Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman - The Complete Series Coming from Shout! Dec. 2013 (1 Viewer)

[AndyMcKinney]

To understand what went wrong with the Sony release we have to start back at the very, very beginning…
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman premiered on January 5th 1976 (at least on stations which were early adopters of this syndicated soap opera spoof). It ran weekdays (i.e. five episodes per week) with continuous new episodes through Friday, July 2nd 1976. At which point, having been on the air for 26 weeks and tallying up 130 unique episodes, it reached the end of “season one.” It was now time for cast and crew to take a well deserved break. Producer Norman Lear announced that videotaping of season two would begin in early August 1976, with the season two premiere occurring on Monday October 4th 1976. Unfortunately for rabid fans of the show, this left a gap of 13 weeks from the end of season one until the premiere of season two. Obviously re-runs from season one would be broadcast during the gap, however with a slight twist. An editor took the best (or most important) sequences from the original 130 episodes and created a new digest version of season one, condensed down to only 65 episodes. This digest version of season one allowed new fans of the show, to catch up on all that had transpired previously, and created a very nice build up as well as smooth transition right into season two.

I didn't know that. I always thought the story went that Fernwood 2 Nite and America 2 Nite were the "summer replacement" show(s) for MH, MH....

 

[Mark Tay]

I always thought the story went that Fernwood 2 Nite and America 2 Nite were the "summer replacement" show(s) for MH, MH....

The broadcast order was:

MH, MH season one (Jan 5, 1976 to Jul 2, 1976)
MH, MH digest re-runs of season one (Jul 5, 1976 to Oct 1, 1976)
MH, MH season two (Oct 4, 1976 to Jul 1, 1977)
Fernwood 2 Nite (Jul 4, 1977 to Sep 30, 1977)
Forever Fernwood (Oct 3, 1977 to Mar 31, 1978)
America 2 Nite (Apr 10, 1978 to Jul 7, 1978)

This was the broadcast schedule recommended by Norman Lear's production company, which most stations followed. However, since these shows were distributed via syndication rather than network run, stations could opt to broadcast them later. So, a few markets showed them anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple months, later than the dates listed above.

 

[Dave Lawrence]

I couldn't believe it when I first read the news about this release. Besides the earlier Volume 1 set and a few youtube clips, my only exposure to the show was reading about it in books until TV Land aired it on weekends years ago. And even they only showed about 35 episodes before calling it quits. But I had liked what I saw, and now I look forward to the prospect of finally watching so many new-to-me episodes. This is one show I was always certain would never have a full series release.

I only hope Shout has realistic sales expectations and that it does what they're hoping for. Then maybe they'd eventually consider releasing the season after Louise Lasser left (with the name change to Forever Fernwood). I recall TV Land showing the first episode of that once and I'd be curious to see more. But regardless, the fact the the main series is coming out in its entirety is amazing.

 

[JohnMor]

I can't wait to see it again. I haven't seen it since it aired.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

The broadcast order was:

MH, MH season one (Jan 5, 1976 to Jul 2, 1976)
MH, MH digest re-runs of season one (Jul 5, 1976 to Oct 1, 1976)
MH, MH season two (Oct 4, 1976 to Jul 1, 1977)
Fernwood 2 Nite (Jul 4, 1977 to Sep 30, 1977)
Forever Fernwood (Oct 3, 1977 to Mar 31, 1978)
America 2 Nite (Apr 10, 1978 to Jul 7, 1978)

A-ha! So 2 Nite was the summer replacement for MH, MH, just not during the first season!

 

[Ethan Riley]

So Forever Fernwood carried on the soap opera plots (without Lasser) and the other two shows were parody talk shows?

 

[Neil Brock]

Maybe there's hope for All That Glitters yet!

 

[Guy Foulard]

Picture up now on Amazon--38 discs!

 

[ClaudeNorth2013]

I wonder if there will be any extras. One thing I would like to see is a promo for the show that featured Louise Lasser, in character, sitting in the kitchen and speaking directly to the camera. Throughout the promo, she would pause to take a sip of coffee, but just as she was about to sip it, she would talk more about the show. Of course, there is always the possibility that I imagined this promo, but if it ever existed and is still out there, I would enjoy seeing it on this set.

 

[Mark Tay]

So Forever Fernwood carried on the soap opera plots (without Lasser) and the other two shows were parody talk shows?

Yep.

 

[Kasey]

And the great thing was, no one guessed this when I gave my hint a couple of months ago! I guess I'm getting better at making the clues tougher, for those who complained about them being too easy.

When you said it would be a massive set, I was thinking The Jeffersons. Lately, I had been speculating in my head about what other Sony property could receive this treatment. For some reason, MHMH never sprang to mind until about a week ago. I DID momentarily entertain the notion but then thought "nah....it's way too cumbersome to put together a package like that". What a terrific surprise! And it's comforting to know Shout and Sony haven't parted ways. Perhaps there is still hope yet for the final season of Hazel.

 

[Dave Lawrence]

When you said it would be a massive set, I was thinking The Jeffersons. Lately, I had been speculating in my head about what other Sony property could receive this treatment. For some reason, MHMH never sprang to mind until about a week ago. I DID momentarily entertain the notion but then thought "nah....it's way too cumbersome to put together a package like that". What a terrific surprise! And it's comforting to know Shout and Sony haven't parted ways. Perhaps there is still hope yet for the final season of Hazel.

The Jeffersons was certainly a logical guess for a massive set that was a Sony property. My guess had been One Day at a Time. With the general public getting a reminder about the show earlier this year in the various news stories about Bonnie Franklin's death, it wouldn't have surprised me to see Sony try to capitalize and give the show another shot (via Shout). But MH, MH never entered my mind as even a remote possibility. I'm glad I was wrong.

