Garv’s Pick of the Week: Footlight Parade (Warner Archive)
For the release week of July 16th:
Garv’s Pick of the Week: Footlight Parade [Blu-ray / Warner Archive]: James Cagney dances, Dick Powell sings, Busby Berkeley choreographs, and the costumes are Pre-Code risqué. What’s not to love?
Additional Titles of Interest —
Charley Chase: At Hal Roach: The Talkies Volume Two 1932-33 [DVD / Kit Parker Films]: Volume One was one of my “Picks of the Year.” Volume Two should provide lots more fun from Hal Roach’s “Lot of Fun.”
The Leopard Man [Blu-ray / Scream Factory]: Producer Val Lewton really liked his Cat People.
Noir Archive Volume 2: 1954-1956 (9-film Collection) [Blu-ray / Kit Parker Films]: Nine mid-Fifties noirs are packaged together on 3 Blu-ray discs. If the set only includes a couple of gems, it’s worth the price tag.
Klute [Blu-ray / Criterion]: A small town detective (Donald Sutherland) gets involved with a Manhattan call girl (Jane Fonda) while investigating a missing businessman in this much-loved 1971 thriller.
Mumford [Blu-ray / Kino Lorber]: Lawrence Kasdan’s light comedy/drama about a mysterious psychologist was a box office bomb on its original release, but I remember liking it quite a bit.
The Psychic (aka Sette note in nero) [Blu-ray / Scorpion Releasing]: One of Lucio Fulci’s more restrained efforts, but also one of his best.
Murder Rock (aka Murderock - Uccide a passo di danza [Blu-ray / Scorpion Releasing]: Part Flashdance rip-off, part slasher, all Fulci.
Attack of the Robots [Blu-ray / Kino Lorber]: Alphaville’s Eddie Constantine fights mechanical men in a flick by Jess Franco. It’s probably pretty bad, but I bet it’s watchable.
Space: 1999 - The Complete Series [Blu-ray / Shout Factory]: The complete 1975-1976 sci-fi series is housed on 13 Blu-rays with tons of extras.
Best of Pete Smith Specialties: Volume 1 [DVD / Warner Archive]: For over 20 years at MGM, Pete Smith produced and narrated a series of comedy shorts that weren’t very funny. If you’ve spent any time watching TCM, you’ve probably been irritated by his voice. Now you can own 75 of his shorts in a 4-DVD set, so you can be irritated any time you’re in the mood.
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