lyon Adam West, Nancy Kwan, Robert AldaGood Sam (1948) Leo McCarey Gary Cooper, Ann SheridanGrass is Greener, The (1960) Stanley Donen Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum, Jean SimmonsGuest Wife (1945) Sam Wood Claudette Colbert, Don AmecheHanger 18 (1980) James L. Conway Darren McGavin, Robert Vaughn, Gary Collins, Joseph Campanella, Pamela BellwoodHell's Half Acre (1954) John H. Auer Wendell Corey, Evelyn Keyes, Elsa Lanchester, Marie WindsorHigh School Confidential (1958) Jack Arnold Russ Tamblyn, Jan SterlingHighlander II (1991) Both Versions Russell Mulcahy Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Virginia Madsen, Michael IronsideHome of the Brave (1949) Mark Robson Jeff Corey, James Edwards, Lloyd Bridges, Frank LovejoyHoodlum Empire (1952) Joseph Kane Brian Donlevy, Claire Trevor, Forrest Tucker, Gene LockhartI've Always Loved You (1946) Frank Borzage Philip Dorn, Catherine McLeodIn Old California (1942) William C. McGann John Wayne, Binnie Barnes, Albert DekkerIndiscreet (1958) Stanley Donen Cary Grant, Ingrid BergmanIronweed (1987) Hector Babenco Jack Nicholson, Meryl StreepIrreconcilable Differences (1984) Charles Shyer Ryan O'Neal, Shelley Long, Drew BarrymoreIt's in the Bag! (1945) Richard Wallace Fred Allen, Jack BennyJohnny Come Lately (1943) William K. Howard James Cagney, Grace GeorgeJulius Caesar (1970) Stuart Burge Charlton Heston, Jason RobardsKing of the Pecos (1936) Joseph Kane John Wayne, Muriel Evans, Cy KendallKiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950) Gordon Douglas James Cagney, Barbara Payton, Ward BondLady For a Night (1942) Leigh Jason John Wayne, Joan BlondellLady From Louisiana (1941) Bernard Vorhaus John Wayne, One MunsonLady Takes a Chance, A (1943) William A. Seiter John Wayne, Jean Arthur, Charles Winninger, Phil SilversLast Command, The (1955) Frank Lloyd Sterling Hayden, Ernest BorgnineLawless Nineties, The (1936) Joseph Kane John Wayne, Ann Rutherford, Gabby HayesLife and Times of Grizzly Adams, The (1974) Richard Friedenberg Dan Haggerty, Don ShanksLive Nude Girls (1995) Julianna Lavin Dana Delany, Kim CattrallLonely Trail, The (1936) Joseph Kane John Wayne, Ann RutherfordLong Day's Journey Into Night (1962) Sidney Lumet Katharine Hepburn, Ralph Richardson, Jason Robards, Dean StockwellLost Moment, The (1947) Martin Gabel Robert Cummings, Susan HaywardLove Happy (1949) David Miller Marx Brothers, Marilyn MonroeMagic Christian, The (1969) Joseph McGrath Peter Sellers, Ringo StarrMagic Town (1947) William Wellman James Stewart, Jane WymanMagnificent Doll (1946) Frank Borzage Ginger Rogers, David Niven, Burgess MeredithMan Alone, A (1955) Ray Milland Ray Milland, Ward Bond, Raymond Burr, Lee Van Cleef, Alan Hale Jr.Man Betrayed, A (1941) aka Wheel of Fortune John H. Auer John Wayne, Frances Dee, Ward BondMarjorie Morningstar (1958) Irving Rapper Gene Kelly, Natalie Wood, Claire TrevorMen, The (1950) Fred Zinnemann Marlon Brando, Teresa Wright, Jack WebbMiracle of the Bells, The (1948) Irvin Pichel Fred MacMurray, Frank Sinatra, Alida ValliMonster Squad, The (1987) Fred Dekker Andre Gower, Tom NoonanMr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948) Irvin Pichel William Powell, Ann BlythNew Frontier, The (1935) George Sherman John Wayne, Ray Corrigan, Raymond Hatton, Jennifer JonesNight of the Demons 2 (1994) Brian Trenchard-Smith Cristi Harris, Darin HeamesNight of the Scarecrow (1995) Jeff Burr Elizabeth Barondes, John MeseOne of Our Aircraft is Missing (1942) Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger Godfrey Tearle, Eric PortmanOne Touch of Venus (1948) William A. Seiter Robert Walker, Ava GardnerOnly the Valiant (1951) Gordon Douglas Gregory Peck, Barbara Payton, Ward Bond, Gig YoungOperation Petticoat (1959) Blake Edwards Cary Grant, Tony CurtisOregon Trail (1936) Scott Pembroke John Wayne, Ann RutherfordOther Love, The (1947) Andre De Toth Barbara Stanwyck, David Niven, Richard Conte, Gilbert RolandOutrage (1950) Ida Lupino Mala Powers, Tod AndrewsPals of the Saddle (1938) George Sherman John Wayne, Ray Corrigan, Max TerhunePawnbroker, The (1964) Sidney Lumet Rod Steiger, Geraldine FitzgeraldPenny Serenade (1941) George Stevens Cary Grant, Irene Dunne, Beulah BondiPlunder Road (1957) Hubert Cornfield Gene Raymond, Jeanne Cooper, Elisha Cook Jr.Quiet Man, The (1952) John Ford John Wayne, Maureen O'HaraRamrod (1947) Andre De Toth Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake, Don DeFore, Donald Crisp, Lloyd BridgesRed Menace, The (1949) R.G. Springsteen Robert Rockwell, Hannelore AxmanRed Pony, The (1949) Lewis Milestone Myrna Loy, Robert MitchumRetreat, Hell! (1952) Joseph H. Lewis Frank Lovejoy, Richard Carlson, Anita Louise, Russ TamblynReuben, Reuben (1983) Robert Ellis Miller Tom Conti, Kelly McGillis, Roberts BlossomRunning Man, The (1987) Paul Michael Glaser Arnold Schwarzenegger, Yaphet KottoRuthless (1948) Edgar G. Ulmer Zachary Scott, Sidney GreenstreetSands of Iwo Jima (1949) Allan Dwan John Wayne, John AgarSanta Fe Stampede (1938) George Sherman John Wayne, Ray Corrigan, Max TerhuneShack Out on 101 (1955) Edward Dein Terry Moore, Lee Marvin, Frank Lovejoy, Keenan WynnShark! (1969) Samuel Fuller Burt Reynolds, Arthur KennedyShe Devil (1957) Kurt Neumann Mari Blanchard, Jack Kelly, Albert DekkerShowdown at Boot Hill (1958) Gene Fowler Jr. Charles Bronson, Robert Hutton, John CarradineSleep My Love (1948) Douglas Sirk Claudette Colbert, Don Ameche, Robert CummingsSo This is New York (1948) Richard Fleischer Henry Morgan, Rudy Vallee, Bill GoodwinSouth of St. Louis (1949) Ray Enright Joel McCrea, Alexis Smith, Zachary Scott, Dorothy MaloneStranger on the Prowl (1952) Joseph Losey Paul Muni, Joan LorringStrangers in the Night (1944) Anthony Mann William Terry, Virginia GreySun Shines Bright, The (1953) John Ford Charles Winninger, Arleen Whelan, John RussellTam Lin (1970) aka The Devil's Widow & The Ballad of Tam Lin Roddy McDowall Ava Gardner, Ian McShane, Stephanie BeachamThat Cold Day in the Park (1969) Robert Altman Sandy Dennis, Michael BurnsThat Touch of Mink (1962) Delbert Mann Cary Grant, Doris Day, Gig YoungThat's My Man (1947) Frank Borzage Don Ameche, Catherine McLeodThree Faces West (1940) Bernard Vorhaus John Wayne, Charles CoburnTicks (1993) aka Infested Tony Randel Rosalind Allen, Ami Dolenz, Seth Green, Peter Scolari, Clint Howard, Rance HowardTrust (1990) (11/4/15) Hal Hartley Adrienne Shelly, Martin Donovan, Edie FalcoTry and Get Me (1950) aka The Sound of Fury Cy Endfield Frank Lovejoy, Kathleen Ryan, Richard Carlson, Lloyd BridgesWake of the Red Witch (1948) Edward Ludwig John Wayne, Gail RussellWar of the Wildcats (1943) aka In Old Oklahoma Albert S. Rogell John Wayne, Martha ScottWestward Ho (1935) Robert N. Bradbury John Wayne, Sheila Bromley, Frank McGlynn Jr.Witchboard 2 (1993) Kevin Tenney Ami Dolenz, Loraine NewmanWyoming Outlaw (1939) George Sherman John Wayne, Ray Corrigan, Raymond HattonYoung at Heart (1954) Gordon Douglas Doris Day, Frank Sinatra, Gig Young

