The Film Detective

Last updated

The Film Detective
The Film Detective logo.png
CountryUnited States
Broadcast areaWorldwide
Headquarters Rockport, Massachusetts
Programming
Language(s)English
Ownership
Owner Cineverse
Key peoplePhilip Hopkins [1]
(President, Founder)
History
Launched2013;11 years ago (2013) [2]
Links
Website thefilmdetective.com
Availability
Streaming media
The Film Detective thefilmdetective.tv
The Film Detective 24/7 App iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV
The Film Detective 24/7 Classic Film & Television Channel Sling TV, Plex, Stirr, DistroTV, Local Now, Rakuten TV, Rakuten TV, LG

The Film Detective is an American classic film restoration, distribution, and streaming company based in Rockport, Massachusetts, and is a division of the American entertainment company, Cineverse. Launched in 2013, The Film Detective offers an extensive library of over 3,000+ hours of classic films and television series, with a focus on both renowned classics and B-movies across genres including comedy, drama, film noir, horror, musical, mystery, science fiction, and silent. [3] Services offered by The Film Detective include a classic film and television app on web, iOS, Android, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV; a 24/7 linear channel offered across multiple leading OTT platforms including Sling TV, Plex, STIRR, DistroTV, Local Now, and Rakuten TV; and exclusive, limited-run Blu-ray and DVD releases. [3]

Contents

History

The Film Detective was launched in 2013 by founder Phil Hopkins, film archivist and producer, and previous co-founder of Marengo Films, Dogtown Productions, Inc., and Film Chest. In 2016, The Film Detective launched its classic film and television app on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV, featuring iconic titles, including rare silent films, westerns, film noir, musicals and comedies. [4]

The Film Detective's 24/7 classic film and television channel joined Sling TV's free, live and VOD offerings in 2018, [5] followed by DistroTV and STIRR in 2019; Plex and Glewed TV in 2020; and Local Now, RakutenTV, TCL, LG (US), and Kapang in 2021. In May 2020, The Film Detective announced the launch of its Android app, bringing over four thousand hours of classic film and television to Android users.

The Film Detective features the voice of Dana Hersey, former host of The Movie Loft and legendary broadcast host. [4]

In November 2021, The Film Detective launched its first classic film and television app, hosted by classic radio expert Carl Amari. In 2021, The Film Detective announced it would release an original series, Classic Films for Kids, hosted by author Jennifer Churchill and her sidekick Weston, coming in 2022.

Services

The Film Detective offers an extensive library of over 4,000+ hours of classic films and television series, with a focus on both renowned classics and B-movies across genres including comedy, drama, film noir, horror, musical, mystery, science fiction, and silent. [6]

The Film Detective is available through The Film Detective classic film and television app, The Film Detective 24/7 linear channel available across multiple leading OTT platforms including Sling TV and Plex, and The Film Detective's special edition Blu-ray and DVD releases. The Film Detective's classic film restorations are also featured on leading broadcast channels and platforms including Turner Classic Movies, NBC, EPIX, PBS, MeTV, and more. [7]

Programming on The Film Detective 24/7 classic film and television channel features daily curation of horror films, daytime TV, classic comedies and musicals, westerns and adventures, and drama, mystery, and film noir titles. The Film Detective channel offers monthly thematic promotions and weekly features, including Saturday morning cartoons like Superman, Popeye, and Betty Boop ; Sunday Serials like The Perils of Pauline and Flash Gordon ; and late night weekday TV including The Carol Burnett Show and The Johnny Carson Show . The 24/7 channel is similar in format and programming to 1980's Nostalgia Channel.

In 2020, The Film Detective launched its first content-specific channel, The Lone Star Channel, featuring classic western films and television. The Lone Star Channel is available on Sling TV, DistroTV, Rakuten TV, and Local Now. [3] The channel offers B-westerns, classic western television including Bonanza, The Lone Ranger , and The Roy Rogers Show , singing cowboys like Gene Autry, Tex Ritter, and Roy Rogers, and an evening Dinner with the Duke programming hour featuring John Wayne.

