Here They Come… Again!

Not long ago, we posted the news of Warner Home Video’s “Best of Warner Bros: Hanna-Barbera 25 Cartoon Collection” DVD set, as part of the 90th Anniversary celebration of Warner Bros. Read about that HERE.


As expected, per THIS ITEM, WHV is naturally following that up with a “Best of Warner Bros: Looney Tunes 50 Cartoon Collection”, to be released on June 25, 2013.

Only difference is, the Hanna-Barbera set features quite a bit of “First Time on DVD” material, and the Looney Tunes set does not.

Now, this makes sense in that any such “anniversary collection” SHOULD offer the most famous and/or most popular entries in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies catalog.

But, unless I’ve overlooked something, every one of these (as listed in the item I’ve linked-to above) has already appeared on DVD at least once. …And, given the duplication over the “Golden, Spotlight, and Platinum Collections”, perhaps two or even three times.

Maybe if all of this were framed or accompanied by some sort of “All-Encompassing History of Looney Tunes” feature, it might make such a purchase worthwhile to those of us who have devotedly snapped up all of the previous releases… but, noooo. Nothing is listed, anyway.

In a rare moment of editorializing from the good folks at tvshowsondvd.com, even THEY say the following:

  “Yes, that is a lot of previously-available-on-DVD material. ”

So, unlike the Hanna-Barbera set, which I am eagerly awaiting, I intend to pass on this one. However, anyone desiring a prime sampler of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies (to me, the best series of cartoons ever produced), here it is.



R.I.P. Malachi Throne.

There’s no way any fan of ‘60s television cannot be saddened at this news! 

The wonderful and ubiquitous character actor, Malachi Throne, passed away on March 13, 2013, at the age of 84. 

A list of Malachi Throne's many credits would amaze you.  Just limiting it to "some" of his sixties TV credits would be a virtual walk through my DVD collection: 

The Untouchables (Three times).

Perry Mason.

The Outer Limits.

The Fugitive  (Twice).

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (Three times, in roles as diverse as a Middle Eastern General, an Asian Scientist, and even Blackbeard the Pirate!).

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

I Spy.

Batman (as False Face).

Lost in Space.

Laredo.

The Wild Wild West.

The Time Tunnel (Twice).

Star Trek… and Star Trek the Next Generation (as different characters).

Throne: TOS and Throne: TNG.

Mission Impossible (Twice).

Land of the Giants. 

42 episodes, as a regular performer, on It Takes a Thief. 

It Takes a Thief -- with Bonus False Face Image! (at left)

…And that’s limiting it to my own collection of sixties TV.  It would take me many weeks (maybe months), just to watch all the Malachi Throne appearances in my sixties TV collection alone! 

Unlike others, Malachi Throne didn’t stop there, continuing to act in such 21 st century productions as The West Wing and the popular film “Catch Me if You Can”! 

Mr. Throne also performed in a myriad of voice acting roles, including Lancelot Link Secret Chimp, Batman The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, and was even “The Voice of God” in two episodes of Animaniacs! 

His deep and distinctive voice was long heard in commercials for Castrol Motor Oil. 

According to IMDB, his final role was providing a voice for THIS! 

In case you’re wondering, my favorite of all his roles was that of “The Thief of Outer Space” (1966) on Lost in Space. 

He was marvelously hammy, as he could often be, yet he exhibits an unexpected moment of poignancy when, during his “sword duel” with Guy Williams, he realizes that he has been betrayed by young Will Robinson (whom he was convinced, throughout the episode, was acting as his “assistant thief” and confidant) – and he just STOPS what had been joyous and overblown swordplay, as if his heart had been cut out! 

Hammy and blustery, as were many Lost in Space guest stars?  To be sure.  But, he found a way to almost turn on a dime at the realization that he was betrayed by a boy he came to trust and even nurture (in his own eccentric way) and exhibit enough pathos to make you even feel sorry for a sneaky, underhanded, sword-wielding thief.  That was something you didn’t often get from Lost in Space, but Malachi Throne delivered.

