Well, uh, I posted the article to dukewayne.com and also to a cowboy movies Facebook page and there was... zero reaction! Which I found surprising, to say the least. Oh well, at least we here at SSO know the value of what Mary-Kate unearthed for us. :)
But moving on... Blu-ray/DVD news.
Bite the Bullet is coming out on Blu-ray on March 13 from Twilight Time (a speciality label that licenses titles from the studios). It's finally available for pre-order at Screenarchives.com (the sole vendor, so don't go looking for it on Amazon).
Here is the cover art:
Here is the inside the package art -- love Ben's prominence right by Gene Hackman!
Also in DVD news, Shout! Factory is releasing Route 66-The Complete Series in a DVD box set on May 22. Ben appeared in two episodes, "Like a Motherless Child" (season 1) and "A Long Piece of Mischief" (season 2). Route 66 was released in season sets a few years back from a company called Infinity Entertainment, but there were all sorts of problems and glitches with the presentation of the episodes and the manufacturing of the DVDs. Hopefully Shout! Factory (a very reliable, responsible outfit) will fix all that.
Speaking of Gene Hackman, the Warner Archive right now has a free streaming of an FBI series episode in which Hackman plays an average, white-collar guy who is secretly a Communist agent! Bad Gene! Ruth Roman is the orphanage director working in China who is also secretly a spy! Bath Ruth! Very Manchurian Candidate. :)