BOSTON BLACKIE FILM COLLECTION - 14 MOVIES - 7 DVD-R

Pulp writer Jack Boyle's most famous creation was Boston Blackie, the former thief turned amateur sleuth who, together with his sidekick The Runt, keeps one step ahead of the police when it comes to solving a crime - usually one for which he is wrongly accused of. The film rights to the character were bought by Columbia Pictures, who cast square-jawed tough guy Chester Morris as Blackie - a role for which the actor became closely associated with starring in a total of fourteen films from 1941-1949. The Boston Blackie series was strictly B-movie fare with each installment running either just over or under an hour, but all are consistently entertaining crime mysteries with a breezy mix of action, intrigue and humor. In addition, many classic era stars show up opposite Morris. Along with series regulars George E. Stone as The Runt and Richard Lane as the exasperated Inspector Farraday, other notable supporting players include Rochelle Hudson, Three Stooges heavy Kenneth McDonald, Ann Savage, Lloyd Corrigan, Steve Cochran and a young Lloyd Bridges who shows up as a bus driver. The films sport some decent directorial talent with the likes of Robert Florey and Edward Dmytryk, and even flirt with noirish shadings, particularly in the moody black and white cinematography which belies the fact that these were modest productions shot on the backlot. Onesmedia offers all fourteen Boston Blackie films in one nicely packaged set of seven discs with two films per disc in chronological order: MEET BOSTON BLACKIE (1941), CONFESSIONS OF BOSTON BLACKIE (1941), ALIAS BOSTON BLACKIE (1942), BOSTON BLACKIE GOES HOLLYWOOD (1942), AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH BOSTON BLACKIE (1943), THE CHANCE OF A LIFETIME (1943), ONE MYSTERIOUS NIGHT (1944), BOSTON BLACKIE BOOKED ON SUSPICION (1945), BOSTON BLACKIE'S RENDEZVOUS (1945), A CLOSE CALL FOR BOSTON BLACKIE (1946), THE PHANTOM THIEF (1946), BOSTON BLACKIE AND THE LAW (1946), TRAPPED BY BOSTON BLACKIE (1948), BOSTON BLACKIE'S CHINESE VENTURE (1949). The prints are complete and with great quality, certainly well worth the reasonable cost as this is the only edition that brings you the entire series in one fell swoop. Sony has released a few titles from decent transfers, but good luck waiting for the entire run. There are also some gawdawful bootlegs floating around out there. Onesmedia's Boston Blackie Film Collection rivals Sony's quality, so it turns out to be the better deal. There is even a bonus disc with two SAINT films starring George Sanders - THE SAINT TAKES OVER (1940) and THE SAINT IN PALM SPRINGS (1941). You really can't beat this enjoyable collection for quality and price. Pick it up and run your very own Boston Blackie marathon. My highest recommendation.

The Boston Blackie film collection consists of sixteen movies on eight disks. Grant there were only fourteen Boston Blackie movies made, also include are the final two movies from the Whistler movie series. The entire series in fourteen hours and fifty – six minutes; if you and the two movies from the Whistler series then it is seventeen hours and two minutes. First let me tell you what you don’t get. You don’t get any scene selections, languages, coming attractions and\or commentary. I would of like one of them to had a commentary to find out why actor George E. Stone who played the Runt in movies two through thirteen but not the first movie or the last. I understand George was sick and could not do the first movie, but I do not know why he was unable to do the last movie. Also the company logo the created this box set “Onesmedia” show up in each movie. Chester Morris who plays Boston Blackie and Richard Lane who plays Inspector Faraday are the only two actors to play the same role in all movies. When Chester Morris was once asked why he did all the Boston Blackie movies his response was that he got to play the lead. Overall the Boston Blackie films are great to watch though once you get to the few movies in the series the plot start to get week. And before I forget the transfer to DVD with the two Whistler movies are horrible. Overall the Boston Blackie film collection gets an AAA+++. DVDs Meet Boston Blackie – 2/20/41 60 minutes Confessions of Boston Blackie – 12/8/41 65 minutes Alias Boston Blacke – 4/2/42 67 minutes Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood - 11/5/42 67 minutes After Midnight with Boston Blackie – 3/18/43 64 minutes The Chance of a Lifetime – 10/26/43 65 minutes One Mysterious Night – 10/21/44 61 minutes Boston Blackie Booked on Suspicion – 5/10/45 66 minutes Boston Blackie’s Rendezvous – 7/5/45 63 minutes A Close Call for Boston Blackie – 1/24/46 60 minutes The Phantom Thief – 5/2/46 64 minutes Boston Blackie and the Law – 12/12/46 69 minutes Trapped by Boston Blackie – 5/13/48 66 minutes Boston Blackie Chinese Venture – 3/2/49 59 minutes The Thirteenth Hour – 2/6/47 64 minutes The Return of the Whistler – 3/18/48 62 minutes

Great collection of old movies. Quality is excellent. As a fan of old black and white movies, I have finally found a good source. Nice thing is they also include a bonus video with the order.

