Infuhr, Teddy

The Adventures of Ma & Pa Kettle, Vol. 1 (The Egg and I / Ma and Pa Kettle / Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town / Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm)

When it comes to homespun fun, the Kettles rule the roost, and now four of their hillbilly tales, including The Egg and I, The Further Adventures of Ma and Pa Kettle, Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town and Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm, are together in a spanking new collection, The Adventures of Ma and Pa Kettle: Volume 1. Whether they're hobnobbing with city folk, or tangling with newfangled appliances, Ma (Majorie Main) and Pa (Percy Kilbride) always stay true to their country roots as they try and make sense of our crazy world. Pa might be a tad too gullible, and Ma might be a bit too feisty, but they always seem to get the best of every zany situation with luck, pluck and a whole lot of good old-fashioned love. From beginning to end, it's total madcap adventure and country corn at its finest.

The Bishop's Wife

Perhaps if The Bishop's Wife had lapsed on its copyright and fallen into the public domain like It's a Wonderful Life, it would be as much a Christmas staple as that classic. It certainly deserves to be. Dudley (Cary Grant) is an angel sent down by the prayers of a new bishop (David Niven). The bishop is trying to build a new cathedral, and he's so entrenched in his fundraising that he's watching his own marriage crumble around him. Loretta Young is devoted, moist-eyed, and basically a great date for the tempted Dudley. They drink in the afternoon, go skating at night, and make impulse buys. The skating sequence beats mightily on one's suspension of disbelief, but the rest of the film is an absolute joy. Grant is suave, worldly, and enchanting. A wonderful present for anyone who has not seen it. --Keith Simanton

Heavenly bells are ringing, jubilant choirs are singing and Christmas joy is blanketing the world like freshly fallen snow. But the Yuletide spirit has yet to warm Bishop Henry Brougham's Victorian home. Struggling to raise funds for a new cathedral, the preoccupied young clergyman has neglected his loving wife Julia, and now only divine intervention can save their marriage! But the powerful and handsome angel sent from above has a mind of his own and teaching mortal Henry an immortal lesson inromance isn't all he's got planned! Starring Oscar(r) winners* Cary Grant, Loretta Young and David Niven, and featuring "a stellar supporting cast" (The Hollywood Reporter) that includes James Gleason and Monty Woolley, this delightful romantic comedy is wondrous, witty andtruly divine! *Grant, Honorary Oscar (1969); Young, Actress, The Farmer's Daughter (1947); Niven, Actor, Separate Tables (1958)

The Boy with Green Hair

George Benson - Absolutely Live (DTS)

Toward the beginning of his 90-minute set recorded on May 27, 2000, in Belfast, Ireland, George Benson gushes that he's always had a fantasy of fronting a big band and covering jazz classics. It becomes increasingly clear, however, that some fantasies should remain just that. There's no questioning Benson's contribution to jazz over the years. He's been hailed as one of the genre's finest, most expressive, and fluid guitarists. His ability to cross numerous genres is impeccable and he's influenced a generation of players. However when Benson ditches his guitar in favor of singing--something he started doing in the '70s and does frequently during this show--his material suffers. While his vocal range is impressive on songs like "I Only Have Eyes for You" and on his own hits like "This Masquerade" and "Breezin'," his style is awkward and often forced, and his numerous attempts at scat singing prove that Louis Armstrong he's not. Experiments are fine, but Benson should remember what instrument brought him to the dance. --Dave McCoy

Sherlock Holmes in The Spider Woman

Here is another strong entry (beautifully restored by the UCLA Film and Television Archive) from the peak of Basil Rathbone's prolific, seven-year run as a definitive Sherlock Holmes for the big screen. The Spider Woman (1944) employs details of Holmes's apparent death and resurrection between "The Final Problem" and its follow-up, "The Adventure of the Empty House." But the movie takes a different direction when a bizarre series of late-night "pajama suicides" finds Holmes probing the involvement of a femme fatale. Of the quartet of features in this set (all produced and directed by the energetic Roy William Neill) Spider Woman has the most vivacity and familiar textures from Doyle's canon. --Tom Keogh

The master detective Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and his faithful cohort Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) are back, preserved and digitally restored in 35mm to original condition by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. This newly restored version of the classic film includes the period war bond tag and studio logo and credits from its original theatrical release. Filled with ominous shadows and interesting camera angles, the visual beauty of the film in 35mm is stunning. London is in a panic over a series of apparent "Pajama Suicides." Sherlock Holmes, however, is more inclined to believe that they are calculated murders. It is up to the great detective to discover the motive and the means of these crimes and to unmask the murderer. Enter Miss Adria Spedding; an intoxicating woman of character whom Holmes is convinced is behind the killings. A series of masquerades and deadly game playing ensues as Holmes and Watson enter a battle of wits with The Spider Woman.

