Sony's Mike Schlesinger talks; Boetticher/Scott, Toho, Hammer, Peter Lorre, more... (1 Viewer)

[Steve...O]

If Sony put out the Boston Blackie films (which are superior to the Lone Wolf films in my opinion) and also released the even better Whistler (Richard Dix) & Crime Doctor (Warner Baxter) films they'd be top of the heap in my book for retail classic film releases in 2009/2010.

The prints aired on TCM were quite decent and certainly much better than some of the garbage that has circulated amongst collectors in the past. With Fox and Warners taking a break from retail classic film releases Sony has an opportunity here to sell some highly anticipated and much desired box sets. Double features would work and the original poster art is quite good for these films.

 

[JeffT.]

Well if it comes to first choice then it's certainly the BOSTON BLACKIE film series for me!

Chester Morris is just fantastic in this role and I also hugely enjoy Richard Lane as the obtusely singleminded Police Inspector Farraday who is forever trying to pin the latest criminal outrage on the smoothly unflappable Boston Blackie. Together these two fine acting talents really played off one another beautifully and made an excellent screen team.

There are actually 14 delightful treasures in this splendid crime-mystery B-film doublebill programmer film series which would probably require two volume set releases likely translating into one set of 7 films a year.

01) MEET BOSTON BLACKIE (1941)
02) CONFESSIONS OF BOSTON BLACKIE (1941)
03) ALIAS BOSTON BLACKIE (1942)
04) BOSTON BLACKIE GOES HOLLYWOOD (1942)
05) AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH BOSTON BLACKIE (1943)
06) THE CHANCE OF A LIFETIME (1943)
07) ONE MYSTERIOUS NIGHT (1943)
08) BOSTON BLACKIE BOOKED ON SUSPICION (1945)
09) BOSTON BLACKIE'S RENDEZVOUS (1945)
10) A CLOSE CALL FOR BOSTON BLACKIE (1946)
11) THE PHANTOM THIEF (1946)
12) BOSTON BLACKIE AND THE LAW (1947)
13) TRAPPED BY BOSTON BLACKIE (1948)
14) BOSTON BLACKIE'S CHINESE ADVENTURE (1949)

Frankly I think that BOSTON BLACKIE would play much better in retail sales with today's DVD consumer than all the others recently mentioned albeit I am very partial to the Gerald Mohr THE LONE WOLF films and I wish this charismatic actor could have done more of them.

Come on Sony bring on the BOSTON BLACKIE film series on DVD in 2009!

Jeff T.

 

[JeffT.]

Well if it comes to first choice then it's certainly the BOSTON BLACKIE film series for me!

Chester Morris is just fantastic in this role and I also hugely enjoy Richard Lane as the obtusely singleminded Police Inspector Farraday who is forever trying to pin the latest criminal outrage on the smoothly unflappable Boston Blackie. Together these two fine acting talents really played off one another beautifully and made an excellent screen team.

There are actually 14 delightful treasures in this splendid crime-mystery B-film doublebill programmer film series which would probably require two volume set releases likely translating into one set of 7 films a year.

01) MEET BOSTON BLACKIE (1941)
02) CONFESSIONS OF BOSTON BLACKIE (1941)
03) ALIAS BOSTON BLACKIE (1942)
04) BOSTON BLACKIE GOES HOLLYWOOD (1942)
05) AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH BOSTON BLACKIE (1943)
06) THE CHANCE OF A LIFETIME (1943)
07) ONE MYSTERIOUS NIGHT (1943)
08) BOSTON BLACKIE BOOKED ON SUSPICION (1945)
09) BOSTON BLACKIE'S RENDEZVOUS (1945)
10) A CLOSE CALL FOR BOSTON BLACKIE (1946)
11) THE PHANTOM THIEF (1946)
12) BOSTON BLACKIE AND THE LAW (1947)
13) TRAPPED BY BOSTON BLACKIE (1948)
14) BOSTON BLACKIE'S CHINESE ADVENTURE (1949)

Frankly I think that BOSTON BLACKIE would play much better in retail sales with today's DVD consumer than all the others recently mentioned albeit I am very partial to the Gerald Mohr THE LONE WOLF films and I wish this charismatic actor could have done more of them.

Come on Sony bring on the BOSTON BLACKIE film series on DVD in 2009!

Jeff T.

