Warner Brothers Archive Collection (DVDs only)

[Matt]

It will be great to have Urgh! available, but I can't imagine that it wouldn't have sold adequately as a "real" DVD release, and it's just begging for a nice special edition (with the full rumored six hours' worth of performances).

[Narshty]

Mike's Murder is excellent news - one of the best and most unusual thrillers of the decade.

[starmanof51]

I have a wholly undefendable soft spot for All The Marbles.

[domino harvey]

More new titles (sigh):

Bordertown
20,000 Years in Sing-Sing (Curtiz)
From Hell it Came
Across to Singapore
the Boob (Wellman)
Desert Nights
the First Texan
King of the Wild Stallions
A Majority of One (LeRoy)
Mary, Mary (LeRoy)
Never Too Late
the Viking
West Point

[Matt]

Yeah, Bordertown was a pretty stunning announcement. If Warner Bros. thinks they can't sell a Bette Davis / Paul Muni sizzler like this as a proper DVD, they really have given up. I imagine this means no more installments in the Bette Davis Collection series (April 2008 was the last).

I have a wholly undefendable soft spot for All The Marbles.

I just realized yesterday that this was the lady wrestlers movie I watched on Showtime about 50 times in my childhood. I may have to pick this up, along with a bag of Munchos and some Kool-Aid.

[HerrSchreck]

..and 20,000 Yrs In Sing Sing is a pretty badass Spence Tracy/Bette Davis vehicle, w Curtiz cracking the whip. Wholly enjoyable and hardboiled, this could have easily been a cherce Dvd release for their Gangsters line. Or their precode line.

These choices for their dumping ground are getting a little weird, though it's good to see them come out, it does make one feel like they're giving up on DVDs.

[denti alligator]

Even stranger - if it's true - is the release schedule for Universal in the UK for October/November which includes virtually all of Uni's Hitchcocks in BluRay!!

Hadn't seen this before! If true I'm sure these will crop up here in R1 too. Good news.

[myrnaloyisdope]

The Boob is likely the worst silent film I've ever seen. I'm all for any and all William Wellman pictures being released, but gosh what a piece of shit that one is.

I'm at a loss for why they couldn't just package all these early Joan Crawford films in a boxset, kind of like the Universal sets that came out a few years ago. Hell, why couldn't they do a Marion Davies or William Haines set like that? Keep the costs low by putting a couple films on a disc, and keep the retail price low so people will be willing to buy the sets, even if they don't know much about the star or the films.

Also if they are going to start releasing a bunch of Michael Curtiz films, does this mean Under A Texas Moon will finally see the light of day? Myrna in 1930 technicolor...yum.

[Benshi2]

And if you live overseas there is no chance of buying the Archive Collection from Warner. I could easily spend some cash-say, $100.00 during one of these sales. The only alternative is Amazon, at $30.00 a pop! A lot of Noir I would love to see-Phantom Lady(that's Universal), The Window(RKO-does Warner have these?), The Prowler(1951-United Artists, Warner?). No Turner Classic Movies here, either.

[domino harvey]

Seven more, some Amazon-exclusives no more:

Colorado Territory
Crime School
Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet
The Male Animal
The Strawberry Blonde
The Unsuspected
The Verdict

[HerrSchreck]

The Unsuspected is a very good noirish film-- albeit with a somewhat confusing plot-- with a nice turn by Claude Rains (but when is he not good?)

Beautifully photog'd too. The elements are in fabbo shape, too.

[Yojimbo]

Seven more, some Amazon-exclusives no more:

Colorado Territory
Crime School
Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet
The Male Animal
The Strawberry Blonde
The Unsuspected
The Verdict

I'll definitely be grabbing 'Colorado Territory'; possibly also 'The Strawberry Blonde' and 'The Unsuspected'.
I've never actually seen 'Magic Bullet', although I've heard tell its one of the great bio-pics

[Matt]

And if you live overseas there is no chance of buying the Archive Collection from Warner.

Movies Unlimited ships internationally, and they seem to carry most of the titles.

[Antoine Doinel]

Yeah, but their shipping charges are just as inane was Warner's. For Canada, it's $6.50 per order, plus an additional $2 per title. No thanks.

