repost: thank you...

In honor of Memorial Day and all those who have served and are serving, we present this repost of an essay from a couple of years ago by Wolf: Some Gave All.



As we fire up the grills today and enjoy family and friends I challenge us all to remember those for whom this day began. For centuries man has engaged in battle. Since time began there has always been a group somewhere who took up arms to defend their own or others who could not do so for themselves. Today we remember those who undertook this duty for our nation, but did not live to return home. I am not ashamed to say that as Americans, we live in the greatest nation on this green earth. God smiles on this country and those who feel otherwise can go jump in a lake.
The Declaration of Independence and Constitution alike are documents inspired of God and we live under the protection of their great canopy today. Lets take today to enjoy our freedoms and remember those who stand watch and hoist that canopy for us.

There is the famous phrase "All gave some and some gave all..". We hear it now and then and most of us pay little attention. Today is the day we remember those who gave all. My grandfather fought in and was wounded in the invasion of Italy in WWII. He is with us today because our family is greatly blessed. There are those who fought alongside him who never made it back to their families. I once heard him talk about the horrors of war saying that since returning home he has thought "Why did I survive? Why is it that when I was injured that I came out OK yet there were so many others who never made it past 19 or 21 years of age and returned home dead." He told me once that he had a great friend in his unit from Tennessee. He said they fought together in North Africa and into Italy. After he was wounded, he was taken to a field hospital and then to Charleston, S.C. to recover. Once he had gained his bearings in Charleston, he says he went to great lengths to check on the status of his friend who was still fighting overseas. In the process of doing so, he discovered to his horror that his unit had gone on to spearhead an attack on a city held by the Nazis and was almost completely wiped out. The list of casualties included his friend. This caused him to wonder why he survived and why he wasn't dead with his friend. I know he is grateful that he is here with us today, but I understand why he has had concern in the past.

There are those who have gone on before who died for the cause of our freedom or for the freedom of another. I don't care what your politics are. Whether it's our freedom or the freedom of some other nation, it is still freedom. People say that our soldier are dying for nothing in Iraq, but I say that disrespects the fallen who went out and put their life on the line for the freedom of another. No soldier ever died for nothing as long as they believed in the cause for which they fought. Let us put partisan views aside today and remember those who will never make it home. For the sake of their memory and the honor of their families, let us join together this day in a moment of silence to remember those who have fallen. I know we've all seen this video clip of the soldier returning from Iraq and surprising his son. As a father of two boys, I know what it is to enjoy the love of your children. In my career I have had several instances where I thought that I might not have made it home to see them again. Luckily I'm still with my family, but as we watch this clip today, let's think of what it is like for all of those little boys and girls past and present who won't get to hug mommy or daddy again. Let's think that even though our soldiers fight for freedom right now in another country, they still fight and die for freedom. Let's honor them for their courage and sacrifice and let's think about what it means when we hear "some gave all".







Please feel free to comment if the need strikes you.

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. ."

repost: memorial day

Some of year are right in the middle of enjoying the three day weekend- let us not forget why we mark this day. A post from last year:

This is the day (which should be one of many) that we set aside to remember those who fought for our freedom and to defend it. I know many of us will be grilling and doing lots of other things, as it's become more of an unofficial kick off to summer. But let's take a moment and remember what the day really is for, and perhaps to thank those who have served or currently serve in the military.

I personally would like to thank my own dad who served in the Air Force during the Vietnam Era and my grandfather who was in the Army during World War II. The both served with honor. Thank you Dad and Papa, for not only your service, but for your example and the hundreds of lessons you taught me.

I like to also read or reread books about the soldiers such as D-Day, Citizen Soldiers, The Coldest War and so many more, but one of my favorites is Ambrose's Band of Brothers. It was turned into one of the best mini-series/movies I've seen about the subject. I'm posting two clips from the series; one from the beginning where the 101st Airborne drops into Normandy as an advance for D-Day, and one from near the end of the series where a patrol comes across a Concentration Camp. WARNING- some of the scene is a bit graphic, but nothing too bad. But watching these two clips remind me of how much they saw, but how much they accomplished.

Here is clip one from Band of Brothers: Episode 2, Day of Days


And here is the second clip. This time from Episode 9: Why We Fight


Thank you- and Happy Memorial Day.



I've come to realize that there is nothing good about war, but there is good in why you fight wars.

perhaps an explanation is in order...

We've been MIA for about a month now, and other than the regular pressures of daily life, work, etc, there are other reasons behind this absence and perhaps I owe some explanation to our loyal Shelfers- some sort of idea as to what's going on in Uncle Loophole's blogging mind.

Allow me to begin at the beginning. This blog was started in September of 2005, just a few weeks after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. I was venturing into blogging as something new- something to allow myself a venue to express my opinions and ideas; sometimes about politics, but mostly about popular culture and one of my passions, classic cinema. The blog grew unexpectedly and in short order, I was joined by my cohort, Wolf Flywheel. Wolf has been absent from writing on The Shelf for the better part of a year now, very much busy with work and family, but no less passionate about the things he essayed about here in these hallowed halls.
At the time there weren't as many "Classic Film Bloggers" out there as there are now, but there we enough to inspire me, challenge me and enlighten me. We wanted to increase the discussion and passion of classic film, and make the younger generation relate to it more. I think Turner Classic Movies and the Internet has done just that, and we have been lucky enough to be around and witness it happen.

