Description

Cassidy of Bar 20 - Hopalong and his sidekick Lucky find themselves facing trumped-up charges and wind up assigned to the ranch of chief malefactor Allison to work off the sentence. A hair-raising jailbreak and an exciting gun duel ensue during Hoppy's attempt to bring Allison to justice. "Partners of the Plains" - Jealousy rears its green head when ranch foreman Hoppy becomes the target of the boyfriend of the English girl who owns the property. In cahoots with one of Hoppy's old enemies, the English villain lures Hoppy to the path of a blown-up dam, followed by a raging prairie fire! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

"great for all ~ young and old ~ Hoppy you're our hero"
Paramount Pictures came up with a fine screenplay from Norman Houston based on a novel by Clarence E. Mulford "Me An' Shorty", released with a new title "Cassidy of Bar 20". This 1938 film is just as fresh today with action, rustling and Texas gunmen. Only one man can tame this small army of gunmen ~ our man from the Bar 20...Cassidy. Director Lesley Selander takes full advantage with his cast of players William Boyd (Hopalong Cassidy), Russell Hayden (Lucky Jenkins), Frank Darien (Pappy), Nora Lane (Nora Blake), Robert Fiske (Clay Allison), Margaret Marquis (Mary Dillon), John Elliott (Tom Dillon) and Edward Cassidy (Sheriff Hawley). Hoppy stands up to Clay Allison putting an end to the marauders.

With the "Partners of the Plains" another Paramount release in 1938, screenplay by Harrison Jacobs based on "The Man From Bar-20" (Clarence E. Mulford) with the guiding hand of director Lesley Selander and the watchful eyes of Harry Sherman give our fine cast of William Boyd (Hopalong Cassidy), Russell Hayden (Lucky Jenkins), Harvey Clark (Baldy Morton), Gwen Gaze (Lorna Drake), Hilda Plowright (Aunt Martha) and Al Hill (Doc Galer). Revenge is the main theme, mixed with get even with the man who sent him to the penitentiary ~ who happens to be our hero Hoppy. A familiar pattern of action and adventure takes the audience into raging fires, but Hoppy takes matters into his own hands ~ with the help of the wranglers from the Bar 20.

William Boyd was my hero, this collection of two films are perfect, clear and give me hope for the future. Our youth should have such a hero to look up to today. Must mention the fact that I still miss one of my all-time-favorite sidekicks though, George "Gabby" Hayes, you're durn tootin'! ... Read more

Reviews (8)

1940's Red Ryder and Little Beaver Volume 1, come to DVD!
Many now only relate to "Red Ryder's Genuine Carbine Action Two-Hundred Shot Lightning Loader Range Model Air Rifle" made famous in the 1983 Christmas movie, "A Christmas Story". This story was about a 10 year old boys obsession with getting Red Ryder's air rifle for Christmas.

Well now, we can all see this famous no-nonsense cowboy and his little sidekick Indian boy, Little Beaver in action. This was a perfect pair & their complete honorable taming of the west.

Red Ryder & Little Beaver adventures dominated the comic strips in the 1930's - 1950's. Late in the 30's REd Ryder came to the screen in a 12 action packed episode serial. Pretty good stuff and a sample coming attraction of this early Red Ryder serial is included on this double feature DVD.

The 1940's Red Ryder introduced the most popular Red Ryder with Wild Bill Elliot and Robert Blake an Little Beaver. This duo went on to make over a dozen Red Ryder movies in the 40's.
This Double Feature remastered DVD Full Screen Black/White includes 2 of thier movies.

An Antonio Kid (1944 / 52 minutes) - greedy outlaws pursuit of the coveted "Black Gold" by terrorizing ranchers.

Cheyenne Wildcat (1947 / 50 minutes) - Red becomes the object of desire of 2 ladies while he & Lil' Beaver pursue outlaws.

This is wholesome fun family entertainment. Red & Lil' Beaver compliment each other and there is genuine onscreen friendship chemistry between them. This is fun stuff. Nice addition to the old western DVD library. Also included is a movie billboard & comic strip montage extra.

Also, now we see why Ralphie Parker from "A Christmas Story" obsessed over Red Ryder!!! Enjoy.

Red Ryder-Memories
These two western "B" movies from the 40's are typical of the westerns of the war years. The second movie, "Cheyene Wildcat" is the best of the Elliott "Ryder" movies. A big plus is Robert Blake (Baretta) playing Little Beaver! Another big plus, is Roy Barcroft as the mean villian. As with all the old movies coming out in DVD, the quality is very good.
If you are over 60 you'll enjoy the memory-if you are under 60 you get to see a time when good triumphed over evil!

ADVENTURES OF RED RYDER
I don`t believe this one ever got to the U.K. when i was riding the range at Saturday cinema. One word. Wonderful. My memories of serials in the early 50`s here in U.K. were Blackhawk. Possibly the best ever. Jungle Girl, Captain Video,SirLancelot,Superman,and White Eagle. Now at almost 60 years old to be able to relive those happy years once again with a serial like Red Ryder plus a TV episode with one of my favorite cowboys Rocky Lane is beyond words.The D V D transfer is very good its a treat to be able to see a good quality picture at last. I`ve had enough of poor quality slow speed video copy`s and as for some of the material some people get away with on the net. I urge you forget the rubbish and go for D V D and make Red Ryder your first choice. Come on company`s lets have some more...

