Mister Ed: Season 4 ... where is it?

I see no reasons to get alarmed. Shout Factory doesn't always follow logical patterns with their releases like other studios. Perhaps they want season 2 and 3 to have this holiday season to themselves before releasing season 4 in the new year. Or perhaps it's the natural decline of sales with each season release and they're adjusting their initial 4 month of so gap between releases to give each release a larger window of sales before being superseded by a new season.

They've already paid for the show, they aren't doing the transfers themselves, and there aren't any new incremental cost for Shout Factory for each subsequent release other then creating the boxart and menus for each release and such items as marketing. The worst case would be they become Shout Select titles.

They've already spent over 99% of the cost of releasing all six seasons by licensing the show and are getting the transfers from MGM, there's no reason not to continue as long as there are enough customers that would buy them direct from Shout to justify doing a production run of a season release (Which has to be a safe bet if the series was selling so well initially to be on a 4 month schedule for the first three seasons).

I don't know what their plans are, but unless there is a major shift at Shout Factory away from classic content or major financial issues, I can't imagine season 4 not being in the works. I suspect they're just widening the window between releases because they probably realized they were releasing a bit too much of the series in too short of time and weren't giving each release enough time to realize it's full sales potential. Or perhaps they feel they have enough out there for 2010 already and are using their limited manpower to get some other releases out there for the remaining 4 months of the year.

I think we'll see this one to the end. It's just too bad we got the all too common Shout Factory screwup of season 1, which we're stuck with and which they've clearly indicated they won't ever fix. They didn't even have to release replacement disc, many of us thought releasing the full versions of a episode of two with each subsquent release after the uproar over season 1 (Such as hiding them as "Easter eggs" like we've seen some releases handle extra content) would've pleased the diehard fans by getting the full episodes out there, while adding virtually no cost to Shout.

But it made too much sense I suppose.

I see this is listed at tvshowsondvd.com:

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Mister-Ed-Season-4/14585

It says that it's exclusively available from Shout (39.99) as part of "shout select". Does this mean it will never be sold anywhere else or will it be generally available later on?

They have a Amazon retailer they work through, but it still comes from Shout Select.

Why go that route? Did the first 3 seasons not sell that well?

Law of diminishing returns.

S1 sold well enough to get us S2. S2 sold well enough to get us S3, but sold less than S1. S3 sold okay, but less than S2, and not well enough to release it in stores, or perhaps the stores weren't interested in carrying season 4 of a 50 year old TV show.

So, there we are.

I wonder if it might also have something to do with the change over from the Addison's as neighbors to the Kirkwoods. I much prefer the seasons with the Addison's myself, so with $'s competing with other releases, season 4 of Mister Ed is lower down on my purchase list then the earlier seasons were. Not disputing the diminishing returns theory at all because that is the most logical and I'm sure biggest culprit, but just saying this might have added to the decison process as well.

Edited: I always wondered why they switched neighbors, just thought it might have been a cost cutting measure in later seasons. Wow...I did not realize until now it was because Larry Keating was seriously sick and died after season 3 filming.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Obsolete Man 

Law of diminishing returns.

 

S1 sold well enough to get us S2. S2 sold well enough to get us S3, but sold less than S1. S3 sold okay, but less than S2, and not well enough to release it in stores, or perhaps the stores weren't interested in carrying season 4 of a 50 year old TV show.

 

So, there we are.

 That sucks, but I've always wanted this show on DVD, so I'll continue buying the season sets. I just hope we get the last two seasons, however they're released.

Would be nice if they combined seasons 5 & 6 since 6 is a half season. They often combine the first two seasons if the show started as a mid-season replacement.

I'd rather see them throw in the full versions of the cut episodes from their season 1 release to round out their season 6 set.

That same retailer who sells on Amazon.com is also selling them on eBay.  So, you have three options of  where to purchase season four but you have only one price~$39.99 plus shipping/handling.

...because they want to see Mister Ed, season 4 and not another show?

I assume it's because it's a Shout Select title?

It's probably pay the higher price to help justify the smaller production run, or leave the show incomplete. I'm sure most fans will choose to bite the bullet and just pay the cost to help see the show through to the end. It's not too terribly unreasonable since it's only around $5-$10 more than I remember the other sets being when they were first released.

I know that it is disappointing that season 4 was released as a Shout Select title.  It means it is not only more expensive but it is also more difficult for us outside America to buy.  However it is better than an ' on demand' title which is impossible to get outside America.  I do hope that Shout decide to release the remaining episodes of Mr. Ed.  It is one of my alltime favourite comedy shows and I am delighted to see it on DVD.  I would  alsolike to see My World and Welcome to it, He and She, Nanny and the Professor and the Ghost and Mrs. Muir released by some company someday!  If they end up as being Shout Select titles then I don't mind too much paying slightly more.  When you think how much we used to have to pay for a couple of episodes of old TV  on VHS tape  these Select titles are a good bargain!   

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeoAmes 

I assume it's because it's a Shout Select title?

