Alpha Video

Summary

Alpha Video (also known as Alpha Home Entertainment) is an entertainment company founded in 1985 as New Age Video, based near Philadelphia, that specializes in the manufacturing and marketing of public domain movies and TV shows on DVD. Alpha Video releases approximately 30 new DVD titles monthly and has over 3,500 DVDs in their active catalog, including hundreds of rare films and TV shows from Hollywood's past.

Alpha Video
Company typePrivate
IndustryMotion picture video production
Founded1985; 39 years ago (1985)
Headquarters,
United States
Key people
Jerry Greene, President
Melissa Greene-Anderson, EVP & GM
ProductsDVDs
OwnerThe Greene family
Websitehttp://www.oldies.com

With 600+ DVDs of TV shows in active distribution, industry publication DVD Release Report ranks Alpha Video #3 in their ranking of the "Top 20 Sources for TV Series on DVD Through the Period Ending December 31, 2009," behind Warner Home Video (733 releases) and Paramount Home Entertainment (666 releases).[1] With over 1,461 theatrical releases available, the same publication ranks Alpha Video #2 in the "Top 20 Sources for Theatrical Catalog on DVD," just behind Warner Home Video (1,609 releases).[2]

The company is privately held, and owned by Collectables Records founder Jerry Greene. Alpha Video is one of a group of companies, including Collectables Records, Gotham Distributing Corporation and the e-commerce website OLDIES.com, owned and operated by Jerry Greene and the Greene family.

Alpha New Cinema edit

In 2004, Alpha Video introduced Alpha New Cinema, an imprint "whose goal is to present eclectic, interesting and unusual contemporary motion pictures and television productions." Notables releases from Alpha New Cinema include the Charlie Gracie documentary, Fabulous! An Intimate Portrait of a Rock Pioneer, Mark Redfield's The Death of Poe, Terror in the Tropics with Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, and several films by Ed Wood veteran Conrad Brooks.

Release of Ted V. Mikels' film catalog on DVD edit

In 2007, Alpha Video released the catalog of filmmaker Ted V. Mikels, many titles of which had previously been available from Image Entertainment, under the Alpha New Cinema imprint. Titles released include 10 Violent Women, The Doll Squad, The Corpse Grinders, The Corpse Grinders II, Girl in Gold Boots and Blood Orgy of the She Devils. Later that year, Alpha released the Ted V. Mikel's Signature Collection, a six-DVD box set which contains those six titles and is autographed by Mikels. In 2008, the company released Mark of the Astro-Zombies, the sequel to Mikels' The Astro-Zombies, on DVD.

Notable releases edit

The Merv Griffin Show: 40 of The Most Interesting People of Our Time edit

In 2006, Alpha Video partnered with Merv Griffin to release a 3-DVD box set of interviews from The Merv Griffin Show entitled The Merv Griffin Show: 40 of The Most Interesting People of Our Time. This set contained one DVD of "Hollywood Legend" interviews, including Orson Welles, Ingrid Bergman, Richard Burton, Sophia Loren, Roy Rogers, Grace Kelly and John Wayne. The second DVD contained interviews with comedians, including Jack Benny, Don Rickles, Jerry Seinfeld, Carl Reiner, Richard Pryor, George Burns, Jay Leno and George Carlin. The final DVD in the set contained interviews with "Extraordinary Guests" such as Walter Cronkite, Robert F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, Ronald Reagan and Martin Luther King Jr.

Feature films edit

Exploitation films edit

Movie serials edit

Short subjects edit

  • Along Came Auntie (released as part of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy: Early Silent Classics collection)
  • Bear Shooters (released as part of The Kids of Old Hollywood collection)
  • Brideless Groom (released as part of The Three Stooges collection)
  • Bromo and Juliet (released as part of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy: Early Silent Classics collection)
  • Crazy Like a Fox (released as part of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy: Early Silent Classics collection)
  • Disorder in the Court (released as part of The Three Stooges collection)
  • Enough to Do (released as part of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy: Early Silent Classics collection)
  • The Gay Nighties (released as part of the Lost Comedy Classics collection)
  • Glad Rags to Riches (released as part of The Kids of Old Hollywood collection)
  • The Hobo (released as part of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy: Early Silent Classics collection)
  • Hop to It, Bellhop! (released as part of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy: Early Silent Classics collection)
  • Kickin' the Crown Around (released as part of the Lost Comedy Classics collection)
  • Kid in Hollywood (released as part of The Kids of Old Hollywood collection)
  • Kid N' Africa (released as part of The Kids of Old Hollywood collection)
  • Kid Speed (released as part of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy: Early Silent Classics collection)
  • The Lucky Dog (released as part of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy: Early Silent Classics collection)
  • Malice in the Palace (released as part of The Three Stooges collection)
  • Merrily Yours (released as part of The Kids of Old Hollywood collection)
  • Mickey's 11 (released as part of Mickey McGuire collection)
  • Mickey's Medicine Man (released as part of Mickey McGuire collection)
  • Mickey's Rescue (released as part of Mickey McGuire collection)
  • Mickey's Touchdown (released as part of Mickey McGuire collection)
  • Mud and Sand (released as part of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy: Early Silent Classics collection)
  • Oranges and Lemons (released as part of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy: Early Silent Classics collection)
  • Pardon My Pups (released as part of The Kids of Old Hollywood collection)
  • Polly Trix in Washington (released as part of The Kids of Old Hollywood collection)
  • The Sawmill (released as part of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy: Early Silent Classics collection)
  • School's Out (released as part of The Kids of Old Hollywood collection)
  • Short Kilts (released as part of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy: Early Silent Classics collection)
  • Should Sailors Marry? (released as part of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy: Early Silent Classics collection)
  • The Show (released as part of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy: Early Silent Classics collection)
  • Sing a Song of Six Pants (released as part of The Three Stooges collection)
  • Smithy (released as part of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy: Early Silent Classics collection)
  • The Soilers (released as part of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy: Early Silent Classics collection)
  • The Paper Hanger's Helper (released as part of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy: Early Silent Classics collection)
  • The Stolen Jools (released as part of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy: Early Silent Classics collection)
  • Thundering Fleas (released as part of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy: Early Silent Classics collection)
  • The Tree in a Test Tube (released as part of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy: Early Silent Classics collection)
  • Waldo's Last Stand (released as part of The Kids of Old Hollywood collection)
  • War Babies (released as part of The Kids of Old Hollywood collection)
  • West of Hot Dog (released as part of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy: Early Silent Classics collection)
  • What's to Do? (released as part of The Kids of Old Hollywood collection)
  • White Wings (released as part of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy: Early Silent Classics collection)
  • Yes, Yes, Nanette (released as part of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy: Early Silent Classics collection)

Silent films edit

Television shows edit

References edit

  1. ^ "DVD / Blu-ray Release Report" (PDF). DVD Release Report: 40. December 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-13. [dead link]
  2. ^ "DVD / Blu-ray Release Report" (PDF). DVD Release Report: 34. December 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-13. [dead link]

External links edit

  • Alpha Video's website