Monday, April 9, 2007

New Walt Disney Treasures

The Walt Disney Treasures website indicates more of these sets are in the works. Personally, we're waiting for "Dr. Syn Alias the Scarecrow," but we'll take what we can get.

New street dates

Highlights from the latest batch of forthcoming releases:

April 17: Laverne and Shirley: The Complete Second Season
April 24: The Queen (Buena Vista)
April 24: Déjà Vu (Buena Vista)
April 24: Ironside: Complete Season One (Shout Factory)
April 24: Moral One: The Unholy One (Warner Home Video/date change)
April 24: The Adventures of Sir Lancelot, Vol. 1 (Alpha Video)
April 24: Forgotten Noir: Vol 4: The Man from Cairo & Mask of the Dragon (VCI)
April 24: Forgotten Noir: Vol 5: FBI Girl & Tough Assignment (VCI)
April 24: Forgotten Noir: Vol 6: I’ll Get You, Fingerprints Don’t Lie (VCI)
April 24: Night at the Museum (Fox)
April 24: The Odd Couple: The Complete First Season
May: Three's Company: Capturing the Laughter - Janet's Episodes
(Anchor Bay)
May 1: The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (Shout Factory/see press release below)
May 1: Dreamgirls (Paramount)
May 1: The Drew Carey Show: Complete First Season
May 8: That '70s Show: Season 6 (Fox)
May 15: M*A*S*H*: Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen (Fox)
May 29: Beauty and the Beast Second Season (Paramount)
May 29: Scouts to the Rescue - starring Jackie Cooper (12-chapter serial) (VCI)
May 29: The Royal Mounted Rides Again - starring Bill Kennedy and George Dolenz, father of Monkee Micky Dolenz (13-chapter serial) (VCI)
June 5: CHiPs: The Complete First Season (Warner Home Video)
June 5: Hogan's Heroes: The Complete Sixth Season (Paramount)
June 5: Mission Impossible: The Complete Second Season (Paramount)
June 12: Diagnosis Murder: The Complete Second Season (Paramount)
June 12: Walker Texas Ranger: The Complete Third Season (Paramount)
June 12: The Nancy Drew Movie Collection: With Nancy Drew, Detective; Nancy Drew, Reporter; Nancy Drew,Troubleshooter and Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase. (Warner)
June 19: Perry Mason: Second Season, Vol. 1 (Paramount)
June 19: Lucille Ball Film Collection: With The Big Street, Critic's Choice, Dance Girl Dance, Dubarry Was a Lady and Mame (Warner Home Video)
June 26: Cult Camp Classics Vol. 2 - Women in Peril June 26: Cult Camp Classics Vol. 3 - Terrorized Travelers June 26: Cult Camp Classics Vol. 4 - Historical Epics
June 26: Gomer Pyle, USMC: The Second Season (Paramount)
June 26: Queen of Outer Space (Warner Home Video)
June 26: Trog (Warner Home Video)
June 26: Land of the Pharoahs (Warner Home Video)
June 26: The New Adventures of Superman (Warner Home Video)
June 26: The New Adventures of Batman: The Complete Series (Warner Home Video)
July 24: Star Trek: The Fan Collective (Paramount)
July 31: Popeye the Sailor (Collection of 60 Fleischer cartoons)

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The press release for Shout Factory's upcoming Ozzie and Harriet DVD set. As the press release says, the sets previously available have been horrible quality. This one, as is most of Shout Factory's stuff, is worth waiting for:

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Adventures Of Ozzie And Harriet was one of the longest-running and most-loved family situation comedies on television and, until now, was only available on home video in bootlegged, unofficial DVDs of dubious quality. All that changes on May 1, 2007, when Shout! Factory’s four-DVD box set, produced in tandem with the Nelson Family, The Best Of The Adventures Of Ozzie And Harriet, arrives in stores digitally re-mastered and packed with bonus material for $34.98 (S.L.P.).

Endorsed and presented by the Nelson family, this box set represents 24 of the most memorable episodes from the show’s 14 season run. It takes audiences through the boys’ teenage years, college graduation, weddings and career launches – with Ricky becoming a teen idol before our very eyes in the episode “Ricky, The Drummer,” with his very first televised performance, “I’m Walkin’.” The series also makes the progression from the black and white era into color broadcasts by the final episodes.