We've also been lucky enough to develop a bit of a relationship with some of the wonderful folks at TCM and we've been able to promote and highlight their offerings in our own feeble way. We've even been fortunate to review classic and more recent DVDs from the kind folks in the marketing departments at Warner Brothers, Fox/MGM, Paramount and Genius Products. All in all, I'd say we've had loads of fun, and perhaps more than we really merited. After all, we are just a blog, not some sort of professional publication.

We also delved into popular culture and entertainment- discussing animation, television, our nations unhealthy obsession with celebrity and more discussion into our national psyche for good or bad. For several years we brought you the "media roundup" feature which we intended to highlight the best picks of DVDs, TV, books, music- generally all media releases of the week. It was time consuming, but great fun. We also contributed previews of documentaries on TCM, our TCM picks for the month and special Holiday posts looking at everything from television specials to candy. We've even posted about Old Time Radio several times.

This brief autobiography is not intended as self-aggrandizing talk in any way, but merely an introduction to the present condition and state of mind. You see, many times when I've come to these pages to discuss any of these things with you, I've often found a wonderful array of voices (many listed in our links or community sidebar) that have either discussed it or covered much of the same ground, etc. In other words- somebody else had beat us to it, and did it better than we would. I often found myself wanting more and more to just post a serious of links and say- "click here and read this! It's great and what we would say!" But that isn't much of a blog, is it?

You see, unlike 4 years ago, the voices discussing Classic films and much of the other topics we cover are many and all over the Internet. I regularly discover a previously unknown (to me) site almost every other week. And it's great. I felt like I was in a small community before, and now I feel like that community has grown by leaps and bounds.

So the question I've been asking myself more and more is- what am I doing? In the midst of daily like, work, etc- what difference can I make, what is the point of writing every week and what worthwhile statement or review or topic or discussion can I truly offer. Don't get me wrong. I love doing this, but things change. The media format are beginning to change, more towards digital download I believe. The DVD screeners, etc are slowing down, the TCM community is getting larger by the day- etc- and these are great things! So there you have it- what do I have to bring to the table. I guess I feel like the equivalent of the guy who brings jello salad to the church social: "More jello salad? Again?" (By the way- I'm not knocking on Jello). Even that old standby politics has become increasingly more visceral and less open to discuss. No one seems really interested in an honest exchange of ideas. And what's worse- more people are becoming less familiar with those ideas, period. Disheartening. We had a motto, oft repeated in the early days of this blog: Think for Yourself. It almost feels like spitting in the wind to say it now. And the question becomes- am I really thinking for myself? I don't know sometimes.

So I beg your indulgence. I don't think and don't mean to say we are shutting the doors here at The Shelf. It has been hard trying to do it on a regular basis by myself, but it also helps to have passion and direction: two things that have been missing lately. I have a few ideas- a proposal of a metamorphosis into something new; something I've been ruminating for a while. And I would love to include some of our great Shelf friends and fellow bloggers on this venture, but I must flesh it out, as it were, before diving in and proposing it.

In the meantime, I will try to post from time to time, although intermittently, until things have become clear. I will continue to maintain our wonderful collection of links to other great bloggers and our what's on the Shelf feature regularly. I would however welcome any criticism, suggestions or comments any of you may have, we certainly could use it. So please leave your thoughts in the comments section or feel free to email us at randomshelf@hotmail.com. We will be back soon!



We've been in worst jams than this, haven't we, Hildy?

115 years at the movies...

For 15 years, Turner Classic Movies has revitalized, encouraged and entertained classic movie fans everywhere. In 1994, Ted Turner, surrounded by Van Johnson, Celeste Holm, Jane Powell, Robert Osborne and others and threw the switch to begin a 15 year ongoing love affair with so many fans. The reasons we love TCM are too numerous to mention. The fact that it has stayed true to it's original mandate and to the fans is surely one of the most important: presenting classic films the way they were intended. Over the next week or so, we will be featuring several tribute articles to TCM, but allow us to kick off the way TCM did in 1994, with a featurette celebrating movies and, maybe- explaining why, at least visually, why we love the channel so. The original TCM 1994 featurette, 100 Years at the Movies.



We love you TCM. Here's looking at you, kid.



Life isn't like in the movies. Life... is much harder.

more treasure at treasure island

Good news for those of you watching the news about Warner Archives that we've discussed ad nausem here. The next wave has been released, with about 15 new titles, including several Randolph Scott westerns and some older Katherine Hepburn titles. The title I am most excited about is the release of The Mad Miss Manton with Henry Fonda, Barbara Stanwyck (prior to their Lady Eve pairing) and Sam Levene. That one definitely shot up on the Shelf "must have" list. All but one of the titles are pre-1960s and our pal Laura has listed all of the new releases over at her Miscellaneous Musings.

