CBS Press Release: The Beverly Hillbillies Season 4 (1 Viewer)

[BobO'Link]

As the news guy for the site, I have to admit that doing this, and ONLY this, is a terrible way to find out what TV-DVDs you want to buy. If you overlook a news item for something you want, you never know it came out (or is coming out). I'm constantly both amused and frustrated by readers who email me to say "hey, thanks for the good job you do, but you overlooked reporting about a release coming up next month of [insert title here]"...and my only reply is, "thanks, but I reported on that title on [insert date from a month or two ago here, followed by a link]." It's clearly easy for readers to miss news, no matter how hard we try...

I discovered that several years ago after missing a news item on a release. I've gotten into the habit of checking news daily and looking at the release schedule 2-3 times per month. Even so, there have been several times I've found a release looking at the release schedule and *then* searched for and found the news item for that release.

Anyone who doesn't take advantage of that release schedule information is doing themselves a disservice!

 

[JoeDoakes]

Love the show but I think I will wait for a possible complete series of this show.

I wait on a lot of things, but I won't wait on this. Three reasons: (1) its sales price is $20, that's a lot different than $50, $40 or even $35; (2) CBS seems to be trying these budget priced Walmart exclusives as an experiment; if this succeeds then there may be not just more Hillbillies but more everything; (3) Not clear that there ever will be a Complete Series, CBS said that they did not intend to release season 1 when season 2 came out, there are still 5 more seasons to go, and the last 2 seasons are terrible.

 

[JoeDoakes]

It's better being set up as a release because it appears multiple places, including the release schedule. It's also easier for me to add (basically just copying/pasting the information from whatever listing is available at the retailers). Dave spends way more time organizing and planning his daily news than a release lisitng takes. Don't forget, we're just two guys working half time on the website.

When you all get press releases, do you usually just repeat them verbatim after some introduction.

 

[Ron1973]

Well, if people don't buy the sets as they're released the possibility of the show being finished is slim. That's the case for any show.

Gord, I appreciate what you're saying and while it does make sense, I rushed right out and bought S2 and S3 both. I know one almost middle-aged guy in fly-over country doesn't fit their demographics but I did what everyone says to do and they still stalled out for 4 1/2 years.

I hate to be a pessimist but I do wonder if CBS/Paramount will stall this out again after S4. I hope not and I hope that the "direct to retail" approach will prove successful enough that we see all the way through S9.

 

[Frank Soyke]

Gord, I appreciate what you're saying and while it does make sense, I rushed right out and bought S2 and S3 both. I know one almost middle-aged guy in fly-over country doesn't fit their demographics but I did what everyone says to do and they still stalled out for 4 1/2 years.

I hate to be a pessimist but I do wonder if CBS/Paramount will stall this out again after S4. I hope not and I hope that the "direct to retail" approach will prove successful enough that we see all the way through S9.

I do have some concern that only one additional season has been remastered to this point. I think they are waiting to see some sales figures before committing to more.

 

[smithbrad]

I do have some concern that only one additional season has been remastered to this point. I think they are waiting to see some sales figures before committing to more.

If that is the case then that is pretty much the norm all the way around because I typically only see Gunsmoke and Bonanza remaster one season at a time as well. We will probably just see the next season of each of those get listed in an update six months from now. It looks like they are just starting to do the remaining seasons of Star Trek TNG and that would have to be considered fast tracked to blu-ray in the way they are releasing them.

It would be interesting to map all the CBS season releases of remastered series by date released. I wonder if we would see any trends based on the number of different series in process at any given time and the number of releases each year. I seem to recall Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, and Bonanza all appearing stalled at some point. I wouldn't be surprised if CBS just determined that they had too many shows in progress at a given time for the resources they set aside. So it is possible that shows like PM and such that started earlier were delayed because of shows like PJ and BH that were started. Then PJ and BH became delayed as they went back to finish shows like PM, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, and the Untouchables. Now that some of those are done they went back to PJ and BH.

We may just be over thinking it all. CBS may just have a set number of resources to use, and each year they select how best to use them by prioritizing the releases for that year. That could be based on sales to keep the process going, as well popularity, what may sell first in HD syndication, what is closed to being finished, and so on. Eventually, as some titles are finished other titles jump back to the top.

The fact is they can't release them fast enough for us collectors, so we create all these scenario's about series being stalled for various reasons when it may just be that they just haven't gotten back to them yet. At least I see this as being plausible for big studio's like CBS and WB because they own the rights and DVD/Blu-ray releases aren't their main business or revenue. They will get it all done in due time (at least for the more popular titles). So as long as something has the potential to make money in future syndication, music/rights issues don't create issues for a DVD release (they don't for syndication), and DVD distribution is a valid distribution model then I think the titles will be released eventually. I at least see no difference between CBS and WB in this regard.

Small time distributors like Shout!, Timeless, MPI, and Image, on the other hand, are different in that DVD/Blu-ray release is their main business and they license for periods of time with smaller budgets, so they are likely to stall/stop if something doesn't appear profitable. If a favorite title isn't worth the studio's time, and gets licensed to an independent then I would be worried when a series is continually delayed/stalled.

 

[smithbrad]

Gord, I appreciate what you're saying and while it does make sense, I rushed right out and bought S2 and S3 both. I know one almost middle-aged guy in fly-over country doesn't fit their demographics but I did what everyone says to do and they still stalled out for 4 1/2 years.

I hate to be a pessimist but I do wonder if CBS/Paramount will stall this out again after S4. I hope not and I hope that the "direct to retail" approach will prove successful enough that we see all the way through S9.

