Classic Movie

Combinations

*** NEWLY REMASTERED ***

Calcutta (1947), Saigon (1948) & Chicago Deadline (1949)

are now part of this set

Alan Ladd "Action" Combination

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

Alan Ladd made some great action films in the 1940's & 1950s.

Here are eight fine examples and they are all very nice B&W prints!

China (1943) - 79 mins. Starring Alan Ladd, Loretta Young, William Bendix & Philip Ahn. Directed by John Farrow - Synopsis: Shortly before Pearl Harbor, American opportunist Jones and partner Johnny are in China to sell oil to the invading Japanese army. Cynical about the sufferings of the Chinese, Jones meets compassionate teacher Carolyn Grant while traveling cross-country to Shanghai. Sparks fly between these strong-willed characters, neither budging an inch. But when Jones witnesses a Japanese atrocity, his feelings toward his customers (and Carolyn) begin to change. An absolute ripper action film with a great ending!

O.S.S. (1946) - 108 mins. Starring Alan Ladd, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Patric Knowles, John Hoyt & Richard Webb. Directed by Irving Pichel - Synopsis: John Martin is part of an American spy team dropped into France during World War II to destroy the French railway system. After successfully blowing up a tunnel he runs back to save Ellen and is told "Never come back for me again." Later he must choose whether or not to obey her wishes. A first rate action film and spy yarn with Alan Ladd doing what he does best.

Calcutta (1947) - 83 mins. Starring Alan Ladd, Gail Russell, William Bendix & June Duprez. Directed by John Farrow - Synopsis: Neale and Pedro fly cargo between Chungking and Calcutta. When their buddy Bill is murdered they investigate. Neale meets Bill's fiancée Virginia and becomes suspicious of a deeper plot while also falling for her charms. The closest thing to an "adventure noir" film

Saigon (1948) - 93 mins. Starring Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, Douglas Dick, Wally Cassell & Luther Adler. Directed by Leslie Fenton - Synopsis: In Shanghai after WWII, veteran pilots Larry Briggs (Ladd) and Pete Rocco (Wally Cassell) are dismayed when informed that friend Mike Perry (Douglas Dick) will soon die of a terminal illness. Larry and Pete decide to keep the tragic news from Mike and spend the next weeks showing him a high time. To finance the festivities, they accept an offer of $10,000 from unscrupulous war profiteer Zlex Maris (Morris Carnovsky) in exchange for a flight to Vietnam. When departure time arrives, Maris shows up with the police in hot pursuit, so the buddies take off with his secretary, Susan Neaves (Lake), whose briefcase contains Maris' earnings of $500,000. A great adventure story!

Chicago Deadline (1949) - 86 mins. Starring Alan Ladd, Donna Reed, June Havoc, Irene Hervey & Arthur Kennedy. Directed by Lewis Allen - Synopsis: Tough reporter Ed Adams (Alan Ladd) wants to get the full story behind the apparent suicide of a young woman. It seems that the girl left behind a notebook with a list of seemingly unrelated names. Adams tracks down each one of the persons cited in the notebook, slowly but surely putting the pieces together. Once the basic mystery is solved, however, there's one surprising loose end left to be tied up. June Havoc co-stars as Leona, self-styled best friend of the decedent, who helps Adams in his quest. As the victim, Donna Reed appears exclusively in flashbacks. Alan Ladd in top form as always!

Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950) - 82 mins. Starring Alan Ladd, Wanda Hendrix, Francis Lederer, Joseph Calleia & Celie Lovsky. Directed by Mitchell Leisen - Synopsis: A former OSS operative, Captain Webb Carey returns to Orta, near Milan in Italy after the war to avenge the death of resistance worker Giulia. Much to his surprise, Carey finds that his "deceased" lover is not only still alive, but also the wife of a powerful Italian nobleman. He also discovers to his sorrow that the far-from-grateful Italian villagers hold the Americans responsible for their current financial travails. Carey sticks around, hoping to flush out the traitor who'd caused the wartime deaths of several of his OSS colleagues. The box-office success of Captain Carey USA was enhanced by the incidental musical number "Mona Lisa," which won an Academy Award.

Appointment With Danger (1951) - 87 mins. Starring Alan Ladd, Phyllis Calvert, Paul Stewart, Jan Sterling, Jack Webb & Harry Morgan.

Directed by Lewis Allen - Synopsis: Relentless postal inspector Al Goddard is set to Gary, Indiana, when another officer is murdered. He must find the nun who witnessed the murder, then infiltrate the gang by convincing them he is a postal inspector gone bad. This is a great Alan Ladd crime drama with interesting support from Jack Webb & Harry Morgan as the villains!

Thunder in the East (1953) - 98 mins. Starring Alan Ladd, Deborah Kerr, Charles Boyer, Corinne Calvert & Cecil Kellaway. Directed by Charles Vidor - Synopsis: During India's first years of independence from Britain, Steve Gibbs lands his armaments loaded plane in Ghandahar province hoping to get rich. Pacifist Prime Minister Singh hopes to reach an agreement with guerilla leader Khan, the maharajah is a fool, and the British residents are living in the past. Steve's love interest is Joan Willoughby, the blind daughter of a parson. A top-flight actioner from Alan Ladd.

Alan Ladd Action Combination Disc No. 1

China (1943)

O.S.S. (1946)

Alan Ladd Action Combination Disc No. 2

Calcutta (1947)

Saigon (1948)

Alan Ladd Action Combination Disc No. 3

Chicago Deadline (1949)

Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950)

Alan Ladd Action Combination Disc No. 4

Appointment With Danger (1951)

Thunder In The East (1953)

Note that each of the above titles are also available separately (one movie per DVD) from both the ALAN LADD and the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES sections of this website

The Alistair MacLean Combination

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

Alistair MacLean was a Scottish novelist who wrote successful thrillers or adventure stories, the best known of which are perhaps The Guns of Navarone and Where Eagles Dare. He also used the pseudonym Ian Stuart. Compared to other thriller writers of the time, MacLean's books are exceptional in one way at least: they have an absence of sex and most are short on romance because MacLean thought that such diversions merely serve to slow down the action. MacLean let little hinder the flow of events in his books, making his heroes fight against seemingly unbeatable odds and often pushing them to the limits of their physical and mental endurance. MacLean's heroes are usually calm, cynical men entirely devoted to their work and often carrying some kind of secret knowledge.

This 4 DVD set consists of four films (one per DVD) which came from the pen of MacLean either in the form of a novel or by screenplay or both:

The Satan Bug (1965) - 114 mins

Starring George Maharis, Richard Basehart, Anne Francis, Dana Andrews, John Larkin & Frank Sutton

Directed by John Sturges

Lee Barrett was until recently a security officer at Station 3, a top secret government laboratory. He was fired for insubordination but is called back to duty by General Williams when biological warfare agents are stolen from the facility. Of particular concern is the Satan Bug, a new and particularly virulent bacteriological weapon that could, if released, destroy all of mankind in a few weeks or months. The thief threatens to release the Satan Bug in a public place and Barrett races against time to stop him.

Adapted from an Alistair MacLean novel (MacLean using his pseudonym of Ian Sturt) and with a script by James "The Great Escape" Clavell, The Satan Bug is one of the best efforts in the "deadly virus at large" genre. Fabulous Widescreen color print

When Eight Bells Toll (1971) - 94 mins

Starring Anthony Hopkins, Robert Morley, Natalie Delon, Jack Hawkins & Corin Redgrave

Directed by Etienne Périer

Anthony Hopkins stars in this intereseting adventure yarn, scripted by Alistair MacLean from his novel. Hopkins is Philip Calvert, a naval secret-service agent who is assigned to find out why millions of pounds of gold bullion are being stolen under the noses of the British government. Calvert begins his investigations in the bleak Scottish Highlands. Posing as marine biologists, Calvert and his partner Hunslett (Corin Redgrave) find something fishy and hostile among the Scottish inhabitants. They also suspect that the rich and smooth Greek tycoon Sir Arthur Skouras (Jack Hawkins), who lays anchor off the coast in his luxury yacht, may be the culprit behind the pirating of the gold bullion. A superb widescreen color print

Puppet on a Chain (1971) - 98 mins

Starring Sven-Bertil Taube, Barbara Parkins, Alexander Knox, Patrick Allen & Vladek Sheybal

Directed by Geoffrey Reeve

The headquarters of a drug-smuggling cartel is the quarry of American narcotics agent Paul Sherman (Sven-Bartil Taube). Though the cartel's activities are centered in Amsterdam, Sherman's search for the headquarters leads to an island castle owned by an offbeat religious group. Sherman and his partner Maggie (Barbara Parkins) run into serious trouble when they try to gain access to the forbidding site.

From a screenplay by Alistaiar MacLean, this detective thriller features one of the most exciting boat chases ever filmed, a scene that has been compared to the car chase in Bullitt. It is also notable for having much scenic footage of the Netherlands and of Amsterdam. A superb color print .

Fear is the Key (1972) - 103 mins

Starring Barry Newman, Suzy Kendall, John Vernon, Dolph Sweet & Ben Kingsley

Directed by Michael Tuchner

In this thriller based on a novel by Alistair MacLean, Barry "Vanishing Point" Newman plays John Talbot, an underwater salvage expert who witnesses the murder of his wife and child. After working with the police, Talbot hatches his own scheme to bring the killers to justice; posing as a criminal, he stages the phony murder of a police officer and kidnaps Sarah Ruthven (Suzy Kendall), the heiress to a petroleum fortune. Talbot's false daring attracts the attention of a criminal mastermind who wants to recover the valuables aboard a plane that recently crash-landed in the water; however, Talbot knows that the same man was responsible for his family's death, and he intends to see that he never returns from their exploratory search of the wrecked plane.

A fabulous car chase sets this film rolling and it unfolds at a terrific rate. A superb widescreen color print

The Alistair MacLean Combination Disc No. 1

The Satan Bug (1965)

The Alistair MacLean Combination Disc No. 2

When Eight Bells Toll (1971)

The Alistair MacLean Combination Disc No. 3

Puppet on a Chain (1971)

The Alistair MacLean Combination Disc No. 4

Fear is the Key (1972)

Note that each of the above titles are also available separately from the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website. Also within the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section are other "Alistair MacLean" films:

The Secret Ways (1961), Caravan to Vaccarès (1974), Golden Rendezvous (1977), Bear Island (1979) & River of Death (1989).

Basil Radford & Naunton Wayne "Charters & Caldicott" Combination

3 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$30 or US$30 or £15

Alfred Hitchcock turned Ethel Lina White's novel The Wheel Spins into a delicious mystery comedy in 1938 called The Lady Vanishes. Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave are lead into a dizzying web of intrigue when an old woman disappears during a train ride in pre-war Europe. The film featured a witty script by Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat and wonderful performances by Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne as as the cricket mad rather inept upper class Englishmen Charters and Caldicott (respectively)

In 1940, Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat produced another stylish script (based on Gordon Wellesley's book Report on a Fugitive) which was filmed by Carol Reed as Night Train to Munich. It’s the story of a British secret service agent (Rex Harrison) who is aided by a woman (Margaret Lockwood, again) in trying to rescue a Czech scientist who is being transported back to Berlin by Nazis. Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne reprised their roles as Charters and Caldicott.

In 1941 Radford and Wayne were back as Charters and Caldicott, this time in lead roles in Crook's Tour. Here they bumble through Europe, their stiff accents and manners getting themselves into trouble and rubbing people up the wrong way. An hilarious adventure if only to look at Charters and Caldicott's deadpan expressions.

Charters and Caldicott were back to supporting roles in the Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat directed Millions Like Us (1943), a wartime morale booster starring Gordon Jackson. This was the last time that they would appear as Charters and Caldicott, but Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne did return to top billing in the witty Its Not Cricket (1949) in which as Major Bright & Captain Early they find themselves kicked out of Army Intelligence and decide to set up as private detectives with chaotic results.

Note: The Lady Vanishes (1938) and Night Train to Munich (1940) are available separately from within the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website

Also worth a look : The "British Espionage Radio Shows (comprising dramatized radio versions of The Riddle of the Sands, The 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes & Rogue Male) - check out the Old Time Radio section of this website. These shows have been digitally restored & come on MP3 CDs which work in your DVD player. The shows are free - with conditions. Check out the Old Time Radio section for further details

Basil Radford & Naunton Wayne "Charters & Caldicott" Disc 1

The Lady Vanishes (1938)

Night Train to Munich (1940)

Basil Radford & Naunton Wayne "Charters & Caldicott" Disc 2

Crook's Tour (1941)

Millions Like Us (1943)

Basil Radford & Naunton Wayne "Charters & Caldicott" Disc 3

Its Not Cricket (1949)

Bob Hope / Paulette Goddard Combination

2 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$25 or US$25 or £13

In 1939, Bob Hope & Paulette Goddard starred in the classic "old dark house" chiller The Cat and the Canary. It was well received and cemented wise-cracking Hope as a star. The movie led to that even more successful scare comedy, The Ghost Breakers

Disc No. 1

The Cat and the Canary (1939)

Disc No. 2

The Ghost Breakers (1940)

Also available in a 4 DVD Set with Paleface / Son of Paleface Combination : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

Boris Karloff / Val Lewton Combination

1 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$20 or US$20 or £10

When the front office at RKO Pictures informed producer Val Lewton that Boris Karloff had been procured to appear in his next suspense film Isle of the Dead (1945), he wasn't entirely pleased. Karloff was famous for his portrayal of horrific monsters & mummies, sensationalist creations not at all in tune with the psychological thrillers for which Lewton was noted. Luckily, Karloff turned out to be an inspired choice. Determined to show that he was a skilled actor (actually, he was a very fine & talented performer) he was completely in sync with what Lewton envisaged, giving a nuanced portrayal of an essentially decent man who finds himself slowly driven to a sort of despair by the forces around him. He becomes the heart of a film which wisely saves its shocks for the last few minutes, having built up to the eerie climax slowly & inexorably.

Lewton was very pleased with Karloff's work and arranged two more collaborations. With only two weeks left in filming Isle of the Dead, Karloff had to be hospitalized for serious back problems. On his release from hospital, he found Lewton was all prepared to film The Body Snatcher (1945). Karloff gave another wonderful performance, before finally finishing Isle of the Dead. The following year Karloff starred in Lewton's Bedlam (1946), completing the trio of very tidy thrillers.

