What a pleasant surprise to learn of this! At long last, Gary’s Emmy-winning performance in George Wallace is finally being released on DVD.  For those of you who’ve never seen this due to lack of availability, you are in for a real treat.

Preorder from Amazon here for $18.49.  Excerpts from the official press release are below the artwork.

George Wallace, the acclaimed TNT original mini-series chronicling the career of the three-time Governor of Alabama and four-time Presidential candidate, will come to DVD for the first time when Warner Home Video (WHV) releases a special 2-disc set January 20, 2009. Based on the book by Marshall Frady, this epic bio directed by the legendary John Frankenheimer (The Manchurian Candidate, Seven Days in May, Ronin, Reindeer Games) stars Academy Award® -nominated actor Gary Sinise (CSI:NY, Forrest Gump, Ransom) as the infamous politician and segregationist George Wallace. 

Wallace has traditionally been branded a racist, but Frankenheimer’s film suggests that his lust for power and status drove his cronyism with white supremacists, securing his place in history as one of the most destructive and hated American politicians of his time. Sinise – who won an Emmy® Award for this performance – brilliantly captures both the corruption and the belated search for redemption. Mare Winningham (Grey’s Anatomy, Wyatt Earp, St. Elmo’s Fire) plays his first wife and Angelina Jolie (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Changeling, Kung Fu Panda, Beowulf) – in her first major role - his adoring second.

In addition to Sinise, both Frankenheimer and Winningham won an Emmy® for their work (Best Director and Best Supporting Actress respectively for 1997).

The film also won the Golden Globe for Best Mini-Series for 1997 and Jolie won the Golden Globe that year for Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries.

“The release of this moving political drama on January 20^th coincides with the inauguration of this country’s first African-American president, and serves as reminder of the tremendous strides the United States has made since Wallace’s day,” commented Rosemary Markson, WHV Vice President, TV and Special Interest Marketing. “The combination of the top tier talent in this film combined with the outstanding directorial skills of John Frankenheimer have resulted in a true classic.”

George Corley Wallace was elected Governor of Alabama as a Democrat for three terms (1963-1967, 1971-1979 and 1983-1987) and ran for U.S. President four times, running as a Democrat in 1964, 1972 and 1976. On May 15, 1972, while campaigning in Laurel, Maryland, Wallace was shot five times, leaving him paralyzed and wheelchair-bound until his death in 1998.

George Wallace will feature a newly-created bonus featurette including exclusive interviews with Jolie, Sinise and Winningham and archival interview footage of the late Frankenheimer, writer Marshall Frady and executive producer Mark Carliner. Frankenheimer’s widow, Evans Frankenheimer, also gives a new interview for the piece.

The TNT network is launching a new broadband service called “DramaVision” starting August 15. This initiative will make a wide array of its archive original programming available. “George Wallace” is expected to be among the offerings, although no dates have been set. (Note to The Powers that Be: This doesn’t get you off hook for the DVD.)

A special DVD edition of The Green Mile will be released on November 14. There’s no indication of Gary’s participation, but for fans of this film, this set looks like it will be something special.

Now that CSI:NY has bumped Gary’s profile, let’s take another stab at getting George Wallace on DVD.

Here are two things we can all do:

1) Amazon

Go to Amazon and enter George Wallace in the search box, with DVD selected in the format box. It should show up first or second on the search list. When you go to the page that says “this title is not yet released on DVD,” please enter your e-mail address and ask for notification when it is released. The studios do keep an eye on the Amazon list to see which titles are in highest demand. Plus, Amazon users can view the list of top titles and add their votes.

2) Warner Brothers Home Video

Send a postcard to Warner Bros.

Please send polite postcards (yes, postcards) requesting George Wallace on DVD to:

Mr. Jim Cardwell, President
Warner Home Video
4000 Warner Boulevard
Burbank, CA 91522

Be sure to include your name and address. If you receive a response, please let us know.

Thanks for your help! I have no doubt that fans’ interest as expressed to MGM played a role in the DVD release of Of Mice and Men and the special edition. Let’s see if we can get the same treatment for the Emmy-winning George Wallace.

Would you like to see a DVD release of Gary’s Emmy-Award winning performance in George Wallace?

Please send polite postcards requesting George Wallace on DVD to:

Mr. Mike Radiloff
VP of DVD Marketing
Warner Home Video
4000 Warner Boulevard
Burbank, CA 91522

You can also send postcards to Mr. Jim Cardwell, President, Warner Home Video, at the same address.

Be sure to include your name and address. If you receive a response, please let us know here at Sinisefans.

It’s time to start agitating for a DVD release of Gary’s Emmy-Award winning performance in George Wallace.

Please send polite postcards requesting George Wallace on DVD to:
Mr. Warren Lieberfarb, President
Warner Home Video
4000 Warner Boulevard
Burbank, CA 91522

Be sure to include your name and address. If you receive a response, please let us know here at Sinisefans.

* Gary Sinise will be performing with Kimo Williams in Los Angeles in July. For more details, visit the Kimotion web site.* This site has undergone major surgery! Let us know what you think by sending feedback.

* Exciting DVD news! At long last, A Midnight Clear will be released on DVD on June 4, 2002. We will post the pre-order link as soon as the title hits Amazon’s computers. On July 9, a director’s cut of Impostor will be released. Click here to pre-order.

* Gary will be filiming The Human Stain with Nicole Kidman and Anthony Hopkins this spring. Visit the IMDB to learn more about the film. We will post more information when it becomes available.

* More cool news! Apollo 13 will be returning to an IMAX theater near you late this summer. Unlike previous screenings of theatrical films on IMAX screens, which simply blew up images projected from a conventional 35 mm negative, a new process has been developed that is said to yield much better results by converting the film’s negative to a 70 mm IMAX format. Those who have seen the results are reportedly quite impressed! The prospect of enjoying this wonderful movie in the theater again, much less in the fabulous widescreen format, is really something to look forward to.

* National Public Radio’s Fresh Air featured the 25th anniversary of Steppenwolf on September 20. To listen to the interview via Real Audio, go to Fresh Air’s search page and enter September 20, 2000 in the search box. Happy listening!

* We have extra copies of the Breakfast with Gary videotape. These can be ordered from the GWI page.

* The new book Steppenwolf at 25 is now available at Amazon.com.

* Buy Gary’s projects and support his fan club: Through an affiliate program with AMAZON.COM, you can purchase videos, laserdiscs and DVD’s of Gary’s projects and support Gary’s Web International at the same time.

* SAG Awards Photo: Susan Daley of the gsinise listserv has done a lovely page with screen captures from the Screen Actors’ Guild awards, at which Gary was honored for his work in George Wallace. You can find Susan’s page here; and please be sure to convey your appreciation to Susan for her hard work.