The Boy with Green Hair

Before there was punk rock there was The Boy with Green Hair! Back in 1948 Dean Stockwell plays a boy who wakes up to find a chartruese head staring back at him. The town doctor doesn't know what to do. The schoolkids ostracize him. The parents cry that it's contagious and claim there's something in the water and milk. If only the fear-laden townspeople knew that hapless green-haired Peter has been chosen as the mascot for all the world's war orphans. Peter tries to explain, but indeed they think he's losing his mind. What is the Boy with Green Hair to do?

George Benson - Absolutely Live

Toward the beginning of his 90-minute set recorded on May 27, 2000, in Belfast, Ireland, George Benson gushes that he's always had a fantasy of fronting a big band and covering jazz classics. It becomes increasingly clear, however, that some fantasies should remain just that. There's no questioning Benson's contribution to jazz over the years. He's been hailed as one of the genre's finest, most expressive, and fluid guitarists. His ability to cross numerous genres is impeccable and he's influenced a generation of players. However when Benson ditches his guitar in favor of singing--something he started doing in the '70s and does frequently during this show--his material suffers. While his vocal range is impressive on songs like "I Only Have Eyes for You" and on his own hits like "This Masquerade" and "Breezin'," his style is awkward and often forced, and his numerous attempts at scat singing prove that Louis Armstrong he's not. Experiments are fine, but Benson should remember what instrument brought him to the dance. --Dave McCoy

George Benson performs with his group during his Northern Ireland tour. This concert was filmed just months ago, on Sunday, May 28th, 2000 at the Belfast Waterfront Hall in Belfast. George Benson performs with his group featuring special guest Joe Sample, the BBC Big Band and members of the Ulster Orchestra. Songs on this live recording include "This Masquerade", "Breezin'", "Give Me The Night", "On Broadway", "Turn Your Love Around", "I Only Have Eyes For You", "Hippin' The Hop", "Danny Boy", "Deeper Than You Think", "Love x Love", "Never Give Up on a Good Thing", "Moody's Mood", "In Your Eyes", and more. The George Benson group is: George Benson - Guitar/Vocals; Joe Sample - Keyboards; Stanley Banks - Bass Guitar; Thomas Hall - Keyboards; Michael O'Neill - Guitar/Vocals; Dennis Saucedo - Pecussion/Vocals; Michael White - Drums; David William - Musical Director and Piano.

Hedy Lamarr Collection (The Strange Woman / Dishonored Lady)

Gene Autry Collection, Sidekick Pat Buttram, Vol. 2

This special collection includes: Valley of Fire, Mule Train, Beyond The Purple Hills and Indian Territory

Valley of Fire:Gene Autry is the newly elected mayor of a lawless California boomtown in 1850. His first official acts are to rid the town of its gambling king and to import a caravan of beautiful gals to help settle the wild and wooly townsmen. With the help of his marshal, Gene must then out-gun the nefarious renegades who want to kidnap the brides-to-be for a rival mining camp and take over the town. Featuring Gail Davis as one of the lovely ladies, Pat Buttram as Gene's trustworthy deputy, and Champion, World's Wonder Horse. Includes original theatrical trailer.

Mule Train:Marshal Gene Autry cracks the whip on Western killers as he rides Champion to the stirring rhythm of the great song sensation Mule Train! Pat Buttram provides the comic relief as a prospector who discovers natural cement and is soon entangled with a menacing lady sheriff and a dam-building project. It's that Mule Train rhythm! It's that Autry action . . . roarin' along together in a great Western drama!

Beyond The Purple Hills:Gene Autry takes over as a two-gun sheriff with Champion as his smartest deputy after bank robbers kill the former sheriff. When Judge Beaumont is murdered, circumstantial evidence points to the judge's wild son as the killer. Gene believes the young man is innocent and helps him battle a lynch mob and apprehend the real killers. Pat Buttram and Little Champ are along for the ride in Gene's hottest action picture!

Indian Territory:Gene Autry discards his conventional cowboy garb and white Stetson for the blue uniform of a sergeant in the post-Civil War Cavalry in this 1950 film. The Apaches have been incited to raid the ranchers and homesteaders on the Western frontier by the Apache Kid and Curt Raidler, a renegade Austrian, who wishes to use the Indians to build himself an empire in America. Gene is assigned to end the rioting and, at the same time, smash the group of gun-runners responsible. Gail Davis and Pat Buttram join in the gun-scorching Autry action.

The Bishop's Wife

A Christmas perennial from 1947, this comedy/fantasy stars Cary Grant as Dudley, an angel who works his heavenly magic on an Episcopalian bishop (David Niven) who is struggling to raise money for a new church and who has grown distant from his wife (Loretta Young). While Young remains unaware of the angel's benevolent influence, this light comedy unfolds with abundant charm and lasting appeal. Featuring engaging performances from its stellar cast, The Bishop's Wife inspired the 1996 remake The Preacher's Wife, starring Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston. --Jeff Shannon