George Feltenstein joins the podcast for our monthly review of the Warner Archive's latest Blu-ray releases for October and November. George provides good news on "Wait Till Your Father Gets Home" and when it might finally get a new release date. Then we dive into the tremendous amount of work that went into the restorations of THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT (1974), HUMORESQUE (1946), and the Technicolor upgrade for SWEETHEARTS (1938). These three classics now look stunning and sound better than ever before, making them "must-adds" to your home collection. The entertaining western TV series A MAN CALLED SHENANDOAH (1965-66) also received a fantastic-looking restoration, and it too deserves a place in your home collection. We round out our reviews with three post-2000 comedies MUST LOVE DOGS (2005), FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION (2006), and A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION (2006).
Purchase links:
THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT! (1974) Blu-ray
HUMORESQUE (1946) Blu-ray
SWEETHEARTS (1938) Blu-ray
A MAN CALLED SHENANDOAH (1965-66) Blu-ray
MUST LOVE DOGS (2005) Blu-ray
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION (2006) Blu-ray
A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION (2006) Blu-ray
THE COMPLETE THIN MAN COLLECTION (1934-47)
REVIEW - THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP: A LOONEY TUNES MOVIE with Tim Millard, host of The Extras Podcast.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hello and welcome to the Extras.
I'm Tim Millard, your host, andjoining me is George
Feltenstein to review theNovember and a few October
Blu-ray releases from the WarnerArchive.
Hi, George.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Hello, tim, great to be with you, as always, yeah, I
hope you had a good Thanksgivingbreak.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
I know I did.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Very, very restful.
It didn't have to do too muchwork.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
I always think of you and I know you are like the
hardest working man in theindustry, so I'm glad to hear
you got a little bit of a breakanyway.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
I can't say I didn't work over the break, but I
didn't work as much.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Right, that sounds about right for you.
Well, we have a lot to catch upon today, because some of the
titles over the last few months,you know, were delayed a little
bit, so maybe they werescheduled for one month and then
spilled over into the early ofthe next month or whatever.
So we have some from October,and then most of these are the
November releases which were outjust not too long ago.
(01:01):
So, but before we dive intothose, I've been getting a few
questions about the Wait Tillyour Father Gets Home TV series,
the animated one that wasscheduled for November but now
has been delayed.
Do you have any information youcan share?
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Anytime this podcast goes live.
We may actually have a firmdate to be able to convey, but
as we're recording this rightnow, I don't have that.
I could have it as soon astomorrow.
What I can say is the discshave been finalized and they're
(01:40):
ready for replication and theymay even be replicating as we
speak.
I didn't get a clear answer onthat, but the wait will not be
too much longer and fans of theseries, I think, will be very
pleased because it's the firsttime there's ever been a home
video release of the full series.
(02:02):
Dvd only had season one, so forBlu-ray you get all 48 episodes
and I know a lot of people havebeen waiting for it and we
really appreciate patience.
We really appreciate patiencefor this whole year because the
replication problems and otherdelays that have not only been a
(02:25):
problem for us but for a lot ofother colleagues in the
industry.
It is frustrating for consumerswho want to get their disks
when they expect them and Iapologize for the delays.
We're doing our best, workingwith the limitations that we
have, given that there's onlyone replication facility in this
(02:47):
continent.
I'm hoping that next year we'llhave longer lead times that
will enable us to be able torely more on our disks, and I
really appreciate the patienceof everyone.
We're trying to get the productto you and make sure it's the
best that it possibly can be, sowith that, we can talk about
(03:07):
the new releases and there'smore to look forward to from
there.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Yeah, and and.
Before we dive into a couple ofthe actual films, I'll just
briefly mention that there wasalso the the release of the thin
man collection, which is thesix films that came out.
We're not going to review thosefilms because those have all
been released over previousyears, but the packaging looks
(03:33):
amazing.
It's a fantastic set and I'mhoping that people are enjoying
that collection.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Well, I hope they are too.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
And then we previously had Jerry on you and
I to talk about the Looney TunesCollector's Choice Volume 4 and
Volumes 1 to 4 compilationBlu-ray and that podcast people
can find.
It was just the previous onethat was released, so it's
available at your favoritepodcast provider or on our
YouTube channel.
So look for that if you haven'tcaught that one yet, youtube
(04:05):
channel.
So look for that if you haven'tcaught that one yet.
And that should pretty muchcatch us up, george, on those
collections that came out inNovember.
So now let's talk about some ofthe films that I know you're
very, very excited and I wasvery excited about.
That came out this month and Iwant to really start with.
That's Entertainment from 1974.
In the announcement of thatrelease we both talked about how
(04:26):
we'd seen it on the big screen,but I looked at it on my
machine.
It looks fantastic.
It's so crisp, so great to seeand hear it.
I think we just need toreiterate for the folks out
there all of the great work thatwent into the restoration.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
I have to say thank you for your very kind words,
Tim, and I know you saw the filmat TCM and we actually
continued working on it past theTCM Film Festival because there
were things that still neededto be better and I can safely
say, having seen the final discand getting through everything
(05:23):
that we had to do working withalmost 200 different sources to
basically rebuild the film fromscratch and to make it as
exciting and even more beautifulthan it was when it opened 50
years ago as a 70 millimeterattraction.
So I think for the homeenvironment, especially on your
(05:47):
big screen, it is really athrilling recreation of what it
was like when people first sawthe film 50 years ago.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Yeah, and you know they talk in the film about how
this will never happen again.
You know this is a one timething, right, exactly right.
And so I'm watching that.
I'm like this is so true thatit's a pretty good chance this
kind of restoration will neverhappen again as well, and so
it's so fantastic to take whatis a film or you're never going
(06:16):
to get those kinds of stars tocome together, for obvious
reasons.
But the industry has changed.
No studio has that kind offirepower of stars.
The industry has changed.
No studio has that kind offirepower of stars.
They wouldn't have the abilityto create such an event and such
a film.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
And even now, with these centennials right that we
have been celebrating and thevarious studios have been
celebrating you've had somepeople come on, but it doesn't
have the pow that that'sentertainment has, because all
of those stars were still liveand this was a very specific
focus at the time that it cameout.
(06:52):
And at the time that it cameout it was a roll of the dice
because initially they weren'tsure whether the idea would fly
and they weren't sure if it wasgoing to be a theatrical release
or if they were going to do itfor television.
And I would say it was probablyin July of 1973 that they were
(07:21):
confident enough and I may havetalked about this on the
previous podcast, but it was DanMilnick who was the head of
production at MGM at the time,and MGM was a shadow of its
former self by then, because somuch horror and trauma and
destruction had befallen thatcompany from the time Kirk
(07:45):
Krikorian became the majorstockholder and assets were
being sold off, auctioned off,destroyed.
And in the midst of all this,someone wanted to shine a light
on the past.
It wasn't originally intendedto be something to celebrate the
studio's 50th anniversary.
(08:05):
It was going to be released inthe fall of 73 originally and
one of the executives there gotthe idea hey, let's hold this
off until May and celebrate thecompany's 50th anniversary.
50th anniversary and by thenthey had already planned on
(08:31):
making it a 70 millimeter, sixtrack big theater single screen
event with a New York and LArollout and then other key big
cities.
They never dreamed it wouldgross the way that it grossed
and been one of the highestgrossing films of the year.
And what's most important aboutit and I may have said this on
(08:51):
a previous podcast is peopledidn't really think of the MGM
musical as a thing.
They thought of the musicalgenre, but no one had really
seriously taken into accountwhat MGM did as a studio.
They did so many thingsmagnificently, but no one made
(09:15):
musicals like they did from thelate 30s up through the mid-50s.