THE ADVENTURES OF RED RYDER!
DON BARRY is the cowboy hero RED RYDER in this 12-PART SERIAL from Republic Pictures, circa 1940. It seems there is a CROOKED BANKER who is trying to steal land from good, honest, hard-working LANDOWNERS! So it is up to RED RYDER to save the day! NOAH BEERY plays Ace Hanlon while TOMMY COOK plays Little Beaver! You will THRILL to the CLIFFHANGERS in this serial, which is definitely an above-average example of the long forgotten art form! The EXTRAS are pretty sweet this time around too, partner! There is the PILOT for the RED RYDER TELEVISION SERIES, an interview with Don Barry himself and reproductions of LOBBY CARDS and POSTERS! If you were not a fan way back when, you sure shooting can become one now!

Sets a standard
If you love this stuff -- as I do -- you'll love this DVD. The transfer is excellent for a 60-year-old serial, and the extras are special: an interview with the late star, Don Barry, and even the full-length pilot of a Red Ryder TV show starring Rocky Lane (the latter isn't even mentioned on the package). And the full chapter endings are here, not clipped off as on some misguided serial transfers.

"Adventures of Red Ryder" isn't the best serial ever made ("Blackhawk" is my pick for that honor). But this release sets a standard for how other serials should be spiffed up and made available on DVD. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

1940's Red Ryder and Little Beaver Volume 1, come to DVD!
Many now only relate to "Red Ryder's Genuine Carbine Action Two-Hundred Shot Lightning Loader Range Model Air Rifle" made famous in the 1983 Christmas movie, "A Christmas Story". This story was about a 10 year old boys obsession with getting Red Ryder's air rifle for Christmas.

Well now, we can all see this famous no-nonsense cowboy and his little sidekick Indian boy, Little Beaver in action. This was a perfect pair & their complete honorable taming of the west.

Red Ryder & Little Beaver adventures dominated the comic strips in the 1930's - 1950's. Late in the 30's REd Ryder came to the screen in a 12 action packed episode serial. Pretty good stuff and a sample coming attraction of this early Red Ryder serial is included on this double feature DVD.

The 1940's Red Ryder introduced the most popular Red Ryder with Wild Bill Elliot and Robert Blake an Little Beaver. This duo went on to make over a dozen Red Ryder movies in the 40's.
This Double Feature remastered DVD Full Screen Black/White includes 2 of thier movies.

An Antonio Kid (1944 / 52 minutes) - greedy outlaws pursuit of the coveted "Black Gold" by terrorizing ranchers.

Cheyenne Wildcat (1947 / 50 minutes) - Red becomes the object of desire of 2 ladies while he & Lil' Beaver pursue outlaws.

This is wholesome fun family entertainment. Red & Lil' Beaver compliment each other and there is genuine onscreen friendship chemistry between them. This is fun stuff. Nice addition to the old western DVD library. Also included is a movie billboard & comic strip montage extra.

Also, now we see why Ralphie Parker from "A Christmas Story" obsessed over Red Ryder!!! Enjoy.

Red Ryder-Memories
These two western "B" movies from the 40's are typical of the westerns of the war years. The second movie, "Cheyene Wildcat" is the best of the Elliott "Ryder" movies. A big plus is Robert Blake (Baretta) playing Little Beaver! Another big plus, is Roy Barcroft as the mean villian. As with all the old movies coming out in DVD, the quality is very good.
If you are over 60 you'll enjoy the memory-if you are under 60 you get to see a time when good triumphed over evil!

ADVENTURES OF RED RYDER
I don`t believe this one ever got to the U.K. when i was riding the range at Saturday cinema. One word. Wonderful. My memories of serials in the early 50`s here in U.K. were Blackhawk. Possibly the best ever. Jungle Girl, Captain Video,SirLancelot,Superman,and White Eagle. Now at almost 60 years old to be able to relive those happy years once again with a serial like Red Ryder plus a TV episode with one of my favorite cowboys Rocky Lane is beyond words.The D V D transfer is very good its a treat to be able to see a good quality picture at last. I`ve had enough of poor quality slow speed video copy`s and as for some of the material some people get away with on the net. I urge you forget the rubbish and go for D V D and make Red Ryder your first choice. Come on company`s lets have some more...

THE ADVENTURES OF RED RYDER!
DON BARRY is the cowboy hero RED RYDER in this 12-PART SERIAL from Republic Pictures, circa 1940. It seems there is a CROOKED BANKER who is trying to steal land from good, honest, hard-working LANDOWNERS! So it is up to RED RYDER to save the day! NOAH BEERY plays Ace Hanlon while TOMMY COOK plays Little Beaver! You will THRILL to the CLIFFHANGERS in this serial, which is definitely an above-average example of the long forgotten art form! The EXTRAS are pretty sweet this time around too, partner! There is the PILOT for the RED RYDER TELEVISION SERIES, an interview with Don Barry himself and reproductions of LOBBY CARDS and POSTERS! If you were not a fan way back when, you sure shooting can become one now!

