Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Preps The Blu-ray Debut Of The Frisco Kid For Delivery On July 12

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announced its new-to-Blu-ray selections — culled from its vast film library — for the month of July this past week.  

Topping the list is the July 12 Blu-ray debut of director Robert Aldrich’s 1979 Western comedy, The Frisco Kid, starring Gene Wilder as the new Rabbi, Avram Belinski, who has been dispatched from Poland to serve the eagerly awaiting congregation in San Francisco.  

Way in over his head, Avram is quickly scammed by the Diggs brothers (George DiCenzo — Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Back to the Future … and the late William Smith — Red Dawn, Invasion of the Bee Girls, Piranha, Angels Die Hard) and their murderous accomplice, “Mr. Jones” (Ramon Bieri — Sorcerer, The Andromeda Strain).

Stranded in Pennsylvania and a long way from San Francisco, Avram makes the best of it and eventually meets up with an outlaw by the name of Tommy Lillard (played by Harrison Ford), who befriend the helpless Rabbi and says that he will help him get to San Francisco.   They have several life-and-death adventures along the way.

As they near their destination, they have a deadly encounter with the Diggs brothers and “Mr. Jones,” which puts Avram, who has now toughened up and can easily pass for an accomplished cowboy, in something of a bind.   How can he fulfill his mission as the new Rabbi if he has gunned a man down?

Not to worry, there is a happy ending, with Avram meeting his future bride, Rosalie (Penny Peyser — The In-Laws) and Tommy might just be a reformed outlaw thanks to Avram (or maybe not).

Also making a Blu-ray debut in July (the 19^th) is director Vincent Sherman’s 1949 film release of Adventures of Don Juan, starring Errol Flynn in the title role.   This is a new 4K scan from the original Technicolor nitrate negatives, which means that it should be absolutely gorgeous.

Bonus features include a vintage commentary with filmmaker Vincent Sherman, who is joined by film historian Rudy Behlmer, a vintage newsreel from the period, the theatrical cartoon titled Hare Splitter and two short films.