# Great finds in the $1 DVDs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 18, 2005, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-finds-in-the-1-dvds/326690 "2005-10-18T01:20:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-finds-in-the-1-dvds/326690/1 "2005-10-18T01:20:12Z")
Anybody else always browse the upright spinning stands full of DVDs at the local dollar store? The movies that have apparently fallen into the public domain and are being packaged like Bulgarian bootlegs and sold for $1 to $5. Here’s what I’ve collected so far: \*[Judge Priest](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025335/combined) \* One of John Ford’s early masterpieces; the VHS was going for over $30 last time I looked, then I find it as part of a triple feature on a single dollar disc. \*[The Stork Club](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038119/combined) \* Sometimes I’m a little bit scared by how much I love [Betty Hutton](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002149/). This is no [_Miracle of Morgan’s Creek_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037077/) , but it has a couple of her best musical numbers: “I’m a Square in the Social Circle” and “Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief”) [_Shark!_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066365/combined) Burt Reynolds in an underrated Sam Fuller piece. Not Fuller’s masterpiece, but certainly worthwhile for Fuller fans. [_The Naked Kiss_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058390/) Another Fuller oddity. To quote this paper’s Don Druker, “What can I tell you about a film that begins with a bald prostitute beating a man unconscious with her handbag? Except that it’s undoubtedly Sam Fuller’s vilest, sleaziest masterpiece (1964).” I gotta own it, however, because of its pride of place in the \*Showgirls \*canon. Now if I could only happen upon _White Dog_ and _The Big Red One_, my Fuller library will be just about complete. \*[Nothing Sacred](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029322/combined) \* Carole Lombard and Fredric March in a William Wellman screwball comedy? A comedy about death and media excess? Why isn’t this movie better known? [The Deadly Companions](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054795/combined) Early Peckinpah, before he was really Peckinpah yet. _The Deadly Companions_ is very much \*faux \*Ford; Brian Keith lumbers through it as a poor man’s John Wayne (Maureen O’Hara musta been crackin up through the whole production). But for Peckinpah fans, it’s interesting to see his incipient themes and imagery evolve from under Ford’s shadow. Other acquisitions from the dollar store include: _Carnival of Souls White Zombie Wasp Woman A Bucket of Blood Angel and the Badman One Eyed Jacks Night of the Living Dead Charade The Last Time I Saw Paris The House on Haunted Hill Captain Kidd_ and most of Hitchcock’s early works. Anyone else find any gems among the dreck? ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-finds-in-the-1-dvds/326690/2 "2005-10-18T01:30:43Z")
I picked up _McClintock!_, one of my favorite John Wayne movies, this way. I was surprised, because I was considering buying the legit edition for like $15. ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-finds-in-the-1-dvds/326690/3 "2005-10-18T01:55:18Z")
Sorry, I gotta ask. “Showgirls canon”? (I’ve got to hit the dollar stores more often. Some of these sound interesting.) ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-finds-in-the-1-dvds/326690/4 "2005-10-18T02:08:46Z")
> [@Random](#): > > Sorry, I gotta ask. “Showgirls canon”? . . . [everyone else backs away, hiding the sharp objects, going, “oh no you DIH-unt!”] By “_Showgirls_ canon” I mean the films I show in my \*Showgirls \*seminar; the films that served as antecedants for Paul Verhoeven’s masterpiece, _Showgirls_. (And yes, I’m serious. And no, I’m not [alone](http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/film_review.asp?ID=1171).) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-finds-in-the-1-dvds/326690/5 "2005-10-18T02:20:42Z")
**Charade** is a truly great flick, but the bargain-bin versions are full-screen and often clip the ending. I paid extra for the wide-screen version. I’ve got **The Ape** with Boris Karloff and **The Ape Man** with Bela Lugosi. Two poverty-row thriller/horror movies both based on the idea of using serum from gorillas to cure polio, and the awfl things that happen to the mad scientists who get involved. **The Last Man on Earth** --Vincent Price in the low-budget adaptation of Richard Matheson’s **I am Legend**. a helluva lot more faithful than Charlton Heston’s later **The Omega Man**. Two episodes of **The Dick Van Dyke Sow** and a few of **You Bet Your Life!** with Groucho Marx. **Flash Gordon** --the old black and white TV version. (I have the 1980 Sam Jones movie from a more upscale bargain bin) ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-finds-in-the-1-dvds/326690/6 "2005-10-18T03:02:13Z")
I don’t buy videos, but I’ve been tempted a few times. Recently saw the orginal “Little Shop of Horrors” for like $2. Tempting, especially since I remember watching it on Friday Night Horror Movies waaay back before it got (in)famous. There was also a “Jayne Mansfield” movie in the bin. But on closer examination, it appeared to be a Lucille Ball movie that had Jayne in a bit part. I hadn’t heard of it, and I couldn’t find it on IMDb. Weird. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-finds-in-the-1-dvds/326690/7 "2005-10-18T04:56:28Z")