Sets a standard
If you love this stuff -- as I do -- you'll love this DVD. The transfer is excellent for a 60-year-old serial, and the extras are special: an interview with the late star, Don Barry, and even the full-length pilot of a Red Ryder TV show starring Rocky Lane (the latter isn't even mentioned on the package). And the full chapter endings are here, not clipped off as on some misguided serial transfers.

"Adventures of Red Ryder" isn't the best serial ever made ("Blackhawk" is my pick for that honor). But this release sets a standard for how other serials should be spiffed up and made available on DVD. ... Read more

Description

An embittered ex-cop (Preston Foster) masterminds the perfect bank robbery; one in which none of the members of the masked gang ever see each other's faces. But the plan runs into serious trouble when the innocent man implicated in the heist (John Payne) turns out to be a tough-as-bullets WWII veteran who's already experienced the inside of a jail cell and is determined not to go back. Payne tracks down the gang, which includes hard-case legends Lee Van Cleef, Jack Elam, and Neville Brand, to extract his own harsh brand of justice. Along the way he finds romance, double-crosses, punches to the face, and bullets to the body in this explosive action-drama with a plot full of twists and turns. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Good one!
Excellent noir. The cinematography is classic noir, with assured useage of shadow and light, foreground and background and tight close-ups. The action is gritty and realistic, with the slapping around looking positively brutal and much more frightening than the current movie industry standard of blood splattered gore fests. Mr Elam, in fact, was probably cast because of how pathetic he looked being beaten up! The story revolves around two set-ups, one intended and one a secondary effect. "This is America?" my husband queried as our innocent hero is "worked over" in the Kansas City jailhouse. The action moves south to Mexico where our hero pursues the true criminals in order to clear his name. The extent of the crime and the reasons for it as well as the set up are all eventually revealed in the small Mexican fishing village that is too small to hold all these hot tempered men. The pace slows down noticeably in the village, the only major flaw in this otherwise crackerjack film noir which must have influenced every current young urban crime-film director. Highly recommended.

ALPHA/GOTHAM QUALITY?
No need to comment on the story, it is engrossing. For a Gotham/Alpha release the sound and image quality is good, suprisingly good. Don't misunderstand, there is no crispness here. It's probably worth the money to purchase the Image version if the quality is better. There are some extras on Image version and none on the Gotham/Alpha version.

Classic Noir...
A great, great noir film starring John Payne(HELL'S ISLAND, 99 RIVER STREET). But the cast doesn't stop there! It also stars Lee Van Cleef, Jack Elam and Neville Brand. This really is a gritty little crime caper flick. If you watch it, it will be difficult to ignore how the film might have influenced a guy like Quentin Tarantino in the conception of RESERVOIR DOGS. Great dvd!

Solid '50s noir
Director Phil Karlson (whose best-known work is probably the 1972 crime drama "Walking Tall")switched from being a decent director of routine films to one of the most innovative and influential crime film directors of them all with a remarkable series of tough,distinctive thrillers beginning with this one in 1952 and going on to include "99 River Street" in 1953, "The Phenix City Story" in 1955, and "The Brothers Rico" in 1957. "Kansas City Confidential" follows the pulling off of a well-planned and executed robbery that's been carefully thought out by an embittered ex-police officer. He plans it so that Joe Rolfe(played by John Payne) will be framed for the robbery. Rolfe is a WWII veteran who has some problems with the law in his past. After being grilled and ultimately (and grudgingly) released by the police,he pursues the thieves to Mexico,looking for revenge. Payne is fine in a sharp turnaround from the lightweight roles he usually played in the 1940s. Preston Foster is also good as the mastermind of the robbery, as is Coleen Gray as his daughter, a bright,decent young woman. The best performances however,are those given by three of the greatest heavies in movie history: Jack Elam,Neville Brand,and Lee Van Cleef,in the roles of the thieves who pull off the robbery. Elam,who is first seen sweating heavily and rifling through an overflowing ashtray in a dingy hotel room,looking for a cigarette butt with a few puffs left on it,is particularly good, but Brand and Van Cleef ooze menace and bad blood in just about every scene they're in. The film is filled with close-ups,tough,terse dialogue, and brutal (at least for its time) violence. The payoff of the film goes kind of soft, after what's come before, but this is still a first-rate example of cold,tough 1950s film noir,from a real master of the genre.

My first DVD!
After finally succumbing to the allure of a DVD player, I bought this film noir gem for a song. I had heard about it for years but
could never find it on VHS. A perfect bank robbery netting $1.2 million goes astray when framed patsy John Payne goes after the real criminals. He discovers that the crooks were masked from one another and only the mysterious "Mr. Big" knows who they are and where the money is. Can John Payne break up the perfect crime and end up with Colleen Gray?
(What do you think?) ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A Weak Entry In The Series
Pride Of The Bowery finds the Eastside Kids at a CCC camp with a bunch of other "kids".
Muggs (Leo Gorcey) can't seem to keep out of trouble in this film.
The plot is thin, the acting atrocious, the production values almost non-existant.
Best for fans of the Eastside Kids.

