Seven Elvis Presley Movies Due In July....: Thanks Warner! (1 Viewer)

[Jeffrey]

At the tail end of the Warner chat last week, a quick mention was made about seven Elvis Presley films "new to DVD" arriving shortly:

From the "For Elvis CD Collector's Only" website:


Warner Brothers will release several Elvis' movies on DVDs
in July 2004. The following seven titles scheduled for July 2004 are:

It Happened At The World's Fair
Harum Scarum
Spinout
Double Trouble
Speedway
The Trouble With Girls
This Is Elvis (extended version).

Kind of a mix of so-so, above average and essential (long time fan, here). "Fair" and "Spinout" are two of Elvis most underrated musicals (the former featuring Batgirl Yvonne Craig, 2001's Gary Lockwood and a very young Kurt Russell); the rest have their moments, but pale in comparison to "Girl Happy", Tickle Me" and "Live A Little, Love A Little" (which I hope are in the pipeline down the road along with re-masters of Viva Las Vegas and Jailhouse Rock).

But the best news is that I can cross out one on my Warner double disc request list with the arrival of "This Is Elvis", one of the best rock documentaries ever and I'm so glad the extended VHS cut is being dusted off for its DVD debut.

Keep on takin' care o' business,

Jeffrey

 

[Brian W]

An anamorphic Viva Las Vegas would be a great (just happens to be my favorite). Hopefully they will get around to it sooner than later...great that they are keeping up with the Elvis catalog...

 

[PerryD]

Paramount has done a pretty good job with the quality and quantity of their Elvis releases. I agree that Viva Las Vegas and Jailhouse Rock desperately need new remasters and even special edition content, the quality of the MGM releases were poor even back in 1997/1998.

 

[Jordan_E]

It Happened at the World's Fair looks to be a purchase, for living in the Seattle area and Kurt Russell's "cameo."

 

[Ruz-El]

This might not be the place for this, but I'm excitd for the 68' Comeback Special 3 disc set and Aloha From Hawai 2 disk sets rumored for June 22! 68' comeback is probably my favorite Elvis of all time!

Can't wait for "This is Elvis" either!

 

[Lance Rumbolt]

Brian, I couldn't agree more. I wonder if this available in region 2

Lance UK

 

[Jim Spencer]

Any more info on these? Is it being reported on any websites?

 

[Jeffrey]

Have an update on the Elvis releases in July...and it's not good news for the best of those seven scheduled.

Got an e-mail from Malcolm Leo this morn (the director) who informed me that "This is Elvis" would not be coming this summer after all. When (and if) I can tell more upon finding out further details, I will let everyone know.

But hey, maybe Warners can sub "Girl Happy" in its place (are you listening WB?)

Jeffrey

 

[Carlos Garcia]

I'd love to see the "theatrical version" of THIS IS ELVIS. Yes the extended version has extra footage, as seen on the laserdisc, however, it also has removed ALL the R rated scenes of Elvis cursing and being raunchy. I really hope they release the uncensored version. I'm so sick of DVDs being edited that it's not funny anymore. Aloha From Hawaii is missing 3 songs from the concert. Couldn't they come to an agreement with the writers over those? It's sickening. And what about ELVIS ON TOUR (my personal favorite), any mention as to when that'll come out? I wonder how much they'll cut out of that one!

Carlos.

 

[Jeffrey]

Carlos,

Regarding your "Aloha" question, I do believe that the forthcoming two-disc edition will contain those three missing songs. Thanks to the great sales of the Elvis #1's and Second To None CD's, E is a hot commodity again and with this being the 50th anniversary of his first single, there's too much moolah to be made, so I think the publishers of those tunes will want to be aboard.

As far as the theatrical release of "This Is Elvis" surfacing on DVD and future formats? Forget it. EPE (Elvis Presley Enterprises) will in no way allow that footage to resurface in unaltered form.

Also, I'm confident that "Elvis On Tour" will be issued by Warners in the not too distant future...There's a ton of unreleased performances (from 4 different shows), so the potential for a SE of this is definitely there..During the next Warner chat, I'd love to pitch this to the higher up's.

Jeff

 

[Carlos Garcia]

Jeffrey, do you have anymore info on what the 2 disc "Aloha" set will contain? I mean, the concert itself was only 75 mins or so. Will it also contain the "Alternate Aloha" that was shot the day before the actual concert?

