Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

[domino harvey]

Lovely to Look At (1952)

Two things of note about the shorts included on this disc: the Tom and Jerry cartoon Dog Trouble is uncensored but there is no content warning. And the otherwise incredibly unfunny Pete Smith speciality short ends up being of some interest for the final segment, which amazingly shows prolific actor Dave O’Brien without his toupee and is centered around the assorted calamities which can befall someone who wears one (and perhaps because he wrote it too, there are some actually amusing moments based around the idea of a toupee falling off but not succumbing). An unusual implicit admission from Hollywood that many stars were doing this kinda thing!

[Never Cursed]

Two things of note about the shorts included on this disc: the Tom and Jerry cartoon Dog Trouble is uncensored but there is no content warning.

Uncensored for what? Racism/the Mammy Two Shoes character?

[domino harvey]

Yep

[domino harvey]

Lovely to Look At is a surprise. It's a bit stupid, but it has a great fashion show sequence directed by Vincente Minnelli and a beautiful dance number (to "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes") with Marge and Gower Champion. It should look really nice in WAC's typically excellent 3-strip Technicolor restoration. The elements for Royal Wedding must be in really rotten shape if they're releasing this before that.

I thought the Champions had the best numbers by far, but man the songs here other then “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” are terrible! I must have blocked them out from Roberta (which I didn’t know this was a remake of going in). I did enjoy the novelty of ending with a big fashion show rather than a ballet, especially one as vaguely satanic as this. But then on the other end you have two deeply annoying “comic” perfs by Red Skelton and the usually more subdued Kurt Kasznar that suck up all the air. Amazing that much of the cast from here wandered right into the masterpiece of Kiss Me Kate after this (they both even open on the same apartment set), because you could not imagine two more disparate musicals in terms of quality

[Michael Kerpan]

>> the songs here other then “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes are terrible

It must be a matter of the performances in the film --

"I Won't Dance" was lots of fun in Roberta (with Astaire and Rogers) -- not bad at all. "Lovely to Look At" is reasonably lovely to listen to (if more than a bit old-fashioned) with Irene Dunne. "Touch of Your Hand" sounds great when sung by Sarah Vaughan. "Yesterdays" is fantastic (for instance, either Billie Holiday or Ella Fitzgerald). I'll Be Hard to Handle is also pretty good wen sung by Ella. You're Devastating sounds fine with Gordon McRae. The only song that strikes me as actually substandard is Lafayette.

[Matt]

It must be a matter of the performances in the film

In this case, you're pretty correct. Marge and Gower Champion were fantastic dancers, but they could never really put over a song vocally. But Astaire definitely could. I can't remember where I heard or read it, but some songwriter said that the most ideal thing you could hope for during that era was for Astaire or Judy Garland to sing your song in a movie.

[Michael Kerpan]

Roberta struck me as a sub-par Fred and Ginger movie story-wise, but musically pretty good overall. Still it seems to tower over the re-make.

[Finch]

Warner have Over The Garden Wall lined up for April 7th. Orbit preorder up already.

[FrauBlucher]

I think there has been only a few of the Samuel Goldwyn Productions films released or upgraded. Does anyone know the background on why so few? Has George Feltenstein ever discussed this?

[okcmaxk]

Since they weren’t part of Turner’s package deal, WAC still has to license titles from the Goldwyn estate. Think around Dodsworth, Feltenstein said it’s a slow process to get even a single Goldwyn film out. Something like Ball of Fire should get the fast-track.

[domino harvey]

They’ve only done that one, though (I think)? Best Years of Our Lives was previously already released, as was Hans Christian Anderson

[domino harvey]

Re: fast track, surely now is the time to get Wyler’s Wuthering Heights out? Like, how was that not flagged internally for synergy if nothing else (Fennell’s version is WB) - if that one’s not coming, I’m not sure I believe any are

[okcmaxk]

You’re right, that’s easily top of the list. Pretty sure Arrowsmith had a restoration touring a couple years ago, no movement on that since. Same thing with Best Years, I think.

[domino harvey]

Arrowsmith even had extra footage not found on the old MGM DVD. But thank god they keep releasing Hanna-Barbera series every month

[bottlesofsmoke]

For what it’s worth, Wuthering Heights, Dead End, The Little Foxes, The Pride of the Yankees, Stella Dallas are available digitally in HD, from what I’ve seen they look pretty good, though I’m not an expert by any means.

[domino harvey]

That reminds me that the Westerner is also trapped in this holding station

[Matt]

I had thought it was because the film elements for the Goldwyn library were in bad shape and needed significant restoration, and WAC doesn't want to foot the bill for that since they don't own the films outright.

[ryannichols7]

Warner has confirmed that Gone With the Wind is indeed finally coming to 4K in Fall 2026. cannot be more excited for this release!

[Walter Kurtz]

Frankly, I don't give a damn.

[domino harvey]

I bet that’s one title Paramount doesn’t let go OOP

[jt938]

FROM THE AMERICAN CINEMATEQUE:
LAST SUMMER + Q&A with actor Barbara Hershey. Moderated by Larry Karaszewski.
Sun. Mar 29, 2026 | 3:00pm
Aero Theatre
World Premiere of New Restoration of Theatrical Version
Details on WARNER ARCHIVE's upcoming Blu-ray release will be announced soon!

Last Summer coming soon from Warner Archive

[domino harvey]

MovieZyng has all preorders receiving an extra 10% off, making any WA preorders about $22. They're also going to be doing a WA sale later this month (presumably 4 for $49) that will include all titles released before 2026

[starmanof51]

MovieZyng has all preorders receiving an extra 10% off, making any WA preorders about $22. They're also going to be doing a WA sale later this month (presumably 4 for $49) that will include all titles released before 2026

I seem to recall them indicating awhile ago that the sales would not be so cheap going forward

[FrauBlucher]

So far these....

King Richard and the Crusaders
20,000 Years in Sing Sing
Monogram Matinee Vol 2...Louisiana and Song in the Range
Crack-Up
Captains Courageous
Private Benjamin

[domino harvey]

I didn't like Crack-Up at all though. The premise sounds like a good time will be had by all, but the film is a noir "thriller" about art, and displays some ugly anti-intellectualism early on from which it never recovers. The plot mechanics are fuzzy at best and the pic does nothing to exploit or work its premise into an interesting arena. I did like the penny arcade sequence before it became apparent that it was never going to end. Watching two Herbert Marshall pics with truth serum finales was probably a bad idea to begin with.

And I’ve seen King Richard as well, as it’s one of the fourteen films identified by Jack Shaheen in Reel Bad Arabs as having the best depiction of Arabs. Didn’t think much of it as a movie, though