The Future of PERRY MASON (Season 6 & beyond) (1 Viewer)

[Greg Chenoweth]

The reason the price is higher is because these are movies...not regular episodes. I'm sure the quality will be decent for a DVD release. But, guys, they're not going to spend tons of money to digitally remaster these--I love 'em but they're not exactly "Wizard of Oz" or "Star Wars". I want the whole "PM" franchise...as I love it all. So, any official DVD release is better than hoping and praying my old VHS tapes never finally shred. I'm not loving the price...but sometimes on ebay you can find better prices once the set is released. I will get it, and any more sets that are released!

These are Made-for-TV movies that are about an hour and a half long. Six movies on three DVD's, I'm assuming. The TV shows had about 800 minutes of programming on each 4 disc set for about $34.99 when first released. This movie set has 540 minutes of material on 3 discs for 36% more money. The numbers do not make sense. Another way to put it is that each film costs $8.85 while each 50 minute episode of the original series was $2.19. The films have twice as much material, so, at the most, it should be about $4.38 a film. The first film, PERRY MASON RETURNS, is on the 50th anniversary set and it looks great. Bring it on, please, but not at this exorbitant price.

 

[HunterMan]

These are Made-for-TV movies that are about an hour and a half long. Six movies on three DVD's, I'm assuming. The TV shows had about 800 minutes of programming on each 4 disc set for about $34.99 when first released. This movie set has 540 minutes of material on 3 discs for 36% more money. The numbers do not make sense. Another way to put it is that each film costs $8.85 while each 50 minute episode of the original series was $2.19. The films have twice as much material, so, at the most, it should be about $4.38 a film. The first film, PERRY MASON RETURNS, is on the 50th anniversary set and it looks great. Bring it on, please, but not at this exorbitant price.

Yes, they are made for TV movies from the 80's/early 90's...so I would think each would be about an hour and forty minutes long, as they didn't have as many stupid commercials as they do now. The series sets were in volumes too...each containing around 14 episodes a pop. This first TV movie set will contain the same amount as about 12 episodes. I don't know about the exact prices of each episode/TV Movie seperately...but for whatever reason most networks will charge more for a TV movie (especially reunions) of a series, than the regular episodes of the show. They are considered more rare and a "specialty" type of thing.

Also, I never found a series volume set of "PM" for less than $40 (at least when first released...later they were cheaper on ebay or Amazon)! I agree though...the first reunion movie ("Perry Mason Returns") looks superb on the 50th Anniversary set--as does all the episodes and intros/special features! I'm not loving the price of this upcoming TV movie set...but it's not that insanely priced. But, again, it will also probably eventually be cheaper on sites like ebay once it's been out for a while. I plan to get the set when it's released...I like the movies as much as I do the series. I have an old "homemade" DVD set of the TV movies I got a long time ago...but the quality is not that good. An official DVD release of the TV movies will be awesome!

 

[Darby67]

Update on Movie Collection Volume 1 (still set for a 12/31 release as an Amazon exclusive): http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Perry-Mason-Movie-Collection-Volume-1/19225

Darby

 

[Steve...O]

When this gets down to about $30 or so I'll be interested. I'm a huge PM buff and collector, but I'm not going to be a CBS/P apologist for their unreasonable pricing on this. Someone made a comment earlier about not finding the series releases for under $40 each. I'm not sure where they shopped, but I never paid more than $35 apiece (sometimes much less) and all were purchased at release time (now these can be found much cheaper).

And as mentioned, these are video sourced, not film, and thus quality will not be anywhere near as good as the episodes. It will be interesting to see if CBS/P pressures Amazon to increase the discount or if the high prices effectively kills interest and, ultimately, future releases.

CBS/P has done a lot of good and I'll sing their praises all day for things done right, but unfortunately this isn't one of them.

 

[Greg Chenoweth]

When this gets down to about $30 or so I'll be interested. I'm a huge PM buff and collector, but I'm not going to be a CBS/P apologist for their unreasonable pricing on this. Someone made a comment earlier about not finding the series releases for under $40 each. I'm not sure where they shopped, but I never paid more than $35 apiece (sometimes much less) and all were purchased at release time (now these can be found much cheaper).

And as mentioned, these are video sourced, not film, and thus quality will not be anywhere near as good as the episodes. It will be interesting to see if CBS/P pressures Amazon to increase the discount or if the high prices effectively kills interest and, ultimately, future releases.

CBS/P has done a lot of good and I'll sing their praises all day for things done right, but unfortunately this isn't one of them.

If Amazon.com would discount the set to just 30%, then the price would be about $42 - that's a lot better than $53.09. I am sorry to see that Amazon.com has the exclusive on this set because it would be nice to have more retail options for purchasing this set.

 

[HunterMan]

When this gets down to about $30 or so I'll be interested. I'm a huge PM buff and collector, but I'm not going to be a CBS/P apologist for their unreasonable pricing on this. Someone made a comment earlier about not finding the series releases for under $40 each. I'm not sure where they shopped, but I never paid more than $35 apiece (sometimes much less) and all were purchased at release time (now these can be found much cheaper).

