Warner Archive Collection New Releases: Action and Anguish

NONE BUT THE BRAVE (1965) New 2019 1080p HD Master 

Frank Sinatra added “director’ to his astonishing resume of wonder with this taut anti-war drama that looked back at World War II with a prescient message for a nation currently wading into the morass of Vietnam. A Japanese-American co-production (the first such venture) and adapted from a Japanese story, None But The Brave plays out a parallel tale of two sides enjoying a fragile truce told from the perspective of its narrator (Tatsuya Mihashi, High and Low), a reluctant soldier in command of a group of stranded Japanese soldiers. When a crippled C-47 carrying a complement of Marines crash lands on their island, the War in the Pacific plays out in miniature. Director Sinatra wisely lays back in his role as Pharmacist Mate turned medic Maloney, giving the heavy lifting to Mihashi and Clint Walker (The Dirty Dozen) as the commander of the American forces – eliciting powerful performances from both. This oft-overlooked war drama gets the sheen it long deserves with this sharp and striking presentation in 1080p HD. 16×9 Letterbox

 

 

Rarities Found and Delivered on DVD

THE ROADHOUSE MURDER (1932) New to DVD

Overeager cub reporter Chick Brian (Eric Linden) thinks he has the story that will land him the front-page byline of his dreams when he snaps the picture of a diamond smuggler in a most candid situation. Unfortunately for the hapless Chick, it only lands him in hot water with his editor Jeff Dale (Roscoe Karns) because the smuggler is the mistress of their publisher. With his story killed, Chick heads to the countryside with his girlfriend Mary (Dorothy Jordan), but the couple become stranded by a sudden rain storm causing them to seek shelter inside the Lame Dog Inn. While drying off, they hear a gunshot and come across a murder scene and confront criminal Fred Dykes (Bruce Cabot) and his moll Louise (Phyllis Clare). Louise persuades the deadly Dykes to spare the couple but leaves her handbag behind. Armed with the evidence of the killer’s identity, Chick conceives a fool-hardy scheme to frame himself for the murders for the sake of a sensational scoop. What could possibly go wrong?

 

MADE ON BROADWAY (1933) New to DVD 

Powerful PR man Jeff Bidwell (Robert Montgomery) is the secret king of Broadway – a fixer and advisor to a procession of Manhattan’s most powerful ranging from divorcees to generals and from the District Attorney to the Mayor – provided they are ready to pay his rather sizable fees. But it’s a “pro bono” client that proves his undoing when he rescues a suicidal working girl and transforms Minnie Martin (Sally Eilers) into the celebrated society sophisticate, “Mona Martine.” Bidwell, with the help of his loyal ex-wife Claire (Madge Evans), succeeds beyond his own lofty expectations only to find himself falling for his own creation. When Mona kills a notorious lothario late at night in her apartment, Jeff starts to spin out the tale of her innocence only to discover Mona’s true dark interests.

 

MARRIED BEFORE BREAKFAST (1937) New to DVD 

After years of missteps, Tom Wakefield (Robert Young) succeeds in selling his razor-less shaving cream for the life changing sum of $250,000 which, much to the dismay of his level-headed fiancé June Baylin (June Clayworth), sends him on a madcap spending spree. Friend and stranger alike soon find themselves on the receiving end of Tom’s extravagant generosity, including the crew of eccentrics he rooms with as well as Kitty (Florence Rice), the cruise ship agent that sold Tom tickets for a trip around the world. When Tom learns that Kitty’s fiancé, insurance agent Kenneth (Hugh Marlowe), won’t marry her until he sells a policy to an impossible-to-insure client to win a promotion, Tom, Kitty and Tom’s newly hired valet, Tweed (Barnett Parker) embark on a series of wild misadventures that do, indeed, end with Kitty at the altar. Just not with Kenneth!

 

Doris Day Back in Print on DVD

THE PAJAMA GAME (1957) Back on DVD 

Doris Day stars along with a complement of the original Broadway cast in this much-loved musical masterwork from collaborators George Abbot and Stanley Donen. Love arises between opposing sides of a labor dispute at the Sleeptite Pajama Factory as its workers fight to secure a 7 1/2 cent raise. Songs by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross and choreography by Bob Fosse. 16×9 Widescreen

 

DAMN YANKEES (1958) Back on DVD  

A baseball fan sells his soul to help his beloved Washington Senators defeat the “damned” New York Yankees in this slice of pure delight from Adler, Ross, Fosse, Abbot, Donen and most of its Broadway cast. Tab Hunter ably plays ingenue lead, and Ray Walston shines as Old Scratch but it’s Gwen Verdon as Lola who scorches her way into our hearts. 16×9 Widescreen

NOTE: These DVDs are Manufactured on Demand (MOD); to order, fans must visit The Warner Archive Collection, WB Shop.com, Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

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