Whoever knew? Hee Haw was inspired by Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, the major difference being that the countrified series was far less political and topical, focusing on country music and rural culture. And it was just as funny . . . as well as also being known for its voluptuous, scantily-clad women in stereotypical farmer’s daughter outfits and revealing minidresses. https://youtu.be/QRZwuB8yon4?list=PLSynr5fafNa9H8W8u9URcwgxza0t2FjXy
Pickin’ and grinnin’, singin’ and spinnin’ tall tales and corny jokes, the citizens of Kornfield Kounty landed on television in 1969 with the arrival of Hee Haw as a summer replacement series for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. With a cast of down-to-earth characters including Minnie Pearl, Grandpa Jones and Archie Campbell, knee-slapping comedic zingers and jaw-dropping musical performances, the comedy-variety show, co-hosted by Buck Owens and Roy Clark, captivated the country. In 1971, after two successful years, CBS dropped the show in an effort to “de-countrify” the network’s programming; however, it was quickly picked up and aired for the next 21 years, making Hee Haw the longest-running weekly syndicated original series in television history.
In a new-to-retail set, Time Life is releasing Hee Haw: The Collector’s Edition offers 14 Hee-larious discs featuring some of the best sketches and brightest stars from the series’ impressive 23-year history, rarely seen since their original broadcasts. Across 21 vintage hours, viewers can sit back and be entertained by korny klassics such as “PFFT! You Were Gone,” “Gordie’s General Store,” “Board Fence,” “Cornfield” and “Moonshiners”–as well as the all-time favorites “Rindercella” and “Trigonometry.” And because Hee Haw was a favorite stop for country music’s biggest stars and legends, this must-have box set also features hundreds of classic performances from Hall of Famers at the peaks of their careers including Tammy Wynette, George Jones, Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Tanya Tucker and Loretta Lynn and Conway Twittyand too many others to name.
Though the last “new” episode aired in 1992, this 14-disc collector’s edition perfectly captures the reasons why Hee Haw was one of the longest-running and best loved television variety shows of all time!
BONUS FEATURES
New interviews with show regulars including Roy Clark, Lulu Roman, George Lindsey, Charlie McCoy and Jim and John Hager
Additional bonus programming includes all-time favorite comedy from the early years in “Hee Haw Laffs,” featuring “Board Fence,” “Doctor Spot,” “Old Philosopher,” “Haystack,” “Schoolhouse” and other knee-slappers
We’ve always known that August brings the dog days of summer, but we never knew they could be so, well, fetching.
On August 30, Air Bud Entertainment,the creators of Air Bud and Disney Air Buddies franchises, will release Pup Star, a canine-crammed spin on America’s hit TV singing competitions. Loaded with music, including 13 original songs and the biggest cast of talking (and singing) pooches ever assembled, the all-new family film is the inspirational adventure of an adorable Yorkie pup, Tiny (voiced by Kaitlyn Maher), who finds herself on an action-packed cross-country journey to compete in the ultimate singing competition for dogs.
After she earns a place in the finale, Tiny is suddenly dog-napped! But with the help of her new friend, Charlie, a retired rock-and-roller, she escapes. Together they leave on an incredible journey through some of music’s most iconic cities. On the way to the competition they meet Big Ears—a soulful Basset Hound who teaches Tiny to belt out the blues; Murray—a spiritual shaggy dog who helps her find her inner rhythm; and Emily Rose—a country-singing shepherd who helps her learn to sing from her heart. Most important of all, they all encourage Tiny to believe in herself and never give up on her dreams!
Featuring an all-star celebrity judging panel including ‘Dog Gnarley’ (voiced by Ziggy Marley), “Blake Sheltie,” “Lady Paw Paw” and a loveable but always disagreeable “Simon Growl,” Pup Star showcases canine contestants including P-Diggy (voiced by Juicy J), “Bark” and the tall-hat wearing “Furrell.”
You can start barking the raves when the flick is released in select U.S. theaters and Digital HD exclusively on Fandango’s premium on-demand video service, FandangoNOW (FandangoNOW.com). In Canada, the film will release September 17 (my bark-day) exclusively in Cineplex Cinemas as part of the complimentary “Family Favourites Premiere” programming with an additional special movie offer at the Cineplex Stores. The cat’s meow can be pre-ordered on FandangoNOW for $9.99 at fandangonow.com/pupstar.