 

[Colin McGuigan]

It's been said elsewhere, IIRC, that if Sony do release any of these series detective sets The Lone Wolf films are first in line.

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

Hear! Hear!

 

[Marcel H.]

Over at Criterionforum.org they compiled a list of Sony catalog titles that were already announced or that can be found through Amazon and DeepDiscount. Don't know whether these days are fix or just placeholder until they are officially announced:

06/09/2009 - The Jack Lemmon Film Collection
06/16/2009 - The Three Stooges Collection, Vol. 6
06/16/2009 - The Strange One
07/14/2009 - Film Noir Classics: The Collector's Choice
08/18/2009 - Toho Collection: Icons of Sci-Fi (Mothra, The H-Man, Battle in Outer Space)
08/18/2009 - Husbands
09/15/2009 - The New Hollywood Box Set
09/29/2009 - The Sam Fuller Film Collection (The Crimson Kimono, Underworld USA and Scandal Sheet) - seems to have a SRP of 80 bucks - may be more titles are included
10/20/2009 - Night Of The Creeps
10/20/2009 - The William Castle Film Collection
11/03/2009 - The Film Noir Collection V.01
11/03/2009 - The Film Noir Collection V.02
11/03/2009 - The Rita Hayworth Film Collection
11/10/2009 - A Study in Terror

 

[Eric Peterson]

If that schedule is accurate, I'm a happer camper.

It's amazing to think that Sony could win studio of the year this year. They've been a bottom dweller for years!!

Keep it up!!

 

[Charles H]

Does Sony own Samuel Fuller's VERBOTEN? And Rita Hayworth is pretty well represented on DVD except for TONIGHT AND EVERY NIGHT (My favorite Hayworth), MISS SADIE THOMPSON, and maybe THE LADY IN QUESTION. Does anyone have any idea what the Hayworth Collection will contain?

 

[RafaelPires]

Charles, do not forget Salome.

 

[ahollis]

I read that Salome and Tonight and Every Night would be included in the announced Rita hayworth collection. Only one of those would be worth the price of the set, but both together for the first time is a dream.

It is those Film Noir Volumes that now have my mouth watering. I can not wait to see what is included. Also I hope the William Castle Collection will have Zotz! and The Old Dark House included along with re-mastering of his Ballyhoo films.

 

[walter o]

Well Sony controls LADY IN QUESTION, SALOME, and those two havent been on DVD yet, so those might be in the set.

 

[Jim_K]

Whoa! Nice lineup. Brings back memories of the grand old days back when Warner would release movies like these on pressed discs.

Several must owns for me in there such as the Toho set, the Fuller Collection, ALL the Film Noir collections and A Study in Terror. Interested in finding out what titles will be in the Lemmon, Hayworth and Castle collections.

 

[Richard M S]

Wow, that list did not even mention the Screwball Comedy sets!

 

[Colin McGuigan]

The titles fot the Jack Lemmon set have already been announced here.

 

[Skweeker]

I'll second ahollis on hopes for Zotz! and the remake of The Old Dark House to be released : I have not seen either in decades, but I loved them when I did see them.
On the other hand, my tastes have changed: so it would be nice to see how accurately I remember the flicks, and if I'll laugh as much now as I did back then.

 

[Jim_K]

Thanks, I must have missed that announcement.

 

[Marcel H.]

I have no idea how accurate MoviesUnlimited is but they have the titles for:

The Film Noir Collection Vol. 2 - I posted this in the Film Noir thread.

The Rita Hayworth Collection:


- Homicidal (1961)
- Mr. Sardonicus (1961)
- Zotz! (1962)
- The Old Dark House (1963)
- The Tingler (1959)
- 13 Ghosts (1960)
- 13 Frightened Girls! (1963)
- Strait-Jacket (1964)

Again, no guarantee, whether the listings are correct. No word on the Film Noir: Collector's Choice Set and the Sam Fuller Collection.

 

[Simon Howson]

Is it possible that Film Noir: The Collector's Choice IS the Volume 1 Film Noir set?

Two 5 disc Noir sets on the same day would be astonishing.

 

[borisfw]

I just wish they wouldn't put so many titles that have already been released in the sets. I have more than half the Castle set. That's going to be a tough buy. I want the set,but to rebuy 4-5 movies just to get three new titles kinda sucks.I hope the titles are wrong.

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

Could possibly be a pairing of Vol. 1 and 2 in a "collector package"?


(Are the above titles all speculative btw?)