George Reeves' Superman on DVD - Page 9

Roy Wall · 10-08-2005, 07:10 AM

Thank you ArmandV for that fantastic review.

I won't be completely happy with the set but it certain;y sounds very worthwhile. I don't understand why Warner didn't provide at least a few previews. But I've harped on that enough.

It sounds like Warner rooked us on the commercials, too.

Glad to hear to hear that the documentary is worthwhile.

Mainly...it sounds like the prints of the episodes are the nicest prints to date...I wish Warner could have found a better print of "The Stolen Costume" but I guess that one's the black sheep of the set.

Again...thanks for the "super" review.

pitchman · 10-08-2005, 01:12 PM

Quote:

It sounds like Warner rooked us on the commercials, too.

Personally, I never expected anything more than "Tony the Tiger" commercials in the first place. Kellogg's retired the other animated characters years ago, and from a marketing standpoint, it makes little sense to release those ads to Warner Bros. since their inclusion does little to enhance brand awareness. I wouldn't be at all surprised if there were also copyright/licensing issues that prevent them from being used in this fashion.

At this point, I am just thrilled to get my hands on good quality transfers and uncut episodes. Anything else Warner's opts to include is icing on the cake as far as I'm concerned.

Steve...O · 10-08-2005, 02:50 PM

Thanks for a wonderful review Armand! Much appreciated.

Quote:

Some episodes are the original edits

By this do you mean that some aren't? Before I get too concerned, would you please clarify if you meant that some episodes were modified or if you were just pointing out scenes that were reinserted. Hopefully all the episodes are complete.

Regarding the commercials, I recall reading (unfortunately I can't remember where) that rights issues prevented some of the commercials from being used on the set. I think Gary hit the nail on the head on this one.

One last thought on the previews....is it possible that the music rights problem that temporarily delayed this set is at play here? Wasn't it the case that any theme music outside the episode itself couldn't be used on this DVD (necessitating some rework on the documentary?) If the music is used on the preview would that be a problem?

Steve

ArmandV · 10-08-2005, 05:35 PM

Michael Hayde can probably answer the "original edits" questions better than I can once he gets his copy. I only watched a few of them and I know that "Crime Wave" is original and I am guessing that "The Evil Three" is also. The scene with the old lady in the wheelchair getting shoved down into the basement is in. So far, I haven't found any Easter eggs. - A.

pitchman · 10-12-2005, 12:10 AM

Quote:

(2) The text-only cache page of http://www.warnervideo.com/adventuresofsupermandvd/ released on 26 Jul 05 spells out "Selected Original Episode Previews".

It looks like the Web site is about to go live again. I just checked it out and there are now active links for a couple of season one video clips and a picture gallery. Interestingly, the Warners online store is selling the 5-disc set for $29.99 with free shipping, which may prove to be as good as, or an even better deal, than some chain stores and online sellers.

Gord Lacey · 10-12-2005, 12:15 AM

Here you go:
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=4285

Gord

pitchman · 10-12-2005, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Here you go:

Yep.

Thanks, Gord! I saw that first and decided to poke around the cache page to see if there was any change or update yet.

Cheers,
Gary

Michael.J.Hayde · 10-12-2005, 03:07 AM

Quote:

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=4285

Uh-oh. That was fast. My biggest concern is that, since Warners clearly used versions that were digitally mastered for Columbia House on the first set, that they'll do the same here. And one of the second season episodes, "My Friend Superman", had a short scene missing from the CH VHS release.

Plus, one episode not released by CH, "Around the World with Superman", has been missing about 30 seconds for over two decades: a scene where Superman, still dressed as Clark Kent, begins to examine the cause of Ann Carson's blindness with his X-ray vision.

If these, or any other scenes, are missing the hue and cry will be fast and furious.

Michael

pitchman · 10-12-2005, 09:42 AM

Quote:

My biggest concern is that, since Warners clearly used versions that were digitally mastered for Columbia House on the first set, that they'll do the same here.

Okay, Michael, now I am curious. We know for sure that Warners did not create any new digital masters, then? How was this confirmed?

Michael.J.Hayde · 10-12-2005, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Okay, Michael, now I am curious. We know for sure that Warners did not create any new digital masters, then? How was this confirmed?

By watching the episodes. Actually, my post was a little misleading... the episodes weren't digitally mastered specifically FOR Columbia House. WB did prepare digital masters of the episodes in the early 1990's, and these were used by both Columbia House and Nick-at-Nite (although the latter were trimmed and time-compressed).

The version of "The Stolen Costume" that appears on this set is pretty much the EXACT SAME MASTER used on the Columbia House video, and the same holds true for other episodes. The only difference is the opening title sequence: it looks like WB did a full restoration on one opening and used it for all the shows on the set. As I implied in my review, the episodes are not cleaned and restored to the same degree that WB brings to their vintage features and Looney Tunes sets. It's the DVD format that makes them look better than they did on Columbia House VHS tapes.

An exception is "Crime Wave" - it is NOT the version that has aired on TV and appeared in the CH package. It IS, however, the one that appeared on Warner Home Video's 1988 VHS release "TV's Best Adventures of Superman" Volume Two. Strangely, the end titles for this episode come from the Columbia House release, rather than the WHV version. (In fact, the entire episode was going to be the CH version, until the commentator, Chuck Harter, pointed out that there was another, better one available. The WB honchos then tracked it down.)

So, for the most part, Warners used what they already had, albeit tweaked to the best of their ability. Perhaps they had no choice in this case. Hopefully that won't be true of the next one.

Michael

Bill Williams · 10-12-2005, 01:34 PM

I'm wondering about the S2 set being prepped for January. What extras, if any, will be on this new set? And will it include the seldom-seen "Stamp Day for Superman" as an extra as well?