They were the king of the genre, for sure.
The fact that this film in 1974had a time when the world was
dealing with the after effectsof Watergate Nixon hadn't
(09:38):
resigned yet, the Vietnam Warwas coming to an end, there was
crime, there were all thesehorrible things going on in the
world and then this movie comesout and the tagline was boy, do
we need it now?
And a very good friend of minewho is a big fan of the film
(10:00):
said that really is somethingyou could say today Boy, do we
need it now?
Because this movie makes youfeel great and it's just two
hours and 15 minutes of joy.
And it wasn't so joyful for melooking at the first Blu-ray
that came out, because we wereworking from.
(10:22):
I wasn't involved in themastering, but as a company we
were working from dupy elementsthat were generations away from
the original and I never thoughtit would be possible that we'd
be able to do this kind of apainstaking reconstruction.
But thanks to many, many peopleworking meticulously, the net
(10:43):
result is now in people's handsand I think there's nothing more
rewarding for me than going toAmazon's product page and seeing
a customer review that feelsthe same elation, having watched
the Blu-ray and noting theimprovements and how pleased
(11:07):
they were by it.
It was, I think, just lastnight that I read one of those
and it made me so deeply happy.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
I have to say that it's wonderful film history in a
box.
I mean you watch this and ifyou're a young person and you
don't know the history of MGM,what a great way to celebrate
this 100th year anniversary ofMGM.
Just watch this and you getmany of the highlights of the
(11:37):
first 50 years just in a box ina couple of hours Now looking
pristine.
So I think it's great for youngpeople and then for those who
grew up with these films or grewup watching some of these films
whether it be first run orsecond run or just as fans of
musicals to see the clips nowlooking the way they should.
And you know many of the movieshave been remastered so that
(12:00):
that made this possible.
But to see them all celebratedlike this is a great thing and a
great thing to own.
And and then you have theseextras that even go like behind
the scenes of the behind thescenes showing them filming this
and how unique it was at thattime.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Absolutely.
You know, people's ability tosee the films that are excerpted
in the compilation is prettybroad now between home video
releases of the films that havebeen going on for the last 40
plus years in different formats,formats, the ability to watch
(12:38):
them on TCM or before that, tntor before that the Showtime
cable network.
I mean, there have been allthese ways that people could get
to see the films and we havemade a commitment to try to make
the films themselves availablein wonderful quality and we've
(13:01):
got our work cut out for usbecause there are so many that
still aren't available onBlu-ray.
But to have this compilation,which is its own work and that's
something that I've emphasizedmultiple times is look at the
craftsmanship with what JackHaley Jr did.
(13:23):
You know who he selected to talkabout what particular clips,
how brilliantly they're editedtogether.
Virtually every clip is not thecomplete song as presented in
the original film.
There are a few exceptions.
Singing in the Rain by GeneKelly is one of them.
(13:43):
That didn't get edited down,but the editing was done in such
a magnificent way To a puristit becomes heresy.
But when you're looking at itas its own work it's almost like
an amusement park ride.
It just doesn't stop, and toachieve the kind of quality that
(14:06):
we have on the Blu-ray, both interms of picture and sound, is
quite remarkable and verygratifying.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
Yeah yeah, kudos to Water Archive, kudos to you.
I just think it's a tremendousrelease and one I hope people
talk about.
And I did mention, you know, itis the 100th anniversary of the
old MGM that started, so Ithink this is like the great way
to celebrate that by this, andthat's a great way to kind of
(14:35):
celebrate that.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
Without question.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
Yeah.
So the next film I'm just asexcited about to talk about, and
that is Humoresque, from 1946,starring John Garfield and Joan
Crawford.
This is a terrific film, george.
Obviously I don't have to tellyou, but I think we have to
start with the comment about therestoration as well, because it
does look superb and becausethere's so much music in it.
(14:59):
The sound is so important.
It sounds terrific.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
I mean both MPI on the picture side and Warner
Brothers Archival Mastering onthe audio side.
They killed it.
Yes, because it looks so muchbetter than I've ever seen it,
such a quantum leap.
Better than the DVD, which wasnot terrible.
(15:23):
It was okay for 20 years ago.
And for what standarddefinition was those of us that
grew up seeing these things in16 millimeter syndication prints
on television, filled withsplices and scratches, and you
know it was not the best way tosee a movie.
(15:44):
As technology has improved thequality we're able to bring to a
presentation like this, weweren't allowed to be able to
scan the original negative 20years ago, but now we have and
we scan the original cameranegative.
We scan the original tracknegative.
We scan the original tracknegative for the audio.
(16:04):
And the audio is so importantin this movie.
That's why we have a featuretteon the disc the music of
Humoresque, because what thegreat composer Franz Waxman did
in melding all these classicalthemes together, it's kind of
nonstop music throughout theentire movie and a movie about
(16:25):
music and passion.
And, as you mentioned before,john Garfield and Joan Crawford.
Their performances aremagnificent and Garfield is, I
think he's still not recognizedfor the great actor that he was.
(16:46):
We've tried to change that.
We made a documentary about himmany years ago that his
daughter narrated.
His life was cut terribly shortby having a heart attack that
was really brought on by theHouse Un-American Activities
Committee blacklisting him.
We can't say they killed him,but it certainly contributed to
(17:07):
it.
But his career was cut down inhis prime and his life was cut
terribly short and he leftbehind film performances, of
which this is one of the best.
There are several others thatare magnificent as well, but
he's tremendous as Paul Boré,the young violinist from the
(17:29):
ghetto you know, povertystricken, struggling childhood
and then making it to theconcert stage.
And Joan Crawford as thewealthy married lady who can't
resist his charms.
And it's just.
It's thick soap opera, but it'sdelicious.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
It's a good way to start.
It's so good and the music isdelicious.
The extra piece that you haveon there about the music is a
terrific look at that and italso gives you great sneak peek
into how they did the filming.
You know things of that, ifthat interests folks.
But then you also have twogreat cartoons on there that I
(18:13):
think thematically also fit asextras for this film, making a
terrific package for those whowant to see the great
restoration that you did andhear it and just enjoy
everything about this release.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
Well, one of the cartoons is the cartoon it
opened with in Los Angeles, andthat's kind of what we're trying
to do, is recreate the going tothe movies experience.
We do that sometimes to a greatdegree when we do our Warner
night, the movies.
But we include also a cartooncalled Rhapsody Rabbit where,
(18:54):
you know, classical music is thetheme, and it came out the same
year.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
So it's exactly.
Yeah, that was fun.
That was fun to watch afterwatching the film and the other
extra and everything.
So now do you have?
You know we have so many JoanCrawford fans and John Garfield
fans out there Are there more inthe library, lots more, okay,
terrific to hear for those fansof Joan and John.
(19:21):
Well, you have one Technicolorthat we're going to talk about,
and it's always a pleasuretalking with you about the
Technicolor, because I'm like abroken record right On repeat
about how great they look.
But the work that your teamdoes with the Technicolor makes
every film that you work onalmost like a new experience in
(19:42):
viewing it because of how greatit looks and sounds.
So we're talking here aboutSweethearts.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
Well, this was MGM's first three-color Technicolor
feature.
The three-color Technicolorprocess was perfected in the
early 30s and Walt Disney hadbasically an exclusive
relationship with theTechnicolor Corporation to use
(20:10):
the three-color system.
Then it was tried in liveaction In 1935, the first
feature film shot using theprocess was Becky Sharp with
Miriam Hopkins, and in theensuing years many of the
studios were dipping their toeinto the Technicolor waters.
(20:34):
Paramount made a film in 1936called Trail of the Lonesome
Pine.
