Warner Bros Archive Wish List 2022 and Beyond!! (1 Viewer)

[Alan Tully]

I sound like a broken record, but start scanning some large format materials for 4k!

Didn't the Warner facility acquire a 65mm gate/scanner a short while back (I think I read it here), anyway, I'll look forward to some stunning transfers.

 

[Capt D McMars]

Couldn't resist adding a few more names. Three performers who were prominent at Warners in the pre-code era, then moved on to other studios and/or freelancing.

DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS JR.
Love is a Racket(1932)
Union Depot(1932)

WARREN WILLIAM
Goodbye Again(1933)

LORETTA YOUNG
She Had to Say Yes(1933)

Didn't give a separate listing to Warners' irreplaceable pre-code queen Joan Blondell. But she's memorably present and percolating in many of the films I've mentioned in conjunction with Cagney, Dick Powell, Warren William and Fairbanks Jr.

One of the Douglas Fairbanks Jr titiles I want to see fully restored is "Sinbad the Sailor" in all of it's 3 strip Technicolor Glory!!!

 

[uncledougie]

Watched the Warner DVD last night and this is in dire need of remastering for both audio and video. It wasn’t particularly well received in 1969, and it’s somewhat dated now, but it has a marvelous supporting cast (Edith Evans, Margaret Leighton, Yul Brynner, Charles Boyer, Paul Henreid, and Danny Kaye), lovely music by Michael J. Lewis, and if the direction by Bryan Forbes is a bit heavy handed for the whimsical satire, the ensemble is still a pleasure to watch. Hepburn of course is a marvel.

 

[Matt Hough]

View attachment 181746
Watched the Warner DVD last night and this is in dire need of remastering for both audio and video. It wasn’t particularly well received in 1969, and it’s somewhat dated now, but it has a marvelous supporting cast (Edith Evans, Margaret Leighton, Yul Brynner, Charles Boyer, Paul Henreid, and Danny Kaye), lovely music by Michael J. Lewis, and if the direction by Bryan Forbes is a bit heavy handed for the whimsical satire, the ensemble is still a pleasure to watch. Hepburn of course is a marvel.

I think it's interesting that this film and Jerry Herman's musical version of it Dear World both flopped around the same time. The stage musical only ran about five months. Obviously, audiences weren't in the mood for whimsy in that era.

 

[Beckford]

I think it's interesting that this film and Jerry Herman's musical version of it Dear World both flopped around the same time. The stage musical only ran about five months. Obviously, audiences weren't in the mood for whimsy in that era.

I saw the Hepburn movie when it came out and I remember it as a souffle that resolutely refused to rise.
A real clunker.
I never saw "Dear World" on stage. But the cast album is one of my two or three all-time favorites. A terrific Jerry Herman score with Angela Lansbury the gleaming center of a fine cast. I still play it regularly.
In the early 70's I attended a Broadway performance of Sondheim's "Follies" (and loved it). During the intermission I struck up a conversation with the elderly lady sitting next to me. I think she said she was the widow of a Broadway producer - with some sort of lifetime pass to see whatever shows took her fancy. She loved musicals and had caught most of the biggies. I brought up the subject of "Dear World" and she grimaced. According to her, one of the worst shows she'd ever seen. So in spite of that wonderful score and Lansbury's star power, this seems to be a property that simply defies all efforts to achieve mainstream success.
But - oh what an album!

 

[mskaye]

I think it's interesting that this film and Jerry Herman's musical version of it Dear World both flopped around the same time. The stage musical only ran about five months. Obviously, audiences weren't in the mood for whimsy in that era.

Ah, 1969 and the epic tag team battle for the future of American cinema.
Paint Your Wagon and Hello Dolly! vs. Easy Rider and Midnight Cowboy.
We know which team won. And it was no contest.

 

[Capt D McMars]

I just caught a link to what MoMA has lined up for March screenings, with a wonderful collection of some of Flynn's best films. With WAC hopefully releasing "Captain Blood" in the near future, these other titles are screaming out for BD releases, as some already have, Good Going Mr F!!!!

