Stalled series? There's Hope! - Page 3

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This is all very exciting, classic tv on dvd is back after a loooong hiatus! if Dragnet comes back ill be a very happy camper!!! along with MTM, Leave it to Beaver and Hitchcock.

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I wouldn't get my hopes up all that much just yet. There's usually a very specific reason why a show stops coming out and that's because of poor sales. If a show does get licensed out then the independent company has to pay a fee just to lease the show as well as authoring and packaging costs. And as anyone in the business will tell you, every season sells progressively worse than the previous one.

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yes your right, but i just cant help contain my enthusiasm because man there has been such a long drought of NOTHING going on like it used to be. its been depressing the past many many months where unless u liked the garbage that has been rleased the past 5 yrs or so, u were outta luck. With the exception of Fugitive and a few others, there's been nothing out there for us classic tv people! the rumblings that things are slowly returning is exciting!

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Someone did mention before that WB had remasterd all of the classic b/w tv shows from the 50's and 60's,so there must be some light at the end of the tunnel for CHEYENNE and the other shows from that era.

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Everything about this thread is good news; why are you making it into bad news? The smaller houses, I have long maintained, are capable of turning out terrific season sets. Look at 3's Company--we got the whole series in two years.

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At this point extras really should be of no concern to anyone. Just get the shows out by any means necessary so we can enjoy them in our lifetime. If there happens to be extras that is just icing. As long as there is quality in the prints used that is all that really matters to me. But even that is reaching i would take even mediocre quality if i had to.. just to own some of the shows i listed.

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I really hope Fox or someone else finishes the King of the Hill run. A great show that I have no idea as to why it stalled.

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Okay, granted, Anchor Bay did a decent job there. But that's an independently owned show. And for every Three's Company there's an ALF. And AB started cutting corners on the later Roseanne episodes when Starz bought them out.

They are capable of doing good work. But it is a fact they do not have a wide pool of resources from which to draw. It could be good news if studios allow them access to decent quality masters, if they try to ensure uncut episodes across the board, all the things that separate a good release from a bad one. Although truly insulting releases are the in the minority, they are the ones that need to be held up as an example of what not to do. Arts America hasn't had any complaints from the stuff they released from Universal, so that's good.

I want to see the upside in this, I really do. But several years of TV show DVDs have made me jaded by the whole thing. Things could go either way. But with so much BS going on, and so many people willing to defend the BS, I just think it's premature to celebrate.

Believe me, if the work that is done is quality work, I'll be one of the first to celebrate.

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Wow. Son of the Beach vol. 2 from Shout. Is there hope for stalled series? You better believe it

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Har har! Give the boy a medal!

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I'm so ready to finish off Son of the Beach. This will be great since Shout! should also be wrapping up McHale's Navy and That Girl by the end of the year.

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A couple of things. First off, a good friend reminded me today by phone that I need to scale back my "hopes" and what I consider a classic. When I think of a classic I generally am thinking of shows from the 50's and 60's, even though I know full well there are shows from succeeding decades that also qualify. I'm so starved for more of the vintage black-&-white material that any time someone hints at more classic material coming I automatically assume they mean 50's or 60's fare. I know that's bad thinking on my part and I have to scale back my expectations accordingly. And that doesn't mean I don't have 70's, 80's and even some 90's stuff in my personal collection. I do. And I'd love to have a few more things. Heck, "The Wonder Years" would be a great release but we all know that's a pipe dream. So I'm not trying to be really picky or snotty. But I do admit that when I think "vintage" or "classic" I generally think of much older material.

Secondly I have a question/concern. I know we can name off some of the smaller independent companies that give us a few vintage gems from time to time. MPI has given us "Family Affair" and "The Rifleman". BCI does what they can, but they aren't huge and probably can't afford big name series. Timeless has given us some decent 2nd tier shows (and that's not a knock on them or the series they've recently put out). But other than Shout and possibly Image, what indy is in a position to make plays for the big name vintage shows that are still out there?