The Body Snatcher (1945)

Starring Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Henry Daniell, Edith Atwater, Russell Wade & Rita Corday

Directed by Robert Wise

In Edinburgh, renowned surgeon and now teacher of anatomy Dr. MacFarlane, has been paying John Gray, a cabman, to clandestinely bring him exhumed bodies of the recently deceased for classroom demonstration purposes. With cemeteries being increasingly guarded, Gray turns to murder to provide MacFarlane with fresh bodies. Realizing that he will never be rid of Gray, who constantly taunts him with his knowledge of MacFarland's past indiscretions, MacFarlane engages the malevolent Gray in a hand-to-hand fight to the death, the ultimate results of which provide the victor with an episode of unprecedented psychological horror.

Isle of the Dead (1945)

Starring Boris Karloff, Ellen Drew, Marc Cramer, Katherine Emery, Helen Thimig, Alan Napier & Jason Robards Sr.

Directed by Mark Robson

On a Greek island during the 1912 war, several people are trapped by quarantine for the plague. If that isn't enough worry, one of the people, a superstitious old peasant woman, suspects one young girl of being a vampiric kind of demon called a vorvolaka.

Bedlam (1946)

Starring Boris Karloff, Anna Lee, Billy House, Richard Fraser, Glen Vernon, Ian Wolfe, Jason Robards Sr.

Directed by Mark Robson

Nell Bowen, the spirited protege of rich Lord Mortimer, becomes interested in the conditions of notorious St. Mary's of Bethlehem Asylum (Bedlam). Encouraged by the Quaker Hannay, she tries to bring support to reforming Bedlam, but the cruel Master Sims who runs it has her committed there. The inmates, however, have the last say.

The Boris Karloff / Val Lewton Combination Disc

The Body Snatcher (1945).

Isle of the Dead (1945)

Bedlam (1946)

3 DVD Set with The Cat People Combination & A Val Lewton Horror Combination : AU$30 or US$28 or £16

*** NEW ***

British Comedy Combination

2 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$25 or US$25 or £13

Four British made comedies seemed to define the circumstances of post WWII Britain - namely that the colonial empire was contracting and increasingly, "relevance" in this brave new world seemed paramount.

This quartet of films really comprises two films and their respective sequels and they each are based on the central idea that a "small island" can still wield influence and make the outer world take notice ….

Whiskey Galore! (1949), Rockets Galore! (1957),

The Mouse That Roared (1959), The Mouse on the Moon (1963)

Whiskey Galore! (1949) - B&W - 82 mins

Directed by Alexander Mackendrick

Starring Basil Radford, Catherine Lacey, Bruce Seton, Joan Greenwood, Wylie Wilson, Gabrielle Blunt, Gordon Jackson , James Robertson Justice, Jameson Clark & Jean Cadell

Synopsis: Whiskey Galore! (originally released in the US as Tight Little Island), is a comedy predicated on the notion that all Scotsmen like a drink of whiskey. The tiny Outer Hebrides island of Todday suffers from a wartime whiskey shortage. Luck of luck, a ship full of the precious liquid is wrecked on a reef. The islanders conspire to smuggle the whiskey off the ship right under the noses of the pesky British revenue officials. Numerous clever comic complications occur before the happy ending which, we are told by the narrator, was not so happy once all the whiskey was consumed. Whiskey Galore! is regarded by devotees of British comedy as the best and most representative offering from the short-lived Ealing Studios. Based on a true story, this uproariously funny film was nominated for a BAFTA Award (Best Film)

Rockets Galore (1957) - Color - 94 mins

Directed by Michael Relph

Starring Jeannie Carson, Donald Sinden, Roland Culver, Catherine Lacey, Noel Purcell, Ian Hunter, Gordon Jackson, Jameson Clark & Jean Cadell

Synopsis: The small but resourceful Outer Hebrides island of Todday, introduced in the 1949 Ealing comedy Whisky Galore!, made a return visit (in color) to movie screens in 1957's Rockets Galore - although released in the U.S. as Mad Little Island. In the first film, the good people of Todday faced up to the appalling dilemma of a whiskey shortage. Now we're in the space age, and Todday has been targeted as the location for a rocket-launching site. Banding together as before, the islanders do their best to sabotage the project under the unsuspecting noses of the blinkered British military.

Leonard Patrick O'Connor Wibberley (1915 –1983) was a prolific and versatile Irish-American author, who is best known for his satiric novels about an imaginary country, Grand Fenwick, particularly The Mouse That Roared

The novels led to two riotous British comedies The Mouse That Roared (1959) and is sequel The Mouse on the Moon (1963). The first is distinguished by the ingenuous playing of Peter Sellers who "assails" three roles: the Grand Duchess Gloriana XII, the Hereditary Prime Minister, Count Rupert of Mountjoy and the Hereditary Field Marshall and Grand Constable, Tully Bascombe. Well directed by Jack Arnold, it’s an extremely funny film and its success led to a sequel 4 years later: The Mouse on the Moon. The second film boats Richard Lester as director; he was later to hellm the critically acclaimed Beatles hit A Hard Day's Night (1964) and Superman II (1978). This time out there is no Peter Sellers, however his "daughter" Grand Duchess Gloriana XIII is played with great aplomb by Margaret Rutherford who at the time was in the middle of her successful 4 film Miss Marple movie series (which is also available from this website). The only actor to reappear is David Kossof who is Professor Alfred Kokintz in both films. The character Benter is in both films being played by Leo McKern in the first and then Roddy McMillan in the second.

The Mouse That Roared (1959) - Color - 85 mins

Directed by Jack Arnold

Starring Peter Sellers (as Grand Duchess Gloriana XII / Prime Minister Count Rupert Mountjoy / Tully Bascombe) Jean Seberg, William Hartnell, David Kossof & Leo McKern

Synopsis: The world's smallest nation, the Duchy of Grand Fenwick, which lies on the Swiss-French border, is quietly and prosperously ruled by the Grand Duchess Gloriana XII with the assistance of the Hereditary Prime Minister, Count Rupert of Mountjoy, the Hereditary Field Marshall and Grand Constable, Tully Bascombe and the Leader of the Loyal Opposition, David Bentner. Disaster strikes, however, when the Duchy's only export, its wine, Pinot Grand Fenwick, is undercut in the United States by a Californian copy, Pinot Grand Enwick. Faced with bankruptcy, and having had no reply to its protests, the Duchy decides to declare war on the United States, Mountjoy having reasoned that it will certainly lose and will then be magnificently rehabilitated by the generous, victorious Americans.

The Mouse on the Moon (1963) - Color - 83 mins

Directed by Richard Lester

Starring Margaret Rutherford (as Grand Duchess Gloriana XIII), Ron Moody, Bernard Cribbins, David Kossof, Terry Thomas & Roddy McMillan

Synopsis: The Prime Minister of the Duchy of Grand Fenwick (Ron Moody) is in a bind because he has no money to renovate his castle and there is a serious problem with his small country's main export, wine. The stuff tends to explode. So the Prime Minister asks the U.S. for aid to develop space research, knowing full well they are not going to give him money to remodel his castle. Once the U.S. grants a cool million to the country, Russia adds in a used rocket, and things start popping. Like it or not, the Duchy is suddenly involved in space research and contributing to the madness is the discovery that its unique wine makes good rocket fuel!

The "Galore" Collection (Disc No. 1)

Whiskey Galore! (1949) aka Tight Little Island (1949)

Rockets Galore (1957) aka Mad Little Island (1957)

The "Mouse" Collection (Disc No. 2)

The Mouse That Roared (1959)

The Mouse on the Moon (1963)

Note that each of these DVDs is available separately from within the Movies Series section of this website (under "Galore" and "Mouse")

*** NEW COMBINATION ***

British Espionage Combination

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

At the turn of 20th century, the public seemed ready for stories that transcended the sedate and that postulated change. Four novels were to emerge that tapped a fear of aggression between major powers and the newly emerging art of espionage. Two were written prior to WWI, with the other two published between the wars, collectively they seem to have epitomised the notion of British Espionage. This quartet of books were:

The Riddle of the Sands (1903), The 39 Steps (1914), The Lady Vanishes (1936), Rogue Male (1939)

Each of these fabulous British espionage stories were giving the full Technicolor wide-screen movie treatment in the late 1970s - yes, there were earlier editions of some of these films: both The Lady Vanishes & The 39 Steps had been previously filmed in the 1930s in B&W by Alfred Hitchcock; Rogue Male was brought to the screen in 1941 under the title Manhunt and The 39 Steps was also remade in color in 1959.

But the late 70s editions were lavish, well mounted, "all England" affairs being extensively filmed on location and in UK's Pinewood Studios.

(Short Qualifier: Rogue Male being a BBC production wasn't given the "wide-screen" treatment)

Rogue Male (1976)

Starring Peter O'Toole, John Standing, Alistair Sim, Harold Pinter, Michael Byrne & Mark McManus

Directed by Clive Donner

Early in 1939 Sir Robert Thorndyke takes aim at Adolph Hitler with a high powered rifle, but the shot misses its mark. Captured and tortured by the Gestapo and left for dead, Sir Robert makes his way back to England where he discovers the Gestapo has followed him. Knowing that his government would turn him over to German authorities, Sir Robert goes underground in his battle with his pursuers.

The Thirty Nine Steps (1978)

Starring Robert Powell, David Warner, Eric Porter & John Mills

Directed by Don Sharp

Synopsis: Hannay (Robert Powell) is an innocent bystander, suspected by enemy agents of having intercepted their secret war plans. Pursued by both the spies and the police, Hannay runs for his life in the company of Alex (Karen Dotrice) ending with a "high and dizzy" sequence on the face of Big Ben.

The Lady Vanishes (1979)

Starring Elliott Gould, Cybill Shepherd, Angela Lansbury, Herbert Lom, Arthur Lowe, Ian Carmichael & Wolf Kahler

Directed by Anthony Page

Syopsis: On an express train travelling through pre-World War II Germany, American heiress Amanda Kelly (Cybill Shepherd) befriends a cute old nanny, Miss Froy (Angela Lansbury). But when Miss Froy disappears, everyone Amanda questions denies having ever seen her. Eventually Amanda persuades American photographer Robert Condon (Elliot Gould) to help her search the train, during which they discover that Miss Froy wasn't quite what she seemed.

The Riddle of the Sands (1979)

Starring Michael York, Simon MacCorkindale, Jenny Agutter, Alan Badel & Wolf Kahler

Directed by Tony Maylam

Synopsis: In the early years of the 20th Century, two British yachtsmen Arthur Davies (Simon MacCorkindale) & Charles Carruthers (Michael York) stumble upon a German plot to invade the east coast of England in a flotilla of specially designed barges. They set out to thwart this terrible scheme, but must outwit not only the cream of the German Navy, but the feared Kaiser Wilhelm himself.

Perfect wide-screen Technicolor prints!

(Although as mentioned above, Rogue Male being a BBC production was not filmed in "wide-screen" - a further note about Rogue Male: commercial releases of this film are of poor quality and have been edited - NOT THIS PRINT! - it runs the full 104 minutes and is of very good quality, being taken off an original 16mm master)

Note that each of these films are available from within the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website

Note further that The Thirty Nine Steps (1978) is also available within The 39 Steps Combination (see below in this category) as well as an optional addition to the (Robert Powell's) Hannay TV Series which can be found in the TV Series section of this website.

And Rogue Male (1976) is also available below as part of the 2 DVD set Man Hunt / Rogue Male Combination

Also worth a look : The "British Espionage" Radio Shows (comprising dramatized radio versions of The Riddle of the Sands, The 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes & Rogue Male) - check out the Old Time Radio section of this website. These shows have been digitally restored & come on MP3 CDs which work in your DVD player. The shows are free - with conditions. Check out the Old Time Radio section for further details

The Best of British Espionage Combination Disc No. 1

Rogue Male (1976)

The Best of British Espionage Combination Disc No. 2

The Thirty Nine Steps (1978)

The Best of British Espionage Combination Disc No. 3

The Lady Vanishes (1979)

The Best of British Espionage Combination Disc No. 4

The Riddle of the Sands (1979)

Captain America Collection

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

Apart from a few animated TV series, live-action characterisations of Captain America have been confined to 4 outings only: a well-received 15 chapter serial released in 1944, two 1979 TV movies and a big budget 1990 (cinema) movie

Captain America (1990)

Starring Matt Salinger, Ronny Cox, Ned Beatty, Darren McGavin, Melinda Dillon & Michael Nouri

Directed By Albert Pyun

During World War II, a brave, patriotic American Soldier undergoes experiments to become a new supersoldier, Captain America. Racing to Germany to sabotage the rockets of Nazi baddie "Red Skull", Captain America winds up frozen until the 1990s. He reawakens to find that the Red Skull has changed identities and is now planning to kidnap the President of the United States.

Captain America (1979)

Starring Reb Brown, Len Birman, Heather Menzies & Steve Forrest

Directed By Rod Holcomb

The ex-marine son of the original World War II hero (see the serial) has his life is saved by a super steroid endowing him with extra strength, vision, hearing and agility. Determined to carry on the duties of his late father, he dons the famed red, white & blue costume and climbs aboard a high tech motorcycle to thwart a power mad industrialist who threatens to destroy Phoenix with a neutron bomb

Captain America II (1979)

Starring Reb Brown, Len Birman, Connie Sellecca & Christopher Lee

Directed By Ivan Nagy

Christopher Lee stars as a merciless world revolutionary who threatens to unleash a drug that accelerates the aging process unless his impossible demands are met. Faced with the greatest challenge of his career, Captain America races against time to penetrate the evil terrorist's fortress of death.

Captain America (1944) - the 15 Chapter Serial

Starring Dick Purcell, Lorna Gray, Lionel Atwill, Charles Towbridge & George J. Lewis

Directed By John English & Elmer Clifton

Superhero Captain America battles the evil forces of the archvillian called The Scarab, who poisons his enemies and steals a secret device capable of destroying buildings by sound vibrations

The Captain America Collection Disc No. 1

Captain America (1990)

The Captain America Collection Disc No. 2

Captain America (1979)

The Captain America Collection Disc No. 3

Captain America II (1979)

The Captain America Collection Disc No. 4

Captain America (1944) - the 15 Chapter Serial

Cat People Combination

1 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$20 or US$20 or £10

Cat People (1942) is a classic. It was the first film from producer Val Lewton at RKO Radio Pictures. With it Lewton essentially created a new type of horror film - the psychological horror film. And in so doing Lewton ended completely changing approaches to the horror film. In synopsis Cat People could be any of a dozen similarly minded B-programmer werewolf variations of the same decade. The crucial difference was in Lewton’s approach to horror. Lewton took any overt manifestation of the supernatural away from the audience. The approach that became a dictum to his writers and directors relied upon casting doubt, both for the characters and audience, upon whether or not the supernatural menace was real or something imagined. Whether or not Simone Simon is a were-feline or merely imagining it, the film here is cleverly ambiguous about, even at the very end.

