I was just reading that John Wayne's children are working to restore many of his older films that had damage done to the original celluloid negatives, and as each film is restored, it will be released on DVD.
2 Of the Duke's films 1953's ''Island In The Sky'', and 1954's ''High and The Mighty'' had a very lengthy restoration process and are now in pristine condition.
I do NOT know if you can ge the American cable network AMC, (American Movie Classics), but both will premiere on TV for the very first time....one of them I forget which, tonight Saturday 7/16/05 and the other, tomorrow Sunday 7/17/05 USA time.
....And...BOTH will be available on DVD, to buy, with...special extra bonus features on
August 2, 2005!
Enjoy...Pilgrim!
........Here's the article all about it....... link
cheers for this info Arlene, you're a doll!!!
(i picked up a 20-movie dvd package of his early stuff for $8.75 while out there. it's for sale in UIK at £35.99 that's eight times the cost!!!
Arlene - if there's anyway you can either
a. record these
b. get the dvds
i will gladly pay you whatever they cost (incl postage)
or if anyone else out there can - it's not easy getting this stuff in the UK - why do THEY have to announce this stuff AFTER i return from the US?
talk about bad timing
The link I posted above only works today. So I copied the article in today's Baltimore Sun, from The Los Angeles Times.
By Susan King
Los Angeles Times
Originally published July 16, 2005
Two of John Wayne's best films from the 1950s - The High and the Mighty and Island in the Sky - have been missing in action for decades.
In fact, the last time The High and the Mighty saw the light of day was on CBS in September 1979, the year Wayne died. And it's been more than 40 years since Island in the Sky was telecast or shown theatrically.
That's because the films, directed by William Wellman (Wings, A Star Is Born) and produced through the Duke's own company, had fallen into disrepair. The High and the Mighty's original negative had particularly suffered - water damage, dirt, fading - and several reels were missing.
But thanks to Wayne's daughter-in-law Gretchen Wayne, both films are flying high once again.
The newly restored Island in the Sky premieres at 8 tonight on AMC; The High and the Mighty will be unveiled tomorrow night at 8 as part of a 32-film retrospective of the two-fisted superstar on the cable network. On Aug. 2, Paramount Home Entertainment will release a two-disc DVD special edition of The High and the Mighty and a single disc of Island in the Sky.
Already, The High and the Mighty ranks No. 4 on Amazon.com's presale orders list.
Michael Wayne, the eldest son of the actor, had been working for years to restore films made under Wayne's Batjac Productions. In the 1990s, he restored and released on VHS two of his dad's most popular films, Hondo and McClintock! Though he had started work on both The High and the Mighty and Island in the Sky, Michael Wayne hadn't gotten far before his own death two years ago.
"Michael was judicious about what he put out," Gretchen Wayne said of her husband. "He took his own sweet time about it, but he made sure that everything was always perfection."
Adding to the delay was a major obstacle: "He went into the film vaults one day and there had been a leak, and a lot of our films were sitting in water," she said.
Originally released in 1954, The High and the Mighty was one of the top-grossing films of the year and was nominated for six Oscars, including best director for Wellman and supporting actress nods for Jan Sterling and Claire Trevor; it won for Dimitri Tiomkin's memorable score. The granddaddy of disaster films, it stars the Duke as an airplane pilot who guides a crippled airliner to safety on a flight from Hawaii to San Francisco.
Wayne wasn't originally scheduled to be in the picture, said the director's son, William Wellman Jr. The role of Dan Roman was to go to Spencer Tracy, but "at the last minute he decided not to do it." Wellman said. Because the character is not the typical macho Wayne hero, the late director had to talk Wayne into playing the part.
Then, "they had trouble casting the two leading women," Wellman added. "Every major star turned them down - Joan Crawford, Bette Davis and Loretta Young. So they ended up with Claire Trevor and Jan Sterling, and they both got two Academy Award nominations."
The popularity of The High and the Mighty overshadowed Island in the Sky, released in 1953.
In it, Wayne - once again playing a pilot - finds himself stranded in the uncharted Arctic wilderness when his plane goes down. "I think it's one of Wayne's very best performances," said Wellman. "It's a survival story."
Gretchen Wayne said she had no hesitation about stepping into her husband's role. "It was something Michael had wanted to do, and it gave me a sense of connection. It kept me from sitting around and crying all day."
Island in the Sky was not too difficult to restore. "It just needed a lot of cleaning up," she said of the black-and-white film. But she thought The High and the Mighty was a lost cause. Several
Martin, I just reread the article and it says that Amazon.com is taking pre-sales-orders, prior to the 8/2/05 USA release date.
If you pre-sales-order now, you might get it as soon as it's released in the USA.
My favorite is STILL ''The Cowboys''. One of my all time favorite films too.
''The Shootist'' and ''McClintock'' are great too.
Oh..and ''Hatari!'' Love it!
Arlene R. Weiss wrote: My favorite is STILL ''The Cowboys''. One of my all time favorite films too.
''The Shootist'' and ''McClintock'' are great too.
Oh..and ''Hatari!'' Love it!
the shootist (first and foremost)
then the cowboys
then the searchers
also loved the man who shot liberty valance
Arlene R. Weiss wrote: Martin, I just reread the article and it says that Amazon.com is taking pre-sales-orders, prior to the 8/2/05 USA release date.
If you pre-sales-order now, you might get it as soon as it's released in the USA.
all the links are USA-only sites
that equals extra postage and UK VAT once the customs people get hold of it
so effectively a $23 film will cost approximately £45 - no can do
If you want brenski you can buy and ship to my address, I'll be more then happy to send it to you.
I have done this a few time for my Eurolander friends.
I don't think the Post Office will charge you extra if the DVD is under £17 or so.
Since with Playusa p/p is free - simply order the dvds individually.