john wayne collections

May 22nd Warner Brothers will be releasing several films in concurrence with John Wayne's 100th Birthday next week. We'll have even more on the films (can you guess what will be Top Shelf Pick?) in next week's roundup, but here is a look at a couple of those films:

Rio Bravo:Ultimate Collector's Edition
John Wayne, Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson star in this western from director Howard Hawks, Rio Bravo. This two disc Ultimate Collector's Edition features:
Commentary by John Carpenter and film critic Richard Schickel
Remastered Feature, Wayne trailer gallery
Documentaries & Featurettes:
The Men Who Made the Movies:Howard Hawks
Commemoration: Howard Hawks' Rio Bravo
Old Tucson: Where the Legends Walked
Reproductions of the original Press book, Dell comic book & Lobby cards. It will also be available in a two disc special edition minus some features.

The Cowboys: Deluxe Edition
Mark Rydell directed John Wayne, Roscoe Lee Brown, and Bruce Dern in this underrated classic from late in the Duke's career.
Features Include:
Commentary by the director, Mark Rydell
Documentaries and Featurettes:
The Cowboys: Together Again
The Breaking of Boys and the Making of Men
Theatrical trailer

The John Wayne Collection:
Much like last year's John Ford Collection (even similar packaging), The John Wayne Collection features several films that have been previously unreleased on DVD, and feature Wayne in a different light- outside of the Western genre. The films (and features) included are:
Without Reservations: Features: MGM short I Love My Husband, But! & WB cartoon Holiday for Shoestrings
Allegheny Uprising: Features: WB short The Bill of Rights
and WB cartoon Land of the Midnight Fun
Tycoon: Features: WB short Hollywood Wonderland and MGM cartoon Red Hot Rangers
Reunion in France: MGM short We Do It Because, MGM cartoon War Dogs & The Theatrical trailer
Big Jim McLain: WB short So You Want to Enjoy Life, WB cartoon The Super Snooper & The Theatrical trailer
Trouble Along the Way: (Reteaming of JW & Donna Reed!) Features: WB short So You Think You Can't Sleep, WB cartoon Muscle Tussle & The Theatrical trailer

The films in the JW Collection will also be available individually.
Look for more of these and other JW releases in next week's roundup.



Sorry don't get it done, Dude. That's the second time you hit me. Don't ever do it again.

myrna and bill

I thought all Shelfers would enjoy an advance look at the TCM Spotlight Collection: Myrna Loy and William Powell Collection coming from Warner Brothers August 7th, 2007. The films include: Manhattan Melodrama, Evelyn Prentice, Double Wedding, I Love You Again and Love Crazy. Extras include MGM cartoons (these are MGM films, by the way), trailers, classic short subject features and at least on Love Crazy the Screen Actor's Guild radio adaptation of the film. Hat tip to DVD Times where you can read specific details on extras. I am really excited for this set to come out. This is a serious contender for Top Shelf Pick of the Year: Box Set.

I've been telling you this is going to be a busy summer. Warners Home Video is putting classics out on DVD like crazy this year, and for that- all are grateful. The Thin Man Collection from 2005 has been their biggest selling set ever in the classics division. Show them even more love Shelfers and get your orders ready for this set. There is a consumer base and demand for the classics, and I believe even more studios are beginning to see that. So... save your ducats, Shelfers. You're gonna need 'em.



Why do Bohemians have to stay up all night?

passing parade

We'll bring you our review of Tex Avery's Droopy later (didn't get our review copy yet- but it's coming), as well as a new semi-regular feature, Queue Review. However, I've read a couple of articles here and there from around the Shelf Community that I've enjoyed this week that I would like to bring to your attention. First of all if you aren't regularly reading our neighbors in the Shelf Community, you should. Some informative and intelligent stuff, and it's a good way to stay on top of things.

Fred Thompson:

Laura continues her Musings, and gives some thought to Fred Thompson for President and his verbal response to Michael Moore. If you haven't seen it yet, watch the video. Fred is perhaps the most exciting candidate not running today. We hope he remedies the situation soon. Also of interest is the Nixon Library going under the control of the government (National Archives).

Education:

Maggie's Farm has a great piece about minimal requirements for a liberal arts education in colleges and universities. I think it is advice that should be taken to heart. We may elaborate on this further in a future article.

Hollywood Politics:

Finally, an article that was written by Mark Styen in 2003 on Elia Kazan. Recently we reviewed the Brando documentary on The Shelf, and the stuff about Kazan and Brando were very interesting. As I said then, Kazan brought out the best of Brando's talent. Kazan was a great director for Brando, and Brando was a great actor for Kazan. Their pictures demonstrate this kinship well. On the Waterfront is a terrific and important film, and the collaboration is there for all to see. In this vein, it is a wonder about Kazan's traitorous image in modern Hollywood. Traitorous to whom? Mark Styen gives an excellent answer in his article. Just a small portion:

It’s no fun being a socially conscious movie star if nobody’s conscious of you. You want to be noticed. Not too noticed, not Salman Rushdie price-on-your-head noticed. But just a little bit of attention. And the only time any one in power paid any attention to the political views of Hollywood people was half a century ago. In an ideal world – or if you were making a movie on the subject – the fellows who were politically “persecuted” would be a little more talented, or at least prominent, and maybe it would be better if they weren’t subscribers to an ideology so thoroughly failed and so comprehensively rejected by anyone who’s had the misfortune to live under it. But those are mere nitpicky details next to the towering feeling of validation the latterday Hollywood activist derives from his McCarthy fetish. For the Richard Dreyfus generation, what Kazan did is an affront to their deep conviction of their own heroism.

