laureatedvd.com

[Celia Hall]

Dear Mr. Barnes,

My husband and I have bought the two Fred Astaire musicals - Second Chorus & Royal Wedding - and we also have a good many of your albums over the years - Jack Jones, Peggy Lee, Fred Astaire and particularly your chart hits with Slim Whitman and the great Bing Crosby. Are you planning to do any further musicals on DVD ? Could you possibly get the rights to things like " High Society" ( Crosby & Sinatra), " Top Hat" " Swing Time" and "Follow The Fleet" ( Astaire and Rogers ) and maybe the "Road" pictures with Crosby,Hope and Lamour ? These movies don't just appeal to the older people, my children ( aged 10 to 19 ) are all avid fans of Astaire, Crosby, Sinatra and Gene Kelly.

Keep up the good work
Celia Hall ( Mrs.)

[Dominic McHugh]

Dear Mrs Hall and Mr Barnes

I would like to whole-heartedly agree with your enthusiasm for musicals and to confirm that the very young find them just as enthralling as more mature viewers. I am now 18 years old, and fell in love with 'Fred and Ginger' when I was 7. I, too, would love to have any of these titles on DVD, a medium which Mr Barnes has clearly conquered. I have bought both of the Astaire titles and watch them repeatedly.

I have also bought 'Charade', which is now my favourite film of all time. I wondered whether other films from the same genre, eg 'Caprice' with Doris Day, are on the cards for release?

Many thanks for your excellent work.

Dominic McHugh

[Ken Barnes]

Hello Dominic,

Thanks for getting in touch. I'm pleased that you like the Astaire musicals and Charade. There will be more on the way. I'm currently in talks with Universal to produce a
60th Anniversary Special Edition DVD of HOLIDAY INN starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. This was the film in which Bing first sang "White Christmas" ( which becanme the biggest selling record of all time - check out the Guiness Book of Records )and Fred did the celebrated "Firecrackers" dance routine. The two stars make a delightful team and with a score by Irving Berlin, this is perhaps the definitive musical of the 1940s.

We are also in negotiation with Sinatra Enterprises for the DVD rights to some of Frank's TV shows from the 1960s and '70s as well as some of his films.

As for Doris Day, there is a possibility that we will be doing some of her Universal movies in due course. We expect to be updating our news section in the next month or so.So all I can say is..watch this space.

It's good to have your support

Best wishes
Ken Barnes

Many thanks for your support

[Ken Barnes]

Dear Mrs. Hall,

Thanks for your kind comments and for your expressed interest in more musicals. As the DVD market increases, it is my hope to offer more classic musicals.

Films like "High Society" and the Astaire-Rogers musicals are in the catalogues of major companies who are not always eager to sub-license their titles. However, I am told that a DVD of "High Society" is being prepared for USA release next year.

We are currently talking with a mjor company to obtain the rights to "Road To Rio" which has NEVER been released on video outside of the USA. Please check with our news section - which will be updated shortly.

Once again, my thanks

Ken Barnes