Tyler, Tom

The Westerner

The story of the fascinating character Judge Roy Bean--a Texas tyrant who established himself as "the law west of the Pecos" and who had an admiration and love for stage star Lily Langtry--and his meeting with "The Westerner" a drifter who runs afoul of the law when he is falsely accused of stealing a horse.System Requirements:Running Time: 100 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: WESTERN/CLASSICS Rating: NR UPC: 883904107118 Manufacturer No: M110711

Having created an instant classic the previous year with their superlative production of Wuthering Heights, producer Samuel Goldwyn, director William Wyler, and cinematographer Gregg Toland reunited for this classic Western from 1940, which earned Walter Brennan his record-setting third Academy Award. Gary Cooper reportedly hesitated to take his role, knowing that Brennan would likely steal the show with his splendid portrayal of "hanging" lawman Judge Roy Bean, but Wyler persisted and Cooper signed on as the drifter who faces Judge Bean under the false accusation of stealing a horse. Cooper smooth-talks his way out of his hanging by claiming to be a close friend of stage star Lily Langtry, with whom the judge is unabashedly smitten, but tensions rise when Cooper comes to the defense of a group of struggling homesteaders that Brennan is trying to drive away. This leads, of course, to a classic showdown in true Western tradition, and under Wyler's able direction The Westerner takes its place among the finest examples of the genre. And while Brennan does indeed steal the show, Cooper needn't have worried--he's every bit the hero in a battle with one of the silver screen's most memorable villains. --Jeff Shannon

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

A masterpiece of mood and heroics this second film in director John Ford's renowned cavalry trilogy (Fort Apache and Rio Grande are the others) features one of John Wayne's most moving performances as a cavalry officer in his final week of service on the frontier. Under makeup aging him some 20 years he inhabits the role of a wily veteran who knows the sting of war and vows to make his last mission one of peace. The ritual of outpost life the sweep of battle the advance of the patrol beneath ominous skies: She Wore a Yellow Ribbon an Academy Award winner* for its color cinematography paints a memorable portrait of the honor duty and courage in the finest tradition of the cavalry. And of Ford filmmaking.Running Time: 103 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: WESTERN/MISC. Rating: NR UPC: 053939791525 Manufacturer No: T7915

The second installment of John Ford's famous cavalry trilogy (which also includes Fort Apache and Rio Grande), this meditative Western continues the director's fascination with history's obliteration of the past. It features one of John Wayne's more sensitive performances as Capt. Nathan Brittles, a stern yet sentimental war horse who has difficulty preparing for his impending military retirement. All things considered, he refuses to leave before fulfilling his obligation to the local Indian tribe. It's a film about honor and duty as well as loneliness and mortality. And Oscar-winner Winton C. Hoch beautifully photographs it in Remington-like Technicolor tones (you've never seen such stunning cloud-covered skies). The combination of melancholy and farce (Victor McLaglen makes a perfect court jester) evokes comparisons to Shakespeare. Best of all, the scene in which Wayne fights back tears when receiving a gold watch from his troops is unforgettably bittersweet. If you view the whole trilogy, it actually makes sense to save this for last. --Bill Desowitz

Stagecoach

Nine passengers ride a stage through Apache territory...and into movie immortality. The John Ford classic that won two Academy Awards(R) and made John Wayne a star. Year: 1939 Director: John Ford Starring: Claire Trevor John Wayne Andy DevineRunning Time: 96 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: WESTERN/MISC. Rating: NR UPC: 085391158660 Manufacturer No: 115866

This landmark 1939 Western began the legendary relationship between John Ford and John Wayne, and became the standard for all subsequent Westerns. It solidified Ford as a major director and established Wayne as a charismatic screen presence. Seen today, Stagecoach still impresses as the first mature instance of a Western that is both mythic and poetic. The story about a cross-section of troubled passengers unraveling under the strain of Indian attack contains all of Ford's incomparable storytelling trademarks--particularly swift action and social introspection--underscored by the painterly landscape of Monument Valley. And what an ensemble of actors: Thomas Mitchell (who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar as the drunken doctor), Claire Trevor, Donald Meek, Andy Devine, and the magical John Carradine. Due to the film's striking use of chiaroscuro lighting and low ceilings, Orson Welles watched Stagecoach over and over while preparing for Citizen Kane. --Bill Desowitz

