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Historical Televison Events on DVD?

post #1 of 40
7/19/06 at 2:39pm
Thread Starter 
Sitting here going over my collection of DVDs and I was struck by a thought:

Given the massive archives of material at the networks (one assumes), has any thought been given to releases of as-they-occured events on DVD, such as the landing on the moon, Apollo 13's near disaster in space, or the assassination and funeral of President Kennedy?

Now, there have be selected bits on DVD, but I've never seen the whole blocks, minute by minute. I'm curious if there is even a market for something like this.

Thoughts?
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post #2 of 40
7/19/06 at 2:53pm

Re: Historical Television Events on DVD?

An even better question is has anybody considered releasing old news footage on DVD? Assuming the price was right I would add a few of those to my collection.
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post #3 of 40
7/19/06 at 2:56pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

Exactly, I think there is an entire market for news events on DVD that is untapped. But not just best ofs or select bits, give us entire events please. What may be inconsequential to some is gold to others.
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post #4 of 40
7/19/06 at 8:39pm

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

Quote:
Originally Posted by MattPeriolat
the assassination and funeral of President Kennedy?

Image of an Assassination - A New Look at the Zapruder Film has the Zapruder film, but probably not the funeral.
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post #5 of 40
7/19/06 at 9:27pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

Close, but no banana. Kind of looking for everything from that weekend, from the first newsbreak to Kennedy's burial at Arlington.
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post #6 of 40
7/19/06 at 10:32pm

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

I would prefer that, too. No snippets, no conspiracy nonsense, just the original broadcasts in their entirety.

It's doable, I think.
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post #7 of 40
7/19/06 at 10:37pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

Agreed.

See, this is a completely neglected form of DVD issues: The JFK Assassination, The Landing on the Moon, Apollo 13, Watergate, et al.

Who wouldn't want the original broadcasts of these events from the networks?
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post #8 of 40
7/19/06 at 11:24pm

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

Quote:
Close, but no banana. Kind of looking for everything from that weekend, from the first newsbreak to Kennedy's burial at Arlington.

I'd love to have all of the network-TV JFK assassination footage on DVD too, Matt.

But it's unlikely we'll ever see all of the massive amount of 11/22/63 material released to DVD. Each network aired approx. 55-60 hours of stuff from those 4 bleak days in 11/63. And many collectors have a nice chunk of the original TV coverage on VHS (and maybe DVD-R), including myself. ....

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.c...4caef920ae6a0d

I'd love seeing all of the above currently-on-VHS-only JFK-related items make their way onto DVD some day, as well (esp. the two brilliant 1964 documentary films -- "Four Days In November" and "John F. Kennedy -- Years Of Lightning, Day Of Drums").

The "Image Of An Assassination" DVD, as mentioned previously, does have four "versions" of the Zapruder Film on it, plus a very nice overview documentary piece on Mr. Zapruder and how he came to be where he was on 11/22/63 -- but that disc does not include any of the funeral footage or other TV coverage of the assassination (except for the Zapruder interview with Jay Watson of WFAA-TV in Dallas just hours after Mr. Z filmed the tragedy; excellent quality for that footage too, btw).

I don't know if I'm alone in wanting these next JFK items or not -- but something that I feel deserves to be preserved on DVD are the JFK Press Conferences (64 in total). That would make a great DVD set indeed. Each conference was approx. 30 minutes in length, so a DVD set with all of them would be equal to about the same amount of material as two "complete season" TV-show aggregations. I'd snap that up in a minute.

You can read every word of every JFK press gaggle, btw, at the JFK-Library website, here:

http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical...es/default.htm

Three conferences (as of this writing) also have audio files attached.