Now, how much of Hell will have to freeze over before Lear's Hot L Baltimore gets a release? Never saw it (hey - I was only 1 year old in '75!), but with so many familiar names in the cast, I'd purchase it as a blind buy.

 

[Kasey]

The Jeffersons was certainly a logical guess for a massive set that was a Sony property. My guess had been One Day at a Time. With the general public getting a reminder about the show earlier this year in the various news stories about Bonnie Franklin's death, it wouldn't have surprised me to see Sony try to capitalize and give the show another shot (via Shout). But MH, MH never entered my mind as even a remote possibility. I'm glad I was wrong.

Now, how much of Hell will have to freeze over before Lear's Hot L Baltimore gets a release? Never saw it (hey - I was only 1 year old in '75!), but with so many familiar names in the cast, I'd purchase it as a blind buy.

Add me to the list of blind-buyers for Hot L! And I would have been equally thrilled for a complete series of ODAAT but for some reason this show gets bashed more than any of the other Lear properties, even Maude (which is still #1 on my DVD wish list even though I own a bootleg set).

 

[Brian Himes]

Add me to the list of blind-buyers for Hot L! And I would have been equally thrilled for a complete series of ODAAT but for some reason this show gets bashed more than any of the other Lear properties, even Maude (which is still #1 on my DVD wish list even though I own a bootleg set).

Yep, the Hot L Baltimore is at the top of my list of most wanted shows on DVD. I did see a couple of episodes when it originally aired, but all I remember about the show is the lobby of the hotel and Conchatta Ferrell. She was a hoot on that show. However, since the show is now owned by Sony, I seriously doubt that we'll ever see it released.

 

[chas speed]

To understand what went wrong with the Sony release we have to start back at the very, very beginning…
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman premiered on January 5th 1976 (at least on stations which were early adopters of this syndicated soap opera spoof). It ran weekdays (i.e. five episodes per week) with continuous new episodes through Friday, July 2nd 1976. At which point, having been on the air for 26 weeks and tallying up 130 unique episodes, it reached the end of “season one.” It was now time for cast and crew to take a well deserved break. Producer Norman Lear announced that videotaping of season two would begin in early August 1976, with the season two premiere occurring on Monday October 4th 1976. Unfortunately for rabid fans of the show, this left a gap of 13 weeks from the end of season one until the premiere of season two. Obviously re-runs from season one would be broadcast during the gap, however with a slight twist. An editor took the best (or most important) sequences from the original 130 episodes and created a new digest version of season one, condensed down to only 65 episodes. This digest version of season one allowed new fans of the show, to catch up on all that had transpired previously, and created a very nice build up as well as smooth transition right into season two.

In 2007 Sony released the first volume of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman on DVD. Their intent was to include the first 25 episodes of season one, complete and unedited. However, three episodes on the DVD set were mistakenly substituted with digest versions from 1976. This unfortunate mix up occurs on what should have been episodes 22, 24 and 25. Owners of the DVD set can rest assured that the remaining episodes are all complete as originally aired. One can easily distinguish original early episodes by their end credits which crawl up the screen. The end credits on the digest versions fade in and out.

I sent the above info to Shout Factory to hopefully keep them on their toes. As long as Shout Factory does not accidentally transfer any of the digest versions, things should be fine. I'm very much looking forward to this release!

I am also worried about this and I hope enough people write Shout Factory so they will be sure and fix this horrible mistake. It has been screwed up on Lifetime, Nick at Night reruns and on the Sony release. This has to finally be corrected and I hope Shout Factory will release a statement saying they are aware of the problem and this release will be in the correct order uncut.

 

[Brian Himes]

I am also worried about this and I hope enough people write Shout Factory so they will be sure and fix this horrible mistake. It has been screwed up on Lifetime, Nick at Night reruns and on the Sony release. This has to finally be corrected and I hope Shout Factory will release a statement saying they are aware of the problem and this release will be in the correct order uncut.

Sadly, what will more than likely happen is that Shout will just re-use the versions that Sony has previously released. Shout is not very proactive when it comes to correcting things like this when they take over a series. Their release of Barney Miller contained the exact same transfers (right down to the exact menus) for seasons 1-3 that Sony had previously released. I'm not sure what Shout's complete series set of All In The Family looked like. Sony released seasons 1-6 and those did seem to be uncut, but I'm not intimately familiar with that series so I couldn't tell if anything was cut or not.

Sorry, but I've been burned by Shout a few too many times to have much faith in them.

 

[Neil Brock]

Now, how much of Hell will have to freeze over before Lear's Hot L Baltimore gets a release? Never saw it (hey - I was only 1 year old in '75!), but with so many familiar names in the cast, I'd purchase it as a blind buy.

If we are talking impossible Norman Lear failed series, my choice to get would be All's Fair. I remember watching it a bit, although not that much since I recall it being opposite Monday Night Football.

 

[JohnMor]

If we are talking impossible Norman Lear failed series, my choice to get would be All's Fair. I remember watching it a bit, although not that much since I recall it being opposite Monday Night Football.

LOVE Bernadette and I remember liking this show a lot, even though I was just a kid. (My parents liked it, too.) I remember an episode where she got pregnant and then lost the baby. It's the only episode I can remember.

 

[Mark Tay]

Shout Factory replied to my message...
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We are actually aware of that issue.
All the masters will be original!!

Thanks for reaching out!

Shout! Factory

 

[Brian Himes]

Shout Factory replied to my message...

-----------

We are actually aware of that issue.
All the masters will be original!!

Thanks for reaching out!

Shout! Factory

WOW! Total surprise. Maybe Shout will come through with this release. However, didn't they say the same thing about Fat Albert and then still managed to screw up that set? I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and wait and see.