And as mentioned, these are video sourced, not film, and thus quality will not be anywhere near as good as the episodes. It will be interesting to see if CBS/P pressures Amazon to increase the discount or if the high prices effectively kills interest and, ultimately, future releases.

CBS/P has done a lot of good and I'll sing their praises all day for things done right, but unfortunately this isn't one of them.

That "someone that made the comment" was me...considering my statement (comment) was right above you.

When the first and second seasons were first released I did find those in Walmart for not quite but close to $40. Unfortunately after that Walmart (at least mine) no longer carried the other season releases. I was not able to find any of the other sets for less than $40--at least in stores in my town. The last couple seasons I did find online with a sale--and they were somewhat less than $40 (but that was on sale). Perhaps you had better sales in your town.

Most season sets of TV shows are around $40 when first released...then they become cheaper later on, after they've been out for a while. Most of the "PM" volume sets are cheaper now...but when first released that's around the price I found them. Now...when I say $40, the actual price of the set was around $37-38...but with tax it was $40 or a little over.

Again, a lot of times reunion TV movies of a former series are for whatever reason considered more of a "specialty" type of thing. So, they will be more expensive than episodes of the original series--especially if several of the movies are in one DVD set, and not just one or two movies. I don't love the price but it is not that horrible...but I'm sure it too will eventually become cheaper once it's been out for a while.

The TV movies have never had a DVD release (except for the first one with the 50th anniversary set)...so anything is better than nothing! I'm sure the qualtiy will be fine for a DVD release--but if you want to stick to your 25-30 year old VHS tapes, by all means go ahead! Again, these are not considered classic movies here (although I think they are)...so a ton of $ is not going to be spent digitally remastering them. But, I'm sure they will restore them fine for a DVD release--and they will be superb compared to my old tapes.

The only thing that probably won't be included with the movies, and I'll be disappointed, is the original commercial "bumper"--with the outline face of Perry and a few bars of the "PM" theme right before each commercial. But, I guess we'll find out on Dec. 31st! I wil buy it and any other sets released...I'm an avid "PM" fan and have been almost my whole life--so I will have no problem buying and supporting any DVD releases they propose.

 

[John Stell]

If Amazon.com would discount the set to just 30%, then the price would be about $42 - that's a lot better than $53.09. I am sorry to see that Amazon.com has the exclusive on this set because it would be nice to have more retail options for purchasing this set.

At one point is was $41.29 - that was the price I pre-ordered for on 11/1/13.

I've noticed Amazon doesn't have the great discounts they used to have close to the release date. You have to pre-order early to lock in the 30% or so discount. But then the price jumps up as early as four weeks before the release date - it wasn't always like that.

 

[Hakan Andersson]

Slightly off topic, but I just learned there is actually a new Perry Mason revival movie in the works in Hollywood with Robert Downey Jr. at the helm. This could introduce Perry Mason to a whole new generation of readers:

http://screenrant.com/robert-downey-perry-mason-sandy-134777/

 

[Dave Lawrence]

Slightly off topic, but I just learned there is actually a new Perry Mason revival movie in the works in Hollywood with Robert Downey Jr. at the helm. This could introduce Perry Mason to a whole new generation of readers:

http://screenrant.com/robert-downey-perry-mason-sandy-134777/

What, you mean Blair Underwood wasn't asked?

Actually, the link you posted says the article is from 2 years ago. As this is the first I've heard about such a project, I wonder if it's still in the planning stages or if it ultimately got backburnered or scrapped.

 

[HunterMan]

Well, I ordered my "Perry Mason" TV Movie Volume 1 set today...should be sent out on the 31st. Although somewhat expensive, I can't wait...none of these reunion movies (except for the first one on the 50th anniversary set) has ever seen a DVD release before! It'll be nice to enjoy these on DVD quality instead of some old faded, fuzzy, "scratchy" VHS copy.

Although I love the first movie ("Perry Mason Returns"), one of my all-time favorites is "The Case of the Sinister Spirit"! I like spooky, ghost, eerie type shows/movies, so this one definitely fit that bill. I love how Robert Stack was the main guest-star too...this was right up his alley as well, as he became the original (and "true" in my opinion) host of "Unsolved Mysteries" right after this--which was usually eerie and spooky with most of the cases covered.

But, I love them all...I truly hope the rest of the movies are released to DVD too!

 

[Matt Hough]

I hope to have the review for this set up this evening. I'm working on it now.

 

[JMas]

Who is releasing these? I am wondering if they will be remastered.

 

[Steve...O]

For those interested, Amazon is selling the Complete Series bundle for $191.87

http://www.amazon.com/Perry-Mason-Complete-Raymond-Burr/dp/B00CL1516E/ref=sr_1_11?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1388173584&sr=1-11&keywords=perry+mason

Matt - looking forward to your review!