Throne the Thief and Ted Cassidy the Slave!

And he delivered as virtually ANYTHING… from a Star Fleet Commodore, to Machiavelli,  and even Blackbeard the Pirate!   

Throne, as Blackbeard the Pirate's Ghost on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

Malachi Throne is the type of character actor that no longer exists today. 

I’ve yet to figure out if it’s because such parts are no longer written… or there are few, if any, actors capable of playing such roles with the relish of Malachi Throne.  (…and maybe that’s why the parts ARE no longer written!) 

Malachi Throne in recent years

Here’s a link to Mark Evanier’s obit for Malachi Throne, with a special emphasis on his turn as “False Face”.

DVD Review: Red River (1947)

 

Red River (1947)

 

(Released: 2008 by MGM Home Entertainment)
 

Another looong DVD Review by Joe Torcivia

SUMMARY: Can you survive the cattle drive? Ask Producer / Director Howard Hawks and star John Wayne! They’ll either TELL ya… or SHOOT ya!

We fade in on an Opening Scroll:


“Among the annals of the great state of Texas may be found the story of the first [cattle] drive on the famous Chisholm Trail.

“A story of one of the great cattle herds of the world, of a man and a boy – Thomas Dunson and Matthew Garth, the story of the ‘Red River D’.”

And, while we’re at it, let’s hear from hard-ass would-be rancher; Mr. Thomas Dunson:


“MY LAND! We’re here, and we’re gonna STAY HERE! Give me ten years, and I’ll have [my] brand on the gates of the greatest ranch in Texas.

“The big house will be down by the river, and the corrals and the barns behind it. It’ll be a good place to live in. Ten years and I’ll have the ‘Red River D’ [brand] on more cattle than you’ve looked at anywhere!


“I’ll have that brand on enough BEEF to feed the whole country! Good beef – for hungry people! Beef to make ‘em STRONG, make ‘em GROW!  It takes WORK, and it takes SWEAT, and it takes TIME… lots of time! It takes years!”


Sounds like a “Man with a Plan” to me! Ah, BEEF… It does a body good!

And, with that, Thomas Dunson (John Wayne) and his sidekick “Groot” (Walter Brennan) split off from a California-bound wagon train, and head south toward Texas.

The pair meet an aimlessly wandering boy named “Matthew Garth”, who survived the massacre by Indians of the very wagon train that Dunson and Groot abandoned, and take him under their wing.

Once he locates his “dream plot” of land, he declares it “his” – and kills an emissary of the Mexican land-owner, who claims a grant from the King of Spain. (…Or, are they just intruders? We’ll never know!) Before Dunson is through, there are many more Mexican and white claim jumpers and interlopers buried on Dunson’s “Red River D” ranch.

The time DOES pass, and so does the Civil War. Matt is now a grown man with a fast gun (played by Montgomery Clift in his film debut) and Dunson’s second in command over the vast cattle ranch of over 10 thousand head, they and Groot have built up – after starting out with just one cow and one bull! …THAT, my friends, is one lucky and prolific bull! Really… No, er… bull!

Lucky Dog... Er, Bull! 

But, with the war’s aftermath came hard times for the state of Texas. The bottom has fallen out of the market for beef, leaving Dunson “calf-rich and cash-poor”.


He makes the hard decision to drive his herd of 10 thousand north, from Texas to Missouri – where the railroad lies and, beyond that, new and more prosperous markets.

I'll never complain about MY commute to the railroad again!

He is told that the railway now runs through Abilene, Kansas – a far less torturous route to the northern markets – but, having not seen it with his own eyes, he refuses the option, in favor of the hard way.


Dunson addresses his remaining hands and other down-and-out men:


“We’re goin’ to Missouri with 10 thousand head! Most o’ you men have come back to Texas from the war. You came back to nothing. You found your homes gone, your cattle scattered, and your land stolen by carpetbaggers.


