Warner Archive has announced Blu-Ray releases for a couple of pictures we’ve all been pining for — Robert Wise’s Blood On The Moon and Norman Foster’s Rachel And The Stranger (both 1948).
From its cast (Robert Mitchum, Charles McGraw) to its brooding tone to its cinematography by Nicholas Musuraca, Blood On The Moon is one of the best examples of film noir creeping into the Western — and a big indicator of what the 1950s had in store for the genre. It’s terrific, and I can’t wait to see it in high definition.
Rachel And The Stranger is about as far from Blood On The Moon as you can get, a lighter, sweeter film with an unbeatable cast: Loretta Young, Robert Mitchum and William Holden. It was helped along at the box office by, of all things, Robert Mitchum’s marijuana arrest. Warner Archive is promising an uncut version — Howard Hughes cut over 10 minutes out of it — with Waldo Salt’s writing credit restored. This is a big, big deal.
50 Westerns From The 50s. 
Very much looking forward to both of these! On a side note I am currently enjoying your commentary track on Night Passage. Halfway through at the moment.
Glad you’re liking it. That’s a movie I like quite a bit, and it was a fun commentary to pull together — lots of stuff to try to nail down.
The big deal for me is BLOOD ON THE MOON a film many of have been
pining for in high def and aren’t Warners transfers wonderful these days.
I’ve been waiting for Toby or Laura to review Warners superb transfer
of CIMARRON a film that always divides opinion but the Blu Ray looks
wonderful.
Never seen RACHAEL AND THE STRANGER and Toby’s brief synopsis
means that I need too.
In the same batch is ACTION OF THE TIGER an MGM film that I loved as
a kid and as far as I know has not even had a DVD release.
Another much sought after MGM flick is RING OF FIRE again never
released on disc,I hope when Warners get ’round to it,it will be a Blu Ray
release.
Anyway ACTION OF THE TIGER was one of those sensational double
bills MGM used to release on a regular basis for us action loving kids.
I forget what it was released with,perhaps TARZAN & THE LOST SAFARI
I’m sure David Rayner will know.
ACTION OF THE TIGER is of special interest to Bond fans as in the
cast is Sean Connery and Anthony Dawson from DR NO plus it’s
directed by Terence Young.
Great scene in DR NO where Dawson’s hit man runs out of bullets
and Bond shoots him twice,the second time just to watch the body twitch.
It’s that scene where we know Bond is casually sadistic, that’s what an
English public school education does for you.
Also in ACTION OF THE TIGER is Yvonne Romaine who was also with
Dawson in CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF.
I remember seeing Yvonne interviewed about the scene where she
stabs Dawson’s sadistic Marquis,Hammer had to pad his back with
cardboard and Yvonne was so worried about hurting “this darling man”
At any rate it’s comforting to know Mr Dawson was nothing like the often
horrid characters that he played on screen.
@ John K – Funny you should mention Dr. No – as we are staying in place in the US to try to limit the virus impact we have started a movie of the night program. I basically pick a year randomly and then a movie from that year. Last night was 1962 & the movie Dr. No!
One of our TV channels over here is showing every Bond film this week starting with DR NO .