That had a lot of outdoorTechnicolor photography A very,
very good film.
In 1937, you have David OSelznick's first A Star is Born,
and Selznick had already workedin Technicolor the year before
(20:56):
with the Garden of Allah, withMarlena Dietrich, and 20th
Century Fox really embracedTechnicolor in those years and
so did Warner Brothers.
And in 1938, Warner Brothersmade its third Technicolor
feature called the Adventures ofRobin Hood, a little picture
(21:18):
called the Adventures of RobinHood.
The Adventures of Robin Hood, alittle picture called the
Adventures of Robin Hood, whichto me is so important because
that film was shot in color andit is such a great film.
Color makes a classic film moreaccessible.
There are a lot of people whohave problems watching black and
white films, especially youngerpeople.
(21:40):
So if a film is in color, thatdraws in more people and I think
one of the reasons why RobinHood is so popular first of all,
it's a great film.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
Right.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
But the technical photography is amazing and yet
it lost the Oscar for Best ColorPhotography to Sweethearts,
which was MGM's firstthree-color technicolor feature.
And what makes me very excitedabout this release is we
(22:14):
remastered the film for DVDabout 13 years ago.
Working from, I'd say, third,fourth generation elements was
all we could work with, and weactually completed a full master
and chucked it and startedagain to try to make it a little
(22:36):
better and the net result wasstill somewhat at least for me
personally, somewhat of anembarrassment, because there was
so much color fringing andcolor breathing.
I don't know if everybodylistening to this podcast
understands color breathing, butit's basically when the colors
breathe on the screen theychange.
(22:58):
You can be watching someone ina scene and their face turns
three different shades ofwhatever their flesh color is.
So these elements were not good.
I knew we couldn't use theoriginal negative because all
the reels of the originalnegative had burnt in the tragic
(23:18):
George Eastman House fire in1978.
But there was one reel that didsurvive.
But thankfully MGM made safetycolor separation masters, which
are second generation replicas,if you will, in reverse, of the
yellow, cyan and magentaoriginal camera negative.
(23:41):
So we recombined theseparations the way we recombine
the camera negative.
In this case specifically, wedid have one reel of the camera
negative.
So I always have talked topeople who have seen this new
Blu-ray and they've raved aboutit and I've asked them I said
(24:01):
did you notice the one reel?
That was from the originalnegative and not from the
separations.
And everybody had differentanswers because nobody really
could tell.
Because the net result of whatWarner Brothers Motion Picture
Imaging was able to do was juststunning.
And I was very nervous aboutthis because this is such early
(24:24):
use of Technicolor that there isso much color on the screen.
I was afraid would we be ableto capture it and have it be
what you would have seen on themovie screen, I'll say, 60 or 70
(24:45):
years ago?
Because Technicolor printingwhen this movie came out in 1938
was different than, let's say,if they had made a reissue print
in 1962.
They had improved the printingprocess.
So I think we would be lookingat the equivalent or better of a
(25:09):
1962 reissue print.
It's just stunning to look atand the colorist who worked on
it was so proud of his work, andrightly so.
And the sound is also terrific.
And then it happens to be avery, very fun movie because it
isn't a costume piece.
(25:31):
That's set in the 1800s orwhatever, which was what Nelson
Eddy and Jeanette MacDonaldtended to do, these wonderful
operettas.
But this was a contemporary ofthen a period, contemporary
(25:51):
story set in the late 30s, shotin the late 30s, about a married
couple on Broadway who havejust finished the sixth year of
performing one of these chestnutoperettas called Sweethearts.
So they used some of the musicfrom the Victor Herbert operetta
Sweethearts to build a newstory around it and you've great
(26:14):
character actors like MishaAuer and Frank Morgan.
It's just a fun picture andthey take jabs at Hollywood and
jabs at Broadway.
It's beautiful to look at andyou even get to see Ray Bolger
the year before the Wizard of Oz.
He's astounding in his dancingat the beginning of the film and
(26:36):
that lets you know why hiseccentric dancing style became
so attractive to MGM.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
Yeah, and fans of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson
Eddy are going to, I think, wantto gobble this up because, to
your point, it's very lavish andbeautiful and you know they
make sure and give her all thegowns as well.
So the fashion that it showsoff, I think, is fantastic.
The sets, of course, in theoperetta.
There's just so much to enjoyin this, beyond, you know, the
(27:07):
music, of course, which is atthe center.
But, as we've discussed before,when you get these Technicolor
restorations it's a brand newexperience for anybody who
doesn't know the film.
And to those who do know thefilm, it's just like, it's just
a wonderful thing to see it andhear it sounding and looking
this good.
And we've just talked aboutthree amazing restorations here
(27:31):
that you've just releasedrecently, and I think the
restorations are what make theolder films such an exciting
thing for the collectors,because you maybe already know
the movie and it's in your mind.
But then you see these and youget excited to open that Blu-ray
and you put it in and you see,yes, the Warner Archive has done
(27:53):
it again.
You've done the Technicolorfantastically or in Humoresque.
You know the visuals and themusic so wonderful.
That's what makes these, Ithink so exciting and so fun for
you and I to talk about.
Because the films many of them,people already know they're
great, the actors are great, youknow, they're part of film
history.
But the excitement that thesefilms bring is when you open it
(28:14):
and see it for the first timeand hear it for the first time
looking so great with theserestorations.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
It's very exciting for me because I know the work
is going to be done, but when Ifirst get my eyes on it, it's
usually a very thrillingexperience.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
I remember working at Warner Brothers, george, and
sometimes you get in the weeds,right, you're seeing it in
different phases before thefinal, and you don't get that
same experience of the consumer,of the shrink-wrapped package
comes and you put it in.
Now that I'm not working atWarner Brothers, I'm
experiencing that and I'mexperiencing, I think, what
(28:54):
others are that excitement.
You get it, you get the shrinkwrap off and you put it in and
you watch it and you have yourlittle snacks or whatever it is
that you're going to enjoy, andthese films are just wonderful,
wonderful, fun experiences forthe fans.
So I just want to thank you onbehalf of the fans for these
(29:14):
wonderful releases.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
Well, and thank you for giving us the opportunity to
spread the word, because that'sthe important thing, and it's
also important to me that peopleunderstand the real
multifaceted work that so manypeople here put into these
releases, and it's a testamentto my colleagues that we're able
(29:41):
to, with great pride, put outsuch beautiful looking discs.
Yeah, and we intend to continueto do that.
Speaker 1 (29:51):
Well, we have one TV series that we're going to talk
about this month as well, andthat is a man called Shenandoah
that stars Robert Horton.
I saw some reviews about thisalready.
That came out, this already,that came out, and, to the point
of what we just talked about,people keep saying these one
(30:11):
season TV releases, the workthat you guys have done there at
Warner Brothers, warner Archive, they look fabulous, and I'm
seeing those same reviews forthis series as well.
So we'll start there.
I watched some of the episodesand I'm enjoying it.
The great thing about these TVseries is that the episodes are
(30:34):
not that long, and so you canput them in and just watch one
to the next, to the next, and Ijust kind of really kind of
binge enjoy these great lookingWesterns, and I think this one
comes through, just as some ofthe others you've released this
year is quite entertaining.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
Well, I thank you for that, and this is a really
interesting series.
I think it would have beenquite a big success if it wasn't
in a competitive time slot.
But it was in a verycompetitive time slot with what
was going on on CBS and NBC andso a lot of people didn't get to
(31:14):
see it.
So the series began thisodyssey of its character,
shenandoah, and it was neverresolved because the show was
canceled right, but the episodesthemselves are really, really
enjoyable and he's terrific init.
