The Extras - Warner Archive October Blu-ray Reviews: Dance, Fools, Dance (1931), Double Trouble (1967), Mad City (1997)

Episode Date: November 16, 2023

George Feltenstein of the Warner Archive joins the podcast for a fun and informative review of three October Blu-ray releases.   We review each film, provide background on the restoration and all of the extras on each release, and share our insights into why these films are worth adding to your Blu-ray collection.  Purchase on Amazon:DANCE, FOOLS, DANCE (1931) Blu-rayDOUBLE TROUBLE (1967) Blu-rayMAD CITY (1997) MovieZyng Affiliate The BEST place to buy all of your Warner Archive and Boutique DVDs and Blu-raysDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.The Extras Facebook pageThe Extras Twitter Warner Archive & Warner Bros Catalog GroupOtaku Media produces podcasts, behind-the-scenes extras, and media that connect creatives with their fans and businesses with their consumers. Contact us today to see how we can work together to achieve your goals. www.otakumedia.tv

Hi, I'm film historian and author John Fricke. I've written books about Judy Garland and the Wizard of Oz movie, and you're listening to The Extras. Hello and welcome to The Extras, where we take you behind the scenes of your favorite TV shows, movies, and animation, and they're released on digital, DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K, or your favorite streaming site. I'm Tim Allard, your host, and joining me today is George Feltenstein to review some of the October Blu-ray releases from the Warner Archive.

Hi, George. Hey, Tim. How are you today? Doing well. Surviving this little rain shower that we have here. Yes. Late this week. It actually feels like fall, which we don't always get for the lead-up to Thanksgiving, so it's kind of nice to have a little weather here. week. It actually feels like fall, which we don't always get for the lead up to Thanksgiving. So it's kind of nice to have a little weather here. But I watched these three movies we're going to talk about today and I really enjoyed all three of them. And they were released, I think, actually

on Halloween, right? They're right near the end of October. So this is a good time to kind of go over them with you and review them with you. But I thought they were all really good in their own way. You know, again, it's been great how you've had maybe like one older classic and then a newer one and then one kind of in the middle, which is what we're going to be going through today. So we're trying to please as broad a group of consumers as possible, and there are different tastes out there. And I hope we're hitting the mark. It'll be fun to talk about these titles today because they are very diverse. They really are.

And this year you've released, it feels like this year you've released a lot of Joan Crawford and a lot of early Joan Crawford as well. And so we're going to start with the 1931 pre-code film, Dance Fools Dance. I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It has a fun plot. The acting's terrific. And it looks amazing. Again, over 90 years old, it looks fantastic. Well, this is an example of what happens when you have an original nitrate negative that survives, which is exceptionally rare on our MGM titles because of the Eastman House fire and various other situations. So the original negative was scanned at 4K. And we've made this quantum leap. The previous master that we had that was out on DVD was probably 30 years old. And not just standard definition, but coming from, you know, like a fourth generation

film element looked and sounded awful, basically. Right. So to have it look like this, and it sounds really good, too. They did a tremendous job at MPI on the picture and our archival audio mastering. They did wonderful restoration on the sound. I've always had an affinity for this film because it's so pre-code. It's not as lascivious as it's implying lascivious behavior, you know. Right.

And she's terrific in it. behavior, you know? Right. And she's terrific in it. She's still very much the same flapper we saw three years earlier in our dancing daughters, you know? Right. Well, is she being, you know, Joan Crawford plays what, Bonnie Jordan? And just to go through the plot a little bit, but she's like a society girl who's just partying, right? Living off her daddy's money. And then of course the market crashes. But within that, she has this boyfriend, which appears like they're together or almost living together. But then when she lost the money, you know, he gallantly says he'll marry her, but she knows that there's nothing there that's long lasting necessarily. So she calls her off. Very modern to your point. But this is because it's the pre-code. But I enjoyed that storyline. I like the plot in this

because she then goes off, gets a real job and she's going to earn money as a reporter. So then it turns into this kind of sleuthing element to it. And her brother then gets caught up with the bootlegger and then Clark Gable comes in. Yeah, Clark Gable was actually sixth build in this film. But within a few months, he was co-starring with Crawford again. His star rose at MGM hot and heavy between 1931 and 32, to the point where they ended up making eight films together. This was the first of the eight. The last of the eight was Strange Cargo in 1940, which is something I wish we could put out someday on Blu-ray.