....

Amid the herd-like moral poseurs, Kazan was always temperamentally an outsider, and his work benefited after he became one in a more formal sense. But, both before and after, his best productions concern themselves with a common question: the point at which you’re obliged to break with your own – your union, your class, your group, or, in Kazan’s case, your Group.

It is worth your time to read the whole article: The Crucible of Hollywood's Guilt.

Katharine Hepburn:

Don't forget! Next week is the Duke's 100th Birthday and you'll see more DVD releases than you can shake a stick at; not to mention the release of the TCM Spotlight Collection: Katharine Hepburn set. We'll have details in next week's roundup, and hopefully a full review of the Katharine Hepburn set. In the meantime here is a couple of good articles on Kate; one from Blogcritics Magazine and another from the Charleston Post & Courier. We also had another blogger comment on our Top 11 Kate list, and he has an interesting blog, aptly entitled The Katharine Hepburn Project, devoted to a year long project of watching all of Kate's films. Check it out, and we'll keep checking back to see how he's doing. Maybe he'll have a countdown list as he makes his way through them.

We'll be back later with more goodies from The Shelf. Stay tuned.

It's a small request, but I'd give anything for a good smack on the south end.

bienvenue à cannes

Tomorrow, May 16th, will mark the beginning of the 60th annual film festival in the south of France known as Festival de Cannes. Producers, finance companies, actors, critics, and more will be converging on Cannes from all around the world. There will be parties, glamour, financing deals and... oh, yeah,...films. Festival de Cannes was founded in 1939, partly in response to the involvement of the Italian and German fascist governments running things at the Venice film festival. The first President was Louis Lumière, and it was set to begin on September 1st, 1939. However, as students of history will recognize, that was a fateful day. September 1st, 1939 marked the beginning of Hitler's invasion of Poland and the outbreak of World War II.
The festival was put off during the war and began again in 1946. In the beginning the festival was small and primarily featured European films. In fact, some years the festival was canceled due to a lack of funds. In 1968, the festival found itself at the center of controversy as students and leftists came out in massive protests against the French deGaulle administration's further involvement in University affairs. Labor groups soon joined them in strike and a good portion of France was shut down for several days. In solidarity with the students, several jury members and key participants had the festival canceled.

In recent years, American films have had a much larger presence at the festival, and more celebrities have become attendees. The festival is largely about showing your current film, that may not have a mainstream audience and at the same time wheeling and dealing to finance your next film. Several prizes are highly sought after, including the Prix du Jury (Jury Prize), the Grand Prix (Grand Prize) and especially the Palme d'Or (the Golden Palm). Today, over 300,000 actors, producers, directors and other film professionals gather at the annual festival.

In honor of it's 60th anniversary, Turner Classic Movies is premiering a new documentary on Cannes. Produced and directed by Richard Schickel. Entitled Bienvenue à Cannes, the documentary explores the history and the impact of the festival on international cinema. Wolf and I were able to view the documentary this weekend. Since what we say was a rough cut, we'll focus on what we saw and it's content, knowing that some technical features and perhaps some content will have been polished for the final cut.
The film mainly consists of interviews of actors and actresses, some directors like Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood, producers like Harvey Weinstein with Miramax, and many journalists and critics, including A.O. Scott, Roger Ebert and Kenneth Turan. It also features interviews with past Presidents, publicists and others involved with putting on the Festival. The film premieres Wednesday the 16th at 8 pm (est) and again at 11:15 PM. We'll give you our take of the documentary, with both my perspective and Wolf's perspective.


Wolf's take:

Being a rough cut, I fully expect some problems in this program to be fixed by airtime. The problem is that the issues that should be fixed won't be. I watched this expecting a documentary. As a documentary it was poor. Most documentaries explain the origins of its subject and give details of major events and landmarks in its history. This isn't done very well in this program. Cannes veterans tell some good stories. There is some decent vintage footage of festivals past but when I finished watching this, I knew very little of how the Cannes film festival began and the same amount about major events of it's past. There are even some folks interviewed which cause you to think: "Who is this and why do I care what they have to say?" Some of the new faces you will see are festival officials and organizers who are quite relevant, but they add no more than additional stories of days past. Frankly there are very few folks interviewed who lend a documentary atmosphere to the program. It seemed to be less of a documentary and more of a commentary or a collection of memories shared by participants past and present.