I'm sure that you'll agree that some of the lineup here would be on many of our wishlists, like "Gentleman Jim"and "The Charge of the Light Brigade". One title I see missing is another of my favorite Flynn adventures, "They Died With thier Boots On" more movie than history, but after all, you want history, get a book!!!

Modern Matinees: Errol Flynn | MoMA

Film series. Mar 1–May 3, 2023. The errant son of a Tasmainian biologist, Errol Flynn met his fate when he was cast as Fletcher Christian in Charles Chauvel’s early Australian talkie, In the Wake of the Bounty (1933), and his good looks and boyish charm propelled him to the London stage and...

www.moma.org

 

[uncledougie]

I saw the Hepburn movie when it came out and I remember it as a souffle that resolutely refused to rise.
A real clunker.
I never saw "Dear World" on stage. But the cast album is one of my two or three all-time favorites. A terrific Jerry Herman score with Angela Lansbury the gleaming center of a fine cast. I still play it regularly.
In the early 70's I attended a Broadway performance of Sondheim's "Follies" (and loved it). During the intermission I struck up a conversation with the elderly lady sitting next to me. I think she said she was the widow of a Broadway producer - with some sort of lifetime pass to see whatever shows took her fancy. She loved musicals and had caught most of the biggies. I brought up the subject of "Dear World" and she grimaced. According to her, one of the worst shows she'd ever seen. So in spite of that wonderful score and Lansbury's star power, this seems to be a property that simply defies all efforts to achieve mainstream success.
But - oh what an album!

There was an Encores! production at the New York City Center in March this year starring Donna Murphy which got quite positive notices this time around from The NY Times and elsewhere. So perhaps the musical is overdue for a reevaluation and finally receiving an appreciation in today’s fraught atmosphere, where the eccentric but good hearted characters thwart the venal and greedy antagonists, and is more poignant, timely and refreshing than when first presented. The film begins with the quote “This is a story of the triumph of good over evil. Obviously it is a fantasy.”

 

[JamesSmith]

Any rumors of unreleased Hanna Barbara sets yet?
--jthree

 

[Matt Hough]

I saw the Hepburn movie when it came out and I remember it as a souffle that resolutely refused to rise.
A real clunker.
I never saw "Dear World" on stage. But the cast album is one of my two or three all-time favorites. A terrific Jerry Herman score with Angela Lansbury the gleaming center of a fine cast. I still play it regularly.
In the early 70's I attended a Broadway performance of Sondheim's "Follies" (and loved it). During the intermission I struck up a conversation with the elderly lady sitting next to me. I think she said she was the widow of a Broadway producer - with some sort of lifetime pass to see whatever shows took her fancy. She loved musicals and had caught most of the biggies. I brought up the subject of "Dear World" and she grimaced. According to her, one of the worst shows she'd ever seen. So in spite of that wonderful score and Lansbury's star power, this seems to be a property that simply defies all efforts to achieve mainstream success.
But - oh what an album!

Angela said in a Vevo interview that she considered Dear World her best vocal work on all of her recordings. I think it's a terrific cast album, too.

 

[Alan Tully]

I know I've mentioned this before, but it would be a shame if Warner missed the 80th anniversary of some great 1943 war movies:

Air Force
Bataan
Destination Tokyo
Action in the north Atlantic.

 

[RichMurphy]

There was an Encores! production at the New York City Center in March this year starring Donna Murphy which got quite positive notices this time around from The NY Times and elsewhere. So perhaps the musical is overdue for a reevaluation and finally receiving an appreciation in today’s fraught atmosphere, where the eccentric but good hearted characters thwart the venal and greedy antagonists, and is more poignant, timely and refreshing than when first presented. The film begins with the quote “This is a story of the triumph of good over evil. Obviously it is a fantasy.”

I saw the Encores! production, and while the Jerry Herman score was lovely, and Donna Murphy and Ann Harada (one of the other madwomen) can do no wrong, the audience had to indulge the show its naivete. We Encores! audiences are good at that, since there are often good reasons why many of the shows they unearth are rarely if ever revived.