The Film Detective App

Launched in 2016, The Film Detective app is available on web, iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV. [8] The Film Detective app offers restored classics from fan favorites like Charade, His Girl Friday, The Phantom of the Opera, Royal Wedding, Two Women, Sounder, Kansas City Confidential, and House on Haunted Hill . The Film Detective app also features collections of B-movies, drive-in favorites, and underrepresented favorites including The Giant Gila Monster, Creature from the Haunted Sea, A Bucket of Blood , and more. [8]

The Film Detective app also features over 40 television series including You Bet Your Life, Life with Elizabeth, The Lucy Show, Dragnet, The Carol Burnett Show, The Beverly Hillbillies , and Bonanza. Partner films and series available on The Film Detective app include Shout! Factory, Something Weird Video, Trailers from Hell, the British Film Institute, VCI Entertainment, Independent International Pictures, and C3 Entertainment. The Film Detective app showcases original content, often narrated by The Movie Loft host and broadcast legend Dana Hersey, including tributes, documentaries, and film introductions. [9]

The Film Detective Podcast

In October 2021, The Film Detective announced the launch of The Film Detective Podcast, the company's inaugural classic podcast. The Film Detective Podcast is dedicated to classic radio programs from the Golden Age of Radio, hosted by Carl Amari, film producer, syndicated radio host and a foremost authority on the golden age of radio. Through his company, Gulfstream Studios, Amari has spent decades licensing the rights to more than 50,000 hours of original radio programming. Amari has brought radio expertise as producer of multiple award-winning shows, including serving as creator/producer of The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas and producer/host of Hollywood 360. [10]

The Film Detective Podcast rediscovers full classic radio programs including mystery and detective shows like The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes , The Adventures of the Thin Man , Dragnet , and The Adventures of Sam Spade, Detective; comedies including The Burns & Allen Show, Father Knows Best , and The Jack Benny Program ; science fiction and suspense including X Minus One and Suspense; and westerns like Have Gun – Will Travel , Gunsmoke , and The Roy Rogers Show . The Film Detective Podcast is available via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Audacy, Stitcher, etc. [11]

Restorations

The Film Detective releases hundreds of restored classic films on Blu-ray and DVD on Amazon, Allied Vaughn, and MVD, including Crackdown Big City Blues .

The Film Detective also offers special edition Blu-ray and DVD releases, often featuring collections of bonus features in collaboration with Ballyhoo Motion Pictures, ranging from film noir, to musical, and cult classic titles.

Release YearFilm YearFilm TitleSpecial Features
20221966 Girl on a Chain Gang Full length audio commentary / New, original essay, in a full color booklet / Featurette from Ballyhoo Motion Pictures
20221957 Monster from Green Hell Missouri Born: The Films of Jim Davis, an all-new career retrospective with author/film historian, C. Courtney Joyner / The Men Behind the Monsters, an essay by author Don Stradley featured in a full color booklet / Commentary with artist/author, Stephen R. Bissette / Includes both widescreen (1.85:1) and full frame (1.33:1) versions of film
20221936 Dancing Pirate Audio commentary and original insert essay from author Jennifer Churchill / Glorious Pioneers: The Birth of Technicolor, an interview with author/historian, David Pierce / Ambushed By Mediocrity: Remembering The Dancing Pirate, an interview with film producer/historian, Michael Schlesinger.
20221950 The Capture Audio commentary with author/screenwriter C. Courtney Joyner / Teresa Wright: The Actress Next Door, Brand New Featurette / John Sturges: Man of Action, Brand New Featurette

