TheArchive: Reviewing the Rare, Retro, and Restored

At the start of Women’s history month, we celebrated the shattering of the glass ceiling with TheArchive ’s Decoy - the first television series to feature a policewoman as its syndicated star. Beverly Garland solidified her place in history as a cinematic trailblazer - offering women of the '50s an empowered and respected female hero of the silver screen; a role model whose story was worth telling week after week! Garland made way for many other female “TV cops” but it took over 16 years! While Angie Dickinson did arrest our hearts in the late 70’s in Police Woman , that did not necessarily open the flood gates overnight. It took years until we had the likes of Helen Mirren in Prime Suspect , S. Epatha Merkerson and Mariska Hargitay in Law and Order , and most recently Regina King in Watchmen .  While there have been other greats, we thought it would be interesting to focus on a truly untapped space, the female buddy cop TV drama. It wasn’t until 1982 that we finally saw the famil...

The power of the British Crown is undeniable and has been for centuries.  Its influence on pop culture is no exception. And now with the parallels being drawn between Princess Diana and Meghan Markle, history certainly repeats, but this time the Crown may be the one influenced. It’s certainly on its heels in terms of public perception.  As such, we decided to revisit a movie from TheArchive , a sudden timely piece of nostalgia, Princess in Love , and anyone who loves multiple award-winning The Crown on Netflix, will undoubtedly get a kick out of this movie which aired on CBS 25 years ago.  It aired only one year before Princess Di’s untimely death. Recounting the true-life story of the rollercoaster love affair between Captain James Hewitt and Lady Diana Spencer, Princess in Love suggests that this relationship “destroyed a royal marriage and stunned the British monarchy.” Today we know that the Royals, still an obsessive figment of media attention and global fandom, and...

Rick King wrote and directed a fair number of films including The Killing Time starring Beau Bridges and Kiefer Sutherland . None of them were hits per se, though he did win a CableAce Award for his work as director on miniseries Vietnam War Story .  King was also just a writer on certain projects including Point Break which did go on to be a significant hit and spawned a remake just a few years ago.  He explored some similar territory throughout his work, most notably, the “unlikely buddy” dynamic.  In Point Break for example, Keanu Reeves (who plays Utah) gets seemingly bromanced but also blackmailed into a friendship with criminal Bodhi, played by Patrick Swayze. As they were both athletes, therein developed a certain level of camaraderie and respect, despite the two being on very different sides of the law. In another notable Rick King sports film Hotshot , the legendary Brazilian football (soccer) great and erstwhile thespian Pelé, plays a forgotten champion. H...

Fresh off binging last year’s Peacock reboot of “Saved by the Bell,” we decided to jump into TheArchive and see what old gems with the original cast we could find. And we did one better. We found Zack Morris from Saved by the Bell trying to revive Punky Brewster in a coma! This is not a Peacock marketing stunt gone wrong, but we’ll get back to that in a moment. If you thought the only time Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Soleil Moon Frye (honestly, typing those names is a nightmare) appeared in the same rarified air was in the revered episode of  Saved by the Bell , “Screech’s Spaghetti Sauce” circa 1992, guess again. Don’t mind if we do. Mark-Paul appeared  before  that in  Punky Brewster  as Punky’s tutor for whom she had a mad crush! Well the “chemistry,” was undeniable so they came together once more and we’ve got that only reunion on cel luloid, 1994’s  The St. Tammany Miracle . Directed by Joy Newton Houck Jr., best known for directing  Creature from t...

There are so many interesting stories embedded in TheArchive ’s deep archive. With a vast library of content and a rich history, we continue to distribute surprises every day.  For example, streaming on TheArchive now are all 39 episodes of 1956’s The Buccaneers starring the inimitable Robert Shaw, possibly best known for his iconic performance as Quint the shark hunter in Jaws, but an Oscar-nominee and Hollywood stalwart nonetheless, and a damn solid Buccaneer as well.  Talk about difficult schedules. 39 episodes shot over a single season, nearly a record, and only one number shy of Tom Brady’s record last year of passing touchdowns in a single season. That’s a reach in comparable statistics, but we  are  talking about the Buccaneers.  If you watch the series, one can see how amazingly, nearly 65 years later, art and life do continue to imitate one another. The plot centers around Captain Dan Tempest who as an ex-pirate, received a pardon from the King and tu...

To commemorate the beginning of Black History Month,  we are celebrating two remarkable American heroes who are forever and inextricably linked in film history. A Woman Called Moses  stars the late, legendary Cicely Tyson in a miniseries honoring the life of Harriett Tubman who summoned the strength and indomitable will to defy and overcome a tyrannous system.  In her near 70 year career on screen, the Emmy, Tony, and Academy Honorary Award winner explored a broad and deep mix of roles in film, television and theater, many that worked to lift and amplify the black experience. "Whatever good I have accomplished as an actress I believe came in direct proportion to my efforts to portray Black women who have made positive contributions to my heritage." A Woman Called Moses  was produced as a television miniseries and based on the life of Harriet Tubman, the escaped slave who organized the infamous Underground Railroad, ultimately leading scores from enslavement...

On Holocaust Remembrance Day we honor the millions who perished and the millions whose eternal light continues to shine as a beacon of hope.  Humanity will triumph in the face of any challenge and transcend any wrong. Oscar winning documentary, The Long Way Home , echoes those ideals as it depicts the plight of Jewish refugees after World War II that contributed to the creation of the State of Israel.  The film examines the horrific conditions for Jewish refugees even in post-war Europe, as antisemitism was still prevalent and poverty the norm.  The formation of the State of Israel is explored, along with the ensuing debates around its formation. Narrated by Morgan Freeman, The Long Way Home features Edward Asner, Sean Astin, and Martin Landau. Never forget. TheArchive  channel is dedicated to aficionados and lovers of story, craft, and silver screen fun – streaming rare, retro, and 4K restored films and classic TV. From indies and series, to Oscar wi...

Larry King has been a legend for decades now, not for being a radio or tv personality, but for being a true humanist - he never met a person he couldn’t interview.   For a few years now, Multicom has had the high honor of distributing hundreds of episodes of Larry's interviews from his " Larry King Now " series that ran for many years following hanging up his CNN suspenders. It was the first interview show of its caliber created for both online and broadcast platforms.   Regardless of its medium or delivery mechanism, he was a work horse like no other. Though it never seemed like he treated it as work, but more as a commitment with passion. He wanted each episode to be the best it could be and wanted everyone to enjoy every angle. Even the marketing and advertising had to be from a compelling Larry-style delivery.   When we first began distributing the series, we wanted to make a few different promos explaining the show. We were worried it would annoy Larry...