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     In the past few weeks I’ve been finding some great stuff in the ‘Dollar Racks’ in the front of my local Target store: dollar DVD’s.

     Just before Halloween I managed to pick a few schlocky 60′s horror double-feature discs (One includes Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Dementia 13‘), and just the other day I found a great compilation of 1930′s Tom & Jerry Shorts.

     I’m a sucker for animation to begin with, but this is the BEST kind: Old, Black and White, and absolutely Music-centric. These cartoons were made when speech was still used sparingly in animation, and the on-screen action was closely tied to the often elaborate orchestration of the soundtrack. The DVD consists of 9 black and white Tom & Jerry animated shorts from 1931-1933.

tomjerry.jpg

     Clearly, these are not the characters that first spring to mind when one thinks of ‘Tom & Jerry,’ but they get a pass since they were there first. The manufacturer of the DVD, Genius Entertainment, shrewdly attempts to exploit this confusion in the on-box copy:

     ”Two of the most popular cartoon creations are together again in this one-of-a-kind collection of their most fun-filled escapades. Poor Tom is always going up against the wise Jerry in their cat-and-mouse games. You’ll enjoy these hilarious shorts over and over again.”

     Watching the shorts reveals that this Tom & Jerry are actually a team of sorts, and don’t “go up against” each other at all. There’s a good website with information on these cartoons here.

     If you’re a big weirdo and interested in getting a copy of your own, check out the nearest Target, dollar store, or if you don’t feel like getting up, you can order it from Amazon (Though it’ll cost you an extra fifty cents).

     Bonus: The Horror double-feature DVD’s also feature ‘Spooky’ Tom & Jerry shorts of the same vintage, which are not included on the Tom & Jerry DVD. Rib-cage xylaphones abound!

 
Comments
11.23.04
DAVID says:

?? ??p Stumbled on these at my 99 cent store and have since loaded up on about $35.oo worth. Great old television shows, funky low budget biker movies, cartoons and more than a few very good films like Marlon Brando’s ‘One Eyed Jacks”
Check it out

12.21.04
James says:

I bought Family Enforcer and I went to watch it and it was a completely different movie. It was “Death Collector”

6.6.05
Barry I. Grauman says:

Yep, those “Dollar DVD’s” are sure a great bargain- but let the buyer beware! I recently purchased a “LONE RANGER” dvd {at a
FAMILY DOLLAR store} featuring the first four episodes of the series from 1949, which I haven’t seen in a long time. I’m still waiting to see them, because, even though the disc was clearly labeled “THE LONE RANGER”, what I SAW were two episodes of “BAT MASTERSON” starring Gene Barry from 1958, with a “bonus” episode of “THE ADVENTURES OF JIM BOWIE” (1956). A nice surprise, and I thought about keeping the disc…however, the picture froze towards the end of the disc and I could not get my player to “read” the disc properly!! [YOU'VE had this experience before, haven't you?]. In the end, I exchanged it for a very good transfer of Hitchcock’s “BLACKMAIL”
(1929). So, I can only conclude, “you pays your money and you takes your chances”. Nine times out of ten, you’ll probably be satisfied with your “dollar dvd”..but keep an eye out for that ’10th purchase’! ;)

7.8.05
DVD Collector says:

Yes, there are some great buys on dollar DVDs, but you have to pick carefully. Another source of cheap entertainment is the 50-movie box sets from Treeline Films. They have about 10 different ones. I’ve found them for as low as $20, that’s 40 cents per movie (at Big Lots and Rite Aid), but you can also get them online (for about $30) at http://www.dvdmegapacks.com. I would say there are some worthless titles on each box set, but those are in the minority; more than half of the titles are worth watching to one degree or another.

12.4.05
George says:

Yes, I’ve lucked out and found a few dollar dvd’s at the second hand stores I did find dvd’s as GREY LADY DOWN, JOHN WAYNES NO SUBSTITUTE FOR VICTORY VERY GOOD BTW, ALSO LONE RANGER DVD AS STATED. SAY DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE SOME 12 0′ CLOCK HIGH STARRING ROBERT LANSING AND PAUL BURKE CAN BE FOUND? PLUS SOME OBSCURE B MOVIE SCI-FI ETC? Some of the mega packs are good, try megapacks at local biglots if any around area.

2.21.06

I’m desperately looking for classic tv shows that aired in the late 60′s and early 70′s that cost $1 each.If you could send this information to my email halfyouth@yahoo.com I’d appreciate it Jesse long

2.23.06
Meredith M says:

What can I saw about $1.00 dvd movies? They’re FANTASTIC!!! If you are an old movie sucker and a low budget college student (like I am) dollar dvd’s are perfect. I have found so many old movies…some good, some ok, some not-so-good, but all of them cheap. I have found silent movies, vintage cartoons, old horror movies, and even some comedies. I’m not saying that all dvd’s at the dollar store are what they claim to be. I recently found a Woody Woodpecker dvd, but when I brought it to the dorm it only had 1 Woody cartoon on it…but since it had so many other vintage cartoons on the disc I decided that it was worth the false adverstising.

For parents looking for clean entertainment for their children (like during road trips if there is a dvd player in the car) these movies make a perfect travelling companion. For parents that are concerned about the trashy cartoons that now have seemed to overrun the cartoon channels, there is a way to provide quality entertainment at a very, very, VERY resonable price.

For parents $1.oo dvds are a great way to stock up on entertaining movies. For college students these cheap dvds are perfect for those on a low spending budget.

Perfect!

…..A college student

3.30.06
lavernelisa@yahoo.com. says:

any good places where they specilize in sellinf horror dvds. THE MUMMY DRACULA FRANKENSTIEN ANY INFO APPRECIATED LAVERNE

4.3.06

Man, I LOVE these Public Domain Dollar DVD’s. And surprisingly, some of the transfers are great. I just picked up Alberto De Martino’s Crime Boss with Telly Savalas, a great sleazy Italian crime drama with an amazing score, and even though part of the opening credits were missing, the film was widescreen and really colorful. I’ve bought stacks of these titles, all of them really fun…

5.20.06
Tommy Tobin says:

I bought “His Majsety The Scarecrow of Oz” It’s a silent(1914)movie dvd with dubber music & talking.
It’s a very cool piece of history. The original version of “The Wizard of Oz”. Well worth a look;especially at $1!

6.15.06
Emma K. says:

I’ve found some ‘treasures’ myself, but if I could locate ‘My Man Godfrey’ (The second version with David Niven ’57) and ‘Trap Happy Porky’, on any of these DVD’s I’d truly have hit the jackpot. I intend to keep looking until I do find them though.

6.17.06
bap says:

Reply to Emma K.:
Try your local Dollar Tree store – I believe they might have My Man Godfrey.
(I noticed it after buying it at ShopKo for $5.)

6.17.06
Anonymous says:

P.S. You might want to pick up Happy Go Lovely it’s a good movie – esp. for a buck.

7.25.06
PrinceDeeder says:

there are numerous DVD’s they got for a buck. i stumbled upon Sherlock Holmes when i was standin in line at the store. im gonna go to a few of the other family dollars and see which ones they have. i wanna find more of the sherlock holmes and some of there martial arts dvd’s.

4.19.07
Anonymous says:

one episode of tom and jerry features them mocking black people its on you tube very racist

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