Timeless Media Group - New Releases

Here are two strange releases by TMG:

THE BEST OF The Life & Legend Of Wyatt Earp (15 Episode)

Strange thing about this release is that it has no new episode on it. All 15 have already been released by Rhino. Also included is a interview with Hugh. I wonder if they bought out/or took over for Rhino on this series?

Also listed it another Rhino one:

the best of My Favorite Martian (15 season one episodes)

one last one with no rhino connection:
THE LORETTA YOUNG SHOW(2DVD)
has mostly released shows with a few new ones.

Brian

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

"The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp" and "My Favorite Martian" were both licensed to Rhino (SFM Entertainment licensed Wyatt Earp; not sure about My Favorite Martian). I'm guessing that the licenses to Rhino may have expired and have been picked up by Timeless (at least for a limited number of episodes). Timeless' list price for these two series, $29.98, is high for just 15 half hour episodes, though, and they'll have to significantly discount these sets to get anyone to buy them. The Rhino sets (Best of Wyatt Earp and season 1 of My Favorite Martian) are in the same price range but you get more episodes and, in the case, of Wyatt Earp, more extras. Also, I'm guessing that most people who wanted to get these series already have purchased the Rhino sets; there's really nothing offered in the Timeless sets that distinguishes them as being better than the Rhino sets. These are very strange releases, indeed.

"The Loretta Young Show" is a bit of a different story. While there are some public domain episodes available from Alpha, Critics Choice, and others, Timeless does have a licensing relationship with Loretta Young's son and their releases are the only authorized ones.

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That's the thing with Earp. $29.99 and no new episodes. I would have considered a two volume season set or best of with different episodes but I can't see anyone buying this one. Unless the Rhino titles are going out of print.

One a completely different classic tv topic. Passport video will release the Complete collection of Martin and Lewis Colgate Comedy Hours. They hosted 28 and all are included. Not included are a guest spot or two they appeared on.

Here is the list:
Disc Breakdown:
Disc One
9/17/50 – Dean & Jerry’s Colgate debut. Sketches include Jerry having a fountain-pen accident and Dean owning a movie theatre. With Barr & Estes, William McCutcheon.
10/15/50 – Sketches include Dean & Jerry as gangsters and Jerry at a gym. With Mayor Ralph Willani (from Jerry’s hometown) and Mayor Walter Sterling (from Dean’s hometown).
11/12/50 – Sketches involve babysitting and a dancing school. With Joyce (The Honeymooners) Randolph, Sammy Petrillo, Leonard Barr.

Disc Two
2/4/51 – Sketches include Jerry as an annoying usher and the boys doing celebrity impressions.
4/29/51 – Mike (60 Minutes) Wallace is the announcer. Telecast from Chicago.
5/20/51 – Sketches involve Dean and Jerry as judges at a swimsuit contest and working as hospital interns. Cameo by Eddie Cantor.

Disc Three
6/3/51 – Tony Curtis has a cameo. With Sonny King, Danny Arnold.
6/24/51 – Tony Martin and Joe Louis (the other Martin & Louis) guest star.
11/4/51 – Sketches include Dean and Jerry as archaeologists and as convicts. With Donald MacBride, Marion Marshall.

Disc Four
12/30/51 – Sketches involve a schoolroom and a mirror routine. With Margaret Dumont, Mike Mazurki.
2/10/52 – Sketches involve a gangster convention and the boys at a soda fountain. With Sheldon Leonard, Mike Mazurki.
3/23/52 – Sketches involve baseball players and a PTA meeting. With Danny Lewis (Jerry’s dad), Danny Arnold.

Disc Five
4/27/52 – Dean spoofs “The Continental” and does a Brando impersonation. With Danny Arnold.
9/21/52 – Sketches include a psychiatrist convention and Jerry dressed as Sherlock Holmes. With Danny Arnold.
11/30/52 – With Robert Strauss, Rose Plumer, pro-wrestler Max Palmer and Joan (Th-e Abbott & Costello Show) Shawlee.