Not Quite Picture Perfect, an essay by author Don Stradley

20211930sThe Sherlock Holmes Vault CollectionDisc 1: The Fatal Hour (1931) featuring Arthur Wontner / Essay by Don Stradley / Commentary Track with Jennifer Churchill / The Adventures of Sam Sherman: Part One featurette / Recreated Sherlock Holmes Radio Broadcast / A Black Sherlock Holmes (1918) cut bonus short / A Black Sherlock Holmes (1918) uncut bonus short / Baffled (1900)
Disc 2: The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes (1935) featuring Arthur Wontner / Essay by Jason A. Ney / Commentary Track w/ Jason A. Ney / The Adventures of Sam Sherman: Part Two featurette / The Copper Beeches (1912) / Blind Man's Bluff, TV episode (1954)
Disc 3: Silver Blaze (1937) featuring Arthur Wontner / Essay by Don Stradley / Commentary Track w/ Phoef Sutton & Jordan Legan / The Adventures of Sam Sherman: Part Three featurette / Sure Luck Holmes, Felix the Cat cartoon / Cousins of Sherlocko (1913)
Disc 4: A Study in Scarlet (1933) featuring Reginald Owen / Essay by C. Courtney Joyner / Commentary Track w/ Peter Atkins & David Breckman / Elementary Cinema, an original production by Ballyhoo Motion Pictures / Slick Sleuths, Mutt & Jeff cartoon
20211947 The Fabulous Dorseys Original Essay by Don Stradley, 'The Dorseys in Film' / Full Commentary track by author, Jennifer Churchill / 'The Fabulous Forties: Big Bands on Screen,' an original production by Ballyhoo Motion Pictures
20211958 Frankenstein's Daughter Full Commentary track / Full Color Booklet with original essay / Original featurettes from Ballyhoo Motion Picture Production
20211948 The Amazing Mr. X Commentary by Professor and Film Scholar, Jason A. Ney / Full Color Booklet with essay, 'The Amazing Mr. Bey,' by Don Stradley / An original Ballyhoo Motion Picture Production
20211955 A Life at Stake Commentary by Professor and Film Scholar, Jason A. Ney / Full Color Booklet with essay by Professor and Film Scholar, Jason A. Ney / 'HOLLYWOOD HITCH-HIKERS: INSIDE THE FILMAKERS' an original Ballyhoo Motion Picture Production
20211951 Flight to Mars Audio Commentary by author/film historian Justin Humphreys / Walter Mirisch: From Bomba to Body Snatchers - A new documentary short from Ballyhoo Motion Pictures / Interstellar Travelogues: Cinema's First Space Race - A new documentary short with celebrated science fiction artist/historian Vincent Di Fate from Ballyhoo Motion Pictures / Full color insert booklet with an essay by Don Stradley
20211963 Hercules and the Captive Women Full Feature, Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K): Hercules and the Captive Women / All new documentary: Swords and Sandals / Audio Commentary by film critic, Tim Lucas / Full color insert booklet with essay on film
20211958 Giant from the Unknown Audio Commentary with Author/ Historian Tom Weaver and Guests / Audio Commentary with co-star Gary Crutcher / 'YOU'RE A B-MOVIE STAR, CHARLIE BROWN' - An all-new interview actor/screenwriter Gary Crutcher / 'THE MAN WITH A BADGE: BOB STEELE IN THE 1950'S' - An all-new interview with author/film historian C. Courtney Joyner / All New Trailer
20201933 The Sin of Nora Moran Limited edition Blu-ray and DVD of The Sin of Nora Moran: A stunning 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative, original documentary on Zita Johann from Daniel Griffith at Ballyhoo Motion Pictures and a Blu-ray exclusive collect
20201971 The Other Side of Madness Original theatrical trailer (Helter Skelter Murders) / Original theatrical trailer (Original release) / Included Musical CD with songs written and performed by Charles Manson / Essay by Alexander Tuschinski exploring the nuances of the film, with film history / The Other Side of Manson: An Interview with Producer Wade Williams
20201980 Fist of Fear, Touch of Death Fist of Fear, Touch of Death producer Terry Levene, director Matthew Mallinson, and scriptwriter Ron Harvey give their behind-the-camera take on the film in brand new interviews, featurette by Daniel Griffith from Ballyhoo Motion Pictures.
20191962 Eegah Mystery Science Theater 3000 Version (1993), an interview with star Arch Hall JR., An interview with Mystery Science Theater 3000 creator Joel Hodgson.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Game Show Network</span> American digital cable and satellite television channel

