Sunday, April 10, 2011

Remastered Version of Rio Rita

A couple a days ago I mention a remastered version of Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd was released by WBShop.com. Well today they have also released a remastered version of Rio Rita.

http://www.wbshop.com/Rio-Rita-1942/1000202891,default,pd.html?cgid=

 As with the Captain Kidd version the quality seems to be quite good and there is also a 3 minute sample so that you can check out the quality. Once again it seems like these videos are only available from WBShop.com as these are "Made to Order" DVD's. WBShop.com does seem to offer Digital Downloads but not yet for these releases.

Nazi spies have infiltrated the Hotel Vista del Rio, a resort on the Mexican border. They plan to use a radio broadcast by a famous guest, Ricardo Montera (John Carroll), to transmit coded messages to their cohorts. Doc (Bud Abbott) and Wishy (Lou Costello) are stowaways in Montera's car, who steal a basket of "apples" that turn out being miniature radios used by the spies. Rita Winslow (Kathryn Grayson), the hotel's owner and childhood sweetheart of Montera, hire Doc and Wishy as house detectives, who discover the Nazi codebook and give it to Montera. They are then kidnapped by the spies, and left in a room with a bomb set to explode, but manage to escape while Wishy plants the bomb in the pocket of one of the culprits. Meanwhile, the broadcast has already begun and Montera, refusing to participate in treason, fights the spies until the Texas Rangers arrive. The spies' escape by car is thwarted when the planted bomb finally explodes.(synopsis from Wikipedia)






http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_Rita_(1942_film)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035259/

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Remastered Version of Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd

Warner Bros. has released a re-mastered version of Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd on DVD. It seems like it is only available at WB Shop. (see link below).  I have yet to see this version and I'm unsure of it's quality but it can't be as bad as what's been previously available. There is a 3 minute preview of the movie quality at WB Shop site and the quality looks decent.






http://www.wbshop.com/Abbott-and-Costello-Meet-Captain-Kidd/1000205102,default,pd.html?cgid=ARCHIVENEW


Oliver "Puddin' Head" Johnson (Lou Costello) and Rocky Stonebridge (Bud Abbott) are on their way to Death's Head Tavern, where they work. They encounter Lady Jane (Fran Warren), who asks them to bring a love note to the tavern singer, Bruce Martingale (Bill Shirley).
At the tavern, the notorious Captain Kidd (Charles Laughton) is dining with Captain Bonney (Hillary Brooke), a female pirate. She accuses Kidd of raiding ships in her territory and is asking for restitution. Kidd informs Bonney that he has hidden the amassed treasure on Skull Island, and that only he has the map to its exact location. He agrees to take her, with her ship in tow, to the island so that she can receive her share. During the discussion, Oliver happens to be waiting on them, and inadvertently switches the map for the love note that he was carrying. Rocky discovers the mistake and goes to Captain Kidd, demanding a share of the treasure and a place on the voyage in exchange for the map. Kidd ostensibly agrees, but intends to kill Oliver and Rocky once he gets the map.
The voyage begins (with the addition of Bruce, who has been shanghaied), and Kidd unsuccessfully attempts to regain the map throughout the entire voyage. (Meanwhile, Bonney mistakenly believes that Oliver wrote the love note and has now fallen for him—further complicating the whole situation). During the voyage, Kidd raids another ship, which happens to have Lady Jane on board, and she is kidnapped.
The two ships finally arrive at Skull Island; Oliver and Rocky begin to dig up the treasure, when Kidd arrogantly declares his plans to dispose of them along with Captain Bonney. They alert Bonney to Kidd's true intentions, and her crew attacks. The treasure is recovered, and Bonney's crew wins the fight, with Kidd becoming her prisoner.(synopsis from Wikipedia)


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044320/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbott_and_Costello_Meet_Captain_Kidd