I get a little concerned when I read about Shout picking up "Son of the Beach". And that's not a slam on fans of that show. It's just that I'm worried that pick up might take a slot away from a more vintage show, whether it be a 2nd season of "FKB" or another Universal stall like "Leave it to Beaver." I know that probably comes off bad or ugly and I don't mean it that way. I'm just really hungry for the older material and I don't want to get my hopes up that any of the stalls I've mentioned have a realistic shot at being picked up. Frankly, I thought the info the other day about "Eddie" and "Lumpy" appearing on the internet radio show, combined with Gord's comments on Wednesday that he'd be announcing a classic release soon, was a nice hint that we were going to see "Leave it to Beaver" Season 3. Turns out that wasn't the case, although I'm happy about the news that Adam 12 is coming. I guess at this point I'm just a little gun shy when it comes to getting my hopes too high. If and when I see any of the stalled shows I listed being picked up then I'll get excited again. Until then I choose to remain in a more neutral position about the current state of vintage stalled series starting back up.

Again, I realize my concept of "vintage" is different that many. I'm just sharing my personal two cents.

Gary "I'm still not sure what studio, other than Shout and maybe Image, is going to step up to the plate when it comes to the more well known stalled series" O.

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I,sincerely,hope that Paramount licenses out Taxi,seeing how they're not going to release the last two seasons themselves.Also,Charlie's Angels and The Fally Guy.

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the big thing about Son of the Beach is that Shout! knows that they will get plenty of plugs via Howard Stern. There will be all those folks who listen to his show on Sirus getting the news that the DVD is out. The promotion should be high profile. They are getting a property that at least has this easy PR action instead of begging for a minor plug on Entertainment Tonight.

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Oh, for Christsake. I've got the news post scheduled to be posted on Monday with the release date of FKB S2.

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David, I know a lot of people's emotions have been up and down in this thread and that the last several days have brought out the worst in many folks - but - was that really necessary? I expressed an honest to goodness concern. I wasn't "crapping" on the other announcement. Or at least I wasn't trying to. I'm not the enemy here. I really tried to go out of my way to compose my last post in a brutally sincere yet friendly way.

I'm relieved to hear that FKB is coming and I'm sorry if I pushed you into feeling you had to post that early. But again, I don't think I deserved that kind of response. Thanks for that early news as it does alleviate some of my concerns about Shout possibly overextending. My first post was not an attack on them, if that's what you thought. Heck, right now Shout is one of my favorite studios, probably only coming in behind CBS/Paramount. I just didn't want to see them get involved in so many shows that they got bogged down. I don't have to worry about that now, and that's a good thing.

Gary "guess I can't express any personal concerns or opinions - sorry to upset you so much" O.

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Gary, I'm frustrated at the idea that people think that their own favorites are getting sacrificed because of the release of someone else's favorites.

As Gord said, these items are getting "shopped around". The indies are pretty much in bidding wars over who gets some of these titles. If one studio passes on title "A" because they want title "B" more, that's fine. Another studio will cheerfully take title "A" in a heartbeat. I think that it's safe to say that the majority of the worthwhile titles being offered are getting snatched up.

On the other hand, no studio that's paid for a license will do anything besides their very utmost to make full use of it. Shout!, having paid for the rights to FKB, isn't going to sit on those rights and make no profit from it. Rest assured, they have every intention of moving forward with those releases.

On a similar note, in the comments made about Gord's post on this subject at TVGuide.com, I think I recall that some folks had commented that they are upset because Shout! hasn't announced any MST3K titles since they got the license. While I'm not in-the-loop on these plans, I think it's a reasonable guess that they will make that announcement at ComicCon, or thereabouts.

So in the end, my frustration is that people are getting upset because they are *guessing* that all signs point to gloom and doom, when that's patently not the case.

I've talked to many people in this industry. For some consumers it's a given that the people in this industry are not on their side, that they don't care. That is true in some cases, thankfully the minority. But many more of them truly care about getting fans what they want, are truly passionate about these shows, and are doing their best to satisfy people of ALL tastes.

No matter how you word that kind of thought, it comes down to making a fan of another show (like Son of the Beach) kinda feel bad because they're getting what they want, and fans of other shows aren't. Some people at some studios are truly trying to make EVERYONE happy.

But then, you know the old saying: you can please all of the people some of the time; you can please some of the people all of the time, but you can never please all of the people all of the time. That truly describes this topic!