Too Bad!
I completely agree with the other reviewer's opinion this edition stinks! It's ashame the East Side Kids series doesn't get better treatment. I understand these films are pretty much considered bottom of the barrel poverty row entertainment whose appeal to modern day audiences is extremely limited at best, but c'mon if your gonna take the time to release the stuff at all at least make sure it's watchable. The antics of Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall and the boys have a certain charm that deserves to be remembered in a better form than this! If you've never checked out or even heard of the East Side Kids before do yourself a favor and look them up, trashy teen exploitation from a time long ago, corny yet hip (I guess for it's day?!), the 30's and 40's equivalent of today's Road trip and American Pie type teen flix (minus the sex of course!). Let's hope these pics get released in better form some day!

BEWARE of this Alpha Video DVD, it is BAD!
I can not tell you much about the movie, the Gotham Distributors/ Alpha Video DVD is so bad that I had to stop it 10 minutes in and force the store to accept the return of an open DVD.
The AUDIO is DISTORDED, making it very hard to understand Leo Gorcey's humorous banter.
The VIDEO is WASHED OUT so that you can not see their faces.
The film print they used was also splicy, but that would have been tolerable if you could see & hear the movie. Wait until someone like Platinum, Front Row, Brentwood, or Goodtimes releases this public domain title.

A joyless B movie
This undistinguished effort (which seems like a promotion for Franklin Roosevelt's CCC camps of that time) is very disliked by most of today's film historians and critics. Though not a total turkey, it's still very slow-paced and, like the majority of the Bowery Boys/East Side Kids films, is badly dated. If there is a message in this movie, it gets lost in uninspired, forced humor, uneven scripting, and generally unappealling performances. ... Read more

Description

Features Included
NO REGIONAL CODING
8 Chapter Stops
Motion Interactive Menus

1) Reefer Madness (Tell Your Children):

(c. 1938-USA). With DOROTHY SHORT, KENNETH CRAIG, LILIAN MILES, DAVE OBRIEN, CARLETON YOUNG. "The motion picture you are about to witness may startle you. It would not have been possible otherwise to sufficiently emphasize the frightful toll of the new drug menace which is destroying the Youth of America in alarmingly increasing numbers. Marihuana is that drug, a violent narcotic...an unspeakable scourge. THE REAL PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER ONE!" A fictionalized "true" story of the horrors of marihuana, hopelessly dated, very 1930s. "One moment of bliss. A lifetime of regret." 67 minutes. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Where are the last six chapters?
This is one of the first cliff hangers available on DVD, and (I truly hope), one of many future Republic Studios serials. It is quite good for the genre and evokes the pre-War atmosphere of America, as well as the old autos, fashions, argot and naive fears of things scientific in the late 1930's. However, try as I may, I cannot access the last six chapters. I have checked the case the DVD came in for another disk, tried the single disk on the other side, tried to scroll down after Chapter six on the single disk, but I cannot (or do not have)the last six chapters.

The VHS reviews do not mention any trouble with subsequent chapters. I cannot locate a website for Roan Group Archival Entertainment. Has Roan neglected to add the last chapters, or am I a dolt? Please send advice to me at jsmarr@javanet.com. Thanks, jsmarr

Non-stop action...really!
S.O.S. COAST GUARD is a flavorful 12-chapter serial featuring Ralph "Dick Tracy" Bird as eager Coast Guard Lieutenant Terry Kent and Bela Lugosi as his adversary Boroff. The nasty Boroff has invented a disintegration gas and is trying desperately to sell it to foreign powers. Boroff employs the services of Thorg (Richard Alexander), a burly henchman with a good talent for swimming. On Kent's side, ace reporter Jean Norman (Maxine Doyle in a spirited performance) and photographer Snapper McGee (Lee Ford providing comic relief) help move things along.

The plot may be simple, but it's perfect serial stuff. Boroff is a clever foe, but human (in other words, he's not "supervillain" material) and almost likeable. Kent is a live wire, like a butterfly he never settles in one place very long. Along the way we're treated to wall-to-wall action, and that's really no exaggeration. Boat crashes, car and motorcycle chases, underwater fights, gunboats firing, buildings disintegrating... it's all here, along with more male fistfights than FIGHT CLUB.

In comparison with FLASH GORDON, another serial with which I am very familiar, S.O.S. COAST GUARD's action and adventure is just as exciting, just far less sci-fi-fantastic thanks to its earthbound setting. Whereas a boy could only imagine himself to be on one of Ming's spaceships, he could actually find himself on a boat, dock or in the mountain valley in which once stood Lt. Kent fighting the evil Boroff. Nevertheless, there is a certain element of science fiction in Boroff's disintegrator gas and Lugosi himself fulfills this standard "evil scientist" role more than admirably. I very much enjoyed the special effects showing the gas doing its work - the scene with the mountains melting, for example, is quite simply but very effectively done.