That would be wonderful, because it's a great Frank Porzighi film. But their chemistry was dynamic. And Crawford never bluntly came out and talked about this. But it has been pretty much confirmed that there was an on-again, off-again, long-lasting love affair between the two of them. Irrelevant to whoever they were married to at the time. There was a very electric chemistry between the two of them. And you see that in this very first film where they're together because their scenes, although they're not the primary drivers of the plot, the screen becomes electrified when the two of them are together.

It's really, really quite impressive. My first glimpse of this film happened in a documentary I saw when I was a child that was on ABC television that had an excerpt of it, where they were all at the swimming party on the boat. OK, everybody, let's turn off the lights and take off your clothes. I'm paraphrasing poorly. But the documentary was called Hollywood, the Dream Factory and is narrated by Dick Cavett. I had remembered that. And of course, that documentary ended up winning an Emmy and just happens to be in high definition as an extra on this release. That's why it's there, because it isn't out front a documentary about MGM, but basically it is. It deals with a lot of different aspects, including

careers being built like Joan Crawford's. And I just felt it was really great to have the opportunity to present that with this feature film. It makes for a really impressive disc, I think. Yeah. And that's an interesting story that you had seen the clip there first of this film, and then you ended up putting it on here because that documentary didn't come out till 1972. So quite a few years later from, from a dance fools dance, but it really works well because right after, you know, right after watching the film, I watched that documentary. I was very much looking forward to it. And it's a, it's a pretty long documentary. I mean, it, it really tells the story

well, and it goes into so many fantastic actors and actresses from that classic era. I mean, it was fascinating. And to see that in HD, I think it's terrific. And even before the cartoons you put on there makes for an amazing package here. One of the things that I thought was really special about this is that this was a movie that when I was growing up, you couldn't see it. It wasn't on television. It might have been in some markets, but it wasn't on TV in New York. Is that because of the pre-code element of it? No, no, no. It's just that there was, with rare exception of famous, more famous movies from 1931, you would be able to see Little Caesar or you would be able to see Public Enemy or Frankenstein, you know, other 1931 films that were well known. But by the time that I was old enough to be looking for classic movies on television,

you're not going to see it in a major market. It's possible certain smaller areas might show movies like that. But generally, you'd be dependent on a film society or a repertory theater. They were very hard to see. theater, they were very hard to see. And home video coming along as it did by, I think, 1989 or 90, Dance Fool's Dance came out on VHS and Betamax as part of the first forbidden Hollywood home video releases. And that was in my youth at MGMUA Home Video. And we continued that. Danceful's Dance was one of the early releases on DVD from Warner Archive. And comparing the DVD we released, you know, 14 years ago to this new gorgeous Blu-ray, it's an astounding change. And it speaks to what we're able to achieve when we're given the tools and the funding to do this kind of work.

And it's really a very entertaining disc. And I think people are really going to enjoy adding this to their collection. And before we wrap up on this one, we'll, we'll mention the two cartoons, George, which are, are they from the same year? That's the goal always is to have something be like, if you were going to the movies at the time. Right. So you had one more time and these are both in HD too. And a smile, darn your smile. I mean, those are great to watch because of the, the same era roughly, uh, that they come from. So those are great to watch because of the same era, roughly, that they come from. So those are a lot of fun. And, you know, to have them in HD, they just look terrific. Yeah. And I would love to have MGM cartoons from 1931 for an MGM movie,

but MGM wasn't making cartoons in 1931. They were distributing independently produced cartoons that they didn't own. And they didn't start really making their own cartoons until getting involved with Harmon and Ising in 1935 and eventually forming a more formalized cartoon department with people like Bill Hanna, Joe Barbera, and eventually Tex Avery. But 1931 MGM cartoons were only distribution deals. So we don't own them. We can't put them on the discs. So we put Warner Brothers cartoons on there and it just makes for a fun evening of classic cinema