Now the extra good news is that Cinema Retro is reporting that there is currently a special offer that the kind folks at WB Archives are running, where if you click on the banner (available at Cinema Retro) and buy 2 titles, you can receive a third title free, using the promo code Spitfire. To be honest, I don't know if the code alone will suffice or not, but to be safe go over to Cinema Retro and enter the WBShop by clicking the promo banner there at this link: Cinema Retro: WB Promo.

Happy Classic Viewing and stay tuned to the Shelf, we have a special TCM tribute coming up and a DVD review of the recent special edition release of The Robe.



Miss Manton, I don't know what your game is but I know this - either your education or your spankin's been neglected. Now I can't do anything about spankin' ya, or can I?

happy easter to one and all...

While we are hunting for brightly colored eggs, please enjoy this repost from Easter of 2006. Happy Easter!

We know what you Shelfers have been asking for- and we intend to deliver. It's time for a look at Animated Easter Specials.
Easter Animation
Growing up as a little kid in the 1970s meant seeing Primetime animated specials in their heyday. Old pros like A Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and some others had been around for a while - but even more were being produced in the 70s. So you had not only the standards, but new classics coming out almost every year. The bulk of the Easter animated specials were made during the 70s and into the early 80s.

While some contend that primetime specials fizzled out by the early 80s, the production of new specials and the promotion and airing of specials continued to be strong well into the late 80s. The mid 80s saw new specials from Garfield, some new Peanuts specials, Fat Albert, Looney Tunes, and some Disney specials (also using old cartoon footage with new bridging animation or live action). For example, Garfield's Halloween Special premiered in the 1985-86 season - and the year before Disney produced a primetime special celebrating Donald Duck's 50th Birthday. The end of the era truly came in the late 80s through the early 90s when less and less primetime slots were allocated during the holidays for animated specials. New specials were rare- networks preferring to re-air specials for which they already owned the rights to air. New specials appeared occasionally, but usually in the form of a special using either a daytime or syndicated series (such as Tiny Tunes or a "special" holiday episode of The Simpsons).

Here is a short list (minus straight-to-video titles) of Primetime animated Easter specials produced during the 70s and early 80s. There were also the occasional "special episode" of a syndicated cartoon series- but those are for another list. Here are the shows you might have seen (and seen again) on some night during the week of Easter Sunday. What follows are brief highlights of a few of the specials that are real classics:

1971: Here Comes Peter Cottontail (Rankin/Bass)

1974: It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (Lee Mendelson-Bill Melendez Productions/ Charles Schulz Creative Associates/ United Features)

1976: The First Easter Bunny (Rankin/Bass)

1977 :The Easter Bunny Is Comin' To Town (Rankin/Bass) and Bugs Bunny's Easter Special (name was changed to Bugs Bunny's Easter Funnies when it appeared on VHS - Warner Brothers/ De Patie-Freeling)

1980 Daffy Duck Easter Special (WB/De-Patie-Freeling)

1982 The Smurf's Springtime Special (Hanna Barbara) and Fat Albert's Easter Special (Filmation)

1983 The Easter Chipmunk (Ruby-Spears' Alvin & The Chipmunks) and Family Circus Easter (Artisan)

Some other specials that were made for syndication and appeared on cable in Primetime: Yogi, the Easter Bear, 1994 and (believe it or not) Baby Looney Tunes' Eggs-Traordinary Adventure 2002

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

Rankin Bass pretty much ran through the gate with Here Comes Peter Cottontail. Based on a book, the special tells the story of Peter's efforts to win the right to be the Chief Easter Bunny. Told through RB's stop-motion "ani-magic", Here Comes Peter Cottontail features wonderful voice work and a classic story. Danny Kaye stars as the narrator Sassafrasrass and Peter's allies, Colonel Bunny and Antoine. Casey Kasem is our hero, Peter and Vincent Price plays his rival, Irontail. Rankin Bass vets Paul Frees and Joan Gardiner are also featured. Peter races through the holicalendarnder trying to give away more Easter eggs than the nasty Irontail so that he can earn the right to be Chief Easter Bunny. This one is a little different in that it doesn't concentrate on Easter the Holiday - Peter actually cycles through everything from Halloween to the Fourth of July. Danny Kaye is great and you stop thinking - "hey, that Rabbit sounds like Casey Kasem" about 10 minutes into it and just focus on the story. Excellent special which should be on your Shelf, and it has just been reissued on DVD this year. You most likely find it being pushed with a new animated feature movie Peter Cottontail- The Movie, which is being touted as a sequel of sorts. It appears to be CGI, but I can't give any other details, because I haven't seen it. You are on your own - but let us know in the comments section if you have seen it and tell us what you think. Here Comes Peter Cottontail is very recommended.