About "This Is Elvis"...Am I to understand that the theatrical version was never released, even on VHS when originally released? There are alot of uncensored Elvis DVDs and CDs out there (bootlegs). I wonder if it exists somewhere. My wife refuses to believe Elvis ever said or did any of the things I heard when I first saw this movie in the theater, and I want her to see the proof.

I currently have a DVD copy of the Elvis on Tour laserdisc. That movie is awesome! I like it much better than "Elvis: That's The Way It Is. By the way, I really hated how they butchered "That's The Way It Is" in the SPECIAL EDITION release. I would've preferred instead of recutting the old scenes, if they could have simply added the new scenes, perhaps making it a 2 disc set. Disc 1 could be the re-mastered original. Disc 2 could be the new footage. Anyway, they cut out too many classic songs from the original...My personal favorite is no longer there (I Just Can't Help Believing)!!! Like I said earlier, it's insane what DVD companies are doing tampering with originals like that!

By the way, I seriously hope GIRL HAPPY finally does come out, as it is, by far, my favorite of all the Elvis Beach movies.

Carlos.

 

[Jeffrey]

Since the "Comeback Special" and "Aloha" are due in late June, we should be hearing something official in a matter of weeks, but it's my understanding that EPE is doing everything they can to present all the songs that have been missing from past releases. Also, I hear that they might re-edit some of the footage (a 'la TTWII SE) with better angles and alternate shots, so everybody hang on to your originals.

Personally, I love the SE of TTWII. While I'm in agreement over some good performances from the original being cut, the revamp flows so much better musically. Believe me, I don't miss the girl with horn rimmed glasses talking how much her cat loves Elvis. -- Originally, there were plans to include all the songs from the 1970 disc that didn't make the grade onto the new version along with additional footage, but that got scuttled at the last minute.

Jeffrey

 

[Carlos Garcia]

I would've loved for the special edition of That's The Way It Is to have been a 2 disc set. Disc one could've had every single live performance done by Elvis during those concerts. Disc 2 could be all the rehearsals and behind the scenes footage. Maybe we'll see a future version that will give us all the missing songs not found on this special edition. While I agree with you that all the interviews with the fans had to go, I also question why some of the better songs had to go too.

Carlos.

 

[John Hodson]

From DVD Times:

"Warner Home Video have announced the Region 1 DVD release of six of the King’s popular movies -- It Happened at the World’s Fair, Double Trouble, Speedway, Spinout, Harum Scarum and The Trouble with Girls.

"Arriving on 3rd August 2004 with a retail price of $14.97 each all films are remastered in new 16x9 digital transfers, in a format preserving the “scope” aspect ratio of their original theatrical exhibition, enhanced for widescreen TVs. The DVDs also include an Elvis Presley trailer gallery."

Covers shots and details here.

---
So many films, so little time...

 

[Joe Caps]

once Warners releases these five new films, what Elvis films remain to be released on dvd?

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Here's another nod to GIRL HAPPY - one of my favorite Elvis beach films too. Hope to see it on DVD asap.

 

[Jeffrey]

>once Warners releases these five new films, what Elvis films remain to be released on dvd?

Surprisingly, not that many, Joe:



MGM/UA
Kid Galahad
Tickle Me


Warner
Kissin' Cousins
Girl Happy
Tickle Me
Stay Away, Joe
Live A Little, Love A Little
Elvis On Tour
This Is Elvis (coming next summer/2005)

 

[KenA]

Hey all. My mom's a huge E fan and her birthday is in the beginning of June. Are there any current discs that you recommend, or should I hold out for the new releases (and if so, which one should I get)?

 

[Jeffrey]

Ken,

You can't go wrong with Elvis: That's The Way It Is SE, any of the Paramount titles (King Creole, Blue Hawaii, Fun in Acapulco and Roustabout being the best looking of that lot) or the nice FOX titles (especially Love Me Tender). Although they came out at the dawn of the DVD era, MGM's transfers of Jailhouse Rock and Viva Las Vegas are more than acceptable, but that same company's Clambake leaves a bit to be desired (but at least its letterboxed).

As for the August titles, my faves are "It Happened At The World's Fair" and "Spinout" (although the others have their moments).

Hope this helps,

Jeffrey

 

[KenA]

Thanks Jeffrey. I'm going with Elvis: That's The Way It Is - SE for her birthday. If she likes it, I'll think about getting a few more for Christmas. I knew that DVD player I bought her last year would grow on her!