This particular print has been joined together onto a very full 600ft reel. Released by Derann as one of the UA titles, it is a good fun mad cap half hour cut down. Derann chose to end the film earlier than where the original feature does presumably to prevent this edit being too choppy, I couldn't really see any other way they could have done it myself but it is generally a good good down. it is a shame as it only needed another three minutes to have made it complete as it does have a rather abrupt ending which was unusual for Derann.

This was released in both scope and flat, this review is for the scope version though the content is the same on both. As often happened with these 2 x 400ft releases, one part is on low fade stock while the other part is on earlier stock, reel one has the fade while part two has excellent, unfaded vivid colours. IF, i could find a scope low fade part 1 then this would be an excellent reel. It was a very common title and often appeared for sale on the second hand lists.
Like many of United Artist 2 x 400s, the later prints were put out as a single LPP 600ft print, a copy of this title, the magnificent seven or the great escape on low fade and scope would be well worth getting hold of. This particular print still has years left in yet, the fade on part one is the same now as is was the last time I viewed it back in 2018, I took a few screenshots back then for future comparison.
Some film stocks which fade seem to get to a certain point and dont get any worse, others just turn red or pink within a short time.
The quality of the print as usual with Derann is very good, image is clear and bright, sound is very good and in this case, the scope image is so much better than the flat version because of the action that seems never ending in this edit. Also the scenery just opens up and fills the whole screen with so much more to see. Made in 1963 with some of very best names in films and comedy of the day including Spencer Tracy, Phil Silvers, Terry Thomas, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, to name a few. Other big names in the supporting cast include Sterling Holloway, and the three stooges who play the firemen at the Airport.
A good edit of a classic 60s comedy with non stop action and as this release was from the second batch of UA films, its simply part one joined to part 2 to make the edit, none of that nonsense of having to re edit it like the early batch. I thought UA were ridiculous making Derann release those as two separate stand alone reels.
If I had to be very picky about this release, it would have to be the abrupt ending finishing a few minutes too early.

Here is the plot edited to only include what is in this home release.

A just-released convict crashes his car on California State Route 74. Five motorists stop to help him: Melville Crump, with his wife Monica; Lennie Pike, Ding Bell and Benjy Benjamin, two friends on their way to Las Vegas; and J. Russell Finch, and his wife Emmeline and his loud, mother-in-law Mrs. Marcus. Just before he dies, Grogan tells them about $350,000 buried in Santa Rosita State Park under "a big W". After the group fails to come up with a satisfactory way to split the money, they give up negotiating and begin a mad dash to find it. Unbeknownst to all, Captain Culpeper, chief of detectives of the Santa Rosita Police Department, who had been working the Grogan case for years and hoped to solve it and retire, has everyone tracked.
All the motorists experience setbacks on the way to the park. The Crumps charter a rickety biplane to Santa Rosita. Bell and Benjamin charter a modern plane, but, when their alcoholic pilot knocks himself out, they have to land the plane themselves, causing chaos among the air traffic controllers as the plane flies wildly out of control.
Pike, (Phil Silvers), stops motorist Otto Meyer for a ride; however, after Pike tells Meyer about the money, Meyer abandons him and convinces two service station employees to detain Pike. Pike destroys the station and steals a tow truck.
Meanwhile, Culpepper instructs all the law enforcement following the motorists to back off on his signal – because none of the motorists know him – and heads for the park. Eventually everyone reaches the Park and begins searching for the "big W". Culpeper gives the pre-arranged signal and goes in alone. Emmeline finds the "big W" first, quickly followed by Pike, who tells the others. After the money is dug up, Culpeper identifies himself, but does not arrest them, instead he persuades the motorists to turn themselves in.
Suspicious about why Culpeper let them go, the motorists follow him and notice he is not returning to the police station. They chase him to a condemned building, where the men corner him on a rickety fire escape which breaks because of their combined weight. In the struggle, Culpeper drops the briefcase containing the money, scattering the cash to a crowd of people in the street below. When they all pile onto a fire department ladder sent to rescue them, their combined weight causes it to spin uncontrollably and toss them wildly in different directions, leaving most of them heavily injured.
This version ends here with the last scene shown in the screenshots with a simple "The End" title.


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Looks pretty good Tom, a lot of really faded prints out there, mine is on the turn and I've not seen it for a while so should run it again soon. A good edit and cast as you say, a very enjoyable cutdown, Mark

So the flat version is pan-and-scan rather than letterboxed the way U8 used to do it for some of their releases, like DRACULA (1979 version)?

This was one of my favorite movies as a kid, but I don't think I have watched the whole movie since I was a teenager. I still have the videotape I recorded from TV back then. I remember that it was shown over 2 nights. I've only seen the movie in pan-and-scan.

Pretty much every scene in that movie is still engraved in my brain, for better or for worse!

Sylvester!!!!!!!

Nice one Tom.I do quite like this film the only drawback I have is I feel it is a bit long,but non the less a good film with something to laugh about which is more than can be said for sum of the films on offer today.👍👍

It's a very long time since a saw the full feature and It was a little too long. This 30/33 minute edition it more than enough for me, just a shame they couldn't quite get the last few minutes in.