It’s anything but peanuts. Charlie Brown’s All-Stars, the second primetime animated TV special based upon the popular Peanuts, originally aired on CBS on June 8, 1966. The show, which earned two Primetime Emmy nominations, celebrates its golden anniversary this year. (It lost the Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Program to Hanna-Barbera’s Jack and the Beanstalk, starring Gene Kelly.) Warner Bros. Home Entertainment honors the occasion by releasing this delightful story in a deluxe 50th anniversary edition, completely remastered in beautiful high definition. You have to wait until the release date of October 4, but remember one thing: Charlie Brown never gave up. And neither should you.
Charlie Brown’s All Stars follows the bittersweet story of Charlie Brown, who won’t give up on trying to bring his baseball team to victory, in spite of facing great criticism from the team’s players. The DVD release is timed to the culmination of the World Series.
In Charlie Brown’s All Stars, it’s summer and baseball season gets underway. Charlie Brown is put in charge of managing the Peanuts’ baseball team again, which in the past, has only suffered crushing defeat from its opponents. The disillusioned players blame Charlie Brown for the team’s past poor performance. When a sponsor offers Charlie Brown real baseball uniforms and a chance to be part of an actual league, he is thrilled. He believes the new uniforms and acceptance into a real league will motivate his players.
His excitement however, soon turns into disappointment when he learns that if he accepts the offer, Snoopy, Lucy, Patty, Violet and Frieda will be kicked off the team because the league’s policy prevents girls and dogs from playing. Poor Charlie Brown, not only is he criticized by his teammates for being a bad manager, he’s now faced with a difficult moral dilemma. Should he accept the uniforms?
We have praised the work of Cohen Media Group since2008 when it was founded by Charles S. Cohen, an executive producer of multiple Academy Award nominee Frozen River. The Group produces and distributes select films throughout North America; CMG’s Cohen Film Collection (formerly the Rohauer Collection) includes some 700 cinema landmarks, including films by D.W. Griffith, Buster Keaton, Douglas Fairbanks and Luis Bunuel and Federico Fellini.
On August 9, the Group releases two newly-restored films by Philippe de Broca, known for That Man From Rio and King of Hearts. On Guard is a swashbuckling, action-packed adventure in which it takes cavalier Lagardère 16 years to avenge his friend the Duke of Nevers, who was assassinated by the Duke’s cousin and only known heir. Whew! Sixteen years to assert the triumph of morality, protect the true heir, save honor . . . and find love.
In Five Day Lover, Jean Seberg brings all of her considerable coquettish charm to the role of Claire, a young mother married to Georges, but also having an affair with bachelor Antoine, who is being kept by her good friend Madeleine, a wealthy fashion designer. But the meetings at Antoine’s apartment, five afternoons a week, come to a halt when their partners learn the truth.
As Zorba the Greek liked to sing . . .
Life is what you do while you’re waiting to die, Life is how the time goes by! Life is where you wait while you’re waiting to leave, Life is where where you grin and grieve!
But what about the “9 Months That Made You”? This three-part PBS program takes viewers through the astonishing journey of human gestation and its minute-by-minute genetic process. Told through a series of personal stories that introduce viewers to people born with surprising and unexpected differences, the program explores just how complex the human gestational process truly is. The riveting documentary will be available on DVD from PBS Distribution August 2; the program will also be available for digital download.
With the help of CGI, the program goes inside the womb to re-create the growth process of a fetus and explains how genetics can cause fascinating and unexpected mutations. In the initial episode, “The First 8 Weeks,” for example, viewers meet a family in Brazil whose multi-generational genetic mutation has caused half of them to grow six digits on each hand. Later, the series visits professional surfer Laird Hamilton, whose extreme sense of fearlessness is actually a genetic trait he may have passed on to his children.
Below are descriptions for each of the three episodes.
“The First 8 Weeks” Follow the story of how a fertilized egg acquires individual traits through the gestation process. Chart the metamorphosis from the various embryonic forms you once took on until the moment around 12 weeks when you became unmistakably human.
“One of a Kind” Learn how you became the unique individual you are. No two people—even “identical” twins—are identical. Through riveting examples, explore how your face was shaped, why you’re likely to be right-handed, even how your sexuality formed.
“The Final Countdown” Meet the miracle that is you. See how your time in the womb, as your senses mature, has determined your destiny on the outside. Survey the latest epigenetic research that shows how the womb environment leaves its mark, even altering your DNA.
And so said Indiana Jones a few times in the 1981 hit Raiders of the Lost Ark. We may hate snakes, but three 11-year-old boys from Mississippi loved Indy and the film so much that after Steven Spielberg’s classic was released 35 years ago, they set out on what would become a 7-year-long labor of love and tribute to their favorite film: A faithful, shot-for-shot adaptation of the action adventure film, which The New York Times calls “a testament to the transporting power of movie love.” They finished every scene . . . except one; the film’s explosive airplane set piece.
