Teddington Studio Box Set

[ChristineCB]

Turner Movies is releasing the following DVDs "before Christmas" but I'm not familiar with any of these. These are part of their "Teddington Studios Exposé" series this month, so we'll be able to watch before buying. Any opinions or tales of these films?



Something Always Happens (1934, d-Michael Powell)



Crown vs. Stevens (1936, d-Michael Powell; Googie Winters)



Peterville Diamond (1942, Anne Crawford, d-Walter Forde)



Crime Unlimited (1935, Lilli Palmer, Cecil Parker)



Man Of The Moment (1935, Douglas Fairbanks Jr)



The Dark Tower (1943, Anne Crawford)



Flying Fortress (1942, Richard Greene, d-Walter Forde)

[Steve Crook]

name='ChristineCB']Turner Movies is releasing the following DVDs "before Christmas" but I'm not familiar with any of these. These are part of their "Teddington Studios Exposé" series this month, so we'll be able to watch before buying. Any opinions or tales of these films?



Something Always Happens (1934, d-Michael Powell)



Crown vs. Stevens (1936, d-Michael Powell; Googie Winters)



Peterville Diamond (1942, Anne Crawford, d-Walter Forde)



Crime Unlimited (1935, Lilli Palmer, Cecil Parker)



Man Of The Moment (1935, Douglas Fairbanks Jr)



The Dark Tower (1943, Anne Crawford)



Flying Fortress (1942, Richard Greene, d-Walter Forde)

The ones I have screening dates for (& am most interest in) are:

17 Sep 20:00 Something Always Happens (1934) Dir: Michael Powell

17 Sep 21:15 Crown vs. Stevens (1936) Dir: Michael Powell

18 Sep 00:00 Something Always Happens (1934) Dir: Michael Powell

18 Sep 01:15 Crown vs. Stevens (1936) Dir: Michael Powell

18 Sep 08:15 Sons of the Sea (1941) [aka Atlantic Ferry] Scr: Emeric Pressburger



Something Always Happens is a clever "caper" movie. Peter (Ian Hunter) is down on his luck but is a good entrepeneur (or a bit of a con man). He meets up with orphan street urchin Billy (John Singer) and they set about making their fortune. Peter meets up with Cynthia (Nancy O'Neil) and it's only after they start dating that he discovers that her father runs a chain of garages and filling stations. Peter goes to him with an idea about how he can expand the business - but is rejected so he decides to go it alone.





Crown vs. Stevens is a crime thriller. Dancer Doris marries a man for his money - but then finds out he's a real skinflint and won't spend any of it. She goes to a loan shark to borrow some. In the meantime, Chris (Patric Knowles) also needs to go to the money lender. But when he gets there he finds a dead body on he floor, and Doris behind the curtain with a gun.

Googie has a small, but significant, role as the more successful friend of Doris. In other words, she was a dancer who also married for money. But her husband doesn't mind spending it on her.





They were both some of the "quota quickies" that Powell directed at the beginning of his directorial career. He's actually been doing it for 2 or 3 years, making 4 or 5 films a year so he was quite experienced by the time he did these. They ain't no major masterpieces but they're good films, well made, even though made quickly and on a low budget.



There are clips of these two on the TCM site

Something Always Happens and Crown vs. Stevens

Click on "Watch a movie clip" and they'll offer a few clips

The first real clips (after the clip of the titles) shows how good an actor young John Singer was. And they have the clip of Ian Hunter baffling the waiter which must be seen.





Atlantic Ferry is a dramatised bio-pic and is the story of the MacIver brothers who set up the Cunard shipping line. It shows their reasons for being interested in ferrying passengers across the Atlantic and their early problems as well as their eventual success.

With Michael Redgrave and Valerie Hobson



Steve

[John Hodson]

Christine; where did you get the information that these will be released on DVD?

[Davoo]

Hi - which TCM channel are they on??, none of these appear in the UK TCM channel listings??



David

[orpheum]

They are all on the US station.Unfortunately TCM in the UK is far inferior in its selection of films iThe answer is to find yourself a friend in the US who will regularly record for you.