Lewton also produced the well-received sequel The Curse of the Cat People (1944)

Cat People (1942)

Starring Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Tom Conway, Jane Randolph & Jack Holt

Directed by Jacques Tourneur

Irena Dubrovna, a beautiful and mysterious Serbian-born fashion artist living in New York City, falls in love with and marries average-Joe American Oliver Reed. Their marriage suffers though, as Irena believes that she suffers from an ancient curse- whenever emotionally aroused, she will turn into a panther and kill.

The Curse of the Cat People (1944)

Starring Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Jane Randolph & Ann Carter

Directed by Robert Wise & Gunther von Fritsch

This sequel to Cat People (1942) has Amy, the young daughter of Oliver and Alice Reed. Amy is a very imaginative child who has trouble differentiating fantasy from reality, and has no friends her own age as a result. She makes an imaginary friend though, her father's dead first wife Irena. At about the same time, she befriends Julia Farren, an aging reclusive actress who is alienated from her own daughter Barbara.

The Cat People Combination Disc

Cat People (1942)

The Curse of the Cat People (1944)

3 DVD Set with The Val Lewton / Boris Karloff Combination & A Val Lewton Horror Combination :

AU$30 or US$30 or £15

A Chester Morris (non Boston Blackie) Collection

2 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$25 or US$25 or £13

Chester Morris will always be known as "Boston Blackie of the Movies".

He appeared as Boston Blackie in all 14 entries of that great Columbia film series commencing with Meet Boston Blackie (1941) and concluding with Boston Blackie's Chinese Venture (1949). With his Boston Blackie commitments over, Chester moved into the emerging TV medium but unfortunately never duplicated the success that he had achieved in films. Few realize that Chester was actually nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for Alibi (1929) and that he was a big star not only during his Boston Blackie run but also in the 1930s. This 2 DVD set is a selection of films from his non-Blackie alumni - all action/adventure man material with Chester in the lead. Although possibly (cruely) categorized as"B" films, 1943's Tornado actually runs for 83 minutes and was a very "profitable film.

Note: Check out Chester Morris' Boston Blackie films in the Movie Series section of this website - all 14 films & all fabulous prints!

Counterfeit (1936): A federal agent, pretending to be a murderer, goes undercover to join a gang of counterfeiters. The trouble begins when the gang kidnaps an engraver from Treasury Department and force him to make a set of plates to print the fake cash.

Flight from Glory (1937): Chester Morris stars as a fearless pilot whose misdeeds have exiled him to a remote flying field in the Andes mountains. Morris and his fellow pilots are all exiles of sorts, and as such are willing to take on the near-suicidal task of flying supplies to miners in the most treacherous mountain ranges. The all-male atmosphere is disrupted when young air ace Van Heflin shows up with his wife Whitney Bourne. Morris tries to keep the sex-starved pilots away from Whitney, buts ends up falling in love with her himself.

Smashing the Rackets (1938): Jim 'Socker' Conway, former boxer and FBI hero, is maneuvered for political reasons into a do-nothing job in the district attorney's office. Meanwhile, he meets wild debutante Letty Lane, girlfriend of mob mouthpiece Steve Lawrence; and Letty's much nicer sister Susan. Now the slot machine gang brutally beats Jim's friends Franz and Otto. Now Jim must find a way to use his nominal position to go into the racket-busting business without putting Letty in deadly peril.

Blind Alley (1939): A chilling psychological drama in the film-noir tradition reminiscent of the fine melodrama The Desperate Hours. Hal Wilson (Chester Morris) is an escaped killer who hides out in the home of noted psychologist Dr. Shelby (Ralph Bellamy). While Wilson's gang holds Shelby's family and servants hostage, the pipe-smoking mental doctor calmly tries to discover the reasons for Wilson's murderous proclivities. As gun moll Mary (Ann Dvorak) covers Shelby, Wilson willingly allows the doctor to psycho-analyze him, using hypnosis to trace the killer's childhood. Once Shelby forces Wilson to confront his inner demons, the lifelong criminal is never able to kill again. Blind Alley works well as a "film noir," complete with surrealistic dream sequences. A taut story and moody cinematography by Lucien Ballard, with sharp direction from Charles Vidor and superlative acting by Morris and Bellamy earn this film noir entry a top spot in the genre. The film was remade scene-for-scene in 1949 as The Dark Past, with William Holden as the killer and Lee J. Cobb as the unflappable head shrinker

Tornado (1943): Chester Morris stars as coal miner Pete Ramsey, who falls in love with, and secretly marries, scheming showgirl Victory Kane. Anxious to escape her poverty-stricken surroundings, Victory urges Pete to lobby for the position of mine superintendent. Climbing ever upward on the social and economic ladder, Victory has an affair with wealthy mine operator Gary Linden.

I Live on Danger (1942): A fast-moving thriller with strong performances and top-notch direction by former screenwriter Sam White. Jeff Morrell (Chester Morris) is a newscaster who gets involved in saving wrongly accused Eddie Nelson (Edward Norris) from a murder charge. Nelson's sister, Susan Richards (Jean Parker) and Jeff make for a fine romantic pair as they fight to save the innocent man.

Double Exposure (1944): This breezy actioner sees Chester Morris as Larry Burke, editor for a weekly photo magazine. Impressed by the work of photojournalist Pat Marvin, Burke hires Marvin sight unseen, only to discover that "he" is a "she" (Nancy Kelly). Burke insists that the shutterbug racket is no job for a "dame", but Pat intends to prove him wrong. In the process, she becomes the prime suspect in a murder case, forcing Burke to come out from behind his desk and solve the mystery himself

Chester Morris Disc No. 1 (the "before" Boston Blackie titles)

Counterfeit (1936)

Flight from Glory (1937)

Smashing the Rackets (1938)

Blind Alley (1939)

Chester Morris Disc No. 2 (the "during" Boston Blackie titles)

I Live on Danger (1942)

Tornado (1943)

Double Exposure (1944)

Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon Combination

2 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$25 or US$25 or £13

Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961) is recognized as the first master of hard-boiled detective fiction. His lean writing style, cynical characters and complex plots brought a new energy to pulp magazines then went on to define the genre in movies, radio and television where the private eye series became an entertainment staple.

The Maltese Falcon is a 1930 detective novel by Dashiell Hammett, originally serialized in the magazine "Black Mask". The main character, Sam Spade, appears only in this novel and in three lesser known short stories, yet is widely cited as the crystallizing figure in the development of the hard-boiled private detective genre. Sam Spade combined cold detachment, keen eye for detail, and unflinching determination to achieve his own justice. He is the man who has seen the wretched, the corrupt, the tawdry side of life but still retains his "tarnished idealism".

The Maltese Falcon begins its story when Sam Spade and fellow PI Miles Archer are hired by a woman to follow a man called Thursby. When Archer is murdered and Thursby gunned down, the police and Spade are keen to get answers. When the woman reveals she was lying about her motivations and her identity, Sam finds out that she and Thursby were hiding a valuable gold-encrusted life-sized statue of a falcon. The situation gets more complex when Sam and the woman come under pressure from other sources that also want the falcon for themselves - namely the pompous Kasper Gutman and the weasely Joel Cairo.

The novel has been filmed three times. The first was titled The Maltese Falcon (1931) but more often was known as Dangerous Female, starring Ricardo Cortez and Bebe Daniels. Satan Met a Lady (1936) became the second adaptation although this time it was done as a light-comedy starring Bette Davis and with Warren "Perry Mason / The Lone Wolf" William playing "Ted Shane" (rather than Sam Spade)

In 1941, the third version, titled The Maltese Falcon was released to incredible acclaim. Considered to be a film noir classic, it starred Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade with Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, and Sydney Greenstreet filling out a heavy cast under John Huston's brilliant direction

Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon Combination Disc No. 1

Dangerous Female (1931)

Satan Met a Lady (1936)

Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon Combination Disc No. 2

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

Dick Powell "Drama" Combination

Volume One - 6 DVD (Disc Nos. 1 to 6) Boxed Set price: AU$45 or US$45 or £23

Volume Two - 5 DVD (Disc Nos. 1 to 5) Boxed Set price : AU$40 or US$40 or £20

Volume Three - 1 DVD (Disc No. 6) Boxed Set price : AU$20 or US$20 or £10

Dick Powell was a "song and dance" man on the big screen until he was cast in that incredible Philip Marlowe drama: Murder, My Sweet (1944). He proved such a hit in this role (many felt he even topped the great Bogie in playing writer Raymond Chandler's most illustrious character) that Powell went on to film a further 9 dramatic excursions at the movies before moving on to directing and producing. All 10 films cast Powell in the lead role and his charismatic performances meant for sure-fire box office success.

In the midst of this successful run, he also teamed with real-life wife June Allyson for two romantic / comedy / dramas in 1950: The Reformer and the Redhead & Right Cross - The Dick & June Combination

Here are those ten fine dramas & the two films with June Allyson:

Murder My Sweet (1944) - 95 mins. Starring Dick Powell, Claire Trevor, Anne Shirley, Otto Kruger and Mike Mazurki. Directed by Edward Dmytryk. Synopsis: This adaptation of the Raymond Chandler novel 'Farewell, My Lovely', has private eye Philip Marlowe hired by Moose Malloy, a petty crook just out of prison after a seven year stretch, to look for his former girlfriend, Velma, who has not been seen for the last six years. The case is tougher than Marlowe expected as his initially promising enquiries lead to a complex web of deceit involving bribery, perjury and theft, and where no one's motivation is obvious, least of all Marlowes.

Cornered (1945) - 102 mins. Starring Dick Powell, Walter Slezak, Micheline Cheirel, Nina Vale & Luther Adler. Directed by Edward Dmytryk. Synopsis: Consolidating his transformation from soft tenor to hard-boiled private eye in Dmytryk's Murder My Sweet the year before, Powell is even more dour as a tough, cynical loner in search of the man who killed his French wife during the Second World War. The action moves from France to Switzerland to Buenos Aires where a colony of corrupt Europeans is living in splendour. One of its members is the man he is after - a Nazi collaborator. The exciting climax has Powell, prone to attacks of amnesia, unknowingly beating the man to death. The noir atmosphere is sustained well throughout.

Johnny O'Clock (1947) - 96 mins (yes, 96 mins!). Starring Dick Powell, Evelyn Keyes, Lee J. Cobb, Ellen Drew, Nina Foch & Jim Bannon. Directed by Robert Rossen. Synopsis: Three years after song-and-dance man Dick Powell reshaped his nice-guy image by playing hard-boiled gumshoe Phillip Marlowe in Murder My Sweet, he returned to film noir with this crime-based thriller. Johnny O'Clock (Dick Powell) and his partner Pete Marchettis (Thomas Gomez) operate a gambling casino that has seen better days. Chuck Blayden (Jim Bannon), a cop on the take, wants in on the casino, and he makes friends with Pete while trying to convince him that Johnny, the smarter of the two, should go. When Chuck's girlfriend Harriet (Nina Foch) is found dead, a supposed suicide, his sister Nancy (Evelyn Keyes) smells a rat, especially after Chuck skips town. Nancy is convinced that her sister was murdered, and she asks Johnny to help her prove it. Johnny, who already has a number of women in his life including Nelle (Ellen Drew), Pete's wife figures that one more can't hurt and agrees to help her. But Police Inspector Koch (Lee J. Cobb), convinced that Johnny and Pete were behind Harriet's death, is making it hard for Johnny to do much investigating, and matters get worse when Chuck's body is found floating in the river. Screenwriter Robert Rossen made his directorial debut with this film, 14 years later, he would return to this film's tough, gritty style for his best picture, The Hustler.

To the Ends of the Earth (1948) - 109 mins. Starring Dick Powell, Signe Hasso, Ludwig Donath, Vladmir Sokoloff & Edgar Barrier . Directed by Robert Stevenson. Synopsis: Based on the files of the United States Department of Treasury. Commissioner Michael Barrows is an American Government Agent. On board a Coast Guard boat off the California coast he chases a ship. The Captain of the ship, the Kira Maru, panics and ruthlessly sends 100 Chinese slaves to a watery death. Barrows recovers a live preserver that tells him the ship is out of Shanghai. He travels there to track down the ship's captain and discovers that these deaths point to a huge drug smuggling operation. In Shanghai, while searching for the captain of the Kira Maru, he becomes suspicious of a woman, Ann Grant, believing she's Jean Hawks the narcotics ringleader. He follows the narcotics trail "to the ends of the Earth" taking him from Shanghai to Cairo, Beirut and Havana to stop the drugs and the Jean Hawks ring at the US border. A great adventure story!

Pitfall (1948) - 84 mins. Starring Dick Powell, Lizabeth Scott, Jane Wyatt, Raymond Burr & John Litel. Directed by Andre de Toth. Synopsis: The darker side of the American dream is explored in this fascinating film noir. Dick Powell stars as John Forbes, a successful insurance man with a trophy wife named Sue (Jane Wyatt) and a model child named Tommy (Jimmy Hunt). Despite all that he's achieved in life, Forbes feels somehow unfulfilled. During an attempt to recollect illegally purchased goods by a convicted bank robber, Forbes falls for his glamorous client Mona Stevens and this sparks an affair between them. Forbes suffers the pangs of guilt, a fact immediately capitalized upon by the seedy private eye MacDonald (Raymond Burr), who is upset because Mona has rejected him. If adultery has been committed, can murder be far behind?