That's why he was such a big tvstar.
(31:36):
The difference between whatthis looks like now with the 4k
scans off the camera negative.
With the 4K scans off thecamera negative.
Versus what?
Speaker 1 (31:54):
we put on.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
DVD several years ago is rather, it speaks for itself
and it's rather impressive, tosay the least.
And that's the best way towatch these things, because they
become much more entertainingand accessible when they look
and sound great.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
Yeah, and these are fun.
There's a mystery to this onebecause in the pilot Robert
Horton character he doesn'tremember anything, he has the
amnesia, and so that starts themystery to this one.
And that's a fun ride.
Starts the mystery to this one.
And that's a fun ride, as youmentioned.
(32:30):
It does never finally resolve,but it takes you from one
episode to the next.
It's he's trying to figure out,piece together his backstory.
Who am I?
But there's always this action.
They're all action driven andso they're a lot of fun.
These episodes are, and so Ithink this is another highly
recommended TV release from theWarner archive.
So I hope you have more coming.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
Oh yes, we do indeed.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
Okay, well, that's exciting, so I'm looking forward
to hearing more about that inthe near future.
Speaker 2 (33:02):
You'll be the first to know.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
Well, george, we're going to take a big jump a few
decades here to the post-2000s,and there's some films that
you've been releasing on anongoing basis I think pretty
much every month to help fill inthe modern films that never
released on Blu-ray.
So there's been some reallygood ones here that we haven't
(33:26):
had a chance to talk about andlooking forward to.
I think we'll start with MustLove Dogs starring Diane Lane
and John Cusack, and that's from2005.
It's pretty surprising that ithasn't been released on Blu-ray
before 2005.
It's pretty surprising that ithasn't been released on Blu-ray
before.
But Cusack and Lane playeddivorcees that are being
(33:48):
pressured by their family andfriends to use the internet to
start dating.
People have to remember, hey, in2005, that was kind of a new
thing, it wasn't it wasn't theyou've got mail, you know, just
sending emails to each other ofof the late nineties.
This was actual, you knowdating sites and things.
So it's got a real feel for theera that was in and the plot is
(34:10):
entertaining.
It keeps moving and, of course,the actors Cusack and Lane
together is always a greatpairing, so this is a really fun
one to have.
It's great that it's finallycoming out on Blu-ray for fans
of this film.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
Yeah, I think it's a charming.
I remember seeing it when itcame out, thought it was very
entertaining.
I think the reason it nevercame out on Blu-ray is that it
was released right before theformat made its debut, and when
the format made its debut it wasalso competing against HD DVD.
(34:44):
There was a lot of catching upto do and somehow this just, you
know slipped through the cracks.
So I had remembered it being aterrific film and I thought that
both Diane Lane and John Cusackare terrific in it.
So it's a feel goodgood movieand we need movies that make
people feel good.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
Yeah, and it has a few extras on here.
It's got deleted scenes, gagreel and the trailer, so it's
always nice to have those, Ithink with these post-2000
releases as well.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
For sure, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (35:17):
Well, the next one I thought we'd talk about is
another Christopher Guest filmand it's the mockumentary For
your Consideration, which thisis perfect timing right.
We're entering the ramp up inthe industry which happens in
November and December becauseyou got to get qualified for the
(35:38):
awards season and this film isa really fun look, you know,
behind the scenes of of thathappening and, having worked at
Warner Brothers, we've seen thiskind of infectious buzz around
certain films and actors.
That happened and it's likecatnip for actors and producers
(35:58):
and directors if they hearsomething about themselves or
one of their films and it oftencomes down to, you know,
crashing down to depressingresults for them.
But this is a fun and hilarioustake on that experience for
people and you know people inthe industry and outside the
industry to enjoy it.
It's really a lot of fun.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
Well, I happen to be a big fan of Mr Guest and we
have four of his films that arewith his coterie of talents,
starting with Waiting forGuffman, which is a Warner
Archive Blu-ray, and then thefilm that followed, it was Best
in Show, which did get a Blu-rayrelease through the Mothership,
(36:44):
through Warner Video.
Then there was A Mighty Wind,which I also love, which we put
out through Warner Archive.
Then the last of them thatfalls under our ownership is For
your Consideration and for somereason this didn't get
considered to be put out onBlu-ray and I was surprised by
(37:05):
that and I wanted to write thatwrong.
And we have.
Now it's available on Blu-rayand it's as funny as it was when
I first saw it, because all thethings that it lampoons have
only become more over the top.
Speaker 1 (37:22):
Yeah, it's so good.
It's just a lighthearted funand it's great to see so many
great actors.
You know that are part of hisfilms, so I really enjoyed it,
and this one is loaded with.
Speaker 2 (37:37):
Yes, it is yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
So you've got well, you've got the commentary with
Christopher Guest and EugeneLevy, and then you've got a
whole bunch of other bonusmaterials on here that I think
people are going to enjoy.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
I think people really should pick this disc up, and
if you haven't seen Waiting forGuffman and the Mighty Wind, I
recommend those as well.
Speaker 1 (37:59):
Yeah, you're going to laugh.
I mean, it's true, and truthprovides great humor, so it's
got so much truth to it.
Speaker 2 (38:08):
Yes, exactly that's what makes satire really sizzle.
Speaker 1 (38:13):
Well, we have one more film that we're going to
talk about here today, and thatis A Prairie Home Companion from
2006.
And this is also very funny,whimsical.
It's a comedy with terrificperformances.
When you put in Lily Tomlin andMeryl Streep and Woody
Harrelson and Kevin Kline andGarrison Keillor, you're bound
(38:34):
to have a very smart but funny,funny film.
Speaker 2 (38:40):
Oh, absolutely.
And also this is notable asbeing the final film of the
great Robert Altman, and there'sa poignancy to it.
I happen to be a big fan of alot of Robert Altman's films,
and he was not in the best ofhealth and PT Anderson was
brought on board kind of as abackup in case Altman wasn't
(39:04):
well enough to finish the movie,but thankfully he did and he
even contributed a commentarytrack which is on the disc.
With Kevin Kline.
The films of his that I likethe most are where he's brought
together just an incredible slew, an impressive slew of
important talented actors, andhere you have Meryl Streep and
(39:27):
Lily Tomlin and even the greatLindsay Lohan.
I mean, everybody is in thismovie.
It's kind of a different takeon the multi-cast movies that
Christopher Guest makes, youknow, but you sense the
filmmaker smiling while he'smaking the movie in both cases,
(39:50):
and I think these films actuallywork together.
If you were to do a double bill, Well, that's so true.
Speaker 1 (39:56):
Yeah, I also want to mention you got Tommy Lee Jones
playing this very serious personinvestigating everything, which
adds a fun element to it.
And then John C Reilly he wasgreat in this.
He's sensational in it.
He's always, always brings somuch to a film.
(40:16):
And the music.
People who know the PrairieHome Companion of course know
about the style and everything,but I thought the music was just
so enjoyable.
Speaker 2 (40:25):
Oh, it certainly is my goodness.
Speaker 1 (40:27):
It's really good.
Well, we ended with a couple ofreally fun ones here.
I've been laughing for the lastfew minutes that we've been
talking about these, justthinking back about how fun it
was to watch these.
So I think people are going toreally enjoy if they pick up
those Blu-rays, because theylook fantastic now.
So great packages you've puttogether there.
Well, George, always a lot offun to get together.
(40:49):
Talk about these great films.
Speaker 2 (40:51):
Always a pleasure for me, and thank you for the
opportunity, and we'll have toget together again soon because
there's going to be a lot moreto talk about.
Speaker 1 (40:59):
Oh, yes, there will.