Another riveting "live" news event that unfolded on TV was the RFK assassination in June 1968. Fascinatingly-sad coverage. The initial confusion of the crowd at the Ambassador Hotel shown on live TV makes your stomach sink.
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post #9 of 40
7/19/06 at 11:51pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

Quote:
Another riveting "live" news event that unfolded on TV was the RFK assassination in June 1968. Fascinatingly-sad coverage. The initial confusion of the crowd at the Ambassador Hotel shown on live TV makes your stomach sink.

Indeed, especially given the thought was "Dear God, it's happened again."

My mom worked for Bobby when he campaigned in Sacramento and met him about four days before he died.

It IS a staggering thought. Given all three networks covered everything virtually nonstop for four days from the first newsbreak really right to the end... the sheer amount of material is mindblowing.

The question is: would the networks ever consider caving and actually releasing all of it? And like I've said a few times, Jack's death is just the tip of the iceberg. So many events, so much history. And given the more time goes by, we have fewer and fewer people who actually lived through it. The greatest crime I can think of is letting those days slip into memory.

So, who do we contact? What can be done to grease the wheels to at least get people thinking about it?
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post #10 of 40
7/19/06 at 11:52pm

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

Well, its not the same thing - not even close, actually - but this is a really good documentary with tons of news footage throughout the 80's: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...v=glance&n=130

But yeah, count me in on less highlight reels, more indepth subject matter.
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post #11 of 40
7/20/06 at 12:00am

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

Good God, look at the price of that '80s 3-Disc set!! Holy Mackerel (and a half)!

Just think what a 50-Disc set of "JFK: As It Happened: November 22-25, 1963" would cost us? (I'd buy it...but I'm not sure how many others would.)
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post #12 of 40
7/20/06 at 12:08am
Thread Starter 

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

Oh indeed, that would be a massive set.

Could be worse though: imagine a full DVD set for the Watergate hearings or for Apollo 13 from launch to landing.

As for the Kennedy assassination... I would SUGGEST splitting it into four sets: 22 November, 23 November, 24 November and 25 November.

Drawback: you KNOW 23 November would sell the worst since that's the "nothing happened" day. Plus, with all three networks contributing, the size of the sets...

But clearly, this threat shows interest. Me personally, I just want to really SEE these events. Even in Four Days In November, it was just selections. The funeral Mass was nearly completely cut for example (yes, it's in Latin, but Cushing's eulogy where he quotes the Inagural is in English).

Fight for the news, folks, fight for the news.
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post #13 of 40
7/20/06 at 12:17am

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

Quote:
So, who do we contact? What can be done to grease the wheels to at least get people thinking about it?

I suppose you/we could write the CBS-TV Archives (if we had the address ), or NBC or ABC, and ask about the possibility of getting archived news items to DVD.

Regarding the JFK Press Conferences I mentioned (would you buy those if available Matt? ) -- I wrote to the JFK Library in Boston in 2005, asking about the conferences on DVD. But I never got a reply back.

I then had the opportunity to talk with noted JFK author Richard B. Trask by e-mail earlier this year, and I used that opportunity to ask if he thought there would be any market for such a "Special Interest" type of multi-disc DVD collection.

And Mr. Trask's reply was encouraging (although he has no control over the material, of course; I believe all the conference films reside at the JFK Library):

"I would assume that the Kennedy Library is on top of the newest technology to care for the most important of the Kennedy films and tapes, of which the Press Confrences would certainly be a part. I think Alan Goodrich is still audio-visual archivist there, and he is a good man. They use excerpts extensively as part of their exhibitions and there would quite probably be a solid market for the DVD you outline.

