DVDs Out the Wazoo: Page 1

Okay, here's our first view of some of the thousands of DVDs in the Laughing Gravy Collection. Set up in a corner of the living room, there are two massive oak bookcases. DVDs on these cases are two DVDs deep, so there are rows behind these. In front of each bookcase is a smaller bookcase; the one on the left here contains some of Kid Gravy's DVDs (he has many more in his bedroom and game room). The smaller bookcase on the right has got the British American-International DVDs for which Gravy was a consultant (those are the red ones) and the Midnite Movies DVDs from MGM.

The big bookcase on the left contains classic comedies (top shelf), serials (second shelf), musicals (third shelf), cartoons and Disney films (fourth shelf) and TV shows (bottom shelf).

Note the "popcorn" displays on the bookcases; the one on the left was a gift from some of our FNF buddies, and the one on the right came from the California State Fair. The colorful picture in the back was done by Kid Gravy. If you look closely, on top of the right bookcase you'll see a small framed photo of the Beach Boys!

Picture One was the left corner (beside the fireplace); on the other side, we find a fairly large bookcase containing Criterions (in numerical order) followed by the Fox Studio Classics series (also numbered). Hidden here by the corner of the couch are the Criterion Eclipse boxed sets. It's usually easier to get to this bookcase, but the couches were rearranged to make room for the Christmas tree. There are three large couches in the living room to accommodate our FNF crowd.

Note the obvious "Ford at Fox" box, and the box of Mystery Science Theater 3000 DVDs. Plus of course, the stuffed tiger, one of several Cincinnati Bengals trinkets around the house this time of year.

Okay, still going clockwise around the room and now bypassing a couch and the Christmas tree (in front of a big window in front of our house) we find, just to the right of our front entranceway, you'll find a large bookcase with films noir, mysteries, and fantasy films.

It's a bit easier here for movie fans to see specific titles; top row here has the numbered Fox Noir films, then the Warner noirs and the VCI noirs. The second row has individual titles. The third row has the Warners gangster sets, the Emma Peel megaset with Gravy's all-time favorite TV show, The Avengers, and a slew of Alfred Hitchcock titles. In the fourth row we see Charlie Chan, Sherlock Holmes, Mr. Moto, Michael Shayne, and the Thin Man box. Bottom row has movie fantasies, jungle films, and stuff like that.

When you enter Castle Gravy, there's a couch (what else) in front of you, and beyond it this bookcase, which is next to the TV set. This contains one of Gravy's favorite sections, boxed sets devoted to individual stars. In the top row, if you look carefully you'll see the Astaire & Rogers set, plus Busby Berkeley, Charlie Chaplin, Bette Davis, and many others; the second row includes a British boxed set with comic Will Hay (and the Slapstick Symposium set, which doesn't belong there). Row three has Buster Keaton, those awful Laurel & Hardy sets from Fox, Val Lewton, Harold Lloyd, Jayne Mansfield, Martin & Lewis, and others; Row four has the Marx Bros., Steve McQueen, Jean Renoir, Will Rogers, Rooney & Garland, and others; the bottom row has John Wayne and a bunch of British boxed sets.

To the right of this bookcase, you'll see a black "tower" bookcase that contains serials and TV shows I'm currently watching, plus our FNF films for this week.