Game Show Network (GSN) is an American basic cable channel owned by the television network division of Sony Pictures Television. The channel's programming is primarily dedicated to game shows, including reruns of acquired game shows, along with new, first-run original and revived game shows. The network has also previously aired reality competition series and televised poker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TNT (American TV network)</span> American pay television channel

TNT is an American basic cable television channel owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) that launched on October 3, 1988. TNT's original purpose was to air classic films and television series to which Turner Broadcasting maintained spillover rights through its sister station TBS. Since June 2001, the network has shifted its focus to dramatic television series and feature films, along with some sporting events, as TBS shifted its focus to comedic programming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turner Classic Movies</span> American classic movie-oriented television channel

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of Atlanta, Georgia.

Starz Encore is an American premium television channel owned by Starz Inc. a subsidiary of Lions Gate Entertainment and headquartered at the Meridian International Business Center complex in Meridian, Colorado, United States. Launched as Encore on 1 April 1991, its programming features mainly older and recent theatrically released feature films, although some of its multiplex channels also carry acquired television series. It is the sister channel of Starz and MoviePlex.

MoviePlex, stylized as movieplex since 2006, is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by the Starz Inc. subsidiary of Lions Gate Entertainment and headquartered at the Meridian International Business Center complex in Meridian, Colorado. Launched on 1 January 1997 as Plex: Encore 1, its programming consists of recent, as well as older theatrically released motion pictures. It is the sister channel of Starz and Starz Encore.

RFD-TV is an American pay television channel owned by Rural Media Group, Inc. The channel features programming devoted to rural issues, concerns and interests. The channel's name is a reference to Rural Free Delivery, the name for the United States Postal Service's system of delivering mail directly to rural patrons. Production and uplinking facilities for RFD-TV are located at 49 Music Square West, Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. RFD-TV's sister radio channel is Rural Radio on Sirius XM. RFD-TV formerly owned a theater in Branson, Missouri where some variety shows that air on RFD-TV were filmed, as well as the Imus Ranch in Ribera, New Mexico.

Amazon Prime Video, or simply Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced by Amazon MGM Studios or licensed to Amazon, as Amazon Originals, with the service also hosting content from other providers, content add-ons, live sporting events, and video rental and purchasing services.

Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd. is an Indian content creator, aggregator and distributor, specifically in the media and entertainment industry. It was founded by Buddhichand Maroo in 1962 as a book-circulating library under the name Shemaroo. It set up India's first video rental business in 1979. The company went national after it began content distribution in 1987, became aggregators and bought rights to movies for home video.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plex Inc.</span> Streaming media service

Plex Inc. is an American software company that runs its namesake ad-supported streaming media service that provides television shows and movies to users worldwide, and allows them to discuss and discover content across all major subscription streaming services. Plex also develops media server software and a series of apps that allows users to stream their personal media collections from their servers to their various devices. Plex Inc. is based in Campbell, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MGM+</span> American pay television network

MGM+, formerly known as Epix, is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by the MGMPlus Entertainment subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), which is itself a subsidiary of Amazon MGM Studios. The channel's programming consists of recent and older theatrically released motion pictures, original television series, documentaries, and music and comedy specials.

Fandor is a division of the American entertainment company Cinedigm. It is a streaming service dedicated to independent films, documentaries, international titles and classics.