Best regards,
Richard" -- March 23, 2006

~~~~~~~~~~

By the by -- You can get approx. 8 hours of both NBC-TV and WFAA-TV (ABC-TV's affiliate in Dallas) JFK assassination footage on DVD and VHS.

The WFAA material was offered up at the following website starting in 2003. It's a good set too, which includes an interactive CD-ROM with lots of good stuff on it. .....

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...spe/2003/jfk//


And then there's these outrageously-expensive VHS videotapes that can still be obtained via Amazon.com ($68 for 4 hours of NBC-TV Nov. 22nd coverage ). High-priced, but good footage. .....

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_v/...0&Go.y=0&Go=Go
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post #14 of 40
7/20/06 at 12:27am

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

Would you buy this massive JFK set, Matt? (My "Dream JFK DVD" collection. First review on this page...)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/cus...14&y=6&s=video
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post #15 of 40
7/20/06 at 12:30am
Thread Starter 

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

$68 bucks for FOUR HOURS???? What's the tape made out of, titainuim?

Strange you should mention the Kennedy library as I actually ready they are in the process of transfering all of their records to electronic mediums to help preserve the originals. So, one would THINK that the possibility, however unlikely, could be in the offing.

Mmmm... I had not given much thought to the press conferences, but I do know some in Dallas were of great interest, to say nothing of I think it was CBS having an interview with Abe Zapruder just an hour or so after the assassination. I caught that once on one special with my mom and I'll never forget how white her face went when she hear Zapruder saying the film was in the hands of the FBI.

OK, let's get out of Conspiricy Corner before we all end up in trouble. The main idea here is: if we make a request of the networks to do this, let's go big: ask for everything - Kennedy, Apollo, Watergate, the whole smash. Even if they say no, at least we may plant an idea in people's heads to make money.
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post #16 of 40
7/20/06 at 12:33am
Thread Starter 

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

Quote:
Originally Posted by David VP
Would you buy this massive JFK set, Matt? (My "Dream JFK DVD" collection. First review on this page...) )

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/cus...14&y=6&s=video

For THAT much? Um... no.

But the basic idea? All the footage, sans the extras described? I'd be on board for that assuming it's somewhat reasonable. Get it down below 300 and I might be interested enough to bite.
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post #17 of 40
7/20/06 at 12:46am

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

Well, my $2500 price tag was just tongue-in-cheek (as is the whole set). No interest in those extras? Shame, shame.
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post #18 of 40
7/20/06 at 12:50am

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

Quote:
CBS having an interview with Abe Zapruder just an hour or so after the assassination.

You're probably thinking of the WFAA (ABC) interview (which I just mentioned a few posts back).




Quote:
OK, let's get out of Conspiracy Corner before we all end up in trouble.

Well, that's one "corner" you'll never ever find me in. That's for darn sure.
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post #19 of 40
7/20/06 at 12:52am
Thread Starter 

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

Interest? Oh yes. In one package? Ummm...

The ony reason I would balk is because of the fictional price tag. Plus it MAY be a bit of an overload.

Oh and I may have read too fast, but in your google groups, you neglected to list William Manchester's opus Death of a President. That's THE book on the events as they happend IMHO.

Now, back on topic: off Kennedy for a moment, no one want to re-watch the Moon Landing? Cheer at the safe return of Apollo 13? Listen to the infamous question "What did the President know and when did he know it?"

A lot survives folks. Let's work to get it.
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post #20 of 40
7/20/06 at 1:02am

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

Quote:
Interest? Oh yes. See, you assume I don't have some of these things already.

You mean you have these fictional items already (which is what I was asking about)? .....

>> "Virtual 3-D Tour Of Dealey Plaza", with multi-angle capability.