The truth is, as a commentary this program was passable and also revealing. One thing to really stand out was a comment made by a critic from TIME magazine. He said, "The first thing someone from the OUTSIDE should know about Cannes is they're not invited. Cannes is a class culture. You are given different kinds of colored cards to determine your IMPORTANCE." He goes on to explain that he has 'carte blanch' at the festival because he has "a white card". He throws in a little smug with this comment for flavor. Following this comment was Philip Lapote of the New York film festival selection committee who said that Cannes is "filled with humiliations". He then compares it to Buddhism saying that it causes people to "lose their ego". Huh? Sounds to me like some are deflated as others are well fed. Hypocrisy abounds as many who are interviewed lament about how much hard work the festival is. Not the preparation and the take down, but the actual viewing of films, interviews, and judging. That would've been remotely believable until one or two segments later a portion of the program was dedicated to the wild parties and drinking that goes on EVERY night. It's mentioned that so much drinking goes on at night that some folks show up to the morning meetings well hung-over and sometimes still intoxicated. People reminisce about parties past and how wild they were. A story is told of how they all partied so hard one night that during an 8:30 showing of one of the films, someone was snoring so loudly that someone had to wake the person up and tell them to "Stop snoring. You're waking the rest of us up." Sounds like just good ole' "hard work" to me. Oh and the morning meetings that people were showing up to while still drunk...they started at 10 AM or so.

Martin Scorsese tells us that a few days into the festival that most people are ready for it to end and don't even care about the last movies in the competition. It's even alluded to that some of the 'jurors' are semi-inebriated while deciding who earns awards. That kinda' takes the weight out of that little " Winner of the (blank) award at the Cannes Film Festival" tag we see on some movie covers, doesn't it. Watching some of the "films" submitted and being able to find their hotel rooms at the end of the day sounds like the hardest work. Politics are shown to play apart at Cannes as well in this special. Politics has been a decider in awarding prizes at Cannes for a long time. Big surprise, huh? If you watch this program expecting a documentary, then you may be disappointed. If you despise the phoniness, elitism and other problems with the modern filmmaking society, then you will enjoy the confirmation that this program gives you of your opinions.

Loophole's take:


Publicist Dennis Davidson stated in the documentary, “One of the things the Cannes Film Festival does is balance a great deal of different needs. Ultimately it’s a film festival that deals with cultural films, films in different languages, films that have a very limited commercial appeal. And layered on top of that are the big Hollywood films and big Hollywood stars.” Like Wolf, I walked away from the film wondering if the festival was anything more than a self-congratulatory, networking, week-long party. In the past, I think Cannes did a much better job at bringing unknown films to a forum. Now, Hollywood has crept in and so has politics to a degree. I am afraid the same thing has begun to happen at Sundance. Ultimately, a film is about different visions; that of a director, a screenwriter, producers and the actors, and how best to blend those into something resembling a story. I love independent movies and international films. However, aside from Asian cinema, it's difficult to find any that I really love anymore.

What I thought singularly refreshing about Richard Schickel's film is how direct, forward and balanced it seemed to be about Cannes and it's place in cinema today. Each segment had differing opinions and you had as many people lamenting the loss of the old days and how money has become dominant, as much as you had others lauding it for its glamour and importance in financing projects. I think that the film would have benefited from more context, perhaps in the form of a narrator. I know that the "narrator form" is kind of overused. However, in this situation there were times were I wondered if anyone in the audience would keep up with some of the things the commentators were discussing. How many people are going to understand the riots and strikes in France in 1968, and how it related to Cannes? In that instance, I believe a narrator to provide context would have added to the film. Again, we saw a rough cut, so we hope some of the issues have been resolved.

Final Assessment:

Overall, we both thought that the film could have used more context (I thought in the form of a narrator) and perhaps less talking heads. Wolf took issue with some of the commentary involved, and I thought that while there was too much commentary, it seemed to be more balanced than I expected. But in the end, I think we both agree that Cannes presents some problems, and the film took more of a realistic view of its history and what it amounts to today. I think you'll be interested to watch the film and learn more about Cannes. I think you'll enjoy the accompanying films a well. TCM is presenting a full slate of past films shown at Cannes. Here's the schedule (all times are est):

Wednesday, May 16th:
8:00 pm: Bienvenue à Cannes (2007)
9:30 pm: The Cranes Are Flying (1957)
11:15 pm: Encore of Bienvenue à Cannes (2007)
12:45 am: Blow-Up (pictured above) (1966)
2:45 am: Viridiana (1961)
4:30 am: The Conversation (1974)

Thursday, May 17th:
8:00 am: The Mystery of Picasso (1958)
9:30 pm: The Clay Bird (2002)
11:15 pm: Never On Sunday (1960)
1:00 am: Crossfire (pictured above)(1947)
2:30 am: Lili (1953)

Shelfers will particularly want to not miss Blow-Up, The Conversation, The Mystery of Picasso and Crossfire. Check out Bienvenue à Cannes and learn more about the world of international cinema, both yesterday and today. And please come back and let us know what you think in the comments section.

Thanks to Turner Classic Movies for images.




Okay, where were you when he needed you? Maybe you were someplace having beautiful thoughts. Well, I wasn't. I was in a stinkin' gin mill, where all he had to do to see me was walk in, sit down at the table and buy me a drink.

hello, folks

That's right, Shelfers. It's that time again- time for our weekly foray into the hot picks in DVDs, music, books and television for the week. We've done all the legwork so you don't have to; and just because we like you. And if you checked out our DVD preview last week, then this week's Top Shelf Pick should be no surprise.