Adventures of Captain Marvel

The Phantom - Serial

Professor Davidson and his lovely daughter Diana search Africa for the Lost City of Zoloz. Legend pegs it to be the source of a vast hidden treasure. Their search is hindered by a local crook, Singapore Smith, who wants the treasure for himself. It is further complicated by Dr. Bremmer, an international criminal, who plans to destroy the peace with the local native tribes and build a secret air base at Zoloz. Fortunately, the Phantom, who is also Diana's fiancé, is more than a match for the two villains. The Phantom, with his superhuman strength, manages to outwit each enemy move, escaping from one death trap after an other: avalanches, poison gas, flaming pyres, and explosions fail to shake his fearless spirit. With the help of his four-footed pal Devil, he finally overpowers all the enemy factions, and brings peace to the jungle once again. Another exciting serial adventure produced by Columbia Pictures and based on one of King Features' funny-paper heroes. Bonus Features: Photo Gallery| Comic Book Art Gallery| Commentary by Author Max Allan Collins| Actor Bios| Chapter Menu. Specs: 1-DVD9 + 1-DVD5; Dolby Digital Mono; 254 minutes; B&W; 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; MPAA - NR; Year - 1943; SRP - $19.99.

Eclipse Series 5 - The First Films of Samuel Fuller (The Baron of Arizona / I Shot Jesse James / The Steel Helmet) (Criterion Collection)

His films have been called raw outrageous sensational and daring. In four decades of directing Samuel Fuller created a legendarily idiosyncratic oeuvre examining U.S. history and mythmaking in westerns film noirs and war epics. And characteristically it all began with a bang: after printing the legend with the elegant B-pictures I Shot Jesse James and The Baron of Arizona he got himself into hot water with the FBI on The Steel Helmet the first American movie to portray the Korean War. These three independent films showed off Fuller's genre diversity gutter wit and subversive force and pointed the way to a controversial career in studio moviemaking.Includes:I Shot Jesse JamesFuller's directorial debut is a psychological western excavating with pathos and humor the tale of Robert Ford the member of Jesse James's gang who shot the famed outlaw in the back.The Baron of ArizonaA devilishly witty Vincent Price plays a nineteenth-century con man who sets out to commit the most epic swindle in U.S. history: to claim himself as the rightful inheritor of Arizona.The Steel HelmetWith its low budget and high ambitions Fuller's snarling Korean War film an examination of race relations as well as a visceral plunge into battle remains one of the director's most discussed and admired works.System Requirements:Running Time: 262 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: NR UPC: 715515025522 Manufacturer No: ECL022DVD

Stagecoach (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Nine disparate travelers are thrust together on a Stagecoach destined for Apache territory...and movie immortality. As the Ringo Kid director John Ford casr a lanky veteran of 70 B-movies serials and shorts named John Wayne. Each rifle shot and closeup rang out the news: a new star is born. Claire Trevor Thomas Mitchell (his Academy Award winning* performance) and others made memorable imptressions. Stunt legend Yakima Canutt provided hair-raising thrilles. And 17 American folk songs formed the basis of an Oscar winning* score. This adventure ushered in a 30-year era of great Westerns many featuring its top practitioners Ford and Wayne.Running Time: 96 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: WESTERN/MISC. UPC: 012569758995 Manufacturer No: 75899

This landmark 1939 Western began the legendary relationship between John Ford and John Wayne, and became the standard for all subsequent Westerns. It solidified Ford as a major director and established Wayne as a charismatic screen presence. Seen today, Stagecoach still impresses as the first mature instance of a Western that is both mythic and poetic. The story about a cross-section of troubled passengers unraveling under the strain of Indian attack contains all of Ford's incomparable storytelling trademarks--particularly swift action and social introspection--underscored by the painterly landscape of Monument Valley. And what an ensemble of actors: Thomas Mitchell (who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar as the drunken doctor), Claire Trevor, Donald Meek, Andy Devine, and the magical John Carradine. Due to the film's striking use of chiaroscuro lighting and low ceilings, Orson Welles watched Stagecoach over and over while preparing for Citizen Kane. --Bill Desowitz

