Missing No Longer: THE QUIET GUN (1957) and BARQUERO (1970)

 
Quite an eventful month for Western fans.  Within a four week period, two long requested cult favorites will finally be surfacing on DVD and Blu-Ray.  As luck would have it, both films star two of the Golden Boot Awards' inaugural class: legendary badass Lee Van Cleef and the great Forrest Tucker, who needs no introduction here.

Tuck was still known for playing truculent villains and taciturn heroes when he starred in Fox's RegalScope feature THE QUIET GUN in 1957.  (Not for long; his image-changing roles in AUNTIE MAME and THE MUSIC MAN were only a year away.) While his Republic vehicles had bigger budgets and his British science fiction efforts (THE CRAWLING EYE) are better known, for my money THE QUIET GUN is Forrest Tucker's best leading role, period.

Tucker plays Rock River's Sheriff Brandon, a gruff but fair-minded man who, like Marshal Will Kane, upholds the law in a town that doesn't deserve his efforts.  Rock River is plagued by bigotry and corruption, and those two elements collide to take the lives of a city attorney and Brandon's estranged friend (Jim Davis).  It's up to the Sheriff to stand alone against vigilante justice and to investigate the sinister motives behind unwarranted harassment (for "moral" reasons, mind you) that resulted in tragedy.

THE QUIET GUN was adapted from the novel Law Man by Lauran Payne, whose OPEN RANGE MEN was filmed with much greater success at the box office some forty-six years later.  While THE QUIET GUN found little notice initially, its reputation has grown over the years.  Toby Roan calls THE QUIET GUN "maybe the best of the RegalScope Westerns" and DVD Talk's Adam Tyner and High-Def Digest's Matthew Hartman are among others sharing my enthusiasm for it.  Thanks to Olive Films, THE QUIET GUN is now out on both DVD and BluRay as of March 31.  Mara Corday and Kathleen Crowley also star.

Jim Davis and Mara Corday in THE QUIET GUN

If THE QUIET GUN isn't the DVD release that I've been waiting on the longest, the month's other new arrival almost certainly is: 1970's BARQUERO, which will be coming to us courtesy of Kino Lorber on April 28th.

BARQUERO was the very first film review here at the Horn Section, and I've revisited it since to sing the praises of Marie Gomez for Forgotten Films' Crushathon.  Tucker and Van Cleef co-starred for the first time in thirteen years, with billings reversed.  By 1970, it was Van Cleef who was playing tight-lipped leads, with BARQUERO being his triumphant return to American films after six star-making years in Italian westerns.

No surprise that the ultraviolent BARQUERO is heavily influenced by the films Van Cleef became famous for.  There's also an unmistakable WILD BUNCH vibe, and you'd be hard pressed to find more of a "guy movie" cast.   Formidable (if mentally unstable) opposition to Van Cleef is provided by Peckinpah's go-to actor, Warren Oates.  Oates' right-hand man is Sinbad himself, Kerwin Mathews.  Armando Silvestre and John Davis Chandler (another Peckinpah regular) are among Oates' mercenaries, and Mariette Hartley provides temptation for our antihero.

BARQUERO ended up being Forrest Tucker's final theatrical western, and the ant-eating, bearded Mountain Phil was one of his best supporting roles.  He's just as violent as the two leads, able to smile affably mere seconds after slicing a man's throat.  Director Gordon Douglas was a last-minute replacement for Robert Sparr, who was tragically killed in a plane crash while scouting Colorado locations for the film on August 28, 1969.  Cinematographer Gerald Finnerman was the sole survivor of that crash (spending several years in full metal body brace afterwards).

Despite the appeal of its cast, BARQUERO was even more neglected than THE QUIET GUN, as it was never even released on VHS in the U.S. before this month.  In fact, it was largely ignored altogether, until Showtime and Encore Westerns began airing it in the 2000's, earning the film its long-deserved cult following and eventual home video release.