The chapter lengths vary; Chapter One is about thirty minutes long while later chapters can be as short as fifteen minutes. The total running time is approximately 3 hours 40 minutes and each chapter is presented with full opening titles, recaps and end cards. Chapters are spread over both sides of the single-DVD release. Picture quality is good; not as sharp as the FLASH GORDON serials but clear and with good contrast. I did notice a bit of pixelation at times, but it certainly did not detract from my enjoyment. Chapter stops are a bit odd - they use multiple titles (for example, the serial's Chapter 3 might be coded as Title 2, Chapter 1) but you have the option of selecting any chapter individually or playing them all straight through.

S.O.S. COAST GUARD is one of the best examples of the world of movie serials, full of excitement and adventure. With this DVD and the excellent Image FLASH GORDON discs leading the way, I'm hoping we'll see many more of the classic chapterplay films released in the future.

Lugosi's Best Serial
"S.O.S. Coast Guard" is one of the finest Republic serials and a terrific showcase for Bela Lugosi. Most of Lugosi's serials were low-budget affairs -- except for this 1937 effort. In "S.O.S. Coast Guard," Lugosi plays the diabolical Boroff, who wants to control the world with his deadly disintegrating gas. He certainly gives the heroic Ralph Byrd a run for his money in 12 episodes of serial excitement. Lugosi is in his element as Boroff and the action scenes are first-rate. Bela never made a better chapterplay than this one. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Good one!
Excellent noir. The cinematography is classic noir, with assured useage of shadow and light, foreground and background and tight close-ups. The action is gritty and realistic, with the slapping around looking positively brutal and much more frightening than the current movie industry standard of blood splattered gore fests. Mr Elam, in fact, was probably cast because of how pathetic he looked being beaten up! The story revolves around two set-ups, one intended and one a secondary effect. "This is America?" my husband queried as our innocent hero is "worked over" in the Kansas City jailhouse. The action moves south to Mexico where our hero pursues the true criminals in order to clear his name. The extent of the crime and the reasons for it as well as the set up are all eventually revealed in the small Mexican fishing village that is too small to hold all these hot tempered men. The pace slows down noticeably in the village, the only major flaw in this otherwise crackerjack film noir which must have influenced every current young urban crime-film director. Highly recommended.

ALPHA/GOTHAM QUALITY?
No need to comment on the story, it is engrossing. For a Gotham/Alpha release the sound and image quality is good, suprisingly good. Don't misunderstand, there is no crispness here. It's probably worth the money to purchase the Image version if the quality is better. There are some extras on Image version and none on the Gotham/Alpha version.

Classic Noir...
A great, great noir film starring John Payne(HELL'S ISLAND, 99 RIVER STREET). But the cast doesn't stop there! It also stars Lee Van Cleef, Jack Elam and Neville Brand. This really is a gritty little crime caper flick. If you watch it, it will be difficult to ignore how the film might have influenced a guy like Quentin Tarantino in the conception of RESERVOIR DOGS. Great dvd!

Solid '50s noir
Director Phil Karlson (whose best-known work is probably the 1972 crime drama "Walking Tall")switched from being a decent director of routine films to one of the most innovative and influential crime film directors of them all with a remarkable series of tough,distinctive thrillers beginning with this one in 1952 and going on to include "99 River Street" in 1953, "The Phenix City Story" in 1955, and "The Brothers Rico" in 1957. "Kansas City Confidential" follows the pulling off of a well-planned and executed robbery that's been carefully thought out by an embittered ex-police officer. He plans it so that Joe Rolfe(played by John Payne) will be framed for the robbery. Rolfe is a WWII veteran who has some problems with the law in his past. After being grilled and ultimately (and grudgingly) released by the police,he pursues the thieves to Mexico,looking for revenge. Payne is fine in a sharp turnaround from the lightweight roles he usually played in the 1940s. Preston Foster is also good as the mastermind of the robbery, as is Coleen Gray as his daughter, a bright,decent young woman. The best performances however,are those given by three of the greatest heavies in movie history: Jack Elam,Neville Brand,and Lee Van Cleef,in the roles of the thieves who pull off the robbery. Elam,who is first seen sweating heavily and rifling through an overflowing ashtray in a dingy hotel room,looking for a cigarette butt with a few puffs left on it,is particularly good, but Brand and Van Cleef ooze menace and bad blood in just about every scene they're in. The film is filled with close-ups,tough,terse dialogue, and brutal (at least for its time) violence. The payoff of the film goes kind of soft, after what's come before, but this is still a first-rate example of cold,tough 1950s film noir,from a real master of the genre.

