Thanks for the advice concerning the VHS versions, Richard. I may just give up on the movies altogether and keep trying to find reasonably-priced books.
Stumpy,
I have an extra copy of Borderland from SinisterCinema.com that I will send to you if you're stateside, but the quality isn't much better than the VHS. As an alternative, you might splurge on this box-set:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/produ…tails?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=
which has gone out of print before the supply runs out and the price skyrockets.
Another edition, without the lunch box, is also going out of print:
http://www.amazon.com/Hopalong…TF8&qid=1315395635&sr=1-2
You get all 66 Hopalong Cassidy films restored, uncut and in excellent quality. Try to watch them in chronological order. The 1930s films are the strongest. By the early 1940s the scripts are pretty weak and the productions are shot too fast to carry much gravitas, although they maintain their decency and charm. I Know you'll like them.
Richard