soxfandoug

I was interested in picking up some Ronald Reagan films on DVD. The only Reagan film I have ever seen is "The Winning Team", which was fantastic. Unfortunately, it isn't available on DVD yet. What Reagan films would you guys recommend that have a decent representation on DVD?

Thanks!
Doug

Brain Stew

Bedtime For Bonzo is not on dvd either

Doug Schiller

I heard he likes the Matrix and Ya Ya Sisterhood.

bboisvert

Yeah, the studios that have the rights to his films must be pretty shortsighted to not have these out by now (or at least ready to go). I mean, the guy was in his 90s... you had to figure this was coming soon.

There really isn't much out there that isn't public domain.

towbinaj

The killers: criterion collection is a great Dvd. It has 2 versions of Hemmingway's short story. Reagan is in the 2nd version. It is his only role as the villain.
check it out:
http://www.criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=176

xfilekr

Any suggestions for finding 'Kings Row'? Even on VHS I'd like to find a copy. Amazon is like $90 from sellers and no one around here rents it.....

Laser Movies

I second the recommendation of the Killers DVD from Criterion. Also Dark Victory is an interesting movie released by Warner Brothers. Bette Davis is the star but it has both Humphrey Bogart and Ronald Reagan in supporting rolls. Unfortunately the DVD transfer isn't one of Warner's better efforts but it is a good movie.

Seeker

His filmography is pretty long - here are just the movies....

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001654/

Killers, The (1964) .... Jack Browning
... aka Ernest Hemingway's The Killers (1964) (USA: promotional title)
Young Doctors, The (1961) (voice) .... Narrator


Hellcats of the Navy (1957) .... Cmdr. Casey Abbott (Captain, USS Starfish)
Tennessee's Partner (1955) .... Cowpoke
Cattle Queen of Montana (1955) .... Farrell
Prisoner of War (1954) .... Webb Sloane
Jungle Trap, The (1954) .... Steve Davis
Law and Order (1953) .... Frame Johnson
Tropic Zone (1953) .... Dan McCloud
She's Working Her Way Through College (1952) .... Prof. John Palmer
Winning Team, The (1952) .... Grover Cleveland Alexander
Hong Kong (1952) .... Jeff Williams
... aka Bombs Over China (1962) (USA: reissue title)
Big Truth, The (1951) .... Host/Narrator
Bedtime for Bonzo (1951) .... Prof. Peter Boyd
Last Outpost, The (1951) .... Capt. Vance Britten
... aka Cavalry Charge (1962) (USA: reissue title)
Storm Warning (1951) .... Burt Rainey
Louisa (1950) .... Hal Norton


Hasty Heart, The (1949) .... Yank
Girl from Jones Beach, The (1949) .... Bob Randolph (Robert Venerik)
Night Unto Night (1949) .... John Galen
John Loves Mary (1949) .... John Lawrence
Voice of the Turtle, The (1947) .... Sergeant Bill Page
... aka One for the Book (1947) (USA: reissue title)
That Hagen Girl (1947) .... Tom Bates
Stallion Road (1947) .... Larry Hanrahan
Cadet Classification (1943) .... Narrator
For God and Country (1943) .... Father Michael O'Keefe
This Is the Army (1943) (as Lt. Ronald Reagan) .... Johnny Jones
Desperate Journey (1942) .... Flying Officer Johnny Hammond
Juke Girl (1942) .... Steve Talbot
Kings Row (1942) .... Drake McHugh
Nine Lives Are Not Enough (1941) .... Matt Sawyer
International Squadron (1941) .... Jimmy Grant
Million Dollar Baby (1941) .... Peter 'Pete' Rowan
Bad Man, The (1941) .... Gilbert 'Gil' Jones
... aka Two-Gun Cupid (1941) (UK)
Santa Fe Trail (1940) .... George Armstrong Custer
Tugboat Annie Sails Again (1940) .... Eddie Kent
Knute Rockne All American (1940) .... George 'The Gipper' Gipp
... aka Modern Hero, A (1940) (UK)
Murder in the Air (1940) .... Brass Bancroft
Angel from Texas, An (1940) .... Marty Allen
Brother Rat and a Baby (1940) .... Dan Crawford
... aka Baby Be Good (1940) (UK)


Smashing the Money Ring (1939) .... Lt. 'Brass' Bancroft
... aka Queer Money (1939)
Angels Wash Their Faces, The (1939) .... Deputy Dist. Atty. Patrick 'Pat' Remson
... aka Angels Wash Their Faces (1939) (USA)
Hell's Kitchen (1939) .... Jim Donohue
Naughty But Nice (1939) .... Ed 'Eddie' Clark
Code of the Secret Service (1939) .... Lt. 'Brass' Bancroft
Dark Victory (1939) .... Alec Hamm
Secret Service of the Air (1939) .... Lt. 'Brass' Bancroft
Going Places (1938) .... Jack Withering
Brother Rat (1938) .... Dan Crawford
Girls on Probation (1938) .... Neil Dillon
Boy Meets Girl (1938) .... Announcer
Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse, The (1938) (uncredited) (voice) .... Radio Announcer
Cowboy from Brooklyn (1938) .... Pat Dunn
... aka Romance and Rhythm (1938) (UK)
Accidents Will Happen (1938) .... Eric Gregg
Swing Your Lady (1938) .... Jack Miller
Hollywood Hotel (1938) (uncredited) .... Radio anouncer
Submarine D-1 (1937) (scenes deleted) .... Paul, One of Ann's Suitors
Sergeant Murphy (1937) .... Pvt. Dennis Riley
Love Is on the Air (1937) .... Andy McCaine
... aka Radio Murder Mystery, The (1937) (UK)

soxfandoug

I will definitely pick up "The Killers" Criterion. How big is Reagan's role?

