Lost And Rare Films

Today, I’d like to share an awesome video release, in keeping with the topic of my blog. I already covered lost television episodes in my article about the Avengers. Now, from Festival Films come the first volumes in a series of DVDs called “Lost and Rare”.

And volume 1 contains exactly that! Rare episodes, films, pilots. Some are seen here for the first time since they first aired, and others… have never been seen at all.

So here is your chance of seeing lost and rediscovered footage of Hollywood stars as if you were a sponsor, deciding if the pilot is going to series. Singer – dancer Jane Powell opens the ball with The Jane Powell Show. A 32 minute sitcom so rare that even the Imdb had no record of it before I submitted an entry. As a matter of fact, don’t waste your time looking for info on the internet. You won’t find much.

And yet, this pilot was full of promise. Miss Powell (of Royal Wedding fame) stars as K.C. McKay, a famous singer who quits her job to become the housewife of a suburban college professor. Of course, adapting to campus life will not be easy; especially considering how prejudiced the other professors are against show-business, and how her impresario pressures her to return to work. The part is played by Elliott Reid (Jane Russell’s boyfriend in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes).

The pilot never developed into a series, however, Russell Johnson who plays the husband, went on to star in Gilligan's Island as another professor.

Canine star Munroe

Verna Felton fighting a lion

Next, animal-lovers are in for a treat with a Rintintin-like adventure called Munroe. Watch out for Verna Felton in one of her last roles as the mother-in-law. You may not know her face, but you‘ve heard her voice for sure as the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, the fairy godmother in Cinderella, Aunt Sarah in Lady and The Tramp, Flora in Sleeping Beauty or an Elephant in The Jungle Book and Dumbo. Another Disney regular and awesome character actor appearing here is John Fiedler as the cook. He is the kind of character actor who seemed to appear in every TV show in town at least once. He was also the voice of Piglet.

A Margaret O’Brien vehicle is also included (inventively called “Maggie”). Remember little Tootie from Meet Me In St Louis? Well, she grew up. And she is a lot for her parents to handle. As a matter of fact, her screen dad in both films is the same one: Leon Ames. You may remember her mother Fay Baker in a little part as a party girl in Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious; and her neighbor Jesslyn Fax as Miss Hearing Aid in Rear Window by the same director.

The irony of this volume is that the only pilot that spurred a successful series on this set, was not a pilot at all. Meet McGraw was intended to be just another episode of Four Star Playhouse. It is presented here complete with commercials. Look out for Ellen Corby, the hotel manager in Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, in a lengthier part.

And the icing on the cake is the pilot for the second “Ed Wynn Show”. This actor is a fascinating and lovable character: you may remember him in Disney productions like Alice in Wonderland as the mad hatter, That Darn Cat, Son of Flubber or as uncle Albert in Mary Poppins. I strongly suggest you watch The Twilight Zone’s second episode “One for the Angel” where this amazing actor displays his enormous talent. Here he plays a somewhat similar role as a kind of guardian angel not only to his two grand daughters but also to a group of college kids.

An exclusive footage of Ed Wynn talking to the sponsor is included after the show.

Volume 2 of the collection focuses on sports.

In only 10 minutes, the first newsreel “Sports Immortal” offers a 1939 montage of older footage from many sports champions (one of whom is the horse Man O’ War) who remain famous to this day. There is even a rare glimpse at a very young ice-skater Sonja Henie before she started her film career.

Joe DiMaggio

Baseball fans will love Touching All Bases! Actual legends are captured here on film (Like Marilyn Monroe's husband Joe Die Maggio) and should you want to emulate them, they are giving you instructions (with slow motion and all) for your game.
Also from 1939, The Brown Bomber will show you that Entertainment Tonight invented nothing. The camera follows heavy weight champion Joe Louis as a groupie would in his training, his breakfast, his listening to records, etc. 

Kings of Sport is a newsreel featuring champions of the forties like Babe Ruth, Jesse Owens, or golfer Bobby Jones.
To wrap up these volume is a piece of History! Adolf Hitler himself appears in an American newsreel about the 1936 Olympic Highlights. It is fascinating to have an American point of view over the Nazi-themed event so famously covered by German film-maker Leni Riefenstahl.


Find out more about this set and upcoming releases from the official site, the youtube channel, and of course buy volume 1 and volume 2 on amazon !

That's all for today folks!