 

[Beckford]

MGM was famous for lots of things - more stars than there are in the heavens (Gable, Garbo, Tracy etc etc etc.), spectacles like "Ben-Hur" and "Quo Vadis" and so many other things from Andy Hardy to "Gone with the Wind". But much of MGM's continued allure comes from its unparalleled catalogue of movie musicals. When the genre was at it peak, Metro was at the forefront. And many of the MGM musicals that were once merely popular audience pleasers have endured as genuine classic entertainments.
So far Warner Archive and Warner Home Video have brought over forty of these treasures to Blu-ray. But - like most MGM musical fans - I'm always ready for more.
Here's a list of the titles I think we're most likely to see in the next couple of years.

THREE LITTLE WORDS(1950)
Mr Feltenstein has already said this Fred Astaire gem's in the works
HIGH SOCIETY(1956)
Crosby, Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Cole Porter & Princess Grace: a perennial request item
THE GREAT ZIEGFELD(1936)
an important piece of MGM history and a Best Picture Oscar winner
PENNIES FROM HEAVEN(1981)
a lovely connoisseur's item with Steve Martin & Bernadette Peters; this appears on a lot of wish lists
THE BARKLEYS OF BROADWAY(1949)
Astaire & Rogers reunion in color
ROYAL WEDDING(1951)
this is the one where Fred dances on the ceiling - and Jane Powell's presence is always a plus
CABIN IN THE SKY(1943)
historically notable; great showcase for Ethel Waters and Lena Horne and an early landmark in Vincente
Minnelli's career
DANGEROUS WHEN WET(1953)
Esther Williams' best; this is the one where she swims with Tom & Jerry. And Mr. F did say there's more Technicolor Esther on the way
THE BROADWAY MELODY(1929)
historically important as the very first MGM musical and another Oscar winner for Best Picture
LILI(1953)
a much loved cult item with Leslie Caron and the hit song "Hi-Lili-Hi-Lo"
HALLELUJAH(1929)
historically significant and still riveting - with King Vidor directing an all black cast
WORDS AND MUSIC(1948)
a Rodgers & Hart biopic - so naturally the songs are splendid. And the cast includes a host of prime MGM stars including Judy, Gene and Mickey Rooney
A DATE WITH JUDY(1948)
a big one for Jane Powell in its day containing one of her signature hits "It's a Most Unusual Day"; with Elizabeth Taylor and Carmen Miranda on hand for added golden age star power

Aside from these head of the queue titles there are plenty of others in with a decent shot at Blu;
(A) anything that stars Judy (Babes in Arms, Little Nellie Kelly, Babes on Broadway, Presenting Lily Mars)
(B) Dancing Lady(1933) Crawford-Gable megahit with guest appearances from Fred Astaire & Nelson Eddy
(C) more all-star jamborees (Thousands Cheer, Till the Clouds Roll By) Judy's in both
(D) cult items (Yolanda & the Thief, Summer Holiday, Invitation to the Dance)
(E) The Merry Widow(1934) Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald responding to the Lubitsch touch
(F) Bathing Beauty(1944) the Technicolor eye-popper that made Esther Williams a star
(G) The Great Waltz(1938) a much loved classic in 3/4 time

I can think of so many other less likely items I'd love to see make the leap to Blu-ray (the Macdonald/Eddy films, The Kissing Bandit, The Belle of New York, Jupiter's Darling, Marge & Gower's starring vehicles, the 1952 Merry Widow, Two Weeks with Love, Excuse My Dust, lots more). But whatever MGM musicals Warner Archive chooses to give us, they'll all be welcome.

 

[Matt Hough]

MGM was famous for lots of things - more stars than there are in the heavens (Gable, Garbo, Tracy etc etc etc.), spectacles like "Ben-Hur" and "Quo Vadis" and so many other things from Andy Hardy to "Gone with the Wind". But much of MGM's continued allure comes from its unparalleled catalogue of movie musicals. When the genre was at it peak, Metro was at the forefront. And many of the MGM musicals that were once merely popular audience pleasers have endured as genuine classic entertainments.
So far Warner Archive and Warner Home Video have brought over forty of these treasures to Blu-ray. But - like most MGM musical fans - I'm always ready for more.
Here's a list of the titles I think we're most likely to see in the next couple of years.