This is a fun set of all the Boston Blackie movies all rolled into one set. It comes in a nice sized CD sized case. However, there are a few things that need to mentioned. The quality of all of the movies is not great, The second film is very dark. One movie actually had a TCM logo bug in the corner. This set comes from a company called OneMedia, and for the most part the films are fine and most definitely fun to watch. An example of the changing times is the relationship between Blackie and The Runt. While in the 1940's they were just pals, but watching with 2015 eyes, example Blackie and the Runt share the same bedroom in their lavish apartment, not the same bed, but then in the 1940's man and wife didn't share the same bed. But it does make you wander about their relationship. But ignoring all of that, they are fun movies to watch and re-watch!

Good quality considering the age. Love these old movies where dialog and not special effects cary the film.

All the Boston Blackie films starring Chester Morris. A Must have for Boston Blackie fans. (Now, if I could find the books!) If you are easily offended by events and behaviors of the past, don't bother, just grow up. It was a different time with different values. But, for those of us who can appreciate the past, this is a wonderful collection. Thief turned amateur dectective, it is one of the better series. Chester Morris was not appreciated in Hollywood for his acting skills, yet was a fine actor. Again, great set of movies full of laughs and thrills.

Pulp writer Jack Boyle's gentleman thief Boston Blackie had made his screen debut during the silent era and popped up on an irregular basis until the early talkies. Then in 1941 Columbia Pictures released the first of what totaled a 14-episode series ending in 1949. Chester Morris imbued Blackie with an outwardly cocky, humorous, energetic personality but with an inner core of toughness when called for - and always called for throughout the series. In the premiere we "Meet Boston Blackie," once a very successful thief, caught, imprisoned, released and now a sort of free-lance trouble shooter. He is aided/hindered by The Runt, a loyal sidekick: actors Charles Wagenheim in the first, George E. Stone (the most memorable) in the next 12, and Sid Tomach in the last. Blackie's main threat throughout the series is NYC Police Inspector Farraday, ably played by Richard Lane, the only actor besides Morris to appear in every title. Though containing a set-piece formula - Blackie helps the underdog while avoiding arrest by the forever suspicious Farraday - the films were not produced like the unforgettable ZIV 50's cheap two-per-week syndicated TV series. Released a couple times per year, each Columbia film had production values, and seasoned character actors ably performing the make-believe cinematic murder, mayhem, mystery and mirth packed into each plot. Ironically, Chester Morris was a star on Broadway in the 1920s and an Academy Award nominated lead in big budget MGM movies in the 1930s, but about appearing in the low budget Blackie pictures, which made a fortune for Columbia, he said, " After that a producer wouldn't put me in an 'A' movie even if I paid for the privilege. The only thing I could do was get out and go back to the theater." Now, instead of Columbia, One's Media has packaged the series in order of original theatrical release in a dazzling black and white DVD at a reasonable price for fans of older movies.The package includes a bonus: two films from Columbia's Lone Wolf series starring Warren William.

These are fast-paced and witty b-movie mystery/thrillers from the 1940s. The actors are all very good in their parts and the stories are engaging at about an hour long each. One's Media's $32 set is very-reasonably-priced and they offer excellent customer service (the best I've experienced from an Amazon seller). The film prints are a bit soft (comparable to a copy from a good T.V. broadcast or the studio archive collections), but the soundtrack is clear, and fourteen films for $32 is a steal. I had trouble with a few of the films initially -- two of them were in the wrong aspect-ratio, one had aliasing problems, and some had the soundtrack all in the left channel. However, One's Media responded very quickly and courteously, and immediately sent me a complete replacement set at no charge -- with the problems corrected. I'm purchasing more of these collections from them. The One's Media b&w logo appears on every film in the lower left corner for about thirty seconds every twenty minutes or so, and that's unfortunate, but not terrible. The discs are packaged in a multi-CD clamshell case, with linen-lined plastic sleeves on a ring binder. The lining on the sleeves keeps the discs from getting scratched and makes them easy to slide in and out. I highly recommend these enjoyable movies in this attractive and economical collection.

Chester Morris made a great Boston Blackie, loved every film, hoping for more business in the near future.

Nice film series. Excellent production from seller.

Product wonderful. Seller wonderful. Life is wonderful! Just wonderful 😊

great quality movies would recommend to anybody to enjoy them

If you like Boston Blackie you will love this collection. The collection is quality and I have little to complain about. The first couple of episodes are a little less polished, as compared to the remaining ones, but still very enjoyable. I wish he had made a few more or at least full length feature movies.I wonder why?