My first DVD!
After finally succumbing to the allure of a DVD player, I bought this film noir gem for a song. I had heard about it for years but
could never find it on VHS. A perfect bank robbery netting $1.2 million goes astray when framed patsy John Payne goes after the real criminals. He discovers that the crooks were masked from one another and only the mysterious "Mr. Big" knows who they are and where the money is. Can John Payne break up the perfect crime and end up with Colleen Gray?
(What do you think?) ... Read more

Reviews (47)

Restored edition, fantastic!!!!!!
The movie Reefer Madness seen by itself is really nothing to brag about, but this special addition for this best-selling cult classic is fantastic. It's a must buy, because for how cheap it is, you really get your money's worth. For the first time ever, I can say that the colorized version (complete with multicolor smoke and over saturated psychedelic color schemes) is better and looks better than the original black and white, and both versions are available to watch which is considerate of the DVD producers to give us both, and it looks as good as we can ever expect. Extra features are fantastic highlighted by a hysterical commentary by Mike Nelson, formerly of Mystery Science Theater 3000, which is the sole reason why I bought this edition. The commentary by the people who colorized the film is also worth a look. I highly recommend this new edition.

Reefer Madness IN COLOR for the First Time - Fire UP!
Reefer Madness is the quintessential cult classic. Originally made as a 1930's propaganda film, it was meant to scare America's youth away from drugs, showing them that one puff of the "demon weed" turns teens into raving reefer addicts. Now, years later, this ham-fisted effort to warn you off weed has become the height of camp entertainment. A 'must watch' film among students, Reefer Madness continues to entertain today's youth with the edgy exploits of their high school predecessors. This movie is so beautifully bad, it's great!

Finally someone has released Reefer Madness the way it should be: Beautifully restored, in color for the first time, and in 5.1 surround sound. Both the color and black-and-white versions are on the disk. Plus this DVD has loads of fantastic bonus material. Mike Nelson of Mystery Science Theater 3000 does a hilarious commentary track, cracking wise from start to finish. Grandpa's Marijuana Handbook, A short film by Grandpa Ganja himself, graces this edition and tells us everything we need to know about dope.

No question this is the "FEEL GOOD" DVD of the year!

TELL YOUR CHILDREN!!!
After hearing about this movie for years I finally picked it up, and its better than I ever expected. This one dude smokes a reefer and appears to drive around the block 2 times then hits this old man and then he drives away. oh, yeah, this other guy named Ralph really loves his reefers, he smokes a few hits, then laughs, then he falls in love with Mary, he tries to win her heart by ripping her clothes off and groping her. It doesnt really work out for Ralph, because his fanciful advances cause Mary to get capped, and then Jimmy gets blammed for it because he's a total dork. In the end everything works out, because this stupid girl spills the beans to judge turtlehead, and Jimmy gets aquitted then the stupid girl jumps out of the window. all in all I loved this movie, it really opened my eyes to the evils of the demon weed. thanks for saving me from a life of crime and dispair Reefer Madness!

Re Urban Legend
To address xerxes59's question about the urban legend:

I never heard any evidence about Dupont funding Reefer Madness, but they would have a motive.

Dupont was facing enormous loses because their inventions rayon and nylon could not compete with natural hemp (in quality, cost effectiveness, not to mention environmental friendliness). Andrew Mellon, US Treasury Secretary and chairman of Mellon Bank, one of the major financers of Dupont, did appoint Harry Angslinger (who was also married to his niece) as Commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. As seen in Ron Mann's documentary "Grass", Angslinger was an extremist zealot who managed to criminalize marijuana and create ridiculous sentences for smoking pot. One of Angslinger's methods was to demonize pot with completely false evidence throughout the various media (newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, whose financial interests in paper mills was also being hurt by hemp, was a great ally). Of course this is a tenuous connection between Dupont and Reefer Madness, but Dupont clearly had a direct financial interest in demonizing reefer, just like the movie attempts to do.

Pointless
You mean they used to think pot was bad!!! Wow! Actually I saw this film and it was boring. It wasn't suprising, it had no point. It probably wasnt even that great back in '38. This movie is for children who just learned how to roll one and now they want to be cool. This movie SUCKS!!! ... Read more

Reviews (8)

CALLING ALL CARS
IF YOU ARE A SERIAL FAN... THEN THIS IS A GREAT DVD FOR YOU. THERE ARE ENOUGH CLIFF-HANGERS TO SATISIFY ANY BUFF AND IT IS WONDERFUL TO SEE THESE OLD MOVIES MAKING A COMEBACK ON DVD. MARENGO FILMS HAS DONE A GREAT JOB OF RESTORING THIS OLD FILM THE VIDEO PORTION IS NEARLY PERFECT AND THE SOUND QUALITY IS EXCELLENT... I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE WHO LOVES SERIALS.

The Flying Wing Was Ahead Of Its Time
DICK TRACY was a serial produced by Republic only six years after the popular comic strip hero made his first appearance in the Chicago Tribune- New York News Syndicate Newspapers. Throughout fifteen chapters the detective dueled with the Spider Gang whose leader was known as the Lame One. DICK TRACY was one of the better serials made during the 1930's.

Ralph Byrd had the role of Dick Tracy and the supporting cast included Kay Hughes, Smiley Burnette, Lee Van Atta and Francis X. Bushman. My favorite movie prop in this serial had to be the Flying Wing.

Chester Gould's 1937 "Dick Tracy serial" comes to DVD!!
This is a great treat for Dick Tracy fans. Before television we had to go to the Saturday morning movie matinees to see our action heros.