Disc Six
1/25/53 – The boys introduce sketches from earlier shows (because Jerry had injured himself on a motor scooter).
5/3/53 – Sketches involve a harem and the boys taking out insurance policies on each other. With Benny Rubin, Sheldon Leonard, Frank Nelson, Fay McKenzie.
5/31/53 – Appearances by Tony Curtis and his then-wife Janet Leigh. Telecast from New York City.

Disc Seven
10/4/53 – Sketches include Dean trying to watch TV while Jerry keeps interrupting (from inside the TV) and a spoof of Come Back Little Sheba with Burt Lancaster in a rare comic turn as a drunken escaped con.
1/10/54 – Sketches involve a department store and the boys’ dressing room. With Franklin Pangborn, Duke Art Jr.
5/2/54 – On this show, Dean & Jerry celebrate their 8th anniversary as a comedy team.

Disc Eight
5/30/54 – Season Finale, with Dick Stabile and his Orchestra.
12/19/54 – Sketches involve Dean and Jerry trying to use all the sponsor’s products and problems at a bus stop. With Vera Miles, Jack Benny and future newsman George Putnam.
2/13/55 – Sketches include Jerry trying (in vain) to make a sickly Dino feel better. With Franklin Pangborn.

Disc Nine
5/8/55 – Sketches include Jerry spoofing Ed Sullivan and a Mother’s Day trip. Cameos by Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, and George Raft.
6/5/55 – Dean & Jerry parody Person to Person with Dino as Tedward R. Burrow and Jerry as method actor Harlan Sando. With Sonny King.
9/18/55 – The boys parody The $64,000 Question and disrupt a game of pool.
Disc Ten
11/13/55 – In their final appearance on The Colgate Comedy Hour, Dean is an irksome TV host and the boys star in a now-politically-incorrect parody of a Japanese movie.
HOLLYWOOD RIVALS: DEAN MARTIN & JERRY LEWIS – A fascinating and revealing look at the dizzy heights and depressing depths of Martin & Lewis’ careers.
JERRY LEWIS AT THE MOVIES – Classic scenes from Jerry’s greatest films – with and without Dino – make up this entertaining hour.


Released date is July 17 and SRP is 39.99. DDD has it listed for less then $30!

Brian

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

I've only experience with one Passport title ("The Burns And Allen Collection"), but quality is sub-par.

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Regardless of quality, it's just nice someone finally put all 28 M&L Colgate shows into one collection!

Now, I wonder if they are going to be uncut with Dean's musical performances intact!

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docdoowop & Dewilson

Passport did a very good job with A&C 100 Anniversary TV sets. Also worth noting is the rare Victor Borge show, they released all available kinescopes complete with commercials.

I did a check of a release they did in the past of Dean & Jerry Colgates. Both episodes run a little over 59mins with commercials. Transfers were very nice for kinescopes.

Platinum released 16 D&J Colgates but edited out the commercials.


Brian

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

On their website they list the running time as 20 HOURS. With 28-1 hour shows we're talking major cuts, edits and most likely NO ORIGINAL COMMERCIALS. too bad. The commercials excite me as much as the original shows. a neat trip back in time.

http://www.passportdvd.com/details_nr.php?recordID=5170

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

Hi Chas, My guess is that's a misprint. Both DeepDiscount and Amazon list the set as 1800mins. That comes to 28 one hour shows and 2 one hour bonus features. Hope thats the way it turns out.

Brian

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

HOPE SO!, wouldn't it be nice if they just got it right the first time? how hard is it to put the correct time signature on their website listing? Geez.

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Looks like Timeless is picking up another of Rhino's previously released series, 15 of the color episodes of the final season of "The Lone Ranger." Rhino had released 19 episodes which, if I recall correctly, were edited syndicated versions. See:

http://www.timelessmusic.com/DVDs/loneranger.html

Besides the final season episodes from Rhino and Timeless, all of the other episodes released for this series are public domain, 16 first season episodes and a miscellaneous final season color episode "Message from Abe." It's really surprising to me that nothing else from this series has ever been released.

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I don't remember them being syndicated versions, but it's been a long time since I've pulled that set out and watched any of those glorious color episodes from the 5th season. It is a real shame, and a shock, that this series hasn't had any full season releases yet.