I didn't see a single review written in 1970 that made note of BARQUERO as a Vietnam allegory.  Hartman has a another take, seeing an Old Testament theme in the proceedings.   Patrick Bromley at DVD Verdict and Ian Jane at DVD Talk have offered their reviews this week as well.  My 2006 review is here, and I have to say it's a proud moment for the Section to have our very first spotlighted film out on DVD and BluRay on April 28th.  If the print on MGM HD Channel is any indication, the release should look fantastic.

More Film and TV reviews to come, as always!

Missing No Longer: THE COMIC (1969) and GEORGIA, GEORGIA (1972)

It's been awhile since we had an installment of Missing No More.  Since we last checked in, two more Horn Section favorites have finally found their way to DVD.  Interestingly, each film features one of our favorite performers playing a big-name performer. 

Danny Peary stated that Dick Van Dyke had his best big-screen role in Carl Reiner's THE COMIC (1969).   Always affable in light comedies and musicals throughout the Sixties, Van Dyke played his least appealing character in silent screen legend Billy Bright.  Van Dyke's Bright is afraid to be unlikable onscreen, but has no problem being drunk, vain, selfish, hot-tempered and stubborn while cheating on wife and indispensable co-star Michele Lee offscreen.

Yes, cheating on Michele Lee--Dick Van Dyke is truly playing a douche here!  But while scoring dramatic points effectively, Van Dyke also does a superb job showing his chops as a would-be silent comedian in a montage of "vintage" shorts from Bright's heyday.  Play close attention to NOTHING BUT THE TOOTH and tell me that Stan Laurel wouldn't have loved that ending.  THE COMIC isn't fully realized (the age makeup is embarrassingly bad on Lee and Cornel Wilde, for example) and it's very difficult to watch Bright slowly destroy himself with one terrible decision after another.  In addition, THE COMIC is cringe-worthy on a different level with the effects of Bright's drinking in light of Van Dyke's later revelations about his own alcoholism.

Previously unavailable on home video save for a brief 1994 VHS release, THE COMIC has been given a second life by (who else?) Warner Archive.  Despite a few shortcomings, THE COMIC was clearly a labor of love for Van Dyke and Reiner (who also plays Billy Bright's agent) and every scene radiates the affection both men have for the era depicted as well as their mutual desire to push a few boundaries in the rapidly changing Hollywood of the late Sixties. 

Talk about a film we waited a long time for: I posted a YouTube clip from GEORGIA, GEORGIA (1972) way back in 2008, and reviewed the film the following year.  At that same time, I also had the privilege of participating in a roundtable on GEORGIA, GEORGIA over at Temple of Schlock in celebration of the late, great Diana Sands' 75th birthday.  It's more than fair to say that we're fans of hers here at The Section.

Given her superb work on Broadway (RAISIN IN THE SUN, THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT) and her terrific performance in Hal Ashby's THE LANDLORD (1970), it's surprising that Sands had to wait until 1972 for her first top billing on the big screen.  Sadly, GEORGIA, GEORGIA is something of a missed opportunity.  Stig Bjorkman probably wasn't the right director for Maya Angelou's provocative script, and the editing is noticeably crude at times.  Nevertheless, the Swedish film gives us the opportunity to see Diana Sands giving another strong performance playing pop star Georgia Martin, as well as big-screen performances by Minnie Gentry and Roger Furman, two underrated actors who mostly did stage work.  Activist Terry Whitmore also appears, playing a deserter three years after being the subject of the documentary TERRY WHITMORE, FOR EXAMPLE.

Scorpion Releasing is responsible for finally bringing GEORGIA, GEORGIA to DVD. Thankfully they've given us some terrific extras: in fact the extras along warrant the DVD purchase in this case.  Bjorkman and actor Dirk Benedict participate in a very informative commentary track, and Benedict even provided some behind the scenes photos from his personal collection.  Amazon has it, as does DVD Planet and others.