Station West (1948) - 80 mins. Starring Dick Powell, Jane Greer, Tom Powers, Steve Brodie, Raymond Burr & Agnes Morehead. Directed by Sidney Lanfield. Synopsis: Dick Powell stars as Haven, an undercover military intelligence officer assigned to investigate the murders of two cavalrymen. Travelling incognito, Haven arrives in a small frontier outpost, where saloon singer Charlie (Jane Greer) controls all illegal activities. After making short work of Charlie's burly henchman (Guinn Williams), Haven gets a job at her gambling emporium, biding his time and gathering evidence against the gorgeous crime chieftain Cast as a philosophical bartender, Burl Ives is afforded at least one opportunity to sing. A western, yes but a great story has been developed into a great screenplay, here and the cast is terrific

Rogues' Regiment (1948) - 86 mins. Starring Dick Powell, Marta Toren, Vincent Price, Stephen McNally & Edgar Barrier. Directed by Robert Florey. Synopsis: After World War II, ex-soldiers trickle into French Saigon to join the Foreign Legion, among are Nazi war criminal Carl Reicher. American secret agent Whit Corbett joins the Legion in order to track down Reicher in French Indo-China. Hampering his search is a native uprising and Mark Van Ratten, an erudite art collector who sidelines in gunrunning. Nice action scenes include anti-guerrilla jungle warfare.

Cry Danger (1951) - 79 mins. Starring Dick Powell, Rhonda Fleming, Richard Erdman, William Conrad & Regis Toomey. Directed by Robert Parrish. Synopsis: Rocky Mulloy, back in town after serving 5 years of a life sentence for armed robbery, hopes to clear his friend Danny Morgan who's still in prison for the same crime. It won't be easy. Even the witness who cleared Rocky thinks he's guilty; Danny's glamorous wife Nancy, living in a sleazy trailer court, seems lukewarm about getting Danny back; cynical cop Gus Cobb just wants to stir things up in hopes that the missing "hot" $100,000 will surface. Plenty of tough talk, night scenes, deceptive dames and double crosses in this atmospheric film noir

The Tall Target (1951) - 78 mins. Starring Dick Powell, Paula Raymond, Adolphe Menjou, Marshall Thompson, Ruby Dee & Will Geer. Directed by Anthony Mann. Synopsis: Based on a true story: the attempted assassination of President-elect Abraham Lincoln, even before he was able to assume his duties in Washington. Dick Powell stars as New York detective John Kennedy, who learns of the assassination plot early on. When his superiors refuse to believe his wild tale, Kennedy quits the force and boards the Presidential train, hoping to prevent the killing on his own. The problem: who can he trust on board, and who can't be trusted? Ginny Beaufort (Paula Raymond), the sister of the would-be assassin, might be able to prevent the tragedy -- if she isn't in on the conspiracy, that is. The film's nail-biting climax is brilliantly handled by Anthony Mann, whose directorial expertise was becoming sharper with each successive film in the early 1950s

The Reformer and the Redhead (1950) - 90 mins. Starring June Allyson, Dick Powell, David Wayne, Cecil Kellaway & Ray Collins. Directed by Melvin Frank & Norman Panama. Synopsis: MGM's The Reformer and the Redhead was the first directorial collaboration of longtime screenwriting partners Norman Panama and Melvin Frank. The reformer is Andrew Rockton Hale (Dick Powell), a mayoral candidate. Hale butts heads with a corrupt political machine, which has recently ordered the firings of several innocent city employees, including zookeeper Kevin Maguire (Cecil Kellaway). The redhead in the case is Maguire's daughter Kathleen (June Allyson), who joins Hale's election team, only to turn on him after a series of misunderstandings.

Right Cross (1950) - 90 mins. Starring June Allyson, Dick Powell, Ricardo Montalban, Lionel Barrymore, Teresa Celli & Tom Powers. Directed by John Sturges. Synopsis: Dick Powell stars as cynical sportswriter Rick Gavery and June Allyson as boxing manager Pat O'Malley who is filling in for her incapacitated father (Lionel Barrymore). Pat is grooming prizefighter Johnny Monterez (Ricardo Montalban) for the championship, but Johnny holds a grudge against the world because he feels that his Mexican heritage has made him an outcast. Gradually, Pat falls in love with the tempestuous Monterez, while Gavery, who's always carried a torch for Pat, observes from the sidelines.

Dick Powell Drama Combination Disc No. 1

Murder, My Sweet (1944)

Cornered (1945)

Dick Powell Drama Combination Disc No. 2

Johnny O'Clock (1947)

To The Ends of the Earth (1948)

Dick Powell Drama Combination Disc No. 3

Pitfall (1948)

Station West (1948)

Dick Powell Drama Combination Disc No. 4

Rogues' Regiment (1948)

Mrs. Mike (1949)

Dick Powell Drama Combination Disc No. 5

Cry Danger (1951)

The Tall Target (1951)

The Dick & June Combination Disc No. 6

The Reformer and the Redhead (1950)

Right Cross (1950)

Note that each of the above titles are also available separately (one movie per DVD) from the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website

NEW ……… NEW ……… NEW

Disney's Fabulous Adventures

3 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$30 or US$30 or £15

Walt Disney has always been synonymous with Disneyland & Mickey Mouse. But he was also responsible for some of the very best adventure films ever made. No amount of money was spared in the quest for authenticity and eye-popping color cinematography. The writing was uniformly compelling with each action packed story carefully crafted to appeal to the adventurous spirit in us all.

Three films which really captured the essence of Disney's Fabulous Adventures (for Trev, at least) were:

The Great Locomotive Chase (1956), Third Man on the Mountain (1959) & Swiss Family Robinson (1960)

The Great Locomotive Chase (1956) - 85 mins. Starring Fess Parker, Jeffrey Hunter, Jeff York, John Lupton & Kenneth Tobey. Directed by Francis D. Lyon. Synopsis: A dramatic retelling of the actual Civil War events involving James J. Andrews (Fess Parker), the famous Union spy who masterminded the theft of an entire Confederate train. To accomplish this mission, Andrews and his cohorts pose as Kentuckians, board the train, and bide their time until they can pull off the robbery. Unfortunately for the Northerners, plucky young conductor William A. Fuller (Jeffrey Hunter), resentful that his train was stolen out from under him, pursues Andrews' raiders by foot, handcar, and locomotive. No matter what obstacles are placed in his way by Andrews' men, Fuller persists in his chase. Eventually captured, Andrews and his cohorts plan a daring escape, which serves as the film's pulse-pounding climax.

Filmed on location in Georgia.

Third Man on the Mountain (1959) - 105 mins. Starring Michael Rennie, James MacArthur, Janet Munro, James Donald, Herbert Lom & Laurence Naismith. Directed by Ken Annakin. Synopsis: A Swiss youth, Rudi Matt (James MacArthur ) vows to be the first to scale a formidable Matterhorn-like mountain called The Citadel. The fact that Rudi's father was killed attempting a similar climb only strengthens the boy's resolve. Though discouraged by his mother and uncle, Rudi prepares for his ascent by taking practice climbs with his friends, learning vital lessons about safety and cooperation along the way. Finally, Rudi begins making his way up The Citadel in the company of four seasoned professionals led by Captain John Winter (Michael Rennie).

Based on the novel Banner in the Sky by James Ramsey Ullman.

Filmed on location in Switzerland.

Swiss Family Robinson (1960) - 126 mins. Starring John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James MacArthur, Janet Munro, Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran & Sessue Hayakawa. Directed by Ken Annakin. Synopsis: With the shipwreck of the Robinson family occurring as the credits roll across the screen, Swiss Family Robinson is down to business. Fashioning a raft, the family heads to a lush tropical island. While the mother (Dorothy McGuire) isn't too happy about being a castaway, the father (John Mills) and the sons Fritz, Ernst & Francis (James MacArthur, Tommy Kirk & Kevin Corcoran respectively) are thrilled at the prospect of carving out a new life for themselves. In short order, the industrious Robinsons have constructed a treehouse with all the creature comforts and "utilities" of their home in Switzerland. Later on, the little party is joined by Roberta (Janet Munro), the daughter of a sea captain who has been captured by pirate Kuala (Sessue Hayakawa) and his band. After a series of adventures calculated to arouse the envy of every viewer, the film comes to a rousing conclusion as the Robinsons resourcefully fend off Kuala and his pirates with a variety of jerry-built booby traps.

Filmed on location in Trinidad and Tobago

A box-office winner to the tune of $30 million!

Adapted from the novel of the same name by Johan Wyss

Please note that each is also available from the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of the website.

Disney's Fabulous Adventures … Disc No. 1

The Great Locomotive Chase (1956)

Disney's Fabulous Adventures … Disc No. 2

Third Man on the Mountain (1959)

Disney's Fabulous Adventures … Disc No. 3

Swiss Family Robinson (1960)

The Doug McClure Sci-Fi Combination

Volume One - 5 DVD (Disc Nos. 1 to 5) Boxed Set price: AU$40 or US$40 or £20

Volume Two - 4 DVD (Disc Nos. 1 to 4) Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

The Land That Time Forgot (1975) was the first of three Edgar Rice Burroughs tales that were adapted for film by British production house Amicus under the direction of Kevin Connor and starring American actor Doug McClure (remember Trampas from the 60's TV series The Virginian ?). The second was At The Earth's Core (1976), which also starred Peter Cushing and the lovely Caroline Munro, and the last was The People That Time Forgot (1977), a sequel to the first film in which Patrick Wayne goes in search for Doug. The Land That Time Forgot is also significant because well known Fantasy writer Michael Moorcock worked on the screenplay. A fourth Connor / McClure film in this series of period lost world films was also produced : Warlords Of Atlantis (1978). Although not based on the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs, it followed fairly much the formula set by the other films in the series - a journey by stalwart period English scientists into a lost world filled with monsters, a voyage that takes places in a marvellous vehicle of period technology.

McClure then returned to US TV but within two years was back on the big screen in the outrageous Humanoids from the Deep (1980). From the Roger Corman (low-budget shocker) stable this film achieved dubious notoriety for its gratuitous and uncompromising approach to the genre

The films all also feature charismatic acting from lantern-jawed lead man Doug McClure and talented support players.

The Land That Time Forgot (1975) : Its 1916 and the US Montrose is fired on and sunken by a German U-boat. However the survivors manage to sneak aboard and capture the U-boat. In between subsequent coups, the British and Germans agree to an uneasy truce until they can reach a neutral port. But they become lost and instead arrive on the mythical continent of Caprona where dinosaurs and cavemen still roam. Amid this savage, primitive environment they attempt to survive and repair the submarine.

At The Earth's Core (1976) : In England around the turn of the century, Dr Abner Perry unveils his invention - The Mole, a giant vehicle designed for exploring the center of the Earth by drilling through the ground. He and engineer David Innes take it on its maiden voyage but it goes out of control and they end up in the prehistoric land of Pellucidar at the Earth's core. There they are captured by The Mahars, intelligent, telepathic flying reptiles which keep primitive humans as their slaves via mind control. David falls for the beautiful slave girl Dia. But when she is chosen as a sacrificial victim in the Mahar city, he organizes the humans to rebellion to save her.

People That Time Forgot (1977) : Major Ben McBride (Patrick Wayne) organises a mission to the Antarctic wastes to search for his friend (Doug McClure) who has been missing in the region for several years. McBride's party find themselves in a world populated by primitive warriors and terrifying prehistoric creatures, all of whom they must evade in order to get back safely to their ship.

Warlords Of Atlantis (1978) : In 1896 the aging Professor Aitken and his son charter an expedition aboard the Texas Rose and descend into the depths in an experimental bathysphere designed by engineer Greg Collinson. But under the water they are snatched by a giant octopus and taken down to one of the five remaining of the seven sunken cities of Atlantis. As they marvel at the Atlantean super-science, they learn that the Atlanteans are really survivors from a dying Mars who are using their superior mental abilities to influence the outcome of human history and bring out mankind’s most warlike tendencies.

Humanoids from the Deep (1980): In a Pacific Northwest town, experiments with genetically treated salmon backfire when they are eaten by coelacanths, who mutate into humanoid monsters with giant craniums and sharp claws: halfman, halffish which terrorize a small fishing village by killing the men, raping & mating with the women and eventually creating total pandemonium at the annual salmon festival. This is the UK version which is uncut and has been re-titled Monster!

The Doug McClure Sci-Fi Combination Disc No. 1

The Land That Time Forgot (1975)

The Doug McClure Sci-Fi Combination Disc No. 2

At The Earth's Core (1976)

The Doug McClure Sci-Fi Combination Disc No. 3

People That Time Forgot (1977)

The Doug McClure Sci-Fi Combination Disc No. 4

Warlords Of Atlantis (1978)

The Doug McClure Sci-Fi Combination Disc No. 5

Humanoids from the Deep (1980)

Fifties Creature Trilogy

1 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$20 or US$20 or £10

The quintessential 1950's B-Monster movie. featuring the legendary Gill-Man is still entertaining today. "Creature From The Black Lagoon" takes us on a scientific expedition in search of fossils along the Amazon River. What we discover instead is the infamous reptile man who kidnaps & falls in love with the beautiful Julie Adams. The film features a great plot, scenic locations & excellent underwater photography. It knows how to build & maintain suspense & the Creature costume & make-up was outstanding for its time. Although countless imitations have followed the original Creature has still retained its charm & stands out head & shoulders above the rest. "Creature From The Black Lagoon" was originally shot in 3-D & was so popular that 2 sequels followed "Revenge of The Creature" (1955) & "The Creature Walks Among Us"(1956). Today, the film & its famous eye-catching movie poster have developed cult status. "Creature From The Black Lagoon" is a campy 1950's classic, don't miss it.

Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954). Starring Richard Carlson, Julie Adams, Richard Denning & Whit Bissell. Directed by Jack Arnold. A scientific expedition searching for fossils along the Amazon River discover a prehistoric Gill-Man in the legendary Black Lagoon. The explorers capture the mysterious creature, but it breaks free. The Gill-Man returns to kidnap the lovely Kay, fiancée of one of the expedition, with whom it has fallen in love - archetypical 50's monster movie

Revenge of the Creature (1955). Starring John Agar, Lori Nelson & John Bromfield. Directed by Jack Arnold. The Creature from the Black Lagoon is back in this great sequel! This time he's captured by scientists and transported to an aquarium in south Florida. Naturally, he's attracted to the lovely female scientist and manages to escape and kidnap her, heading to Jacksonville, presumably to catch a Jaguars game.