[Matt]

Yeah, but their shipping charges are just as inane was Warner's. For Canada, it's $6.50 per order, plus an additional $2 per title. No thanks.

But it looks like their prices on the Warner Archive titles are all $2 less than the WBshop. So you can basically consider it a $6.50 flat fee, which ain't bad.

[Antoine Doinel]

Yeah, but their shipping charges are just as inane was Warner's. For Canada, it's $6.50 per order, plus an additional $2 per title. No thanks.

But it looks like their prices on the Warner Archive titles are all $2 less than the WBshop. So you can basically consider it a $6.50 flat fee, which ain't bad.

Oh, cool thanks for pointing that out. I'll wait under the Canadian dollar is a bit stronger and maybe order a few titles. I really wish they had someone up here doing fulfillment for them though.

[agnamaracs]

Urgh! A Music War

Interestingly, the WB site lists Gary Numan among the performers... according to Wikipedia, the rights to his performance reverted back to him (it apparently came from an unreleased concert film by the same director).

[dadaistnun]

Urgh! A Music War

Interestingly, the WB site lists Gary Numan among the performers... according to Wikipedia, the rights to his performance reverted back to him (it apparently came from an unreleased concert film by the same director).

I read on another forum that Numan is back in, but Splodgeness Abounds' "Two Little Boys" is cut.

[domino harvey]

More:

Gunfight at Comanche Creek (1963)
How Sweet It Is! (1968)
Kisses for My President (1964)
The Patsy (1928)
The Plunderers (1960)
Quantrill's Raiders (1958)

[domino harvey]

Complete Joe McDoakes shorts set of 63 (!) shorts on six discs is only $19.95 right now at Warner Archives. It's a price mistake to be sure. I'm watching some on YouTube and they're pretty amusing

[Haggai]

Complete Joe McDoakes shorts set of 63 (!) shorts on six discs is only $19.95 right now at Warner Archives. It's a price mistake to be sure. I'm watching some on YouTube and they're pretty amusing

How'd you even find that on their site? I just pre-ordered it after it came up on a search--I've been a fan of those shorts since they started including them as Night at the Movies extras as far back as 6 years ago--but I didn't see it under pre-orders or in any of the other listings I looked at.

The WB HTF chat from earlier this year mentioned this (and other shorts) as being planned for the Archives line, though I thought they said those wouldn't be out until 2010, so it'd be nice to get this that much earlier than I'd hoped.

I'm also a bit confused because it's listed as pre-order, but the estimated shipping date is the same as for releases that are already available. Also confused about the price...surely you're right about it being a mistake. Welcome to Warner Archives, I guess. I'll post back here if/when I actually get the shipment.

[domino harvey]

I scooped my set up too and bit the bullet on the $4.95 shipping. I can't imagine them releasing a six-disc set for under twenty bucks, so if this goes through, it'll be the first time the Archives have been priced on the other end of reasonable. And I got the tip from ClassicFlix, which reminds me: Complete Our Gang shorts are unbelievably dumped in the Archives as well for the same price. I can understand the Joe McDoakes shorts being dumped (This is the definition of a niche release and released closer to how Warners Archives would make sense to me-- absurdly small audience and a very good price) but doesn't everyone know Our Gang? Wouldn't a set get written up in every magazine and newspaper as a major release? Whatever Warners, I'll enjoy my behind the eightball guy

[souvenir]

...my behind the eightball guy

aka the voice of George Jetson

[HypnoHelioStaticStasis]

I also found these on the site (some of which seem to be available, some placeholders)

Bad Ronald
Berlin Express
City Beneath the Sea (Irwin Allen TV-movie)
Complete Dogville Shorts
Earth II
The Fox
Genesis II
Highway 301
I Died a Thousand Times
Killer McCoy
King of the Wild Stallions
A Lady of Chance
Man from Atlantis
Murder Is My Beat
Pay or Die
Planet Earth
Speedway
Suspense (not sure what this is...)

And may I just say, I don't mind the archive at all (although I agree with Domino about the ghettoizing of the Our Gang shorts), but what the fuck is up with their website? They don't update the main page anymore, and titles disappear and re-appear willy nilly. It's truly poorly run. They must have interns maintaining it or something.

[domino harvey]

...and the Joe McDoakes shorts have disappeared from the site. Of course they have.