>> "Where Were You?" featurette, featuring interviews (new and archived) with many politicians, celebrities, and just plain ol' folk, as they discuss the assassination and reveal where they were when they first heard the shocking news from Dallas. Participants include: Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Peter Lawford, Bob Hope, Judy Garland, James Stewart, Frank Sinatra, plus many others.


Quote:
Plus it MAY be a bit of an overload.

Ya think??


Quote:
Oh and I may have read too fast, but in your google groups, you neglected to list William Manchester's opus Death of a President. That's THE book on the events as they happened, IMHO.

You're right...that book isn't on my list. I don't have that one. I have Manchester's "One Brief Shining Moment", but not "DOAP".

Thanks for that reminder, though, Matt. I'll have to look into adding that book to the collection sometime (if still available). Much obliged.
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post #21 of 40
7/20/06 at 1:12am
Thread Starter 

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

Quote:
Originally Posted by David VP
[/b]
You mean you have these fictional items already (which is what I was asking about)? .....

>> "Virtual 3-D Tour Of Dealey Plaza", with multi-angle capability.

>> "Where Were You?" featurette, featuring interviews (new and archived) with many politicians, celebrities, and just plain ol' folk, as they discuss the assassination and reveal where they were when they first heard the shocking news from Dallas. Participants include: Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Peter Lawford, Bob Hope, Judy Garland, James Stewart, Frank Sinatra, plus many others.


[/b]

OK the 3-D tour? No. But the asked where they were? In some cases, I do. Larry King did a special for the 30th anniversary and at LEAST Nixon and Clinton were asked where they were on November 22, 1963. I think my copy is buried along with Four Days in November in my video vault.

OK, it's my garage. Leave me alone.


Quote:
[/b]
You're right...that book isn't on my list. I don't have that one. I have Manchester's "One Brief Shining Moment", but not "DOAP".

Thanks for that reminder, though, Matt. I'll have to look into adding that book to the collection sometime (if still available). Much obliged.

Must get it, it really is amazing. Quite shocking what Manchester got published. Even more amazing is some stuff was cut at the request of Jackie Kennedy, but were kept by the Kennedy Library. With both Jackie and Manchester gone, it's a matter of time before they come to light.
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post #22 of 40
7/20/06 at 3:05am

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

Quote:
...is buried along with Four Days in November in my video vault {aka garage}.

Now this is downright sacrilege. Dig up the "Four Days" VHS tape and put it in its proper temperature-controlled locality asap. Got it? (Don't make me do it myself.)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/630...lance&n=404272
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post #23 of 40
7/20/06 at 12:52pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

*shudders*

I have so many videos in my garage, it's frightening. However, with my new VCR to DVD recorder, my hope is to start transfering more stuff to DVD for better preservation.

Hope it's not too late. These tapes have down there for YEARS.
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post #24 of 40
7/20/06 at 1:15pm

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

Quote:
Originally Posted by David VP
Good God, look at the price of that '80s 3-Disc set!! Holy Mackerel (and a half)!

Yeah, but you can find it for much cheaper through other non-amazon sources. I think I got mine for 35 bucks.

And it's really worth it - each year gets an hour from 80 to 89, and while brief, does touch on all the major events of the year. And really clears up some of the stuff that when clean over my head when I was a youngster (That whole PLO thing, the Solidarity movement and Lech Wa³êsa - you know, stuff a teenager wouldnt normaly pay attention to)


Oh, on a side note - happy Moon Landing Day! (or not - if you believe the tinfoil hat crowd)
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post #25 of 40
7/20/06 at 2:08pm

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

This would be more suited for a 50gb Blu-Ray disc, which could hold several hours of 480i material, as I assume this is. It could hold whole videotaped TV series.
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post #26 of 40
7/20/06 at 2:40pm

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

