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Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th - Page 3

post #61 of 106
12/7/08 at 8:54pm

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

Doug, I did not notice any missing bits while I was watching the episodes. I decided to check the run times on the color episodes when after reading the cast list at the end of one episode I saw the name of western character actor I.Stanford Jolley and realized I had not seen him in that episode.

I watched a few more color episodes and checked the rest and found only two more in the 76 minute range. So that's only 3 of 32 color episodes that are uncut. The three all start with a Wagon Train Chris Hale filmed bumper and a pre-credit sequence that runs about six minutes. That's probably the main part that's been lopped off the 70 minute episodes.
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post #62 of 106
12/8/08 at 12:34am

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Gu
Doug, I did not notice any missing bits while I was watching the episodes. I decided to check the run times on the color episodes when after reading the cast list at the end of one episode I saw the name of western character actor I.Stanford Jolley and realized I had not seen him in that episode.

I watched a few more color episodes and checked the rest and found only two more in the 76 minute range. So that's only 3 of 32 color episodes that are uncut. The three all start with a Wagon Train Chris Hale filmed bumper and a pre-credit sequence that runs about six minutes. That's probably the main part that's been lopped off the 70 minute episodes.

Well thats disappointing. I have bought both sets but haven't viewed yet.
From memory I do recall Wagon Train having a trailer for the next episode every week which would account for two or three minutes of missing footage.
I will check the monochrome episodes against the Columbia House tapes where there is a overlap. WT also ran the first 80 episodes uncut here in the UK in the 90's so I will check there also & report back.

As for the 'Guns of Will Sonnett' this was horribly cut as is 'Branded'. I believe they were both reruns on some channel as 'The Chuck Conners Theatre' which was probably the source of these prints. Laredo on the other hand is uncut.

My worry now is 'Laramie', particularly as they are going with the colour episodes.Think I may wait for reviews.
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post #63 of 106
1/1/09 at 3:07pm

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

I've been asked to no longer post my reviews on HFT.
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post #64 of 106
1/1/09 at 7:16pm

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

Paul,

Thanks again for another outstanding review! 1st-rate read at DVDTalk. Also, for mentioning one of the "aces" here, Bob H. Bob's given me a lot of great tips & info on classic TV/DVD sets.

Quote:
Originally Posted by from Paul Mavis Review for DVDtalk

Vintage TV fans will of course have a quandary here: should they support an obviously compromised release (edited shows), or do they buy what's available and be thankful for it, since it's doubtful any more work will go into releasing this particular title? I've written about this dilemma extensively, and as always, it comes down to what the consumer is willing to put up with.

That sums it up for me. I remember the show when Dad never missed watching it at our house. This one will be a tough call for me mainly due to the video transfer Q. Edited eps don't excite me, but I think I would get the set regardless of that one. I think I'll have to wait for a deep sale to get the set.
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post #65 of 106
1/2/09 at 8:37am

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

I also want to thank Paul for another great review. I bought this set from the Barnes & Noble online site recently because they have a phenomenal deal on right now with Timeless sets. I got mine for under $49 and it's waiting for me at my P.O. Box as I type. Can't wait to dive into this set.

Gary "thanks again, Mr. Mavis, for another vintage TV review" O.
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post #66 of 106
1/6/09 at 10:46am

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

I can't add much to this, except that I pulled out some tapes from the color WAGON TRAIN's run on Lone Star and can confirm that they ran 70-71 minutes. So I guess the Timeless release is as good as it gets. I thought I'd remembered that these were uncut on Lone Star, but I was incorrect (I believe THE VIRGINIAN did run a full 76 minutes on LS, but maybe my memory is faulty there, too).

I'm told the WAGON TRAINs were edited for their run on CBN in the mid-80s, so that's when these tape masters date back to.
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post #67 of 106
1/8/09 at 1:27am

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

I'm just glad they had access to the color shows - edited or not.
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post #68 of 106
3/1/09 at 2:09pm

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

I watched the "Fort Pierce Story" today with Ronald Regan (!) and John Ducette. Great episode. John Ducette is one of my all-time favorite character actors, When I see that guy in anything, it always reminds me of that small part he had in "True Grit" and the bigger part in "Big Jake".

Thanks to Gary for talking me into getting this set.

