Get to know the Warner Bros.
Warner Brothers Pictures was started by, not surprisingly, the four Warner brothers, and their first big star was Rin Tin Tin. They were also responsible for the first talking picture with Al Jolson, "The Jazz Singer." They would later be known as a studio that produced everything from war films to gangster flicks to cartoons.
Warner Home Video has produced a series that is great for classic-movie fans called the "Warner Archive Collection." The selections include masterpieces, obscure titles, oddities, long-sought cult classics, overlooked gems, TV movies, miniseries and more - many available on DVD for the first time.
The following titles are among those available this week: "Love Among Thieves" with Audrey Hepburn and Robert Wagner, "Everybody Sing" with Judy Garland and Allan Jones, "Comrade X" with Clark Gable and Hedy Lemarr, "Top Secret Affair" with Susan Hayward and Kirk Douglas, "Death of a Centerfold" with Jamie Lee Curtis, "Man From Atlantis" with Patrick Duffy, "Every Girl Should Be Married" with Cary Grant, "The Subject Was Roses" with Patricia Neal, "Our Miss Brooks" with Eve Arden and "Perfect Strangers" with Ginger Rogers.
"Hollywood Uncensored" Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Peter Fonda host this terrific documentary on how various people have tried over the years to filter what the public could see in motion pictures. We see a variety of scenes from films including "The Outlaw," "Baby Doll," "Woodstock," "Carnal Knowledge," "Shirley Temple films," "W.C. Fields," "King Kong" and others. Some of the celebrities interviewed are Martin Scorsese, Jane Russell, Eli Wallach, Carroll Baker and Mamie Van Doren."The Mob: From Hollywood to Vegas" The four-disc set shows how the business of organized crime came to be in America. This is a 19-part documentary series than runs for 20 hours. Viewers will see how the leaders of organized crime became household names through newspapers and film, and how the mob staked claims on both coasts and in Las Vegas."21 Jump Street: Season One"This popular series was a hit on the Fox network, and helped launch the career of Johnny Depp. He plays officer Tom Hanson who leads his agents in the Jump Street division by going undercover in local schools to put a stop to crime. The first season featured 13 episodes."Hunter: Season One" Fred Dryer stars as detective Rick Hunter, a renegade cop who breaks the rules and takes justice in his own hands. There are 19 episodes in the first season."Renegade: Season One"Lorenzo Lamas stars as a cop on the run after testifying against a group of crooked officers. He kept moving to various places in the American Southwest, and it was an exciting game of cat-and-mouse. Each week we were led to a new and exciting adventure. There are 22 episodes in season one.Available Next Week"Abbott Costello Show: The Collection""Celtic Women: Songs from the Heart""Leonard Bernstein Omnibus: Historic TV Broadcasts""Michael Jackson: This Is It""Roberto Rosellini's War Trilogy""Touched By An Angel Inspiration Collection""Waltons Movie Collection""WW II in Color"