Gary "what a great show - and Clayton Moore was, is, and will always be the Lone Ranger" O.

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just revisited this thread. I was right, the total time is 1200 minutes as stated on the packaging . NOT 1800 minutes. too bad.

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I wonder if they'll release any more episodes of the TV series of The Third Man with Michael Rennie and Jonathan Harris?

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I'd certainly like to see more of "The Third Man" as it is enjoyable and fairly rare to see. I've only been able to track down 15 episodes of the series on commercially available DVDs and the audio/visual quality on the Timeless release was comparatively good for a "budget" release. But if they do release more, I hope they restore the opening credits to each episode and drop the the "TMG" logo that can be seen for long stretches in the bottom right corner.

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

I received a number of TMG new releases from DVD Pacific yesterday (Tate, The Tall Man, Checkmate, River Boat, Laredo and others). I watched the first three episodes of Checkmate, which I had never seen before, and I have to say it is a pretty good show. The video quality is quite good, probably in the top 10% of public domain quality. The episode's VQ are heads and shoulders above the first episode (Black November) in the new Route 66 set. I wish that they had used thin paks instead of the old style Amray cases - I'm rapidly running out of space, but all in all, I thinks it is a pretty nice presentation and probably worth picking up all of these sets. It is doubtful you will ever see a better presentation or release of any of these series.

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That's very interesting about the VQ for "Checkmate". How about the others? I read that the "Riverboat" episodes are quite sharp looking as well.

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Thanks, Doug, for your assessment on "Checkmate." I'll definitely be picking that one up; from your description, it actually sounds a bit better than what I was expecting. I have "Arrest and Trial" on order from DVD Pacific, but it hasn't shipped yet.

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It will be a little while before I have time to sample the VQ of any of the other sets, but someone else said somewhere on this forum that Tate is supposed to look very good also. I'll give a little more elaboration on the VQ of Checkmate. There is occasionally a few specks of dirt, but it is pretty sharp over all and not soft like Route 66's Black November. I watched on a 34 inch screen and while it didn't look Perry Mason good, it still looked pretty good to me. The audio was a little strange. You will have to turn the volume way down from where ever you usually keep it; it almost blew me out of the room when I first turned it on. Also, the episodes are coming in at around 49 minutes. I would think that indicates that they are probably not cut.

Bob, I have you to thank for posting about DVD Pacific. I had never heard of them before, but so far I'm very impressed with their price and service. They do much much better on price when it comes to these older shows than Amazon. I'm also getting the 2nd collection of Suspense and Arrest and Trial from them.

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That (49 minutes) sounds a little short for an early 1960s show, Doug, but it may have been that "Checkmate" had previews for the next week's episode that aren't included on this DVD release. I'm trying to remember if the two "Checkmate" episodes on the Mill Creek detectives box set had previews, but I can't recall. But another show from the same era that is on the same set, "Michael Shayne" did have a fairly long preview included on one of the episodes. I'm guessing that the Timeless "Checkmate" release is probably uncut, save for the possibility of the previews for the following week's episode.


I get a chuckle out of this company's name, DVD Pacific. They're actually located in Coral Gables, Florida . . . . you know, near the Atlantic!

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I got the whole run of Checkmate about 15 years ago and they all come in around 49 minutes, give or take 30 seconds.

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

Thanks, Hank, for the confirmation on the running times.

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A curious thing about "Checkmate". Maybe it's just the episodes that were selected for this particular set, but no less than three veteren silver screen sirens make an appearance in the episodes presented (Anne Baxter, Jane Wyman and Joan Fontaine). Each of these ladies had nearly 30 years experience in the film business prior to appearing in "Checkmate". Charles Laughton, Mickey Rooney, Phillip Ahn and Joseph Cotton, no strangers to the film world either, also appear in the set. In the case of Laughton, whose career spans to the 1920s, no less, "Checkmate" was about the last thing he ever appeared in. Other great actors who appear in the 12 episode set are Mary Tyler Moore, John Hoyt, Martin Landau, Ricardo Montalban, Bruce Gordon, Gary Merrill, Yvonne Craig, Henry Jones, Dean Stockwell, Dan Druyea and Dabs Greer. Nice talent.