[Joe Fraguela]

I think you'll find there on the TCM America. It's ridiculous that TCM USA are showing these rare early UK films and TCM UK are not. They show the same recycled MGM films every time. I bet most of these films haven't had a UK screening in years. Since the demise of Bravo, the old TNT network and carlton cinema, no one is catering or showing rarely seen UK films. I will admit that Odeon Entertainment have released quite a few rare british films that haven't been seen in years i.e Breakaway (1955), Hell is Sold Out (1951) Dilemma (1962) etc. Judging by the amount of people who frequently post messages on this site seeking rare UK film titles from years gone by, there is a huge demand. We are being fobbed off time and time again by films channels on Sky and BBC, ITV, C4 who show the same old films time after time.

[Steve Crook]

name='Joe Fraguela']I think you'll find there on the TCM America. It's ridiculous that TCM USA are showing these rare early UK films and TCM UK are not. They show the same recycled MGM films every time. I bet most of these films haven't had a UK screening in years. Since the demise of Bravo, the old TNT network and carlton cinema, no one is catering or showing rarely seen UK films. I will admit that Odeon Entertainment have released quite a few rare british films that haven't been seen in years i.e Breakaway (1955), Hell is Sold Out (1951) Dilemma (1962) etc. Judging by the amount of people who frequently post messages on this site seeking rare UK film titles from years gone by, there is a huge demand. We are being fobbed off time and time again by films channels on Sky and BBC, ITV, C4 who show the same old films time after time.

Email TCM (UK) and ask them to show some decent old films as well. Mention the ones that TCM (US) are showing



Steve

[orpheum]

You are flogging a dead horse.All you can expect is Meet Me in St Louis for the 100th time!

[ChristineCB]

The TCM advertisement for the "Two Nights of Teddington Studios" talks about them being "recently restored and ready for viewing with a pre-Christmas DVD release".



Last month, TCM released six DVDs of 12 seldom-seen film-noir types, and the restoration was SO wonderful, and each film included a small 4-7 minute featurette with one of the surviving stars and several hisorians talking about the filmmakers, their goals and how the films survived.



Not one of those would be classified as a great film or a masterpiece, but the DVD product is top-notch - as good as I've ever seen. For such "nothing films" to receive incredibly good DVD treatments, it begs the question, "Why not more?"



When someone claims, "Well, the profits have to be massive", these above examples fly in the face of that argument. TCM can't possibly believe any of these DVDs will make millions, but to the collectors, they are gems most of us had never seen.



They're selling now, but only because they were put out there - not because some set-in-concrete demand was assured. Risk. Reward. Not the other way around.

[ChristineCB]

I should check the TCM-UK and -FRANCE sites more often. This is only station our TV sits on for any length of time, and this year, like our local theatres, we've had weeks of Brit classics piled one on top of another.



Of course, when someone talks about WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION being a made-in-America film, it opens up the can of worms again - "Uh, what's a British film?"



We all see the formulas. The better question may be, "What good does nationalizing a film's claims of origin do?"



Does anyone feel that WITNESS FOR THE P doesn't hold itself up as a British film? Even with the Token American and Token German, eh, Ducky? I know Elsa and Laughton had a Hollywood mansion, and I'd have a hard time believing they'd leave it sitting empty for years at a time. (They could have invited me over to housesit... alas... I was born too late.)

[orpheum]

Christine i can assure you that TCM UK is a lost cause.There are very few British films on it.Mainly films produced by MGM at Borehamwood in the 50s and 60s.

[ChristineCB]

name='Joe Fraguela']It's ridiculous that TCM USA are showing these rare early UK films and TCM UK are not.

It's like another drop in ocean of complaints, I fear. I can't believe HARD DAYS NIGHT Anniversary wasn't celebrated with massive UK showings either. I really wonder whose in charge of TCM-UK - some anti-Anglophile? Good grief, if that station can't get an audience for old Brit classics, how can the American station do it?