Missing No Longer: THE SLAMS (1973) and THE PACK (1977)

I should probably just re-name Missing No More and call it The Warner Archive post label at this point, since it seems like every time former Horn Section reviews bow on DVD, it's the good folks over at WA making it happen.  This month we highlight a couple of action packed curios from the Seventies.  One is a blaxploitation crime drama, the other a "man against nature" horror film.  Each drive-in fave is headlined by one of the sturdiest leading men of the Me decade.

THE PACK (1977) stars Joe Don Baker as a marine biologist (!) who learned from the equally rugged Forrest Tucker (THE CRAWLING EYE) how to look scholarly for these brainy (but still brawny) roles: wear glasses from time to time!  As I noted in the review it doesn't really work as horror because collies and dalmations ain't all that terrifying.  However, Robert Clouse (ENTER THE DRAGON) wrote and directed a film that is still well worthy of applause.

Who needs Dentastix?

Clouse's screenplay features effectively drawn characters, underappreciated actors (beginning with Baker, who did get several action leads in the wake of WALKING TALL) and above all a needed but not preachy reminder about responsible pet ownership.  While the Dalmation might not be a very scary breed, if you're familiar with its history as a pet, it is particulaly well-suited to that last message.  Unfortunately untold numbers of Dalmations suffered in the wake of 101 DALMATIONS, ending up abandoned by owners who, while well-meaning, weren't prepared for ownership of the high-energy spotted canines.

THE PACK is newly remastered by Warner Archive but available in the U.S. only per the link.  Myself, I prefer it to CUJO, its only real competition in the "killer dog" subgenre.  Unless you want to count the masked Afghans in 1959's THE KILLER SHREWS, that is.

THE SLAMS (1973), which was just reviewed here in early February, sends Jim Brown to prison.  In a case of "ask and ye shall receive", Warner Archive put it out a month later as one of four Jim Brown releases.

Since the review should still be fresh in your mind, there's not much to add.  Frank de Kova (as a mafia kingpin), Ted Cassidy (as his racist henchman) and Judy Pace (as...Hell, does it matter?  She's Judy Pace!) are Brown's co-stars in this combination prison/caper film.  All four Jim Brown films are newly remastered.

Brown drives a harder bargain than Sergeant O'Rourke....

Along with THE SLAMS, fans will certainly want to check out THE SPLIT (1968), one of the other new releases.  The cast....well, all I can say is "wow": Jack Klugman (the Big Q himself!), Diahann Carroll (SISTER, SISTER), Warren Oates (BARQUERO), Ernest Borgnine, Gene Hackman and James Whitmore.

More reviews and potential Archive findings to come!

Old School: DIPLOMANIACS (1933) and WHO'S MINDING THE MINT? (1967)

Pops says we finally made it to DVD!

And Pops is right!  Whether you're a fan of old school comedy or of really old school comedy you got a DVD treat during the month of February. This month's installment of Missing No More turns up two more past Horn Section reviews that just made it to DVD.  These new releases date back to our blog's earliest days; in fact, both were among the first ten films reviewed here back in 2006.

WHO'S MINDING THE MINT? (1967) was finally rescued from DVD unavailability by our friends at the Warner Archive on February 7th.   If you were a little disappointed by TOWER HEIST (who wasn't?) and would like to see how a caper comedy is supposed to be done, by all means check out this oldie-but-goodie.  Danny Peary accurately said it is "from the IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD school, but on a smaller scale". 

Indeed it is, and that's not only what sets it apart from the better known WORLD, but makes it even funnier.  Yep, you heard me right.  Hell, I said so in my original review.  MINT checks in at a lean, clean 97 minutes (barely half of WORLD's length) and with all due respect to Stanley Kramer (JUDGEMENT AT NUREMBERG, INHERIT THE WIND), he wasn't exactly a comedy specialist.  Howard Morris (YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS) was, and he pulls out all the stops without telegraphing it as much or allowing intrusive mugging.  It's an impressive directorial debut for Morris, who actually beat his YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS colleague Mel Brooks "to the chair"--Brooks' legendary first film, THE PRODUCERS, arrived in 1968.

