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Hi All,

Two new DVD sets featuring Vitaphone shorts are out today from Warner Arcghive. The first is Volume 2 of Vitaphone Varieties, and features 35 more 1926-31 restored Vitaphone vaudeville, band and other shorts. I have provided the notes on each short. The link is here:

http://www.wbshop.com/product/vitaphone ... &refType=4" target="_blank

Also, and long awaited, is the fist volume of The Vitaphone Comedy Collection, which includes (re-mastered) all the Arbuckle Vitaphone shorts as well as the first group of Vitaphones with Shemp Howard. The remaining Shemp shorts will be out next year. Here is the link for this one:

http://www.wbshop.com/product/the+vitap ... rom=Search" target="_blank

vitaphone wrote:Hi All,

Two new DVD sets featuring Vitaphone shorts are out today from Warner Arcghive. The first is Volume 2 of Vitaphone Varieties, and features 35 more 1926-31 restored Vitaphone vaudeville, band and other shorts. I have provided the notes on each short. The link is here:

http://www.wbshop.com/product/vitaphone ... &refType=4" target="_blank" target="_blank

Also, and long awaited, is the fist volume of The Vitaphone Comedy Collection, which includes (re-mastered) all the Arbuckle Vitaphone shorts as well as the first group of Vitaphones with Shemp Howard. The remaining Shemp shorts will be out next year. Here is the link for this one:

http://www.wbshop.com/product/the+vitap ... rom=Search" target="_blank" target="_blank

I appear to be technology-challenged: I'm not seeing a listing of the contents for these sets.

This is very exciting news. One of the easiest purchases of the year. I (and many others) have waited for these Shemp/Arbuckle shorts for years. The image quality of the IN THE DOUGH preview is impressive, way, way better than I've seen.

You sound pretty confident the remaining Shemp's will be out next year - here's hoping that comes true. Though there are some gems in here (and some I haven't seen), the next batch of his Vitaphone shorts will be even better.

From Ron Hutchinson on Facebook, here's the list for the Arbuckle/Shemp set.

HEY, POP! 1932
BUZZIN' AROUND 1932
HOW'VE YOU BEAN? 1933
TOMALIO 1933
CLOSE RELATIONS 1933
IN THE DOUGH 1933
PAUL REVERE JR. 1933
SALT WATER DAFFY 1933
HOW D'YA LIKE THAT 1933
I SCREAM 1933
WRONG, WRONG, TRAIL, THE 1933
HERE COMES FLOSSIE 1933
PUGS AND KISSES 1933
MUSHROOMS 1933
PURE FEUD 1933
CORN ON THE COP 1934
RAMBLING 'ROUND RADIO ROW 1934
VERY CLOSE VEINS 1934
ART TROUBLE 1934 [Jimmy Stewart's film debut]

Yes, the remaining Shemp Vitaphones will be released next year, many remastered.

Here is the list of shorts in the new Warner Archives VITAPHONE VARIETIES VOLUME 2 Set:

Disc 1
1) HAWAIIAN NIGHTS (1927)
2) WARING’S PENNSYLVANIANS, “THE FAMOUS COLLEGIATE ORCHESTRA” (1927)
3) JOE E. BROWN in “TWINKLE, TWINKLE” (1927)
4) THE HAPPINESS BOYS, BILLY JONES AND ERNIE HARE 1927)
5) PHIL OHMAN AND VICTOR ARDEN, THE PIANO DUETTISTS (1927)
6) HARRY WAYMAN AND HIS DEBUTANTES (1927)
7) EARL BURTNETT AND HIS BILTMORE HOTEL ORCHESTRA (1928)
8) ABE LYMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA, THE MAESTRO OF SYNCOPATED SYMPHONY (1927)
9) EDDIE PEABODY in ‘BANJOLAND’ (1928)
10) JOSEPH E. HOWARD, AMERICA’S POPULAR COMPOSER (1928)
11) CHAZ CHASE, THE UNIQUE COMEDIAN (1928)
12) ROY FOX AND HIS MONTMARTE CAFÉ ORCHESTRA (1928)
13) GUIDO DEIRO, THE WORLD’S FOREMOST PIANO-ACCORDIONIST (1928)
14) NORMAN THOMAS QUINTETTE in ‘HARLEMANIA’ (1929)
15) BLANCHE SWEET in ‘ALWAYS FAITHFUL’ (1929)
16) GREGORY RATOFF in ‘FOR SALE’ (1929)
17) ANN BUTLER AND JAY BRENNAN in ‘YOU DON’T KNOW THE HALF OF IT’ (1929)

