Video Catalog Huge Resource For Box Office Fans

Thu., Dec. 25, 1997

Randy Myers Knight-Ridder

Say you secretly long for a copy of “Zontar, the Thing From Venus.” Or maybe your video collection is lacking a certain oomph without Robert Mitchum’s “The Night of the Hunter.”

Where do you turn?

One solution is to thumb through the 766-page “1998 Movies Unlimited Video Catalog,” where more than 37,000 titles, many of which are hard to find, can be purchased.

The catalog, one of the most extensive ones I’ve seen, is a banquet for movie fans. It’s nicely organized, written with equal parts reverence and irreverence, and contains films that you never knew existed or wondered why they ever did.

Some really great films are conspicuously absent from the catalog “My Dinner With Andre,” “12 Angry Men.” But it’s not due to an oversight. The whims of movie studios combined with legal issues usually stall or prevent a movie from being on video, says Irv Slifkin, one of three editors for the 19-year-old catalog company. Recently, MGM stopped distributing 100 of its musicals, including “The Pirate” with Gene Kelly and Judy Garland. When the word comes down that these movies are getting the ax, “Movies Unlimited” jumps in and stocks up on the soon-to-be discontinued titles. And yes, they do have “The Pirate” in stock.

The catalog’s selection is not a matter of taste or preferences, Slifkin says.

“We’re almost like the archivist,” he says. “We’re sort of digging for this stuff. Some of it’s good and some of it’s junk. There’s no rhyme or reason. Why are all the Francis the Talking Mule movies available on tape, but not ‘Porgy and Bess’?”

The most requested titles are the classics. B Westerns, Japanese animation and “anything from Asia” are also popular, Slifkin says.

Of the films not available on tape, Disney’s controversial “Song of the South” is frequently requested. The 1947 animated musical has never been released on tape due to its racial, many claim racist, overtones.

To order a copy of the catalog ($11.95 including shipping and handling), call 1-800-4-MOVIES. An order form is contained in the back of the catalog. The base charge for shipping and handling is $4.50. The prices of the videos, however, are generally cheaper than you’d expect, with many costing $20.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.