The answer may be simple: they've built an audience for Brit classics and now "Brit Classic" is all the logo they need to display and audience support is assured. First it was a trickle of Peter Sellers and Alec Guinness films, then Margaret's MURDER films, and throw in a lesser-known but even better film like COLONEL BLIMP or IKWIG. Then all hell breaks loose and TCM-USA believes they can show any ol' Brit film.



Ridiculous!!



And if TCM-UK isn't that popular, it's because they run MEET ME showings into the ground, boring their audience instead of exciting them.



I really need to become Empress of the Universe pretty quick, I think. I'll solve all these problems! I just need to get the wand away from that hubby of mine, and make him take off those curly-toed shoes, too. Those bells drive me crazy!

[John Hodson]

name='ChristineCB']Last month, TCM released six DVDs of 12 seldom-seen film-noir types, and the restoration was SO wonderful, and each film included a small 4-7 minute featurette with one of the surviving stars and several hisorians talking about the filmmakers, their goals and how the films survived.

Blimey Christine, which titles are these?

[ChristineCB]

The Big Steal/Illegal,

Act Of Violence/Mystery Street,

Crime Wave/Decoy,

They Live By Night/Side Street,

Where Danger Lives/Tension

Fourteen Hours/House On Telegraph Hill



Not a bad film among them. Robert Mitchum in two of them. Edward G. Robinson. That evil Robert Ryan was luring poor ol' Richard Baseheart astray here and there, or else it was Van Heflin. Shame on Robert! Those were such nice men otherwise... well, except for being serial killers. Poor chaps. At least Baseheart was pardoned so he could join the Navy or merchant fleet later on... not that Gregory Peck really did him any favors either. Poor Richard.

[John Hodson]

Ah, the 'Warners Film Noir Collection Vol. 4' and the two Fox noirs from last year. Mystery solved.

[ChristineCB]

Ah yes, those last two are the Fox DVDs.



Of the first 10, I was only familiar with THE BIG STEAL, and while that's still a good one in comparison, I don't know that I'd tell anyone to pass up the other 9. None of these, however, are big-time films with much possibility of big video sales. Yet all receive top-notch restoration efforts and solid featurettes.



My complaints about the featurettes is that, on 3 of the films, they get one of the principal cast members to talk about the film - for one line, two lines, sometimes 3 lines.



HUH?!! Who cares what the Talking Heads have to say compared to one of the film's actresses or supporting actors? I'd spend all the time chatting them up, and to heck with the value of the film in Hollywood History!



But the other featurettes have more discussion with the participant actors and, when they don't, I suppose there were no survivors available.



It still begs the question, "Why can't this be the norm for DVD production?" TCM, Warners, MGM all get together on these - they have a lot of resources, and I know I'll be looking for more from their buried treasure vaults.

[howard 65]

name='Steve Crook']Email TCM (UK) and ask them to show some decent old films as well. Mention the ones that TCM (US) are showing



Steve

Steve, I've tried that and haven't even had an acknowledgement.





So it's hello again to Casanlanca and Meet Me in St.Louis,

great films though the both are.



How does TCM UK make any money?



It's shameful that rare British films are easier to see in US than here.

[Steve Crook]

name='howard 65']Steve, I've tried that and haven't even had an acknowledgement.





So it's hello again to Casanlanca and Meet Me in St.Louis,

great films though the both are.



How does TCM UK make any money?



It's shameful that rare British films are easier to see in US than here.

I look at things with a more optimistic slant. I think it's great that some rare British films are available anywhere. And that they're also being released on DVD is more than I could have hoped for



Steve

[Joe Fraguela]

name='Steve Crook']Email TCM (UK) and ask them to show some decent old films as well. Mention the ones that TCM (US) are showing



Steve

I've been onto the TCM UK website, not even a contact us page or feedback page. I'd have plenty to say!. Anyway, I've got their address, you never know I might get the courtesy of a reply!. If it's anything like the reply I got from Sky some years ago, I won't hold my breath.

[orpheum]

I have an idea why dont we on an agreed date send TCM UK a letter protesting at their schedule.Lets pick a date say October 1st and then next day hopefully,they will suddenly get 5000 letters in their postbag.Now surely that would give them pause for thought.So any takers for this?I am not going to do this on my own.