Drafthouse Films and MVD Entertainment will release Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made on Blu-ray/DVD combo pack on August 16.
More than two decades later, the trio reunited with the original cast members from their childhood in order to complete their masterpiece in what IGN has dubbed “the Boyhood of fan movies.” Featuring interviews with John Rhys Davies, Eli Roth and more, Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made is just that: The story of this long-gestating project’s culmination, chronicling the friends’ dedication to their artistic vision-mixed in with some movie magic-to create a personal, epic love letter to a true modern classic.
Tim Skousen and Jeremy Coon’s critically-acclaimed documentary (Certified Fresh by Rotten Tomatoes with a 93% rating and an Audience Score of 92%) premiered at SXSW in 2015 and enjoyed a healthy festival campaign before its debut in theaters and On Demand. At the same time, film subjects Chris Strompolos and Eric Zala embarked on the multi-city “Follow Your Dreams Tour”, presenting Skousen and Coon’s film alongside their rarely-screened Adaptation, which will continue into September.
Special features include more than four hours on bonus content such as dual audio commentary tracks (with Skousen and Coon as well as Strompolos and Zala); deleted scenes from the documentary; outtakes from Adaptation, Q&A footage from the Adaptation‘s 2003 premiere at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, TX;, a photo booklet featuring storyboard art from the Adaptation and a free HD digital copy of the film.
Harrison Ford is not included, but we’re not saying anything about snakes . . .
It’s known as the “Peoples’ House”, yet no one ever invited me to spend a night. Michelle and Barack: You have just a short time to send me an invite! Figuring they won’t, I visited their digs with the PBS documentary “The White House: Inside Story.” It took me on an intimate behind-the-scenes historical tour told through the first-person stories of First Family members, former employees, historians members of the press and a rare informal interview with President Obama inside the Oval Office.
Through current-day filming combined with stock footage and still photos of past presidents, their families and staff, viewers will experience the precision with which the Executive Mansion operates—as a private home and a workplace where military and economic decisions shape and affect history.
Those who missed the show can nab it on DVD; the program will also be available for digital download.
In addition to President Obama and former President Jimmy Carter, the program features new interviews with First Ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Barbara Bush and Rosalynn Carter reminiscing about their families’ place in the 200-year history of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. These personal stories are interwoven with historical facts about the “house that George Washington built.” First Lady Michelle Obama, for example, reveals that “the White House is a fabulously magical place to live, that’s not difficult to make a home.” Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter admits that thinking about the history of the White House “gives her chills.” And former First Lady Barbara Bush recalls, “You can feel history, and hope you can live up to it.”
Perhaps most revealing is a story told by former Chief Usher Gary Walters, who was preparing a luncheon for the entire Congress and their families on the White House lawn the morning of September 11, 2001, when news of the terrorist attacks reached Washington. Despite Secret Service orders to evacuate the White House, Walters recalls how he quickly assessed the severity of the situation and made the decision to remain behind and dismantle the outdoor luncheon space, thus freeing up the lawn to allow the president’s helicopter to land. He then went on to prepare the Oval Office for President Bush to address the nation later that day. “One of the things that I turned to in my own mind on 9/11 was the role that the White House plays in disasters and wars,” says Walters. “People have a tendency to turn to the White House as a symbol of our American Heritage.”
Adds Michelle: “This is really what the White House is all about. It’s the “People’s House.” It’s a place that is steeped in history, but it’s also a place where everyone should feel welcome. And that’s why my husband and I have made it our mission to open up the house to as many people as we can.”
The thing escaped in 1982, when legendary filmmaker John Carpenter unleashed The Thing, a chilling sci-fi thriller that raised the bar on shocking special effects and terrified movie audiences worldwide. See it again in a way you’ve never seen it, since Scream Factory will present the landmark horror film in a 2-disc Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release which includes a brand new 2K scan of the film (supervised by Director of Photography Dean Cundey) and more than 5 hours of extras. Save the date: You’ll have to watch the old DVD until you scream for the Scream Factory release onSeptember 20.
Remember? In the winter of 1982, a twelve-man research team at a remote Antarctic research station discovers an alien buried in the snow for over 100,000 years. Soon unfrozen, the form-changing alien wreaks havoc, creates terror and takes on the appearance of those it kills.
