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Top 10 Favourite 70s films that haven't been released in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

trajan007

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THE TURNING POINT still has yet to be released. Maybe Fox is embarrassed that it failed to win even one of its 11 nominations...
Add that to the other Herbert Ross films still not on bluray----GOODBYE MR CHIPS---PENNIES FROM HEAVEN---THE GOODBYE GIRL---PLAY IT AGAIN SAM.
 

Kyrsten Brad

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Another one of my selections in the OP comes off the list, well mostly anyway but it counts even if it is a Region B release. Since it's coming from Austraila, it might yet be Region A compatible hopefully.

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979). The entire series makes its Australian Blu debut. I say mostly because while most of this package is HD, the original theatrical version might only be on a SD DVD. Odd. More info later.
 

24fpsNinja

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Another one of my selections in the OP comes off the list, well mostly anyway but it counts even if it is a Region B release. Since it's coming from Austraila, it might yet be Region A compatible hopefully.

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979). The entire series makes its Australian Blu debut. I say mostly because while most of this package is HD, the original theatrical version might only be on a SD DVD. Odd. More info later.
The original theatrical is already out on US Blu Ray so you are covered.
 

Paul Scott

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After a ( for me) lackluster 2015, this year is going to see some of my most wanted titles finally released on this format.
Jaws 2 drops in a little over three weeks, and a week later in Region B land, I Wanna Hold Your Hand is due (pushed back from 5/24). Then a month later one of my favorite comedies of all time gets the Criterion treatment- The In-Laws. And in August TT releases Hardcore- another (somewhat kitschy) title on my 70's top ten ,most wanted.
Now If TT can squeeze out Who'll Stop The Rain sometime in the last four months, I will be a seriously happy camper going into 2016.
 

clambake

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Another one of my selections in the OP comes off the list, well mostly anyway but it counts even if it is a Region B release. Since it's coming from Austraila, it might yet be Region A compatible hopefully.

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979). The entire series makes its Australian Blu debut. I say mostly because while most of this package is HD, the original theatrical version might only be on a SD DVD. Odd. More info later.
One of my favorite shows. I've been re-watching a bunch of episodes lately.
 

Dick

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Well folks, taking a cue from our friend here, Konstantinos Zacharopoulos, I decided to start this thread of my favourite (note Proper Queen's English spelling there) 1970s era films that have yet to see a Blu-ray release. Some have seen VHS, LaserDisc and DVD releases in the past, some just a VHS and even one on my list has never seen a home media release. Which is probably par for the course for the more obscure 1970s titles as anywhere from 15-20 years had passed from their theatrical release to the Dawn of the DVD era in the late 1990s.

OK here's my list as I see it (OK more than 10). I'm including titles that have not yet had a Region A (U.S.) release, though some might have seen non-USA releases. If you see one here, don't hesitate to point it out to me. I'll be updating this posting as I get more information come in.

And now without further adieu....

==============================
Aloha Bobby & Rose (1975): From Wikipedia: " In 1970s Hollywood, small-time auto mechanic Bobby (Paul Le Mat) and fast food waitress Rose (Diane Hull) meet, and fall in love. They dream of a life in Hawaii, and talk of living there in the near future. One night, Bobby’s prank of the “fake” robbery of a convenience store with a shotgun backfires: a young shopkeeper is killed in an accidental homicide. Following the accident, Bobby and Rose become fugitives, and Rose becomes worried about the future of her five-year-old son. They decide to go on the run in Bobby’s 1968 Chevrolet Camaro.


Arnold (1974): From IMDB, "Upon his death, Arnold marries his lover, Karen, in spite of his widow, and leaves deathtraps accompanied by audiotapes and his preserved and articulate corpse for those who cared only for his money."
From Brad, This is a rather obscure 1974 dark comedy with a tinge of real horror which I saw at age 14. Overshadowed big time in that time frame by that other horror classic, The Exorcist. But as a teenager, you got major cool points for going to see it.
In short the main character, Arnold, a wealthy aristocrat has passed on and has left tape-recorded messages to all his greedy-as-all-dickens relatives (and all are pompous jerks). Each greedy relative meets his/her demise in some devious "booby-trap" apparently all built by Arnold before he died. But there had to be a supernatural element as how would he know when to trigger each trap.
Of course each relative dies after he or she proudly announces (to thin air apparently) their true opinion of Arnold. Which made me think, man just keep your big mouth shut and maybe you'll get out alive.
One thing that my then 14 year old brain couldn't miss, a major requirement for most of the female cast, big breasts with dizzying cleavage.