Cartoonist Chester Gould created this action hero in the early 1930's and by the middle 30's the FBI and gangsters were in all the newspaper & radio headlines. So Gould countered with Dick Tracy G-man (in the movie serials) & Dick Tracy cop hero in the comic strip.

The "Dick Tracy" (1937) Republic Pictures 15 episode action serial launched Ralph Byrds career as the super crime solving G-man/Sherlock Holmes sleuth. The movie version was always the international view while the comic strip was the local city crime storyline.

Thanks to VCI Entertainment for a great restoration job & super loaded 2 DVD package.

This 15 episode action packed serial is over 290 mins long and is presented with great picture & sound.

Extra features include: a background Commentary by famous Dick Tracy writer Max Allan Collins who penned the comic strip for 15 years after Goulds retirement. Special photo montage & Photo Gallery. Bonus 1945 Radio Show: Dick Tracy in B-Flat - a musical rendition of Dick Tracy with the voice of Bing Crosby as Tracy, Dinah Shore as Tesh Trueheart, Bob Hope as Flathead and many more big radio stars of the 40's. This is fun stuff.

Summary: Action serials are always more about the action packed journey & how our hero escapes the bad guys at the cliff hanging ending chapters than the actual story. We need to have a thrill filled 20 minutes each week and then painfully wait until next week for the continuing saga to take us to more excitement until the finale on chapter/week 15.

Dick Tracy delivers all we expect in an action hero and this being one of the first serials gives us a taste of the world of 1937. Enjoy.

Great adaptation of the comic strip
There are lots of familiar faces in this one, such as Smiley Brunette, Lee Van Atta, Carleton Young (who was Ellery Queen on radio), Francis X. Bushman. But part of the charm of this serial comes from the sprinkling of rather bizarre characters such as the clown, the demented scientist, the miner, and of course the principal bad guy, the Lame One.

Anyone who has seen FIGHTING DEVIL DOGS will notice lots of similarities and for this reason, I suggest getting DICK TRACY first. The other serial used a lot of footage from this one. The flying wing, the hunchback scientist, Carleton Young, the crushing ship chapter ending are all in the later serial.

Ralph Byrd is the definitive Dick Tracy. I didn't remember his being a G man, but the serial does predate my acquaintance with the comic strip.

All in all, this is definitely one of the better serials. As an earlier Republic serial, you won't see as much stunt action, choreographed fights and telegraphed chapter endings as in the later ones, but the elements are still there. This is one of the times I wish there was a 4 and a half star designation.

Byrd a believable Tracy
Ralph Byrd and the supporting cast do a fine job of bringing Dick Tracy to the screen. There's plenty of action, of course, and the well-known "stealth bomber" plane that is indeed worth seeing. Lee van Atta does a fine job as the kid (equally good in Crash Corrigan's Undersea Kingdom serial too) helping Tracy, while the villains are smart and sinister. John Piccori, as a mad scientist assisting the ringleader hams it up splendidly, and Carleton Young, as Tracy's brother who is turned into a villain by the mad doctor, is wonderfully cold and unscrupulous. Personally, I like the Dick Tracy vs Crime, Inc. serial that came a little later better. It has a more intimate story with a more convoluted mystery as the suspects are eliminated one by one by the real killer. That is the only reason I rate this a 4 instead of a 5. I hope the other Tracy serials turn up on DVD soon. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Good one!
Excellent noir. The cinematography is classic noir, with assured useage of shadow and light, foreground and background and tight close-ups. The action is gritty and realistic, with the slapping around looking positively brutal and much more frightening than the current movie industry standard of blood splattered gore fests. Mr Elam, in fact, was probably cast because of how pathetic he looked being beaten up! The story revolves around two set-ups, one intended and one a secondary effect. "This is America?" my husband queried as our innocent hero is "worked over" in the Kansas City jailhouse. The action moves south to Mexico where our hero pursues the true criminals in order to clear his name. The extent of the crime and the reasons for it as well as the set up are all eventually revealed in the small Mexican fishing village that is too small to hold all these hot tempered men. The pace slows down noticeably in the village, the only major flaw in this otherwise crackerjack film noir which must have influenced every current young urban crime-film director. Highly recommended.

ALPHA/GOTHAM QUALITY?
No need to comment on the story, it is engrossing. For a Gotham/Alpha release the sound and image quality is good, suprisingly good. Don't misunderstand, there is no crispness here. It's probably worth the money to purchase the Image version if the quality is better. There are some extras on Image version and none on the Gotham/Alpha version.

Classic Noir...
A great, great noir film starring John Payne(HELL'S ISLAND, 99 RIVER STREET). But the cast doesn't stop there! It also stars Lee Van Cleef, Jack Elam and Neville Brand. This really is a gritty little crime caper flick. If you watch it, it will be difficult to ignore how the film might have influenced a guy like Quentin Tarantino in the conception of RESERVOIR DOGS. Great dvd!