Jeff "RIP Mr President" W.
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post #69 of 106
3/2/09 at 5:52am
Thread Starter 

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Willis
I watched the "Fort Pierce Story" today with Ronald Regan (!) and John Ducette. Great episode. John Ducette is one of my all-time favorite character actors, When I see that guy in anything, it always reminds me of that small part he had in "True Grit" and the bigger part in "Big Jake".

Thanks to Gary for talking me into getting this set.

Jeff "RIP Mr President" W.

Jeff, if you like John Doucette (as I do), be sure to check out the series "Lock Up." Doucette absolutely steals the show from series star Macdonald Carey. Unfortunately, there are no official releases of "Lock Up," but you can view public domain episodes from companies like Timeless Media, Mill Creek and Alpha. For a change, he plays a good cop in this series and plays the role with a knowing sense of humor. "Lock Up," as a series, plays sort of like a cut-rate version of "Perry Mason," though I can't recall ever seeing Carey's character actually in a court room.
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post #70 of 106
3/2/09 at 1:17pm

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

If the Wagon Train isn't led by Ward Bond then I'll sit at the station until the next Wagon Train passes through. Amen!
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post #71 of 106
3/6/09 at 4:44am

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Hug
Jeff, if you like John Doucette (as I do), be sure to check out the series "Lock Up." Doucette absolutely steals the show from series star Macdonald Carey. Unfortunately, there are no official releases of "Lock Up," but you can view public domain episodes from companies like Timeless Media, Mill Creek and Alpha. For a change, he plays a good cop in this series and plays the role with a knowing sense of humor. "Lock Up," as a series, plays sort of like a cut-rate version of "Perry Mason," though I can't recall ever seeing Carey's character actually in a court room.

Bob,

Thanks for the recommendation. That's another show I'd not heard of from that era.
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post #72 of 106
3/6/09 at 5:08am

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Ed
If the Wagon Train isn't led by Ward Bond then I'll sit at the station until the next Wagon Train passes through. Amen!

I have to concur. While I've only seen one episode of Wagon Train and it didn't even focus on Bond's character but instead the scout (with the guy from Mannix), I'm a big fan of Bond's. I hope someday they will release at least some of the episodes from the first few seasons.
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post #73 of 106
3/24/09 at 2:10pm

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

Ok...Amazon has a good price on this set currently @ about $48, so how badly are these episodes cut and how does the video quality compare to other similar releases?

Having not watched a lot of syndicated TV for a while I had not realized the extent of cuts that could be made. For example, the Little House on the Prairie DVDs are abruptly cut in places but the stories appears pretty well intact. Branded has some really bad cuts where complete scenes can be missing.

From those that have watched this Wagon train set. Is it really obvious where the cuts happened with really abrupt breaks in the story? Is it apparent that scenes must be missing based on story continuity or character involvement? How would you compare the cuts in this release to other TV show releases for comparison?

Same with the video quality. I watch on a 92" 16x9 projected screen but I''m pretty lenient for quality content. I've been watching the Texan and M Squad which should show the extent I can go for content. I wouldn't expect Rawhide or Gunsmoke quality, so what other series on DVD would you compare the video quality of Wagon Train?

Thanks in advance.
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post #74 of 106
3/24/09 at 4:15pm

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

I took advantage of the discount to $48 and I plan on watching the B/W episodes first to get context for the show. The first one in the set from the first season with Nina Foch the principal guest looked good to me, and clearly came from a tape master from the original film elements and not a 16mm print. I'm assuming that the 16 B/W episodes in the set are the same ones that would have been transferred to tape for Columbia House video release way back when? At any rate that makes them look much much better than "M Squad" which is drawn entirely from 16mm sources.

I can't judge yet on whether story content will be affected on the edited color shows but I would think since these are drawn from video masters from the 80s or thereabouts that they would have been more dilligent in the editing by then.
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post #75 of 106
3/24/09 at 5:13pm

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

Thanks Jack.

This CBS/P sale has already taken an almost $300 bite out of the wallet, so I've been on the edge as to whether to add one more purchase to the mix.
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post #76 of 106
3/24/09 at 5:42pm

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

Brad, I have both the mega Timeless sets (WAGON TRAIN & M SQUAD) and can echo Jack's comments. The WT set looks much nicer than the uneven M SQUAD one. No doubt the source material given to Timeless was in much better shape and it shows. I'd highly recommend the WAGON TRAIN set for that price.