It's not easy being green!

Compared to IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD's all star cast, MINT is loaded with second bananas, but it's still an impressive bunch.  (Ha!  "Bunch"!  Get it?)  Jack Gilford, Walter Brennan, Bob Denver, Victor Buono, Joey Bishop, Jamie Farr and Jackie Joseph are among the TV stars getting some big-screen love.  Morris cast two actors from WORLD: Lou Costello's 30 FOOT BRIDE herself, Dorothy Provine (also in Blake Edwards' WORLD-styled THE GREAT RACE) and Uncle Miltie Berle, whose lodge costume is put to inspired use by Morris. 

Here is my original review, from way back in May 2006.  WHO'S MINDING THE MINT? was out of print on VHS even then, and has been really hard to see for a long time.  The film deserves a hearty welcome back to circulation.  It is also available for viewing at Amazon.  A bit of trivia: the producer was Norman Maurer, Moe Howard's son-in-law.

DIPLOMANIACS (1933), another long awaited title, was rather quietly released on Valentine's Day by the Warner Archive.  In my original review I bemoaned the lack of DVD love given to Wheeler and Woolsey, perhaps the most unsung of the classic cinema comedy teams.

Happily, Warner Archive has been rectifying that situation over the last year. In 2011 PEACH O'RENO (1931) and GIRL CRAZY (1932) got the "two-fer" treatment at the Archive, and DIPLOMANIACS was one of four Bert and Bob vehicles to get a Valentine from WA this year with KENTUCKY KERNELS (1934), THE RAINMAKERS (1935) and ON AGAIN OFF AGAIN (1937) also being released on DVD for the first time February 14th.  Unfortunately the latter three are all post Production Code, and therefore the team's finest film, COCKEYED CAVALIERS (1934) is still missing from DVD.

Bert Wheeler (L) and Robert Woolsey

Quibbles with the film selection notwithstanding, we now have fully one-third of the 21 Wheeler and Woolsey films on DVD through Warner Archive (1929's RIO RITA rounds out the list).  It's atypical "Bert and Bob" as usual leading lady Dorothy Lee is nowhere to be found, but the Pre-Code DIPLOMANIACS is still the best of the new arrivals.

DIPLOMANIACS might well be the best anti-war comedy that predates DR. STRANGELOVE.  Does any of the following sound real-world familiar (even today)?  Bert and Bob are thoroughly unqualified diplomats chosen solely by being in the right place at the right time; peace pleas with substance are ignored in favor of visually pleasing circus shows; wars are egged on by those who stand to profit financially from the conflict.  All points are timeless and presented by screenwriters Myers and Mankiewicz (MILLION DOLLAR LEGS) in a fashion that never lets satire overwhelm the comedy.

Bert and Bob wake up to these ladies.  Who needs an alarm?

Unlike the satire, the rampant un-PC humor does get in the way on one glaring occasion, with the climactic setpiece "No More War" turning a U.N. conference into a minstrel show.  Thankfully, it's barely two minutes of screentime, but the film couldn't lose the scene as it is key to the plot (unlike, say, the awful and often snipped President's Day number in 1942's HOLIDAY INN).  This set piece is likely the biggest reason DIPLOMANIACS stays on the shelf whenever TCM trots out HIPS, HIPS, HOORAY, HOLD 'EM JAIL and other Wheeler and Woolseys for periodic late night mini-marathons.  Just be forewarned its here; I'll get off the soapbox.

With these two releases Warner Archive has made two more dollops of comedy history from vastly different eras available.  Here's hoping I'll be writing about further releases that are Missing No More from DVD in the future.  Next post, I'll be writing about a film that is unfortunately still missing from DVD: Number 75!

Ladies on the Lam: SAFE IN HELL and THE LEGEND OF BILLIE JEAN

Put away your bootlegs: it's time for Missing No More!  Two more of The Horn Section's past review subjects are now on DVD for the first time, thanks once again to our good friends at the Warner Archive.   It's almost becoming a monthly occurrence.