 

[Professor Echo]

What, no love for Crawdaddy?????

I did thank you in post #187.

And thanks for the updated list!

 

[Eastmancolor]

I started watching this BD yesterday and I'm about half way through it, but IMO, the video presentation so far, isn't as pleasing to my eyes as the HD broadcast of it on HDnet Movie channel a month or two ago.

I recently picked up the Blu-ray to McCLINTOCK and it definitely has issues. I did an A-B comparison tonight with the Blu-ray and the HD version that is streaming on Netflix. The Netflix presentation has rich, saturated color and the image has excellent detail and looks very film-like projected onto a 10' screen. By contrast, the Blu-ray has a "noisier" picture with less detail.

Either the bit rate's too low on the Blu-ray or else they used an inferior HD master as a source. It's certainly not terrible, it's just OK, whereas the streaming and HD broadcast versions are excellent.

 

[WadeM]

Well, that's disappointing.

 

[FoxyMulder]

I recently picked up the Blu-ray to McCLINTOCK and it definitely has issues. I did an A-B comparison tonight with the Blu-ray and the HD version that is streaming on Netflix. The Netflix presentation has rich, saturated color and the image has excellent detail and looks very film-like projected onto a 10' screen. By contrast, the Blu-ray has a "noisier" picture with less detail.

Either the bit rate's too low on the Blu-ray or else they used an inferior HD master as a source. It's certainly not terrible, it's just OK, whereas the streaming and HD broadcast versions are excellent.

Unlikely to be the bitrate, lower bitrate but great master beats any high bitrate and poor master every day of the week, too often the bitrate is blamed when its usually an inferior master or the studio has decided to degrain or sharpen or both, this is Paramount right, well i trust them with catalogue titles almost as much as i trust Universal, that is to say that too often they don't give catalogue titles the high quality treatment they deserve, there are of course exceptions to this rule.

 

[John Hodson]

Torsten Kaiser is a member here; we could do with him chiming in on this...

 

[JPCinema]

Wow...I was wondering! The HD looks so much better than the Blu Ray!

 

[Mark-P]

They are two different masters. It's already been established that Olive did not license this title from Paramount, but issued it on their own. The Netflix version comes from Paramount as it contains the Paramount logo and has stereo sound.