Rakuten TV is a video-on-demand (VOD) streaming service, listing movies and TV series for subscription, rental, and purchase. Since 2019, the platform has provided users access to different content via TVOD, AVOD, FAST, and SVOD. It is owned by the Japanese company Rakuten. Rakuten TV's catalogue includes content from studios around the world, including Warner Bros., Disney, and Sony Pictures, local distributors, and independent labels, being the smallest and least known service among its competitors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FilmRise</span> New York City–based film and television studio and streaming network

Fisher Klingenstein Ventures, LLC, doing business as FilmRise, is a New York–based film/television studio and streaming network, which has become one of the largest independent providers of content to ad-supported streaming (AVOD) platforms, in addition to providing the largest free direct to consumer service with its 22 owned-and-operated streaming channels, the "FilmRise Streaming Network". Currently, the FilmRise Streaming Network has reported more than 31.5 million downloads in the U.S. and can be seen on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Comcast, iOS, Android and Apple, among other platforms. FilmRise also syndicates its own digital linear channels to platforms including The Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus, and Amazon's Freevee and Vizio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SonyLIV</span> Indian video streaming service

SonyLIV is an Indian subscription video-on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Culver Max Entertainment. SonyLIV was introduced in 2013 as the first OTT service in India. As a streaming service, it provides live sports, original titles, other content titles from its own networks and content titles in India licensed from third-parties such as Lionsgate and ITV among others. The Sony Liv content library includes films, TV shows, series, and sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Android TV</span> Android operating system version for television sets and digital media players

Android TV is a smart TV operating system based on Android and developed by Google. It is available on television sets, soundbars, set-top boxes and digital media players. A successor to Google TV, it features a user interface designed around content discovery and voice search, content aggregation from various media apps and services, and integration with other recent Google technologies such as Assistant, Cast, and Knowledge Graph.

The Nexus Player was a digital media player co-developed by Google, Intel and Asus. It was the second media player in the Google Nexus family of consumer devices. Originally running the Android 5.0 ("Lollipop") operating system, it was the first device to employ the Android TV platform. The Nexus player supports Google Cast, the feature for selecting and controlling media playback on a television that was first introduced by Chromecast. Sales of the Nexus Player were discontinued in May 2016, and product support ended in March 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sling TV</span> American streaming television service

Sling TV is an American streaming television service operated by Sling TV LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dish Network. Unveiled on January 5, 2015, at the Consumer Electronics Show, the virtual multichannel video programming distributor aims to complement subscription video on demand services for cord cutters, offering a selection of major cable channels and OTT-originated services that can be streamed through smart TVs, digital media players and apps. The service is available in the United States and Puerto Rico as of 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pluto TV</span> Internet-based TV platform

Pluto TV is a free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service owned and operated by the Paramount Streaming division of Paramount Global.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Local Now</span> American subscription television network

Local Now is an American over-the-top internet television service owned by The Weather Group, LLC, a subsidiary of Entertainment Studios. A spinoff of The Weather Channel, Local Now primarily provides a cyclic playlist of weather, news, sports, entertainment and lifestyle segments, incorporating localized content through feeds geared to a user-specified area.

Frndly TV is an American streaming television service that offers live TV, on demand video and cloud-based DVR for over 40 live television networks. Frndly TV has a channel lineup with a focus on family-friendly programming, and includes U.S. networks Hallmark Channel, The Weather Channel, A&E, History, Lifetime, MeTV, MeTV+, Story Television, and Up TV.

References

  1. ↑ "Streaming out of Rockport: Local film company to show classic movies online". The Salem News. February 2016. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Iconic, Classic Films To Be Restored By The Film Detective And Distributed By Allied Vaughn". Irish Film Critic. September 3, 2015. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 Bloom, David. "Cinedigm Acquires The Film Detective, Adds Two Channels, 3,000 Films And TV Series". Forbes. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Writer, Dimitra Lavrakas Staff (February 2016). "Streaming out of Rockport: Local film company to show classic movies online". Salem News. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Sling TV Adds 3,000 Classic Movies to Their On-Demand Lineup". Cord Cutters News. May 31, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  6. ↑ McNary, Dave (October 19, 2020). "Cinedigm Buys Vintage Network The Film Detective". Variety. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  7. ↑ Stecher, Raquel. "Interview with Philip Hopkins of The Film Detective" . Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  8. 1 2 "Our Apps" . Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Video | TheFilmDetective.tv" . Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Carl Amari". Hollywood360 Radio. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  11. ↑ "The Film Detective Podcast". shows.acast.com. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.