Ben (1972): The sequel to the horror picture Willard. Saw this one at age 12.

Bermuda Triangle (1978): From IMDB; "The passengers and crew of a boat on a summer cruise in the Caribbean stray near the famed Bermuda Triangle, and mysterious things start happening."

Big Bad Mama (1974): From IMDB; "After the death of her lover, Wilma takes over his bootlegging business, but without much success. She soon meets up with bank robber Fred, who convinces her and her daughters to join him for his next big heist. In the meantime, Wilma also kidnaps the daughter of a millionaire in the hopes of getting rich off the ransom. Will Wilma and Fred be able to retire with their ill-gotten gains, or will the law eventually catch up with them?"
From Brad: One of my sentimental favorites as this Roger Corman film was a late night staple on cable in the 80s. Most striking feature, Angie Dickinson at age 40 doing her first nude scenes...and she put most Playboy centerfolds to shame.


Black Hole, The (1979): Disney's big 1979 sci-fi effort trying to cash in on the sci-fi craze spearheaded by Star Wars. Definitely Disney's "darkest" film to that date and has carved out a niche among sci-fi film fans all of whom would love a Blu. A HD version is available on Amazon Instant Video, I'll have to check it out.
Link to my HTF Write-Up on The Black Hole.


Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979): Of course the movie that spawned a two-season TV series and a sentimental favorite among many sci-fi fans. A DVD set of the entire series, including the theatrical cut of the movie is out but as of yet no blu. Hopefully though maybe we'll eventually get a non-US blu release (complete with cleanup from the original masters) similar to what was done with the original Battlestar Galactica (from the same series creator by the way, Glen Larson). Personally I'd like to see a complete remaster like was done with Star Trek TOS but make sure that the original versions come with a remaster.

California Dreaming (1977): From Wiki; "A young man named T.T. moves from Chicago to California for the summer. He quickly becomes adapted to the new pace of life, learning several lessons along the way."
From Brad: Saw this movie at the 29 Palms USMC theater in 1979. We sure did get a good look at the gorgeous Glynnis O'Connor (Ode to Billie Joe) but the real "depth" to the film came near the end when Seymour Cassel's character passed on during a beach volleyball game.

Chiorboys, The (1977)

Escape from Alcatraz (1979): Clint Eastwood in a new role for him. You could say that 1979 was Clint's year for trying new roles (i.e. Every Which Way But Loose). UPDATE, Blu is available on Amazon though rather expensive ($28) and I won't vouch for the transfer.

Eyes of Laura Mars (1977): From IMDB; "Suddenly Laura Mars can see through the eyes of a serial killer as he commits his crimes. She contacts the police and with the aid of a police detective, tries to stop the killer. But first, they have to figure out who it is.
Frrom Brad: One of my 70s mystery favorites. Star Trek fans among us might (barely) recognize actor Rene Auberjonois (Odo from Deep Space Nine)

Golden Girl (1979)

Goodbye Girl (1978): From IMDB; " After being dumped by her live-in boyfriend, an unemployed dancer and her 10-year-old daughter are reluctantly forced to live with a struggling off-Broadway actor."
From Brad: Surprising that this one has never seen a Blu release as it was very well known back in late 1977/ early 1978 and won a Oscar for Best Actor (Richard Dreyfuss). Definitely needs a Blu.

I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978): A early effort here from Back To The Future film geinuses Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. This film actually garnered a few positive reviews but was a flop at the box office. Back in early 1978 on a Sunday afternoon I took my then girlfriend Patti to see this movie. The catch though, I also had to take her younger sister Penny and her friend Denise as well. Well at least all three girls were cute as buttons.
From Wikipedia: " Four girls from Maplewood, New Jersey set off to New York City to see the Beatles' guest appearance on the Ed Sullivan television show. Rosie Petrofsky (Sperber) is in love with Paul, and wants to meet him; Grace Corrigan (Theresa Saldana), is certain that exclusive photos of The Beatles could secure her future as a photographer; Pam Mitchell (Allen), is about to get married and wants to have one last night of fun before her wedding, and Janis Goldman (Susan Kendall Newman) believes that the Beatles "undermine artistic integrity," so tags along to protest their music."

Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973): This R-rated B movie (no pun intended) was written by future Star Trek movie director Nicholas Meyer. Basically your male fantasy sexual/sci-fi movie from the early 1970s era and a late night drive in staple. But a fun movie nontheless.

Lady In Red (1979): A early post-Nancy Drew effort here (created by Roger Corman) from the lovely, and still lovely to this day Pamela Sue Martin. Pretty much a roaring 20s era gangster movie featuring Robert Conrad as John Dillinger. As with a lot of Roger Corman's work, plenty of female eye-candy (and not so female eye-candy as well in the prison inspection scene which might take the casual viewer by surprise) along with plenty of guns & action.

Malibu Beach (1979): A sentimental favorite of mine here despite it having basically no plot, no depth of character and basically no real redeeming social value, save for maybe muscle-head Dugan (Steve Oliver) finding love at the very end. Just lots of California teenagers having summer fun, need I say more. I'll say this though, Kim Lankford was really quite good in this movie considering the script they gave her. Oh and NEVER call Dugan a turd.
NOTE: a few scenes from this movie were actually lifted straight up and shown in the intro credits to the 1982 teen-party flick The Beach Girls, notably the bikini-stealing dog scenes.


Ode to Billie Joe (1976): This was a tear jerker for high school girls back in 1976. Going with my girlfriend to see it that summer, she made sure to cover my eyes when there might be some female nudity (I don't believe there was but it was close).

One & Only (1977): Taking a brief break from his greaser tough-guy roles (Happy Days, Lords of Flatbush), Henry Winkler plays a aspiring actor fresh out of college looking for his big break thru 1950s era studio wrestling.
From IMDB: :1951: Andy Schmidt is in his last year of college. Taking life easy and always a saucy joke on his lips, he manages to win fellow student Mary's heart, although she's already otherwise engaged. But getting a job after college turns out much harder than he expected. Most directors take offense at his free interpretation of his roles. Desperate, he tries in wrestling. To avoid getting beaten up he stages the fights - and incidentally invents show-wrestling."

Pretty Baby (1978) (Thanks Walter Kittel): Brooke Shields rookie role and quite a controversial one due mostly to (non-sexual) nudity on her part. That and the portrayal of her character's virginity being auctioned off. But this film was a very deep look into the New Orleans brothel scene in the early 20th century. Available on DVD but a well-produced Blu would do this film justice. Note that Brooke Shields next two movies (Wanda Nevada and The Blue Lagoon) are out on Blu, though in limited availability. Wanda Nevada is available from Germany and The Blue Lagoon is currently a Twilight Time release for as long as the supply holds up (I have all three movies, one DVD and two Blus).

Skatetown USA (1979) : Oh yes, here is my big favorite for a Blu-ray release, though none seems to be coming as of yet. Nor was there ever any home media release ever (no VHS, LD or DVD). I did bring this one up to Nick Redman over at Twilight Time since Sony currently holds the rights. However Sony can't seem to do anything with it due to music rights issues, very BIG music rights issues as this movie really had lots of late 1970s hit songs in it. It would be worth the effort though just to see Patrick Swayze in his first major feature role (and in the skating competition, he destroys all comers doing his own skating).

Here's a link to my Skatetown USA Write-Up here on HTF

Star Wars (Original Theatrical Cut, 1977): There seems to be a lot of demand in the classic film fandom for the original Star Wars. I'm rather partial to the updated versions myself but would love to have the original on blu as well for comparison purposes. That and a well-transferred blu might show how some of those 70s era special effects were done. Could be a possibility in the not too distant future when Disney releases the next Star Wars movie.


Thank God Its Friday (1978): OK so Saturday Night Fever was the defining disco-themed film from the late 1970s era but in my opinion Thank God Its Friday gave us a better picture of the fun side of disco. Not nearly as emotionally deep as Saturday Night Fever but you left feeling like you had more fun. Plenty of disco hits, hilarious hi-jinks and sub-plots and a big "everybody in the world must be going to this" disco dance contest. Also some early appearances by Jeff Goldblum, Debra Winger and singer Terri Nunn (Berlin).