DVD
Top Shelf Pick of the Week:
Tex Avery's Droopy: The Complete Theatrical Collection
As our regular readership knows, I've been looking forward to this set for a long time. Finally, spread across two DVDs, are all 24 of the theatrical shorts from MGM Studios, 1943 to 1958. All of the Droopy, Wolf, Red, Spike and/or Butch you can handle. The shorts have all been remastered and are unedited. That means that even some of the offensive-by-today's-standards gags are still there. Also included are several features including a documentary retrospective and a "gag reel" of some of Droopy's best moments. The price is right: anywhere from around 20 to 25 bucks depending on your retail outlet of choice. This set is a no-brainer, must have; and if you'll stay tuned, we'll have a full review of the Droopy set later this week.

Becket
Becket is the story of two friends separated by honor and power. The film tells of the famous friendship between English King Henry II (played by Peter O'Toole, who would play him again in The Lion in Winter) and Thomas à Becket (Richard Burton). When the Catholic church's leaders push Henry for dominance and more control in England, The King appoints his carousing buddy Thomas as Chancellor, and eventually the Archbishop of Canterbury. What Henry doesn't anticipate, is that Becket will take his position seriously and refuses to act as agent of the King. It is this conflict and struggle for power that leads to Becket's famous murder. This is Becket's first appearance on DVD, and seems to have received excellent treatment. I am especially looking forward to the commentary by star Peter O'Toole. For an excellent review, check out DVD Savant.

Seraphim Falls
Several months ago, I happened to notice an online ad for this films. I like both Liam Neeson and Pierce Brosnon, and I am big fan of the western genre. Naturally, my curiosity was piqued. However, as soon as I started poking around trying to find a release date, the next thing I knew it was in limited release and then vanished, only to come out on DVD later. That is usually not a good sign for a film. However, this still looks really good, and the buzz of some of the critic and audiences has been overall positive. Seraphim Falls is a classic manhunt western; a post-Civil War story told against the backdrop of the beautiful, but savage west. I look forward to seeing it for myself. Of course, we'll report back to The Shelf on our impressions.

M*A*S*H: Goodbye, Farewell and Amen
I've really enjoyed re-watching this series on TV Land as of late. When I was younger, I remember watching the show and not really understanding half of it. Somehow, I still enjoyed it (my favorite is still Col. Sherman Potter) and knew that the finally episode was a special thing. After all, it had been on television for as long as I could remember. Since I've been re-watching the series, I feel like age has made a difference. I understand the writing more, the humor reaches me more, and I have a greater appreciation for it's innovations in storytelling. Yes, sometimes it can be a little preachy and a little cheesy, but over it still stands the test of time as a landmark television show. The seasons sets have been coming out for a little while now, but this is the historic final feature length episode. Also included in the 3 disc set are bloopers, the M*A*S*H 30th reunion, documentaries and more.

The Josephine Baker Collection
Kino's box set of some of Josephine Baker's best known films looks like quite the catch for fans of Baker and film history buffs. Kino is well known for their sets of shorts from Stan Laurel or Charly Chase or older films. The fact that they are able to get these films out there to fan and students of film history alike is important. I support their efforts and have enjoyed the previous Stan Laurel set. Included are three of her French films: Princesse Tam-Tam, Zou Zou and Siren of the Tropics.



Music:
Dolores O'Riordan: Are You Listening?
Dolores O'Riordan is the voice of the popular, mega-selling group from Ireland, The Cranberries. Her voice is distinctive and original, and I have always enjoyed her music. Now she has come out with a solo project and while she is trying to pull away from The Cranberries, her voice and wonderful lyricism is all there. Standout songs include the tracks: Ordinary Day, When We Were Young and Stay with Me. I've been listening to the CD on AOL Music, where you can listen to the whole CD for free as well. Try it out this week and you'll be buying it soon.


Books:
Patriot Battles
There are perhaps thousands of volumes on the military aspects of American wars (The Civil War probably has the distinction of having the most). And a good many of them are dull, dull, dull. Believe me, I know. I've trudged through quite a few. As dull as they can be, the information is essential to gain further insight and understanding into the wars and the lives of the soldiers. This new book from a former editor of Military Book Club, Michael Stephenson, does his best to present an essential one volume military history of The American Revolution without being dull. The book is separated into two sections; the first section deals with the "Nuts and Bolts" of the war, and the second section goes into several major battles. Maps, charts and a lot of military information is included, but so are anecdotes of the men and women behind the war.


Television:
Turner Classic Movies
This month, TCM also celebrates the 100th birthday of yet another star, Laurence Olivier. There is so much great stuff going on this month on TCM, it can be hard to keep up. But don't worry, Uncle Loophole is here for you, giving you the highlights and the essentials.

May 15th:
It's a day for Olivier: Pride And Prejudice (1940), Wuthering Heights (1939), Hamlet (1948), Sleuth (1972) and The Battle Of Britain (1969).

