Any hope for Mayberry RFD? (1 Viewer)

[JeffT.]

Nobody is going to see exactly eye-to-eye on everything.
But look at the (popular) discussion threads in this television-themed forum: HAWAII FIVE-0, MANNIX, THE FUGITIVE, requests for SERGEANT BILKO all CBS-Paramount Pictures Television titles.
These individuals seem to be amply satified. The PERRY MASON tv series DVDs continually get rave online reviews. HAWAII FIVE-0 was not only completed but has successfully made it into the blu-ray threshold.
If a "couple" of episodes out of how many hundred shows of THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW are lacking in something (minor) that is still not a bad standing.
If there was any disatisfaction with THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW tv series DVDs then why start this particular discussion thread in the first place? There is no reason to expect that MAYBERRY R.F.D. would be handled any differently.
I happen to feel that (constructive) criticism is good. But what you took you so long to finally speak out on the topic? You should have said something the very moment this discussion thread was started.
Jeff T.

 

[Ron1973]

Nobody is going to see exactly eye-to-eye on everything.
But look at the (popular) discussion threads in this television-themed forum: HAWAII FIVE-0, MANNIX, THE FUGITIVE, requests for SERGEANT BILKO all CBS-Paramount Pictures Television titles.
These individuals seem to be amply satified. The PERRY MASON tv series DVDs continually get rave online reviews. HAWAII FIVE-0 was not only completed but has successfully made it into the blu-ray threshold.
If a "couple" of episodes out of how many hundred shows of THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW are lacking in something (minor) that is still not a bad standing.
If there was any disatisfaction with THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW tv series DVDs then why start this particular discussion thread in the first place? There is no reason to expect that MAYBERRY R.F.D. would be handled any differently.
I happen to feel that (constructive) criticism is good. But what you took you so long to finally speak out on the topic? You should have said something the very moment this discussion thread was started.
Jeff T.

I was not here when the discussion started! I only joined last month and finally saw the "search this forum" link a couple of days ago. Mayberry RFD crossed my mind and I found this thread and apparently resurrected it back to life!
I'm quite happy to see Andy on DVD and would probably spring for blu-ray if it became available IF the problems were corrected. CBS was made aware of these issues by others when they were season sets and they didn't bother to correct it. I'm also happy that Perry Mason and Hawaii Five-0 have done successful.
On the other hand, CBS HE is notorious (as are other companies) for not finishing what they start. On The Beverly Hillbillies they apparently don't think it has done well enough. I'm not marketing expert but start with an official Season 1 instead of Season 2. They weren't even bothered by releasing Season 1 and left it to MPI and 1000 different small companies who took advantage of public domain rights to them. I simply don't buy their "low sales" excuse.

 

[JeffT.]

It is good that THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW fans addressed their concerns.
But bear-in-mind that these tv series DVD sets originally ecomomically sold for a (reasonable) $29.99 (I believe) where other distributors would have charged $39.99 easily. So CBS-Paramount Pictures television isn't going to extend itself all that much on a "limited" money-making proposition. It (obviously) went with what was readily available doing the best possible job under the restrictive circumstances afforded in their manufacture.
A lot of this stuff was "acquired" by Paramount so much of the mishandling can likely be attributed to the original distributors. This was probably an influencial factor why Paramount licensed out some of its "problematic" classic tv series catalogue out to other interested parties (like MPI and Shout! Factory).
Jeff T.

 

[Ron1973]

It is good that THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW fans addressed their concerns.
But bear-in-mind that these tv series DVD sets originally ecomomically sold for a (reasonable) $29.99 (I believe) where other distributors would have charged $39.99 easily. So CBS-Paramount Pictures television isn't going to extend itself all that much on a "limited" money-making proposition. It (obviously) went with what was readily available doing the best possible job under the restrictive circumstances afforded in their manufacture.
A lot of this stuff was "acquired" by Paramount so much of the mishandling can likely be attributed to the original distributors. This was probably an influencial factor why Paramount licensed out some of its "problematic" classic tv series catalogue out to other interested parties (like MPI and Shout! Factory).
Jeff T.

CBS/Paramount/Viacom was the distributor of the series from the get-go so it's not a "best possible" job. You have people who don't give a crap about classic TV working for these companies and they're going to pull whatever they find first even if it is butchered.
There was a thread on here sometime back about My Favorite Martian. If you're familiar with the series on DVD, the first season release had edited/time compressed episodes. When Chertok TV decided to redo the series for another release, they were able to find the unedited episodes without a problem.
Again, it comes back to the companies not giving a whit about the consumer unless they're buying some new, modern show. They figure the consumer is too stupid to realize they're being cheated. Again, I come back to Hank Williams. All of that saying recordings were unavailable and even professing "joy" at finding two songs supposedly "lost" all the while they had been released in England close to 10 years before that! Naturally, the majority of the buying public had no idea they were getting lied to.
I would rather watch a scratchy 16mm print of a show and it be complete as opposed to buying a crystal clear DVD or Blu-Ray of an edited episode. Yes, maybe I'm contributing to a series not being released but if you can't do it right, don't do it at all.

 

[Ron Lee Green]

Mayberry R.F.D. is owned by Warner Brothers. I saw their logo at the end of episodes when last ran on TNT some years ago. I'm not sure why the studio change from the Andy series.

I would love to see this show again, too.
TV Land aired the pilot today (which was really the last episode of TAGS).
If it is owned by Warners, then hopefully they will release it through their Warner Archive mod.
Are there any rights issues preventing this show release on DVD?
Why is it not shown on TV? Has it been remastered?

 

[JoeDoakes]

I would love to see this show again, too.
TV Land aired the pilot today (which was really the last episode of TAGS).
If it is owned by Warners, then hopefully they will release it through their Warner Archive mod.
Are there any rights issues preventing this show release on DVD?
Why is it not shown on TV? Has it been remastered?

I think that some of the music (including the theme song) may have originally appeared on TAGS. I don't know if there is a rights issue related to that.

 

[EdG]

I think that some of the music (including the theme song) may have originally appeared on TAGS. I don't know if there is a rights issue related to that.

It would be nice to know what it might be holding things up. WB Archives facebook page never seems to repsond to any questions about the show when people ask on there.

 

[JeffT.]

This has already been addressed in an unrelated discussion thread here but at least some of us are still waiting for the (impending?) DVD release of the second season (1969-70) of MAYBERRY R.F.D. (CBS 1968-71).


Year 2 consists of 26 colour half hour shows and (sadly) marks the departure of Frances Bavier from the cast.


Where is the THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW (CBS 1960-68) fan base when it's needed?!

Jeff T.

 

[bretmaverick2]

Did Aunt Bea just disappear or was the an in show reason she left? What character replaced her?

 

[The Obsolete Man]

It usually takes a stalled show a while to come out through the Warner Archives, but when it does, it's fully released in short order.


Hopefully, Mayberry RFD will be a 2016 Archives completion.

 

[Randy Korstick]

I would say there is a very strong chance for both of the remaining seasons to be released next year by Warner Archive. With this series not be a top tier show, being out of TV circulation for awhile and with the DVD market in decline in 2013 I'm still surprised that this didn't start in Warner Archive. The writing was on the wall for this to fail as a retail release. If it would have started in Warner Archive we would have had all 3 seasons by now.

 

[Brent S]

Did Aunt Bea just disappear or was the an in show reason she left? What character replaced her?

No exit episode for 'Bee.' Just an early S3 comment that she moved to WV to care for her ailing sister. 'Bee' was replaced by Alice Ghostley as 'Cousin Alice,' a retired WAC Sergeant (seen above in JeffT's photo).