Timeless Media Group - New Releases - Page 6

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

tvshowsondvd.com has news the entire M Squad series is being released on November 11, 2008. Timeless has located the 15 episodes they were missing.

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

Excellent news!

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

DVDPacific.com has "The Deputy" up for pre-order at just under $18.

DVD Pacific - Buy New DVD Movies, HD DVD and Blu-Ray discs

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

Free shipping at DVD Pacific? I did not know that! When did that happen?

Edit: I went back to the link that I provided and I now see that DVD Pacific is offering free shipping; I wonder if that's permanent or just a promotion.

Yes, DVD Pacific has the best online prices that I've found for new Timeless Media releases, except when DD has their semi-annual 20% off sale. I fully expect that they'll likely have the best pre-order price on "M Squad," but "M Squad" is being released around the time of the DD sale, so I'm sure we'll all be doing some comparison shopping on that one!

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

Just checked a few more pre-order prices on "The Deputy," . . . .

Deep Discount has it for $27.97

Amazon has it for $34.98

Looks like DVD Pacific is the clear price leader on "The Deputy" with a shipped price of $17.96, at least for the present.

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

Thanks for these pricing updates, Bob. They are very much appreciated by me.

Gary "hoping to get the M Squad set at about $60 during one of the Fall/Winter sales" O.

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

Thanks from me too, Bob. You know I'm in--after all, "M-Squad" was in my 50s era signature list for a long time now!

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

Assuming that DVD Pacific uses the same discount percentage (48% off MSRP) as they have for "The Deputy," we just might see "M-Squad" priced at a little over $60. But it is being released around the same time as the Deep Discount sale, so it's possible that it may end up even less there . . . time(less) will tell, if you'll pardon the pun. But I have to say, as Stephen Bowie has suggested (in the "M-Squad" thread), keep your expectations reasonable with this release; while I greatly appreciate the work that Timeless is doing with vintage TV-on-DVD, with few exceptions, a/v quality for many of their releases is simply not in the same league as releases from the majors or larger independents, i.e., don't expect "Untouchables" or "Fugitive" a/v quality on these.

Timeless' web site has been updated to reflect the revised "M-Squad" release and you can now even listen to Count Basie's theme music there.

M Squad

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

Interesting, Brian, I'll have to take a look at that one since there are so few commercial DVD releases of "Captain Gallant." Alpha has two 4-episode DVDs, and there was another 4-episode release from the defunct Cascadia Entertainment label several years back. If the episodes are substantially different from these previous releases, I'm in. It's a fun, entertaining show that was produced in cooperation with the Foreign Legion.

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

I just received my sets of "The Adventures of Sir Lancelot" and "William Tell" and was delighted to see that the "Sir Lancelot" set includes the 14 color episodes that were produced. Historically, "The Adventures of Sir Lancelot" was the first British series that had multiple episodes filmed in color and previous U.S. DVD releases of episodes from the series, including some that had been filmed in color, were all presented in black & white. All 30 episodes from the series are included and the visual presentation is improved over the previous public domain releases on labels such as Alpha and Critics Choice. "William Tell" actually looks a bit better than "Sir Lancelot," but it is incomplete as 30 (of 39) episodes are included on Timeless' release.

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

Actually,Bob, there are only 12 episodes of Sir Lancelot in color on this set even though the box lists 14. (The two listed as in color, we can tell by the opening sequence, were part of the episodes that were filmed in color.)

Amazon had a pretty good pre-order price on both William Tell and Sir Lancelot so I picked up Tell again too, hoping that they would have the American opening on them but they all had the UK version of the opening
song.

Compared to the Network UK release of Tell, the Timeless prints are darker and a lot of detail, that can be seen clearly in the Network UK prints, is lost in the shadows. But still they are highly watchable and recommended to anyone who doesn't want to spring for the R2 set. It's a terrific action packed show.

Of the nine episodes that are missing,one is the second Michael Caine show called, "The General's Daughter" where he has a bigger part as a Austrian soldier, than in "The Prisoner"(as #6). Another missing episode,"Castle Of Fear". The print of this episode on the Network R2 release had the American version of the William Tell song.

I really enjoyed Sir Lancelot and the episodes were for the most part presented in production order. I wish Robin Hood and William Tell could have been presented in production instead of UK broadcast order on the Network and Mill Creek sets. The Timeless William Tell is all over the map, episode order wise.

I hope we will see a William Tell release with the American version of the theme song. Maybe Mill Creek?

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

I'd never seen this "William Tell" series before. But I'm very much enjoying the set. Reminds me (obviously) of "Robin Hood," but with a somewhat harder edge. Great fun, though. That Gessler is quite a memorable villian. I've watched about the first seven episodes, and spotted several familiar faces, like Sidney James and Nigel Green. The fellow playing the lead guest in "The Bandit" episode also looked awfully familiar, but I didn't know his name. I guess I'll now have to also try out that "Sir Lancelot" series, which is another series I've never seen. Never even managed to get the Alpha releases on it. It would be nice if Timeless could also snag that "Sir Frances Drake" series as well.

