laureatedvd.com

[Ken Barnes]

Hi Mark,

Firstly, although I was going to be involved with the Doris Day boxed set, Universal decided to do it "in-house."

The set, as far as I'm aware, is made up of the following titles:

Young At Heart, Pillow Talk, That Touch of Mink, Lover Come Back, Send Me No Flowers and The Thrill of it All.

It is my understanding that there'll be a documentary with
Young At Heart-50th Anniversary but no audio commentaries.

Happy holiday
Ken Barnes

[Ken Barnes]

Hi Mark,

My link with the Doris Day set is a very tenuous one. A major breakdown in my relationship with Universal's marketing dept. ended my input on this set. Also it may have been that my services were considered too expensive. I was not told the reason. Whatever it was, they were not interested in (a) any input from Doris Day or her son,Terry Melcher
(b) valuable contributions from the Sinatra estate ( with which I am associated ) (c) any audio commentary and (d) production notes or any historical advice. What they were interested in was a couple of
TV programmes on Doris - which they didn't know about until I told them.
So one or more of these will probably make up the second disc on the
"Young At Heart" special edition.

It wouldn't surprise me if they use the original DLT from the first DVD
release. THe Head of Marketing said she wanted to release the entire set to coincide with Mother's Day ( I can't quite see the connection - but
maybe she sees the market in a different way ). This woman was also not
the least bit interested in commemorating D.D's 80th birthday. Probably because, in her view, old is not commercial ( and she may have a point there).

Working with this lady was not a pleasure for me because she - and the people around her - did not appear to care about the movies they are entrusted with. She is totally profit-oriented - meaning she wants to produce this set for the least money to make the fastest turnover. (And that may well be her brief from above. So maybe she can't be blamed entirely for this ). She is also obsessed with pleasing the dealers ( which is not always a good idea because the dealer is NOT the target audience. I'm consumer-oriented - which I feel is the most important stance because if you don't reach your consumer you're not going to make a profit anyway.

One thing she is good at - and I take my hat off to her for this - is finding the most attractive photos for her packages. I think it will be a good set and I hope it contains a lot of info. for the consumer. I'll certainly be interested to hear your reaction.

Ken

[Mark Bakker]

I think it's very myopic of Universal not to seek the input of Doris herself in relation to the forthcoming 'Doris Day DVD Set'
Doris was one of the biggest stars of the fifties and sixties, a tremendous singer and better than average actress.
A 6 disc DVD set, which is retailing for around £50, would essentially be of interest to a Doris Day enthusiast such as myself.
I would however expect some decent 'extras' when buying a boxed set of this type.
So few of the great performers of this time are still around. Universal are missing a wonderful opportunity by not seeking the involvement of Doris, her son and the Sinatra Estate.
Let's hope this set gives us some decent prints of the films. I also agree with Mark Fisk, it's high time 'Teachers Pet' was released on DVD.
Doris Day and Gable, a perfect combination!
Mark Bakker

[Ken Barnes]

Thanks Mark for your comments. I had spent time in California researching the Doris Day package - but more particularly the 50th anniversary of the film "Young At Heart." My friend, Charles Pignone of the Sinatra office was most forthcoming in helping me with valuable research and the offer of rare never-before-published photos from the set of "Young At Heart." There was also a possibility that Nancy Sinatra would contribute an interview that would have told something of her father's
experiences on the film. I also obtained the phone number of Terry Melcher and, while Doris doesn't like to give interviews these days, it now transpires that she may well have contributed a short spoken introductionhad she been asked.

All of this was part of my original brief. To find it coldly and unaccountably dismissed came as a complete surprise. I don't know what they have planned in the way of extras, but it will be interesting to see what turns up.

On the subject of "Teacher's Pet," which has a terrific script ( as well as a most amusing and scene-stealing performance from Gig Young ), this would be the province of Paramount not Universal. I agree it certainly should be issued on DVD.

Ken

[Dominic McHugh]

I wonder if anyone has bought the boxset? Or even Young At Heart? I can't seem to find much information on what the second disc of the latter consists of. It seems mindless to me that they refused the Laureate contributions - your DVDs are always special because the special features are REALLY special! I thought the picture quality was so poor on the old DVD of it that I wouldn't buy it again without a really enticing set of special features.

Dominic
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Dominic McHugh

[Ken Barnes]

Hi Dominic,

I'm still not sure why I was taken off the Doris Day set. I did a lot of research on this - particularly on "Young At Heart." In fact, while I was in Los Angeles in October I had a lot of help from the Sinatra office and I amassed enough info. ( on the making of the picture, the reasons for Sinatra's casting and why the film was called "Young at Heart" and the stories of what took place on the set ) to make a 10,000 word essay for an audio commentary. I also established contact with some of the surviving cast members. And there was even a possibility that Doris Day would have recorded an introduction to the box set. All of this was declined. Why ? I don't know.

I would like to hear from anyone who does buy the set - or just the new "Young At Heart." It would be interesting to see if (A) they had spent money on a new print or,at least, some decent restoration and (B) to see what they've done to justify a second disc.

Would I buy the set ? I doubt it because I already have five of the six films on laserdiscs ( and the quality is good enough for me ). However, if Universal - who produced this new set in-house - have done a really first-rate job, I may well consider adding it to my collection. So, like you, I'm going to wait and get some reports.

Ken

[Ryan]

Imagine a DVD the size of an LP. I still have several of the things five years after my player died. The best one being a version of Swing Time that has a commentary by John Mueller.

[Dominic McHugh]

I still haven't bought this yet bought I saw it in HMV yesterday. There appears to only be one disc, although they are selling it as a special edition. There is also mention of a remastered picture/soundtrack - but who knows what that means?

Also on the subject of Doris Day DVDs, I've noticed a cheap copy of 'The Pajama Game' available. It looks like another of those copyright-has-run-out films. It would make a great Laureate release - and you could maybe use some of your Young at Heart research! I know that Warner's have released the USA DVD but I'm not sure that they own the UK rights?

Best
Dominic
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Dominic McHugh

[Ken Barnes]

Hi Dominic,

Having checked with the Library of Congress in Washington DC, I can confirm that the THE PAJAMA GAME is NOT in the public domain.

It is currently available on DVD from Warner Brothers.

Ken

[Dominic McHugh]

Dear Ken

The release I'm referring to is by Dynamic Entertainment Ltd - it's being sold by amazon.co.uk - here is the link:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/dvd/B00014WA6W/tech-info/ref=ed_tec_dp/202-6795881-9189424

Surely they have nothing to do with Warners? The DVD is so cheap that I assume it's an inferior print. However, I was a bit surprised to see it in the shops considering I knew it was a Warners release in the US.

Best

Dominic
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Dominic McHugh