May 16th:
Today is the premiere of TCM's newest documentary on the history of the Cannes Film Festival: Bienvenue Cannes (2007). Stay tuned- we'll be back with a review of the documentary tomorrow. Check out our take before you can check it out! Also tonight are some excellent Cannes winners: The Cranes Are Flying(1957), Blow-Up (1966), Viridiana (1961) and Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation (1974).

May 17th:
More Cannes winners: The Mystery of Picasso (1958), Never On Sunday (1960) and Robert Mitchum in Crossfire (1947).

May 18th:
More Frank Capra than you can shake a stick at: You Can't Take It With You (1938) , It Happened One Night (1934), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), Lost Horizon (1937) and Arsenic And Old Lace (1944).

May 19th:
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935), The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), Ball Of Fire (1941), and Brando in Guys And Dolls (1955) .

May 20th:
The Glenn Miller Story (1954), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), The Far Country (1955), and The Wonderful Country (1959).

Well, that's all for this week's Roundup. Hopefully, we've been able to stir through the morass of entertain and information and allow the true winners to shine through. And don't forget: we have some more great stuff coming up this week on The Shelf. Tomorrow we'll have a review of the new documentary premiering on TCM: Bienvenue Cannes. Later in the week, we'll have a review of the new Tex Avery's Droopy and an article on one of the most lasting movie stars of all time. Stay tuned!




Fetch me my Winchester, Sam-I'm a-ridin' fer Red Rock!

happy 100th kate!

Today would have been Katharine Hepburn's 100th birthday. We can't think of any better way to celebrate the 100th of one of our favorite actresses than by watching some great Hepburn flicks! So, we'll recommend a typical Shelf top ten (11) list for your viewing pleasure!

11. Rooster Cogburn
What better way to remember the Duke and Kate than by watching their costarring western classic? Rooster Cogburn, the old crotchety Marshall from True Grit unwillingly brings Eula Goodnight (Kate) along to hunt down her father's killers. Kate loved working with talent, and she respected the Duke almost as much as she respected Spencer Tracy. That's saying alot.

10. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
This is the last pairing of Tracy and Hepburn on film. Spencer's health was bad during the filming of this classic, but he never let on. Kate said he never complained, but was proud that he did one more performance. Kate's performance in the film is understated, but firm and eloquent.

9. Holiday
Another pairing with another frequent co-star, Cary Grant. Kate plays the older sister of Grant's fiance. When Grant comes to meet the family for the first time, he finds that perhaps Hepburn is more suited to his carefree mentality and attitude, than the button-down rigidity of his fiance and her father.

8. The Lion in Winter
Kate is extraordinary as Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of England. Her husband, the King Henry II (played by Peter O'Toole) needs to commit to an heir. He calls Eleanor and their sons to a "family" holiday for Christmas, where he plans to name his successor. However everyone has their own schemes and designs for who that should be. Side note: This was Timothy Dalton's first film and Anthony Hopkins's second.


7. Desk Set
One of many great Tracy/ Hepburn flicks. Kate plays Bunny Watson, manager of a research department for a television network. Spencer Tracy plays Richard Sumner, who comes in one day to study and observe her office and staff. Bunny and Richard are headed for romance, but her boyfriend with perpetual cold feet, and her suspicion that Richard is going to replace them all with a computer gets in the way.

6. Pat and Mike
Do you get the feeling that I love Tracy and Hepburn films? You should. This is a hilarious film that stars Kate as Patricia "Pat" Pemberton an amateur sportswomen who is convinced by agent Mike Conovan to go pro. Mike is a little shady, and is connected to even shadier characters, but he seems to have met his match in Pat. I think this is their funniest film, and you especially don't want to miss the scene when Pat saves Mike from those shady characters. Side note: One of those shady characters is played by a young Charles Buchinski, better known as Charles Bronson.

5. Bringing Up Baby
Cary Grant is back in this great screwball comedy classic directed by Howard Hawks. To even begin to explain it defeats the purpose. Let's just say, Tracy is a screwball heiress, Susan Vance and Cary Grant plays stiff paleontologist, Dr. David Huxley. She falls for him and a pet Leopard is involved. You just have to see it. If you haven't Warner's released a dandy two disc special edition several years ago.


4. Women of the Year
This is the first film that partnered Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. It is an odd mix of comedy, romance, drama, and pontification on the politics and relationships of the sexes. No nonsense Sports writer Sam Craig (Tracy) falls in love with sophisticated columnist and "modern woman", Tess Harding. Although the feeling is mutual, it appears that Tess and Sam's ideas of a relationship and marriage are at odds. A very poignant film.

3. Adam's Rib
This is perhaps my favorite Tracy/Hepburn flick. They play a married couple who are both attorneys and find themselves on opposites sides of an attempted murder case. This all-time classic was written by the incomparable team and married couple of Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin. It was directed by frequent Hepburn collaborator George Cukor.

2. The African Queen
As I have said before, it is a crime that this film is not available on a special edition DVD. Bogie and Hepburn are together for a unconventional wartime romance in Africa. Filmed on location and directed by John Huston, this movie got Bogie his only Oscar win. It's a damn shame that this is the only film on this list that's not available on DVD. Fortunately, TCM is there for us, as it was shown today.