I know.
In talking with Jerry, he waslooking forward to talking about
the Wait Till your Father GetsHome.
So there's going to be a lot ofgreat podcasts in the future as
we come into the end of theyear and early 2025.
Speaker 2 (41:13):
Sounds like a plan.
Speaker 1 (41:19):
For those who'd like to order the films that we
talked about today, there arepurchase links in the podcast
show notes.
If you aren't yet subscribed orfollowing the show at your
favorite podcast provider, youmay want to do that so that you
don't miss anything that'scoming up Until next time you've
been listening to Tim Millard,Stay slightly obsessed.
Hello and welcome to the Extras.
I'm Tim Millard, your host, andjoining me is George
Feltenstein to review theNovember and a few October
Blu-ray releases from the WarnerArchive.
Hi, George.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Hello, tim, great to be with you, as always, yeah, I
hope you had a good Thanksgivingbreak.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
I know I did.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Very, very restful.
It didn't have to do too muchwork.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
I always think of you and I know you are like the
hardest working man in theindustry, so I'm glad to hear
you got a little bit of a breakanyway.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
I can't say I didn't work over the break, but I
didn't work as much.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Right, that sounds about right for you.
Well, we have a lot to catch upon today, because some of the
titles over the last few months,you know, were delayed a little
bit, so maybe they werescheduled for one month and then
spilled over into the early ofthe next month or whatever.
So we have some from October,and then most of these are the
November releases which were outjust not too long ago.
(01:01):
So, but before we dive intothose, I've been getting a few
questions about the Wait Tillyour Father Gets Home TV series,
the animated one that wasscheduled for November but now
has been delayed.
Do you have any information youcan share?
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Anytime this podcast goes live.
We may actually have a firmdate to be able to convey, but
as we're recording this rightnow, I don't have that.
I could have it as soon astomorrow.
What I can say is the discshave been finalized and they're
(01:40):
ready for replication and theymay even be replicating as we
speak.
I didn't get a clear answer onthat, but the wait will not be
too much longer and fans of theseries, I think, will be very
pleased because it's the firsttime there's ever been a home
video release of the full series.
(02:02):
Dvd only had season one, so forBlu-ray you get all 48 episodes
and I know a lot of people havebeen waiting for it and we
really appreciate patience.
We really appreciate patiencefor this whole year because the
replication problems and otherdelays that have not only been a
(02:25):
problem for us but for a lot ofother colleagues in the
industry.
It is frustrating for consumerswho want to get their disks
when they expect them and Iapologize for the delays.
We're doing our best, workingwith the limitations that we
have, given that there's onlyone replication facility in this
(02:47):
continent.
I'm hoping that next year we'llhave longer lead times that
will enable us to be able torely more on our disks, and I
really appreciate the patienceof everyone.
We're trying to get the productto you and make sure it's the
best that it possibly can be, sowith that, we can talk about
(03:07):
the new releases and there'smore to look forward to from
there.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Yeah, and and.
Before we dive into a couple ofthe actual films, I'll just
briefly mention that there wasalso the the release of the thin
man collection, which is thesix films that came out.
We're not going to review thosefilms because those have all
been released over previousyears, but the packaging looks
(03:33):
amazing.
It's a fantastic set and I'mhoping that people are enjoying
that collection.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Well, I hope they are too.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
And then we previously had Jerry on you and
I to talk about the Looney TunesCollector's Choice Volume 4 and
Volumes 1 to 4 compilationBlu-ray and that podcast people
can find.
It was just the previous onethat was released, so it's
available at your favoritepodcast provider or on our
YouTube channel.
So look for that if you haven'tcaught that one yet, youtube
(04:05):
channel.
So look for that if you haven'tcaught that one yet.
And that should pretty muchcatch us up, george, on those
collections that came out inNovember.
So now let's talk about some ofthe films that I know you're
very, very excited and I wasvery excited about.
That came out this month and Iwant to really start with.
That's Entertainment from 1974.
In the announcement of thatrelease we both talked about how
(04:26):
we'd seen it on the big screen,but I looked at it on my
machine.
It looks fantastic.
It's so crisp, so great to seeand hear it.
I think we just need toreiterate for the folks out
there all of the great work thatwent into the restoration.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
I have to say thank you for your very kind words,
Tim, and I know you saw the filmat TCM and we actually
continued working on it past theTCM Film Festival because there
were things that still neededto be better and I can safely
say, having seen the final discand getting through everything
(05:23):
that we had to do working withalmost 200 different sources to
basically rebuild the film fromscratch and to make it as
exciting and even more beautifulthan it was when it opened 50
years ago as a 70 millimeterattraction.
So I think for the homeenvironment, especially on your
(05:47):
big screen, it is really athrilling recreation of what it
was like when people first sawthe film 50 years ago.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Yeah, and you know they talk in the film about how
this will never happen again.
You know this is a one timething, right, exactly right.
And so I'm watching that.
I'm like this is so true thatit's a pretty good chance this
kind of restoration will neverhappen again as well, and so
it's so fantastic to take whatis a film or you're never going
(06:16):
to get those kinds of stars tocome together, for obvious
reasons.
But the industry has changed.
No studio has that kind offirepower of stars.
The industry has changed.
No studio has that kind offirepower of stars.
They wouldn't have the abilityto create such an event and such
a film.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
And even now, with these centennials right that we
have been celebrating and thevarious studios have been
celebrating you've had somepeople come on, but it doesn't
have the pow that that'sentertainment has, because all
of those stars were still liveand this was a very specific
focus at the time that it cameout.
(06:52):
And at the time that it cameout it was a roll of the dice
because initially they weren'tsure whether the idea would fly
and they weren't sure if it wasgoing to be a theatrical release
or if they were going to do itfor television.
And I would say it was probablyin July of 1973 that they were
(07:21):
confident enough and I may havetalked about this on the
previous podcast, but it was DanMilnick who was the head of
production at MGM at the time,and MGM was a shadow of its
former self by then, because somuch horror and trauma and
destruction had befallen thatcompany from the time Kirk
(07:45):
Krikorian became the majorstockholder and assets were
being sold off, auctioned off,destroyed.
And in the midst of all this,someone wanted to shine a light
on the past.
It wasn't originally intendedto be something to celebrate the
studio's 50th anniversary.
(08:05):
It was going to be released inthe fall of 73 originally and
one of the executives there gotthe idea hey, let's hold this
off until May and celebrate thecompany's 50th anniversary.
50th anniversary and by thenthey had already planned on
(08:31):
making it a 70 millimeter, sixtrack big theater single screen
event with a New York and LArollout and then other key big
cities.
They never dreamed it wouldgross the way that it grossed
and been one of the highestgrossing films of the year.
And what's most important aboutit and I may have said this on
(08:51):
a previous podcast is peopledidn't really think of the MGM
musical as a thing.
They thought of the musicalgenre, but no one had really
seriously taken into accountwhat MGM did as a studio.
They did so many thingsmagnificently, but no one made
(09:15):
musicals like they did from thelate 30s up through the mid-50s.
They were the king of the genre, for sure.
The fact that this film in 1974had a time when the world was
dealing with the after effectsof Watergate Nixon hadn't
(09:38):
resigned yet, the Vietnam Warwas coming to an end, there was
crime, there were all thesehorrible things going on in the
world and then this movie comesout and the tagline was boy, do
we need it now?
And a very good friend of minewho is a big fan of the film
(10:00):
said that really is somethingyou could say today Boy, do we
need it now?
Because this movie makes youfeel great and it's just two
hours and 15 minutes of joy.
And it wasn't so joyful for melooking at the first Blu-ray
that came out, because we wereworking from.