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David, I'm not trying to be a rebel-rouser or troublemaker here. I understand your frustration. I do. But remember that you have access to info that I don't. So while you knew Shout wouldn't be bogged down, I didn't. Guess I should have just been quiet about it, but I thought I could ask sincere questions here if I did so nicely. I just don't want to be "yelled at" because other people have been rude and gotten you (or anyone else) upset. And I didn't question the motives or character of anyone making decisions at any studio. Others may have, but I didn't.

Gary "and yeah, I admit I'd rather see FKB or LITB released over 'Son of the Beach', but I don't think I was over the top mean about it - if everyone is getting their faves released that's wonderful and I'm not against it" O.

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Well, then I'll apologize if I got over the top about it myself. I've been reading this thread, and my blood pressure's just been rising in general!! I didn't mean to take it out on you, Gary.

But you bring up another good angle on this regarding that part where you point out that I have access to info that you and others don't. That's even moreso the case with Gord (who isn't trying to keep things from me per se, but gets so much info talking to studios that he sometimes forgets to pass it all on to his good buddy Dave).

Many of the folks here at HTF have known Gordo for years, and know that about him. To get such a negative reaction from his hints of "good news to come"...it's really kinda kicking our asses here! We know that there's not good news for everyone, and so not everyone's gonna be happy. But some of you will be...maybe even a lot of you. If you don't get one release you're looking for, you might get another. And who knows, that other one might show up later, if not sooner.

I know of at least a couple of people here at HTF who are positively gonna have heart attacks when a certain piece of news gets announced. Others, they won't care so much, because the news is not about shows from the '50s or '60s. That's where the chips fall on that item. Move on; it doesn't mean it won't be your turn next time!

I love shows from all eras: I care just as much about Dick Van Dyke Show, I Love Lucy and The Twilight Zone as I do about Lost and Battlestar Galactica. I can point out a beloved series in each era/decade, for every genre of show. If watching TV were like having sex, I suppose I would be a nymphomaniac.

So my advice for everyone reading this thread: let's just all try to tolerate what is good news for other people, even if it's not good news for us today. Hopefully our turn will come soon! And trust me, Gord and I do our very best to help put smiles on everyone's faces in the end, by getting the studios to release all wanted items. From all eras.

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Gary, you said it a lot nicer than I would have. But I agree.

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Hey Dave... Well i have my fingers crosssed that i am one that will have a heart attack. Please let it be me!!!!!!!!! BTW what is "FKB" ?

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FATHER KNOWS BEST.


Apparently not nice enough.

Gary "everyone's on their last nerve in this thread, so I'm not going to say any more here" O.

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Yeah, I think I'm done, too.

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Actually, waiting on Father Knows Best might not be so bad, because they would have time to look for uncut episodes.

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That's why you guys are the backbone of this collecting frenzy!!
You guys ROCK!!

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Ok, let's get back on track here.....

There are some great suggestions from people, hopefully somebody at Shout Factory is listening. Here's a few I'd love to see more seasons of:

Family
Night Gallery
Picket Fences
McMillan & Wife
Murphy Brown
Drew Carey Show
Mary Tyler Moore

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You know, i think id just shit myself if The Six Million Dollar Man saw the light of day here in the US. That would send me all over myself. I know it has other issues keeping it off the shelf. But i sure am happy to see Universal shopping stuff around. Happy to have Adam-12 coming!

I think its time for a Jeff Willis post now.

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More "Family" would make me very, very happy.

I'd also like to see "Strong Medicine" continued. Sony dropped it after the first season, and it's a very high quality show which was a huge hit for Lifetime.

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To me, my dividing point is, taping era, pre-taping era. Almost every show that has aired on the networks since VCRs came about around 1978 or so, is around in someone's collection. And once came into popular usage, lets says 1983 or 1984, then they are definitely around. So to me, the stuff I really want on DVD is the stuff from before people had the chance to record the shows complete and unedited. I don't begrudge anyone the shows post-taping era. Believe me, I've bought some myself and it saves me that much in dubbing time. But I agree with you Gary as to what constitutes vintage or classic. It would be nice if EVERYTHING came out but it ain't gonna happen. Not even close.