The Creature Walks Among Us (1956). Starring Jeff Morrow, Rex Reason, Leigh Snowden & Gregg Palmer. Directed by John Sherwood. The Creature from the Black Lagoon is back for the final time! In this third Gill-Man feature, the Creature is captured and turned into an air-breather by a rich mad scientist. This makes the Creature very unhappy, and he escapes, killing people and setting fires in the process.

Note that this Jack Arnold Sci-Fi Combination is available separately from this website (just look above under "J" for Jack below).

The 50's Creature Trilogy Disc

Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954)

Revenge of the Creature (1955)

The Creature Walks Among Us (1956)

The "Galore" Movie Series (ie "Whiskey & Rockets Galore")

1 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$20 or US$20 or £10

These two British comedies released 8 years apart endure today as excellent examples of the genre - they are both set (and filmed) in Britain's Outer Hebrides Island group off the west coast of Scotland and a lot of the cast of the first backed up 8 years later for the second: Whiskey Galore! (1949) and Rockets Galore (1957)

The first was originally released in the US as Tight Little Island, Whiskey Galore!, is a comedy predicated on the notion that all Scotsmen like a drink of whiskey. The tiny Outer Hebrides island of Todday suffers from a wartime whiskey shortage. Luck of luck, a ship full of the precious liquid is wrecked on a reef. The islanders conspire to smuggle the whiskey off the ship right under the noses of the pesky British revenue officials. Numerous clever comic complications occur before the happy ending which, we are told by the narrator, was not so happy once all the whiskey was consumed. Whiskey Galore! is regarded by devotees of British comedy as the best and most representative offering from the short-lived Ealing Studios. Based on a true story, this uproariously funny film was nominated for a BAFTA Award (Best Film)

Directed by Alexander Mackendrick

Starring Basil Radford, Catherine Lacey, Bruce Seton, Joan Greenwood, Wylie Wilson, Gabrielle Blunt, Gordon Jackson , James Robertson Justice, Jameson Clark & Jean Cadell

B&W - 82 mins

The small but resourceful Outer Hebrides island of Todday, introduced in the 1949 Ealing comedy Whisky Galore!, made a return visit (in color) to movie screens in 1957's Rockets Galore - although released in the U.S. as Mad Little Island. In the first film, the good people of Todday faced up to the appalling dilemma of a whiskey shortage. Now we're in the space age, and Todday has been targeted as the location for a rocket-launching site. Banding together as before, the islanders do their best to sabotage the project under the unsuspecting noses of the blinkered British military.

Directed by Michael Relph

Starring Jeannie Carson, Donald Sinden, Roland Culver, Catherine Lacey, Noel Purcell, Ian Hunter, Gordon Jackson, Jameson Clark & Jean Cadell

Color - 94 mins

The "Galore / Little Island" Collection

Whiskey Galore! (1949) aka Tight Little Island (1949)

Rockets Galore (1957) aka Mad Little Island (1957)

Jack Arnold's Sci-Fi Combination

3 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$30 or US$30 or £15

Jack Arnold reigns supreme as one of the great directors of 50s science fiction features. His films are distinguished by moody black and white cinematography, solid acting, smart, thoughtful scripts, snappy pacing, a genuine heartfelt enthusiasm for the genre, and plenty of eerie atmosphere.

His first foray into the science fiction genre was in 1953 with the supremely spooky It Came from Outer Space. But a year later, Jack achieved his greatest enduring cult popularity with The Creature from the Black Lagoon, a scary, yet poetic reworking of "Beauty and the Beast." He also did the (very worthy) sequel Revenge of the Creature (1955). However he didn't return for the third and final entry in the Creature Trilogy (1956's The Creature Walks Among Us).

Jack Arnold also "helped" direct the color sci-fi hit, This Island Earth (1955), with Joseph M. Newman and is credited with the direction of that film's climatic (home planet) Metalunan scenes.

Jack went on to direct two more acclaimed sci-fi films before moving to TV: Tarantula (1955) and the cult hit The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) - the latter rates highly as Arnold's crowning cinematic achievement; it's an intelligent and entertaining classic that's lost none of its potency throughout the years.

Note that this Fifties Creature Trilogy is available separately from this website (just look above under "F" for Fifties).

It Came From Outer Space (1953). Starring Richard Carlson, Barbara Rush, Charles Drake, Joe Sawyer & Russell Johnson, Directed by Jack Arnold. Synopsis: Based on a story by Ray Bradbury, It Came From Outer Space tells of writer John Putnam, a new arrival to the town and an amateur astronomer. One night he is looking at the skies with his fiancée, schoolteacher Ellen Fields, when they see what looks like a huge meteor crash into the desert. Putnam and Ellen go to the site of the crash and find a huge crater. When he goes down inside, Putnam sees what is very obviously some kind of vehicle or device embedded in the ground, but before he can show it to anyone, a rock slide buries what he saw. He reports that a spacecraft of some kind is buried there and is duly ridiculed by the local press and some of his own colleagues in the astronomical community, and even Ellen has her doubts. Putnam is at a loss as to what to do when various townspeople start to disappear, including Ellen, to be replaced by alien "duplicates."

This Island Earth (1955). Starring Jeff Morrow, Faith Domergue, Rex Reason, Lance Fuller & Russell Johnson. Directed by Joseph M. Newman & Jack Arnold. Synopsis: This is certainly one of the most intelligent and elaborate sci-fi films of the 50's. The story begins when the image of Exeter, a huge-domed scientific genius from the planet Metaluna, appears on an experimental 3D television screen, inviting several noted scientists from around the world to work on a top-secret project at Exeter's earthly mansion. Among those accepting the invitation are Cal Meacham and his ex-fiancee Ruth Adams. Soon, Cal and Ruth learn Exeter's true motives; to use the Earth's atomic knowledge in building a defense shield to protect Metaluna against the enemy planet Zahgon. Based on a novel by Raymond F. Jones.

Tarantula (1955). Starring John Agar, Mara Corday, Leo G. Carroll, Nestor Paiva & Ross Elliott. Directed by Jack Arnold. Synopsis: Professor Gerald Deemer has been working on a special nutrient to help ease a predicted food shortage that is expected to come with the increase in human population. His experiments have been moderately successful but there have been some failures as a result. One day while he is gone two of his colleagues inject themselves with the nutrient with disastrous results and die a few days later. One however goes mad and injects Deemer with the formula. During a struggle, a giant tarantula injected with the formula escapes its cage and grows even larger and starts to attack cattle as well as human beings.

The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957). Starring Grant Williams, Randy Stuart, April Kent, Paul Langton & Raymond Bailey. Directed by Jack Arnold. Synopsis: Scott Carey who, while catching some sunshine on his brother's yacht, is enveloped by a mysterious dark cloud. Soon after, he discovers that he's getting thinner and smaller. Despite the assuring attitude of his family doctor Carey is losing an inch's worth of height with each passing day. By the time he's reached the size of a small boy, Williams has become world-famous. But the phenomenon has adversely affected his personality, turning him into a tyrant, lashing out at the world in general and his faithful wife in particular. When Carey is attacked and by his pet cat, his wife assumes that he's been killed: in fact, Carey, by now so minuscule that even a garden-variety spider poses a deadly threat to him, is hiding in his cellar. Uncertain of what is in store for him, he steps out into the mists, summing up his new-found philosophy: "Smaller than smallest, I meant something too. To God there is no zero. I still exist!" Adapted by Richard Matheson from his own novel.

Jack Arnold's Sci-Fi Combination Disc No. 1

It Came From Outer Space (1953)

Jack Arnold's Sci-Fi Combination Disc No. 2

This Island Earth (1955)

Jack Arnold's Sci-Fi Combination Disc No. 3

Tarantula (1955)

The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)

Note each of the above 4 films are available separately from within both the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES and the Sci-Fi sections

NEW ……… NEW ……… NEW

James Stewart & Anthony Mann … their "psychological" western series

5 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$40 or US$40 or £20

James Stewart & Anthony Mann: their 5 westerns together from 1950 to 1955 have been dubbed "psychological" in that presented a basically decent hero driven to the brink of insanity by dark forces from the past. Played out against breathtaking landscapes that reflect the emotional turmoil of the main characters, Mann's westerns give us Stewart's finest performances. Together they rewrote the cowboy story for the big screen - their's were tough, uncompromising though lyric masterpieces of western cinema - beautifully photographed and expertly written stories with intriguing characters and realistic action - a blueprint for westerns of the 50s (and embraced by Budd Boetticher & Randolph Scott in their excellent collaborations in the late 1950s - see the Randolph Scott section of this website)

This quintet of Stewart / Mann westerns consists of Winchester '73 (1950), Bend of the River (1952), The Naked Spur (1953), The Far Country (1954) & The Man from Laramie (1955) with legendary scriptwriter Borden Chase writing the first two and the fourth. The Oscar-nominated screenplay for the third of the series, The Naked Spur, was cowritten by Sam Rolfe, who was later one of the creative forces responsible for the similarly no-nonsense TV western series Have Gun, Will Travel.

Winchester '73 was filmed in B&W whilst the remaining 4 were shot in Technicolor.

All 5 are presented here in a very nice 5 DVD set - all perfect prints

Please note that each is also available from the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of the website.

Winchester '73 (1950) - 92 mins. Starring James Stewart, Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea, Stephen McNally & Millard Mitchell. Directed by Anthony Mann. Synopsis: Lin McAdam (James Stewart) and his friend High-Spade (Millard Mitchell) arrive in Dodge City for a shooting contest, in which the prize is a perfectly manufactured Winchester repeating rifle, referred to as "One of a Thousand" - a gun so fine that Winchester won't sell it. Lin runs across Dutch Henry Brown (Stephen McNally) in a saloon and the two would kill each other right there but for the fact that town marshal Wyatt Earp has everyone's guns. Lin wins the rifle in an extraordinary marksmanship match-up with Brown, but the latter steals the prize from him and sets out across the desert. Thus begins a battle of wits and nerves, and a pursuit to the death. The roots and raw psychological dimensions of that chase are only exposed gradually, across a story arc that includes references to Custer's Last Stand, run-ins with marauding Indians, a heroic stand with a a shady but well-intentioned grifter and a meeting with murderous sociopath named Waco Johnny Dean, plus a romantic encounter with a young, golden-hearted frontier woman.

Perfect B&W Print

Bend of the River (1952) - 91 mins. Starring James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Rock Hudson, Jay C. Flippen, Julie Adams & Lori Nelson. Directed by Anthony Mann. Synopsis: Glyn McLyntock (James Stewart) is a former outlaw, now working as trail guide for a group of Oregon-bound farmers. He is aided in this endeavor by Emerson Cole (Arthur Kennedy), a far-from-reformed horse thief. Upon arriving in Portland, McLyntock gets in the middle of a scam operated by a trader who has reneged on his promise to ship goods to the settlers. Unable to take action through legal channels, McLyntock and farmer Jeremy Baile steal the provision and scurry back to the settlement by boat. On their return, they discover that Cole has sold out to the trader and intends to reclaim the supplies, taking Baile and his daughter Laura as hostages to ensure safe passage.

Perfect Technicolor Print

The Naked Spur (1953) - 91 mins. Starring James Stewart, Janet Leigh, Robert Ryan, Ralph Meeker & Millard Mitchell. Directed by Anthony Mann. Synopsis: Howard Kemp (James Stewart) is a taciturn frontiersman who loses his home while he's off fighting the Civil War. To raise enough money for a new grubstake, Stewart becomes a bounty hunter in Colorado territory. His first quarry is fugitive, killer Ben Vandergroat (Robert Ryan). Kemp's efforts to bring in Vandergroat and collect the reward are compromised by the presence of Vandergroat's loyal girl friend Lina Patch (Janet Leigh) and Kemps's two disreputable sidekicks, wily prospector Jesse Tate (Millard Mitchell) and disgraced Union-officer Roy Anderson (Ralph Meeker). There's plenty of "cat and mouse" byplay between Kemp and Vandergroat before the brutal climax; the drama is intensified by the fact that both men are on the outer rim of total insanity.

Perfect Technicolor Print

The Far Country (1954) - 97 mins. Starring James Stewart, Ruth Roman, Corinne Calvert, Walter Brennan, John McIntire & Jay C. Flippen. Directed by Anthony Mann. Synopsis: Set in the Yukon, Jeff Webster (James Stewart) and his friends are driving cattle to market from Wyoming to Canada, where the boom towns pay top dollar for beef. When they arrive in Skagway, the corrupt sheriff of the town, Gannon (John McIntire) steals the cattle and Webster is forced to fight for their herd. Together with Ronda Castle (Ruth Roman), owner of The Skagway Castle & Dawson Castle saloons, they find themselves up against an evil they were not prepared for. When Webster's friend is killed, he is forced to go up against the evil Gannon.

Perfect Technicolor Print

The Man From Laramie (1955) - 104 mins. Starring James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Donald Crisp, Cathy O'Donnell & Alex Nicol. Directed by Anthony Mann. Synopsis: Will Lockhart (James Stewart) is obsessed with finding the man who sold automatic rifles to the Apaches, resulting in the death of his brother. Will enters the town of Coronado, NM, ruled by the blind and aging patriarch Alec Waggoman (Donald Crisp). Unaware that he is trespassing on Waggoman's land, he finds himself accosted by Alec's sociopathic son, Dave (Alex Nicol), who brutally beats Will and is ready to kill him. But Will is rescued at the last minute by Waggoman's adopted son, Vic Hansbro (Arthur Kennedy). Will finds that Waggoman has become increasingly concerned over who will inherit his vast empire.

Perfect Technicolor Wide-Screen Print

James Stewart & Anthony Mann … their "psychological" westerns … Disc No. 1

Winchester '73 (1950)

James Stewart & Anthony Mann … their "psychological" westerns … Disc No. 2

Bend of the River (1952)

James Stewart & Anthony Mann … their "psychological" westerns … Disc No. 3

The Naked Spur (1953)

James Stewart & Anthony Mann … their "psychological" westerns … Disc No. 4

The Far Country (1954)

James Stewart & Anthony Mann … their "psychological" westerns … Disc No. 5

The Man From Laramie (1955)

NEW ……… NEW ……… NEW

John Ford & John Wayne … the "Cavalry" Trilogy

3 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$30 or US$30 or £15

John Ford directed John Wayne in a superb trilogy of "Cavalry" westerns in the late 1940s: Fort Apache (1948), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) & Rio Grande (1950). They form a set apart because each consists of a great story, superb photography, excellent script and a wonderful cast carefully knitted together by director Ford and led by Wayne.

