Warner Archive Podcast

This week the Warner Archive turns four years old and to celebrate we've produced a very special podcast thanking all of our supporters for helping make our program a success. Hear about how we started, a chat about the complexities of film remastering and a revelation or two about what we have in store for the coming year. And then there's the "Staff Picks."

We discuss 6 rare comedies from the 70s/80s including Ralph Bakshi's HEY, GOOD LOOKIN' (1982), I WILL, I WILL...FOR NOW (1975) and WHIFFS (1975) with Eliot Gould, Hal Ashby's SECOND-HAND HEARTS (1981). Buck Henry's FIRST FAMILY (1980) and DIE LAUGHING (1980) starring Robby Benson and a monkey. We then review two TV sensations: ALICE season 3 (1978-79) on DVD and DAKTARI season 2 (1966-67) on DVD for the first time!

1950 Lux Radio Theater presentation of The Corn is Green staring Oliva de Havilland in the role originally portrayed in the 1945 film by Bette Davis. This radio broadcast also stars Richard Basehart. The Corn is Green is available at Warner Archive.

We dive into the 3 new DVDs starring Clark Gable including, POLLY OF THE CIRCUS (1932) with Marion Davies, KEY TO THE CITY (1950) with Loretta Young and NEVER LET ME GO (1953) with Gene Tierney. Then we dissect Hanna-Barbera's HELP! IT'S THE HAIR BEAR BUNCH! (1971). Finally, we wrap up by answering four genuine snail-mailed letters!

This week, go west or go green with our five new DVD releases! First up: the noir-flavored crime and cowboy saga CHEYENNE (1947). We then chat about Glenn Ford in HEAVEN WITH A GUN (1969) followed by John Ford's Irish anthology, THE RISING OF THE MOON (1957). We move on to the MONOGRAM COWBOY COLLECTION VOLUME 5: STARRING JOHNNY MACK BROWN (1943-52) and wrap up with the TV hit series, CHEYENNE: THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON (1960-61).

1943 Lux Radio Theater presentation of Salute to the Marines staring Wallace Beery and Fay Bainter, reprising their original screen roles. Salute to the Marines is available at Warner Archive.

This week we delve into the 9 film WHEELER AND WOOLSEY RKO COMEDY CLASSICS COLLECTION (1930-37) featuring two of RKO's comedy kings, Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey. Then we dive into fourth season of THE FBI (1968-69) featuring top notch guests like Dawn Wells, Susan Strasberg, Cicely Tyson, Gene Tierney, Dean Stockwell, Robert Duvall, Harrison Ford, James Caan, and teenaged Ronny Howard.

1944 Lux Radio Theater presentation of Maytime staring Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, reprising their original screen roles, from the 1937 film version. Maytime is available at Warner Archive.

We discuss five new Westerns from 1952-63 including The Boy from Oklahoma (1954) with Will Rogers, Jr., an American Indian legend gets the treatment in Hiawatha (1952), the Canadian western Fort Vengeance (1953), Cole Younger, Gunfighter (1958) with James Best and 1963's The Gun Hawk. Then we move on to The Falcon Mystery Movie Collection (1944-46) starring Tom Conway and wind up with the classic crusading cartoon, Yogi's Gang (1973) - all new this week to DVD.

1949 Screen Director's Playhouse presentation of Music For Millions staring June Allyson, reprising her original screen role, from the 1944 film version. This is the second of two radio show versions that the Warner Archive Collection Podcast will present - tune in to last week's version starring many of the film's other actors. Music For Millions is available at Warner Archive.

It's a TV party this week as we look at a star-powered TV Movie of the Week, THIRD GIRL FROM THE LEFT (1973) starring Kim Novak and Tony Curtis. Big screen star-power is followed up with small screen all-stars as Art Carney leads the cast of YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU (1979) and Patty Duke stars in the True Crime tragedy A KILLER AMONG FRIENDS (1992) with Tiffani-Amber Thiesen. Finally it's big-time TV in a pair of mega-mini series, THE FRENCH ATLANTIC AFFAIR (1979) and ROSES ARE FOR THE RICH (1987). Plus, we discuss The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) from the Coesn Bros., now available for pre-order on Blu-ray.