While our two cult movies were released fifty-four years apart, they surprisingly have a lot in common.  Both center around a southern girl who is tough as nails: one a Corpus Christi teenager, the other a New Orleans secretary.  Both women suffer injustices at the hands of powerful males and financial hardship afterward.  Both also draw the line at providing physical favors to the men who wronged them.  When each lady defends herself, a felony is the (unintended) result, so both heroines end up running from the law.

That's a lot these two films have in common, despite the features taking place in very disparate eras: SAFE IN HELL (1931) is product of the "anything goes" pre-Code early thirties, while THE LEGEND OF BILLIE JEAN (1985) was produced in the middle of a decidedly conservative decade for Hollywood.  Reflective of their respective periods: the bulk of the former takes place in a literally Godless atmosphere, while BILLIE JEAN's title character is inspired and empowered by SAINT JOAN.  But hey, enough comparisons and contrasts.  Let's get to the good news.

The folks over at the Warner Archive finally agreed that fair is fair and released THE LEGEND OF BILLIE JEAN on November 1st.  Released through the label's Columbia Classics subdivision, it is reasonably priced at $14.96.

BILLIE JEAN's steady march to a loyal following didn't get off to a promising start, as it was an outright disaster at the box office in the summer of 1985 despite considerable promotion from MTV.  BILLIE JEAN was lost in the shuffle at theatres during the summer of BACK TO THE FUTURE.  It finally found its audience the way many initially overlooked movies did in the Eighties, via healthy home video rentals and saturation showings on cable.

THE LEGEND OF BILLIE JEAN did produce one immediate success, from its Chrysalis-heavy soundtrack: Pat Benatar's "Invincible", complete with the music video below featuring a healthy dose of clips from the film.  Ironically, one person who isn't a fan is Pat Benatar, who reportedly to this day derides the film in concert as "the worst ever made" before performing her hit "Invincible", the smash hit from the film's soundtrack. 

If this is true, then lighten up Ms. Benatar!  It's been twenty-five years and you were ten years older than the target audience to begin with.  In my review I noted that BILLIE JEAN has its problems script-wise, but it's also easy to see why this film strikes a chord with many.  It's great to see it not only newly remastered, with including an all-new commentary as well.  Way to go, Warner!

Perhaps even more impressive is the release of SAFE IN HELL (1931), which never saw a home video release of any kind before November 8th, when Warner Archive came through for us pre-Code aficionados and made it available for $19.95.  Here's a few minutes from the film, as leading lady Dorothy Mackaill checks into the Tortuga hotel managed by Nina Mae McKinney:

It's a rare appearance by McKinney, who was only 19 at the time, and features the equally underappreciated stars Dorothy Mackaill and Clarence Muse.  I have to say that in all my years seeking out obscure hidden treasures of cinema, SAFE IN HELL remains one of the most pleasant surprises I've ever stumbled across.

Directed by the great William Wellman (PUBLIC ENEMY, A STAR IS BORN), SAFE IN HELL offers McKinney and Muse non-sterotypical roles, all too rare for African-American actors in the Thirties. Wellman's underrated work is also tough and uncompromising right up to the less than happy denouement which is a surprise, even for pre-Code Hollywood.

If you haven't shopped at the Warner Archive yet, by all means browse the inventory, as they are adding new films weekly.  Hey, if you're reading this blog regularly, you're probably interested in what they have to offer, right?

More reviews on the way, as always.  In the meantime, how about a little more of THE LEGEND OF BILLIE JEAN's soundtrack?  Here's the late Wendy O. Williams with "It's My Life":

Missing No Longer: NEIGHBORS (1981) and BLACK EYE (1974)

DVD finally? No kidding?

This month's edition of Missing No More finds two more long-awaited releases finally making it to DVD, both starring major talents of the 1970's who left us way too soon.