Disc 2
1) GEORGIE PRICE in ‘DON’T GET NERVOUS’ (1929)
2) KRAFT AND LAMONT in ‘RARIN’ TO GO’ (1929)
3) GRACE JOHNSTON AND THE INDIANA FIVE (1929)
4) FRED ALLEN’S PRIZE PLAYLETS (1929)
5) BERT LAHR in ‘FAINT HEART’ (1929)
6) ‘THE OPERATION’ WITH EDGAR BERGEN AND CHARLIE McCARTHY (1929)
7) JACK OSTERMAN in ‘TALKING IT OVER’ (1929)
8) LOU HOLTZ in ‘IDLE CHATTER’ (1929)
9) SCOTT SANDERS in ‘SCOTCH TAFFY’ (1929)
10) THE POOR FISH (1930)
11) SHAW AND LEE in ‘GOING PLACES’ (1930)
12) TRIXIE FRIGANZA in ‘STRONG AND WILLING’ (1930)
13) THE YACHT CLUB BOYS in ‘A PRIVATE ENGAGEMENT’ (1930)
14) JOSEPHINE HARMON in 'HARMONIZING SONGS' (1930)
15) PAT O’BRIEN in ‘CRIMES SQUARE’ (1930)
16) EDGAR BERGEN in ‘THE OFFICE SCANDAL’ (1931)
17) HELEN MORGAN in ‘THE GIGOLO RACKET’ (1931)
18) JACK HALEY in ‘SUCCESS’ (1931)

Ordered!

I would have ordered it eventually anyway, but the chance to see another Shaw & Lee and another Trixie Friganza, and have nice copies that I can spring on unsuspecting (or even suspecting) guests before some feature screening, immediately make this a must-buy, and soon! The rest of the titles and casts look like there should be a few gems among them, as well. (Now if only they were BD-Rs instead of DVD-Rs!)

Christopher Jacobs wrote: ...Now if only they were BD-Rs instead of DVD-Rs!

I read elsewhere that initial supplies of these sets will be pressed discs, and later supplies will be MOD.
Anyone know anything about this?

Regardless, I've ordered them already!

Wow. I've been waiting ten years to get hold on these Arbuckle-shorts (and that's nothing compared to many others here, I'm sure).
Quite saddening that it apparently ships to U.S. only...what about us European Arbuckle-fans?

Smari1989 wrote:Wow. I've been waiting ten years to get hold on these Arbuckle-shorts (and that's nothing compared to many others here, I'm sure).
Quite saddening that it apparently ships to U.S. only...what about us European Arbuckle-fans?

Wont be long before they appear on Amazon, Deepdiscount, Ebay, Movies Unlimited etc. They ship internationaly. Thats how I got mine previously.

Changsham wrote:

Smari1989 wrote:Wow. I've been waiting ten years to get hold on these Arbuckle-shorts (and that's nothing compared to many others here, I'm sure).
Quite saddening that it apparently ships to U.S. only...what about us European Arbuckle-fans?

Wont be long before they appear on Amazon, Deepdiscount, Ebay, Movies Unlimited etc. They ship internationaly. Thats how I got mine previously.

That's a relief, thank you!

Wow!! Great selection on Volume 2 -- I'm really psyched about Butler and Brennan, Friganza, and Shaw and Lee -- Whoopee!!!

Richard Finegan wrote:

Christopher Jacobs wrote: ...Now if only they were BD-Rs instead of DVD-Rs!

I read elsewhere that initial supplies of these sets will be pressed discs, and later supplies will be MOD.
Anyone know anything about this?

Regardless, I've ordered them already!

They arrived today!! Looks like I'll be up late tonight with our pals Roscoe & Shemp! (And all those "Vitaphone Varieties" acts too).

Regarding the MOD question, on the lower left corner of the back covers of these two new sets, it says just "DVD" while on all older Warner Archive DVD's I looked at it says "DVD Download" - so does that mean these are "pressed discs" not MOD's?

Richard Finegan wrote:

Richard Finegan wrote:

Christopher Jacobs wrote: ...Now if only they were BD-Rs instead of DVD-Rs!

I read elsewhere that initial supplies of these sets will be pressed discs, and later supplies will be MOD.
Anyone know anything about this?

Regardless, I've ordered them already!

They arrived today!! Looks like I'll be up late tonight with our pals Roscoe & Shemp! (And all those "Vitaphone Varieties" acts too).