Solid '50s noir
Director Phil Karlson (whose best-known work is probably the 1972 crime drama "Walking Tall")switched from being a decent director of routine films to one of the most innovative and influential crime film directors of them all with a remarkable series of tough,distinctive thrillers beginning with this one in 1952 and going on to include "99 River Street" in 1953, "The Phenix City Story" in 1955, and "The Brothers Rico" in 1957. "Kansas City Confidential" follows the pulling off of a well-planned and executed robbery that's been carefully thought out by an embittered ex-police officer. He plans it so that Joe Rolfe(played by John Payne) will be framed for the robbery. Rolfe is a WWII veteran who has some problems with the law in his past. After being grilled and ultimately (and grudgingly) released by the police,he pursues the thieves to Mexico,looking for revenge. Payne is fine in a sharp turnaround from the lightweight roles he usually played in the 1940s. Preston Foster is also good as the mastermind of the robbery, as is Coleen Gray as his daughter, a bright,decent young woman. The best performances however,are those given by three of the greatest heavies in movie history: Jack Elam,Neville Brand,and Lee Van Cleef,in the roles of the thieves who pull off the robbery. Elam,who is first seen sweating heavily and rifling through an overflowing ashtray in a dingy hotel room,looking for a cigarette butt with a few puffs left on it,is particularly good, but Brand and Van Cleef ooze menace and bad blood in just about every scene they're in. The film is filled with close-ups,tough,terse dialogue, and brutal (at least for its time) violence. The payoff of the film goes kind of soft, after what's come before, but this is still a first-rate example of cold,tough 1950s film noir,from a real master of the genre.

My first DVD!
After finally succumbing to the allure of a DVD player, I bought this film noir gem for a song. I had heard about it for years but
could never find it on VHS. A perfect bank robbery netting $1.2 million goes astray when framed patsy John Payne goes after the real criminals. He discovers that the crooks were masked from one another and only the mysterious "Mr. Big" knows who they are and where the money is. Can John Payne break up the perfect crime and end up with Colleen Gray?
(What do you think?) ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Buffalo Soldiers
Too many Americans are still ignoirant about the role of the Black "Buffalo Soldiers" that did a great deal to tame and build the West. This is a very good movie with stout portrayal of the position the black soldiers were in, fighting the Indians on the plains and their own fellow soldiers and the prejudicial system of the day.

As a white American and combat vetran who fought beside black Marines, I am not only proud of the history these black Americans wrote, but of the way they wrote it.

See the movie. It's well done and is definately worth the effort.

A great choice for DVD
This is surely a great title for a DVD release. It's no doubt one the best films by Mr. John Ford. The story is thrilling and remains undated. The battle scenes are great fun. It comes after "The Seachers", in importance, among other great Ford's films. Finally, if that's not enough, just the sight of Jeffrey Hunter in uniform and his fantastic set of blue eyes in Widescreen, would be worth buying two copies. Can't wait! Bring it right now!

A courageous film
What stands out for me about this film is not simply that it deals with racial prejudice at a time when blacks were still struggling for their basic civil rights (there were at the time other films that already dealt with this racism), but rather that it unflinchingly confronted perhaps its most sensitive and poisonous manifestation, namely the fear of whites, especially white males, of the black man ravishing the white woman. In this film, we are set up with the classic stereotype of such fantasies, young, blonde and virginal, and then confronted with the fear and hatred that the accusation against the benighted Sergeant Rutledge of having committed a brutal rape and murder against such a victim evokes in all of its raw ugliness. Moreover, I think that the film is still relevant in this regard in that it suggests that we should ask ourselves how much of a role this fantasy continues to play in the racism against the black male that remains today.
Although I do not consider this to be one of Ford's greatest films, it was, especially for a major and established film director like Ford, a profoundly courageous undertaking.

A cavalry film with a twist...
Director John Ford's strident civil rights drama, set among a troop of African-American "Buffalo Soldiers" in the post-Civil War frontier, is more than a little heavy-handed, but has its heart in the right place. Woody Strode plays a veteran cavalryman falsely accused of molesting a white woman, and facing a legal lynching at the hands of a kangaroo court presumably typical of the times. The script is relentessly one-sided, but is aided by an innovative narrative structure, with "Ran"-like flashbacks that lead backwards to the whole big picture that absolves Rutledge (yet still may not be enough to save his life). Strode, typically stolid and reserved, coolly unfolds his character's emotions, coming to a rousing crescendo at the film's end. Interesting Hollywood "issue" film made as the Civil Rights Movement was still doing a slow simmer in the American South.

A Vastly Underrated Classic
I have seen this film called a "minor Ford work" many times. That may be; however, it rises above much else that is available. The story of Braxton Rutledge,former slave and U.S. cavalry sergeant is captivating and Ford was ahead of his time in making such a story. The film was released in 1960 and the climate of those years was not as it is today. As a result, the film had a rather limited release.

Woody Strode was wonderful in the title role (note though in the credits he receives minor billing); bringing a quiet strength and dignity to the accused man. The scene in which he responds to the battering of a race-baiting attorney is powerful and makes one think that Strode could have been put to better use during his long career.

Sergeant Rutledge deserves reevaluation. ... Read more