Write up on Thank God Its Friday on HTF
Sorry -- mine was a new reply to a very old post.
 

Ethan Riley

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There's one Disney movie nobody ever really talks about: Freaky Friday, the original one with Jodie Foster. I don't know if that's available from Disney's club; I haven't seen it in years. I remember it being a big deal when it came out.
 

Kyrsten Brad

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I Wanna Hold Your Hand is due (pushed back from 5/24). Then a month later one of my favorite
Brad here? R U serious? I've been praying for this title, even if it is Region B. Anyway who is releasing it and where can I purchase it?
I was convinced that this would never get released due to major music rights issues (and The Beatles are as major-league as they come for music rights). I wonder if Paul and Ringo are big fans of Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis films?
 
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TravisR

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I was convinced that this would never get released due to major music rights issues (and The Beatles are as major-league as they come for music rights). I wonder if Paul and Ringo are big fans of Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis films?
Music probably isn't an issue for I Wanna Hold Your Hand because Universal must have paid for the music rights in perpetuity when the movie was made or it wouldn't have been released on DVD or even VHS.
 

TheSteig

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[*]Tales from the Crypt - USA release

[*]Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla
[*]Terror of Mechagodzilla
[*]Warlords of Atlantis
[*]Land That Time Forgot

[*]Phantasm
[*]What Have You Done to Solange ?
[*]Time After Time
[*]I,Monster
[*]The Creeping Flesh
[/list]
I love Dawn of the Dead but since Arrow released a great blu ray of it Im in no hurry for a USA version. I love the 70s ! :)

WOW, since Ive posted this, only three of the movies have gotten a bluray , with Phantasm heavily rumored. Warlords of Atlantis and Creeping Flesh hae no HD masters the last time I checked
Im hearing rumblings about the Showa Godzilla series..which includes the two I want in HD still
my new top 10 from the 1970s
1)Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla
2)Terror of Mechagodzilla
3)Warlords of Atlantis
4)Time After Time
5)I,Monster
6)The Creeping Flesh
7)Day of the Jackal
8)Equinox (both versions)
9)Planet of Dinosaurs
10)Legend of the Werewolf
 

Konstantinos

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Death in Venice (1971)
The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (1971)
- the TV pilot of the Waltons
Cinderella Liberty (1973)
Images (1973)
The Island at the top of the World (1974)

The Sugarland Express (1974)
Star Wars (original theatrical) (1977)
Escape to Witch Mountain (1975)/Return from Witch Mountain (1978)
The Black Hole (1979)

Since my original list 2 years ago, 3 have been released too (although I haven't yet purchased the WItch Mountains).
I'll add in their place:

The Paper Chase (1973)
21 Hours at Munich (1976)
(TV movie)
Islands in the Stream (1977)
 

Kyrsten Brad

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Music probably isn't an issue for I Wanna Hold Your Hand because Universal must have paid for the music rights in perpetuity when the movie was made or it wouldn't have been released on DVD or even VHS.
Perhaps. However in 1978 home video was very much in it's infancy if it even had gotten started. I didn't see my first home VCR (or VTR as they were also known) until 1980 and didn't own one till 1984. Therefore I can't be certain that Universal had thought music rights for possible home video release through ( unless Universal comes out and states it had) for this film.
But I could be a little off base there too.
 

Winston T. Boogie

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North Dallas Forty.jpg


northdallasforty2.jpg
 
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TravisR

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Perhaps. However in 1978 home video was very much in it's infancy if it even had gotten started. I didn't see my first home VCR (or VTR as they were also known) until 1980 and didn't own one till 1984. Therefore I can't be certain that Universal had thought music rights for possible home video release through ( unless Universal comes out and states it had) for this film.
But I could be a little off base there too.
The music was integral to the plot of the movie (rather than just something playing on a radio, etc.) so they were smart enough to buy the rights in perpetuity. Like I said, there's no way that they would have been able to pay for the rights for 15 or 20 Beatles songs for the DVD release if they didn't already have the music rights.
 

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