LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME (1955) on Blu-ray! Doris Day ably demonstrates her dramatic chops opposite one of the greatest masters of the cinematic art in this biopic about America’s sweetheart of song, Ruth Etting. As befits the life of a true smash singing sensation whose personal life was so entangled with darkness, Love Me or Leave Me plays not like a musical, but as a drama with songs. Singer, actress Ruth Etting (Doris Day) shines brightly over the Twenties and Thirties, producing more then 60(!) hit records with songs like “Shine On, Harvest Moon”, “Ten Cents a Dance” and “Love Me or Leave Me,” but behind the lights Ruth Etting she’s trapped in dark tango with her manager/husband, the gangster Martin “Moe the Gimp” Snyder (Cagney). As she struggles against the controlling cage created by the Gimp, Ruth seeks succor with another (Cameron Mitchell). But the Gimp threatens to let no other man have her, and is possessed of a jealous rage… Charles Vidor’s staging is shown to full effect, while the audio capabilities on Blu-ray allow Ms. Day’s superb interpretations of Ms. Etting’s songs to be fully appreciated. SPECIAL FEATURES (all in 1080p HD) include the Vintage short subjects: Salute to the Theaters (a/k/a 1955 Motion Picture Celebration-MGM promotional short, includes behind-the-scenes filming); Roseland (1930 Vitaphone short starring Ruth Etting); A Modern Cinderella (1932 Vitaphone short starring Ruth Etting); Original Theatrical Trailer

THE KID AND THE COWBOY

MONOGRAM COWBOY COLLECTION VOLUME 9: JOHNNY MACK BROWN (1946-48) Cowboy king Johnny Mack Brown became the first name in rip-roaring oaters while riding high for Monogram Pictures in the mid-forties. After retiring his beloved Nevada Jack persona (but thankfully keeping the sidekick, Raymond Hatton) he eventually battled the bad guys under the moniker Johnny Mack Brown. The nine nickel-plated six shooter sagas contained in this collection cover this transition as Johnny plays a succession of character variations on his own name (Johnny Macklin, Johnny Mack, Johnny Mackey) before finally saddling up as Johnny Mack Brown! Collection contains The Gentleman from Texas (1946), Trailing Danger, Land of the Lawless, The Law Comes to Gunsight, Code of the Saddle, Flashing Guns (1947), Frontier Agent, The Fighting Ranger & The Sheriff of Medicine Bow (1948).

WHEN A FELLER NEEDS A FRIEND (1932) Jackie Cooper stars in this feisty Depression era drama about a little nipper learning to be a whippersnapper thanks to the deft instruction of a cagey ol’ coot. Edward Haverford ‘Eddie’ Randall (Cooper) is not like regular boys. He’s afflicted with a lame leg and forced to wear a brace while awaiting the magical day when a new German operation may save him. Denied the opportunity to indulge in regular kid play by his over-protective parents (Dorothy Peterson and Ralph Graves), his plight is made worse when his bullying cousin Froggie (Arthur Shuford) comes to stay and keep him company. But Froggie thoroughly pulls the wool over all save canny Great Uncle Jonas (Chic Sale, at forty playing a fabulous seventy.) So it’s up to Uncle Jonas to teach Eddie the important lessons of boyhood: shooting, driving under age, and fight clubbing. Directed and produced by Harry A. Pollard.

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