Joseph Chester

It’s good to welcome back this assemblage of Hanson’s Eastman-Rochester recordings made for Mercury. The collection consists of five well-filled discs with names great and small, though the album’s title can be taken with a grain or two of salt. Some of these might constitute masterworks but not all by any means, or even most. Hyperbole aside what is more valuable even than the time-accredited masterpieces here, is the collation of lesser works by less well known composers such as Bergsma, Kennan, McCauley, Rogers, Phillips and Moore. This is propagandist work to the great advantage of the listener who will doubtless not need reminding that the Mercury tapes sound splendid to this day and no apology need be made on their behalf.

Presenting the Complete Philips Recordings of John Williams on 21 CDs, with the original jackets, celebrating the maestro's 90th birthday on February 8. This box set includes the original artwork and spined wallets, a 32-page booklet with new liner notes by Dr. Emilio Audissino (author of The Film Music Of John Williams and Film Music In Concert: The Pioneering Role Of The Boston Pops Orchestra). All packaged in a 2-piece lift-off lid box with V-shaped thumb-cuts on either side of the lid.

When seductress Abigail Leslie returns to her old fishing village hometown, it unleashes a tidal wave of lust throughout the small community. Abigail is known for her voracious appetite for all things carnal, and the men and women of Baypoint are thrilled at the adulterous fun that's in store. Abigail's long-time girlfriends regret the prodigal daughter's sudden return, especially Priscilla, whose husband Gordon has had a running affair with her. But quicker than you can say, "catch of the day," everyone is knocking on Abigail's door for an unforgettable night, or day, of swinging fun. Whether it's handyman Chester, sexy Aunt Drucilla, tomboy Alice Anne, stud Bo, or lusty pals Tracy and Lila, or any combination thereof, you can bet Abigail will be ready, willing and able to throw in the line and get wet!

Twelve people are aboard Coast Air Line's flagship the Silver Queen enroute to South America when the airplane encounters a storm and is blown off course. Crashing into jungles known to be inhabited by head hunters, pilots Bill and Joe race against time to fix the engines and attempt a take off. The situation brings out the best and worst in the stranded dozen as they create a makeshift runway and prepare to escape before the natives attack. But damage to the plane and low fuel reserves means that only 5 people can be carried to safety. Do both Bill and Joe make the flight out? And what about the rest: Peggy, a woman with a slightly tarnished past; Pete, a racketeer who is escorting his boss's young son Tommy; Alice and Judson, eloping lovers who seem to have less in common as their plight changes one of them in the other's eyes; Crimp, who is bringing criminal Vasquez to justice; Prof. and Mrs. Spengler, an elderly couple whom become closer due to their predicament; and finally, is …

The stringent censorship imposed upon Hollywood of the mid-1930s dictated that gangsters could no longer be the "heroes" in any crime film. Public Hero No. 1 reflects this restriction. G-Man Chester Morris poses as a crook to infiltrate the notorious Purple Gang, a band of hoodlums which preys upon other hoodlums. Orchestrating the jailbreak of the Gang's leader (Joseph Calleia), Morris joins him in a Dillinger-like flight across the country. The bloody denouement, which occurs in a vaudeville theatre, is likewise drawn from the Dillinger saga (that particular gentleman was of course killed in front of a movie house). Also featured in Public Hero No. 1 is Jean Arthur as the heroine (a comic role) and Lionel Barrymore as a drunken gang doctor. The film was remade as The Getaway in 1942.

The Claudette Colbert Collection celebrates the career of one of the most popular and versatile actresses of all time. Equally charming in screwball comedies (It Happened One Night), epics (Cleopatra) and dramas (Imitation of Life), Claudette's striking beauty and captivating talent dazzled audiences around the world.