Warning: there is a reason why I put this reward at $100.00: this is a
HARD question!

Where can I obtain a copy of a hard-to-find movie called "The Streets
of Hong Kong"(1979)?  Here is the imdb entry:

http://us.imdb.com/Details?0316695

Yikes!  Not much to go on in imdb.  This site is marginally better:

http://www.eonline.com/Facts/Movies/0,60,60830,00.html

I would like to obtain a good copy of this movie in any format: VHS,
VHS-PAL, DVD, LD, or even 16mm.  A used copy would be fine, as would a
VCR recording off TV.  It is possible that rights to this film belong
to Universal City Studios.

I appreciate whatever information you can provide, but unfortunately I
will not disburse the $100 until I am actually able to obtain the
movie through your help and info.

Thank you, and good luck!

---

Request for Question Clarification by huntsman-ga on 06 Jun 2002 02:02 PDT

maho, 

According to your terms, this won't be an answer until you have the
movie in your hands, so I'm posting it as a clarification.

It's a no-no for GA researchers or questioners to identify themselves,
act as middlemen, or engage in external transactions with questioners.
Since you are ultimately the final buyer, it is probably more
appropriate for you to do the final follow up.

For several hours, I looked high and low over the Web (and in Google
Groups) but couldn't find any recordings of "The Streets of Hong
Kong". However, I did find some direct contact information that should
put you on the right track.

Gary Collins, 64, actor and TV personality, is married to Mary Ann
Mobley. They can be contacted through their agency at:

Gary Collins and Mary Ann Mobley 
The William Morris Agency 
151 El Camino Dr.
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
Phone: 310-859-4000
Fax: 310-859-4419
Email: jwiatt@wma.com 

Gary Collins' mailing address, which is not necessarily his actual
home address, is listed on the following celebrity Web sites. Google
Answers cautions against listing personal information, so I won't post
his address here. Check it for yourself at:

Plexe.com
Celebrity Address List, A thru L
http://plexe.com/celebrity/

Seeing-Stars.com 
Celebrity Mailing Address Search page
http://www.seeing-stars.com/Search.shtml

These celebrity sites have some excellent suggestions for writing to
stars directly. A polite request to Mr. Collins may result in a source
for the movie.
 
If you do find a tape for "Streets of Hong Kong" through these
sources, please let us know so the question can be closed as
"Answered".

Good luck, 
huntsman


Search Terms - 
- "Gary Collins" "Beverly Hills"

---

Clarification of Question by maho-ga on 06 Jun 2002 09:57 PDT

Thank you for all the information you have given me.  I appreciate
information like the actors address and the video search service.  If
I had only posted a price of $10, I think that would be adequate. 
However, for $100, I am looking for a firm or an individual who
actually has the movie I am looking for and is willing to sell or
trade it.  I am really in no rush, so I am going to leave the question
open as "unanswered" in the hopes that someone will come through.

Once again, thank you for this information, and I hope you don't find
my attitude too unreasonable.

---

Request for Question Clarification by tehuti-ga on 08 Jun 2002 08:02 PDT

I wondered if you have attempted this service:

MOVIEHUNTER
11054 Ventura Blvd., Suite 241, Studio City, CA  91604
Phone:       (888) 311-1018
Fax:         (818) 763-5364
E-mail:      moviehunter@moviehunter.tv
Web:         www.moviehunter.tv

Moviehunter, the search service to which Suncoast Motion Picture Co.
may refer you, deals only in movies which are out-of-print or have
never been released in the U.S.  Their price is usually $39.95, in-
cluding both transfer and tape.

The site claims: "Some call me Hunter and I crave Lost, Rare, and
Hard-T o-Find MOVIES ON VIDEO . If you are looking for that Lost, Rare
or Hard-to-Find
  Movie or Movie Serial or T.V. Movie or BBC / British TV thing -- you
might wanna call The Master."

"Send MOVIEHUNTER a note with the movie you're looking for and a
contact phone number    moviehunter@moviehunter.tv
 (A contact telephone number is required.  In order to fully explain
our search policies, and due to the volume of requests, a contact
phone number is necessary if you desire a response.)"

---

Clarification of Question by maho-ga on 09 Jun 2002 07:48 PDT

No, I haven't tried the Moviehunter service.  Have you ever used them?
 Is there any reason why they would be better than some of the other
video search services out there?

By the way, I'm surprised no one suggested alt.video.tape-trading on
usenet/google groups.

Hello Maho,

You can buy "The Streets of Hong Kong" (1979) as used VHS on the
following site:

Djangos Movies
http://www.djangomusic.com/item_movie.asp?id=V+++112056


After all of the usual places listed the item as unavailable, I
finally found it by searching every site listed on
http://www.placedirectory.com/buy-videos.htm -- this page describes
Djangos as a shop specializing in "previously enjoyed, hard-to-find,
music and movies".


Thanks, and I hope that answers it!

Search terms:
    "streets of hong kong" movie
    buy videos online

---

Request for Answer Clarification by maho-ga on 06 Jun 2002 12:39 PDT

Thank you for this information.  As I specified in my original
question, I can't pay the $100 until I am actually able to obtain the
movie.  I will follow up on your suggestion, and if it works, the
money will be yours.
 
