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Frank McGrath

Frank McGrath

11 films on Best Blurays1 in 4K10 in HD

Frank McGrath photo

Benjamin Franklin McGrath (February 2, 1903 – May 13, 1967) was an American television and film actor and stunt performer who played the comical, optimistic cook with the white beard, Charlie B. Wooster, on the western series Wagon Train for five seasons on NBC and then three seasons on ABC. McGrath appeared in all 272 episodes in the eight seasons of the series, which had ended its run only two years before his death. McGrath's Wooster character hence provided the meals and companionship for both fictional trail masters, Ward Bond as Seth Adams and John McIntire as Christopher "Chris" Hale. McGrath was born in Mound City in Holt County in far northwestern Missouri. McGrath married Libby Quay Buschlen (1902–1978), a native of Ontario, Canada. He died May 13, 1967 at the age of sixty-four of a heart attack in Beverly Hills, California, and was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale. CLR From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Biography from Wikipedia via TMDB

Small role · Director: John Ford

Best English-Friendly:

WB Blu-ray

Best Video:

Warner Archive

Small role · Director: John Ford

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive 4K Blu-ray

Sources: bsky.app (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

1988/1990 WB Hi-Fi VHS

Audio Notes:

Crystal clear, albeit with some distortion in louder areas

The 4K Blu-ray reuses the same poor mastering used on the 2006 WB Blu-ray, only with a completely unnecessary bass cut and extra noise reduction.

Additional Info:

Even putting resolution aside, the Warner Archive 4K Blu-ray has the best video. The old Blu-ray master and earlier DVD both had massive issues with colour.

That said, picture on the 4K Blu-ray isn't perfect, with strange posterized magenta glints and some instances of DNR: https://bsky.app/profile/dagscott.bsky.social/post/3leahavqi7k2l

Small role · Director: Henry King

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Fox Blu-ray

Small role · Director: John Ford

Best English-Friendly:

WB Blu-ray

Best Video:

WB old transfer

Small role · Director: John Ford

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Japan IVC Blu-ray

Small role · Director: William A. Wellman

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Arrow Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray suffers from the Quicktime Gamma Bug see caps

Best Audio:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray from blah-ray:

Audio Notes:

Both the Plaion and Arrow audio tracks sound like they received little/any high- or low- frequency attenuation, but the audio on the new Kino Lorber restoration is much more detailed. It's likely that it was transferred from different (superior) analogue elements. It sounds excellent.

Small role · Director: Anthony Mann

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Small role · Director: Raoul Walsh

Best English-Friendly:

Fox Blu-ray

Sources: DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

US Fox Blu-ray

Video Notes:

US Fox Blu-ray > France Blu-ray see DVDBeaver review, no comparison available with Germany Plaion Blu-ray

Small role · Director: Anthony Mann

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Arrow Video Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Arrow's deluxe presentation is a fantastic package with great supplements, art and printed materials. Sadly the master is a heavily processed Paramount affair. It has seemingly been severely grain managed and the mono audio is horribly thin when it shouldn't be. Stereo and 5.1 options are also given but they seem to be more of home video remixes. They do not have the fidelity issue of the compromised mono but also show marked differences as if they were remixed from stem sources. This seems to have suffered lesser degrees of the problems that plagued The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance's 4K master. This is the best version to date but one wishes Paramount could leave scans alone.

Small role · Director: William A. Wellman

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Small role · Director: John Ford

Best English-Friendly:

WB Blu-ray

Best Video:

Warner Archive

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