MAVERICK and also spinoffs

I was wondering if anyone out there had information of a few shows that I have waited for full season or full series releases for:

MAVERICK - Warner Bros western from the 50s/60s featuring James Garner and Jack Kelly. I know that VHS tapes were released years ago of various episodes (yes, I have those) but would like to have full seasons and a series set on DVD. I purchased the recently released telefilm NEW MAVERICK a couple of months ago and was hoping that the series would follow. I am enough of a fan that I would even purchase series released of the spinoff series YOUNG MAVERICK (which had a few episodes that could be included which CBS never aired) and BRET MAVERICK (cancelled by NBC after 1 season even though it was a top 25 show).

SANFORD - With the release of the entire SANFORD & SON series as a boxed set I am hoping that eventually we will get a series release of this spinoff which featured Redd Foxx. The story had Lamont moving to Alaska to work on the pipeline and Fred finding love (although only for one season) with a very wealthy woman. I mean, come on, haven't they released What's Happening NOW?????

BIG VALLEY - I seem to recall reading that this had been released by season but have never seen it available. Is that correct?

GET A LIFE - Extremely oddball comedy starring Chris Elliot as a thirtysomething paperboy. I know that a few episodes were released but would like a full season set. The first season was far better than the second. Too many changes in the second season. Plus Brian Doyle Murray's character was just far too annoying.

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

Tom, season 1 was released in its entirety by Fox, which followed up with the first half of season 2 at the same MSRP as season 1 . . . in other words, you got half the episodes of season 2 for the same price as the entire season 1. While there may have been other contributing factors, that left a bad taste in many fans' mouths and may have killed chances for further releases. Still, you should be able to pick up both releases easily from most of the online retailers and, possibly, a few brick & mortar stores.

Edit: I also forgot to mention that a three episode "sampler" of "Maverick" was issued several years ago by Warner and, again, you should be able to find this easily at major online retailers. There's never been a follow-up to this release and there are no official season releases.

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

Thanks for the BIG VALLEY info.

I did see the MAVERICK sampler a while back, but the problem with it was it was material that had been released prior on VHS via the Columbia House releases and the one episode (Shady Deal at Sunny Acres) had even been previously released as a single episode on VHS.

Thanks for the information.

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

The Maverick 3-episode sampler is only $5.99 at Amazon.com right now.

I've been recording Maverick episodes daily from Encore Westerns on my DVR. Getting too much of a backlog though. I can't seem to watch them fast enough.

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

The "Unforgiven" special edition DVD includes an episode of "Maverick" that co-starred Clint Eastwood.

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

As noted, Encore Westerns is showing MAVERICK in chronological order. They are currently about a half-dozen episodes into Season Two. You can expect them to start over again when they reach the last episode.

Encore Westerns is also showing BRET MAVERICK, one episode per week on Saturdays.

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

Is Encore Western showing the Young/New Maverick episodes? There are about five episodes that were only shown once on CBS before it was cancelled. I've been tracking them for years.

JamesSmith
carolyn@dia.net

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

-Question about Encore: Are they showing this Maverick material uncut?

Locally I get a movieplex channel that shows some western tv programs and movies on Wednesdays (western Wednesdays) and they are commercial free and uncut.

If that is the case I guess I am gonna have to upgrade my cable package.

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

Tom -
Yes, the Encore Mavericks are uncut for story content. They are missing some of the Warner Bros. fanfare at the beginning of the episodes and the bumpers. The consensus among those who have timed them seems to be about 49:50 in running time. See this thread: Wish for Maverick Season Sets.

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

Encore Westerns screwed up this week. On Monday they were supposed to show Episode #90 of Maverick, "Bolt from the Blue." Instead they showed episode #75, "A Flock of Trouble," which had already been aired in its correct order. On Tuesday they showed Episode #91. Hopefully they will air #90 in a few weeks in the 9:00 a.m. time slot.

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

I noticed that, and "Bolt From the Blue" is the only episode written & directed by Robert Altman, so it'll be a real headache if it is omitted from Encore's package for some reason.

Meanwhile, now that they're into the fourth season, the run times are varying wildly, from a low of 48:50 to over 51 minutes. I have no explanation for this, but I'm less confident that none of the episodes are cut or compressed than I was in the original thread.

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

Episode 90 was on their printed schedule, so I'm pretty sure that it was done inadvertently. I sent them a feedback note, but they don't respond to those. They claim that they read them, though.

Episode 90 should be on the 9:00 a.m. EST schedule for December 5. Let's hope they show the correct one.

I don't know if the running times are actually off. My recollection is that the shows sometimes included previews of the following week's show. I've also noted that the teaser openings don't always run the same length. But it's hard to say without having something to compare them with.

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

Good news -- Encore Westerns aired "Bolt From the Blue" this morning. Season Five episodes begin next week, so it looks like we're getting the entire run of the series.

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

I think the theme song changes a bit for season five, going by my copy of "Three Queens Full," the Bonanza spoof. The most noticeable difference is a bell clanging three notes after you hear the chorus sing, "riverboat, ring your bell."

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

A long time Maverick and James Garner fan, I just ordered the Encore channels on my service just in time to see ... Robert Colbert.

I hope they start the cycle over again after this run of the show.

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

"Three Queens Full" is scheduled to air on Monday, 12/15 at 7:00 p.m. EST.

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

You're in luck. According to the schedule, they are starting over with Episode #1 on 12/29 at 7:00 p.m. EST.

http://www.starz.com/guides/0812WST1.pdf

Note that they will be running a "Cheyenne" marathon on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, so episodes #4 and #5 of "Maverick" are going to be shown back-to-back on 1/2/09.

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

It'll be nice to get a better copy of Mr. Wheelwright, Moose, and Small Paul.

