CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF (1958) on Blu-ray Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman scorch the screen to cinders with this adaptation of Pulitzer prize-winning Tennessee Williams’ play despite the then-enforced production codes squeamishness. And if the exact nature of Brick’s difficulties with desire remain a tad more opaque on the big screen, the two luminous leads convey sub-text galore with every glance, touch, and twitch. As the Pollitt cotton clan prepares to fete Big Daddy Pollitt (Burl Ives, reprising his Broadway role) on his birthday, Maggie the Cat’s (Taylor) frustrations with her husband Brick (Paul Newman) goes from simmer to steam, revealing a nest of family secrets long thought buried. This multi-award nominated box office smash sports a sleek new sheen courtesy of this brand new 2016 1080p HD master. Directed by Richard Brooks. SPECIAL FEATURES: Feature commentary by Donald Spoto, author of “The Kindness of Strangers: The Life of Tennessee Williams”; Featurette: “Playing Cat and Mouse” (SD); THEATRICAL TRAILER (HD) 16×9 Widescreen

Edward G. Robinson Rocks It

WIDOW FROM CHICAGO (1930) Edward G. makes the scene in his screen debut as the bad boy beer baron Dominic, targeted for vengeance by the sister (Alice White) of the undercover cop he iced. Said sister poses as the widow of Swifty Dorgan, the cover identity of her offed cop sib, but when the real Swifty (Neil Hamilton) arrives, sparks and bullets fly. Also starring Frank McHugh. Directed by Edward Cline.

BLACKMAIL (1939) Unjustly convicted chain gang fugitive John R. Ingram (Edward G. Robinson) has secured a family and a future by fighting oil fire conflagrations. On the cusp of his nest egg hatching into an oil well of his own, a former shipmate shows up with extortion and betrayal on his mind. Thrust back into the shackles of a Georgia chain gang, dreams of revenge keep Ingram’s inner fires lit long enough to enact a daring escape and a cross-country trek to confrontation. Also starring Ruth Hussey and Gene Lockhart. Directed by H.C. Potter.

UNHOLY PARTNERS (1941) The Five Star Final team of Mervyn LeRoy and Edwaed G. Robinson re-team for another thrilling saga of the ink-stained wretches of the fourth estate. Bruce Corey runs his paper, The New York Mercury, as a legit rag even though it was initially bankrolled with the bent money of mob man Merrill Lambert (the always hissable Edward Arnold). But being legit doesn’t preclude an occasional headline-creating stunt or two from the brash and fearless Corey. It does preclude, however, letting Lambert spike a story that implicates one of his men in murder, setting muckraker and mobster on a fatal collision course. Also starring Laraine Day, Marsha Hunt, and future TV-series savant William T. Orr.

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