Monday, February 24, 2014

John Wayne: The Epic Collection Debuts May 20 DVD Collection of 40 Warner and Paramount Films is the Largest John Wayne Box Set Ever and Includes Hours of Special Features and Remarkable Memorabilia

John Wayne: The Epic Collection Debuts May 20

DVD Collection of 40 Warner and Paramount Films is the

Largest John Wayne Box Set Ever and Includes
Hours of Special Features and Remarkable Memorabilia

 

Fourth Annual John Wayne Film Festival Set for April 24-27 in Dallas
 

Burbank, Calif., February 24, 2014 -- To commemorate one of America’s most iconic film heroes, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will introduce a comprehensive new DVD set -- John Wayne: The Epic Collection -- on May 20.The spring release, just in time for Father’s Day gift-giving ($149.98 SRP), will contain 38 discs with 40 Wayne films (full list below), including The Searchers, once called one of the most influential movies in American history[1] and the film for which Wayne won his Best Actor Academy Award®True Grit (1969). The collection comes packaged in a handsome book with unique collectibles and hours of special features.

 

The coffee table book includes a chronological presentation of Wayne films, enhanced with wonderful photographs; the hours of special features include commentaries, documentaries, featurettes, vintage shorts and classic cartoons; and the special John Wayne collectibles include personal correspondence, script pages/covers, pages with Wayne’s notations and behind-the-scenes artifacts.

 

Wayne’s legacy will also be celebrated at the 4th annual John Wayne Film Festival in Dallas from April 24th through the 27th. The four-day festival will feature screenings of some of Wayne’s classic feature films, Q + A sessions with Wayne family members and co-stars, and parties celebrating the John Wayne heritage and legacy. All the proceeds from the festival will benefit the John Wayne Cancer Foundation.

 

In making the announcement of the new collection, Jeff Baker, WHV’s Executive VP and General Manager, Theatrical Catalog said, “Thanks to our recent strategic alliance with Paramount and their catalog titles, we’re delighted to be able to offer this number of titles representing such a broad range of Wayne’s work. Wayne was one of the most popular film stars ever. For more than a quarter century he was one of the tops at the worldwide box-office. This collection will certainly be a ‘must have’ for loyal John Wayne fans and, hopefully, will have an equal appeal to younger folks who want to learn more about him.”

 

Born Marion Robert Morrison in Winterset, Iowa, John Wayne first worked in the film business as a laborer on the Fox lot during summer vacations from U.S.C., which he attended on a football scholarship. He met and was befriended by John Ford, a young director who was beginning to make a name for himself in action films, comedies and dramas. It was Ford who recommended Wayne for his first leading role.  

 

For the next nine years, Wayne worked in a multitude of B-Westerns and serials in between bit parts in larger features. Wayne’s big break came in 1939, when Ford cast him as the Ringo Kid in the adventure Stagecoach. Wayne nearly stole the picture from his more seasoned co-stars, and his career as a box-office superstar began. During his 50 year film career, Wayne played the lead in more than 140 movies[2], an as yet unsurpassed record, and was nominated for three Academy Awards®[3], winning the Best Actor award for his performance in True Grit (1969). 

 

Discs In John Wayne: The Epic Collection

 

 

Big Stampede/Ride Him Cowboy/Haunted Gold, 1932

Telegraph Trail/Somewhere in Sonora/Man from Monterey, 1933

Allegheny Uprising, 1939

Reunion In France, 1942

Tall in the Saddle,1944

Back to Bataan, 1945

They Were Expendable, 1945

Without Reservations, 1946

Tycoon, 1947

Fort Apache, 1948

The Three Godfathers, 1948

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, 1949

Flying Leathernecks, 1951

Operation Pacific, 1951

Big Jim McLain, 1952

Trouble Along the Way, 1953

Blood Alley, 1966

The Sea Chase, 1955

The Searchers, 1956

The Wings Of Eagles, 1957

Rio Bravo, 1959

Hatari, 1962

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, 1962

How The West Was Won: Special Edition, 1962

Donovan's Reef, 1963

In Harm's Way, 1965

The Sons Of Katie Elder, 1965

El Dorado, 1966

The Green Berets, 1968

True Grit, 1969

Chisum, 1970

Cowboys, The: Deluxe Edition, 1972

Cahill: U.S. Marshall, 1973

The Train Robbers, 1973

McQ, 1974

The Shootist, 1976

 

 

John Wayne