John Belushi's final film, NEIGHBORS (1981) found the erstwhile Senator Blutarsky co-starring for the third time with Dan Aykroyd and the two SNL vets playing against viewer expectations.  This time Belushi was the put-upon conservative suburbian and Aykroyd the wild, crazy rebel outsider who aggravates him.  NEIGHBORS was probably the most anticipated release of the 1981 Christmas season, with Belushi and Aykroyd joined by an impressive list of heavy hitters on the other side of the camera: screenwriter Larry Gelbart, director John G. Avildsen, and producers David Brown and Daryl Zanuck.

The results are a mixed bag, with Avildsen (who once directed CRY UNCLE's edgy humor capably) proving to be a mismatch for the material, clashing with Belushi and ordering a soundtrack (by ROCKY's Bill Conti) that kills too many laughs--I always thought the TWILIGHT ZONE/horror music used in the TV trailer below worked better myself.  It must have seemed like a bad re-run for Gelbart, who a year earlier saw his ROUGH CUT extensively rewritten and hampered by off-screen infighting. 

While a missed opportunity, NEIGHBORS has its moments, and its release means that all three Belushi-Aykroyd features are finally available.  NEIGHBORS was released last week by, who else, Warner Archive and is available for $19.95 through their DVD shop.

It was just last month that The Horn Section trumpeted the arrival of the second of Teresa Graves' three feature films to DVD when VAMPIRA (1974), her last and least, finally received a home video release.  Tuesday, the Graves trifecta was completed when Warner Archive released 1974's BLACK EYE.

The Hammer

Starring Fred "The Hammer" Williamson, BLACK EYE is a routine but still fun action flick.  Williamson plays a perpetually indebted ex-cop turned P.I. who tries to solve a puzzling new case while attempting reconciliation with his bisexual ex Graves.  While The Hammer's other flicks of the era turn up frequently on cable, BLACK EYE has been rarely screened in recent years--I last saw it on TV One in 2008.

Worth checking out if you're a Williamson fan, and a must if you're a fan of Graves, who as mentioned only made 3 features before retiring to a quiet life devoted to her religion.  Interestingly, she co-starred with Williamson twice: her debut was THAT MAN BOLT (1973).

BLACK EYE is also available for $19.95 at the Warner Archive DVD shop.  More reviews to come!

Missing No Longer: SUGAR HILL (1974) and VAMPIRA/OLD DRACULA (1974)

We have Fox's MGM On Demand program to thank for the latest entries to move from "Why the Hell Not?" status to a release on DVD in the U.S.  Both are from 1974, right in the middle of arguably the peak decade for American cinema.  One is a long-awaited and particularly welcome arrival.  The other?  Eh, not so much, but it isn't without its points of interest.

The former is A.I.P.'s SUGAR HILL (1974), a gleefully ghoulish and campy variation on Pam Grier's revenge flicks for the studio, in which Marki Bey (THE LANDLORD) stars.  Rather than open up a can of whoopass herself, Bey enlists the aid of Zara Cully and Don Pedro Colley (as the best Baron Samedi to date) and their zombie hit men to fight the mafia responsible for the death of Sugar's boyfriend.  Bey is no Pam Grier or Tamara Dobson, but this wickedly humorous tale of evil colliding with evil is loads of fun in spite of its low budget and shortage of exploitation staples (it is rated PG).  The original review is here.

SUGAR HILL may lack a "name" cast, nudity and gore, but is still fondly remembered.  So much so that it has undergone a rediscovery in recent years, first with TCM Underground airing it in 2008-2009 and then more recently through streaming availability on Netflix Instant and Epix.  Now you can take it home with you for the first time---SUGAR HILL was never even released on VHS.  Movies Unlimited has this MOD available for preorder, with a release date of October 6, 2011--just in time for Halloween!

Already out is VAMPIRA (1974), retitled OLD DRACULA in U.S. theatres in an attempt to capitalize on Mel Brooks' smash YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN.  As you can see from the review, I feel VAMPIRA is a missed opportunity.  The intended comedy somehow has a much lower laugh count than SUGAR HILL despite a big star in Niven and a much higher budget.