(10:22):
I wasn't involved in themastering, but as a company we
were working from dupy elementsthat were generations away from
the original and I never thoughtit would be possible that we'd
be able to do this kind of apainstaking reconstruction.
But thanks to many, many peopleworking meticulously, the net
(10:43):
result is now in people's handsand I think there's nothing more
rewarding for me than going toAmazon's product page and seeing
a customer review that feelsthe same elation, having watched
the Blu-ray and noting theimprovements and how pleased
(11:07):
they were by it.
It was, I think, just lastnight that I read one of those
and it made me so deeply happy.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
I have to say that it's wonderful film history in a
box.
I mean you watch this and ifyou're a young person and you
don't know the history of MGM,what a great way to celebrate
this 100th year anniversary ofMGM.
Just watch this and you getmany of the highlights of the
(11:37):
first 50 years just in a box ina couple of hours Now looking
pristine.
So I think it's great for youngpeople and then for those who
grew up with these films or grewup watching some of these films
whether it be first run orsecond run or just as fans of
musicals to see the clips nowlooking the way they should.
And you know many of the movieshave been remastered so that
(12:00):
that made this possible.
But to see them all celebratedlike this is a great thing and a
great thing to own.
And and then you have theseextras that even go like behind
the scenes of the behind thescenes showing them filming this
and how unique it was at thattime.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Absolutely.
You know, people's ability tosee the films that are excerpted
in the compilation is prettybroad now between home video
releases of the films that havebeen going on for the last 40
plus years in different formats,formats, the ability to watch
(12:38):
them on TCM or before that, tntor before that the Showtime
cable network.
I mean, there have been allthese ways that people could get
to see the films and we havemade a commitment to try to make
the films themselves availablein wonderful quality and we've
(13:01):
got our work cut out for usbecause there are so many that
still aren't available onBlu-ray.
But to have this compilation,which is its own work and that's
something that I've emphasizedmultiple times is look at the
craftsmanship with what JackHaley Jr did.
(13:23):
You know who he selected to talkabout what particular clips,
how brilliantly they're editedtogether.
Virtually every clip is not thecomplete song as presented in
the original film.
There are a few exceptions.
Singing in the Rain by GeneKelly is one of them.
(13:43):
That didn't get edited down,but the editing was done in such
a magnificent way To a puristit becomes heresy.
But when you're looking at itas its own work it's almost like
an amusement park ride.
It just doesn't stop, and toachieve the kind of quality that
(14:06):
we have on the Blu-ray, both interms of picture and sound, is
quite remarkable and verygratifying.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
Yeah yeah, kudos to Water Archive, kudos to you.
I just think it's a tremendousrelease and one I hope people
talk about.
And I did mention, you know, itis the 100th anniversary of the
old MGM that started, so Ithink this is like the great way
to celebrate that by this, andthat's a great way to kind of
(14:35):
celebrate that.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
Without question.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
Yeah.
So the next film I'm just asexcited about to talk about, and
that is Humoresque, from 1946,starring John Garfield and Joan
Crawford.
This is a terrific film, george.
Obviously I don't have to tellyou, but I think we have to
start with the comment about therestoration as well, because it
does look superb and becausethere's so much music in it.
(14:59):
The sound is so important.
It sounds terrific.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
I mean both MPI on the picture side and Warner
Brothers Archival Mastering onthe audio side.
They killed it.
Yes, because it looks so muchbetter than I've ever seen it,
such a quantum leap.
Better than the DVD, which wasnot terrible.
(15:23):
It was okay for 20 years ago.
And for what standarddefinition was those of us that
grew up seeing these things in16 millimeter syndication prints
on television, filled withsplices and scratches, and you
know it was not the best way tosee a movie.
(15:44):
As technology has improved thequality we're able to bring to a
presentation like this, weweren't allowed to be able to
scan the original negative 20years ago, but now we have and
we scan the original cameranegative.
We scan the original tracknegative.
We scan the original tracknegative for the audio.
(16:04):
And the audio is so importantin this movie.
That's why we have a featuretteon the disc the music of
Humoresque, because what thegreat composer Franz Waxman did
in melding all these classicalthemes together, it's kind of
nonstop music throughout theentire movie and a movie about
(16:25):
music and passion.
And, as you mentioned before,john Garfield and Joan Crawford.
Their performances aremagnificent and Garfield is, I
think he's still not recognizedfor the great actor that he was.
(16:46):
We've tried to change that.
We made a documentary about himmany years ago that his
daughter narrated.
His life was cut terribly shortby having a heart attack that
was really brought on by theHouse Un-American Activities
Committee blacklisting him.
We can't say they killed him,but it certainly contributed to
(17:07):
it.
But his career was cut down inhis prime and his life was cut
terribly short and he leftbehind film performances, of
which this is one of the best.
There are several others thatare magnificent as well, but
he's tremendous as Paul Boré,the young violinist from the
(17:29):
ghetto you know, povertystricken, struggling childhood
and then making it to theconcert stage.
And Joan Crawford as thewealthy married lady who can't
resist his charms.
And it's just.
It's thick soap opera, but it'sdelicious.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
It's a good way to start.
It's so good and the music isdelicious.
The extra piece that you haveon there about the music is a
terrific look at that and italso gives you great sneak peek
into how they did the filming.
You know things of that, ifthat interests folks.
But then you also have twogreat cartoons on there that I
(18:13):
think thematically also fit asextras for this film, making a
terrific package for those whowant to see the great
restoration that you did andhear it and just enjoy
everything about this release.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
Well, one of the cartoons is the cartoon it
opened with in Los Angeles, andthat's kind of what we're trying
to do, is recreate the going tothe movies experience.
We do that sometimes to a greatdegree when we do our Warner
night, the movies.
But we include also a cartooncalled Rhapsody Rabbit where,
(18:54):
you know, classical music is thetheme, and it came out the same
year.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
So it's exactly.
Yeah, that was fun.
That was fun to watch afterwatching the film and the other
extra and everything.
So now do you have?
You know we have so many JoanCrawford fans and John Garfield
fans out there Are there more inthe library, lots more, okay,
terrific to hear for those fansof Joan and John.
(19:21):
Well, you have one Technicolorthat we're going to talk about,
and it's always a pleasuretalking with you about the
Technicolor, because I'm like abroken record right On repeat
about how great they look.
But the work that your teamdoes with the Technicolor makes
every film that you work onalmost like a new experience in
(19:42):
viewing it because of how greatit looks and sounds.
So we're talking here aboutSweethearts.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
Well, this was MGM's first three-color Technicolor
feature.
The three-color Technicolorprocess was perfected in the
early 30s and Walt Disney hadbasically an exclusive
relationship with theTechnicolor Corporation to use
(20:10):
the three-color system.
Then it was tried in liveaction In 1935, the first
feature film shot using theprocess was Becky Sharp with
Miriam Hopkins, and in theensuing years many of the
studios were dipping their toeinto the Technicolor waters.
(20:34):
Paramount made a film in 1936called Trail of the Lonesome
Pine.
That had a lot of outdoorTechnicolor photography A very,
very good film.
In 1937, you have David OSelznick's first A Star is Born,
and Selznick had already workedin Technicolor the year before
(20:56):
with the Garden of Allah, withMarlena Dietrich, and 20th
Century Fox really embracedTechnicolor in those years and
so did Warner Brothers.
And in 1938, Warner Brothersmade its third Technicolor
feature called the Adventures ofRobin Hood, a little picture
(21:18):
called the Adventures of RobinHood.
The Adventures of Robin Hood, alittle picture called the
Adventures of Robin Hood, whichto me is so important because
that film was shot in color andit is such a great film.
