FATHER KNOWS BEST - Coming in April '08 (1 Viewer)

[pitchman]

Not to be flip, but has anyone considered sending an email to Shout! Factory and asking them what source materials they are using? (Maybe Gord has a contact there and can pose the question on our behalf.) We are still far enough out that if they have received syndicated prints, they might be able to do something about it... especially if they know potential buyers are "tuned in" to the issue and concerned about it.

Don't forget, Shout! Factory managed to do the impossible and release Freaks & Geeks on DVD virtually uncut when most pundits said it could never happen due to all of the music clearance hurdles. As a company, Shout! Factory has demonstrated that it cares. Maybe we should give them the benefit of the doubt here.

Myself, I remain optimistic that this release WILL live up to our expectations.

 

[Joe Lugoff]

Are we sure that it was Sony who had the rights to this? There was talk here earlier in the year that Robert Young's estate had the rights and made the deal.

I'm hoping it WAS Sony so maybe "Dennis the Menace" and the rest of "Hazel" will come out eventually. I want my childhood favorites!

 

[redbird]

Now that this show has finally made it to DVD I'm hoping that Robert Young's other show-"Marcus Welby M.D." will have a better shot at coming out as well. My wife has never seen this show but has heard a bunch of references to it in other shows from that era and wants to know what all the fuss is about

 

[Joe Lugoff]

"Marcus Welby" is one of those shows that at one time were NUMBER ONE, but still have not come out on DVD. Others are "Wagon Train" and "Bonanza".

 

[Gary OS]

Still looking forward to this release!

Gary "go Shout! Factory, go" O.

 

[MatthewA]

As for the cutting, I'm cautiously optimistic. Ozzie and Harriet was the exception to the rule with Shout! Factory's prior releases. Everything else appears to be the uncut version.

 

[PianoPlayer]

Shout! has released the press release, and the set sounds great ... but nowhere does it mention if these will be unedited episodes. Why, oh why, does something so vital have to be shrouded in such mystery? Can't we find out before April 1 if they're using complete episodes? (I've posted the question on Shout!'s Web site, too.)

 

[Gary OS]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Normally unedited episodes would be a "must" for me to purchase a set. But this show is on my "holy grail" list and I'm buying it no matter what. Look at the extras on this set! This is going to be a first class release all the way around. Everyone who is a fan of vintage tv needs to plan on buying this one because Shout! Factory is giving us a great set loaded with extras.

Don't get me wrong. I'll be very disappointed if these are syndicated prints. Very disappointed. And admittedly, the longer no one at Shout! answers our questions on this matter the more concerned I'm becoming that these will be cut prints. But for now, this early in the announcement, I'm willing to give them some slack. If we get very far into the new year with no one answering this question, I'll be inclined to believe the worst.

Gary "Shout didn't specify full-length vs. syndicated prints with it's 'McHale's Navy' press release either but we know we got full runs, so I think we should give them the benefit of the doubt here until otherwise notified" O.

 

[Mitchum22]

Yes, Larry is right. Lots and lots of verbiage about color footage from the set, "24 Hours in Tyrantland" (as Robert Young predicts the Bush Reich), other Young shows, etc. But not one mention of the word "uncut".

Many people have syndicated collections of FKB -- minus a few eps here and there. So this could be a major disappointment.

 

[Gary OS]

And again I'd point out that nothing was mentioned about "uncut" episodes in the press releases for "IRONSIDE" or "McHALE'S NAVY" either. Yet those were both uncut to the best of my knowledge. So I don't think we can take anything away from the press release one way or the other.

And here's another thing. Shout can only go with what they are given. With a show this old I guess it's possible that uncut prints no longer even exist. I hope that's not the case, but I believe anything's possible when you start dealing with shows made in the 50's. But I'll guarantee everyone this: Shout! is too solid a company to put out a set that's got sub-par video quality (like the now infamous ROUTE 66 set). If their choice is between pristine prints that are from syndicated runs versus horrible looking prints from uncut episodes, they are going to go with the pristine prints. And I can't blame them for that.