Even taking into account its many flaws, VAMPIRA does have an awful lot of PLAYBOY product placement, enough that I suspected Hugh Hefner was the executive producer at first.  The playmates are portrayed by several lovely actresses of the era who didn't make many films: Cathie Shiriff (in her debut, nine years before STAR TREK III); stunning Nigerian model Minah Byrd (PERCY'S PROGRESS) who tragically died young in 1995; and buxom Linda Hayden (TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA).  And we can't forget Jenny Linden, can we?  The movie is also a must for fans of beautiful GET CHRISTIE LOVE! star Teresa Graves, who only made three feature films before retiring from show business at 27.

This one is already out and available at Amazon, under its U.S. theatrical title OLD DRACULA.  Happy viewing, and as always there's more reviews forthcoming here at The Horn Section.

Missing No Longer: SKIDOO (1968) and CHAINED HEAT (1983)

Two more Horn Section favorites and review subjects are coming to DVD in July!


In the case of CHAINED HEAT (1983), which was reviewed here as part of our Tamara Dobson 65th birthday Salute, you'd better hurry.  Courtesy of the one and only Mr. Skin, CHAINED HEAT is arriving on July 12th as part of a WIP Triple Feature along with RED HEAT (1985) and JUNGLE WARRIOR (1984).

It's a bit pricey at $29.98 if CHAINED HEAT is the only title you want, but there's excellent value for the money: interviews with actresses Stella Stevens and Sybil Danning (who co-starred in all three films) and the very first UNCUT release of CHAINED HEAT ever; at 98 minutes this release is three minutes longer than the theatrical release and will contain nine full minutes of footage missing from both the VHS release and the print that recently made the Showtime/TMC cable rounds a couple of years back.

Where to order this long-awaited must see?  Synapse Films has it available for pre-order now and, of course, so does Amazon.  As I stated above, you'd better hurry, as rumor has it that the rights will expire at the end of 2011, so this is truly "available for a limited time only".  Is CHAINED HEAT worth the rush, and the price?
Well, let's see: Linda Blair, John Vernon, Henry Silva, Tamara Dobson, Sybil Danning.....I could go on, but why not just read the review and decide for yourself?

CHAINED HEAT isn't the only long-awaited DVD release this month.  On July 19th, SKIDOO (1968) will be arriving via Olive Films, after years of being out of circulation.  In fact, this late 1960's Otto Preminger experiment was never released on VHS and was long-rumored to be withheld for the longest time by the late director's estate.  It isn't a success, but it isn't that big of an embarrassment either.

The Riddler on acid!

It's hard to describe SKIDOO in a concise manner.  So hard that it probably holds the record for The Horn Section's lengthiest review of a film.  (Yes, I'm aware I get long-winded doing the QUINCY, M.E. recaps.  But they ain't films!)  If you have a few days to kill, here's the original review, which was posted when TCM originally dusted SKIDOO off in 2008 for a run on TCM Underground.

More recently, the venerable hippie-era relic made the rounds on Showtime and Flix this Spring, and now it is available for pre-order from, where else, Amazon.

Not much I can add to the review except this, the trailer:

Enjoy!  More reviews to follow, including The Horn Section's participation in a blogathon later this month.  Happy 4th!

Missing No Longer: DON'T MAKE WAVES (1967) and NEVER SAY GOODBYE (1946)

The Missing No More list grows larger, thanks to the Warner Archive.

No, they haven't been perfect; they still haven't put MAVERICK out in single season sets yet, only a 3 episode sampler.  With THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW now out there, MAVERICK and LOVE THAT BOB! are unquestionably the 1950's series most in need of the Complete Season treatment.  

Television quibbles aside, the folks at Warner continue to make us happy with their film selection, bringing for the first time to DVD two more longtime M.I.A.'s reviewed during The Horn Section's debut year online in 2006.