THREE LITTLE WORDS(1950)
Mr Feltenstein has already said this Fred Astaire gem's in the works
HIGH SOCIETY(1956)
Crosby, Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Cole Porter & Princess Grace: a perennial request item
THE GREAT ZIEGFELD(1936)
an important piece of MGM history and a Best Picture Oscar winner
PENNIES FROM HEAVEN(1981)
a lovely connoisseur's item with Steve Martin & Bernadette Peters; this appears on a lot of wish lists
THE BARKLEYS OF BROADWAY(1949)
Astaire & Rogers reunion in color
ROYAL WEDDING(1951)
this is the one where Fred dances on the ceiling - and Jane Powell's presence is always a plus
CABIN IN THE SKY(1943)
historically notable; great showcase for Ethel Waters and Lena Horne and an early landmark in Vincente
Minnelli's career
DANGEROUS WHEN WET(1953)
Esther Williams' best; this is the one where she swims with Tom & Jerry. And Mr. F did say there's more Technicolor Esther on the way
THE BROADWAY MELODY(1929)
historically important as the very first MGM musical and another Oscar winner for Best Picture
LILI(1953)
a much loved cult item with Leslie Caron and the hit song "Hi-Lili-Hi-Lo"
HALLELUJAH(1929)
historically significant and still riveting - with King Vidor directing an all black cast
WORDS AND MUSIC(1948)
a Rodgers & Hart biopic - so naturally the songs are splendid. And the cast includes a host of prime MGM stars including Judy, Gene and Mickey Rooney
A DATE WITH JUDY(1948)
a big one for Jane Powell in its day containing one of her signature hits "It's a Most Unusual Day"; with Elizabeth Taylor and Carmen Miranda on hand for added golden age star power

Aside from these head of the queue titles there are plenty of others in with a decent shot at Blu;
(A) anything that stars Judy (Babes in Arms, Little Nellie Kelly, Babes on Broadway, Presenting Lily Mars)
(B) Dancing Lady(1933) Crawford-Gable megahit with guest appearances from Fred Astaire & Nelson Eddy
(C) more all-star jamborees (Thousands Cheer, Till the Clouds Roll By) Judy's in both
(D) cult items (Yolanda & the Thief, Summer Holiday, Invitation to the Dance)
(E) The Merry Widow(1934) Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald responding to the Lubitsch touch
(F) Bathing Beauty(1944) the Technicolor eye-popper that made Esther Williams a star
(G) The Great Waltz(1938) a much loved classic in 3/4 time

I can think of so many other less likely items I'd love to see make the leap to Blu-ray (the Macdonald/Eddy films, The Kissing Bandit, The Belle of New York, Jupiter's Darling, Marge & Gower's starring vehicles, the 1952 Merry Widow, Two Weeks with Love, Excuse My Dust, lots more). But whatever MGM musicals Warner Archive chooses to give us, they'll all be welcome.

In a word (or, actually, four words): I want them all!

 

[benbess]

I've never seen this one, but as a fan of Greer Garson and Gregory Peck I'm curious enough to buy it blind—if it ever comes out on blu-ray, that is.

 

[benbess]

 

[Matt Hough]

View attachment 182155

I just watched my iTunes streaming HD version a few nights ago (DVD went bad a couple of years ago). Needs work to merit a Warner Archive Blu-ray, but I'd like to see it in pristine condition. John Huston's second directorial effort.

 

[Keith Cobby]

More Bob Mitchum:
The Big Steal (1949) - with Jane Greer (whom I adore, not least because she took the part when no other actress would). Inexplicably, this will no longer play on my DVD but Illegal will!
His Kind of Woman (1951) - with Jane Russell
Macao (1952) - with Jane Russell
The Sundowners (1960) - with Deborah Kerr

 

[80s-forever]

It would be nice to have The Pirates of Dark Water series on blu-ray, with the original broadcast version of the mini series as an extra!!

