The Essential Laurel and Hardy

Coming out soon! The Essential Laurel and Hardy DVD box set (Retail $99.99)!
I've been waiting years for this and never thought that this would ever be released. This set includes most if not all of their Hal Roach pictures, even foreign release versions that contain additional unseen footage.
The fact that this has made it to release is a reason to celebrate. For many years you could only get a handful of their films on video or dvd.
Now, you can purchase this ten disc set on pre-order at a heavily discounted price here! The Essential Laurel & Hardy
I'm a huge Laurel and Hardy fan and have been for as long as I can remember. My father and I were huge fans and often would sit for hours enjoying the insanity of their humor.
Certainly, Laurel and Hardy have influenced thousands of actors, comedians, animators, and even directors over the years. Famed Warner Bros. Cartoon Director Chuck Jones often used Oliver Hardy's expressions for Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny. Live action director Blake Edwards borrowed gags from their films to use in his Pink Panther Live Action pictures; even lifting a wild explosion gag from a L&H comedy!
In Edwards' 1965 comedy The Great Race Blake pays tribute; the film is lovingly dedicated to 'Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy.'
Sadly, the youth of the world today only know of Laurel and Hardy through 'The March Of The Wooden Soldiers.' Although it's a great film featuring the boys, it is just the tip of the iceberg of their work.
Hopefully, this box set will get people talking about the laughter and joy of Laurel and Hardy again!
Oh by the way, the clip above is from one of their best films, Way Out West! Enjoy!

Hurrah! More Disney Treasures on DVD

If some people didn't take action, these Disney Treasures (pictured left) may have been the last to be released. Fortunately, Disney reversed their decision and decided to release three more Disney collections on December 11th.
From the look of the advance reviews, these three sets are pretty terrific.
The first of the three features another grouping of Donald Duck cartoons from the late 40's-Early 50's. In my humble opinion, these Donald cartoons are fast, violent and probably the funniest of the Donald series. They're great cartoons directed by Jack Hannah with great comic timing. These Duck cartoons will likely sell out fast.
The second collection features Walt Disney's Oswald The Lucky Rabbit. If you asked me a few years ago if Disney would ever release a set of Oswald cartoons from the 20's, I would have thought that you were nuts!
The fact that this set exists is an absolute miracle. Included in this set are a few classic Mickey Mouse Cartoons and The Ub Iwerks feature length documentary by Leslie Iwerks.
And if you're a Disneyland fan like me, the third set is Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic and it's chock full of terrific goodies including vintage Disney TV shows about the park, behind the scenes footage of the construction of Disneyland and a feature length documentary about the history of the park. A rarely seen theatrical film, Disneyland U.S.A. in Cinemascope is alone worth the price for the DVD set.
I believe the retail price for each is $32.99, but I found Best Buy here in New York selling them as a two-fer deal for $40.00! I'm kind of curious if I can get them cheaper if I buy three.
I know this seems like a huge plug, but I think that these Treasures are a great value and I urge all three of you who read this blog to go out a buy a bunch. Give em out to friends and family. Keep some spare sets for yourself when you wear out the others! Use them as coasters!
It's important to support this series if we wish to see more of 'em.
I'm buying a couple hundred myself!