of the highest quality, no less, all HD. Yeah, it's a terrific package and I highly encourage it for people who enjoyed the teaming of Crawford and Clark Gable. As you just said earlier, their chemistry, you could just see it right from the first scene. But before we get off of this title, I did want to ask you, in the future, do we have more Joan Crawford to look forward to? Stay with us. We'll be right back. Hi, this is Tim Millard, host of The Extras Podcast. And I wanted to let you know that we have a new private Facebook group for fans of the Warner Archive and Warner Brothers Catalog physical media releases. So if that interests you, you can find the link on our Facebook page

or look for the link in the podcast show notes. You can find the link on our Facebook page or look for the link in the podcast show notes. I hope so. We're not working on anything of hers right now that I can think of. We had quite a year. We had quite a year of her releases. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, and it's the whole way, you know, certain films will take us two or three years to work on. Some films will take us two or three months to work on.

Yeah, that's that's the rarity where everything, you know, moves smoothly. A film like this, we're dealing with bringing a nitrate negative across the country. You have to wait for the weather to be right. There are so many things involved. That's why people say, and I see these comments all the time, why are they releasing film X when film A or D is so much better? The point is that we're looking at this holistically. I've even seen people think that what we're releasing are byproducts of what the company's preserving. That's not really true. What we end up preserving are titles that we as a group decide need to be worked on. And I have a voice at the table and I'm looking out for what Warner Archive can bring to the fans. So there will be more Joan

Crawford. When you say Joan Crawford, a lot of people also think of Betty Davis. People were very upset that we didn't release anything of Betty Davis's for the WB100, not realizing that the year before we had released three or four. We're trying to keep everybody happy and it's an impossible task, but we're doing our best. And I can say that this will be a little scoop for the extras. Unless something goes haywire, which I hope it won't, I think 2023 has been a fantastic year. I think 2024 could top it. Well, next up, George, we're actually going to talk about Double Trouble from Elvis from 1967. And what a dandy musical it is, because you've got Elvis, the king, and under the direction of Norman Taurag, a frequent Elvis director, but also an MGM veteran. He directed Broadway Melody of 1940 with Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell.

OK. veteran. He directed Broadway Melody of 1940 with Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell. Okay. Oh, he's got a very diverse portfolio of directorial work. It was a little similar to me, like the recent release of Spin Out, in that you've got this plot, of course, but really the great thing about these Elvis films are the music. Of course. This has a very threadbare plot. I don't want to say it's Dostoevsky. You know, the plot is there to serve opportunities for Elvis to sing. And that's what people want to see. And they wanted to see. And that's why his movies were so popular. This was

very, very successful when it came out for what it is. It was made on a very, very low budget. It was Elvis's eighth film for MGM. And it was the seventh time he had collaborated with Tauron. I think the music in the film is particularly impressive. He sings a lot of really, really good songs. And it's interesting also that one of the producers of this film ended up being a very famous Oscar-winning producer. He had just hooked up at MGM to make this film.

I think it was the first film he produced. But the next film he produced is an all-time modern noir classic. I say modern because of his color in the 60s, but point blank with Lee Marvin. And the producer was Erwin Winkler. And Erwin Winkler ended up winning an Oscar for producing Rocky and he produced Raging Bull and he produced a lot of films with Scorsese New York New York and uh he produced Goodfellas here at Warner Brothers Double Trouble was his first film as a producer so we we can't uh talk about the movie without mentioning Mr. Winkler he even talks about it in his autobiography about arriving at MGM and working with Elvis at the time. And, you know, this was made on a very low budget. It was made