Again, I want both uncut prints and pristine prints. I don't want to have to settle for anything less on either count.

Gary "nevertheless, this set is going to be fantastic and I'll be buying multiple copies to support future releases" O.

 

[Joe Lugoff]

The set sounds great, but, oh, how I wish the words "restored" or "unedited" were included in the description somewhere. I'm not feeling good about this right now. I'd love to get it just for the extras, but I don't like to support releases of syndicated prints. I already have all of these cut!

 

[Jeff Willis]

Gary,

That's the main thing I'm looking for with this release as well. I might make the exception to buy edited episodes for this set since it's a great 50's show but I can't buy it if there's no restoration or if the prints are, to me, unwatchable. After taking a chance on the R66 set, I'm done with buying something that the damaged or unrestored xfrs distract me from the show itself. I'm glad for those that can watch those type of xfrs and still enjoy the release but I'm just not in that category of consumer, I guess. As I've posted on that "biggest complaints TV/DVD" thread, I don't consider myself a "spoiled" TV/DVD viewer at all I stand by the 2 examples of the Image releases, Dick Van Dyke and Combat! as my below A+ standard of watchable xfrs. They're not pristine xfrs but they don't take away from the show itself, IMO.

 

[Gary OS]

I totally understand where you are coming from, Joe. If I had all of these episodes on tape/dvd already, I might feel the same way. But I don't have them at all. I haven't seen this show aired in years and years, at least not since the dreaded station bugs and major cuts began. Had I taped them in the 80's or earlier, and if I had really solid looking episodes, I'd be of the same mind you are.

Problem is that when I've tried to get a decent set of this series from serious collectors in the past, I've never gotten a reply. And I refuse to buy a set, sight unseen, off eBay or IOffer. The risk is too high that I'd get inferior prints. Therefore, since this show is one of my "holy grail" series and I've been unable to get any private collectors to help me create a set for myself, I'm breaking my personal rule about not buying syndicated cuts.

Gary "for me this is a matter of having something over absolutely nothing - and I'd venture a guess that that will be the case for most people" O.

 

[Joe Lugoff]

Maybe it's obvious (my excuse is I have a headache at the moment), but I've struggled with it and I can't figure out what "xfrs" stands for.

 

[Gary OS]

I believe Jeff is referring to "transfers".

Gary "pretty sure that's what he means" O.

 

[Jeff Willis]

Joe,

Gary's right; I was referring to the Transfers. Sorry about the abbreviation headache

I remember when I was first posting on the 'net....."IMHO" got me for a while

 

[Joe Lugoff]

OK, now I get it ... x is short for "trans" and "frs" is short for "fers". Whew.

You won't believe what I thought it meant at first! It wasn't very nice.

 

[RobertGr]

What a Christmas present! Yesterday morning Christmas Day to be exact at 9am NY Time I was flipping around the Dish Network channels and KTLA scheduled the classic 1954 Christmas episode of FKB where Jim Anderson is going bonkers because everyone in his family seems to have forgotten the real meaning of Christmas and that the old fashioned way was better - the kids want a purple tree, Bud is driving a car, the car is blasting Christmas carols altered to sell Big Steve's Used Cars etc. The drive to the mountains to get a tee but get stuck in a snow drift and need to find shelter in a boarded up store/lodge. The are stunned when a bearded man enters the rear of the building - he is a hermit named Old Nick!

Great show and it was a joy seeing the episode and it really made me eager to get the box set on April 1st as the episode should be included! They don't make Christmas themed episodes loke this- there was a gentle chanrm about it and the writing was spot on and it felt like Christmas watching the show and spending time with the Andersons!

 

[MatthewA]

I'm wondering if Screen Gems did not keep all ownership rights to their shows prior to the 1960s, considering that the producer's estate owns Naked City and Route 66.

 

[Hank Dearborn]

I'm hearing some preliminary reports from some industry contacts and the news is not good. From what I'm being told, we are looking at another Ozzie and Harriet situation and Shout is going the cheap route again and using butchered for syndication prints.