digidoh

I’ve been waiting years for this. A self-contained double feature, with parodies of boxing dramas (Dynamite Hands), musicals (Baxter’s Beauties of 1933), and a coming attractions trailer (Zero Hour, a World War I aviation drama) in between. This is not Mel Brooks-style comedy, but more restrained with comic wordplay. (“It was the late great Gloves Malloy who said how hard it is to say what there are no words for.”) written by Larry Gelbart and Sheldon Keller, directed by Stanley Donen with George C. Scott, Red Buttons, Eli Wallach, and Art Carney.

Bonus features include new interviews with stars Harry Hamlin, Kathleen Beller and Barry Bostwick. The blu-ray.com item lists “Introduction by George Burns” but that’s just part of the movie itself.

Scheduled for release 6/28/16 (delayed from February) on DVD and Blu-ray (each sold separately) from Scorpion Releasing/Kino Lorber. Available for pre-order from Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart, which has free shipping, and/or depending on your area, free pickup at your local Walmart.

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Movie-...4726/#Overview

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=17774

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Movie-Movie-Blu-ray/51637028

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Movie-Movie/51637035

Alan Smithee

Before this release, CED (the 8-track tape of video formats) was the easiest format to find this movie on.

Paul_SD

Haven't seen this since 1979 when it ran quite a bit on HBO (along with a lot of other great, sleeper movies from 1978). I remember loving it then, but I'm a little hesitant to revisit it. It's the kind of deep catalog that I applaud labels for releasing though- especially a small indie label like Scorpion so I feel like I should support it.

Just don't want to be disappointed.

digidoh

I pre-ordered, although I'm concerned, too. Apparently, the whole movie was shot in color, but the theatrical release had the Dynamite Hands (Fists?) segment was in black and white (as well as the Zero Hour preview). That's the way I saw it when our local college rented a copy from Films, Incorporated and when a local TV station ran it in the eighties.

George Burns intro alludes to the film's half-and-half format: In the 30's, movies were in black-and-white , except sometimes "when they sang it came out in color."

But looking online, some home video editions and TV stations showed Dynamite Hands in color (don't know about the trailer).

I'm hoping for the best, but I'll take what I can get.

I didn't make clear in my first post (since re-edited) but the Blu-Ray and DVD are sold separately.

Paul_SD

Not sure what is going to go on with the trailers, but the B movie bottom half of the bill is definitely going to be presented in B&W as intended- according to Scorpion (Which one is Bill and which one is Walt, again?). The color/B&W split is how I remember HBO showing it all those years ago.

As this gets closer, I can feel the feel the pull to see this again. I'll probably end up ordering it. But I'm going to wait and see if I can get it from B&N, where I might be able to finagle 40% off during that sale. If I can do that, I'll definitely pick it up.

I'm very curious to see if what I responded to so positively as a kid was merely the gimmicky nature of it, which was novel then but now might seem slight. Or if it was inherently a solidly crafted piece of popcorn entertainment (good performances, fun dialogue, solid storytelling, etc). It's been out of circulation so long that it's hard to gauge whether that's due to inconvenient rights issues or if it's just not that great after all.

DWilson

I remember seeing it the theater when it was released, -big theater, big screen, tiny, tiny audience. Obviously, it was a hard film to sell.
I remember it as a clever film, though I found it more amusing than laugh-provoking. I can't see myself buying it but I'm glad its not being overlooked.

digidoh

Sorry that I wasn't clear; I meant that I didn't know if TV and home video versions presented the fake trailer (for Zero Hour) in color or black and white.