Saul Bellow readingDespite finding some fairly mediocre TV shows and movies on DVD format pretty quickly, there are a large number of movies still not available. TCM has a list here.
I would particularly like to see a PBS movie from 1981 of a favorite short story of mine by Irwin Shaw: Girls in Their Summer Dresses (Jeff Bridges and Carol Kane). It sits waiting on my netflix saved list with a bunch of others--like Looking for Mr. Goodbar.
I was excited to hear THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE comes out in April finally.
What movie are you waiting to see again on DVD? What is the most egregious omission?
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And the damnedest thing is how many have been released on laserdisc or videotape, but Something's Happened Since in mergers and/or acquisitions, or for some other magnolious reason the reissue has been delayed. Almost at random, I'll note that Ingmar Bergman's fantasy comedy THE DEVIL'S EYE is one I'd like on a fully-featured dvd. Or the Nicholas Roeg-directed and brilliantly shot CASTAWAY, the first great role for Amanda Donohoe and nearly the last one for Oliver Reed, even if like most Roeg films it's a failure as a narrative.
But it's notable that your citation of GIRLS IN THEIR SUMMER DRESSES...I haven't dug it out yet, but that's probably an AMERICAN PLAYHOUSE offer (a trio of Shaw stories offered together), and that whole series could stand a representation on dvd...a number of the films had theatrical release and saw dvd release subsequently (COME SEE THE PARADISE, TESTAMENT, SMOOTH TALK--I think), but I'd like to see "City News" and Edward Herrmann's one-man "The End of a Sentence" again. Hell, I want Disney to cough up the third and last season of ONCE AND AGAIN.
I'd like to see all the seasons of PERRY MASON and ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS released. But this recession may delay that for years.
SMOOTH TALK-I would love to see that again. Yes, I think it was part of that series. They used to do more edgy creative stuff.
I get a lot of Alfred Hitchcock presents on some cable station. But no Perry.
A spam bot or a opportunistic vendor?
Oh, SMOOTH TALK was definitely an AMERICAN PLAYHOUSE...I just couldn't remember if it had come out on DVD. (And then there are the DVDs that are out of print.)
Yes, PBS had a little funding for drama and a less berseerk FCC looming over it in the 1970s and even into the 1990s. AMERICAN FAMILY, the dramatic series starring Edward James Olmos and Constance Marie, was the last real gasp of that, and the Hillerman adaptation movies.
Lindsay Law, the producer of AMERICAN PLAYHOUSE, went on to head Fox Searchlight, Murdoch's "indie"-esque film division, which has been doing Mostly good things. Mostly.
ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS is also pretty well represented on Hulu.com, so once can view it there, and since Hulu is in part a means of selling dvds and/or douwnloads (eventually), look for AHP soonish.
My daughter just read HEART OF DARKNESS in school, so I wanted to get APOCALYPSE NOW on DVD. All that's available is APOCALYPSE NOW REDUX, the director's cut, which isn't nearly as good. We actually skipped throuhg parts of it to get to the "real" movie.
I would have said THE HUSTLER, but I think it's finally available.
Because there are films that never made it to DVD I keep my VHS of them around, but for me the top of my list include:
Dudes- 1987 Punk Rock Western, this film really did change my life by letting me know there was more out there culturally than the mainstream, and it introduced me to a lot of music that I still love today.
Night of the Creeps- one of the best cheesy B-films from the 80s, this very watchable film has space aliens, a missing ax murder, and a wise cracking 50s style police Detective.
I don't think either of these are at the top of anyones list of films to be reissued.
and How could I forget there is a Documentary called the Ten-Year Lunch: The Wit and Legend of the Algonquin Round Table that I saw once in high school and didn't get, but would love to see now.
I can't think of anything offhand, but your mention of Girls in Their Summer Dresses (which I've never seen) reminds me that the only reason I've heard of it is because it's mentioned in a Woody Allen movie. Was it Husbands and Wives? I'm not sure. Woody Allen also led to me buying The Easter Parade, by Richard Yates because it's mentioned in Hannah and Her Sisters. How about that? My reading list is affected by Woody Allen movies.
The first three seasons of PERRY MASON are available on DVD. They're wonderful; the dvds are no-frills, just the episodes but that's enough for me.
I'm waiting for IT TAKES A THIEF and SPENSER FOR HIRE to come to dvd. There are some episodes of THIEF on Hulu, but I'd like a complete set. Also there was a tv production of MR. ROBERTS (maybe American Playhouse, I don't know) that had Kevin Bacon as Ensign Pulver. I'd like to see that again.
I liked Easter Parade almost as much as Revolutionary Road and Eleven Kinds of Loneliness.
I've never heard about the Alquonquin tape. Sounds great.
So often it's just the movie you want. I'm not an aficionado enough to care about interviews with cast and crew.
Todd-It must pick up any mention of DVD on blogs and plug in.
I've never heard of that version of Mr. Roberts either.
Corey Wilde's memory of MR. ROBERTS is of a 1984 live NBC staging of the play:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0207607/
Patti, check this site out.
www.songofthesouth4me.net
They also say No Time For Sargeants is coming soon. I found this site through Amazon.com.
Thanks, Randy. I will.
I have a LONG list of movies that aren't on DVD (and some never on VHS). Silent King Vidor (The Crowd, The Patsy, Show People, Jackknife Man, Big Parade), Victor Sjostrom's The Wind - - - - I'll stop myself from going on too big of a rant. All I can say is, thank goodness for TCM, which shows them occasionally. And thank my trusty VCR for not crashing.
Yes, thank God for TCM. I remember when AMC showed old movies without commercials. And when BRAVO was more than just a reality show destination.
THE DEADLY AFFAIR (1966), starring James Mason and Simone Signoret. It was adapted from John le Carre's novel, "Call for the Dead."
I remember seeing the lobby cards when I was a kid, but I never saw the movie.
There are a lot of old British films I've wanted to see my whole life. Especially those with James Mason.
THREE CASES OF MURDER is another Brit film that I keep on VHS, though I shouldn't have to.
Just how many movies do you own, Todd?
Me-three and one was the one you send me.
I would like to see 'Ride Beyond Vengeance' a western with Chuck Connors and 'The Blackboard Jungle'. These are available in the US but not the UK.
Some movies that I had on video have now been transferred to disc - so my list has shrunk.
You know what I've recently discovered? That there are several movies on NetFlix that be watched instantly on my kids' XBox!
Between the DVDs and the VHSes, and not counting my double-handful of orphaned Betas and 1 (one) odd Umatic tape, I probably have about a thousand video recordings. Dwarfed easily by my book/magazine collection and only about 2/3rds to a half the size of my audio recordings collection, but still bulky.
Glad I could spur your collecting urge! "One of us...one of us!"
You must have a support system under it, Todd. Surprised The Blackboard Jungle isn't available.
We have To Sir With Love.
Is an x-box like a laptop?
An X-Box, like a Wii, is basically a computer that is dedicated to being a computer game console...and these days, increasingly an attempt at nearly a global entertainment console.
No reinforced floors as of yet, but since the move last autumn, it's still an impressive amount of boxes.
I tend to get DVDs of movies I had wanted to see at the theatre. The only one lately is Coraline. I saw the trailer and loved it right off.
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