a light in the dark...

I would be stupid and remiss if I didn't acknowledge that there is some boneheaded, scary, dangerous stuff going on all around us today. More on that in a later post tomorrow...
However, at times like these we struggle for some sunshine. A sense of normalcy and optimism that will help us to press on. To go forward in faith, if you will. So you will forgive us if we deviate a little from the world and discuss some great and happy news in classic films and animation. A ray of sunshine, so to speak, in an otherwise dreary world.

First off some great news, via Jerry Beck over at Cartoon Brew:

The Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 4 will hit the shelves November 14th. Jerry has a list of the bonus features that you can expect and he recommeds going to TVshowsonDVD.com for a complete list of all 60 uncut shorts that will be included in the set. Highlights for me include the Bugs shorts and a whole disc of Frank Tashlin shorts! The third disc will be Speedy Gonzales cartoons, which I admit have never been my absolute favorites, but better than most anything else today. The last disc's theme will be Cats, featuring some one-off cartoons and some other minor feline characters, like Claude. What I'm really looking forward to his all of the extras, especially the commentaries featuring Frank Tashlin, June Foray, Jerry Beck, Michael Barrier, Chuck Jones, and Stan Freberg. Obviously some folks had been recorded or interviewed prior to their demise, but I for one greatly appreciate all of the effort but into this series by all the folks at Warner Home Video, the historians (like Jerry), restorers, computer gurus, commentators, behind the scenes folks and all others! Thanks! It's going on the Shelf!

Also animation fans will no doubt be excited to learn that a 2 disc special edition loaded with features of Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas will be released on November 21nd. We're talking the Chuck Jones classic, not the Jim Carrey film.

Next up some classic film box sets release news:
Motion Picture Masterpieces Collection & the Astaire and Rogers Collection Vol. 2

Fans have been eagerly awating the films in these sets. The Motion Picture Masterpieces Collection will drop October 10 and contain the films: Marie Antoinette, David Copperfield, Pride and Prejudice, A Tale of Two Cities, and Treasure Island(1934). Many shorts and some vintage cartoons are included as extras. Volume 2 of the Astaire and Rogers collection debuts a week later on October 17th. Films include Flying Down to Rio, The Gay Divorcee, Roberta, Carefree, and The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle. All of these five films plus the films of the first volume will also be available in one set; The Astaire and Rogers Ultimate Colletor's Edition.

The Humphrey Bogart Signature Collection Vol.2 and
The Henry Fonda Signature Collection:

The Signature Collection series has been a boon for classic film fans. Yet sometimes you get a dvd you might already own from another set or previous purchase. If you don't, then you're in luck and can make a great addition to your classic film library. The Bogie set features the eagerly anticipated 3 disc Special Edition of The Maltese Falcon, Across the Pacific, Action in the North Atlantic, All Through the Night, and Passage to Marseille. Warner's Night at the movies, shorts and featurettes abound. The Fonda set includes the films Advise and Consent, Battle of the Bulge, Mister Roberts, and The Wrong Man. All of the Fonda films were previously available and have been repackaged for this set. Mister Roberts is perhaps the oldest of the set and most in need of the keepsake packaging. The Fonda collection is set for Sept. 19th and Bogie set for October 3rd

Also on the box set front, Warners has announced three new Signature Collection Sets:

The Gary Cooper Signature Collection featuring: 2 disc special edition of Sergeant York and the films The Fountainhead. The Wreak of the Mary Deare, Springfield Rifle, and Dallas

The Marlon Brando Signature Collection featuring: 2 disc special edition of Mutiny on the Bounty and the films Julius Caesar, The Formula, Reflections in a Golden Eye, and Teahouse of the August Moon.

The Paul Newman Signature Collection featuring: The Drowning Pool, Harper, The Left-Handed Gun, The Mackintosh Man, Pocket Money, Somebody Up There Likes Me, and The Young Philadelphians.

The Cooper and Brando sets will be released Nov. 7th and the Newman set on Nov. 14th.

Other classic films to look forward to:

Film Noir fans rejoice in the Universal Legacy series 2 disc special edition release of Double Indemnity. Look for it on August 22nd.
Frank Capra fans look forward to the release of State of the Union. This film starring Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn will hit stores August 22nd as well. A 2 disc special edition of It's a Wonderful Life is slated to be released in the fall.

Lastly, a 50th Anniversary special edition of Forbidden Planet will hit the shelves on Novemeber 14th. It will be available in two editions: a 2 disc Special Edition and an Ultimate Collector's Edition which will feature the 2 disc, lobby cards, reprints of press kits, postcards and a figurine of Robby the Robot.

I hope that will provide a little brightness in your day, classic film and animation fans. We can all change the world in our own little way, so why don't we change it for the better. Make someone else's day a little brighter as well. Til next time...

Do I laugh now, or wait 'til it gets funny?