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) was the only one to be shot in color.

All 3 are presented here in a very nice 3 DVD set - all perfect prints

Please note that each is also available from the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of the website.

Fort Apache (1948) - 125 mins. Starring John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Shirley Temple, Pedro Armendáriz, Ward Bond, George O'Brien, Victor McLaglen & John Agar, Directed by John Ford. Synopsis: Fort Apache stars John Wayne as Capt. Kirby York and Henry Fonda as Lt. Col. Owen Thursday. Resentful of his loss in rank and transfer to the West after serving gallantly in the Civil War, the vainglorious Thursday insists upon imposing rigid authority on rough-and-tumble Fort Apache. He is particularly anxious to do battle with the local Indians, despite York's admonitions that the trouble around the fort is being fomented not by the so-called savages but by corrupt white Indian agents. Thursday nonetheless ends up in a climactic set-to with Indian chief Cochise

Perfect B&W Print

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) - 103 mins. Starring John Wayne, Joanne Dru, John Agar, Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr., Victor McLaglen & George O'Brien. Directed by John Ford. Synopsis: John Wayne stars as Capt. Nathan Cutting Brittles, who in his last days before his compulsory retirement, must face the possibility of a full-scale attack from the Arapahos. This Indian tribe have been stirred up by the recent defeat of Custer and by double-dealing Indian agents. After a series of minor victories and major frustrations, Brittles decides to ride into the Arapaho camp, there to smoke a pipe of peace with his old friend, Chief Pony That Walks

Perfect Technicolor Print

Rio Grande (1950) - 105 mins. Starring John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr., Victor McLaglen & Chill Wills. Directed by John Ford. Synopsis: Rio Grande stars John Wayne as Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke whose devotion to duty has cost him his marriage to his beloved Kathleen (Maureen O'Hara). Yorke gets word that his son, Jeff has been dropped as a cadet from West Point, and that he lied about his age to enlist in the cavalry, in an effort to redeem himself. By chance, the boy is then assigned to his father's post. Once more, as a function of his duty as a cavalry officer, Yorke must sacrifice his love of family as he cannot show any preferential treatment to the boy, or exhibit any sign of love and affection. But Jeff is too strong to be injured by his father's actions, and already enough of a man that he is befriended by two older recruits, troopers Tyree (Ben Johnson) and Boone (Harry Carey Jr.), who watch out for him while taking him in as a virtual equal. Yorke's resolve is further tested when his estranged wife, Kathleen, arrives at the post, the better to look after her son and possibly to buy back the boy's enlistment, which Yorke, as commanding officer in a remote post with a critical shortage of men, can't and won't permit. After an attack by the Apaches, Yorke orders the post's women and children to be moved to safety, and Jeff is assigned as part of the troop conducting the caravan, despite his wish to participate in the planned action against the Apaches.

Perfect B&W Print

John Ford & John Wayne … the "Cavalry" Trilogy … Disc No. 1

Fort Apache (1948)

John Ford & John Wayne … the "Cavalry" Trilogy … Disc No. 2

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

John Ford & John Wayne … the "Cavalry" Trilogy … Disc No. 3

Rio Grande (1950)

Lucille Ball - Early Days

1 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$20 or US$20 or £10

Lucille Ball is best remembered for as TV's Lucy but she was crafting her slapstick & comedienne abilities in films in the late 1930s. After a string of supporting roles, Lucille Ball got top billing for the first time with the Annabel Allison series. Actually she got "shared" top billing as she was teamed with veteran comic Jack Oakie in these two riotous excursions. Jack Oakie and Lucille Ball are no Lucy and Desi but Jack Oakie evokes laughter without effort. Lucy cut her comedic teeth in these films. She often steals a scene from Oakie by taking pratfalls or by being the butt of jokes. In the mile-a-minute farce The Affairs of Annabel (1938), Lucy of course plays the title character, a screwball movie actress who indulges in one wacky publicity stunt after another at the behest of her press agent Morgan (Jack Oakie). To promote an upcoming prison picture, Annabel gets herself arrested - and has quite a time extricating herself from behind bars. The limit comes when she gathers research for her next film by hiring on as a housemaid, culminating in a fake kidnapping that turns out to be the real thing. Matching Ball and Oakie laugh for laugh is Fritz Feld as a bombastic foreign director. Co-written by future Desilu Studios executive Bert Grant, The Affairs of Annabel was so popular, it inspire an equally hilarious sequel, Annabel Takes a Tour (1938). In this second outing Annabel Allison, star of Wonder Pictures, is irked at her poor publicity, especially when a rival gets engaged to a Marquis; so she makes studio head Webb re-hire disgraced publicity agent Morgan for her personal appearance tour. The trip proceeds with a flurry of Morgan's crazy, slapstick publicity stunts. Then Annabel has her chance to "bag" a real Viscount. A great little comedy series with Lucille Ball showing skill at this sort of comedy and looking pert and pretty throughout. Jack Oakie tends to overplay the press agent with outlandish schemes but is fun to watch.

The next step for Lucille Ball was for her to have sole top billing and to carry a film on its own (ie without Jack Oakie). This came about in Beauty For the Asking (1939) - but its not really a comedy - instead an intelligently scripted romantic drama.

Denny drops fiancée Jean and marries Flora who is worth ten million dollars. When Jean is fired from her job she decides to market the face cream she invented. She goes to Jeffrey and he sends a sample of the product to 12 selected rich women. Only one woman invests in the business and Jean is happy until she learns that it is Flora - but she takes the money. As Denny has no job, the girls give him an office at the factory. The business takes off, but Jean finds that she is still in love with Denny and Denny seems to forget he is married to Flora. So Jean and Flora send him to California for six weeks to open the West Coast branch of Jeanne Varelle. Despite Lucy in the cast, this is not a comedy. It's a drama in which Lucy's character is jilted but eventually comes out on top.

Lucille Ball - Early Days - Disc

The Affairs of Annabel (1938)

Annabel Takes a Tour (1938)

Beauty For the Asking (1939)

Man Hunt / Rogue Male Combination

2 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$25 or US$25 or £13

In 1941, Fritz Lang (and writer Dudley Nichols) made "Manhunt," a taut thriller about an English hunter (Walter Pidgeon) who tries to shoot Hitler and then becomes himself the prey of the Nazis, and, on English soil, traitors too. The film was adapted from Geoffrey Household's equally tense novel "Rogue Male." Then in 1976 came a remake, as a TV-movie directed by Clive Donner, scripted by Frederic Raphael, and starring Peter O'Toole, Alastair Sim, Harold Pinter. It is, once again, a most watchable, exciting film, also full of tensions, and very well played. Film buffs who compare the two versions will find, among other things, that the new version is more detailed as well as more somber, in part because in 1941 the wishful thinking of killing of Hitler was still a remote possibility, and because in 1976 we were all aware of Hitler's wartime crimes. Pidgeon and O'Toole both are uppercrust characters, stiff upper lip and all that, with O'Toole who, according to the books he wrote, was obsessed with the terror of Hitler in his childhood, delivering the more personal, intense performance.

But then again the first has the legendary Fritz Lang as director of proceedings.

(A note about the quality of Rogue Male: commercial releases of this film are of poor quality and have been edited - NOT THIS PRINT! - it runs the full 104 minutes and is of very good quality, being taken off an original 16mm master)

Note that Rogue Male (1976) is also available above as part of the British Espionage Combination (includes other 1970s editions of The Riddle of the Sands, The Thirty-Nine Steps & The Lady Vanishes)

Also worth a look : The "British Espionage" Radio Shows (comprising dramatized radio versions of The Riddle of the Sands, The 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes & Rogue Male) - check out the Old Time Radio section of this website. These shows have been digitally restored & come on MP3 CDs which work in your DVD player. The shows are free - with conditions. Check out the Old Time Radio section for further details

Disc No. 1

Man Hunt (1941)

Disc No. 2

Rogue Male (1976) - colour

Milton Berle's Mystery-Comedy Combination

1 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$20 or US$20 or £10

Milton Berle was a well known comedian who made a string of comedy films in the 40's before moving into television. In 1942 he made a nice duet of mystery-comedy films which were well received and quite fun to watch.

In Over My Dead Body (1942), Milty plays Jason Cordry, a none-too-bright mystery writer with a big failing: he can't think up solutions to his plots. When he accidentally frames himself for murder, he realizes he hasn't got a solution to this story either!

Whispering Ghosts (1942) has him playing a "radio detective" who, with his sidekick get it into their heads to try to solve a murder that had been committed several years previously.

Milton Berle's Mystery-Comedy Combination Disc

Over My Dead Body (1942)

Whispering Ghosts (1942)

O.S.S. Trilogy, The

3 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$30 or US$30 or £15

The Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.) was formed when Franklin Roosevelt decided once and for all we needed a separate intelligence organization if in fact we were going into World War II. And in the postwar era we needed one to compete with both friends and enemies who had been at this for centuries more than we had.

During the war the cloak of secrecy was firmly wrapped around the OSS, but after VJ Day a whole bunch of films came out about some of their behind the lines spy missions. The best of these films were Cloak and Dagger (1946), OSS (1946) and 13 Rue Madeleine (1947)

Please note that each is also available from the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of the website.

Cloak and Dagger (1946) - 106 mins

Starring Gary Cooper, Lilli Palmer, Robert Alda & Vladimir Sokoloff .

Directed by Fritz Lang

Near the end of World War II, the Allies must find out how much the Axis knows about building atomic bombs. The OSS recruits a physicist, Alvah Jesper, to reach his former colleague, Katerin Lodor, now in Switzerland, and bring her out for debriefing. Certainly one of the better movies of its type for that era. It's exciting as well as entertaining and not as dated as one would imagine. Gary Cooper is excellent as a nuclear physicist who turns smoothly into a secret agent. There is a fair amount of action (mainly good old-fashioned shoot-outs), a rather conventional romance and one superbly executed fight sequence.

O.S.S. (1946) - 105 mins.

Starring Alan Ladd, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Patric Knowles, John Hoyt & Richard (TV's "Captain Midnight") Webb.

Directed by Irving Pichel.

John Martin is part of an American spy team dropped into France during World War II to destroy the French railway system. After successfully blowing up a tunnel he runs back to save Ellen and is told "Never come back for me again." Later he must choose whether or not to obey her wishes. A first rate action film and spy yarn with Alan Ladd doing what he does best. This film later became the blueprint for Ron Randell's successful TV series of the same name.

13 Rue Madeleine (1947) - 95 mins

Starring James Cagney, Annabella, Richard Conte, Frank Latimore & Walter Abel.

Directed by Henry Hathaway.

During the training of a group of O.S.S. agents for WWII work behind enemy lines, it is discovered that of them is a German "mole". Group leaders Gibson and Sharkey are aware of this and scheme to feed him false info about the invasion of Europe, while the real agents go to France to find a secret V-2 rocket depot. But the German spy outsmarts them and rejoins his people knowing too much; Bob Sharkey takes the risk of going in after him. A great spy yarn with a "typical" Cagney ending.

The O.S.S. Trilogy Disc No. 1

Cloak and Dagger (1946)

The O.S.S. Trilogy Disc No. 2

O.S.S. (1946)

The O.S.S. Trilogy Disc No. 3

13 Rue Madeleine (1947)

Paleface / Son of Paleface Combination

2 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$25 or US$25 or £13

In 1948, Bob Hope & Jane Russell starred in the classic comedy-Western The Paleface, in which timid Bob Hope is backed up by a sharpshooting Jane Russell in a series of gun-fighting encounters. This film won an Oscar for that great song "Buttons and Bows". Four years later the pair were reunited for Son of Paleface which had the same basic set-up as The Paleface plus the added presence of a well cast Roy Rogers

Disc No. 1

The Paleface (1948)

Disc No. 2

Son of Paleface (1952)

Also available in a 4 DVD Set with Bob Hope / Paulette Goddard Combination: AU$35 or US$35 or £18

Philip Marlowe … at the Movies …

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

Raymond Chandler's archetypical private eye: Philip Marlowe ("I don't mind if you don't like my manners. I don't like 'em myself. They're pretty bad. I grieve over them long winter evenings"). Marlowe was extensively assayed in dozens of short stories, but it’s the novels for which he is best remembered. There were 7 in total: The Big Sleep (1939), Farewell, My Lovely (1940), The High Window (1942), The Lady in the Lake (1943), The Little Sister (1949), The Long Goodbye (1953) & Playback (1958) - an eighth Poodle Springs (1959) was incomplete at the time of Chandler's death.

The first six books were turned into major motion pictures showcasing the loneliness, the quick, sarcastic cynical jibes masking a battered romantic, the love/hate relationship with the cops set against the corruption that exists in all levels of society.

Eight films in all encompass the Philip Marlowe "at the Movies" Combination, with the first six films covering each of the first six Marlowe novels. The final two films are British made color remakes of earlier films. They each star Robert Mitchum and are much closer to the corresponding books than the earlier entries.

Murder My Sweet (1944) - 95 mins. Starring Dick Powell, Claire Trevor, Anne Shirley, Otto Kruger and Mike Mazurki. Directed by Edward Dmytryk. Synopsis: This adaptation of the Raymond Chandler novel 'Farewell, My Lovely', has private eye Philip Marlowe hired by Moose Malloy, a petty crook just out of prison after a seven year stretch, to look for his former girlfriend, Velma, who has not been seen for the last six years. The case is tougher than Marlowe expected as his initially promising enquiries lead to a complex web of deceit involving bribery, perjury and theft, and where no one's motivation is obvious, least of all Marlowes.

The Big Sleep (1946) - 114 mins. Starring Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Martha Vickers, Regis Toomey & Dorothy Malone. Directed by Howard Hawks. Synopsis: Private-eye Philip Marlowe is hired to keep an eye on General Sternwood's youngest daughter, Carmen, who has fallen into bad company and is likely to do some damage to herself and her family before long. He soon finds himself falling in love with her older sister, Vivien, who initially takes a deep dislike to Mr Marlowe. However, the plot thickens when murder follows murder.