The Nelsons embodied the idyllic nuclear family for generations before and after the show’s run and The Best Of The Adventures Of Ozzie And Harriet marks the first time that the Nelson family has endorsed a DVD. David Nelson, along with the family of Ricky Nelson, dug into their family archives to add personal gems to the home movies collection. As a result, Shout! Factory’s lovingly assembled box set celebrates the seminal family comedy with a wealth of bonus programming, including episode and home movie commentaries by David Nelson and Ricky’s son Sam, authentic Nelson family home movies, a “Ricky Sings” feature to play only his performances, “The Ozzie & Harriet Story” featurette about their early careers, an audio presentation of the first radio show to feature David and Ricky, and a Nelson Family trivia game. Additionally, the set boasts seven Ricky Nelson performances including “I’m Walkin’,” “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” “Believe What You Say,” “Trying To Get To You,” “Cindy,” “You Are The Only One,” “I Am Not Afraid” and “Just A Little Bit Sweet.”

DVD CONTENTS : DISC ONE
The Fall Guy – Season One, 10/24/1952
Oz advises David to stand up for his rights and not to let people take advantage of him, but the advice backfires.

David’s Birthday – Season Two, 10/23/1953
David Nelson has an unexpected visitor at his seventeenth birthday party.
Optional Audio Commentary with David & Sam Nelson

David’s Engagement - Season Three, 9/23/1955
David has matrimonial plans with his steady. Ozzie and Harriet realize that David will get married someday, but think that he is too young to tie the knot.

A Ball Of Tinfoil – Season Four, 11/25/1955
Harriet decides there is too much junk accumulated in the Nelson garage, attic and cellar. Ozzie rents a trailer to haul the stuff away to the junkyard but discovers this is only the beginning of his problem.

Captain Salty And The Submarine – Season Five, 10/10/1956
Ozzie finds out that a kiddie program, Captain Salty and the Submarine, holds a great deal of interest for adults as well. It is not at all surprising that several other fathers in the neighborhood share his enthusiasm.

Ricky, The Drummer – Season Five, 4/10/1957
This is Ricky’s night. He gets to play drums in a name band, do a bop dance with a party girl, and sing a rhythm and blues recording to an enthusiastic audience. Ricky performs for his first time on the show.

Featurette:The Ozzie & Harriet Story - The Journey Into Television
Ricky Sings:“I’m Walkin’”

DVD CONTENTS : DISC TWO

Tutti Frutti Ice Cream – Season Six, 12/11/1957
Recollections of Ozzie’s high school days bring a sudden rage for tutti frutti ice cream. There is a happy scene in an old fashioned parlor where Ozzie, Harriet, David and Rick sing to the accompaniment of Ozzie’s banjo and Harriet’s dancing.
Optional Audio Commentary with David & Sam Nelson

The Trophy – Season Six, 1/1/1958
The Nelsons enter the family decathlon at the annual Men’s Club picnic. The deciding event is the cross-country obstacle race, which Ozzie must win if he is to uphold the honor of the family and win the coveted trophy. In this episode Rick also sings, plays guitar and does a sensational dance.

Ricky Sings:“Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On”

Closed Circuit – Season Six, 3/26/1958
Ricky sets up a closed circuit television studio in the basement.

Top Gun – Season Six, 4/2/1958
Ozzie regales the neighborhood kids with his story of his great-grandfather “Six-Gun Nelson.” They corner Ozzie into a shoot-out with TV Western star “Tex Barton” at a supermarket opening.

Rick’s Riding Lesson – Season Seven, 11/19/1958
When Ricky meets a beautiful riding instructor (Venetia Stevenson) at the local stables, he decides to take some riding lessons. He makes a deal with her — he’ll teach her how to play guitar if she’ll teach him how to ride. There is much fun at the Chuck Wagon party where the gang sings “Cindy.”

David, The Law Clerk – Season Eight, 10/21/1959
David applies for the position of clerk in a law office. However, when Ozzie, Harriet and Ricky try to be helpful, they almost cost Dave the job. In a dream-filled night, David vividly pictures a hilarious courtroom scene in which he plays all the characters.