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

Thank you for the info! I got a new DVR box just in time. Robert Colbert was okay for The Time Tunnel, but he just doesn't have the charisma for a Maverick. I suspect he was the brother with the Vulcan mother.

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

Glad to help. They've also been showing Maverick at 9:00 a.m. EST on a schedule that's a couple of weeks behind the evening schedule, so it gives you a second chance to catch an episode if you have a power failure or if your DVR fails you for some reason.

Colbert made a pretty nice career for himself doing TV work. He has 70 credits on IMDB.com. But as you say he was no James Garner.

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

The episode that aired Tuesday on Encore had the bell (two clangs, actually), but "Three Queens Full" ran with the same version of the end theme that accompanies most Maverick episodes from the last 3 or 4 seasons. I was beginning to think that Warner was just slapping the same end-credit music on all later episodes, similar to the way that The Rifleman has had the same opening sequence placed on all episodes for MPI DVD/tapes and syndication.

That's not really a quibble, just an observation, as I'm glad Encore is running these old shows. My old "Three Queens Full" copy looked pretty rough. These episodes have really been cleaned up.

Re Robert Colbert: I can't look at him on Maverick without recalling his facial expressions (reactions to g-forces) in the Time Tunnel "One Way to the Moon" episode.

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

You guys are lucky to be viewing Maverick on Encore, and I envy the hell out of all I read here on this thread...
up here in Canada I can't get Encore (and a lot else) unless I go for a "grey market" sattelite subscription and receiver, which is, believe it or else, illegal...you see we have to protect second rate broadcasters and cablenets from the big, bad United States of America...you're probably unaware of how we (officially) regard our native culture to be effortlessly superior in artistic, intellectual and politically correct credentials to yours...you can taste the stench of pretense and hypochrisy... and yet the benefactors to this are strangely precarious and fragile despite the protection...with too often rediculously small viewership share...and heavily financed by our government as well! If they want protection they should contract Tony Soprano...

our people end up watching all the US programming they can wrap there eyeballs around anyway, and thus anger our overlords...

well, enough of that rant...please understand my (and many more Canucks )frustration...I'm one of those guys who got all 25 VHS volumes ( 50 episodes!, with RAWHIDE I GOT THE SAME number of volumes) by an over 3 year subscription through Columbia House in the '90s...a lot of their other more recent and presumably more popular series only had 10 volumes available...Route 66 only got 5 volumes released on VHS...you guys remember how pricey this added up to in those days...$29.95 + tax Canadian, probably $40.00 US for EACH 2 ep volume!.. it must have been a pretty good seller for them and should establish in the minds of those who decide such things that a DVD season by season release makes sense...I also struggled for years sourceing more episodes on VHS from a number of "sources", and of course their quality varies wildly...feeling shamefull and dirty...my porn collection suffered also, Ha...note to proofreader-Wife, joke only...and spending yet more money...so I now have about 85 episodes, some unwatchable for VQ,PQ, acquired in a tortuous process....haven't yet attempted to convert to DVD-R, and probably don't want to try...pathetic as I am, I'd still pay good coin for quality studio or licensed DVD releases...

I've dispensed with my tragic illusions about DVD season sets anytime soon and focus my mind on cracking nuts with my bare hands and leaving no pickle jars with unloosened lids...primal screams seem to help clear my sinuses too, but that's beside the point...got to stop sniffing glue, Ha...Anyway, it's still a great pleasure to read all your posts here and but dream about seeing MAVERICK, CHEYENNE, SUGARFOOT, LAWMAN, COLT .45 and others, just the way I'm currently watching RAWHIDE, ROUTE 66, BURKE'S LAW etc....and waiting for January to tie into INVADERS S2 and MANNIX S2...oh, my tortured baby boomer pop culture soul...Oh, did I say you guys are great?

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

Has anyone else who's been recording MAVERICK off Encore noticed any audio synch problems? Now that I've started watching them I've found this with several early episodes ("Day of Reckoning," #19, is a particularly obvious instance).

I'm not clear if this is a problem with the video masters Encore is using (which might be evidence of time compression after all) or if it's unique to my satellite/cable transmission, or possibly my recording device.

Any thoughts?

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

I haven't noticed anything, but I haven't watched "Day of Reckoning" yet. Does it happen in a particular part of the episode, or is it a problem throughout? I'll take a look at mine and let you know if I see any problems.

BTW, Encore Westerns will resume showing the "Bret Maverick" series on Saturday mornings beginning on January 3. The final episode of the original "Maverick" series airs on Encore Westerns on Friday, with a repeat on Saturday morning.

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

"Day of Reckoning" is out of synch throughout the entire episode. It's also one of the shortest segments (under 50 minutes), so I'm inclined to suspect a poor time compression job, but who knows. Do fill us in if you take a look, Richard.

I noticed it on a couple of earlier episodes too, but the video & audio weren't quite as far apart.

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

Stephen, I checked my Encore version of "Day of Reckoning" and it's in perfect synch at various points throughout the episode. Also noticed no problems watching other episodes, eg., Stage West, The Ghost Rider, and The Seventh Hand. I get the channel via cable. Could it be a problem with your satellite transmission, perhaps on that day? Maybe you can upgrade when it comes around again in a few weeks.

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

Thanks, Tom. I have Time Warner digital cable (insert joke here), but I'm guessing it was a problem with THEIR satellite on certain days.

Re: MAVERICK and also spinoffs

Stephen,

No problem with my copy of "Day of Reckoning," either. The good news for you is that it is going to be shown again on January 13, so you have a chance to get it without the lip synch problem.

It also should be noted that Encore Westerns is now airing CHEYENNE, good news for those of us who question whether we'll ever see more than Season One on DVD.