Hopalong Cassidy films restored and now on Blu-ray? Yer durn tootin’!

This July 29th ClassicFlix honors one of the greatest icons in film history with the release of Hopalong Cassidy - The Legacy Collection, Volume 1. The first three films in the Hoppy series (Hop-Along Cassidy, The Eagle's Brood and Bar 20 Rides Again - all 1935) have been newly restored by ClassicFlix and are in this collection, as well as numerous bonus features including a mini-documentary on William Boyd, commentaries and more (see below).

Note: All films have been restored by ClassicFlix from original film elements (including camera negatives and fine grains) in the Hopalong Cassidy Film Archive, but only reel 4 survives in 35mm for The Eagle's Brood. Our restoration for Brood used the lone 35mm source for reel 4 and two 16mm prints for the rest of the reels.

Writer Clarence E. Mulford created the popular fictional cowpoke Hopalong Cassidy in 1904 and would go on to write numerous short stories and novels over several decades. In 1935, motion picture producer Harry Sherman introduced "Hoppy" to movie audiences casting the ruggedly handsome William Boyd in the lead, inaugurating one of the most prolific film franchises in movie history.

A cut above the average B-western, Hoppy films not only boasted solid production values, but would create the mold of a western sidekick in George "Gabby" Hayes (playing "Windy") and popularize the "trio western" showcasing three lead characters, instead of just one or two.

The result—66 B-Westerns produced between 1935 and 1948, which were a feat in themselves, but would also later help catapult Boyd’s Hopalong Cassidy from movie star to cultural phenomenon when the films were shown on the new medium of television in the late 40s and early 50s.

Hopalong Cassidy - The Legacy Collection, Volume 1 presents the first three newly restored films in the series (Hop-Along Cassidy, The Eagle's Brood and Bar 20 Rides Again), as well as numerous bonus features to honor one of the greatest icons in film history.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Audio commentary by film historian Ed Hulse on Hop-Along Cassidy
• Audio commentary by film historian Toby Roan on Bar 20 Rides Again
• William Boyd - Becoming Hopalong Cassidy mini-documentary
• Hopalong in Hoppyland short showcasing opening day at William Boyd’s 80 acre theme park
• Bonus reels (no sound) - Never-before-seen stock footage, outtakes and behind the scenes footage selected from hundreds of reels in the Hopalong Cassidy Film Archive
• The Eagle's Brood original theatrical trailer
• Image Gallery

HOP-ALONG CASSIDY (1935, 60 min.)
William Boyd splashes onto the screen as Hopalong Cassidy in this first entry of the series that finds Hoppy arriving to take the job of foreman at the Bar 20 Ranch, where he is soon caught up in trying to stave off a potential range war instigated by rustlers.

This debut programmer introduces James Ellison and George "Gabby" Hayes (as Uncle Ben) as series regulars, along with a supporting cast that includes Paula Stone, Frank McGlynn, Jr., Charles Middleton, Willie Fung, Kenneth Thomson and Robert Warwick.

THE EAGLE’S BROOD (1935, 60 min.) 
When the grandson of notorious outlaw El Toro is kidnapped, Hoppy promises to find and rescue the youngster after the bandit saves his life.

Featuring William Farnum, Joan Woodbury (as Nana Martinez), Addison Richards, Dorothy Revier, George Mari and Paul Fix.

--Note: Only reel 4 survives in 35mm for The Eagle's Brood. Our restoration used the lone 35mm source for reel 4 and 16mm for the rest of the reels.

BAR 20 RIDES AGAIN (1935, 63 min.)
Hoppy heads to Wyoming and goes undercover to help a friend who needs help defeating a gang of rustlers.

This third entry in the series finds George "Gabby" Hayes playing “Windy”, a moniker he would permanently have after the fourth film (Call of the Prairie, 1936). Jean Rouverol, Harry Worth, Frank McGlynn, Jr., Howard Lang, Paul Fix, Ethel Wales, Al St. John and the musical stylings of Chill Wills and the Avalon Boys.