It's the Easter Beagle Charlie Brown

Last week we took a brief trip to 1975. Let's go back for a brief moment shall we? The television season of 1974-75 saw the debut of several great primetime animated specials, three of them in particular were animated and produced by Bill Melendez and Lee Mendelsen and premiered on CBS. They were: Yes, Virginia There is a Santa Claus, Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown, and It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown . I love 'em all- and I wish I could find Virginia on DVD. Needless to say It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown is a classic- and I'm sure you are not surprised that we would have that opinion. What really sets it apart for me is that it is a trip reverse kind of Great Pumpkin. All of the gang are worried about getting things ready for Easter, but Linus reminds them that they don't need to worry- the Easter Beagle will take care of that. You would think that having just been dealt a devastating blow by the whole Great Pumpkin fiasco that Linus would've been ostracized by the rest of the crew. But no- they tolerate him and his "quirks" as a lovable group of friends should. Were they not worried that Linus would wig out on them some day and invent some elaborate scenerio in which he invites them all to a deserted mansion at the top of a spooky hill for a reunion, in which he secretly plans to cut off all communication, block all exits and roads and then kill them off one by one for laughing at him and his "quirks" while they were kids? Did they? I don't think so- but then, this was the 70s, peace, love and whatever makes you happy man. Darn you, hippies! Guess what though- Linus turns out to be right! Sweet revenge! Speaking of Hippies, Peppermint Patty and Marcie have a great role in this special (the first to include them by the way). Patty attempts to teach her "friend" Marcie how to dye eggs - and Marcie does everything to those eggs but hardboil them. It was the first time I heard belly laughs out of my kids when they were watching a Peanuts special scene that didn't involve Snoopy. Do yourself a favor - go get the DVD. It also has a bonus special, It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown (Charlie Brown was not stupid- why did he need constant reminding of when the holidays were coming?). It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown is highly recommended.

Bugs Bunny's Easter Special

Bugs Bunny's Easter Special. Believe it or not, this was the first Looney Tunes "Holiday" themed special. This pretty much set the standard for most of them, and was one of the better produced as it was primarily done by Friz Freeling and his studio. The special had Granny trying to find a replacement for an ailing Easter Bunny. Various Looney Tunes characters are recruited as Granny goes through the Warner's Studio either encountering characters working or screening their work. This is a device that bridges the footage from old cartoon shorts with new animated sequences. Fairly standard Holiday Looney Tunes fare, but when you are a kid and you love Looney Tunes anyway, you don't need much encouragement to love it. By the way, at the end it is revealed that Daffy was the Easter Bunny in disguise all along. That Daffy! It is doubtful that this show will ever see DVD, which is a shame because it would be nice to have the bridging sequences. If you can find it, Bugs Bunny's Easter Special is recommended.


The Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town

Along with It's the Easter Beagle Charlie Brown, this is my favorite. This Rankin- Bass classic follows in a similar vein to their popular Santa Claus is Comin' to Town. In fact, Fred Astaire reprises his role as The Mailman from that film to, yet again, answer kids questions about our Holiday favorites. He tells us the story of Sonny, the first Easter Bunny and how many of the Easter traditions we love today were invented. Everything from Jelly Beans to dyed eggs, Easter suits and Easter parades are explained. The story follows Sonny as he is found and raised in a town comprised of just kids, called (of course) Kidsville. Sonny tries to trade off some of the eggs (laid by singing hens with southern accents no less) in a nearby kingdom, but meets a problem in the form of a egg pinching bear named Gadzooks. With the help of a hobo named Hallelujah Jones, Sonny and kids come up with clever ways to get past Gadzooks. Do I need to stop and alert you to the fact that the only adult present in Kidsville is a hobo? I think not- I will let the obvious jokes percolate on your own brain. (Hey, you gotta help a little!) Once Sonny makes it to the the nearest town called Town (the writers were very busy that year) that had no children except one, the King named Bruce. G'Day Bruce! One problem- while Bruce likes Sonny and wants him to bring all his Easter goodies, the real iron fist behind Bruce is his Aunt Lily Longtooth, who makes Bruce do everything she says and wants things just so. I think you can figure out where everything leads. We've got Easter eggs and Jelly beans after all! The Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town is out on DVD and is recommend.

Well - that's it Shelfers- stay tuned for more Shelf madness!

Some Easter Beagle! He gave me my own egg!

repost: hard boiled

The following is a repost from Easter time of 2006. Please enjoy and have a Happy Easter!


Believe it or not, one of my favorite times of year is almost here. Yes, I know I said the same thing when Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas came around- but I mean it. Easter and Spring have not only a spiritual meaning for me, but a resonating deep in my bones happiness born in my childhood. Before you accuse Loophole of going sappy on you - let me explain. I won't get into the religious side of things- it is very significant for those of us to whom Easter is a religious holiday. To some it isn't. Some of our friends celebrate Passover instead, some celebrate a secular Easter (which sounds strange) - some don't celebrate at all. Springtime and Easter have sort of become co-dependent in a strange sort of way. The imagery and symbolism of rebirth, life, and the escape from the tomb of winter has it's obvious meanings. To let you know right away- I love Easter time and the spiritual and religious holiday that it is. But that is my affair- I won't get into that. Instead, I wish to convey to you some of the things that spring and Easter have brought in my childhood and why it gets me kinda sappy (just kinda) this time of year.