I would LOVE to get all of FDR's fireside chats on disc.
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post #27 of 40
7/20/06 at 3:53pm

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

The one I'd like is the Tonight Show from the night before RFK was assassinated. Pierre Salinger was the main guest, and I lived in Hawaii at the time and all our TV was shipped over and ran 10 days late. The entire audio from that program was deleted by the time we got it.

Some people in an assassination research group said he discussed the fact that when (if) Bobby was elected, he planned to reopen the investigation into his brother's death. This would have been way before the House Subcommittee got around to it and presumably more memories would have been fresh, less evidence destroyed, more people alive.

BTW, Vanderbilt University has been recording live evening and late evening nightly news from all networks for decades. I got the news shows announcing the death of Eva Peron from 1952, so that may be the ultimate source for everyone--including me--who'd like a lot of this stuff.
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post #28 of 40
7/20/06 at 3:57pm

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sylvia*ST
The one I'd like is the Tonight Show from the night before RFK was assassinated. Pierre Salinger was the main guest, and I lived in Hawaii at the time and all our TV was shipped over and ran 10 days late. The entire audio from that program was deleted by the time we got it.

Almost all Carson Tonight Shows from before the 1970s are gone. NBC was re-using the 2" video tapes (which cost hundreds of dollars each), and if I recall correctly it wasn't until Johnny found out about it himself that he put a stop to it.
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post #29 of 40
7/20/06 at 6:02pm

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

I'd purchase news footage of JFK's assassination/aftermath and Watergate, but including the entire coverage would be too extravagant and repetitive. Perhaps a six-disc set with two discs' worth of the most important coverage from each network.
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post #30 of 40
7/20/06 at 8:42pm

Re: Historical Televison Events on DVD?

I got this book as a gift a couple years back, and it has a DVD with good clips(though not totally complete broadcasts, obviously) of "unforgettable moments" in television, divided into three catagories with about a dozen subjects each:

Entertainment, hosted by Dick Van Dyke, featuring:

1) I Love Lucy - "Vitameatavegamin" (5/5/1952)
2) Elvis debuts on Ed Sullivan (9/9/1956)
3) Dick Van Dyke Show - "That's My Boy?" (9/25/1963)
4) The Fugitive - "The Judgement" (8/29/1967)
5) All in the Family - "Sammy's Visit" (2/19/1972)
6) The Brady Bunch - "The Subject Was Noses" (2/9/1973)
7) Saturday Night Live - The Early Years (1975-1980)
8) Dallas - "Who Done It?" (11/21/1980)
9) M*A*S*H - "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen" (2/28/1983)
10) Cheers - "I'll Be Seeing You" (5/10/1984)
11) The Tonight Show - "Funny Moments and a Final Farewell" (5/22/1992)
12) Survivor - Season 1 Finale (8/24/2000)

News, hosted by Walter Cronkite, featuring:

1) Nixon's Checkers Speech (9/23/1952)
2) The First Great Debate - Kennedy vs. Nixon (9/26/1960)
3) Four Days in November (Kennedy Assasination) (11/22-25/1963)
4) Vietnam - Cronkite Denounces the War (2/27/1968)
5) Television in Space (John Glen, Moon Landing, Challenger Tragedy) (2/20/1962, 7/20/1969, 1/28/1986)
6) Nixon - From Watergate to Resignation (6/17/1972-8/8/1974)
7) The TV Princess (Wedding, Life and Death of Lady Di) (7/29/1981-9/6/1997)
8) The Rescue of Baby Jessica (10/14-16/1987)
9) The Fall of the Berlin Wall (11/9/1989)
10) Chasing O.J. (6/17/1994)
11) Presidential Election Night Coverage 2000 (11/7/2000)
12) 9/11 (9/11/2001)

Sports, hosted by Bob Costas, featuring:

1) Wide World of Sports (4/29/1961-Present)
2) Home Run Kings - Maris, McGwire, Bonds (10/1/1961, 9/8/1998, 10/5/2001)
3) Black Power - The Protest at the 1968 Mexico City Games (10/16/1968)
4) The Heidi Game (11/17/1968)
5) Monday Night Football (9/21/1970-Present)
6) 1972 Munich Olympics Crisis (9/5/1972)
7) The Battle of the Sexes - Bobby Riggs vs. Billie Jean King (9/20/1973)
8) The Perfect 10's - Comaneci and Retton (7/18/1976, 8/3/1984)
9) Lake Placid 1980 - "Do You Believe in Miracles?" (2/22/1980)
10) Ali Lights the Centennial Torch (7/19/1996)
11) Tiger's Win for the Ages (4/13/1997)

The book itself is a really nice coffee table book. It also comes with two CDs with audio from most of these events.
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