very quickly and got into theaters and was very profitable with the studio. And it's 92 minutes of fun. Yeah, exactly. And I kind of enjoyed the whole European thing to it because they try to do, you know, it's got a comedic undertone. They're not being overly serious about the mystery or the kind of the, I don't know if it's got a little spy, but it's got maybe more of a heist or, you know, like that. And I think romp is the good word for it, right? Because it's just all in good fun and it doesn't take itself too seriously in the storyline, but it, it has to try to, you know, take you from one city to the next, to the next, and then you find out at the end. And I won't give it away kind of what the whole reason for that was for the suitcase, you know, that they're trying to, uh, to follow and things

of that nature. So it's a lot of fun for that reason. I did want to ask you, I mean, it's a little bit risque in the storyline. Yeah. And you think of, think of when it was made, you know, it was probably shot at the end of 1966 or second part of the year because it came out in mid 67, I believe. And so at that time, you know, James Bond and Man from U.N.C.L.E. were really hot. And you had movies that spoofed Bond a little bit, like Our Man Flint with James Coburn. So there were a lot of, you know, intrigue, spy pictures being made at that time. And this is the beginning of the mod era in England and that translated into New York with the discotheques and whatnot. And it's reflective of its time. Interestingly enough, the original story of this movie was going to be made by MGM as a non-musical. It was going to be really like a thriller slash comedy slash action picture.

And of course, the script underwent a lot of changes in order to accommodate Elvis and his singing. But it did have an interesting journey to the screen. That's for certain. Well, that it's got a robust amount of extras on here. You've got what? Several Tom and Jerry cartoons in the trailer. Yes. Chuck Jones.

You know, Chuck Jones approached Tom and Jerry was radically different from what the characters were. But if you don't compare his cartoons with Tom and Jerry to the Hannah and Barbara oversight MGM Tom and Jerry cartoons, they really are very good. They're just very different. He interpreted the characters very differently. But I'm a little bit biased. I'm a big Chuck Jones maniac. So I kind of love a lot of the things he did. These cartoons are very entertaining and it just makes for a nice package.

And we always try to throw on a few extra things that make the disc a little more collectible and something that you'll be proud to have on your shelf, especially if you're an Elvis fan. And we didn't really talk about it too much, but the image looks great. And of course it's in color. So being a Elvis film, it really pops on the art design and the sets and everything and this is yeah and i don't want to i don't want to sound uh like i'm taking any of this for granted this is a 4k scan of the camera negative camera negative was in pretty good shape because they usually didn't go back to the camera negative they go back to intermediate elements. So when you're going to the camera negative, film stock at that time was very good. The colors practically burst off the screen.

It's just a festival of color and music. And it's very much a treat for the eye and ear. Well, we've had a couple now, Elvis, recently. Are there any more down the road? I certainly hope so. I think you can count on it. Well, I think it's great because I know a lot of people who are trying to build out their Blu-ray of their Elvis collection will be happy to hear that. Well, we've got one more film, George, and we're jumping all the way to 1997. It feels like we're jumping like 30 years here between films, which is fantastic. And I remember watching this one in the theaters and I remember being very impressed with it when it came out.

And this was kind of at the peak of the powers of Dustin Hoffman and John Travolta. And this is Mad City from 1997. I saw this in the theater too and found it thoroughly engrossing. You know, if you look at the late 90s and the films that were being made just on a regular basis, they weren't necessarily blockbusters, but they were well-received, good stars, talent in front and back of the camera. And a lot of those films aren't really remembered today because now we're looking at Mad City. It's a 26-year-old movie, you know.

Yeah. But it kind of has gotten forgotten, become forgotten. And we thought that, you know, Costa Gravuras is such an important director, having made films like Z and Missing. He really had a very distinct view of making a political thriller. And this is kind of a thriller with some comic aspects to it. It deals with the media in a way that is representative of the time, 1997. And, you know, there was a lot of examination of things. And Travolta plays against type. I think he was trying to stretch his,

the different kinds of roles he was doing as an actor. This is part of his renaissance that began with Pulp Fiction. You know, Tarantino recognized that he was so talented and that led to Get Shorty. And suddenly he was an A movie star again after having hit a little bit of a dark period in his career. And Mad City was part of the period of time where he was once again box office and Hoffman was at the top of his game. And you had a great supporting cast. And it looks wonderful.