Easter eggs- I love 'em. Sure I could make hard boiled eggs anytime, but growing up as a kid my granddad and I would bring our Easter eggs to the table and have Egg Wars! We would each take a brightly colored egg and then hit them together to crack them. The egg that doesn't crack was the toughest and the winner. Fortunately the loser gets to eat the defeated egg. We stuffed our selves more than once over the years and to this day I can't watch Cool Hand Luke with out feeling a bit of nausea. But it passes. The dyeing of the eggs were always special fun growing up- trying to make the most different shades and patterns was a particular past-time. And of course, egg salad sandwiches were on the lunch menu from days to come.

Easter candy- To me, Easter candy beats out Halloween and Christmas, and puts Valentine's Day to shame. I believe St. Patrick's Day gave in when faced with the consequence of being stuck between Valentines Day and Easter. Jellybeans, Cadbury Eggs, Reese's Eggs, Chocolate Rabbits, Robin's Eggs, Chicks and Rabbits- the list goes on. And of course, the champ in my book- Peeps. The yellow chick Peeps are and endangered species around my house.

Classic Movies- Sure - there aren't as many as Christmas, but when I think of when I was a kid I remember the great "sword and sandal" movies and religious movies that were on TV almost weekly during Passover and Easter. The Ten Commandments, Samson and Delilah, The Robe, Ben-Hur, The Greatest Story Ever Told- etc. This was an early introduction to classic "epic" films for me. And one of my favorite films to watch isn't even on that list- Easter Parade with Fred Astaire and Judy Garland. And usually there were other musicals on the tube to go with it. Great stuff

Animated Specials- If you are a Shelfer then you know of our ongoing series of looks at the history and production of animated prime-time specials. Easter has some great specials. In fact, the great Rankin-Bass has more than one: Here comes Peter Cottontail, The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town, and The First Easter Rabbit. The Peanuts gang appear in It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown - where Marcie comes up with more ways to screw up making Easter eggs than any kid has a right to know. Be on the lookout for another Shelf article on Easter specials coming soon.

Spring- You gotta give props to the season itself. I actually love Fall best- but Spring is a close second. The only downer is the pollen and subsequent sinus and allergy problems that follow me everywhere. Nonetheless- where I live the Spring days are just lovely- flowers, cool breezes, trees blooming, etc. Just the season coming alive is great.

Family- Well- most of my Easter memories have to do with the traditions and time spent with my family. I guess that's one reason why I love holidays so well and I don't apologize for it. Easter day was always a time for a big meal and the kids had lots of fun with Easter egg hunts, improvised Wiffle Ball games, and drawing with colored chalk on the drive way. Now that I am older I get to watch the kids now- but I do find some fun in hiding the eggs this time around. Besides one of children was born on the day before Easter one year. Easter always will have connections to and memories of family.





Easter Rabbit: But you can't quit now. You'll give the Easter Rabbit a bad name.
Bugs Bunny: I already have a bad name for the Easter Rabbit.

happy passover

We would like to wish all of our friends of the Jewish faith a very happy and meaningful Passover.

This week also marks the Holy Week and Easter for those of the Christian Faith- we will be looking at a couple of great Biblical Film Epics in the next few days that used to abound this time of year on television, but, alas -no more. Thank goodness for DVD. Stay tuned...



You gave me this staff to rule over scorpions and serpants. God has made it a staff to rule over kings.

treasure island

(With apologies to Thrilling Days of Yesteryear-- I just realized you titled your piece on this topic Treasure Island as well. I didn't mean to swipe it from you, it didn't really see the title previously, as I was interested in what you wrote. It should however, reflect the similar attitude with both have towards this news.)

I have dreams. Oh, yes- I have dreams. When I was a kid, they used to be of the trapped-in-a-toy-store-with-endless-amounts-of-candy variety, but nowadays sometimes they tend to be more...pedestrian. I dream that I will come home from work one day and lawn has been raked and mowed, or a neighbor got one of my bills in their mailbox, but figured, "Oh what the heck. I'll pay it for him anyway." That's not to say I don't have some more fantastical dreams. Remember that Twilight Zone episode with Burgess Meredith and the books? Nagged and bothered anytime he chose to read, one day something happens and his city is wiped out- no people anywhere. He goes to the library and rejoices that now he finally has time to read anything he wants. Then his glasses break. My dream is like that, except without the city being wiped out, glasses or books. But it does involve black and white- My dream was that somewhere there is a place, an island maybe, where I could go and ALL of the classic movies would be there and I could just pick and choose what I wanted. No hoping for studios to but them out on DVD, no searching stores for titles, or trying to DVR or catch a lucky break and see it on TV. This dream was a dream of a true Treasure Island.

I say was, because, in a way, part of it has come true. In case you haven't heard, Warner Brothers has begun a new way to provide classic films to consumers. This morning, I began my stroll down my own proverbial Allen's Alley of The Shelf Community and got the scoop from the fantastic Laura from Laura's Miscellaneous Musings, and from our pal Ivan at Thrilling Days of Yesteryear (both of whom credit the blog Something Old, Something New for the news).
In short, Warner Brothers is providing a sort of "upon order" system on their website, where you can order titles from Warner Vault, all of which have never been previously released to DVD. Let me be clear- these are many titles (as of now about 150 are listed) from Warner's massive vault that have never made it, and never will make it to traditional, retail-ready DVD. And the titles are fantastic!