The Thing stars Kurt Russell and features special visual effects by Albert Whitlock and special makeup effects by Rob Bottin. This definitive set includes a collectible slipcover featuring newly rendered artwork and a reversible cover wrap featuring original theatrical key art. A must-have for movie collectors, sci-fi horror enthusiasts and loyal fans, The Thing Collector’s Edition Blu-ray set is available for pre-order now at ShoutFactory.com.
What makes this thing so special? Some things we should tell you:
NEW 2K scan of the inter-positive supervised and approved by director of photography Dean Cundey
NEW 4.1 created from the original 70mm Six Track Dolby Stereo soundtrack
NEW Audio Commentary with director of photography Dean Cundey
NEWThe Men of Outpost 31: Interviews with Keith David, Thomas Waites, Peter Maloney and others
NEW Assembling and Assimilation: An interview with editor Todd Ramsay
NEW Behind the Chameleon: Interviews with visual effects artists Peter Kuran and Susan Turner, special make-up effects artist Rob Burman and Brian Wade
NEW Sounds from the Cold: Interviews with supervising sound editor David Lewis Yewdall and special sound effects designer Alan Howarth
NEW Between the Lines: An interview with novelization author Alan Dean Foster
Audio Commentary by John Carpenter and Kurt Russell
John Carpenter’s The Thing: Terror Takes Shape: A documentary on the making of The Thing featuring interviews with Carpenter, Russell, special effects make-up designer Rob Bottin, legendary matte artist Albert Whitlock plus members of the cast and crew (80 minutes – SD)
Outtakes (5 minutes – SD)
Vintage featurettes from the electronic press kit featuring interviews with John , Kurt and Rob Bottin (12 minutes – SD)
Vintage featurettes: The Making of a Chilling Tale and The Making of The Thing (1982 – 14 minutes – SD)
Vintage Product Reel: Contains a promotional condensed version of the film with additional footage not in the film (19 minutes – SD)
From the makers of Broadchurch comes a new thriller that has to have mass appeal. The Tunnel isset against the backdrop of Europe in crisis . . . and what a crisis it is. When a prominent French politician is found dead in the middle of the Channel Tunnel, straddling the border between the UK and France, detectives Karl Roebuck (superbly played by Stephen Dillane) and Elise Wassermann (an excellent Clémence Poésy) are sent to investigate on behalf of their respective countries. The case takes a surreal turn when a shocking discovery is made at the crime scene, forcing the French and British police into an uneasy partnership. As the serial killer uses ever more elaborate and ingenious methods to highlight the moral bankruptcy of modern society, Karl and Elise are drawn deeper into his increasingly personal agenda.
The Tunnel has already addicted PBS viewers (the series airs Sunday through August 21); the Blu-ray and DVD will be released on August 9 by PBS Distribution. The DVD and Blu-ray editions also include 20 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage, cast interviews, and more. The program will also be available for digital download.
We won’t reveal anything else, except to remind you that faces may look quite familiar: In addition to Dillane and Poésy, The Tunnel also features Angel Coulby as Laura Roebuck, James Frain as John Sumner, Joseph Mawle as Stephen Beaumont, Keeley Hawes as Suze Beaumont, Tom Bateman as Danny Hillier, Jeanne Balibar as Charlotte Jubin, Thibaut de Montalembert as Olivier Pujol, Jack Lowden as Adam Roebuck, Cedric Vieira as Philippe Viot and Sigrid Bouaziz as Cecille Cabrillac.
No one has more balls than Richard Linklater, who wrote and directed the the critically-acclaimed sports comedy Everybody Wants Some!!, unless you count the film’s starTyler Hoechlin who recently played in the MLB All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game at Petco Park in San Diego. His co-stars, Glen Powell, J. Quinton Johnson and Juston Street also have balls: They, were on hand to cheer him on in support of the Blu-ray/DVD release of the fratboy frenzy film.
The film, now available on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand, follows freshman pitcher Jake as he arrives at college in the summer of 1980 and meets his new rowdy teammates. Together, they must navigate their way between girls, parties and baseball, all in the last weekend before school begins.
Jake (Blake Jenner) puts the moves on Beverly (Zoey Deutch). Think his balls will take over?
Maybe the film is so good because two cast members have balls in their blood: Tyler Hoechlin began playing baseball at the age of seven; Juston Street is a former professional baseball pitcher.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment honors the occasion by releasing this delightful story in a deluxe 50th anniversary edition, completely remastered in beautiful high definition. You have to wait until the release date of 
Charlie Brown’s All Stars follows the bittersweet story of Charlie Brown, who won’t give up on trying to bring his baseball team to victory, in spite of facing great criticism from the team’s players. The DVD release is timed to the culmination of the World Series.