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I just finished the 15 episodes of The Tall Man and have watched the first four episodes of The Restless Gun. One thing that I'm curious about is why does Tall Man have only 15 episodes and Restless Gun have 24 - both are 30 minute shows? I can't remember the back-story on these TM releases; maybe someone can refresh my memory. Are these public domain or did they license them cheaply? Could TM only find 15 episodes of The Tall Man good enough to release?

I have to say that so far I am enjoying these TM releases far more than I would have anticipated. Video and audio quality is much better than expected; but the biggest revelation is the quality of the shows themselves, which thus far have been great. One standout episode of The Restless Gun with great character actor Royal Dano was, in my opinion, simply brilliant; one of the best 30 minute western episodes I have ever seen. I am hopeful that if these sets sell decently, Timeless Media will put out other volumes of these great shows. Does anyone have any idea if Timeless has any other vintage TV gems up their sleeves?

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Doug, Timeless Media is licensing these older Revue Studios titles from NBC Universal, but only the titles. Universal is not providing Timeless with the prints; Timeless has to secure prints from collectors and/or whatever sources they can find and that very well may be the reason that there are discrepancies in the number of episodes from one set to the next. The other possibility is that Timeless may be "stockpiling" episodes for subsequent volumes, but that's pure speculation on my part. Incidentally, "Laredo" is the number one selling DVD currently at Timeless' site; Amazon customer reviews are positive.

Over the Summer I sent a note to Lanny Lee who is a producer for Timeless inquiring about the 1962-63 series "The Wide Country," a modern day (circa early 1960s) drama using the professional rodeo circuit as its backdrop with stars Earl Holliman and Andrew Prine as the Guthrie brothers. Mr. Lee advised that they were working on it and it is a Revue/Universal series, so hopefully we'll see that next year.

I've only purchased one of these titles so far, "Arrest and Trial," and despite less than stellar prints, the show is outstanding. I also have "Checkmate" winging its way to me via DVD Pacific and hope to have that one by this weekend.

Incidentally, DeepDiscount.com is carrying the new Timeless titles and, with the 20% off sale going on right now, each of these are going for less than $18 shipped.

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Thanks for that information Bob! I always look for your posts on this forum, because when it comes to vintage TV, you are the go to person. I've made a lot of purchasing decisions based on info that you have provided. Thanks again.

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

Thanks for your kind words, Doug, but trust me, there are a number of people on this board who know far more than I do when it comes to vintage TV . . . . I learn from them, as well, and it's one of the major reasons I've stayed with this board.

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Well, that cinches the deal for me--I'm definitely purchasing "Restless Gun". Whenever I get ahold of a dvd set that features Royal Dano, I always bring that particular episode in to work and play it for a co-worker. We've practically started a fan club.


It's been kind of touch and go with these Timeless sets as they've been going in and out of stock. I've held off on the DD sale only because I'm waiting for M:I S3 to show up. You only get one shot at the 20% off deal, or am I wrong here?

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As long as it's listed at the site (and hasn't gone permanently out of stock), you can get the 20% discount. I've ordered out-of-stock items at DD before during their 20% off sale . . . . you just wait longer to get your shipment. What you can't use the 20% discount on is pre-orders . . . . that's why I'm holding off until November 20th on season 3 of both "Mission: Impossible" and "Wild Wild West" and "Man with a Camera," all of which are being released next week.

Also, you can use each discount code only once, but there are multiple codes, each of which can be used once enabling you to make multiple orders if you so desire. There are probably more, but SUPERSALE, DVDTALK, and PRICESEARCH have all been confirmed as working codes.

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Great stuff guys! I've bought all the Timeless releases and am pleased with every single one of them. I highly recommend all of them (and this would be the time because of the aforementioned 20% off sale from Deep Discount)!!!

Gary "and I really hope we see a 'Wide Country' release too, Bob - that would be very welcome" O.

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Bob, are you sure you aren't my long lost twin? We think too much alike. I'm doing the exact same thing you are and buying those three releases next week. I'll also pick up the third volume of "Tales of Tomorrow" then too.