You can order a DVD copy of a title for $19.99 or a digital download for $14.99 of any of these classic titles, which range from the silent era and into the 80s. In the event of a DVD order, WB will then press the DVD of the title and send it to you in a DVD case with artwork and DVD label, just as if you had purchased it in the store. This is a phenomenal move, one that took me a while to truly process the historic nature of and what it means. Ronald Epstein at Home Theater Forum also announced this today and has more details, and there will be a live chat with George Feltenstein from Warner Brothers tonight at HTF, where the will discuss this and other projects in the works. Roger has also stated: "The quality of these DVDs (and I forgot to mention these are only DVDs) are as good as anything you would expect the studio to release. Theywill be in their proper aspect ratio, 16x9, and with the necessary audiocodecs. Nothing will suffer when it comes to presentation quality."

According to sources, WB plans to add to the Archive- about 20 additional titles a month. By end of the year, there may be around 300 titles available. A quick glance at the 145 or so available now have already got the heart pumping: Private Lives with Norma Shearer, Ah Wilderness, Carbine Williams with Jimmy Stewart, the great campy superhero flick Doc Savage: the Man of Bronze, Tugboat Annie with Marie Dressler, Edison the Man with Spencer Tracy and on and on. Like I said, it's my dream of a DVD Treasure Island come to life...except for the island part or the part where it's free. But I will take it! The only disappointment, and I rate this as somewhat minor- is the fact that there will be no extras, except for the occasional original trailer when available. I do enjoy the extras and commentaries, but I would rather have this if means it's a choice of having a great print of a film on DVD or none at all. Make no mistake, this is a counter move by WB brought on by several factors, not the least of which is the economy, the increasing move to Blu-Ray (and I personally think the real new format- download), and a way to satisfy consumer demand while still minimizing the chance that some titles won't sell.

More details are continuing to emerge (so stay tuned), but all indicators are that this is a welcome offering, and I think a historic turning point in the way the content is delivered. Sure, digital download has been around, but on a scale like this from a major studio is huge news and a massive undertaking. George Feltenstein in a article in the International Tribune states: "There are still thousands of movies that we own that consumers haven't been able to get. I expect that we'll be selling thousands of copies of every title over a period of time, and making a lot of people really happy." In another article in the L.A. Times, Feltenstein further states:
"My dream has always been to find a way to get everything to everybody who wants it... No matter how obscure or arcane, there is something in the library that somebody wants. But yet you have to hit a certain threshold of sales potential to justifying making a DVD the old-fashioned way. Just the cost of authoring, compression and menus, all of that kind of thing, can run into a great deal of money, and with shelf space at retail being diminished -- there is no more Tower Records, Music Plus. . . . [Now] We can make two DVDs or we can make 2,000 [of a title]."

Did you catch the "everything" in that statement kiddies? Least you think I am still dreaming, my professional role model, Glenn Erickson, AKA The DVD Savant, wrote a piece about this news at his site, in which he received a further statement from Feltenstein himself, to wit:
"The goal is to eventually make EVERYTHING available, but obviously that will take a lot of time, and a lot of money. I set out some ground rules. Everything HAS to be Original Aspect Ratio, and 16x9 if widescreen. No 4x3 Letterbox. No Pan 'n' Scan. I also wanted consumers to be able to preview the master before the buy, so they'd understand what they were buying." See, Feltenstein told Glenn the goal is to make EVERYTHING available.

So let's show WB our support, classic film fans, by doing your consumer thang, as it were. Who knows- maybe your hard-to-find dream flick is only a few months away from being on the list. You can check out the WB Archive site here: WBshop.com, and a FAQ about the discs here. Laura and several other sources are also stating that television series may be available in this fashion as well. One question I had was if Netflix or other rental sites would be making a connection here, to provide fans the opportunity to rent any of these films, to which we will have to wait and see. However the good news is that ClassicFlix online DVD rental site has already put up and shut up if you will, and have stated that they are purchasing the WB titles and they will be available thru their service.

If anyone has more news to add, or hears of any further details, please contribute your comments in the comments section or email us at randomshelf@hotmail.com. Stay tuned...

Monday evening update: Please be sure to read the comments section folks- and add your own as well. Please note Ivan's comments (TDYY) about other studios falling suit. I agree with him; and like I said earlier- this is historic folks. I truly believe that. The beginning of a massive move. Now it may not be as historic or earth-shattering as previous breakthroughs, but I think it is rather fitting that the studio that changed the Hollywood and banked on sound films is now taking another turn to the future.




Oh, for ten toes!

quick dvd news

Just wanted to interrupt the corned beef and cabbage for a moment and note that Fox Home Entertainment has listed two films for development on their Fox Classics page, under coming soon: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Stars and Stripes Forever (1952 bio of John Philip Sousa starring Clifton Webb). I know several Shelfers and classic film fans have been looking forward to Brooklyn for sure- let's hope they continue to do the great transfer jobs they've been doing lately on their classics. You can go to Fox Classics webpage to see the Coming Soon listing for yourself. It also includes several re-releases and the soon to be released special edition of The Robe. We just received a review copy and we will be posting that review soon. You can also read a transcript of the interesting chat with Fox restorationist Schawn Belston that was held at the Home Theater Forum, courtesy of The Digital Bits.
Stay tuned.



