A while back I listed a batch of 50s Westerns on the way from Warner Archive. At that time, the actual release dates weren’t known — it was just April. Well, now we know it’s this coming Tuesday, April 21. Gonna be a busy week.
The Hired Gun (1957)
Directed by Ray Nazarro
Starring Rory Calhoun, Anne Francis, Vince Edwards, Chuck Connors
Black Patch (1957)
Directed by Allen H. Miner
Starring George Montgomery, Diane Brewster, Tom Pittman, Leo Gordon
Arrow In The Dust (1954)
Directed by Lesley Selander
Starring Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray (above with the titular arrow and dust), Jimmy Wakely, Lee Van Cleef
The Marauders (1955)
Directed by Gerald Mayer
Starring Dan Duryea, Jeff Richards, Keenan Wynn
Son Of Belle Starr (1953)
Directed by Frank McDonald
Starring Keith Larsen, Dona Drake, Peggie Castle, Regis Toomey
I have ARROW IN THE DUST ,THE HIRED GUN and also BLACK GOLD on order from Import CDs and received an email to say they’ve been shipped and are on the way .Cant wait .
Toby, you are a terror, especially for us Brits! The pound is getting a pounding against the dollar at the moment and we are supposed to find the cash for the temptations you put before us. Only joking. Yep, five more westerns from Warner Bros, to go with the three just recently released. I, for one am having to stagger my buying at the moment. I have just received THE LUSTY MEN and THUNDERHOOF. SEVEN ANGRY MEN , BADMEN OF TOMBSTONE and BLACK DIAMOND are next on my list, followed by STRANGER AT MY DOOR and THE QUIET GUN. The latest five will have to wait awhile. Incidentally I recently purchased the latest Universal Vaults Series western, UNION PACIFIC from Amazon. I had to send it back, as I also had to, with a replacement. The dvds would not play even though I have provision for U.S. coding. Is it a faulty batch I wonder? Another grumble I have at the moment, is that the 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives release of FROM HELL TO TEXAS is now out of print and no longer available. Does anyone know where I can get a copy of the dvd?
The new release calendar’s a bit financially intimidating, isn’t it? Sorry, I just report ’em!
That’s odd about From Hell To Texas — a made-on-demand title should never go out of print, theoretically, unless it’s pulled for a rights issue or something. You never run out of inventory.
If I were you, I’d bump The Quiet Gun to the top of the list. It’s such a cool little movie — and it looks terrific! (I got the Blu-ray.) It’s gonna be on my year best-of list for sure.
Ron,the pound may be going down the drain, (rather like England,
actually) but it’s still pretty strong against the Euro.
You can pick up the Koch Media version on Amazon de for a mere
9 Euros. The Koch version is a beauty of a transfer and comes in
lovely “hardback book” type slimline packaging.
Also there are no subtitle problems with Koch DVDs
Suggested Amazon de search-Henry Hathaway Westerns.
The incredible shrinking bank balance………
As if all of the above was not enough Koch are soon to give us
lovely Blu-Rays of CANYON PASSAGE and STAR IN THE DUST
and THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN…yep! I also love Universal
Fifties Sci-Fi.
Apart from the already mentioned stuff I also have on the way the
5-DVD set of THE DAKOTAS…really looking forward to that.
To add to all this some cat on the Warner Archive Facebook page
has just asked when are we gonna get season 1 of LAWMAN….
Warners say very soon!
As I also love vintage Horror,Hammer,AIP stuff there is plenty of that
to get as well. I don’t go for “slasher flicks” so I think I can live
without BLOOD AND BLACK LACE despite its high reputation,and
socko review on DVD Beaver. Also it stars one of my all time
faves Cameron Mitchell, but as Ron indicates you have to draw
the line somewhere.
Flitting around the blogs as you do,I see from a link over at Kristina’s
there seems to be an Arrow Blu-Ray in the pipeline of FLESH AND
THE FIENDS another old favourite and a “must have” for me.
I NEED something decent to watch at the moment as I’m already
suffering withdrawal symptoms from this never-ending UK election
nonsense three more weeks to go…enough already!
I really don’t know what England did to have this “shower”
representing us. Some of them like to keep telling us how well off
we all are….they just don’t take into account guys like me who need
a regular DVD “fix”.
.
Wow, Flesh And The Fiends! That’s one I’ll have to look out for.
Did you ever see The Doctor And The Devils? I thought it was a good version of the Burke/Hare story — and a good tribute to the great British horror films of the 60s. I love Freddie Francis!
Yep! I thought DOCTOR AND THE DEVILS was pretty good.
FLESH AND THE FIENDS is the BEST Burke And Hare movie and I’m
REALLY excited about the Blu-Ray.
I followed the link from Kristina’s and there is full info about all the
extras which look very impressive,typical of Arrow.
There is nothing noted on Arrow’s website at the moment.
According to the link there is the UK version and the “full strength”
Continental version and a raft of other stuff.
Paging Thehannibal8…………….
I love John Gilling vastly underrated Brit director.