 

[Beckford]

The initials RKO certainly conjure up memories of what many consider Hollywood’s Golden Age. The company was the only big studio from that era to spring up after the talkie revolution had taken hold. Paramount, Fox, Warner Brothers, Universal, MGM and Columbia were all in business during the silent era. RKO didn’t materialize till 1929. The R stood for Radio Corporation of America (RCA), an organization eager to showcase its state of the art sound technology in the film arena. The K and the O referred to the Keith-Orpheum theater circuits, which RCA had recently – and very strategically – acquired. Within a few years RKO was successfully trading punches with the big boys.

The 30’s saw “King Kong” and the Astaire-Rogers musicals make box-office history. And Katharine Hepburn, an RKO discovery, won the first of her four Oscars in one of their films. Beginning in the 40’s, the studio gave us Orson Welles masterpieces, Val Lewton horror classics, stirring John Ford westerns and a cornucopia of film-noir treasures. RKO also served as distributor for Disney and Goldwyn films for many years. When capricious tycoon Howard Hughes bought the studio, he ruled it according to his own ever-changing whims, eventually bringing the organization from comparative stability to spiraling chaos. By 1957 film production had ceased. And in ’59 the company officially ceased operation.

There’s no doubt, however, that RKO left behind a legacy that continues to glow vividly in the dark. Warner Brothers now controls RKO’s film library. And – largely through Warner Archive – has given us top-grade Blu-rays of many of the studio’s titles. Just this month we were treated to Fritz Lang’s “Clash By Night”, a sizzler of a drama with Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Ryan, Paul Douglas and Marilyn Monroe all vying for attention. Talk about classic catnip.

Here’s a chronological list of some RKO titles I’d love to see on Blu someday. Maybe we’ll get ‘em, maybe we won’t. But Warner Archive has brought us some wonderful surprises in the past. So anything’s possible.

FLYING DOWN TO RIO(1933)
Dolores del Rio’s top-billed but Astaire & Rogers dance away with the picture

ALICE ADAMS(1935)
George Stevens directs Katharine Hepburn and Fred MacMurray and it’s all pretty perfect

POWDERSMOKE RANGE(1935)
As far as old-timey western stars are concerned, this is a summit meeting – Harry Carey, Bob Steele, Hoot Gibson, Wally Wales & Tom Tyler

SYLVIA SCARLETT(1935)
George Cukor’s evocative piece about traveling performers plays with – among other things - hints of gender fluidity: Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Brian Aherne and Edmund Gwenn are all superb.

TOP HAT(1935)
A jewel (some say the crown jewel) in the Astaire-Rogers treasure chest

FOLLOW THE FLEET(1936)
Another Astaire-Rogers classic. And – as in “Top Hat” - it lets the peerless pair do their thing to a sublime Irving Berlin score.

FLIGHT FROM GLORY(1937)
A kind of lower-budgeted precursor to Howard Hawks' "Only Angels Have Wings". But thoroughly excellent in its own right. This one also involves down on their luck fliers forced to carry cargos through the Andes in rickety planes. Directed by Lew Landers, a man who more than once spun gold out of straw in B movie circumstances (Bad Lands{1939}, "The Return of the Vampire"{1943}, "Inner Sanctum"{1948}). "Flight from Glory"'s one of the best programmers RKO ever released. The whole cast - Chester Morris, Whitney Bourne, Van Heflin, Onslow Stevens - perform with distinction. But it's Douglas Walton's turn as a gently fatalistic young pilot that perhaps lingers most indelibly.

SHE’S GOT EVERYTHING(1937)
A terrific – and not widely seen – comedy romance with Ann Sothern, Gene Raymond and a couple of marvelous (now largely forgotten) comics Solly Ward and Parkyakarkas. WAC gave us a DVD a few years back but the whole thing would gleam even brighter on Blu.

BORDER G-MAN(1938)
One of several sharply crafted B-western collaborations between affably charismatic George O’Brien and director David Howard. Leading lady is Laraine Johnson before she became Laraine Day.

THE MARSHAL OF MESA CITY(1939)
What I consider to be the best of the George O’Brien/David Howard westerns. With impressive support from Henry Brandon and Leon Ames.