1. The Philadelphia Story
This is one of my favorite Katharine Hepburn films of all time, and it was the comeback film for Hepburn's career. Ironically, our number 9 film, Holiday, was her last film for a couple of years. She had been deemed box-office poison after a string of films performed poorly at the box-office, and due to her prickly relationship with the press. After Holiday, Kate went back to the Theater where she performed to rave reviews as the star of the play, The Philadelphia Story. Desiring a comeback and a comeback on her terms, Kate bought the film rights to the play, and once it was a hit, she had leverage in negotiation terms. She got a new contract with MGM and picked the director, George Cukor, for the film. Co-starring Cary Grant and James Stewart, The Philadelphia Story was a huge hit and was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actress. It won two Oscars; for Best Screenplay and Best Actor for James Stewart. Kate had her comeback in a big way, and it was two years later when she would meet and work with Spencer Tracy. This 1940 gem is a must see film, and if you haven't had the chance, Warner's released a great two disc special edition a couple of years ago.


Kate holds the record for most Academy Award wins; 4 out of 12 nominations, and her storied career lasted for almost 70 years. Amazing and talented, she is one of Hollywood's best known and best loved actresses. She landed roles and held sway in films as strong and independent women, years before modern actresses began to complain that their weren't any in films. She set the standard and she set the bar high. So celebrate her 100th in style with a film or two off our list. And as a great companion, read her books: Me: Stories of My Life and The Making of "the African Queen": Or how I Went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Almost Lost My Life (this one is out of print- try the library). Enjoy the films and we'll see you back here at The Shelf. Same Shelf time, same Shelf channel.



The time to make up your mind about people is never.

showing some class

Just a few items and a couple of previews of some classic film DVD that I know will be marked on your calender. We'll return with another DVD review later.

Roundup Update:

John Wayne DVDs:

The Top Shelf picks for the work have finally had a closer look for review, and here's the lowdown. Both box sets are repackaging of the previous editions of the titles. The Quiet Man DVD, for example, is the previous Collector's edition disc. This maybe good news for anyone who could not find these releases on the shelves, but if you are hoping for any kind of special edition or new discs with extras, you are out of luck. If you own any of the titles, you might be better off finding the previous individual releases. I know I have found them in some bargain bins of some of the big box stores. Either way, the films are great and worthy of a Saturday afternoon or two.

Previews:

Two previous MID (Missing in DVD) films coming out soon:

Scarface

You've probably seen Scarface, right? Al Pacino? Well, you may not have seen the original classic starring Paul Muni. Thankfully, that problem will be remedied in two weeks. Universal Studios will be releasing this 1932 Howard Hawks classic on May 22nd. This is probably the first great "talkie" gangster film and probably one of the most explosive of the genre, aside from The Public Enemy. I've been waiting for years for this film to hit DVD. The film also stars George Raft and Ann Dvorak. Scarface was notorious in it's day for it's non-to-subtle allusion to incest between Paul Muni's main character, Tony and his sister. Extras will include an introduction from TCM's Robert Osborne. original trailer and an alternate ending. More information to come in the roundup.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

James Cagney fans (and perhaps anyone who remembers watching this film in middle school) will be excited to learn that Warner Home Video will be releasing Max Reinhardt's 1935 classic film version of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Many of Warner Brother's stock of famous stars were on hand for this one, including James Cagney, Mickey Rooney, Olivia de Havilland, Dick Powell and others. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards and won two. Word is that WHV has remastered the film and restored it to it's original roadshow length. Extras are abundant. The film will released as part of the Shakespeare Collection in August. The box set will also include Kenneth Branagh's 1996 version of Hamlet (a two disc special edition), Laurence Olivier's 1965 version of Othello, and MGM's 1936 production of Romeo and Juliet, starring Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard. This set looks to be a must buy. More info can be found at DVD Times.

Also coming soon from Warner Home Video:

TCM Spotlight Collection: Katherine Hepburn.

We're in the middle of a great Katherine Hepburn month on TCM. Just in time for her 100th anniversary celebration, Warner's is releasing several early Hepburn and a later film on it's TCM Spotlight series. This box set includes the films, Morning Glory, Undercurrent, Sylvia Scarlett, Without Love, Dragon Seed and The Corn Is Green. Fans of the Spencer Tracy and Hepburn pairings, such as myself, should be particularly happy to see Without Love. We look forward to seeing more Hepburn and Tracy on DVD. Word is the WHV is also working on a Spencer Tracy Signature Collection, possibly for release in 2008. Hopefully we'll see Test Pilot, Edison the Man and some other great Tracy films that haven't yet hit DVD. Either way we're very excited to see more Katherine Hepburn on DVD. The box set is due to be released May 29th. We hope to have a preview/review for you here on the Shelf, so stay tuned!

