The Blue Veil-1951-RKO who owns it ? (1 Viewer)

[FrankXS]

Jane Wyman and Joan Blondell were Oscar nominated for The Blue Veil in the early 1950's. Does any one know who owns the rights to this movie ? I don't think it has ever been available in any format. I don't know if it has been on Turner Classic or AMC. Why has a movie with two Academy Award nominations apparently disappeared ?

 

[Thomas T]

The RKO library is controlled by Warners.

 

[obscurelabel]

I'm not so sure that it is that simple. While Warner's may own this title, I know that the "The Devil and Daniel Webster" release from Criterion shows a copyright for RKO pictures (I don't have it in front of me, but I'm sure that's the case). The original film was released by RKO in 1941; the current copyright notice would indicate that the corporation must still exist in some form. I don't think that Warner's licenses their films to other distributors, so it doesn't seem like it would show up as a Criterion if Warner's did own it.

I know that a lot of the RKO library is owned by WB, I just don't know that ALL of it is. It's possible that this was an independent production released through RKO, and that the rights have reverted back to the original producers. Or that RKO sold it. Or that Warner's does own it. Or something else.

 

[rdimucci]

Thirteen years later and THE BLUE VEIL has still not been issued on any video format. Wald-Krasna Productions, and not RKO, held the original copyright to the film, but when it was renewed in 1979, the copyright claimant was listed as RKO General. So, there’s no apparent reason why it has not appeared on a Warner Archive DVD or aired on Turner Classic Movies. Wald-Krasna productions would do two more films for RKO: Fritz Lang’s CLASH BY NIGHT and Nicholas Ray’s THE LUSTY MEN (both 1952). Of the four Wald-Krasna Productions, only one, BEHAVE YOURSELF, has not had its copyright renewed by RKO. Interestingly, BEHAVE YOURSELF is also the only one that has appeared on public domain DVDs (from the likes of Alpha and Synergy Entertainment). CLASH BY NIGHT has appeared on a Warner DVD. THE LUSTY MEN finally appeared on MOD-DVD from the Warner Archive in November 2014. So there may still be hope for THE BLUE VEIL.

 

[philip*eric]

Here is a beautiful film that Warner Archive told me years ago that they working on getting released... I wish there was something fans could do to support the restoration of classic films like this that have all but vanished. Of course I buy their product but I mean something more helpful. The other film I would like to see them release is 1959's THE MIRACLE -- this is what I was told in 2012 when I asked about its "imminent" release -

."A great deal of very expensive film element work must be done in order for us to be able to remaster the film. Until that work is completed, we cannot create a new proper aspect ratio master"
"Sadly, we are stalled. We are trying to overcome technical difficulties with the film elements that are inordinate and not easily solved, complicated by the nature of the original film stock, etc. "

One has hope when a restoration like the one for RACHEL AND THE STRANGER (an RKO release like BLUE VEIL) appears. I cant wait to acquire that one!

 

[farnsbarns]

Quite an impressive cast list on this one and as recently as 2014 from an article by (the retired) Lou Lumenick @ nypost:
"Rights issues are blocking the release of this Jane Wyman weepie with Charles Laughton."
- https://nypost.com/2014/06/26/even-more-clips-70-in-fact-of-flicks-you-cant-find-on-dvd/

Thought I read somewhere it has to do with book or play publisher or author's estate. (Unless I'm confusing with some other film).

Also of note, it was screened at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art on December 21, 2007, as part of a two-week Joan Blondell retrospective.
- https://www.altfg.com/film/joan-blondell/