Brother Orchid

Racket Boss John Sarto tired of gang violence quits and goes to Europe for "culture." His fortune soon dissipated by European swindlers he returns to the old mob; but new boss Jack Burns finds him strictly superfluous. Narrowly escaping being rubbed out Sarto is taken in by the monastery of the "Little Brothers of the Flower." His unique talents prove very useful to the monks...especially when Sarto's old mob forces them out of the flower market.Running Time: 128 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA/CLASSICS UPC: 883929002702 Manufacturer No: 1000035744

The Talk of the Town

An escaped accused arsonist hides out at the home of a friend and they work to convince her summer tenant, a judge, of his innocence.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: UN
Release Date: 25-FEB-2003
Media Type: DVD

The screwball comedy was the definitive genre of the Depression, but as America edged toward war in the early '40s, it suffered some strange and wonderful mutations--none stranger than The Talk of the Town, directed by George Stevens from a script by novelist Irwin Shaw and frequent Capra collaborator (and future blacklist victim) Sidney Buchman. Cary Grant, awkwardly cast, is a small-town political agitator who is framed for the burning of a local factory; he takes refuge in the attic of a country cottage that landlady Jean Arthur is preparing to rent out to a celebrated law professor (silver-tongued Ronald Colman, perhaps the only actor in Hollywood who could make Grant look like a proletarian). Stevens, suspended between his light '30s style (Swing Time) and his heavy postwar manner (A Place in the Sun), struggles to balance a charming, surprisingly suspenseful romantic triangle with the heavy, debating-society tone of the screenplay, which pits Grant, the representative of a compassionate, emotional sense of justice, against the cool, abstract application of the law advocated by Colman. Caught between these two highly verbal characters, Jean Arthur doesn't have much to do but be adorable and provide the occasional quizzical reaction shot--two things she does with exquisite skill. Stevens and Arthur teamed up again one year later for another strange-bedfellows farce, the marvelous The More the Merrier; in 1953 Arthur made her final film appearance in Stevens's Shane. --Dave Kehr

Frontier Justice 50 Movie Pack

America's favorite classic cowboy heroes star in this terrific collection of action features. You'll find old favorites like Roy Rogers Gene Autry Johnny Mack Brown Tim McCoy Hoot Gibson Ken Maynard Bob Steele Tex Ritter and the incomparable Randolph Scott. Also find hidden gems like The Proud Rebel starring Alan Ladd and The Gay Amigo featuring Duncan Renaldo (The Cisco Kid).Included:1. Billy the Kid's Gun Justice2. Branded a Coward3. Cowboy and the Indians The4. Dead or Alive5. Devil Riders6. Dynamite Ranch7. Eyes of Texas8. Fighting Mad (1939)9. Fighting Westerner The10. Frontier Pony Express11. Fugitive Valley12. Gambling Terror The13. Gay Amigo The14. Ghost-Town Gold15. Grand Canyon Trail16. Gunman from Brodie The17. Heart of the Rockies18. His Brother's Ghost19. Idaho20. Jesse James at Bay21. Law of .45's The22. Law of Vengeance23. Lightnin' Bill Carson24. Loaded Pistols25. Man's Land A26. Nevada City27. Night Rider The28. Old Barn Dance The29. On the Great White Trail30. On the Old Spanish Trail31. Park Avenue Logger32. Proud Rebel The33. Red Blood of Courage34. Ride Ranger Ride35. Roarin' Lead36. Saga of Death Valley37. Song of Arizona38. Song of Nevada39. Springtime in the Sierras40. Stampede41. Sunset Serenade42. Three Mesquiteers The43. Under Western Stars44. Wagon Wheels45. Wall Street Cowboy46. Water Rustlers47. Wings Over Wyoming48. Wrangler's Roost49. Yodelin' Kid from Pine Ridge50. Young Buffalo BillSystem Requirements:Running Time: 3026 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: WESTERN/CLASSICS UPC: 826831070384 Manufacturer No: MV07038