Warner Archive's latest release is 1967's DON'T MAKE WAVES, reviewed at the Horn Section here.  The late Tony Curtis was reunited with his SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS director Alexander Mackendrick in what would sadly turn out to be the latter's swan song.  It was arguably Curtis' last good comedic role as a leading man (unless you want to count William Girdler's legendary THE MANITOU) and probably Sharon Tate's best performance.  The term "eclectic cast" was meant for films like this: Claudia Cardinale, Mort Sahl, playmate China Lee (at the time Mrs. Sahl), Robert Webber, Dave "Mr. Universe" Draper, Edgar Bergen, and, playing themselves, Jim and Henny Backus!

Comedy was never considered Errol Flynn's forte, but the action star acquitted himself well in NEVER SAY GOODBYE (reviewed here) despite a weak script.  Warner Archive has been releasing much of the star's neglected post-WW2 output, and while GOODBYE isn't a great film, it does have several points of interest:  Forrest Tucker showing off his comedic chops long before AUNTIE MAME, the eternally gorgeous Eleanor Parker as the lady both men are wooing, and Oscar winner Hattie McDaniel.

Two down, but many more out there...Number 58 is on the way.

Missing No Longer: PRETTY MAIDS ALL IN A ROW (1971)

Man, the folks at Warner Archive have really outdone themselves lately.  Hot on the heels of their long-awaited release of CLEOPATRA JONES AND THE CASINO OF GOLD last month comes a Warner Brothers release that, if anything, folks have been clamoring even louder for over the years.

The truly bizarre, hilariously dark Gene Roddenberry/Roger Vadim collaboration (!) PRETTY MAIDS ALL IN A ROW has finally made it to DVD via the Warner Archive!  Reviewed here originally as Number 7 in our series, this 1971 film was way ahead of its time.  Actually, it may still be.

But here it is, with Angie Dickinson as a MILF 28 years before AMERICAN PIE gave us the term, Rock Hudson as the most progressive guidance counselor you'll ever see, the late John David Carson (who passed away just last year) as Coach Hudson's pet project, and a dazzling array of gorgeous Pretty Maids: Aimee Eccles, Margaret Markov (BLACK MAMA, WHITE MAMA), Brenda Sykes (MANDINGO), June Fairchild (the immortal Ajax Lady from UP IN SMOKE) and Joy Bang (NIGHT OF THE COBRA WOMAN).  

Roddy McDowall (LORD LOVE A DUCK) is on hand to remind us that the school has a lot of great little cheerleaders, while Telly Savalas works around the clock to locate the killer.

Highly recommended here at The Horn Section, there's also a limited number of collectible copies out there autographed by Angie Dickinson that are sure to be fetching high prices on ebay in the coming years.

No, I haven't forgotten, I've just had a full plate lately.  Number 47 is next post!

Missing No Longer: CLEOPATRA JONES AND THE CASINO OF GOLD (1975)

Tamara Dobson's sequel is now out on DVD!

The Warner Archive strikes again and makes us all happy here at The Horn Section with today's DVD release of Number 32 in our series, CLEOPATRA JONES AND THE CASINO OF GOLD (1975).

Reviewed here last year as part of our tribute to the late, great Tamara Dobson, CASINO OF GOLD has been arguably the most glaring absence from the blaxploitation era.  It's certainly been a long time coming.  An exciting mixture of James Bond, Run Run Shaw and the aforementioned blaxploitation, it may be flawed, but it is never boring. 

You'll join me in wishing that Cleo had at least as many sequels to choose from as Rocky Balboa and Paul Kersey, and you'll also get to see Norman Fell flashing his famous grin into the camera and playing Cleo's boss, "Stanley"---foreshadowing the signature TV role on THREE'S COMPANY that would follow his fine work here.

Here's hoping the Warner Archive keeps up the fine work, as they've now brought three of the Horn Section's most wanted to DVD for the first time in the past year alone.   Next up, number 47!