Sound jazzes up 'Singer,' movie industry
In 1927, Warner Brothers Studios took a huge gamble by adding sound to its film "The Jazz Singer." The public was used to seeing silent films, and the introduction of sound would revolutionize the already popular motion picture industry.
Warner took one of the biggest stars of the day, Al Jolson, and had him sing some of his biggest hits and say a few lines of dialogue. This concept changed Hollywood, and movies were never the same from that moment on.
"The Jazz Singer" (Warner, three discs, $39.92)
The deluxe edition of this landmark film has been immaculately restored and remastered from surviving nitrate film elements and original Vitaphone sound-on-disc recordings. The special features include documentaries, featurettes, interviews, shorts and rare performances by the great entertainment legends of the era (including Burns and Allen, Baby Rose Marie, Weber and Fields, Blossom Seeley and others). The set contains a wealth of information and history and should be added to your DVD collection.
Collections
"MGM Best Picture Gift Set" ($39.98)
Each film in this outstanding collection won many awards and features great performances. The films are "Dances With Wolves," "Platoon," "Rocky" and "Silence of the Lambs."
"MGM Holiday Collection" ($29.98)
The three films in this collection are ones that many of us look forward to seeing as the holidays roll around. They are "The Bishop's Wife" with Cary Grant, Loretta Young and David Niven; "March of the Wooden Soldiers" with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy; and Frank Capra's "Pocketful of Miracles" with Bette Davis, Glenn Ford, Hope Lange and Arthur O'Connell.
"United Artists Best Picture Collection" ($39.98)
United Artists was a major studio that released many fine films featuring some of the greatest stars of all time. The four films deserved the Academy Awards they received. The films are "Marty" with Ernest Borgnine; "The Apartment" with Jack Lemmon; "Tom Jones" with Albert Finney; and "West Side Story" with Richard Beymer, Natalie Wood and Rita Moreno.
Television
"Absolutely Fabulous: White Box" $14.98
"Deadliest Catch: Season Two" $29.99
"Future Weapons: Season One" $19.99
"Girls Behaving Badly: Vol. Two" $19.99
"Ironside: Season Two" $44.99
"Jonathan Creek: Season Two" $34.98
"MacGyver: Complete Series" $214.94
"Medium: Season Three" $61.99
"Mythbusters: Collection Two" $29.99
"Roseanne: Season Nine" $39.97
"Roseanne: Seasons One Through Nine" $299.97
"Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: Complete Series" $59.98
"That '70s Show: Season Seven" $49.98
"Waking the Dead: Season Two" $34.98
"Wanted Dead or Alive: Season Three" $39.98
New this week
• "Transformers"
• "A Mighty Heart"
• "AC/DC: Plug Me In"
• "Ann Rule: Never Let Her Go"
• "Believers"
• "Byron"
• "Casshern"
• "Class Act"
• "Crazy Love"
• "Danielle Steele's Safe Harbor"
• "Everest: Beyond the Limit"
• "Girl 27"
• "Hard"
• "Havoc 2: Normal Adolescent Behavior"
• "Hoax"
• "Holiday on Ice: Under the Desert Sky"
• "Hollow Man: Director's Cut"
• "Home Alone: Complete Caper Collection"
• "The Invisible"
• "Jimi Hendrix: Live at Monterey"
• "Jim Norton: Monster Rain"
• "King of South Beach"
• "Making Waves"
• "Mary Higgins Clark: Remember Me"
• "Mary Higgins Clark: While My Pretty One Sleeps"
• "Masters of Horror: Tobe Hooper, The Damned Thing"
• "Max Havoc: Curse of the Dragon"
• "Michael Moore Hates America"
• "Murder Party"
• "My Best Friend"
• "Olympic Figure Skating Vols. 1 and 2"
• "Pavarotti Forever"
• "Planet Terror: Extended and Unrated"
• "Reaping"
• "Refuge"
• "Return to House on Haunted Hill"
• "Show Business: The Road to Broadway"
• "Stories of the American Puppet"
• "Subway Stories"
• "Tarentella"
• "Trials of Darryl Hunt"
• "Warren Miller's: No Boundries"
• "WWE: Unforgiven 2007"
Next week
Available Tuesday:
• "Meet the Robinsons"
• "Hostel: Part Two"
• "L Word: Season Four"
• "Mr. Brooks"
• "Route 66: Season One, Vol. One"
• "Sopranos: Season Six, Part Two"
• "Stanley Kubrick Collection"
• "Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Vol. One"