1946 Lux Radio Theater presentation of Music For Millions with Margaret O'Brien, Jimmy Durante and Jose Iturbi reprising their original screen roles, from the 1944 film version. This is the first of two radio show versions that the Warner Archive Collection Podcast will present - tune in next week for a version starring June Allyson. Music For Millions is available at Warner Archive.

Love, murder and mystery are the order of the days as we delve into a quartet of romantic comedies followed by a pair of collected detectives. First up we take a grand tour of Love, American Cinema Style from pre-Code to Post-Nuclear with STEPPING OUT (1931), LOVE ON A BET (1936), A KISS IN THE DARK (1949) and CONFIDENTIALLY CONNIE (1953). Then it's mystery time, classic and Seventies style as we make the case for THE PHILO VANCE MURDER CASE COLLECTION and HARRY O: THE COMPLETE SEASON TWO.

1945 Screen Guild Players presentation of Gildersleeve's Bad Day with Harold Peary reprising his original screen role, from the 1943 film version. The Great Gildersleeve Movie Collection is available at Warner Archive.

Delving into the story behind four great new releases to DVD including Howard Hawks' DAWN PATROL (1930) with Richard Barthelmess, five films of the THE GREAT GILDERSLEEVE MOVIE COLLECTION (1943-44) with radio fave Harold Perry, Martin Short's overlooked kid vid THE COMPLETELY MENTAL MISADVENTURES OF ED GRIMLEY (1988) and the 8th and penultimate season of the beloved sitcom NIGHT COURT (1990-91).

1940 Screen Guild Theater presentation of Red Dust with Clark Gable reprising his original screen role, from the 1932 film version. In this radio broadcast Ann Sothern steps into the role originally portrayed by Jean Harlow, Red Dust is available at Warner Archive.

Chats about 11 new releases including a new Dead End Kids double: DRESS PARADE and HELL'S KITCHEN (1939), two with Robert Taylor: noirish actioner TIP ON A DEAD JOCKEY (1957) and TV movie RETURN OF THE GUNFIGHTER (1967), a TBS' THE BILL ENGVALL SHOW Season 2 and 3 (2008-09) with Jennifer Lawrence. We round off the show with seven rarities brought back to print including THE GREEN PASTURES (1936) with Rex Ingram, the original ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD (1951), Ray Bradbury's THE ILLUSTRATED MAN (1968), the Broadway bathhouse farce THE RITZ (1976), Robert Towne's PERSONAL BEST (1982) with Mariel Hemingway, DOGFIGHT (1991) with River Phoenix and OTHELLO (1995) starring Laurence Fishburne.

We chat about two doubles and a triple feature of classic cowboys include GEORGE O'BRIEN WESTERN TRIPLE FEATURE (1939-40), WILD BILL ELLIOTT WESTERN DOUBLE FEATURE (1952-3) and WAYNE MORRIS WESTERN DOUBLE FEATURE (1953). Then we move on to two classics with a dramatic flair, THE SILK EXPRESS (1933) and THE RIGHT TO LIVE (1935) before turning to two sizzlers from Selznick, SWEEPINGS (1933) with Lionel Barrymore and the MEN OF AMERICA/ROAR OF THE DRAGON RKO DOUBLE FEATURE (1932). We end with a cartoon rarity about a cold-war crime fighting rock band, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KIDS (1973).

A Boris Karloff triple feature, a quartet of Crime/Noir films and a triplet of Wartime rousers are covered in this week's new DVD release discussion - 8 in all! Releases include: BORIS KARLOFF TRIPLE FEATURE with West of Shanghai (1937), The Invisible Menace (1938) and Devil's Island (1939). Also, SCENE OF THE CRIME (1949), CODE TWO (1953), MURDER IS MY BEAT (1955), DEATH IN SMALL DOSES (1957), SALUTE TO THE MARINES (1943), MUSIC FOR MILLIONS (1944) and finally THIS LAND IS MINE (1943) directed by the legendary Jean Renoir.

This year we released almost four hundred new DVDs (and two Blu-ray Discs) - that's quite a bunch! After a long year, we sit around the microphone and reminisce about our most notable and popular releases. You know...just in case your stocking wasn't stuffed with the cinema treats you were looking for. Our next batch of new releases will be Jan. 8, 2013. Until then, have a Happy New Year!