Ladd, Alan

Shane

Acclaimed director George Stevens' legendary rendition of the quintessential Western myth earned six Academy Award® nominations and made Shane one of the classics of the American cinema. The story brings Alan Ladd a drifter and retired gunfighter to the assistance of a homestead family terrorized by a wealthy cattleman and his hired gun (Jack Palance). In fighting the last decisive battle Shane sees the end of his own way of life. Mysterious moody and atmospheric the film is enhanced by the intense performances of its splendid cast.System Requirements:Starring: Alan Ladd Jean Arthur Van Heflin Brandon De Wilde Jack Palance Directed By: George Stevens Running Time: 117 Min. Color Copyright Paramount Pictures 2003. Genre: WESTERN/MISC. Rating: PG UPC: 097360652246 Manufacturer No: 065224

Consciously crafted by director George Stevens as a piece of American mythmaking, Shane is on nearly everyone's shortlist of great movie Westerns. A buckskin knight, Shane (Alan Ladd) rides into the middle of a range war between farmers and cattlemen, quickly siding with the "sod-busters." While helping a kindly farmer (Van Heflin), Shane falls platonically in love with the man's wife (Jean Arthur, in the last screen performance of a marvelous career). Though the showdowns are exciting, and the story simple but involving, what most people will remember about this movie is the friendship between the stoical Shane and the young son of the farmers. The kid is played by Brandon De Wilde, who gives one of the most amazing child performances in the movies; his parting scene with Shane is guaranteed to draw tears from even the most stonyhearted moviegoer. And speaking of stony hearts, Jack Palance made a sensational impression as the evil gunslinger sent to clean house--he has fewer lines of dialogue than he has lines in his magnificently craggy face, but he makes them count. The photography, highlighting the landscape near Jackson Hole, Wyoming, won an Oscar. --Robert Horton

This Gun For Hire (Universal Noir Collection)

The Carpetbaggers

The Carpetbaggers is the kind of trash classic most people are too embarrassed to admit they actually enjoy. But this Harold Robbins adaptation is so cheerfully vulgar, it's hard not to have a good time--especially given the thinly veiled portrait of Howard Hughes at its center. George Peppard plays the heel-hero, who founds an airline company in the 1920s and buys a movie studio in the 1930s, crushing friends and mistresses along the way. The high cheese factor is aided by the good-time cast: Carroll Baker as Peppard's hot stepmom, Bob Cummings (quite funny) as a cynical agent, and Elizabeth Ashley, who married Peppard, in her debut--uncharacteristically, as a good girl. The sad note is Alan Ladd, looking and sounding very end-of-the-line in his final role, as a man's man cowboy star. Elmer Bernstein's swaggering score helps goose the action along, but the rest is thick melodrama indeed. --Robert Horton

Walt Disney Treasures - Behind the Scenes at the Walt Disney Studio

As Walt Disney's fame grew during the 1930s, people wanted to know more about his studio and how the "Silly Symphonies" and Mickey Mouse shorts were created. Although Disney seldom allowed visitors, he periodically offered viewers peeks inside into the studio through the films in this collection. In 1937, Disney made A Trip Through the Walt Disney Studios for his distributor, RKO, to help the marketing campaign for Snow White. This in-house documentary was later reworked and released as a trailer for the studio's first feature as How Walt Disney Cartoons Are Made. In 1941, humorist Robert Benchley toured the studio and chatted with the artists in The Reluctant Dragon. But the film was released during a bitterly fought strike that belied its cheerful depiction of the studio.

During the '50s, Walt used his studio as a backdrop for several episodes of the Disneyland TV series. "The Story of the Animated Drawing" traces the history of the medium, including re-creations of Emil Reynaud's Théâtre Optique (1892-1900) and Winsor McCay's vaudeville routine with his landmark film Gertie the Dinosaur (1914). "Tricks of Our Trade," which focuses on the creation of Sleeping Beauty, shows staged footage of four of the celebrated "Nine Old Men"--Marc Davis, Milt Kahl, Frank Thomas, and Ollie Johnston--sketching. In the DVD bonus material, host Leonard Maltin traces the development of the studio facilities from a Los Angeles garage to its present location in Burbank. Maltin also chats with Disney legend Joe Grant, who cowrote the "Baby Weems" sequence in Reluctant Dragon. Recorded at the time of Grant's 94th birthday, the artist displays the sly wit that continues to inspire animators. (Unrated: Suitable for all ages: cartoon violence) --Charles Solomon

This volume goes inside the walls of the world's most famous magic factory for an inside tour, via several "behind-the-scenes" films and television shows.

Frontier Justice 50 Movie Pack

FRONTIER JUSTICE 50 MOVIE PACK (DVD MOVIE)

Whispering Smith

Branded

They don't make 'em like Branded anymore. Actually, they hardly make 'em at all. Westerns, that is, with their big skies and scenic technicolor vistas, rousing musical scores, cattle and cowpokes, bad guys and prairie damsels, horses and wagons and dust. Branded has all of that, and a good story, decent acting, and superior writing to go with it. Alan Ladd plays Choya, a morally ambiguous loner (asked if he has any friends or kinfolk, he submits "my guns" and "my horse") and falsely-accused bandit who gets pulled into a "foolproof" million dollar scam that involves impersonating the long-lost son of a rich Texas cattle rancher. Needless to say, complications ensue. The villain (Robert Keith) starts getting antsy; the rancher, Lavery (Charles Bickford), and his wife turn out to be kind, decent folks; Choya takes an interest in his "sister" (Mona Freeman) that goes well beyond fraternal devotion; and his conscience kicks in, too. His ruse revealed, feeling guilt-ridden and seeking redemption, Choya spends the second half of the film on a quest to find the real missing Lavery heir (no easy task, as "Tonio" has been raised by a notorious Mexican outlaw)… and, in the end, to discover that what he really wants and needs is the family he's just betrayed. We all know how it will turn out, of course, but Branded is a good, wholesome family fare, and a lot of fun to boot. This DVD release contains no bonus features. --Sam Graham

In BRANDED, Ladd plays Choya, a bandit who poses as the long-lost son of a wealthy Texas rancher. Shamed by the kindness of his new family and attracted to his lovely "sister," Choya vows to right the wrong he's done them. He rides out in search of the real missing heir...and into adventure as big as the western sky.

Gladiators 9 Movie Pack

The Proud Rebel

This psychological, romantic drama stars Alan Ladd as Civil War Veteran John Chandler. He roams the frontier in search of a doctor who can cure his young son, who has not spoken a word after a traumatic shock during the war. Along the way, Chandler runs afoul of a sheep herder and he and his son end up boarding with a farmwoman. He falls for the farmwoman and vows to protect her land from the sheep baron and his sons. Starring Alan Ladd, Olivia DeHavilland, Dean Jagger and David Ladd. Directed by Michael Curtiz. (1958 99 min Color)

The Great American Westerns Vol. 2 (40 Movie Pack)