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Turner Classic Movies And Warner Home Video To Launch Four New Classic Film Collections On July 12

(March 28, 2011 – Burbank, CA) – Warner Home Video and Turner Classic Movies today announced the addition of four new classic film collections to their popular Greatest Classic Films and Greatest Classic Legends lines. Available at retail July 12, the collections include: “TCM Greatest Classic Legends: Lucille Ball” – “The Long, Long Trailer,” “Forever Darling,” “Room Service,” “Du Barry Was a Lady”; “TCM Greatest Classic Legends: Burt Lancaster” – “Local Hero,” “Seven Days in May,” “Executive Action,” “The Flame and the Arrow”; “TCM Greatest Classic Films: Shakespeare” – “A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream,” “Othello,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Antony and Cleopatra”; “TCM Greatest Classic Films: Literary Romance” – “Little Women,” “Pride and Prejudice,” “Madame Bovary,” “Anna Karenina.” These collections feature classic stars: James Cagney, Laurence Olivier, Charlton Heston, Elizabeth Taylor, Greta Garbo and more. Each collection contains four classic films and is affordably priced at $27.92 SRP. Orders are due June 7, 2011. Since February 2009, these collections have been made available in separate waves and promoted on-air throughout the year on TCM. To further build momentum around these titles, Warner Home Video has aligned the street dates for the collections to coincide with Turner Classic Movies programming. In this wave, the Lucille Ball collection is timed to release with TCM’s 24-hour Lucille Ball marathon on August 6, the star’s 100th birthday. Additional promotional support for these titles will include TV programming consisting of on-air promotional spots on Turner Networks and print advertising in the “Now Playing” guide. About The Collections: “TCM Greatest Classic Legends: Lucille Ball”:
TCM will be celebrating Lucille Ball’s 100th birthday in the Month of July! “The Long, Long Trailer” (1954): Anyone know how to park this thing? Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz play newlyweds who hit the honeymoon road with a 40-foot house trailer in tow in this crowd-pleasing comedy directed by Vincente Minnelli. “Forever Darling” (1956): Heaven help them! Ball and Arnaz head for the great outdoors – and so does her guardian angel (James Mason) – in a comedy that asks: “Can marriage survive a camping trip?” “Room Service” (1938): Ball and Ann Miller join the Marx Brothers in a riotous romp about a cash-strapped theatrical troupe trying to nail down a backer for their new Broadway venture. “Du Barry Was A Lady” (1943): Their friendship is a perfect musical-comedy blendship! Ball goes from NYC torch singer to the dream girl of Red Skelton’s wacky, 18th-century-France reverie. Gene Kelly joins the fun, spiced by nifty Cole Porter songs! Special Features: “The Long, Long Trailer” Includes:
    • Pete Smith Specialty Short “Ain’t It Aggravatin’?”
    • Cartoon “Dixieland Droopy”
“Forever Darling” Includes:
    • Behind-the-Scenes Segment from “The MGM Parade” TV Series
“Room Service” Includes:
    • Vintage Short “Party Fever”
    • Classic Cartoon “The Daffy Doc”
      “Du Barry Was A Lady” Includes:
        • Pete Smith Specialty Short “Seeing Hands”
        • Cartoon “Bah Wilderness”
      “TCM Greatest Classic Legends: Burt Lancaster”:br> Four classics starring the legendary Best Actor Oscar winner and nominee, Burt Lancaster. “Local Hero” (1983): Burt Lancaster and Peter Riegert star in the wonderfully whimsical comedy of an oil company’s planned buyout of a Scottish seaport. “Genuine fairy tales are rare; so is filmmaking that is thoroughly original in an unobtrusive way. ‘Local Hero’ is both.” (Vincent Canby, The New York Times). “Seven Days In May” (1964): John Frankenheimer directed this suspense classic about a military plot to overthrow the government involving a hawkish general (Lancaster), a pacifist President (Frederic March) and the vigilant colonel (Kirk Douglas) who uncovers the plot. “Executive Action” (1973): Who killed President John F. Kennedy? Burt Lancaster, Robert Ryan and Will Geer headline a probing and powerful what if? conspiracy thriller scripted by Dalton Trumbo. “The Flame And The Arrow” (1950): Flashing his trademark grin and leaping with acrobatic derring-do, Lancaster revitalized the Hollywood swashbuckler with this Robin Hood-like tale. Special Features: “Seven Days In May” Includes:
        • Commentary by Director John Frankenheimer
      “Executive Action” Includes:
        • Featurette “November 22, 1963: ‘In Search of an Answer’”
        • Burt Lancaster Movie Trailer Gallery
      “The Flame And The Arrow” Includes:
        • Joe McDoakes Comedy Short “So You’re Going to Have an Operation”
        • Cartoon “Strife with Father”
      “TCM Greatest Classic Films: Shakespeare”: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (1935): James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland, Mickey Rooney and others play foolish mortals and immortals in this winner of two Academy Awards. Max Reinhardt’s fabled stage production becomes movie magic. Erich Wolfgang Korngold adapts Felix Mendelssohn’s music. “Othello” (1965): Laurence Olivier’s bravura portrayal of the proud general brought low remains a screen touchstone in this National Theatre of Great Britain staging. With Maggie Smith as faithful Desdemona and Frank Finlay as scheming Iago. “Romeo And Juliet” (1936): Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard are divided by family and united by love in director George Cukor’s lavish retelling of the world’s foremost romantic tale. With John Barrymore as a witty, swaggering Mercutio. “Antony And Cleopatra” (1972): Charlton Heston plays a vigorous Marc Antony and directs a thoughtful and colorful adaptation of the fatal attraction that ensnares the worldly-wise Roman soldier and the alluring Egyptian ruler (Hildegard Neil as Cleoptara). Special Features: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Includes:
        • Commentary by Film Historian Scott MacQueen
        • Olivia de Havilland Screen Test
        • Featurette “A Dream Comes True”
        • Gallery of Six Teaser Trailers Showcasing Cast Members
        • Warner Bros. Studio Café Teaser Trailer
        • Musical Short “Shake Mr. Shakespeare”
      “Othello” Includes:
        • Featurette “Olivier Talks About Othello”
      “Romeo And Juliet” Includes:
        • Short “Master Will Shakespeare”
        • Cartoon “Little Cheeser”
      “Antony And Cleopatra” Includes:
        • Featurette “Behind the Scenes of Antony and Cleopatra”
      “TCM Greatest Classic Films: Literary Romance”: “Little Women” (1949): June Allyson, Elizabeth Taylor, Margaret O’Brien and Janet Leigh play the March sisters in director Mervyn LeRoy’s Academy Award-winning Technicolor version of the cherished Louisa May Alcott novel. “Pride And Prejudice” (1940): Mr. Darcy (Laurence Olivier) sets maiden hearts aflutter – except for that of unimpressed Elizabeth Bennett (Greer Garson). Jane Austen’s masterwork is richly adapted in this lavish Academy Award winner. “Madame Bovary” (1949): All she wanted was everything. Jennifer Jones plays the title role, and Vicente Minnelli directs a lavish Hollywood retelling of the Flaubert masterwork also starring Louis Jourdan, Van Heflin and James Mason. “Anna Karenina” (1935): Greta Garbo (New York Film Critics Award winner as Best Actress) risks all for the perfect love in Tolstoy’s tale of romance and Imperial Russia, also starring Fredric March, Freddie Bartholemew and Basil Rathbone. Special Features: “Little Women” Includes:
        • Audio-Only Bonus: Radio Show with the Film’s Stars
      “Pride And Prejudice” Includes:
        • Crime Doesn’t Pay Series Short “Eyes of the Navy”
        • Cartoon “The Fishing Bear”
      “Madame Bovary” Includes:
        • Pete Smith Specialty Short “Those Good Old Days”
        • Cartoon “Out-Foxed”
      About Warner Home Video: With operations in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc., commands the largest home entertainment distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Video and New Line Cinema. About TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Turner Classic Movies is currently seen in more than 85 million homes and will support Warner Home Video and the new collection with extensive marketing. TCM’s marketing plan includes print ads in TCM’s popular Now Playing guide, banners on tcm.com, and on-air mentions by the network’s renowned primetime host, Robert Osborne. About Turner Classic Movies: Turner Classic Movies is a Peabody Award-winning network that presents great films, uncut and commercial-free, from the largest film libraries in the world. TCM features the insights of veteran primetime host Robert Osborne and weekend daytime host Ben Mankiewicz, plus interviews with a wide range of special guests. TCM offers critically acclaimed original documentaries and specials, along with regular programming events that include “The Essentials,” “31 Days of Oscar” and “Summer Under the Stars.” TCM also stages special events and screenings, such as the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood; produces a wide range of media about classic film, including books and DVDs; and hosts a wealth of materials at its Web site, www.tcm.com. TCM is part of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company.
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