White Zombie Murder (Hitchcock) Sabotage (also Hitchcock) Four episodes of the 50s series The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu Plus a ton of the Fleisher Superman cartoons and a bunch of Felix the Cats dating back to the 20s. I need to get back to the dollar store to see about new Halloween movies. ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-finds-in-the-1-dvds/326690/8 "2005-10-18T06:23:22Z")
The Hunchback of Notre Dame w/Lon Chaney Phantom of the Opera w/Lon Chaney The Brain that Wouldn’t Die A bunch of Felix the Cat and Molly Moo-Cow cartoons I _love_ the dollar DVDs. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-finds-in-the-1-dvds/326690/9 "2005-10-18T06:29:00Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > . . . I need to get back to the dollar store to see about new Halloween movies. Yeah, there are lots of old horror flicks. I have lots more than I listed, including a lot of old horror and animation and Westerns. ---
**Author:** ![Rainbowthief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4bbf92/32.png) [@Rainbowthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rainbowthief)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-finds-in-the-1-dvds/326690/10 "2005-10-18T08:13:00Z")
I usually check the bargain bins for cheese like **From Justin to Kelly** (five bucks at Best Buy and hilarious for all the wrong reasons) or the occasional odd gem (John Woo’s **A Better Tomorrow** for $5.99 at K-Mart), but I did get some dollar DVDs at the dollar store last weekend: **Moon of the Wolf** on one disc with **Dr. Jekyll vs. The Werewolf** (a Paul Naschy werewolf flick!!) **Fangs of the Dead** (starring the sublime Anita Eckberg and directed by Amando de Ossorio, director of **Tombs of the Blind Dead** / **The Ghost Galleon** / **Return of the Evil Dead** / **Night of the Seagulls** ) on one disc with Romero’s original **Night of the Living Dead** **Circus of Fear** with **Carnival of Souls** I kinda like the cheapass packaging on them. It reminds me of the artwork on those old oversized VHS boxes that labels like Wizard Video used back in the eighties. I was really hoping to find Night of the Bloody Apes there because it’s just the kind of movie to release for a buck. That and maybe some Santo flicks. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-finds-in-the-1-dvds/326690/11 "2005-10-18T15:56:12Z")
I have picked up a DVD of Burns & Allen very funny, Dick Van Dyke very funny and the Bob Cummings show which stunk. I have picked up 3 looney Toons and a Felix the Cat and Mutt & Jeff a 1930’s cartoon collection from TerryTunes. I think that is all so far. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-finds-in-the-1-dvds/326690/12 "2005-10-18T16:03:40Z")
You can pick up **Phantom of the Opera** on cheap DVd, but it’s really worthwhile to get a good copy. I picked up the two-disc restored version, and it blew me away. The cuts and scratches are almost all gone, the technicolor looks _superb_, and there’s a another color segment I never even knew about. You can go with the cheap version for old, bad films. But for really good stuff it’s worth getting the restorations that have only recently become available. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-finds-in-the-1-dvds/326690/13 "2005-10-18T16:24:47Z")
> [@Rainbowthief](#): > > I usually check the bargain bins for… the occasional odd gem (John Woo’s **A Better Tomorrow** for $5.99 at K-Mart) Wow, when did you find that, recently? That is amazing! I’m going to K-Mart after work! Last year around the holidays, Target put out a bunch of $1 DVDs in the front of the store, in their “Everything’s $1” section. I found two collections of the 1940s Fleischer Studios Superman cartoons – 16 out of the 17 existing cartoons (8 per DVD) for $1 each. That’s a colossal bargain, since the animation was so stunning and the visuals perfect that “retro-futuristic” style that still influences sci-fi today. I also got a collection of 8 Gumby cartoons on one of those $1 DVDs, but haven’t watched it yet. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-finds-in-the-1-dvds/326690/14 "2005-10-18T17:26:17Z")
Good find on the Fleishcer Superman stuff – those cartoons are all over the place on cheap DVD, but the transfers are mostly horrid. I got a copy of His Girl Friday for $2 once, and it’s actually a nice transfer. Also Hitchcock’s original Man Who Knew Too Much, which I haven’t ever watched yet. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-finds-in-the-1-dvds/326690/15 "2005-10-18T17:46:02Z")
Mine actually look decent, and I’ve seen several other cheap-looking sets of the Superman cartoons at different stores. For some reason, I get the impression that Target would require higher-quality merchandise than the dollar stores, even if they are just cheap public-domain DVDs. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-finds-in-the-1-dvds/326690/16 "2005-10-18T17:48:12Z")
I am not at home so I am going on memory, but some that I picked up: House On Haunted Hill with Vincent Price Several Charlie Chan’s with Peter Lore The Lone Ranger television show (four episodes). Burns & Allen (8 episodes, two discs) Great Expectations with Laurence Olivier Sherlock Holmes (old tv series, 4 episodes on one disc) [Here](http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/03/movies/03lidz.html?ex=1278043200&en=277d25b3fc0fb730&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss) is an interesting New York Times article on the $1 DVD’s.