Color makes a classic film moreaccessible.
There are a lot of people whohave problems watching black and
white films, especially youngerpeople.
(21:40):
So if a film is in color, thatdraws in more people and I think
one of the reasons why RobinHood is so popular first of all,
it's a great film.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
Right.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
But the technical photography is amazing and yet
it lost the Oscar for Best ColorPhotography to Sweethearts,
which was MGM's firstthree-color technicolor feature.
And what makes me very excitedabout this release is we
(22:14):
remastered the film for DVDabout 13 years ago.
Working from, I'd say, third,fourth generation elements was
all we could work with, and weactually completed a full master
and chucked it and startedagain to try to make it a little
(22:36):
better and the net result wasstill somewhat at least for me
personally, somewhat of anembarrassment, because there was
so much color fringing andcolor breathing.
I don't know if everybodylistening to this podcast
understands color breathing, butit's basically when the colors
breathe on the screen theychange.
(22:58):
You can be watching someone ina scene and their face turns
three different shades ofwhatever their flesh color is.
So these elements were not good.
I knew we couldn't use theoriginal negative because all
the reels of the originalnegative had burnt in the tragic
(23:18):
George Eastman House fire in1978.
But there was one reel that didsurvive.
But thankfully MGM made safetycolor separation masters, which
are second generation replicas,if you will, in reverse, of the
yellow, cyan and magentaoriginal camera negative.
(23:41):
So we recombined theseparations the way we recombine
the camera negative.
In this case specifically, wedid have one reel of the camera
negative.
So I always have talked topeople who have seen this new
Blu-ray and they've raved aboutit and I've asked them I said
(24:01):
did you notice the one reel?
That was from the originalnegative and not from the
separations.
And everybody had differentanswers because nobody really
could tell.
Because the net result of whatWarner Brothers Motion Picture
Imaging was able to do was juststunning.
And I was very nervous aboutthis because this is such early
(24:24):
use of Technicolor that there isso much color on the screen.
I was afraid would we be ableto capture it and have it be
what you would have seen on themovie screen, I'll say, 60 or 70
(24:45):
years ago?
Because Technicolor printingwhen this movie came out in 1938
was different than, let's say,if they had made a reissue print
in 1962.
They had improved the printingprocess.
So I think we would be lookingat the equivalent or better of a
(25:09):
1962 reissue print.
It's just stunning to look atand the colorist who worked on
it was so proud of his work, andrightly so.
And the sound is also terrific.
And then it happens to be avery, very fun movie because it
isn't a costume piece.
(25:31):
That's set in the 1800s orwhatever, which was what Nelson
Eddy and Jeanette MacDonaldtended to do, these wonderful
operettas.
But this was a contemporary ofthen a period, contemporary
(25:51):
story set in the late 30s, shotin the late 30s, about a married
couple on Broadway who havejust finished the sixth year of
performing one of these chestnutoperettas called Sweethearts.
So they used some of the musicfrom the Victor Herbert operetta
Sweethearts to build a newstory around it and you've great
(26:14):
character actors like MishaAuer and Frank Morgan.
It's just a fun picture andthey take jabs at Hollywood and
jabs at Broadway.
It's beautiful to look at andyou even get to see Ray Bolger
the year before the Wizard of Oz.
He's astounding in his dancingat the beginning of the film and
(26:36):
that lets you know why hiseccentric dancing style became
so attractive to MGM.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
Yeah, and fans of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson
Eddy are going to, I think, wantto gobble this up because, to
your point, it's very lavish andbeautiful and you know they
make sure and give her all thegowns as well.
So the fashion that it showsoff, I think, is fantastic.
The sets, of course, in theoperetta.
There's just so much to enjoyin this, beyond, you know, the
(27:07):
music, of course, which is atthe center.
But, as we've discussed before,when you get these Technicolor
restorations it's a brand newexperience for anybody who
doesn't know the film.
And to those who do know thefilm, it's just like, it's just
a wonderful thing to see it andhear it sounding and looking
this good.
And we've just talked aboutthree amazing restorations here
(27:31):
that you've just releasedrecently, and I think the
restorations are what make theolder films such an exciting
thing for the collectors,because you maybe already know
the movie and it's in your mind.
But then you see these and youget excited to open that Blu-ray
and you put it in and you see,yes, the Warner Archive has done
(27:53):
it again.
You've done the Technicolorfantastically or in Humoresque.
You know the visuals and themusic so wonderful.
That's what makes these, Ithink so exciting and so fun for
you and I to talk about.
Because the films many of them,people already know they're
great, the actors are great, youknow, they're part of film
history.
But the excitement that thesefilms bring is when you open it
(28:14):
and see it for the first timeand hear it for the first time
looking so great with theserestorations.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
It's very exciting for me because I know the work
is going to be done, but when Ifirst get my eyes on it, it's
usually a very thrillingexperience.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
I remember working at Warner Brothers, george, and
sometimes you get in the weeds,right, you're seeing it in
different phases before thefinal, and you don't get that
same experience of the consumer,of the shrink-wrapped package
comes and you put it in.
Now that I'm not working atWarner Brothers, I'm
experiencing that and I'mexperiencing, I think, what
(28:54):
others are that excitement.
You get it, you get the shrinkwrap off and you put it in and
you watch it and you have yourlittle snacks or whatever it is
that you're going to enjoy, andthese films are just wonderful,
wonderful, fun experiences forthe fans.
So I just want to thank you onbehalf of the fans for these
(29:14):
wonderful releases.
Speaker 2 (29:16):
Well, and thank you for giving us the opportunity to
spread the word, because that'sthe important thing, and it's
also important to me that peopleunderstand the real
multifaceted work that so manypeople here put into these
releases, and it's a testamentto my colleagues that we're able
(29:41):
to, with great pride, put outsuch beautiful looking discs.
Yeah, and we intend to continueto do that.
Speaker 1 (29:51):
Well, we have one TV series that we're going to talk
about this month as well, andthat is a man called Shenandoah
that stars Robert Horton.
I saw some reviews about thisalready.
That came out, this already,that came out, and, to the point
of what we just talked about,people keep saying these one
(30:11):
season TV releases, the workthat you guys have done there at
Warner Brothers, warner Archive, they look fabulous, and I'm
seeing those same reviews forthis series as well.
So we'll start there.
I watched some of the episodesand I'm enjoying it.
The great thing about these TVseries is that the episodes are
(30:34):
not that long, and so you canput them in and just watch one
to the next, to the next, and Ijust kind of really kind of
binge enjoy these great lookingWesterns, and I think this one
comes through, just as some ofthe others you've released this
year is quite entertaining.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
Well, I thank you for that, and this is a really
interesting series.
I think it would have beenquite a big success if it wasn't
in a competitive time slot.
But it was in a verycompetitive time slot with what
was going on on CBS and NBC andso a lot of people didn't get to
(31:14):
see it.
So the series began thisodyssey of its character,
shenandoah, and it was neverresolved because the show was
canceled right, but the episodesthemselves are really, really
enjoyable and he's terrific init.
That's why he was such a big tvstar.
(31:36):
The difference between whatthis looks like now with the 4k
scans off the camera negative.
With the 4K scans off thecamera negative.
Versus what?
Speaker 1 (31:54):
we put on.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
DVD several years ago is rather, it speaks for itself
and it's rather impressive, tosay the least.
And that's the best way towatch these things, because they
become much more entertainingand accessible when they look
and sound great.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
Yeah, and these are fun.
There's a mystery to this onebecause in the pilot Robert
Horton character he doesn'tremember anything, he has the
amnesia, and so that starts themystery to this one.
And that's a fun ride.
