New on DVD: Box set introduces Rita Hayworth to new fans

“The Films of Rita Hayworth”:

Sony Pictures, in conjunction with Martin Scorsese's film foundation, have put together this terrific collection of Rita Hayworth's finest films. Each one has been remastered for the best video and audio quality available.

Rita Hayworth was trained at a young age to be a dancer, but her beautiful appearance led to leading roles in many films. Because of her versatility in a wide-range of roles, she became the top female star at Columbia Pictures. Although Rita was great in musicals — she starred with Fred Astaire in a couple — she shined in multiple genres, including dramas, comedies, thrillers, westerns and others.

There are new generations of movie lovers, because of DVD, who are discovering movie stars for the first time. For those, and for longtime admirers of Rita Hayworth, this collection is for you.

The five films included are “Cover Girl,” “Gilda,” “Miss Sadie Thompson,” “Salome” and “Tonight and Every Night.” The special features include introductions by Scorsese, filmmaker Baz Luhrmann, and actress Patricia Clarkson, along with commentary by author/filmmaker Richard Schickel.

“Waking Sleeping Beauty”

This fascinating documentary played at movie theaters in selected cities across the country. It tells the story how the great Disney Studios was taken over by money men and sank to a new low in animation and profit, but then was rescued.

The rescue came in 1984, when a new management team was brought in, led by Roy E. Disney. The team began to produce great animated films with wonderful music, an

array of exciting voice casts, cutting-edge animation and awesome promotions. We get to

see how the process worked at the time through behind-the-scenes footage, home movies interviews and film clips. Some of the films highlighted are “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin” and “The Lion King.”

“Classic Drive-In Intermission Ads”

For those of you who visited the movie drive-in theaters, this delightful program will bring back a lot of memories. The goal of many of the ads was to get everyone to the concession stand to buy everything they were selling and bring it back to your vehicle. The collection includes short commercials from the 1940s through the 1960s, for products like popcorn, hot dogs, hamburgers, soft drinks, pizza, candy, ice cream, cotton candy and much more. You'll see fun animation, jingles, close-ups of food and the various styles of the time. Movie trailers are also included on the DVD.

“The Andy Griffith Show: 50th Anniversary — Best of Mayberry”

TV Guide rated the Andy Griffith Show as one of the greatest television shows of all-time. This 3-disc set includes 17 episodes that fans of the show have rated their best. Also included is the full-length pilot, the 1986 television movie “Return to Mayberry,” and the episode of “Make Room for Daddy” with Danny Thomas that introduced Andy Griffith as Sheriff Andy Taylor. This episode inspired the classic series, and the rest is history.

Available next week

“24: The Complete Series”

“2010 Opening Night Concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall”

“Bon Jovi: Greatest Hits”

“Jersey Shore: Season Two”

“The American”

“WWE: Bobby ‘The Brain' Heenan”