MY FAVORITE WIFE(1940)
Another perfect picture. One of the great comedies. Irene Dunne, Cary Grant and Randolph Scott all respond beautifully to Garson Kanin’s expert direction. The story was set to be remade with Marilyn Monroe and Dean Martin in ’62 as “Something’s Got to Give”. But when she died during production the project morphed into “Move Over Darling” with Doris Day and James Garner. And – like “My Favorite Wife” – it was a big box-office hit.

STRANGER ON THE FIRST FLOOR(1940)
Often regarded as the first actual film noir, this is a moody, beautiful looking piece that stays with you long after seeing it. Peter Lorre’s top-billed but the actual star is John McGuire, one of those appealing Golden Age players that should have had a much bigger career. A shame that this was screenwriter Boris Ingster’s only directorial effort. He had something special.

SUNNY(1941)
RKO brought British star Anna Neagle to America in the late 30’s and she stayed for several pictures.
This – a film version of an old Jerome Kern stage musical - is a favorite of mine. As a singer Neagle’s an acquired taste. But as a dancer and all-round charmer she’s a dream. It’s a shame RKO didn’t team her with Astaire for at least one picture.

THE SEVENTH VICTIM(1943)
Hard to say which is the greatest of the Val Lewton films. But this one’s definitely a contender. A film so subversively unique, one can never quite believe it actually got made.

YELLOW CANARY(1943)
A tensely absorbing World War 2 spy story set largely in Canada but (except for some interpolated shots of the Halifax, Nova Scotia area) filmed in Britain. Stars of the project were Anna Neagle (who’d by then returned to the UK) and another fine performer with recent Hollywood history, Richard Greene.

ZOMBIES OVER BROADWAY(1945)
One of my favorite RKO’s – a horror comedy that neatly anticipates Universal’s later “Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein”. The comics here are Alan Carney and Wally Brown. Not A&C but pretty good in their own right. And Bela Lugosi’s memorably iconic as their imperious mad scientist nemesis.

MYSTERY IN MEXICO(1948)
One of the Robert Wise pictures that never gets talked about. A witty semi-noir filmed on location south of the border. Breezy William Lundigan and the effortlessly elegant Jacqueline White are perfect as the leads.

TARZAN AND THE MERMAIDS(1948)
My favorite of the RKO Tarzans. The last one to star Johnny Weissmuller, it’s lushly filmed in Mexico. And I don’t think any of the MGM Tarzans are as dreamily beautiful looking as this one. With Brenda Joyce and Linda Christian to allure and baleful George Zucco to alarm.

WHERE DANGER LIVES(1950)
Near-perfect noir (though I’d probably tweak the ending a bit). But fascinating Faith Domergue never had a better showcase. With Robert Mitchum and Claude Rains as moths to her flame.

BACK FROM ETERNITY(1956)
My favorite picture of 1956. John Farrow’s remake of his 1939 film “Five Came Back”. And an upgrade on all levels. A cast of essential 50’s faces includes Robert Ryan, Anita Ekberg, Rod Steiger, Phyllis Kirk, Gene Barry, Keith Andes, Jesse White and Jon Provost. And all are in fantastic form.

THE GIRL MOST LIKELY(1958)
When RKO ceased production in ’57 they had a couple of completed pictures that they farmed out to other companies for distribution. This one went to Universal (although it’s now under Warner ownership). It’s a musical remake of an old Ginger Rogers film called “Tom, Dick and Harry”. Jane Powell’s irresistible in the lead - with Cliff Robertson, Keith Andes and Kaye Ballard along to provide additional pleasant company. The appealing song score is by Hugh Martin & Ralph Blane (Meet Me in St. Louis); the terrific choreography’s the work of Gower Champion. Saw this one as part of many a double feature when I was a kid and still like it a lot.

ENCHANTED ISLAND(1958)
Another orphaned RKO, this one was ultimately distributed by Warner Bros. A South Seas adventure tale directed by veteran Allan Dwan, it stars Dana Andrews as a 19th century sailor on the run and Jane Powell as the native girl he falls for (unlikely casting I agree – but she’s charming). The thing’s based on a Herman Melville story called “Typee”. And though it’s another movie no one seems to talk about, I’ve always found it quite captivating.