For childhood, Saturday - free from school - is the most changeless of institutions - whether it is in city or village, or main street, or in those vital, teeming streets which were the Brooklyn of a few decades ago.

a wee bit of irish...

Happy St. Patrick's Day to one and all!
First off a clip from that great movie, The Quiet Man, just to put us in the right spirit:


Also we present two great performances:
Allison Krauss and The Cheiftains perfoming Molly Ban:

Also
The Coors and The Cheiftains live- get yer dancin' shoes out lassie!


Enjoy!




Then, a toast: May their days be long and full of happiness; may their children be many and full of health; and may they live in peace... and freedom.

weekend tv

With the non-stop presence of cable television, DVDs and streaming internet, no one should be starved for entertainment or their favorite television shows. Just because it's say, a rainy Saturday afternoon, no kid should be sighing that there is nothing to do. To say that kids are over-indulged today is perhaps an understatement. I'm guilty of it and so are many other parents. In many ways it's just a result of technology and the times in which we live. However, the burden lies on the parent. Turn off the game console, the internet or TV and kick them outside and introduce them to the light. Television and such is great, especially enjoyed in moderation. That being said, I remember my childhood days - the weekends were great, at least Saturday. The regimen was simple: get up early, break out the sugary cereal, watch hours of cartoons, then after a quick lunch, hit the door running for playtime outside.

Yeah- I said hours of cartoons. Many moons ago, it wasn't very often that you got a chance to watch a cartoon. Maybe a weekday afternoon, or during the holidays, perhaps an evening special on TV. But for the most part, Saturday was the high holy day of animation for kids. But what about Sunday? Sure Sunday was church for a lot of families, perhaps even visiting even more family, but for the most part it was the kids last ticking hours until school on Monday. And there wasn't much that could releive the stress from that impending doom on television either. Except....

Well, when I was a kid Sunday late afternoon meant two things: Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom and The Wonderful World of Disney (or what ever titled incarnation thereof). Two shows I very much looked forward to. And then on occasion, during the holidays, we got to stay up to watch whatever primetime holiday special that was being aired on television. It was fun and exciting. Partly because it was the chance to watch cartoons or wild animals on TV, but also because of the fact that it wasn't an everyday, available at your fingertips existence. I sometimes lament that my own children don't have that same excitement when it comes to holiday specials. After all, we have them on DVD- they could watch Christmas specials in July if they wanted.

So, what got me to thinking about all that "excitement"? Well, I read this neat article, A Tribute to Discontinued Cereals, and wanted to share it with all the Shelfers out there, which I did by hotlinking the title. Go on check it out- I'll wait. Do da de, da dum.....Oh, back already? Ok, good. Well seeing some of those boxes (like the one above, which said picture came from said article), I also got to think about those Sunday afternoons as well. So I thought I would bring a little of the past for all of us to enjoy- well, at least those of us who grew up with this stuff. And as a bonus- since it is close to another holiday- I had to include some of those ubiquitous classic commercials that were always shown during these shows. So I present to you the classic Sunday one-two punch (or at least the openings, plus a bonus):

First up: Marlon Perkins in Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom:


Commercial Break!


Next the Wonderful World of Disney:


Commercial Break!


Finally, I always got excited when the Wonderful World of Disney had a Donald Duck cartoon- especially if it was one with the Bee or my favorite, Humphrey Bear. So let's take a look at one that was on the show many times: Rugged Bear!


Well I hope you've enjoyed this little trip down memory lane. Perhaps we can turn off the television now and then, not only to get the kids out into the sunshine or into a book, but to also make the entertainment that much more special. Have a great weekend!



People like to think their world is somehow more grown up than Papa's was.

when you wish upon a star...

This week sees the 70th Anniversary release of the DVD Platinum edition of Walt Disney's follow up to Snow White: Pinocchio. If you have the previous incarnations of this film on VHS or DVD, you might think- Why bother? If you are a Disney-phile, you are thinking: I hope they did it right this time, and where can I pick it up. The one thing that Disney has understood for many years is the value of it's history and the endless recycling of it's product. From rereleasing it's films in theaters on a rotating basis to the creation of the mysterious "Disney Vault", fans have had many opportunities to see these films. In recent years with the refinement of DVD, the internet and Blu-Ray more Disney films have been including more features and behind the scenes material, etc. And this newest re-release of Pinocchio is no exception.

Whether you are merely a fan of the parks, or maybe the animation or even like me - an all-around Disney fan, you probably have a collection of DVDs or books and are interested in the various aspects of Walt Disney's imagination come to life.(I recently finished a recent book on the creation and building of Walt Disney World called Realityland, which I do recommend for a well balanced portrait of the realities of running WDW) I love reading everything on the parks, the animation, live action films and especially the man himself. However the Disney corporate office itself has had a mixed history in understanding the heritage and the love that fans have for it and Walt's legacy. I have found that that has changed in recent years, at least in the support of the archival output- everything from the Walt Disney Treasures series on DVD to now some material showing up on the web.