“There’s no money and no work because there’s no market for beef in the South. But, there is in Missouri – so we’re going to Missouri!”

Dunson signs on as many men as he needs, promises they will be paid from the profits if the drive succeeds, and INSISTS they finish the job – no matter what!

No matter WHAT!  ...Ya hear?

About this time, another fast-gunned young man from a less-fortunate neighboring ranch, Cherry Valance (John Ireland), joins Dunson’s drive – setting up tensions between Matt and Cherry which, oddly, never pay off in any significant way.

But, if it’s tension you’re looking for, one of the greatest bits of tension in the film is an unusual and extraordinary scene at about 36:35, as the cattle drive is about to begin. A tense, moody – almost ominous sci-fi type of score plays over a silent pan of riders, cattle, and the expanse ahead. The eerie scene ends by focusing on a silent, grimly determined Dunson at about 37:12.

Dunson breaks the uneasiness by abruptly exclaiming “TAKE ‘EM TO MISSOURI, MATT!” All hands YELL HOOTS in succession and the drive is underway. An unconventional bit in a Golden Age Hollywood western, to be sure!

The drive is indeed torturous, with storms, Indian attacks, short rations, and even a spectacular cattle stampede (at about 50:30 of the film) to make the men reconsider.

Some of them do, and announce their intentions to quit the drive. Dunson guns them down, rather than have them go back on their word to him!

Quitters never WIN... or LIVE!

The drive continues, harder than ever, and Dunson becoming more and more unreasonably driven. He now sleeps with his gun, and the men begin to question his sanity.

A lone survivor of another drive, where the hands were killed and cattle stolen by Missouri border gangs, finds his way to camp, tells of his experiences, and also suggests that Dunson turn his drive toward Abilene and the railroad there. These comments are not lost on the men, who now doubt the wisdom of the entire endeavor.

The ubiquitous "William Self" credit from LOST IN SPACE.

The survivor, incidentally, was played by William Self. And, if that name sounds familiar to ‘60s TV buffs, it’s because he would later become the “Executive in Charge of Production” of the TV series made at 20th Century Fox – such as LOST IN SPACE, BATMAN, VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA, and many others.


Hand Teeler Yacey (Paul Fix) and others defect during the night. An outraged Dunson orders Matthew to bring them back. Upon their return, Dunson declares that they are to be HANGED!

Paul Fix - from "The Sons of Katie Elder"

At this, the men (including Matthew) finally draw the line – and mutiny (does one actually “mutiny” on a cattle drive?). Matthew takes charge of the drive, decides to take the safer route to Abilene – and leaves Dunson behind. Though, he DOES promise to see that Dunson receives the proceeds of the drive. …Ol’ Matt may be a mutineer, but he’s not a cattle thief, it would seem.

Meet the NEW BOSS... Not same as the old boss!

So, does Dunson catch up with the drive? What will he do when that happens? Is there a railroad and a market for Beef in Abilene? …And, “Where’s the Beef”, anyway?


I ain’t tellin’… but the specter of Dunson catching up with the drive seems to bring out the same paranoia that the modern version of BATMAN might induce in a gang of petty crooks.

Who would YOU rather face?  Dunson or him?  Either way...Brrrr!

“I was dreamin’… I thought he was FOLLOWIN’ us! How can a man sleep with Indians ahead, and HIM behind!” says Paul Fix’s character Yacey. Gotta love that!


As is our custom in these reviews, we’ll break it into CONS and PROS.


The CONS:

An Absolute Lack of Extra Features: As with this release of “He Walked by Night”, also from MGM, “Red River” does not even include a TRAILER, much less the extras a film like this deserves! Even Warner Archives springs for a TRAILER! This is a MAJOR CON, and this film deserves better! It might as well have been an old VHS tape, for all it offers!