Starts the mystery to this one.
And that's a fun ride, as youmentioned.
(32:30):
It does never finally resolve,but it takes you from one
episode to the next.
It's he's trying to figure out,piece together his backstory.
Who am I?
But there's always this action.
They're all action driven andso they're a lot of fun.
These episodes are, and so Ithink this is another highly
recommended TV release from theWarner archive.
So I hope you have more coming.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
Oh yes, we do indeed.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
Okay, well, that's exciting, so I'm looking forward
to hearing more about that inthe near future.
Speaker 2 (33:02):
You'll be the first to know.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
Well, george, we're going to take a big jump a few
decades here to the post-2000s,and there's some films that
you've been releasing on anongoing basis I think pretty
much every month to help fill inthe modern films that never
released on Blu-ray.
So there's been some reallygood ones here that we haven't
(33:26):
had a chance to talk about andlooking forward to.
I think we'll start with MustLove Dogs starring Diane Lane
and John Cusack, and that's from2005.
It's pretty surprising that ithasn't been released on Blu-ray
before 2005.
It's pretty surprising that ithasn't been released on Blu-ray
before.
But Cusack and Lane playeddivorcees that are being
(33:48):
pressured by their family andfriends to use the internet to
start dating.
People have to remember, hey, in2005, that was kind of a new
thing, it wasn't it wasn't theyou've got mail, you know, just
sending emails to each other ofof the late nineties.
This was actual, you knowdating sites and things.
So it's got a real feel for theera that was in and the plot is
(34:10):
entertaining.
It keeps moving and, of course,the actors Cusack and Lane
together is always a greatpairing, so this is a really fun
one to have.
It's great that it's finallycoming out on Blu-ray for fans
of this film.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
Yeah, I think it's a charming.
I remember seeing it when itcame out, thought it was very
entertaining.
I think the reason it nevercame out on Blu-ray is that it
was released right before theformat made its debut, and when
the format made its debut it wasalso competing against HD DVD.
(34:44):
There was a lot of catching upto do and somehow this just, you
know slipped through the cracks.
So I had remembered it being aterrific film and I thought that
both Diane Lane and John Cusackare terrific in it.
So it's a feel goodgood movieand we need movies that make
people feel good.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
Yeah, and it has a few extras on here.
It's got deleted scenes, gagreel and the trailer, so it's
always nice to have those, Ithink with these post-2000
releases as well.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
For sure, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (35:17):
Well, the next one I thought we'd talk about is
another Christopher Guest filmand it's the mockumentary For
your Consideration, which thisis perfect timing right.
We're entering the ramp up inthe industry which happens in
November and December becauseyou got to get qualified for the
(35:38):
awards season and this film isa really fun look, you know,
behind the scenes of of thathappening and, having worked at
Warner Brothers, we've seen thiskind of infectious buzz around
certain films and actors.
That happened and it's likecatnip for actors and producers
(35:58):
and directors if they hearsomething about themselves or
one of their films and it oftencomes down to, you know,
crashing down to depressingresults for them.
But this is a fun and hilarioustake on that experience for
people and you know people inthe industry and outside the
industry to enjoy it.
It's really a lot of fun.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
Well, I happen to be a big fan of Mr Guest and we
have four of his films that arewith his coterie of talents,
starting with Waiting forGuffman, which is a Warner
Archive Blu-ray, and then thefilm that followed, it was Best
in Show, which did get a Blu-rayrelease through the Mothership,
(36:44):
through Warner Video.
Then there was A Mighty Wind,which I also love, which we put
out through Warner Archive.
Then the last of them thatfalls under our ownership is For
your Consideration and for somereason this didn't get
considered to be put out onBlu-ray and I was surprised by
(37:05):
that and I wanted to write thatwrong.
And we have.
Now it's available on Blu-rayand it's as funny as it was when
I first saw it, because all thethings that it lampoons have
only become more over the top.
Speaker 1 (37:22):
Yeah, it's so good.
It's just a lighthearted funand it's great to see so many
great actors.
You know that are part of hisfilms, so I really enjoyed it,
and this one is loaded with.
Speaker 2 (37:37):
Yes, it is yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
So you've got well, you've got the commentary with
Christopher Guest and EugeneLevy, and then you've got a
whole bunch of other bonusmaterials on here that I think
people are going to enjoy.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
I think people really should pick this disc up, and
if you haven't seen Waiting forGuffman and the Mighty Wind, I
recommend those as well.
Speaker 1 (37:59):
Yeah, you're going to laugh.
I mean, it's true, and truthprovides great humor, so it's
got so much truth to it.
Speaker 2 (38:08):
Yes, exactly that's what makes satire really sizzle.
Speaker 1 (38:13):
Well, we have one more film that we're going to
talk about here today, and thatis A Prairie Home Companion from
2006.
And this is also very funny,whimsical.
It's a comedy with terrificperformances.
When you put in Lily Tomlin andMeryl Streep and Woody
Harrelson and Kevin Kline andGarrison Keillor, you're bound
(38:34):
to have a very smart but funny,funny film.
Speaker 2 (38:40):
Oh, absolutely.
And also this is notable asbeing the final film of the
great Robert Altman, and there'sa poignancy to it.
I happen to be a big fan of alot of Robert Altman's films,
and he was not in the best ofhealth and PT Anderson was
brought on board kind of as abackup in case Altman wasn't
(39:04):
well enough to finish the movie,but thankfully he did and he
even contributed a commentarytrack which is on the disc.
With Kevin Kline.
The films of his that I likethe most are where he's brought
together just an incredible slew, an impressive slew of
important talented actors, andhere you have Meryl Streep and
(39:27):
Lily Tomlin and even the greatLindsay Lohan.
I mean, everybody is in thismovie.
It's kind of a different takeon the multi-cast movies that
Christopher Guest makes, youknow, but you sense the
filmmaker smiling while he'smaking the movie in both cases,
(39:50):
and I think these films actuallywork together.
If you were to do a double bill, Well, that's so true.
Speaker 1 (39:56):
Yeah, I also want to mention you got Tommy Lee Jones
playing this very serious personinvestigating everything, which
adds a fun element to it.
And then John C Reilly he wasgreat in this.
He's sensational in it.
He's always, always brings somuch to a film.
(40:16):
And the music.
People who know the PrairieHome Companion of course know
about the style and everything,but I thought the music was just
so enjoyable.
Speaker 2 (40:25):
Oh, it certainly is my goodness.
Speaker 1 (40:27):
It's really good.
Well, we ended with a couple ofreally fun ones here.
I've been laughing for the lastfew minutes that we've been
talking about these, justthinking back about how fun it
was to watch these.
So I think people are going toreally enjoy if they pick up
those Blu-rays, because theylook fantastic now.
So great packages you've puttogether there.
Well, George, always a lot offun to get together.
(40:49):
Talk about these great films.
Speaker 2 (40:51):
Always a pleasure for me, and thank you for the
opportunity, and we'll have toget together again soon because
there's going to be a lot moreto talk about.
Speaker 1 (40:59):
Oh, yes, there will.
I know.
In talking with Jerry, he waslooking forward to talking about
the Wait Till your Father GetsHome.
So there's going to be a lot ofgreat podcasts in the future as
we come into the end of theyear and early 2025.
Speaker 2 (41:13):
Sounds like a plan.
Speaker 1 (41:19):
For those who'd like to order the films that we
talked about today, there arepurchase links in the podcast
show notes.
If you aren't yet subscribed orfollowing the show at your
favorite podcast provider, youmay want to do that so that you
don't miss anything that'scoming up Until next time you've
been listening to Tim Millard,Stay slightly obsessed.
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