Ricky Sings: “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On”
“I Believe What You Say”
“Trying To Get To You”
“Cindy”

DVD CONTENTS : DISC THREE
The Circus – Season Eight, 1/27/1960
David’s duties as a law clerk take him down to the circus where he becomes more than slightly interested in one of the circus glamour girls. In the flying trapeze act presented by David and Ricky, they don’t use doubles but actually perform their own stunts.
Optional Audio Commentary with David & Sam Nelson

His Brother’s Girl – Season Eight, 10/19/1960
Fraternal bonds between David and Ricky are suddenly threatened when Dave finds himself attracted to his brother’s girl. The situation is further complicated when the young lady in question shows her true feelings and the eternal triangle takes shape.

Rick Counts The Ballots – Season Nine, 12/28/1960
Rick’s ability to keep a secret is put to the test when he finds himself in charge of counting the ballots for the “Campus Queen Contest” — especially since his girlfriend, one of the leading contestants, is determined to learn the results.
Optional Audio Commentary with David & Sam Nelson

Ricky Sings:“You Are The Only One” (duet with Linda Bennett)
“I’m Not Afraid”

The Newlyweds Get Settled – Season Ten, 10/12/1961
While David and his new bride June (played by his real-life new bride June Blair) are away on their honeymoon, Harriet, with Ozzie’s assistance, decides to fix up their apartment for them. However, with the return of the newlyweds, Harriet suddenly becomes worried that she has overstepped her rights as mother-in-law.

The Fraternity Rents Out A Room – Season Ten, 10/19/1961
When the best room in Rick and Wally’s fraternity is vacated, they vote to rent out the room to take in funds for their fast-dwindling treasury. Wally Cox guest stars as the professor who disrupts the easy-going fraternity life.

Making Wally Study – Season Ten, 2/22/1962
Rick and his friends decide to enforce good study habits on Wally when they realize his grades are a threat to the scholastic standing of their fraternity. However, matters become complicated when Wally hits the books and Rick is elected to take charge of Wally’s girlfriend, Ginger.
Featurette: Original Promo for “The Circus”
Home Movies: David & Rick practice trapeze
Ricky Sings: “You Are The Only One” (duet with Linda Bennett) “I’m Not Afraid”

DVD CONTENTS : DISC FOUR
Publicity For The Fraternity – Season Eleven, 3/28/1963
Rick and his friends decide their fraternity is sadly in need of publicity go on a campaign to gain some campus recognition. When all their antics are ignored by the school press, they decide to take some drastic measures, which pay off a little differently that they had expected. Directed by David Nelson.
Optional Audio Commentary with David & Sam Nelson

The Swami – Season Twelve, 1/8/1964
When Rick successfully enlivens a fraternity party by disguising himself as a swami and telling fortunes, Ozzie and his friend Joe decide that the same act would prove a huge success at the Women’s Club dance. However, even a swami couldn’t predict the hilarious results arising from Ozzie in disguise... especially when Harriet and Clara decide to get in on the act.

Rick And Kris Go To The Mountains – Season Thirteen, 10/7/1964
When Rick, Wally and some of the fraternity members decide to hold a poker party at Kris’s (Kristen Harmon, Rick’s real-life wife) folks’ mountain cabin over the weekend, Kris assumes the wives and girlfriends are also included — the resulting situation is a hilarious mix-up with Rick right in the middle. Directed by David Nelson.

The Ballerina – Season Thirteen, 11/4/1964
Rick and some of his fraternity brothers consent to put on a comedy ballet act for the Women’s Club Annual Children’s Show. However, when the fellows get discouraged, Kris comes to the rescue by volunteering to perform the real thing. She shows her delightful capabilities as a true ballerina. In a dream sequence, she and Rick present an expertly performed excerpt from “Swan Lake.”

The Prowler – Season Fourteen, 10/13/1965 (color)
When Ozzie tries to get out of playing bridge with his neighbors, Joe and Clara Randolph, by pretending to go on a fishing trip, his scheme backfires and an embarrassing and hilarious situation is the result.

The Game Room – Season Fourteen, 3/26/1966 (color)
When Ozzie decides to buy a new pool table and convert David and Rick’s old bedroom into a game room, he meets with some opposition from Harriet. To get his way, Oz and his pal Joe come up with some sneaky strategies, including taking the girls to the Billiards-A-Go-Go. This was the last episode made in the series.

Featurette: Nelson Family Trivia Quiz

Ricky Sings: “Just A Little Bit Sweet”