Lady in the Lake (1947) - 105 mins. Starring Robert Montgomery, Audrey Totter, Lloyd Nolan, Tom Tully, Leon Ames & Jayne Meadows. Directed by Robert Montgomery. Synopsis: Magazine editor Adrienne Fromsett wants Marlowe to find the missing wife of her boss, Mr. Kingsby. Marlowe accepts the job and goes looking for clues at the home of the wife's sometime lover, Chris Lavery. When Marlowe gets knocked out and picked up for drunk driving, he decides to drop the case. He is drawn back in, however, when Adrienne suggests that Kingsby's wife is responsible for the murder of a mysterious lady in the lake.

The Brasher Doubloon (1947) - 72 mins. Starring George Montgomery, Nancy Guild, Conrad Janis, Roy Roberts & Fritz Kortner. Directed by John Brahm. Synopsis: Philip Marlowe gets involved when Leslie Murdock steals a rare doubloon from his mother to give to a newsreel photographer in exchange for film that is being used for blackmail purposes. Marlowe's involvement has him encounter a girl who goes into hysterics when touched by a man; a husband-killing woman; three corpses; a couple of scuffles and a secretary who thinks she has killed her boss. Previously considered "as just a B movie" this adaptation of Chandler's The High Window and the have seen it elevated in status to its rightful place alongside the bigger budgeted Marlowe films.

Marlowe (1969) - 96 mins. Starring James Garner, Gayle Hunnicutt, Carroll O'Connor, Rita Moreno, Sharon Farrell & William Daniles. Directed by Paul Bogart. Synopsis: Based on The Little Sister, this first color excursion into Chandler's world involves the detective's efforts to locate the missing brother of Orfamay Quest. He follows the clues to two men who deny any knowledge of the brother's existence. Since both men soon find themselves on the wrong end of an ice pick, Marlowe deduces that there's more to this caper than a mere missing-person case.

The Long Goodbye (1973) - 112 mins. Starring Elliott Gould, Nina Van Pallandt, Sterling Hayden, Mark Rydell, Henry Gibson, Jim Bouton & David Arkin. Directed by Robert Altman. Synopsis: Philip Marlowe is certain that his friend Terry Lennox isn't a wife-killer, even after the cops throw Marlowe in jail for not cooperating with their investigation into Lennox's subsequent disappearance. Once he gets out of jail, Marlowe starts to conduct his own search when he discovers that mysterious blonde Eileen Wade, who hired him to find her alcoholic novelist husband Roger on the same Malibu street as the absent Lennox and his deceased spouse.

Farewell, My Lovely (1975) - 97 mins. Starring Robert Mitchum, Charlotte Rampling, John Ireland, Sylvia Miles, Harry Dean Stanton & Sylvester Stallone. Directed by Dick Richards. Synopsis: Marlowe attempts to locate Velma, a former dancer at a seedy nightclub, and the girlfriend of Moose Malloy, a petty criminal just out of prison. Marlowe finds that once he has taken the case events conspire to put him in dangerous situations, and he is forced to follow a confusing trail of untruths and double crosses before he is able to locate Velma.

The Big Sleep (1978) - 100 mins. Starring Robert Mitchum, Candy Clark, Oliver Reed, Sylvia Miles, Richard Boone, James Stewart, Joan Collins, Edward Fox & John Mills. Directed by Michael Winner. Synopsis: Marlowe is asked by the elderly (and near death) General Sternwood to investigate an attempt at blackmail on one of his daughters. He soon finds that the attempt is half hearted at best and seems to be more connected with the disappearance of the other daughter's husband, Rusty Regan. Rusty's wife, seems unconcerned with his disappearance, further complicating the mystery. Only General Sternwood seems concerned as mobsters and hired killers continue to appear in the path of the investigation.

Philip Marlowe … at the Movies … Disc No. 1

Murder, My Sweet (1944)

The Big Sleep (1946)

Philip Marlowe … at the Movies … Disc No. 2

Lady in the Lake (1947)

The Brasher Doubloon (1947)

Philip Marlowe … at the Movies … Disc No. 3

Marlowe (1969)

The Long Goodbye (1973)

Philip Marlowe … at the Movies … Disc No. 4

Farewell, My Lovely (1975)

The Big Sleep (1978)

Note that each of the above titles are also available separately (one movie per DVD) from the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website

Also worth a look : The Philip Marlowe Radio Shows - check out the Old Time Radio section of this website. These shows have been digitally restored & come on MP3 CDs which work in your DVD player.

The shows are free - with conditions. Check out the Old Time Radio section for further details

The Powell, Pressburger & Veidt Combination

1 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$20 or US$20 or £10

Director Michael Powell, writer Emeric Pressburger & star Conrad Veidt combined to great effect in two similarly themed UK films in 1939/40. Valerie Hobson was the female lead in each of these films which dealt with spy and saboteurs.

Powell & Pressburger were to team up again for 49th Parallel (1941), One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1942) & The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) whilst Veidt went onto further success in US films such as Escape (1940), Whistling in the Dark (1941), All Through the Night (1941), Nazi Agent (1942), Casablanca (1942) & Above Suspicion (1943). All of these films are available from the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website - except for Whistling in the Dark (1941) which is in the Movies Series section as part of the Red Skelton "Whistling" set.

The Spy in Black (1939) aka U-Boat 29 - 79 mins

Starring Conrad Veidt, Sebastian Shaw, Valerie Hobson, Marius Goring, June Duprez & Athole Stewart

Directed by Michael Powell

A German World War I submarine captain (Conrad Veidt) is given a mission to discover British intelligence secrets. Once he arrives in the Orkney Islands, he meets up with a female schoolteacher (Valerie Hobson), who happens to be a German agent. Veidt falls in love with Hobson before discovering she's actually a double agent for the British.

In USA, The Spy in Black was originally released under the title U-Boat 29

Contraband (1940) aka Blackout - 88 mins

Starring Conrad Veidt, Valerie Hobson, Hay Petrie, Joss Ambler & Raymond Lovell

Directed by Michael Powell

The Danish freighter Helvig approaches English waters in early 1940 and, in keeping with the needs of British security, it is boarded by customs and naval officials in search of contraband cargo. Her skipper, Captain Anderson (Conrad Veidt), is compelled to ascede to British demands, but dreads the delay, pointing out that the medical supplies in his cargo are vital. Anderssen is a dedicated seaman, all business, even where Mrs. Sorenson (Valerie Hobson), a headstrong passenger, is concerned. Then, on their first night in port, Mrs. Sorenson and a Mr. Pidgeon (Esmond Knight) disappear from the ship with Anderson's landing papers, the captain is in hot pursuit. Forced to join the woman in what seems a mad chase across London by night, he plunges into the eerie world of the blacked out city, following a set of clues through the maze of darkened streets and uncover a Nazi spy ring operating out of a basement in Soho.

In USA, Contraband was originally released under the title Blackout

The Powell, Pressburger & Veidt Combination

The Spy in Black (1939) aka U-Boat 29

Contraband (1940) aka Blackout

Note: See also below: Powell & Pressburger … their War Films …

Powell & Pressburger … their War Films …

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

Director Michael Powell, writer Emeric Pressburger came together and filmed a wonderful series of 5 War movies from 1939 thru to 1943:

The Spy in Black (1939) aka U-Boat 29 - 79 mins

Starring Conrad Veidt, Sebastian Shaw, Valerie Hobson, Marius Goring, June Duprez & Athole Stewart

Directed by Michael Powell

A German World War I submarine captain (Conrad Veidt) is given a mission to discover British intelligence secrets. Once he arrives in the Orkney Islands, he meets up with a female schoolteacher (Valerie Hobson), who happens to be a German agent. Veidt falls in love with Hobson before discovering she's actually a double agent for the British.

In USA, The Spy in Black was originally released under the title U-Boat 29

Contraband (1940) aka Blackout - 88 mins

Starring Conrad Veidt, Valerie Hobson, Hay Petrie, Joss Ambler & Raymond Lovell

Directed by Michael Powell

The Danish freighter Helvig approaches English waters in early 1940 and, in keeping with the needs of British security, it is boarded by customs and naval officials in search of contraband cargo. Her skipper, Captain Anderson (Conrad Veidt), is compelled to ascede to British demands, but dreads the delay, pointing out that the medical supplies in his cargo are vital. Anderssen is a dedicated seaman, all business, even where Mrs. Sorenson (Valerie Hobson), a headstrong passenger, is concerned. Then, on their first night in port, Mrs. Sorenson and a Mr. Pidgeon (Esmond Knight) disappear from the ship with Anderson's landing papers, the captain is in hot pursuit. Forced to join the woman in what seems a mad chase across London by night, he plunges into the eerie world of the blacked out city, following a set of clues through the maze of darkened streets and uncover a Nazi spy ring operating out of a basement in Soho.

In USA, Contraband was originally released under the title Blackout

49th Parallel (1941) aka The Invaders - 123 mins

Starring Lawrence Olivier, Richard George, Eric Portman, Raymond Lovell, Niall MacGinnis & Finlay Currie

Directed by Michael Powell

A damaged U-boat is stranded in a Canadian bay in the early years of World War II. The Fanatical Nazi captain and his crew must reach the neutral United States or be captured. Along the way they meet a variety of characters each with their own views on the war and nationalism. In this film director, Michael Powell and writer Emeric Pressburger show their ideas of why the United States should join the Allied fight against the Nazis.

Originally released in the US as The Invaders

Oscar winner for Best Original Story. Nominated for Best Picture and Best Screenplay

One of Our Aircraft is Missing (1942) - 102 mins

Starring Eric Portman, Godfrey Tearle, Hugh Willimas, Bernard Miles, Hugh Burden & Emrys Jones

Directed by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger

Six British bomber crewmen are obliged to bail out over Holland. To escape detection from the Nazis, the crewmen accept the hospitality of several Hollanders, all dedicated to the freedom-fighting activities of the Underground. The film is constructed along the lines of the earlier Powell-Pressburger film 49th Parallel except that the escapees are British rather than German and their Dutch contacts are willing rather than reluctant co-conspirators.

The austere photography by Ronald Neame is complemented by the to-the-point editing of future director David Lean. Oscar Nominated for Best Writing, Original Screenplay & Best Special Effects

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) - 163 mins

Starring James McKecknie, Neville Mapp, Vincent Holman, Anton Walbrook & Deborah Kerr

Directed by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger

This much-lauded two and a half hour plus epic which satirizes British traditionalism, stirred up impassioned hostilities and indignations among the Brits when released in 1943. The sweeping story covers several decades. It begins at the tail end of the Boer War, when handsome young British officer Clive Candy, recently back from the battlefront, is infuriated by his discovery that Deutschland papers have played up the British atrocities in South Africa. He grows so irate, in fact, that he travels to Germany to address the problem. Once there, he meets an attractive British educator, Edith Hunter (Deborah Kerr) who spends her days teaching English as a second language to German students. They grow close, but Candy so aggravates the local indigenes that he winds up in a duel with a German officer, Theo Kretschmar-Schuldorff (Anton Walbrook). The men wound each other and are sent to the same hospital, where they become friends. Candy - who doesn't yet realize he's fallen in love with Edith senses that Theo and Edith are attracted to one another, and encourages the couple's marital union. Candy subsequently returns to England, then falls for and marries Barbara (again played by Kerr), a nurse who bears a strong resemblance to Edith. She later dies, but Candy meets a third woman during WWII, Johnny (Kerr a third time), assigned to drive him from one locale to another during his campaigns. Meanwhile, Theo - disgusted by Nazi atrocities - absconds to England, where he reencounters his old friend, now a prattering old shuffler rapidly approaching the end of his career and raving continuously about Nazi conduct (or lack thereof) in battle.

Note all 5 of these films are available separately within the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website.

Powell & Pressburger … their War Films … Disc No. 1

The Spy in Black (1939) aka U-Boat 29

Contraband (1940) aka Blackout

Powell & Pressburger … their War Films … Disc No. 2

49th Parallel (1941) aka The Invaders

Powell & Pressburger … their War Films … Disc No. 3

One of Our Aircraft is Missing (1942)

Powell & Pressburger … their War Films … Disc No. 4

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)

Note: See also above: The Powell, Pressburger & Veidt Combination

Sanders … Jungle Tales …

2 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$25 or US$25 or £13

Edgar Wallace (1875 - 1932) was a prolific British crime writer, journalist and playwright, who wrote 175 novels, 24 plays, and countless articles in newspapers and journals. Over 160 films have been made of his novels, more than any other author. He is most famous today as the co-creator of "King Kong", writing the early screenplay and story for the movie, as well as a short story "King Kong" (1933).

But it was the publication of Sanders Of The River in (1911), about an African representative of Great Britain Foreign Office, that established his fame as a writer. Wallace then wrote several additional stories using his African experiences as background. His attitudes reflect uncritically popular opinions of the time, which could be simply characterized under the title "imperialist ideology". In the stories about Bosambo, a devious tribal king, Mr. Commissioner Sanders loses often the battle of wits, although Bosambo in one scene tells that he has always wanted to be a chief under the British rule. However, he manages to steal Sanders's binoculars. Sanders's method to keep up peace is straightforward: he uses whip and he has a reputation for hanging rebellious chiefs. There were 12 The Sanders of the River books commencing with Sanders of the River (1911) and concluding with Again Sanders (1928).

The stories became the basis for 3 successful films across 30 years - the first co-starred famous baritone Paul "Ol' Man River" Robeson whilst the other two saw top UK actor Richard Todd appearing as Sanders in big budget color outings:

Sanders of the River (1935)

Starring Leslie Banks, Paul Robeson, Nina Mae McKinney, Martin Walker & Robert Cochran

Directed by Zoltan Korda

Leslie Banks stars as the title character, a British officer who manages to keep the peace between the African tribes loyal to His Majesty and those loyal to the African king. His right-hand man, one of the tribal leaders, played by Paul Robeson, does all he can to help Banks maintain the peace, but when Banks takes a trip away from the region, all hell breaks loose. Robeson tries his best to stem the tide of revolution against the British in Sanders' absence.

Death Drums Along the River (1963)

Starring Richard Todd, Marianne Koch, Vivi Bach, Albert Lieven & Walter Rilla

Directed by Lawrence Huntington

In the first of two films based on Edgar Wallace's Sanders of the River character, Richard Todd plays the British police investigator working in Africa. While counting the clues in a hospital murder case, Sanders is led to hidden diamond mine.

