The Film Detective Unearths The New Howdy Doody Show For A DVD Collection On Nov. 29

It’s Howdy Doody time once again as The Film Detective has unearthed 20 ultra rare episodes from Buffalo Bob Smith and his trusty sidekick, Howdy Doody, the 1976 reincarnation of the classic kid program that ran from 1947 through 1960 (in various forms).   

Titled The New Howdy Doody Show, which will be available as a four-disc collection on Nov. 29, reunited Buffalo Bob Smith, Howdy Doody and Clarabell (Lew Anderson) for a year’s worth of memories, and of course, fun for the entire family. 

 

The Film Detective has broken the 20-episode collection down into four theme-groups … there’s are “Glory Grits,” “Grab Bag,” “Peanut Parade” and “Doodyville Documentary.”

We’re not done yet, The Film Detective also has ten new film restorations ready for the DVD market place on Nov. 22.  

So let’s get to it … John Wayne has two of his pre-Stagecoach Westerns in the mix.  These are director Robert N. Bradbury’s 1934 film release of The Lucky Texan (co-starring Gabby Hayes, Yakima Canutt and Barbara Sheldon) and director Harry L. Fraser’s release of 'Neath the Arizona Skies (co-starring Sheila Terry).

Other Western classics to be found in the Nov. 22 restoration mix are director John English’s 1948 Gene Autry Western, Loaded Pistols (co-starring Barbara Britton and Chill Wills) and the 1953 Allen “Rocky” Lane entry, Marshal of Cedar Rock (directed by Harry Keller and co-starring Phyllis Coates (as the first Lois Lane in the Adventures of Superman television series).

On the classic film front a restored edition of director Frank Capra’s 1941 Oscar-nominated Meet John Doe (for Best Writing), teaming Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck is to be found in the Nov. 22 priced-to-collect DVD release mix.   So too is Meet Dr. Christian (1939, starring Jean Hersholt as the iconic physician) and the 1938 Dead End Kids entry, Little Tough Guy, starring Huntz Hall, Gabriel Dell and Billy Halop (sans Leo Gorcey).

The 1934 theatrical version (cut-down) of the 12-chapter Mascot Pictures serial, The Lost Jungle (starring Clyde Beatty and Cecilia Parker) is also counted in the mix.   This was a common practice, the serial would appear in installment form and then be condensed down to a feature-length presentation and reissued for those who missed the serialized version.

Rounding out the Nov. 22 DVD selections are writer/director Oscar Micheaux’s  1939 murder mystery, Lying Lips (starring Edna Mae Harris) and the 1971 MOW mystery, Murder Once Removed, starring John Forsythe.