Gary "you've spent a good bit this week but knowing what you've bought I feel confident in saying that you'll find it was well worth it" O.
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post #77 of 106
3/25/09 at 10:28pm

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

Brad,

Gary beat me to the post but as he said, you'll be happy with this set. After talking to Gary before buying it, he made the deal for me based on the transfer Q. I have found the xfr Q's to be easily "watchable" for me. As some probably know on the Bd, I'm probably more on the "require good xfr Q's" for TV/DVD's than others here but I don't require pristine prints to buy a show. I'd place Wagon Train at the same level as the B/W Image sets of "Dick Van Dyke" or "Combat!" in picture Q. I've seen some TV/DVD sets from shows produced in the 80's that have worse xfr Q's than Wagon Train.

Regarding the edited episodes, since I'm not a Wagon Train expert, they didn't seem to bother me much at all. I could tell where a few of the edits were made but imo, they didn't "break" the storylines for me. I imagine the Wagon Train fans would see the edits differently than those that hadn't seen these since their original broadcasts. I hadn't seen any of these episodes since I watched them with Dad in the 60's.
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post #78 of 106
3/26/09 at 5:56am
Thread Starter 

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

Interesting, as I was "pulling the trigger" this morning at Amazon on the megaset of "Wagon Train," I noticed a message for Timeless' "forgotten" DVD release of "Wagon Train: Going West," a smaller, 3-disc release of 12 episodes (different from those offered on the megaset). The notice said "This item has been discontinued by the manufacturer." A check over at Timeless' site, however, indicates that it's still in their catalog.

Wagon Train - Going West

Anybody know what's going on with this set?
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post #79 of 106
3/26/09 at 6:34am

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

Thanks all. While I'm not usually an impulse buyer at BB anymore due to usually better online pricing. I did happen by there yesterday and picked up the Wagon Train - Going West set for just under $20 to try out the series. I'll try it out tonight to see how I like them.

It seemed like it might be getting discontinued, as Bob suggested. It's funny, the Going West doesn't seem available in many places and I noticed a discontinued status on Amazon before but now I see another matching item that says it is available. Maybe Timeless came up with some more copies.
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post #80 of 106
3/26/09 at 6:48am
Thread Starter 

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

Quote:
Originally Posted by smithb
It's funny, the Going West doesn't seem available in many places and I noticed a discontinued status on Amazon before but now I see another matching item that says it is available. Maybe Timeless came up with some more copies.

DVD Pacific, which normally carries all of the Timeless Media releases, doesn't even show the "Going West" set anymore, only the megaset and a public domain release of the series, so it makes me wonder. Of course, as you say, Timeless could have more of these sets on the way or, perhaps, maybe they'll re-package these episodes on another release of the series in the future.
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post #81 of 106
3/26/09 at 6:50am

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

While this is off-topic, the perplexing thing about this CBS/P sale at Amazon is the lack of mention of it at Amazon. I saw they have another 60% TV sale listed with many newer titles and some older but nothing that describes or listed what is discounted from the CBS/P library.

As a result, I keep running up against the deals by chance and buying more titles. One of the biggest things holding me back from ordering the Wagon Train set is that I keep finding other titles that also seem to be good deals.

For example, last night I came across the Petticoat Junction first season for $20.99. As a kid I enjoyed the episodes and since I'm having a good time with the Andy Griffith show this may be worth a buy (just to have a representative season). This morning, I found the first two season of Hawaii Five-O listed for $21 each.

Others are Starsky and Hutch, getting the Fugitive S2V1 so I can get the replacements disks out of the way ($21). Then there are all the MASH episodes for $15.50. I picked up the first two season at Target for $20 total now I feel funny not having the series (I don't like the full collection for how it stores the disks). Not to forget maybe a season or so of I Love Lucy as a representation of that series.

What to do...what to do. What do they think I'm made of, money?

Two years ago, I never expected to have any of these old TV sets. Now I having to put of a new wall of shelving just to contain them.
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post #82 of 106
3/26/09 at 7:00am

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Hug
Interesting, as I was "pulling the trigger" this morning at Amazon on the megaset of "Wagon Train," I noticed a message for Timeless' "forgotten" DVD release of "Wagon Train: Going West," a smaller, 3-disc release of 12 episodes (different from those offered on the megaset). The notice said "This item has been discontinued by the manufacturer." A check over at Timeless' site, however, indicates that it's still in their catalog.

