Mr. Novak, NBC TV Series 1963-65. (1 Viewer)

[LouA]

Not having TNT transfers and enjoying season 1, I find it sad that this show has been discontinued.
I’ve watched season 1 and bought the book and really liked both.
I’d bet, the show got even better in the second season!

 

[Flashgear]

You guys are goading me into finishing my episode reviews for the season two Mr. Novak episodes that I do have in my collection. As I previously stated (scroll back about ten pages), I believe there are serious music rights complications in season two that go way beyond the infamous "let's put on a show!" two parter episode...I'm glad that Chuck Harter's great book on this series and some hard work by fandom led to our fellow Mr. Novak fan, George Feltenstein of Warner Archive himself, giving us a fine DVD release of season one...as reluctant as it was, and not struck from OCN 35mm as first stated, but good TNT tape transfers instead...still honor bound by a commitment by George himself to do so...Mr. Novak was caught in the midst of a clear transition in corporate priorities to prestige HD restorations for Blu-ray (and streaming) of classic theatrical films by Warner Archive... resulting in season one of Mr. Novak being the last such B+W TV series DVD box set thus far released by WAC...with none since and with a motherlode of great television assets still stranded in the vaults...

 

[HonkyTonkMan]

I received my MR NOVAK from Oldies.com and they were DVD-Rs, as shown in the WAC video.

I had cut back drastically on my disc buying, but decided to splurge and catch up on some of the WAC releases that I have not kept up with. I liked the sale pricing at Oldies and DD. I am finished for the year and maybe far into next.

To my Oldies order, I added LAZARUS MAN (released Feb.2018), and SPENSER FOR HIRE: Season Two (May 2015), and Season Three (Sept.2015). All three were on pressed DVDs.

From Deepdiscount, I had a coupon, and ordered HOW THE WEST WAS WON- Season Three (April 2016) and KUNG FU: The LEGEND CONTINUES- Season Two (Aug. 2015). Both lower priced than I had noticed before. Both arrived on pressed DVD.

So even after three years the pressed DVD WAC titles are still available from non-Amazon sellers.

Maybe MGM/Turner titles are released on DVD-R by WAC, but SAM BENEDICT (Nov. 2016) was a MGM title and it was on pressed DVD.

Bob, It's a shame that the copy of "Mr. Novak: The Complete First Season" 6-disc set
that you received was a DVD-R set instead of a factory pressed DVD set.

Does the side and the back of the cover artwork included in the DVD case of your copy of this
Warner Archive Collection have DVD or DVD Download written on it?

If it says DVD, then that's surely a dirty trick played by Warner Archive Collection
into making people believe that this particular Warner Archive Collection release is a
genuine, legitimate and authentic factory pressed DVD set
instead of a burned MOD DVD-R set prior to lots of customers purchasing this 6-disc set
or once receiving a copy of this 6-disc set.

On eBay, there's a brand new and factory sealed copy of Warner Archive's release of
the first season of "Mr. Novak" that's currently on sale
that specifically says DVD on the side and the back of the cover artwork of the DVD case.

There's no mention of DVD-R or DVD Download anywhere on the
side or back of the cover artwork of that DVD case.

Even though I've never seen any episodes of "Mr. Novak",
I would have bought the Warner Archive Collection release of "Mr. Novak: The Complete First Season"
if Warner Archive had actually issued it on factory pressed DVD's.

The only Warner Archive Collection releases of classic TV shows that I have bought for my collection are
all three seasons of "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" even though the first season is only on DVD-R,
all three seasons of "Spenser: For Hire", the only season of "Hank" and both seasons of "Harry O".

So, 8 out of 9 of the Warner Archive Collection classic TV on DVD sets that I have are on
factory pressed DVD 's.

The first season of "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" is the only title that I have on DVD-R at all.
All of the thousands of movies that I own on DVD and Blu-Ray combined are on factory pressed discs.
Of the hundreds of TV show releases that I have on DVD or Blu-Ray combined,
only one of them is a DVD-R copy.

I don't think that I'll ever be buying any other DVD-R releases at any point in the future.

 

[Lecagr]

I have several classic TV DVD sets from Warner Archive, some sets have pressed discs and some have DVD-R's. I am basically good with both as long as they work fine in my DVD player.

One concern I have about DVD-R is the longevity/life span of the discs. I'm thinking that pressed discs generally have a longer life span than DVD-R.