 

It's probably pay the higher price to help justify the smaller production run, or leave the show incomplete. I'm sure most fans will choose to bite the bullet and just pay the cost to help see the show through to the end. It's not too terribly unreasonable since it's only around $5-$10 more than I remember the other sets being when they were first released.

But do Shout select title get discounted? I've never purchased that way. I've generally only paid between $20 and $25 for each of the previous three seasons. So unless they provide decent discounts at some point they are helping to ensure only a limited run is necessary. IMO at least, the later seasons are not as good with the cast changes. In addition, they are playing on the THIS network right now (albeit cut to around 22 minutes) and the quality is more then acceptable. Priced at around $20 to $25 I might bite but not almost $40. Still too much competition for my funds with other options being available.
 

Did you ever happen to look at the MSRP of Mister Ed seasons 1-3?

I'll spoil the surprise for you... they're all $39.99.

Since those first three are general releases, they're so much cheaper (that's said sarcastically, BTW) because that's the discount Amazon gives.

However, if you were to walk into a retail store and actually be able to find Mr. Ed S1-3, they would be charging $39.99 for them. I've seen it before in Best Buy. And $39.99 is *GASP* The exact same price Shout is charging for S4 on their website.

And the whole reason Mister Ed went to Shout Select was because seemingly, the retail stores didn't want to stock it.

So, it's pay the "extra" 10 dollars for it at Shout, or never see it released.

You don't like it, don't buy it. But quit whining about it.

Oh, and to the poster above, yes, sometimes Shout Select titles get put on sale. In the past 6 months or so, I recall Mr. Belvedere and Room 222 being on sale. Keep checking the site, especially around holidays like Father's Day. That was the last time I recall a Shout Select sale.

I'm willing to bet a lot of you are new to collecting TV on DVD if you're complaining about a set being over 20 to 25 dollars.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Theodore J. Mooney 

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Obsolete Man 

I'm willing to bet a lot of you are new to collecting TV on DVD if you're complaining about a set being over 20 to 25 dollars.

 

I've been collecting since 2002. Most old shows these days range between 14 to 30 dollars for a new/latest release. I recall back in 2002 that the asking price of season 1 of The Mary Tyler Moore Show was $40. I also recall that the asking price for a volume (4 episodes) of season 1 of I Love Lucy was between $10 and $14 dollars. The Mister Ed season 4 price might have been acceptable to me back in 2002 but isn't in 2011.  
 

Then that's your problem.

You're not willing to adapt.

The classic TV on DVD market is shrinking. Cheap sets aren't as easy to come by for old shows as they used to be. In fact, look at how many shows that were released for 20-25 dollars were abandoned until Shout picked them up.

And no other company even offers an option like this.

Would you feel better if S4 of Mr. Ed didn't come out at all, so you could complain about how the mean old company didn't release it and just abandoned it? At least it's out there for when you want to buy it.

You don't have that option with shows like Green Acres, or the Bob Newhart Show, because when the sales didn't meet the standards of the company releasing it, they dumped the show and never looked back.

And if Fox or MGM offered me the option to pay the outrageous sum of 40 dollars for the next season of Green Acres or Bob Newhart, after three years of waiting, I'd jump at the chance.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Obsolete Man 

I'm willing to bet a lot of you are new to collecting TV on DVD if you're complaining about a set being over 20 to 25 dollars.

I have to say, I've never understood this rationalization (other than a maybe a bit pyschologically speaking). If fifteen+ years ago the norm was to pay $200+ for a season then that was the market at that time. When I would have determined what to put my money towards, I would have been basing it against other similarly priced $200+ a season shows.  But the current market for shows of a similar nature is much cheaper a season with discounts. Look at the now pre-order price of "Car-54", which is listed at $20 on Amazon. During the past few months there have been many sales with seasons going for anywhere from $10 to $15 a season.

As far as adapting to higher pricing (especially for older series) that may be concern for me at some point (same as MODs), and i will probably just have to buy less. But as long as I can still find series I want just as much for less, my money will go there first.

Now if "Mister Ed" was a must-own for me that would be different. I have paid higher prices for series I just have to have. But as far as nice to have's I try to get the biggest bang for my buck. And I will continue this way as long as the market bears out this way. By pricing it this way, Shout is basically saying we are going after the hardcore fan not the casual fan on a budget. That is their choice, it just won't get my dollars at this point. Unless of course I have everything else priced cheaper then I might reconsider. That is what I would call adapting. Maybe you are already there.
 

Theodore J. Mooney, the price was already explained to you.

Sales of season 3 weren't high enough to justify trying to get retailers to stock it so it became part of the Shout Select program. That means a small production run trying to match the number of sets they produce with the demand they project for direct sales of the set.

That means cost are being spread across a smaller pool of customers, and if their projections are correct, they won't have a large surplus of these sets a year or two down the road that need to be sharply discounted in order to clear them out. So they shouldn't be saddled with a lot of stock like they were with their earlier general retail releases. And also, because they have to compete with the retailers carrying their product, they can't very well remain at MSRP forever anyways. Neither is a problem with a Shout Select title. And like has already been explained to you, it is being sold at the same MSRP of the earlier sets.

The price has nothing to do with the number of disc and episodes on the set.