Wagon Train - Going West

Anybody know what's going on with this set?


Bob, great minds think alike. Last week when I noticed the Timeless releases going on sale at Amazon my first thought was to purchase the "Going West" release for what I estimated would be about $15 but found the same thing you did - a link that told me the series was being discontinued. Very disappointing.

Gary "definitely seems like this particular set is quickly becoming a rarity" O.
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post #83 of 106
3/26/09 at 7:02am
Thread Starter 

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

Quote:
Originally Posted by smithb
This morning, I found the first two season of Hawaii Five-O listed for $21 each.

That's a steal on those sets. These are complete seasons (well, almost, season 2 is missing the episode "Bored She Hung Herself"), but the transfers are top notch and the show is consistently engaging. If I didn't already have these in my collection, I'd jump on these two. The reason why you aren't seeing any highlighting of the CBS Paramount titles is that they're part of the bigger classic TV sale at Amazon. But as others have said here, the CBS Paramount titles don't go on sale all that often so when they do, you have to take advantage.
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post #84 of 106
3/26/09 at 7:23am

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary OS
Bob, great minds think alike. Last week when I noticed the Timeless releases going on sale at Amazon my first thought was to purchase the "Going West" release for what I estimated would be about $15 but found the same thing you did - a link that told me the series was being discontinued. Very disappointing.

Gary "definitely seems like this particular set is quickly becoming a rarity" O.

Actually, if you go to Amazon they have two links for it now. One with a picture that says it is discountued and one with out that from what I recall is selling it for $13.99.
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post #85 of 106
3/26/09 at 7:27am

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

What's the specific rundown of episodes on that set? I had assumed it consisted of the same episodes from the B/W era that were in the big set.
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post #86 of 106
3/26/09 at 7:32am
Thread Starter 

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jack P
What's the specific rundown of episodes on that set? I had assumed it consisted of the same episodes from the B/W era that were in the big set.

Rather than me copying and pasting, click the link below for the rundown of what's included.

Wagon Train - Going West
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post #87 of 106
3/26/09 at 7:53am

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jack P
What's the specific rundown of episodes on that set? I had assumed it consisted of the same episodes from the B/W era that were in the big set.

My understanding was that there is no crossover. These are different episodes. My only issue is why when they put these types of sets together can't they at least put them in order by release. For example, the set starts with an episode from season 8 then bounces back to season 4.
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post #88 of 106
3/26/09 at 8:16am

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

Quote:
Originally Posted by smithb
Actually, if you go to Amazon they have two links for it now. One with a picture that says it is discountued and one with out that from what I recall is selling it for $13.99.

Very interesting. That second listing wasn't there last week when I looked this set up. Only the one Bob linked. This second one (sans picture) says 1-3 weeks before shipping. I've gone ahead and ordered it anyhow and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I actually get the set. For that price you can't beat it.

Thanks for that update, Brad. Amazon can be really curious at times with things like this.

Gary "not quite sure what to make of this" O.
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post #89 of 106
3/26/09 at 8:26am

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

OK, now I see why there are two listings for this dvd. If you look closely at both, you'll notice that the one that's up and running (1-3 week delivery) lists the studio as Timeless itself. This probably means that Amazon would be direct ordering from Timeless to get the set and then send it out. The other link (the one that says the set is discontinued) lists the studio as EDI. EDI Video is the distributor for the Timeless stuff that goes out to some of the other etailers like CD Universe and DVDPacific. In fact, if you want to search for Timeless releases at the DVDPacific website you have to look under EDI as the studio name, not Timeless. Same for CD Universe. So it appears that Amazon is hooked up with two different sources for this release and therefore has two different listings for it.

Gary "once I compared the studio listings the mystery was solved" O.
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post #90 of 106
3/26/09 at 8:37am

Re: Wagon Train rollin' in on October 7th

Another unusual thing with Amazon recently. In the last two weeks I checked for Big Valley Season 2, Volume 1 to see if I could get it during this run of sale items. They showed it as discontinued, so I checked a few others places and not many listed it anymore. So I quickly picked it up from DD for about $23 to get it before it was gone for good.

Today Amamzon has it back on the site again, on sale for $12.49. Go figure. Oh well, I've been getting a lot of good deals this past two weeks. I guess you can't win them all.
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