Warner Archive New Releases: Laughing With Wolves

STARRING KEVIN BROPHY, JOE E. BROWN, CAROLE LOMBARD, TOM DUGAN, KAY FRANCIS AND AN MGM PARADE OF COMEDIANS AND COMEDIENNES
LUCAN: THE COMPLETE SERIES (1977-78) New to DVD
Lucan mixes the real life tales of feral children like Victor of Aveyron through the fugitive-on-a-quest filter to spin out forgotten TV gold. Airing only sporadically throughout 1977 and 1978, the show never had a chance to run with the pack but yet imprinted itself on a generation of young TV viewers. Lucan, abandoned as an infant in the wild and raised by wolves, is discovered in the forests of northern Minnesota at the age of ten and begins the difficult process of learning what it is to be human. Under the tutelage of Dr. Hoagland (John Randolph) at the University Research Center in California, he grows up, dubs himself “Lucan” (Kevin Brophy) and sets out to discover the secrets of his heritage and his true identity. The dangers of civilization far outstrip that of nature, and Lucan must rely on the instincts and abilities he learned while running with his wolf brothers and sisters. Slowly gathering clues, Lucan’s quest is interrupted by a crime at the research center for which he is unjustly accused. Now a fugitive, Lucan must now stay one step ahead of the lawman (Don Gordon) pursuing him, while still looking for answers. Guest stars include Celeste Holm, Stephanie Zimbalist, John Randolph, Robert Reed, Regis Philbin, Leslie Nielsen, Ned Beatty and Stockard Channing.
COMEDY CLASSICS NEW TO DVD
THE HOT HEIRESS (1931) New to DVD
Masters of the musical Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart contribute three songs to this light-hearted reverse Cinderella romance. High atop a skeletal skyscraper under construction, riveters Bill Dugan (Tom Dugan) and Hap Harrigan (Ben Lyon) cry “Got Ya!” while catching red-hot rivets and singing “Nobody Loves a Riveter (But His Mother)” when a sleeping beauty in a neighboring apartment catches Hap’s eye. Enraptured, Hap misses his “Got Ya!” and the rivet crashes through her boudoir window, causing a fire. Racing across skeletal beams to the rescue, Hap douses the flames while setting the heiress, Juliette Hunter (Ona Munson) aflame with desire. The practical minded Hap sees no future in their cross-class romance, but Juliette is determined to land Hap as her man. First, however, she needs to break things off with her high society fiancé, Clay (Walter Pidgeon). And Clay is determined to prove Hap an upstart lout…
FIREMAN, SAVE MY CHILD (1932) New to DVD
The grand mouth of mirth himself, Joe E. Brown, gets to show off his astounding athleticism as well as his vaudevillian chops in this sports comedy about a pitcher who brings the heat while looking to douse the fire. Smokey Joe Grant (Brown), contented resident of rural Roseland, Kansas, is a full-time firefighter and a part-time pitcher for the local ball club. Although his skills at the mound are extraordinary, baseball is a take-it-or-leave-it proposition for Joe and it’s fighting fires that captures his concerns – that and his small-town sweetheart, Sally (Evalyn Knapp). But when the big league comes calling in the form of the St. Louis Cardinals, Sally persuades Smokey Joe to sign, so he can better sell his invention, a pitchable extinguisher ball, and to save enough scratch so they can get hitched. While small-town Smokey pitches the Cards to the pennant, he falls prey to a glamorous grifter (Lilian Bond). Whither Sally?
THE GAY BRIDE (1934) New to DVD
Screwball comedy queen Carole Lombard stars in this crime comedy romance caper about a gold digger with grit determined to make the path to matrimony as crooked as possible. Showgirl Mary has her sights set on big lug mob boss “Shoots” Magiz (Nat Pendleton) and prods him into popping the question. With best gal pal Mirabelle in tow, Mary sets out for a picture book country wedding along with Shoots and his minions Dingle (Sam Hardy) and Mickey the Greek (Leo Carrillo). A wedding day massacre courtesy of rival racketeers is avoided thanks to the quick work of Shoot’s bodyguard, “Office Boy” (Chester Morris). Back in the big city, Mary secures both pre-nup and nuptials from Shoots, and sets out a high-flying honeymoon, her financial future seemingly secure. Mary’s “for better” soon turns to “for worse” and she finds herself on the hook for Shoots debts. Good thing there are more mobsters to marry… even if “Office Boy” doesn’t approve.
COMET OVER BROADWAY (1938) New to DVD
Working mom Eve Appleton (Kay Francis) runs a newsstand, raises her daughter, tends her husband (John Litel), gets chastised by her mother-in-law (Vera Lewis) while dreaming of the stage. When a lecherous famous actor offers to give Eve private instruction in the performance arts, Eve’s husband Bill arrives to rescue her virtue. A short scuffle results in the death of the actor and Bill is quickly railroaded to the big house. Vowing to see her husband freed, Eve begins her ascent from small-town stage to showgirl to burlesque to vaudeville and then to Broadway. Along the way she gives up custody of her daughter to a showgal pal, Tim (Minna Gombel), and falls for theater impresario Bert Ballin (Ian Hunter). Eve flees to England to escape her heart, and after conquering the London stage she is finally ready to confront her past – but is it too late to put her family back together?
MGM’S “THE BIG PARADE OF COMEDY” (1964) New to DVD
Legendary broadcaster Les Tremayne lends his dulcet tones to this rip-roaring survey of some of the silliest scenes to ever emanate from the “Tiffany studio”. Produced, directed and written by Robert Youngson, most famous for reacquainting the movie-going public with the titans of the silent era in The Golden Age of Comedy (1957) and When Comedy Was King (1960), this compilation documentary begins in the 1920s and spotlights Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s sillier side up to 1948. The film’s all-star assembly of scenes includes performances from across the firmament of the Hollywood heavens, from legendary comedy teams like Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, and The Marx Brothers to screen icons like Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn to beloved screen comedians like W.C.Fields, Red Skelton, and Lucille Ball. So grab your popcorn, get ready to watch this parade – and listen for Garbo’s laugh!

 

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