Coast of Skeletons (1965)

Starring Richard Todd, Marianne Koch, Dale Robertson, Heinz Drache & Derek Nimmo

Directed by Robert Lynn

Richard Todd is back as Harry Sanders in another African adventure from the pen of Edgar Wallace. This time he comes upon an insidious scheme to steal the valuables from the sunken ships.

All three are excellent quality prints

Sanders … Jungle Tales … Disc No. 1

Sanders of the River (1935)

Sanders … Jungle Tales … Disc No. 2

Death Drums Along the River (1963)

Coast of Skeletons (1965)

Note that each of the above titles are also available separately (one movie per DVD) from the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of this website

NEW ……… NEW ……… NEW

Sinbad … His Fantastic Voyages

4 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$35 or US$35 or £18

The stories about Sinbad were compiled from a variety of sources, including sailors' yarns and nursery stories, making Sinbad a sort of composite character upon which these tales could be projected. These stories are probably Persian in origin, and they are included in some collections of the Arabian Nights.

Sinbad is such a distinctive character that stories about him were sometimes published alone, and he has inspired other books in addition to films and musical performances.

According to the stories, Sinbad took to the sea because he spent all of his inheritance, and he needed to earn money to survive. He went on seven voyages in all before managing to make his money back, and got caught up in a wide assortment of exotic adventures around Africa and Asia.

(One may also see Sinbad's name spelled with an additional “D,” as “Sindbad,” reflecting the imperfections inherent in transliterating from Arabic into English)

Four Sinbad films stand out from the rest … they had good-sized budget, nice production values and cutting edge (at the time) special effects:

Sinbad The Sailor (1947) The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad (1958),

The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad (1974) Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger (1977)

All 4 are presented here in a very nice 4 DVD set - all perfect color prints

Please note that each is also available from the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of the website.

Sinbad the Sailor (1947) - 117 mins. Starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Maureen O'Hara, Anthony Quinn, Walter Slezak & Jane Greer. Directed by Richard Wallace

Synopsis: A ship which is saved by Sinbad, has a treasure map to the treasure of Alexander the Great, but it mysteriously disappears from the ship. The beautiful Shireen, the woman who has stolen the heart of Sinbad, the evil Amir who wants the treasure for himself to own the world and the deadly Melik, who will stop at nothing and kill anyone to have the treasure, all provided challenges for Sinbad

There follows a perilous voyage to a mysterious island where the treasure is said to be held.

The great Douglas Fairbanks Jr at his swashbuckling best!

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958) - 88 mins. Starring Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant, Richard Eyer, Torin Thatcher & Alec Mango. Directed by Nathan Juran

Synopsis: Whilst Sinbad is on his way to Baghdad, transporting the Princess Parisa, who is to become his bride and secure peace between her kingdom and his, the ship encounters the isle of Colossa. Sinbad and his men are attacked by a gigantic, bestial one-eyed Cyclops, and are saved only when the mysterious magician Sokurah appears and uses a magic lamp to protect Sinbad's men. But in the process of escaping harm, Sokurah loses the lamp to the Cyclops. He desperately wants to retrieve it and tries to persuade Sinbad to put about and return to Colossa - but the captain won't jeopardize the safety of the princess or the success of his mission, and the Caliph of Baghdad feels the same way, even after Sokurah amazes the court by conjuring up a snake-woman. It is only when the princess is shrunk by an evil spell, the breaking of which requires the shell from the egg of the giant Roc - which resides on Colossa - that Sokurah can get his expedition mounted, with Sinbad in command.

The first of special-effects wizard Ray Harryhausen's three Sinbad epics.

The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974) - 105 mins. Starring John Phillip Law, Caroline Munro, Tom Baker, Douglas Wilmer & Martin Shaw. Directed by Gordon Hessler

Synopsis: Sinbad and his crew intercept a homunculus carrying a golden tablet. Koura, the creator of the homunculus and practitioner of evil magic, wants the tablet back and pursues Sinbad. Meanwhile Sinbad meets the Vizier who has another part of the interlocking golden map, and they mount a quest across the seas to solve the riddle of the map, accompanied by a slave girl with a mysterious tattoo of an eye on her palm. They encounter strange beasts, tempests, and the dark interference of Koura along the way

The second of special-effects wizard Ray Harryhausen's three Sinbad epics, features "Dynamation" highlights such as a six-armed statue, a one-eyed centaur and a flying griffin.

Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977) - 113 mins. Starring Patrick Wayne, Taryn Power, Margaret Whiting, Jane Seymour & Patrick Troughton. Directed by Sam Wanamaker

Synopsis: Famed stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen concocts a collection of fantastic creatures - including a saber-tooth tiger, a chess-playing baboon, a giant walrus and three banshees - for this follow-up to The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. Patrick Wayne stars as Sinbad, who seeks the hand of Princess Farah (Jane Seymour) in marriage but cannot get her brother, Prince Kassim (Damian Thomas), to agree to the match because he has been turned into a baboon by his evil stepmother. In order to receive the blessing of Farah's brother, Sinbad must travel to a far away realm and find a wizard named Melanthius (Patrick Troughton), the only one who can break the evil spell placed upon Kassim.

The third of special-effects wizard Ray Harryhausen's three Sinbad epics.

Sinbad … His Fantastic Voyages … Disc No. 1

Sinbad the Sailor (1947)

Sinbad … His Fantastic Voyages … Disc No. 2

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)

Sinbad … His Fantastic Voyages … Disc No. 3

The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974)

Sinbad … His Fantastic Voyages … Disc No. 4

Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977)

*** NEW ***

The Texas Rangers Combination

2 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$25 or US$25 or £13

Box office hit, The Texas Rangers (1936) started out as a short story by the esteemed Texan historian Walter Prescott Webb. Published in 1935, the ‘The Texas Rangers: A Century of Frontier Defense’ was the definitive study of this frontier law enforcement agency from 1823 to the present day (ie. 1935). Using this source material, director King Vidor & renown writer Elizabeth Hill developed a story about three friends

(Fred MacMurray, Lloyd Nolan & Jack Oakie) who through circumstances find themselves on opposing sides of the law in 1880’s Texas. Louis Stevens wrote an incisive screenplay and the resulting film garnered significant critical praise for its realism and helped to raise the Texas Rangers to an almost mythical status.

Paramount decided to revisit the story again in 1940 but this time devolved the project into a “B” feature starring John Howard. Returning to Webb’s book, writers William R. Lipman & Horace McCoy fashioned a story based on the Rangers mid 1930’s methods of law enforcement – as such Texas Rangers Rides Again (1940) became a modern day western and was not a sequel nor a remake of the original. It told of cattle rustling and the assigning of young Ranger Jim Kingston (John Howard) to infiltrate the gang supposedly responsible. Kingston masquerades as The Pecos Kid on the run from the Police.

This follow-up film was another success with critics hailing it as worthy of an “A” feature status – but Paramount didn’t return to the Rangers for almost another decade.

In 1949, Charles Marquis Warren adapted Louis Steven’s screenplay for The Texas Rangers (1936) and the result was filmed as Streets of Laredo (1949). Directed by Leslie Fenton, Streets of Laredo was a streamlined and Technicolor remake of the 1936 original, this time starring William Holden, Macdonald Carey & William Bendix as the trio. In receipt of excellent reviews, Streets of Laredo further enhanced the “legendary” status of the Rangers – additionally, it meticulously recreated the most famous scene from the original, wherein one of the film's more sympathetic characters is abruptly shot to death from under a table; the scene still worked, though critics felt that it packed a bigger wallop in The Texas Rangers (1936).

In 1950, following the success of Streets of Laredo, legendary movie cowboy Joel McCrea was signed to play the role of Jace Pearson on the radio series Tales of the Texas Rangers. A 30 minute stand-alone series couched in the style of Dragnet, Tales of the Texas Rangers premiered on 8th July 1950 to great acclaim. It came from an idea developed and carefully researched by Stacy Keach, who had joined the legendary 30 year Texas Ranger veteran Capt. M. T. "Lone Wolf" Gonzaullas on a number of fact-finding case investigations. Jace Pearson solved modern day cases using an automobile with a horse trailer attached at back (housing his horse Charcoal) and in this regard the radio series bore a resemblance to Texas Rangers Rides Again.

The series was adapted for television as Tales of the Texas Rangers from 1955 to 1957 with Gonzaullas as Technical Consultant. Interestingly, Rangers Jace Pearson (Willard Parker) & Clay Morgan (Harry Lauter) solved both modern cases and cases set in the "Old West" and here again Webb’s book became a useful resource in providing a basis for stories (particularly those set in the 19th Century – way before Gonzaullas’ time)

Both the Joel McCrea’s radio series and the TV series are available from elsewhere in this website (Radio Shows on MP3 CD & TV Series I-Z sections respectively)

The Texas Rangers (1936), Texas Rangers Rides Again (1940) & Streets of Laredo (1949) are presented here in a very nice 2 DVD set

Please note that each is also available separately from the INDIVIDUAL MOVIE TITLES section of the website.

The Texas Rangers Collection (Disc No. 1)

The Texas Rangers (1936)

Texas Rangers Rides Again (1940)

The Texas Rangers Collection (Disc No. 2)

Streets of Laredo (1949)

39 Steps Combination, The

3 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$30 or US$30 or £15

The perfect combination of fine writing and suspense-filled plot makes Buchan’s The Thirty-Nine Steps an engaging novel of intrigue, which was adapted to the screen by Hitchcock in 1935. Written in 1915, we follow protagonist Richard Hannay through England and the lowlands of Scotland as he eludes spies and keeps Europe from war. Said to be one of Hitch's best efforts, it was inevitable that remakes would follow. In 1959 Kenneth Moore took on the role for a big-budget color excursion, whilst Robert Powell played Hannay in a 1978 effort (costarring a typically malevolent David Warner). All three films are notable for their adherence to Buchan's story - and all three appear to have been right for the times in which they were filmed - a great story done justice on 3 occasions over 40 years - ripe for another remake ?

Note: The "Hannay" TV series (1988-89): thirteen 50 minute color episodes across 2 seasons - the full run! - is available from the TV Series section of this website

Note further that The Thirty Nine Steps (1978), along with The Lady Vanishes (1979) & The Riddle of the Sands (1979) are available in a 3 DVD set titled British Espionage from within this section of the website (see above)

Also worth a look : The "British Espionage" Radio Shows (comprising dramatized radio versions of The Riddle of the Sands, The 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes & Rogue Male) - check out the Old Time Radio section of this website. These shows have been digitally restored & come on MP3 CDs which work in your DVD player. The shows are free - with conditions. Check out the Old Time Radio section for further details

The 39 Steps (1935)

Starring Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll. Lucie Mannheim & Peggy Ashcroft

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

The 39 Steps (1959)

Starring Kenneth Moore, Taina Elg, Brenda De Banzie & Barry Jones

Directed by Ralph Thomas.

The 39 Steps (1978)

Starring Robert Powell, David Warner, Eric Porter & John Mills

Directed by Don Sharp.

The 39 Steps Disc No. 1

The 39 Steps (1935)

The 39 Steps Disc No. 2

The 39 Steps (1959)

The 39 Steps Disc No. 3

The Thirty Nine Steps (1978)

Val Lewton Horror Combination, The

1 DVD Boxed Set price : AU$20 or US$20 or £10

In 1942, Val Lewton was named head of the horror unit at RKO studios. RKO was suffering financial difficulties at the time, and decided to follow the example of Universal and start a unit that would make horror B-movies that were so inexpensive that they were almost sure to make a profit. They would choose a title through marketing tests, then Lewton was to make a movie to go with that title. They wanted shorter films (under 75 minutes) and with a very small budget, to be shown as one half of a double-bill. Because of the (relatively) tiny budgets, the studio allowed him a fairly free hand, preferring to spend their effort monitoring larger investments. Despite the fact that his only screen credit was as "producer," Lewton didn't fit the non-creative, "guy-with-the-checkbook" stereotype often applied to producers. He was definitely an artistic force behind his movies who could have claimed diverse credits on his productions, but he was afraid it would look like a producer using his power to get more credit than he deserved.

RKO was doubtlessly surprised at how literary and intelligent his movies were. In general, Lewton concentrated on atmosphere and suggestion rather than just showing the "monster", to get the viewer to conjure up their own mental terrors.

I Walked with a Zombie (1943)

Starring Francis Dee, Tom Conway, James Ellison & Edith Barrett

Directed by Jacques Tourneur

Betsy, a young Canadian nurse comes to the West Indies to care for Jessica, the wife of Pat, a plantation manager. Jessica seems to be suffering from a kind of mental paralysis as a result of fever. When she falls in love with Paul, Betsy determines to cure Jessica even if she needs to use a voodoo ceremony, to give Paul what she thinks he wants.

The Leopard Man (1943)

Starring Dennis O'Keefe, Margo, Jean Brooks, Isabel Jewell & James Bell

Directed by Jacques Tourneur

Kiki Walker, a nightclub performer in New Mexico, at the encouragement of her manager, takes a leashed leopard into the club as a publicity gimmick. But her rival, angered by the attempt to upstage, scares the animal and it bolts. In the days that follow, people are mauled and the countryside is combed for the loose creature. But Kiki and her manager begin to wonder if maybe the leopard is not responsible for the killings.

The Seventh Victim (1943)

Starring Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, Isabel Jewell, Kim Hunter, Evelyn Brent & Hugh Beaumont

Directed by Mark Robson

Mary Gibson, a naive orphan, goes to Manhattan to find her missing sister Jacqueline. Her investigation leads her to Jacqueline's secret husband, and also to a strange cult of Diabolists who are also hunting Jacqueline - an unsettling and genuinely eerie Film Noir.

The Ghost Ship (1943)

Starring Richard Dix, Russell Wade, Edith Barrett, Ben Bard & Edmund Glover

Directed by Mark Robson

Tom Merriam signs on the ship Altair as third officer under Captain Stone. At first things look good, Stone sees Merriam as a younger version of himself and Merriam sees Stone as the first adult to ever treat him as a friend. But after a couple strange deaths of crew members, Merriam begins to think Stone is a psychopathic madman obsessed with authority. He tries to tell others, but no one believes him.

The Val Lewton Combination Disc

I Walked with a Zombie (1943)

The Leopard Man (1943)

The Seventh Victim (1943)

The Ghost Ship (1943)

3 DVD Set with The Val Lewton / Boris Karloff Combination & The Cat People Combination :

AU$30 or US$30 or £15

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