JMAS - these are coming from CBS/P (same as the series). The later movies of the week were shot on film but edited on video so there's only so much that can be done to make these look better. It's one of ironies of home video that often filmed series from the 50s/60s will look better on DVD than series from the 80s/90s that are on video. It still should be an improvement over what has been running on Hallmark/Encore though. I'm still waiting for a reasonable price point before ordering.

 

[JMas]

CBS/P has produced beautifully remastered sets of some of my favorites, like The Fugitive, Gunsmoke, and Perry Mason. Since I already have all 30 TV movies from Encore (26 with Raymond Burr and 4 Perry Mason Mysteries made after he died), I'll probably skip this new release unless they are remastered and the price is more in line with volumes of the original series.

 

[HunterMan]

CBS/P has produced beautifully remastered sets of some of my favorites, like The Fugitive, Gunsmoke, and Perry Mason. Since I already have all 30 TV movies from Encore (26 with Raymond Burr and 4 Perry Mason Mysteries made after he died), I'll probably skip this new release unless they are remastered and the price is more in line with volumes of the original series.

I agree...CBS has produced some beautifully remastered sets of shows. I know the price of this first TV movie set is somewhat high...but the quality has to be better than the "homemade" copies going around (from Encore, Hallmark, even some original airings). I have all 30 TV Movies on DVD from these sources too...but they're not very good quality at all. I'm not expecting to be blown away from picture and sound here but I'm sure the quality will be awesome compared to these other syndicated/cable versions--which most likely originally came from VHS copies.

I'm just glad they're starting to officially release the movies--I hope all are eventually released!

 

[HunterMan]

I got my "Perry Mason" TV Movie Volume 1 DVD set a while back. I think the picture/color and sound quality are pretty good--no complaints there! From what I can tell and remember, I think they are unedited/complete versions. The only thing I am somewhat disappointed with is that they don't include the original commercial bumper--a silhouette of Perry's face along with a little bit of the theme song as the movies would go to commercial. But, I'm not surprised about that. I figured that would not be included, but I was hopeful.

But, overall so far I think the quality of the movies is awesome...I hope more volume/movie DVD sets are to follow soon! I eventually want all 30 so I can have the entire TV Movie series as well...but I'll probably only regularly watch the first 26, as those are the ones with Raymond Burr.

 

[Mark Collins]

I really would like to buy the complete series. I have always loved the show and have been watching it on METV. I see it has been down only twice to around 200 bucks but is now near 300 dollars. I am glad to read here everyone's comments. The problem is I would have to buy the 30 movies which I did watch when they aired.

I am glad the color episode is on volume 9. I was thinking of getting the 50th anniversary too. Lot of money and like many of us I have bought some tv series which just sit on the shelf now. Perry I do not think would be one of those but life does take over and time becomes a factor.

 

[HunterMan]

I really would like to buy the complete series. I have always loved the show and have been watching it on METV. I see it has been down only twice to around 200 bucks but is now near 300 dollars. I am glad to read here everyone's comments. The problem is I would have to buy the 30 movies which I did watch when they aired.

I am glad the color episode is on volume 9. I was thinking of getting the 50th anniversary too. Lot of money and like many of us I have bought some tv series which just sit on the shelf now. Perry I do not think would be one of those but life does take over and time becomes a factor.

I understand about the money..."Perry Mason" was on for several seasons and the DVD sets were split into volumes. However, in my opinion "PM" is well worth the money! You could just buy each season as you go along, looking for the best price/deal (ebay, Amazon, ioffer, etc...)--rather than try to buy the whole entire series at once. The first volume of the TV movies is the only one out right now...but I'm sure other volumes will follow. The quality of those is just as good as the series!

I collect and have "tons" of TV shows (mostly older ones...but a few current ones as well). I'm usually watching/going through one of them at any given time. The fun is I can go through a show...then let it sit for a couple/three years and then I'm usually ready to enjoy it all over again! It's okay to let some shows sit for a while...ones like "Perry Mason" are like a good bottle of wine, as they only continue to improve with age.

 

[Mark Collins]

Drew you have convinced me about PM. I enjoy it very much. I am watching Amazon closely. Right now they are out with other people having to fill the order of 18 DVDs. I think if I invest I will want Amazon to be the one I buy from. I have always found them very fair if something is wrong. The movies look expensive. I may hold for now. Used I can get the 50th anniversary pretty cheap.

Drew since you and my good friend Scott and another Dark Shadows friend have praised the show I think I cannot go wrong. I also like what all of you said in your praise of this show. I have to say Raymond Burr and Barbara Hale are fantastic as is the rest of the cast. Barbara comes from the town next door to me. I also thought her son was the new Paul Drake JR or have I got that wrong?

 

[davidHartzog]

Yes, William Katt. The movies are expensive, but are, for the most part, very good. I have all the seasons, but am holding out for a price reduction in the movies.