Literary Classics Collection - Five-disc set includes several titles taken from great literature that have been long out of print: The Prisoner of Zenda (1937 and 1952), starring Ronald Colman and Madeleine Carroll, and the later version with Stewart Granger and Deborah Kerr; The Three Musketeers (1948), with Gene Kelly and Lana Turner; Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951), starring Gregory Peck and Virginia Mayo; Billy Budd (1962), starring Robert Ryan, Melvyn Douglas, and Peter Ustinov; and Madame Bovary (1949), starring Jennifer Jones, James Mason, Van Heflin, and Louis Jourdan. A great, must-own collection.
The Gene Autry 100th Anniversary Collection - Texas Ranger Gene Autry does some scouting work for the Army and helps them get an ammunition shipment past some renegade Comanche. There's solid western action in Ride Ranger Ride (1936), with Smiley Burnette, Monte Blue, Chief Thundercloud. Autry and sidekick Smiley Burnette foil a worthless gold-mining stock swindle in the rip-roarin,' rootin'-tootin' oater Man from Music Mountain (1938). The five-disc set also includes The Old Corral, Round-Up Time in Texas, Yodelin' Kid from Pine Ridge, Boots and Saddles, Loaded Pistols, Riders of the Whistling Pines, and the complete serial The Phantom Empire (1935). 15 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English.
The Naked City (1948) - This masterful, gritty crime drama, shot on location in New York City, details the investigation of a murdered woman by two policemen, a crafty veteran (Barry Fitzgerald) and his brash young assistant (Don Taylor). After numerous dead ends, the clues lead to a surprising suspect. Jules Dassin directs in slam-bang realistic fashion; with Howard Duff and Dorothy Hart. 96 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; featurette; interview; photo gallery. (Release date March 20)
The Ed Wood Collection: A Salute To Incompetence - In addition to the affectionate documentary "The Ed Wood Story," which features a selection of interviews with Wood-ophiles Dolores Fuller, Bela Lugosi, Jr., and Johnny Depp, this two-disc collection includes the films Glen or Glenda? (1953), Jail Bait (1954), Bride of the Monster (1955), The Violent Years (1956), Night of the Ghouls (1959), and the worst of all, Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959). 7 1/2 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English. (Release date March 20)
All previous new DVD reviews