Regarding the MOD question, on the lower left corner of the back covers of these two new sets, it says just "DVD" while on all older Warner Archive DVD's I looked at it says "DVD Download" - so does that mean these are "pressed discs" not MOD's?

They're DVD-R. The blue/purpleish bottom of the discs is a giveaway.

DVD release notes for Vitaphone Varieties Volume Two by Ron Hutchinson are here:
http://warnerarchive.tumblr.com/post/34 ... s-volume-2" target="_blank

On my set of Vitaphone Varieties the two discs are mislabeled. Disc one is labeled disc two and vice versa. Anyone else experience this?

Eric Cohen wrote:DVD release notes for Vitaphone Varieties Volume Two by Ron Hutchinson are here:
http://warnerarchive.tumblr.com/post/34 ... s-volume-2" target="_blank" target="_blank

This act originated in the early twenties as Savoy and Brennan. ... The act temporarily ended when Savoy was struck and killed by lightning in 1923.

I can see how that would put a crimp in things.

Excited for this set, can't wait to see the shorts by The Happiness Boys (a personal favourite), Fred Allen and Bergen & McCarthy.

s.w.a.c. wrote:

Eric Cohen wrote:DVD release notes for Vitaphone Varieties Volume Two by Ron Hutchinson are here:
http://warnerarchive.tumblr.com/post/34 ... s-volume-2" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

This act originated in the early twenties as Savoy and Brennan. ... The act temporarily ended when Savoy was struck and killed by lightning in 1923.

I can see how that would put a crimp in things.

Excited for this set, can't wait to see the shorts by The Happiness Boys (a personal favourite), Fred Allen and Bergen & McCarthy.

The Happiness Boys short is wonderful. I gotta say, before I saw them perform on film, I assumed Jones voice was Hare's and vise versa. I made this assumption based purely on their physical stature.

Found this great shot of Shemp going head to head with Jimmy Stewart.

precode wrote:Been dying to see ART TROUBLE. Apparently Stewart slaps the hell out of Shemp...or maybe vice versa.

Mike S.

Stewart gets it from Shemp.

BixB wrote:On my set of Vitaphone Varieties the two discs are mislabeled. Disc one is labeled disc two and vice versa. Anyone else experience this?

Mine, too!

Bob Furem wrote:

BixB wrote: On my set of Vitaphone Varieties the two discs are mislabeled. Disc one is labeled disc two and vice versa. Anyone else experience this?

Mine, too!

Mine are labeled correctly, but unfortunately (and frustratingly) won't play in my computer (which as of now is my only player). And that is the case with all four discs (both Shemp & Arbuckle discs and both in the Vitaphone Varieties set). Bringing them to a friend's house and trying them there, they play fine. So I see at least that they're not necessarily defective, but just won't play on my equipment.

Rich, as you know WA makes it clear that their DVDs are for playback in a DVD player and are not for computer playback (although many play fine in one). This has been true from the beginning.The older your computer, the more likely a problem The cheapest DVD player plays them fine.

Right on the back of the DVD case:

"This disc is expected to play back in DVD video "play only" devices, and may not play back in other DVD devices, including recorders and PC drives"

Thanks Louie!

vitaphone wrote: Rich, as you know WA makes it clear that their DVDs are for playback in a DVD player and are not for computer playback (although many play fine in one). This has been true from the beginning.The older your computer, the more likely a problem. The cheapest DVD player plays them fine.

And LouieD said:
Right on the back of the DVD case:
"This disc is expected to play back in DVD video "play only" devices, and may not play back in other DVD devices, including recorders and PC drives."

----------------------------

Yes, of course I have seen and know that. Certainly obviously definitely naturally I carefully and closely read the packages!

It's just frustrating that of all the MANY Warner Archive DVD's I've ordered this is the first time that every disc in the order has not played.

(Edited to add):
I don't mean to criticize Warner Archives...I love what they do, and as I said, I have ordered many Warner Archive DVD's with no problems or complaints. I am exremely grateful for the material they are releasing, especially the shorts sets. And I have always had excellent customer service, speedy delivery, safe secure packing, etc.
THANK YOU, Warner Archives, and keep 'em coming!

Isn't that Guy Kibbee in "For Sale" with Gregory Ratoff?

That's the Guy. He probably wasn't in the French and German versions, but the actress playing the secretary seems to have an accent.

These two ESSENTIAL sets are on sale 25% off through Dec. 2:

http://shop.warnerarchive.com/category/ ... TIDISCSALE" target="_blank