Myrna Loy/William Powell Collection:
In 2005, The Thin Man Collection Box set was released, much to the joy of classic film fans everywhere. no doubt you will remember our three part review. It has since become one of Warner Home Video's best selling classic film DVD sets. It was promised to fans that more was coming, and thankfully that day is near. On August 7, WMV will release the Myrna Loy/William Powell Collection including the films Manhattan Melodrama, Evelyn Prentice, Double Wedding, Love Crazy and I Love You Again. Extras will abound. All of the films are appearing on DVD for the first time, and this brings almost all of the Powell-Loy pairings out on DVD. The only exception being The Senator was Indiscreet, a William Powell film in which Myrna Loy had a short cameo. (Their other films The Great Ziegfeld and Libeled Lady have been previously released on DVD.) August is looking to be a busy month for classic films.

Get Animated!:

Animation fans will be excited to know this will be a fantastic year as several "holy grails" of animation on DVD will be hitting the Shelves this summer. The best news is that WB and others are really putting an effort to bring us this classic animation remastered, uncut and uncensored!

Tex Avery's Droopy - The Complete Theatrical Collection is set to hit the street next week! As many Shelfer's know, I have long bemoaned the lack of Tex Avery on DVD. Now things are starting to look up. This set includes all of the original theatrical shorts on two DVDs. Included are several extras, including a documentary on Tex Avery and one of best loved creations: Droopy.

Popeye The Sailor 1933-1938 Volume 1: featuring 60 of the original great Max Fleischer shorts, uncut and remastered, spread across four discs. Fans have been eagerly awaiting the real deal for a very long time, and now it appears all of the famous studio's shorts will be getting the treatment the deserve. It should also boost confidence that animation historian and cartoon guru, Jerry Beck, has been on hand to assist in the DVD setup. If you love the Looney Tunes Golden Collection sets, this Popeye set is a no-brainer. Popeye is set to be released July 31st. And if you love extras, this set will be a virtual treasure chest of features, documentaries and interviews. Don't miss it!

The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection will be available in July. This set features that famous laughing bird we all know and love in many of his shorts, all on 3 DVDs. The shorts are presented in order of release, and the is word there may be a volume 2 next year if the set sells. Also features are cartoons of some of Walter Lantz's other creations like Chilly Willy and Andy Pandy. The happy news is that these shorts will be uncut and have been remastered from the original master negatives.

Also coming out this year will be Looney Tunes, Golden Collection: Vol. 5 and a the complete series of The Archie Show from the 60s, that animated classic that actually brought the recordings of several songs from The Archie's including the hit, Sugar, Sugar.

Exciting stuff, right? Well budget accordingly. There are many more great DVD sets for classic film, television and animation this year. And as always we will have news, previews and reviews here on the Shelf. Stay tuned. And just so you can't say old Uncle Loophole never gave you anything, here are some radio adaptations of a couple of Myrna Loy and William Powell films.

Here's the Screen Actor's Guild radio adaption of: Love Crazy, which should be a featured extra on the DVD set. And, just cause I'm a sentimental guy, here is the Lux Theater radio adaption of: The Thin Man. Just right click and enjoy!



You be careful madam, or you'll turn my pretty head with your flattery.

the duke. 'nuff said.

We know you've been missing the roundup. And we know that some great stuff has come out in the past month. The James Cagney and Errol Flynn Signature Collections, the Tyrone Powers Collection and the Planet Earth series are just a few. Not to mention the third season of NCIS, and the first season of WKRP. But let's not look to the past. Those are all Top Shelf Picks without question, and signature sets in particular are Shelf favorites. Now the job ahead is for us to press forward and bring you more Shelf picks this week and in the weeks ahead. I will say this, perhaps my favorite new DVD set of the past week or so has been the second season of MXC: Most Extreme Elimination Challenge. If you don't have it - get it. If you're familiar with the sense of humor here at The Shelf, you know what you are in for, so don't delay! Get yours today! Right you are, Ken.
Without further adieu let's plunge right in. Keep in mind this is a special month- it's the 100th anniversaries (birthdays) of both Katherine Hepburn and John Wayne. Celebrate in style.

DVD
Top Shelf Pick of the Week:
John Wayne Collections Vol.1 and Vol. 2
Last years Top Shelf Pick of the Year would've had to have been the John Wayne/ John Ford Film Collection. It was Wayne and Ford fan's dream. Special editions of The Searchers and Stagecoach really put it over the top and the long awaited appearance of Fort Apache on DVD sealed the deal. Dare we ask for more? We dare. And it seems that it will pay off in time for his 100th birthday celebration. To kick things off we've got two nice sets of films the Duke made for Republic pictures. These films have been released previously, but several are no longer on store shelves. If you've missed them before, here's a chance to fill the missing spots in your collection. Volume 1 includes the war films Sands of Iwo Jima and Flying Tigers, Wake of the Red Witch and the seminal The Quiet Man. Volume 2 is a western set including Dakota, The Fighting Kentuckian, A Lady Takes a Chance, and one of my personal favorites, Rio Grande. Each set retails for around 20 bucks, and can be found cheaper online. Not bad for some really good films from one of the greatest movie stars of the last century. The sets don't seem to include many extras and the distributor, Lions Gate, is not known for extraordinary DVD releases. I've got the previous Rio Grande and The Quiet Man Collector's Editions, which had some great extras on them. I'm not ready to give those up yet, but I look forward to adding these classic Wayne movies to my collection. Stay tuned to the Shelf in the next few weeks for even more John Wayne DVDs in the few weeks.