LASERMOVIES, is the transfer of "Dark Victory" watchable? Are we talking VHS quality, or, heaven forbid, worse?

towbinaj

Reagan is definitly NOT the star of The Killers, but he is THE villain. The stars are Clu Gulager and Lee Marvin. It is a movie worth watching. It is neat to see how the same story was adapted in 2 eras.

Laser Movies

I haven't watched the DVD in a few years but it did have a lot of dirt, speckles, scratches, and was grainy looking. Probably close to VHS quality. I thought it was watchable but I'm usually very forgiving of older films. But it is not even close to the quality of the Warner transfers they are releasing today. I would only consider buying it if you can get a cheap copy. I think I purchased my copy through Columbia House as either an enrollment or fulfillment.

soxfandoug

LASERMOVIES, thanks for the info. I have been meaning to open a new CH account to get some Cary Grant movies, I will add "Dark Victory" to the list.

Laser Movies

How much are you willing to pay? I saw a copy at Half.com advertised like new for $29.99. Otherwise check Ebay for a better deal.

LasVegasMichael

Since most of his films are PD now, I am surprised that there is no Reagan "megapack" of several of his film in one reasonably priced set. Hopefully soon, as the only film I have seen of his is The Killers, and recommend it along with the others.

PS Thank you, OP, for starting a good, serious, and non-political DVD discussion on this topic.

Sex Fiend

"The Hasty Heart" is (IMHO) probably the best Ronald Reagan film, and his best performance, but alas not on DVD as far as I know. A genuinely good film, and not at all campy or 'B-picture'-ish, which is something you can't say about many Reagan films.

LasVegasMichael

Just for fun, here are some of the very few that are available on DVD (strictly films he acted in):

(this one is a cheapie. Just $6.99 at DVDPL)













All available at DVD Planet, amongs other places. Will try to post more later.

LasVegasMichael

Just from a historical (and romantic) standpoint, I am going to add Hellcats of the Navy to my wishlist, since it was the one and only Ron & Nancy film.

Masamune

BACK TO THE FUTURE: PART 2

Oh yes... =p

csmartin43

He also makes a brief appearance on the Walt Disney Treasures: Disneyland U.S.A. set. He was one of the "co-hosts" during the Opening Day at Disneyland show.

Paul Drake

I need to respectfully disagree with a previous comment that stated that most of Mr. Reagan's films are in PD. The only two that are that I'm aware of are "Sante Fe Trail" (great flick with Errol Flynn) and "This is the Army" (early Technicolor). The latter film has been restored by UCLA, but may never see release because the PD companies have saturated the bargain bins with this title.

"The Killers" is a great flick full of recognizable faces. I will add my recommendation.

I don't have any inside info, but I've got to believe we'll see "Kings Row" sometime in the next 18 months. It got a lot of mention over at HTF when Warners asked for feedback on requested future titles.

Some people forget that Reagan also appeared in two Dead End Kids pictures (Angels Wash Their Faces and Hell's Kitchen). If Warners ever issues their Dead End Kids films, we will get these.

Other titles I'd like to see Warners release are the two Brother Rat films, "The Hasty Heart", "Voice of the Turtle", the Brass Bancroft series, and "Storm Warning" (a forgotten classic with Doris Day and Ginger Rogers).

Flare65

Desperate Journey (1942) .... Flying Officer Johnny Hammond


I would love to own this movie on DVD. I've alwys been a big Errol Flynn fan and this movie has Ronald in it... And he's stars in it as well! The scene where Ronald knocks out the Nazi is hilarious!!

raytrade

FYI-

Santa Fe Trail is one of the titles available for 99 cents on DVD at the various dollar store chains that carry DVDs. See the Dollar Store thread in the bargains forum if you don't know what I'm talking about.

wrdrobeguy

None. I can't recommend a single Ronald Reagan movie, but I can recommend you find a copy of Walt Disney Treasures "Disneyland USA" from Wave 1 of this terrific series of DVDs.

Reagan was one of the hosts, along with Art Linkletter and Bob Cummings, of the opening day broadcast from Disneyland in July 1955. The show is a chaotic mess with lots of early live TV mishaps, but it's kind of fun seeing Disneyland so long ago and Reagan is affable and at ease.

will travel

I wonder what the chances of any GE Theatre Shows Which Reagan was the host and sometime star popping up on DVD?
Probably slim to none.

Also, it would be nice to have Knute Rockne, All American on DVD with the Lux Radio Theatre play as an extra.

Paul Drake

I've often wondered about the GE Theatre shows; specifically if many of them still exist. I don't recall seeing this in syndication at anytime over the past 30 years or so. Given the fairly big names that appeared on this, I would think it would hold some interest today. The fact it never turned up even after Mr. Reagan became President leads me to believe that either a rights issue is involved or there are no decent tapes available.

I agree with you on Knute Rockne. I would also like to see a 2 disc SE of "Kings Row" for which there should also be a Lux radio show available.

With Mr. Reagan's gift of storytelliing combined with his great love for his Hollywood years, it's a shame that his health didn't permit him to record commentaries on some of his movies. Those would have been a hoot to listen to. You get a flavor of this in his first autobiography which contains a lot of good Hollywood stories, but hearing it from the Man himself would have been special.