Just to add my endorsement of John’s recommendation of the German DVD of From Hell to Texas – it’s a lovely edition.
Link: http://www.amazon.de/Schie%C3%9F-zur%C3%BCck-Cowboy-Don-Murray/dp/B004HHHNW0/ref=sr_1_30?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1429293302&sr=1-30&keywords=Henry+Hathaway
Lawman Season One, from the Warner Archive, has been listed at importcds.com for a couple of weeks now with a May 5, 2015 release day. ( I am waiting to pre-order it until Sunday or Monday so I don’t run into importcds policy of canceling orders that don’t ship in 22 days.)
Oh YAY thanks for the GREAT news on LAWMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! On top of all these Westerns I am so happy. Now I just need time to watch/review them. 🙂
Best wishes,
Laura
It looks like it’s gonna be the Koch dvd for me, Thanks John and Colin.
I name-dropped Toby’s Hannibal 8 alter ego here earlier.
Just to say I’ve just checked out his really cool review of cult classic
THUNDER ROAD.
Toby’s really outdone his already high standards, it’s a wonderful piece,
please be sure to check it out.
Thanks for the kind words, and plug, about my thing on Thunder Road over at H8. Glad you liked it.
I really love that movie — it makes me proud to call North Carolina home
http://wp.me/p4SU0r-iN
You are most welcome Toby,
You know I have not seen THUNDER ROAD in about fifty odd years,
and now I learn that the great Joe Maphis was involved with the
soundtrack this is a film that I’ve just gotta see again.
Back from the festival circuit Laura has really made my day by
reviewing RIDE THE MAN DOWN.
I hope that the FWOF crew will check out Laura’s really fine review
and it’s great to see Laura supporting the Republic cause.
At the moment it would seem that RIDE THE MAN DOWN is one
of the Republic titles to be released in Germany that will actually have
an English soundtrack. Please stay tuned regarding picture quality
and stuff.
Those cats at Universal Vault have been really quiet at the
moment but I feel that’s about to change.
They have loads of cash to splash at the moment.
Furious 7 has passed the billion $ mark globally and the much lower
budget Fifty Shades Of Grey has clocked in well over $500,000
globally.
I hasten to add gentle reader NOTHING could entice me to see
those two but if it paves the way for more Universal Westerns them I’m
all for it.
What would be ultra cool is if Universal scoured their vaults and came
up with negs of the missing CinemaScope Universal Westerns namely
WILD AND THE INNOCENT,DAY OF THE BADMAN and SAGA OF
HEMP BROWN.
I’m dying for Day Of The Badman
Whoops! correction to the above….$500.000,000 or half a billion,….
whatever!
I’ve just placed my pre-order for “THE HIRED GUN” (as well as for “THE QUIET GUN”). Champing at the bit to get ’em!
TCM showed a 1916 movie last night, it even looked good. Makes me mad every time I think that they still have 100 year old movies to marvel at yet Roy Rogers movies from the early ’50’s seem to be lost forever. It’s maddening isn’t it? Really makes me believe these films do exist, they’re just not in the public forum.
I ordered THE HIRED GUN tonight from oldies.com (I’ve bought Warner Archive new releases off them before and they’ve been reliable) and I’m looking forward to seeing the film in full CinemaScope for the first time in over 57 years when it arrives. Good job it’s finally being made available, as us babyboomers are not getting any younger. I was 10 and three quarters when I went to see it and I’m 68 now, so I’ve waited a hell of a long time to see it again in widescreen.
Same situation for me, David, for “DAY OF THE BADMAN” except that sadly we are still awaiting that one.
Universal have released some of their CinemaScope Westerns on DVD, Jerry, but nowhere near as many as they should have. There’s a guy on YouTube who’s uploaded THE SAGA OF HEMP BROWN from somewhere, but his upload is so dark, the picture is unwatchable. It looks like he videoed it by pointing his camera at some kind of screen where their is a ring of light only in the middle of the image. He’s uploaded a lot of Westerns on YouTube and they all look as bad.
These terrific little films deserve better, I think we all agree.
According to Movies Unlinmited, THE HIRED GUN isn’t released until May 1st, which would explain the reason why oldies.com haven’t sent it to me yet, after I ordered it from them eight days ago.
David Rayner ,I live in Australia and I got THE HIRED GUN a couple of days ago from Import cds along with ARROW IN THE DUST and BLACK GOLD.
Well, THE HIRED GUN finally arrived today after its long journey from Pennsylvania. I’ve just played it and I’m very pleased with it. An excellent transfer and it was wonderful to see the picture in full width CinemaScope again after nearly six decades instead of in half width pan and scan. A really good Western starring one of the best Western heroes, the legendary Rory Calhoun and the beautiful Anne Francis, what a girl to spend a night in the wilderness with! And did anyone notice the sign on one of stores in the background near the end? Joe Fenwick and Son, Boot Maker. There was a store with the same name in THE FASTEST GUN ALIVE made the year before. But if the town was the same set that was used in that earlier film, I couldn’t see the chuech anywhere in the background.