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

The Timeless set renders all of the public domain releases of "Sir Lancelot" redundant. Timeless gives you all 30 of the series episodes, better a/v quality and importantly, for me, the color episodes . . . at least those that survive (as Bob Gu indicated, 12 of 14).

The show was done by the same production team as "Robin Hood" and "The Buccaneers" and "Lancelot" plays like a variation on "Robin Hood."

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

Bob, I guess hoping for all 14 episodes in color was too good to be true, particularly as the Region 2 set from Network only has 12 color episodes as well. How does the Timeless set of "Sir Lancelot" compare with the Network set?


The Network release must be very good visually, as I thought the Timeess release was fine for what it is, a 50 year old television series. You can see the string the arrow rides on when Tell shoots the apple off the top of his son's head in the opening credits (the only thing that I remember from the show after all these years). And even though Timeless doesn't have all of the episodes, I'm surprised that they didn't run them in some sort of broadcast or production order on this release. Still, I'm not complaining; it's been at least 45 years since I've seen an episode from this entertaining show.


I'm not so sure that we'll see a release of "William Tell" from Mill Creek as it may still be under copyright. I don't believe that "Tell" was a production of Sapphire Films which was the production company for "Robin Hood," "The Buccaneers," and "Sir Lancelot," and that company folded in the early 1960s so, presumably, episodes from those shows didn't have their copyrights renewed and fell into the public domain.

I wonder whether Timeless has some sort of relationship with Network, or whoever the copyright owner is, to license these "swashbuckler" series in the U.S. If there is a licensing arrangement, perhaps we'll see a U.S. release of "Sir Francis Drake."

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

Bert, that actor playing the guest in "The Bandit" episode of William Tell is one of Dan Tempest's regular crew in "The Buccaneers". And 'Lt Beamish' is often on hand as one of Gessler's men.

Bob, I don't have the Network set of Sir Lancelot. I don't plan to get it at this point since the Timeless set seems to be about the same picture quality, based on online reports. That being nice B&W prints and color prints that are a mix of pretty nice prints and a little faded ones. Even on this Timeless set you can just imagine how great a full scale restoration would look of Sir Lancelot. It's a shame that so many of these early color TV shows, like Judge Roy Bean, North West Passage, Long John Silver etc, are just available in, as is, unrestored editions.

The darker prints of of the Timeless William Tell set actually look a little sharper than the Network set which looks a little soft in spots athough with better detail in the shadows. I wonder if the darkness issues on DVD releases have to do with actual print quality or the taste of the people operating the equipment during the transfers.

Was not there a company called Liberation something that had a website that said they had the US DVD distribution rights to most of these ITC shows? The Network sets of Robin Hood and William Tell were licenced from Carlton International and Granada Ventures, which I think are the same company. Robin Hood shows a Sapphire Films copyright and William Tell an ITP copyright. ITP I believe became ITC.

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

Right you are! North West Passage, in particular, was a good series that had comparably good production values (produced at MGM).




Liberation's web site shows "Robin Hood," "Sir Lancelot" and "The Buccaneers." These were the Sapphire Films produced series and given that Timeless' prints look better than the various PD releases, it wouldn't surprise me if Timeless was getting its prints from Liberation.

Liberation Entertainment US | Adventure

And, yes, ITP morphed at some point into ITC.

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

Ooooo... I wonder if this bodes well for a potential, "official" complete-series release of DECOY from Timeless (via Liberation Entertainment), down the line. I'm thinking it might...

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

One never knows about these older shows, but Timeless would be one of the very few companies that, I believe, would take a chance on "Decoy." In fact, they had previously released a 2-disc, 10-episode collection of some of the public domain episodes of this series so it's certainly not above the realm of possibility.

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

Timeless has the artwork and episode listings for "The Deputy" posted at their site. Some big names among the guest stars . . . James Coburn, Robert Redford and Lee Van Cleef.

The Deputy

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

Another vintage TV DVD release right around the time of the DD sale! I'll have to make a choice between this and "M Squad." Probably go with "M Squad."