 

[Neil Brock]

I have several classic TV DVD sets from Warner Archive, some sets have pressed discs and some have DVD-R's. I am basically good with both as long as they work fine in my DVD player.

One concern I have about DVD-R is the longevity/life span of the discs. I'm thinking that pressed discs generally have a longer life span than DVD-R.

I would suggest you do what I and other collectors I know are doing, and digitize your shows and back them up to a hard drive.

 

[dstrong]

I contacted Warner Archive and they replied that there are no plans to release Season 2. I also asked about Season 2 of "The Eleventh Hour" and was told there are no plans to release that either. I enjoyed Season 1 of both shows.

 

[Lecagr]

That's unfortunate about Mr. Novak and The Eleventh Hour. I did buy season 1 of Mr. Novak but not The Eleventh Hour.

The most recent Warner Archive classic TV DVD that I purchased is Sam Benedict complete series. I've watched a few episodes and it's a decent enough show, legal drama, it seemed deserving to have a 2nd season but the majority of viewers were tuned in to Jackie Gleason on Saturday nights in those days so no renewal for Sam Benedict.

 

[Jack P]

I contacted Warner Archive and they replied that there are no plans to release Season 2. I also asked about Season 2 of "The Eleventh Hour" and was told there are no plans to release that either. I enjoyed Season 1 of both shows.

The reason that's disappointing is that when Warner Archive started releasing TV shows on DVD there was I think an understanding that they would always finish a title they started. Even when "Dr. Kildare" had more than a two year delay between Season 3 and Season 4 just to clear all the music in a silly "hospital puts on a variety show" episode they still stuck to their guns and got the show to completion. Which is why I always assumed that "The Eleventh Hour" (which I bought) and "Mr. Novak" (which I admit I haven't bought) would at least get to completion because otherwise, why would they have started?

Warner Archive in the end it seems succumbed to the same fate that all other studios/labels dealing with abandoned titles have gone through. I suppose we can be glad that the overall percentage of shows they released that got to completion was quite high, but for two season shows that only get one year out, the abandonment stands out a lot more (as I know too well from "Burke's Law") then it does when you have a title like "Marcus Welby" with two of seven seasons released or an "Ironside" with four of eight.

 

[timk1041]

The reason that's disappointing is that when Warner Archive started releasing TV shows on DVD there was I think an understanding that they would always finish a title they started. Even when "Dr. Kildare" had a more than a two year delay between Season 3 and Season 4 just to clear all the music in a silly "hospital puts on a variety show" episode they still stuck to their guns and got the show to completion. Which is why I always assumed that "The Eleventh Hour" (which I bought) and "Mr. Novak" (which I admit I haven't bought) would at least get to completion because otherwise, why would they have started?

Warner Archive in the end it seems succumbed to the same fate that all other studios/labels dealing with abandoned titles have gone through. I suppose we can be glad that the overall percentage of shows they released that to go their completion was quite high, but for two season shows that only get on year out, the abandonment stands out a lot more (as I know too well from "Burke's Law") then it does when you have a title like "Marcus Welby" with two of seven seasons released or an "Ironside" with four of eight.

How true.

 

[Neil Brock]

I don't know that them finishing series they started ever was a foregone conclusion. While its noble that they wouldn't put out series or seasons when they were trying to clear music, I believe that if they had to do a music replacement or exclude an episode, the vast majority of people would rather it that way than for something to not get a release at all. If they put out Cain's Hundred, minus the Dorothy Dandridge episode, which many of us have from TNT, people would prefer that to no release. Same with Novak and the one, maybe 2 problematic 2nd season episode. Obviously, the detective shows and the Dorothy Provine series are a different story.

 

[JPCinema]

I don't understand why Mr Novak and Dr Kildare are not available for purchase streaming?

 

[Jack P]

I can't name any vintage titles Warner Archive started that they didn't finish before "Eleventh Hour" and "Mr. Novak". That was why the expectation, even if unintentional on their part, was always there, especially when it looked like "Kildare" was going to get stalled out because of it's "Variety show" episode in Season 4 but they eventually came through.

I couldn't believe they went to the effort to get out the awful short-lived 1980 series "Beyond Westworld" which had one episode full of performances and songs by Ronee Blakely that they had to have spent a lot of time clearing that would have been better served clearing what was holding up "Novak", "Cain's Hundred" etc.