Mark.  

---

Request for Answer Clarification by maho-ga on 06 Jun 2002 13:06 PDT

Thank you for your help.  I checked the company you suggested
regarding the movie listed below:
 
&lt;a href=&quot;<a href="http://www.djangomusic.com/item_movie.asp?id=V+++112056">http://www.djangomusic.com/item_movie.asp?id=V+++112056</a>&quot;&gt;<a href="http://www.djangomusic.com/item_movie.asp?id=V+++112056">http://www.djangomusic.com/item_movie.asp?id=V+++112056</a>&lt;/a&gt; 
 
As you can see, their website says n/a = &amp;quot;not available&amp;quot;.  I called
their toll-free number, and they confirmed they do not have it.  So as
per the terms of my question, this does not constitute an answer.  

---

Clarification of Answer by j_philipp-ga on 06 Jun 2002 13:44 PDT

Hello Maho, 
 
sorry for the confusion. Actually, the "n/a" is listed for the price
only -- clicking on it brings up the following help:
"Whenever you see the ‘n/a’ abbreviation listed next to ‘our price’ on
our product pages, this means that we don’t currently have a price for
the item in question."
 
So my assumption was simply that you need to ask for the price, but
that the item is available -- it even said "VHS (used)". This will
teach me to be more suspicious next time.
 
Now, I'm sorry they don't seem to have it after all -- I'd wish to
cancel my question, but as this is not possible, I continued my search
through many more sites. Unfortunately nothing turned up.
 
Please let me contact a Google Answers editor and I hope my answer can
be removed, and you also may wish to request a refund.
 
Thanks. 

---

Request for Answer Clarification by maho-ga on 07 Jun 2002 05:56 PDT

Yes, if you could contact the google editors and cancel your answer, I
would appreciate it.  I have requested a refund.
 
Thank you for your efforts nonetheless. 

---

Clarification of Answer by j_philipp-ga on 07 Jun 2002 06:04 PDT

Hello Maho, 
 
Next time I'm going to the local video store I will ask for your movie
anyway.  (I will post it as comment if anything turns up.)
 
Good luck on finding your movie! 

My original question said that payment was contigent upon my actually
being able to obtain the movie I am looking for.
I checked the company the person suggested regarding the movie listed
below:
        
http://www.djangomusic.com/item_movie.asp?id=V+++112056 
        
As you can see, their website says n/a = "not available".  I called
their toll-free number, and they confirmed they do not have it.  So as
per the terms of my question, this does not constitute an answer.

This is a very hard question :-)  I didn't find the movie in
Universal's movie catalog, fyi.  I would recommend talking to hard to
find movie dealers and private collectors.

xemion-ga

The following may be of some help.

An e-mail from:

A MILLION AND ONE WORLD-WIDE VIDEOS
www.wwvideos.com


Yes, we can get your movie or TV title(s).

We are video detectives.  We specialize in obtaining
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in any store, catalogue or even on the internet - either
because they are sold out or they were never released
for sale on video.  In other words, they are
collectibles. 

For us to start a search you must be certain the title
you want is not available anywhere at any price.
Once you have determined this we can go to work
for you.

First we check the following directories: Gale's
"The Video Source Book"; "Bowker's Complete Video
Directory"; "Video Hound's Golden Movie Retriever".
These directories not only list the titles, they also tell us 
who the distributor is.  We then call to be absolutely
sure your title is not available.

We then place ads in major publications to find a 
collector who has the video or the film. When it
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one made just for you by sending the film to a lab
to have it transferred from film to video
www.wwvideos.com/ads.html

We also get the word out to over 35,000 collectors 
that have private video collection libraries through
out the world.

You do not need us to do this for you.  You can place
ads yourself in major publications.  The problem is
if no one responds you have spent $150 to 300 for
nothing.

By having us advertise on your behalf you are not
risking anything.  You only pay the day we mail you
the video.  To get us started, all you have to do is to
guarantee the order with a credit card.  We do not
charge your card until the day we mail you the video
Give us the name of the movie or documentary and 
any other pertinent information, such as the director,
star and year.  Tell us how many dollars you are 
authorizing us to spend on your behalf to find your
title. 
        
Telephone
English speakers may call:
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Our office hours are:
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We also offer you the option of getting your
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See: http:// www.wwvideos.com/trade.html
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Very truly yours,
A MILLION AND ONE WORLD-WIDE VIDEOS
Barbara Lambert
barbara@wwvideos.com
Director 
Chief Video Detective
www.wwvideos.com

Here's a little more info right here :

http://www.blockbuster.com/bb/movie/details/0,7286,VID-V%20%20%20112056,00.html

Unfortunately the "buy this movie" icon is greyed out...

One additional thing you may wish to try is to set up an account on
eBay (it's free), execute a search for "streets of hong kong," and
then save the search. If an item satisfying your search criteria comes
up for sale you can be notified automatically by email. Though I've
had very little success doing this (I, too, seek hard to find items!)
every once in a while it has worked! This isn't a plug for eBay,
rather, a description of a technique to add to your arsenal.

i guess you go and call Mr.Gary Collins of one of his successors ,
they have a copy of this movie.

VisorMax.