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

Just got the episodes for the upcoming "TEXAN" release. Here's the breakdown on this 10 disc set:


Disc 1

1. Law of the Gun
2. The Man with the Solid Gold Star
3. The Troubled Town
4. The First Notch
5. The Edge of the Cliff
6. Jail for the Innocents
7. A Tree for Planting


Disc 2

1. The Hemp Tree
2. The Widow of Paradise
3. No Tears for the Dead
4. The Easterner
5. A Time of the Year - [Christmas ep I was hoping would be included. Yippee!]
6. The Lord Will Provide
7. The Duchess of Denver


Disc 3

1. A Quart of Law
2. Outpost
3. The Peddler
4. Return to Friendly
5. The Man Behind the Star
6. The Ringer
7. The Marshal of Yellow Jacket


Disc 4

1. No Love Wasted
2. A Race for Life
3. Letter of the Law
4. Private Account
5. Caballero
6. Blood Money
7. No Place to Stop


Disc 5

1. Reunion
2. Badlands
3. South of the Border
4. The Smiling Loser
5. The Sheriff of Boot Hill
6. The Gunfighter
7. The Man Hater


Disc 6

1. No Way Out
2. Image of Guilt
3. The Dishonest Posse
4. Blue Norther
5. Traildust
6. The Telegraph Story
7. Stampede


Disc 7

1. Showdown at Abilene
2. Trouble on the Trail
3. Cowards Don’t Die
4. Border Incident
5. Dangerous Ground
6. End of the Track
7. Friend of the Family


Disc 8

1. The Taming of Rio Nada
2. Sixgun Street
3. The Terrified Town
4. Thirty Hours to Kill
5. Quarantine
6. Buried Treasure
7. Captive Crew


Disc 9

1. Showdown
2. The Governor’s Lady
3. Town Divided
4. The Guilty and the Innocence
5. Presentation Gun
6. The Nomad
7. Killer’s Road


Disc 10

1. Lady Tenderfoot
2. The Invisible Noose
3. Johnny Tuvo
4. The Accuser
5. Mission to Monterey
6. Badman
7. 24 Hours to Live



Looks great, although it will fall just short of being complete. I believe there were 78 episodes total. This one will now have to be added to my wishlist.


Gary "can't believe the amount of vintage material that is coming in the next 3 months" O.

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

Thanks, Gary for the update. I can't recall ever seeing "The Texan" from my early television watching days, though it's possible that I may have seen it at some point. Gotta give Timeless a big "thumbs up" for taking a chance on these older series.

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

I remember watching "The Texan", but nothing about it. Rory Calhoun was pretty big in fifties feature westerns which were on TV a lot in the days when TV stations still showed westerns. Calhoun co-produced his feature films and "The Texan". "The Texan" finished 15th in the ratings it's first season where it's main competition was the second season of "The Restless Gun". In it's second and final season "The Texan" was against the last half of "Cheyenne".

For it's two seasons on CBS "The Texan" was the lead-in for "Father Knows Best". It was part of ABC's daytime schedule in 1960-62 and also on Saturday mornings briefly in 1962.

"The Texan" is called Bill Longley, but he is not the historic western gunfighter of the same name. During the second season according to the plots synopsis in one of my TV western reference books there is a story arc where "The Texan" becomes a trouble shooter for a railroad. Shades of "The Iron Horse"!

one odd note: When tvshowsondvd.com mentioned Timesless was searching for missing episodes they listed only five missing episodes and one of them is on Gary's list. But now eight are missing. I wish Timeless would use lesser quality prints if they have them for the missing episodes.

With "The Texan" (sort of complete) 70 episodes, " The Complete M-Squad",117 episodes and Season One and Two of "The Lone Ranger" 78 episodes, I think I may be done for the year.

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

So is this a licened release,or a public domain release?

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

Brian, off the top of my head, "The Guns of Will Sonnett" from Timeless Media (2 seasons). Also "Stories of the Century" was released in its entirety by Platinum Disc Corporation; however I think Platinum may have called it "Legends of the Old West" or something along those lines, but all 39 episodes were released. While there have been other releases of the series by different PD companies, to the best of my knowledge, only Platinum offers the complete series. It's not offered in either production or broadcast order however. Also, three of the four Irwin Allen 1960s Sci-Fi series are complete: "Lost in Space," "The Time Tunnel," and "Land of the Giants," all from Fox. "Adventures of Superman" from Warner is complete. "McHale's Navy" from Shout! Factory is another complete series. And "Daniel Boone" will make it to the finish line. From A&E: "The Avengers" (everything that exists; season 1 only has 2 & 1/3 surviving episodes), "Danger Man" a/k/a "Secret Agent," "UFO" and several of the Gerry Anderson "supermarionation" shows that I don't follow like "Thunderbirds." Dark Sky Films (MPI) has "The Invisible Man." And finally, I think, BCI Eclipse has "Wanted: Dead or Alive."

Interesting to note that most of your list of completed series come from the independents and not the major studios.

As always, great list!

Re: Timeless Media Group - New Releases

Timeless Media now has a parallel web site that shows a number of releases that you can't see on their current site (timeless.music.com). For example the complete contents of the new "Wagon Train" mega set can be viewed here:

Timeless Media Group

Also, a number of the budget priced "Timeless Television" 2-DVD releases are shown (glad to see that "The Third Man" is still in print).

TV-on-DVD releases here: http://www.timelessvideo.com/tvondvd.html