So when I found this Disney run site, D23, I was somewhat skeptical but encouraged that there would be some good stuff. Billing itself as "The Official Community for Disney Fans", D23 is a website, a quarterly publication and fan community. Why "D23"? It references the founding year of Disney's studio: 1923. The focus seems to be on the dedicated fan looking for archival information, behind the scenes look and nostalgic material. The is even a print edition that will be available every quarter (including at Barnes and Noble stores). The site seems to be is available to everyone, but there is a charter membership available, but you can check that out on the site yourself. My favorite aspect so far is the Archive page with historic material and articles, but also a daily page of old Disney comic strips including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck (my fave) and Scamp (Lady and the Tramp). The scans aren't the greatest quality, but hopefully will improve. Also fun is the link to clips and videos of classic cartoons and behind the scenes videos. All in all it's a cool site and gives a Disney-phile like myself more material to enjoy. Check it out- it's being added to the Shelf Links list, and you might want to put it on your favorites as well. Oh- and don't forget to pick up Pinocchio if you haven't already.

Also: Here is an article from Jim Hill Media about the launch of D23- honestly, I didn't realize that the launch was a big media event. Apparently there was and while some critics are complaining that this is yet another Disney method to wring money out of fans, the website has the backing of everyone from Bob Iger and corporate to the actually dyed in the wool Disney Legends like Dave Smith (legendary historian and archivist - who knew they could be legendary) to Marty Sklar (legendary Imagineer) and John Lasseter (head of Disney and Pixar animation studios). Hmmm- am I out of the loop or ahead of the curve? Who cares? Check it out.





I'm not interested in pleasing the critics. I'll take my chances pleasing the audiences.

tcm pick for march 4th with original trailer

Here is a great pick for today, starting TCM's star of the month Ronald Reagan and Pricilla Lane: Brother Rat!
Check out the trailer and be sure to see it, tonight at 8pm est.

Brother Rat (1938) Original Trailer:


This is the film where Reagan met his first wife, Jane Wyman and is Eddie Albert's film debut.
Enjoy!


Does this happen all the time when a girl doesn't wear glasses?

happy birthday, dr. seuss!

In honor of the birthday of Dr. Seuss we offer the following special presentation. If you were a kid in the 70s, you will remember this TV special: The Cat in the Hat!

Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:


Enjoy!



I am indeed a cat, and this, indeed, is a HAT.

must see tv..., er, internet

I know we've been away from our battle stations for a little while, but a healthy dose of Jury Duty and catching up afterwards will do that for you. Nonetheless, I have read several things lately around the ol' Shelf Community and our neighbor bloggers and friends and found many things worth reading. Some of the best commentary and film history is right here at your fingertips with a few clicks of the mouse. Allow me to highlight a few; it's time for another edition of The Shelf's Passing Parade.

Item 1:
Big Hollywood is big time for sure, so congratulations are in order to John Nolte (formerly Dirty Harry) and Andrew Breitbart. While it is a daily read, two articles in particular are wonderful gems:
First up, one of our favorites, Robert Avrech, of the great Seraphic Secret, posted an article today on the story of silent film actress Alma Rubens and her rise and fall and all too brief life. It is perfect companion to our various discussions about the Hollywood of the silent and pre-code era. Wonderful piece.
Second, Noel Anenberg gives a very interesting take on the classic western High Noon and how it is analogous to our present political situation.

Item 2:
Those of you who may have seen the documentary Warners at War on last year's Homefront Collection DVD, or even have read Hollywood Goes to War or various biographies of the Warner Brothers, have heard of Warner's 1943 effort at propaganda called Mission to Moscow. It's a now little-seen film which Warners produced in 1943 starring Walter Huston as an ambassador to the USSR; ostensibly based on the real life story and book of the actual ambassador. It was an effort at boosting relations between our wary ally and our wary selves, but it only really gave Warners headaches over the years. TCM ran it on their schedule recently and the awesome Self-Styled Siren has seen and wrote a great review of the film and discussed it's impact and place among classic films. Please go check out her post and tell her Uncle Loophole sent ya'. It's been one of my favorite posts in recent memory.

Item 3:
There is another great post on a now little known actress whose career spanned decades on stage and screen: but chances are many people have seen her and never really knew who she was. Remember the chain smoking lady from the afterlife office in Beetlejuice? Well her name was Sylvia Sydney and she worked with many of the greats including Fritz Lang (in one of my favorite little Lang films he did in the US- Fury with Spencer Tracy) and Hitchcock. Moira Finne has penned an extensive portrait of this fascinating woman and her equally fascinating life over at TCM's Movie Morlocks.

Item 4:
Speaking of TCM, have you been attending TCM U during the 31 Days of Oscar? You should be- just click on the TCM ad at the top to go over and check out the schedule.

Item 5:
And finally, make sure to check in with the DVD Savant Glenn Erickson and his new feature at film.com every month: Glenn's Guide for the Classics Collector.

Hope you've enjoyed this addition of the Passing Parade and will enjoy the articles. Be sure to check them out and stay tuned for more of the Shelf.



People gotta talk themselves into law and order before they do anything about it. Maybe because down deep they don't care. They just don't care.