Pirates of the Golden Age
Avast me hearties! Man, with the Tyrone Power set coming out last week, this is a boon for Swashbuckler fans. This set includes:
Against All Flags starring Errol Flynn, Maureen O'Hara and Anthony Quinn in a good ol' pirate adventure they are known for.
Buccaneer's Girl stars Yvonne DeCarlo as a showgirl who falls in love with a pirate, played by Philip Friend.
Double Crossbones is perhaps self explanatory, but wait - it's a comedy starring Donald O'Connor who somehow goes from shopkeeper's apprentice to the most feared pirate off the Carolina coast.
Yankee Buccaneer stars Jeff Chandler as a US Naval Frigate Commander sent to the Caribbean, disguised as a pirate, in order to defeat the Buccaneers. All good adventures for classic film fans.

Worthy Double Dips:

There are some excellent DVD special editions coming out that are worthy improvements over previous editions. The Guns of Navarone, To Catch a Thief, and The Caine Mutiny are wonderful flicks and each special edition includes great features and documentaries. We don't often recommend double dips, but in this case it is definitely worth the upgrade.

Music:
Michael Buble: Call Me Irresponsible
If you are a regular shelfer (and you know who you are), then you know we love the greats like Dino, Sinatra and Nat King Cole. You also know we also dig the modern cats like Harry Connick, Jr. and Michael Buble. Well, it's Christmas come early, cause Buble has a great swingin' CD out this past week. I listened to it all last week, and it's great. If you love this kind of music, then this is must have.




Books:
History of The Ancient World by Susan Wise Bauer
I feel strongly about education and history education in particular. Lately, I have been studying the connections of Western Civilization from the Greeks to the foundation of the United States. Seeing the current sad state of liberal arts education (and if you need an eye opener- check out Who Killed Homer by Victor Davis Hanson and John Heath), its no wonder that there is a disconnect with many people and the values and principles the country was founded on. The reasons why films like 300 resonate with people, is because it speaks to things that are such a part of our common culture, of who we are; and yet many do not understand why. It is time to bridge that gap. What better place to start than this recent wonderful book by Susan Wise Bauer, The History of the Ancient World. Bauer's book is the first volume in a planned four volume series on the history of the world. This is indeed a history of the peoples of the world, but there is so much to learn about Western Civilization as well as Eastern Civilization. Bauer's background is firmly rooted in classical liberal arts education and she gives such a great presentation with excellent maps, time lines, examples, and she does a great job of pulling altogether to present the common threads and important themes that resonate through history. I'm still reading this as of this writing and it's a pure joy to read. It's time to bring the classics back and reconnect our present with our past so we can understand ourselves and go forward to a better future.

Television:
Turner Classic Movies:
Man great flicks, great tunes and a great read. What more could you want? More great classic films? Who am I to deny you? TCM's star of the month is Katherine Hepburn, and this being the 100th anniversary celebration of both Hepburn and John Wayne, you can expect some great must see flicks this month. We know there is just not enough time in the day to watch them all, so we present to you some of our favorites and some rarely seen classics.

May 8th: Kick it off with some early Hepburn: Alice Adams (1935), Sylvia Scarlett (1936), and Mary of Scotland (1936) . And don't miss an excellent documentary on one of the first ladies of film: Katharine Hepburn: All About Me (1993).

May 9th: More Hepburn, this time with frequent guest star Cary Grant: Stage Door (1937), Bringing Up Baby (1938), Holiday (1938) and The Philadelphia Story (1940).

May 10th: To me, romantic comedy doesn't get any better than Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn: Woman Of The Year (1942), Keeper Of The Flame (1942), Without Love (1945), The Sea Of Grass (1947), and one of my personal favorites: Adam's Rib (1949).

May 11th: OK one more great Hepburn and Tracy flick: Pat and Mike (1952). And don't miss the worst case of great mega-classic not on DVD: The African Queen (1951).

May 12th: If you missed the great Brando documentary that premiered on TCM last week (and which we previewed here) you get a second chance today: Brando Part 1 and Part 2 (2007). Also don't miss the must see musical My Fair Lady (1964).

May 13th: It's Mother's Day! Why don't you handle the cooking and cleaning and let mom sit back and relax with some great classic films: Bachelor Mother (1939), Mildred Pierce (1945), I Remember Mama (1948) and Stella Dallas (1937). Just don't forget to provide the snacks and a fresh box of tissues.

May 14th: Film Noir is the order of the day: The Killing (1956), Angel Face (1953) and Orson Welles' underrated classic: Mr. Arkadin (1955).

Well, it's great to be back. And don't forget to stay tuned. Coming up we have looks at some upcoming DVDs that you need to plan for during the summer months, the continuation of our Read a Great Book Lately series, a preview of yet another new original TCM Documentary and much, much more. Same Shelf time, same Shelf channel.



No matter what you think you think, you think the same as I think.