It's beautifully shot. It's very compelling entertainment. And it was time for this movie to be ready on Blu-ray. Yeah, I really like this film. And as you mentioned, you know, at that time, I was going to every Travolta film pretty much like everyone else was in the 90s because he was just picking great projects. I mean, we talk about actors picking a project and they have to fit kind of where their image is or go against type in this instance. Right. And he does a terrific job being this kind of every man, this kind of person that you can, I mean,

you feel compassion for, and there's this series of seemingly mishaps that lead to this, but it also deals with a very, very serious topic, which is layoffs and downsizing. And I was just thinking about that. So like every decade, there's like a period of downsizing and then there's movies that reflect or talk about that. So it's in that vein of, I think those kinds of movies, right? From the eighties and, and then earlier in the nineties was what falling down in 93, but it's a different take because it brings in the media side that Hoffman is this kind of manipulative reporter that's trying to use this to his advantage.

But in doing so, it's a really great teaming of those two and great drama. And Alan Alda is in here and has a pretty important part. Absolutely. So it's really, it's really a meaty, meaty roles for these guys and topic. And again, I love these movies that captured that moment too, right. A serious topic in that era, you know, um, whether it's network in the mid seventies, you know, or broadcast news in the eighties, uh, or this that kind of has some media tie in as well, which is always an interesting thing to kind of look at.

Even now, like social media, we talk about the impact, but back then we're talking about mass media, the impact of mass media and the coverage that the news network had on this story. So I don't know, it's really interesting and I thought it was really good. And I was just reminded how good it was in rewatching it. Yeah. It's, it's been forgotten and I think unjustly so. So we always try to find those quote unquote rare and hard to find movies and get them to the people that want them.

And I'm delighted that we are able to bring this out and it looks spectacular. And then let's see. And I'm delighted that we are able to bring this out and it looks spectacular. And then let's see. I think it don't really have any extras on here outside of the theatrical trailer. But because it's a more recent movie, you just don't have as many materials maybe from there. We were hoping that maybe there was some EPK materials still around, but we could not find anything. Game material is still around, but we could not find anything. It kind of falls in that era where we've talked about this on other podcasts where it was a little before the DVD explosion. Right. DVD was just being launched. Yeah. And so there were there wasn't quite the knowledge of, hey, let's let's shoot more behind the scenes footage because we're going to put it on a home entertainment release.

And it's in that window of of just prior to when we knew to get the product for X. Right. So it just felt the film is significant enough. I wouldn't be surprised. I don't I don't have the DVD and I've never seen it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's four by three. It may not be, but that was very common at the time because it was all about making people happy at Walmart. You know, now you've got this beautiful new master that is sparkling in color and cleanliness. And it's just like it looks like a brand new movie, basically. Yeah, it was shot on film. Right. It's great. So, well, hey, this was fun to talk about these three films.

And I'm looking forward to very soon. We'll be going through and reviewing the seven, I guess December releases. Plus we've got that Looney Tunes. So looking forward to watching those and then going through those with you, George. It's going to be a lot to talk about. Absolutely. As always, as always i will have purchase links in the podcast show notes and on our website for those interested in purchasing the titles we discussed today and just as a reminder george we'll be back on in the near future to give us some insights into the january releases and what to expect in the upcoming year we will also review the december warner archive releases and i hope we can do

another special episode on the upcoming looney tunesunes Collector's Choice Volume 2 as well. So if you aren't yet subscribed or following the show at your favorite podcast provider, you may want to do that so that you don't miss those. And just a quick note about our Facebook group. I'm happy to say that we're celebrating one year and nearly 5,000 members. So that has been a great success. If you listen to the podcast and aren't following us on Facebook, you'll find links in the podcast show notes in case you're interested in doing that. Until next time,

you've been listening to Tim Millard. Stay Slightly Obsessed. The Extras is a production of Otaku Media, producers of podcasts, behind-the-scenes extras, and media that connects creatives with their fans and businesses with their consumers. Contact us today to see how we can work together to achieve your goals at www.otakumedia.tv or look for the link in the show notes.