Consider ALL the things that COULD be discussed in commentaries and additional features. The uncharacteristic “hardness” and obsessions of John Wayne’s character, the screen debut of Montgomery Clift, and just about anything concerning producer / director Howard Hawks! Let alone the unusual journey of William Self from actor to executive. But, no... And, for a 2008 release, this is inexcusable!

Pacing: I don’t believe I’ve ever listed “Pacing” as a CON before, but Howard Hawks does something repeatedly in this film that I found less than satisfying.

Hawks uses the device of opening a BOOK, titled “Early Tales of Texas”, in which the handwritten account of the great Dunson Drive is chronicled. …BUT, the pages turn – or fade out – TOO FAST to read anything but the smallest of sentence fragments! This occurs throughout the film, and serves as “transitional captioning” to indicate the passage of time. If only “time” would hold long enough to READ the damned things!

I’m certain that WAS what Hawks was trying to accomplish – and far be it from me to criticize Howard Hawks – but, each and every time pages from the book would appear, I found myself hitting PAUSE in order to read what was on the screen before it vanished!

I can’t imagine how this must have gone over on the Big Screen, circa 1947 – but I know I would not have liked it!
 

Nope, Dunson!  I don't like it a BIT!  Not ONE BIT!  Nope!

The PROS:


The Film: A captivating western adventure of a determined man’s quest. Even with a length of 02:12:38, when less than two hours was still more the norm, the film never lags once!


The Cast:


• John Wayne as “Thomas Dunson”.

• Montgomery Clift as “Matthew Garth”.

• Walter Brennan as “Groot”.

• Joanne Dru as “Tess Millay”.

• John Ireland as “Cherry Valance”.

• Paul Fix as “Teeler Yacey”.

• Noah Berry as “Buster McGee”.

• Harry Carey, Sr. as “Mr. Melville”.

• Harry Carey, Jr. as “Dan Latimer”.

• William Self as “Wounded Survivor”.

Overall:

“Red River” is a riveting and unusual western vehicle for John Wayne, in that his character is (no other way to put it) such a bastard!

In many of his later films, he was unpleasant, crusty, and sometimes less than heroic – but beneath all that, he had a heart of gold and the soul of a western hero. See “True Grit”, “Big Jake”, and “The Shootist” for examples.

I may have been CRUSTY, but I was nicer!

But here, he is uncharacteristically obsessed and abusive – and even murders men in cold blood. Uncomfortable as it may be for Wayne fans, it makes for a fascinating story!

The lack of Extra Features for this set is, frankly, APPALING! Indeed, can it even BE called a “set”, if nothing is offered beyond the movie itself?

Shame on MGM for this one!

The “Book-You-Need-A-Speed-Reading-Course-To-Follow” is annoying, but the film as a whole more than makes up for that!

These flaws notwithstanding, “Red River” is recommended for fans of John Wayne, the productions of Howard Hawks, the western genre – particularly that of Golden Age Hollywood… and anyone who has ever had a “Boss from Hell”!

I don't hear no Five-O-Clock Whistle... Do YOU?

Amazing Product.

Here’s one for the STAR TREK DEEP SPACE NINE fans out there, apologies to the rest of you.

Taken in the context of DEEP SPACE NINE, this is ONE AMAZING PRODUCT!

I wonder how HE feels about it!

I’ll bet it’s a best seller among Ferengi!

"I'd like to BAN ODO, if I could!"

Another Pun for Our Times! (Early March, 2013)

Just one more... I promise! 

Once upon a time, there was a Private Sector Bird, and a Federally Funded Cat!

Now, only the BIRD remains!

What do you call this?  


"Tweety and Sequester"! 


...Okay, That's All  Folks! 
 

Sequester!

Today, our government entered the state of “Sequester”.

I can’t say I think much of it…

Didn’t much care for it, even back in the nineties.

Sorry, but I will always prefer The Original, and The Best…

 

...You never forget your first sub!