Metropolis Video Store: May 2012

Monday, May 14, 2012

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Superman Vol. 1 (Funtime Kid Video, 1989)

Title: Superman Vol. 1

Manufacturer: Funtime Kid Video (UAV)

Part #: 2012

Date: 1989

Another (!!!) UAV (that's United American Video Corporation for the uninformed) find, this time masquerading under a "sub-label" called "Funtime Kid Video". Titles it contains:

Volcano
Underground World
Mechanical Monsters
Terror on the Midway

VHSRip NEEDED

Superman: The Man of Steel (Treehouse Productions, 1994)

Title: Superman: The Man of Steel

Manufacturer: Treehouse Productions

Part #: 7010

Date: 1994

VHS release that contains the following titles:

Superman
Billion Dollar Limited
Artic Giant

VHSRip NEEDED

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

UAV: United American Video Corporation

In compiling data for this project (and just generally being a geek for the last three decades), I've taken an interest in a small VHS manufacturer located in South Carolina, United American Video Corporation (or UAV for short).

UAV releases seem to pop up pretty regularly, and it appears that they had pretty good distribution deals with second tier retail outlets, such as Dollar General, Family Dollar, and such. In my youth, I remember buying several UAV VHSs at these two venues. Not only did UAV manufacture and distribute titles of the public domain variety, but seem to have had licensed some legit titles, as well (my first VHS copy of Sam Raimi's Evil Dead was a UAV release, purchased at the Family Dollar in Manchester, Ohio in late 1992).

What makes UAV stand out is the number of Fleischer Bros./ Famous Studios SUPERMAN releases they produced, even for a public domain outfit. Over the years, I know I've owned at least 5 different releases, and if packaging and box art is to be believed (which, in the realm of public domain VHS manufacturers...believe half you see and none of what you hear), they produced at least 3 more over the years. Only VHS cult movie kings Goodtimes Home Video may have had the releases to match.

(Side note: Speaking of UAV's releases, the first I ever came in contact with were two releases that were packaged like the image below. I purchased Vol.1 of this 1987 release at The Sundry Store in West Union, Ohio around the fall of 1988, and the copy of Vol. 2...the one pictured from a friend of mine a few weeks later. My friend and I have always found it funny how cheap UAV was with it's packaging...take notice Superman's "S" shield. That's because Vol.1 had the exact same artwork, only with blue themed packaging...only Vol. 1's art is reproduced on the VHS cover going the reverse direction. Over the years I've lost my copy of Vol.1...I'm constantly on the hunt for another.)

I can find little info online about UAV, other than they were a cheap VHS manufacturer. And, they may still be in business, but have relocated to North Carolina. Anyone with historical info on United American Video Corporation, feel free to contact the Metropolis Video Store via e-mail...

metropolisvideo@live.com

Superman Vol. 4 (UAV 1989)

Title: Superman Vol. 4

Manufacturer: United American Video Corp.

Date: 1989

This release contains the following titles:
Mechanical Monsters
Terror on the Midway
Superman
The Mummy Strikes

Download Link

Mission Statement

Welcome to the Metropolis Video Store, a site dedicated to
archiving any and all public domain VHS releases of the early 1940s Fleischer Bros/ Famous Studios animated Superman shorts. Looking for cover scans and digital video files of said releases. We've also expanded our horizons, hoping to create a venue for a pictorial history of the packaging of superhero and comic strip themed video media from all walks of life...

Why we do what we do:
The Metropolis Video Store's webmaster, Anthony Wayne Conn, is a comic book historian and enthusiast whose geek-cred stretches back over three decades.
He's written film and DVD reviews for several genre-related websites, and has collected and read funnybooks since the ripe old age of five, circa 1979. He fell in love with the Fleischer Bros./Famous Studios Superman animated shorts of
the 1940s after he discovered them during his teen years, through Gary Grossman's book, Superman: Serial to Cereal and the numerous VHS releases manufactured by distributors who capitialized on the fact that the shorts exist in the public domain rights and licensing-wise, a practice that
continues to this day in the DVD format.The Metropolis Video
Store is an effort to preserve this viewing experience, specifically the VHS viewing experience, which for nearly two decades was practically the only way one could be exposed to these classic cartoons. We have a large collection of these cheap VHS format releases, and plan on archiving and sharing
box art scans, and if possible in the near future, make available for download digital video files of the contents of said tapes.

Any feedback or comments are welcome. Feel free to contact the site via e-mail at metropolisvideo@live.com