I could be wrong here but I think we put too much emphasis on overall sales when it comes to releases by the big studio's (e.g., CBS, WB). There is little transparency with the big studios to understand their reasoning. However, the CBS Syndication Bible does provide some information by letting us know that shows are being remastered to HD and which shows are going through this process. The master plan for CBS can't be to spend all this money remastering to HD just for DVD releases now and Blu-ray down the road. Therefore, it has to all be geared around ensuring that the best of their catalog has a future, long-term, when HD syndication is the norm.

Now I'm sure that DVD releases (as well as the Star Trek Blu-ray releases) helps fund the effort, which is why they don't get too far ahead of themselves with any given series by remastering too many seasons ahead of a release schedule. And I'm sure sales provides some indication to them that a particular series might do well in syndication (along with other data they have on titles being syndicated now). But HD syndication is not the norm yet, and the studio's appear to methodically working through their catalog getting prepared (al least CBS and WB). Is it as fast as we would like to see for DVD releases? Obviously, no. But it doesn't have to mean any of these series have stopped completely. They are just progressing at a slower pace then we would like.

All this makes me think about the redo for the Fugitive. Was it because they wanted to do right by the fan's due to all the music issues with the previously releases? I don't think so. I seem to recall the music replaced episodes made their way out into sydication. Maybe that wasn't going to well due to the music replacements. It could just be that they finally recognized that they damaged one of their better products and that they had to fix it for future syndication. Once done, they decided to capitalize on a new DVD release, as well. Thinking of some of the other music related issues. Jack P brings up the Odd Couple as one of CBS's blunders. Will we see a fixed release for DVD someday? Maybe, but CBS could just create a new set of HD masters with the original music intact (if I understand it correctly) and not have to resolve rights issues, as long as it is for syndication only.

So I agree in principle that buying seasons as they come out helps because it funds the studio's to continue and lets them know what we like. And that waiting for a complete series release potentially sends the wrong signal. However, for the big studio's I think this is just a part of the equation and not what drives the ship (like furture syndication), while with the smaller distributor's sales is their primary indicator for which titles continue and which stop.

At least this is my take for what it is worth.

 

[JoeDoakes]

Thank you smithbrad for some very thoughtful posts. As long as everything is released eventually, getting CBS to remaster these shows may be worth the wait.

 

[JoeDoakes]

But please, no more 1/2 season/volume sets as that has to stop...if you're going to release the seasons, do so in full, not one-half.

CBS seems to use half season sets for one hour shows with more limited appeal, but not half hour shows. My wallet wants everything as cheaply as possible, but overall I'll be satisfied with anyway CBS can make putting out high quality releases of shows I want work for them.

 

[Ron1973]

I wait on a lot of things, but I won't wait on this. Three reasons: (1) its sales price is $20, that's a lot different than $50, $40 or even $35; (2) CBS seems to be trying these budget priced Walmart exclusives as an experiment; if this succeeds then there may be not just more Hillbillies but more everything; (3) Not clear that there ever will be a Complete Series, CBS said that they did not intend to release season 1 when season 2 came out, there are still 5 more seasons to go, and the last 2 seasons are terrible.

The last two seasons did have some good episodes but they were fewer and farther between. The whole women's lib movement was hilarious, especially when Granny told Miss Jane that Jethro was going to miss having TV because he couldn't watch Sesame Street!

Really, though, I wonder how much Paul Henning actually inputted in those last two seasons. In "Elly the Secretary" a girl from home came to visit, wanting to make it big in the movies. Granny and Jed decided to contact Mr. Drysdale to see what movie studio to get her set up with. Really? What happened to Jed owning Mammoth Studios? No mention was ever made of him selling it. Jed getting conned by Phil Silvers got old after a couple of episodes. It was a story arc in both S8 and S9. Jed never would've been conned in the earlier years.

With that being said, I hope CBS will give us those seasons also. They're not as good but they still beat much of what's on TV today.

 

[smithbrad]

Just as long as they slowly start coming back out again and people have the means to buy them and the price is good along with the quality of the discs, then maybe we finally get the entire series by the end of next year and maybe a few more shows that have been in the stalled department.

I wouldn't expect them that quick, with 5 more seasons to go and most likely no more than 2 seasons a year, I wouldn't count on this being done any sooner then mid-2016. And most likely a little later. They may have started the series up again but they haven't changed their release strategy.

 

[Ron1973]

I wouldn't expect them that quick, with 5 more seasons to go and most likely no more than 2 seasons a year, I wouldn't count on this being done any sooner then mid-2016. And most likely a little later. They may have started the series up again but they haven't changed their release strategy.

The only way this happens, and it would still be a stretch, is if these absolutely sold more than ever expected. Even at that, there's still time having to be taken out to convert these to HD, etc.

I would rather wait a little while and get these all in HD. Granted, if it came down to it, HD doesn't matter as long as they're unedited but if it means waiting a little longer for these to be done right, so be it.

I just wish they would do some interviews with Donna Douglas and Max Baer. They aren't getting any younger.

 

[JoeDoakes]

This is the deal with the quality of the final two seasons. If you watch the credits for the show you will notice that for the first seven seasons, every episode had Paul Henning, Mark Tuttle, or Buddy Atkinson as at least one of the writers. Mark Tuttle left after season 6 and Buddy Atkinson left after season 7. Paul Henning was listed as the "writer" for most of seasons 8 and 9, but if you look at the credits where that is the case, you can see that whole groups of people are given credit for something vague (I don't recall exactly what). I think what was happening is that the scripts were being farmed out to teams of idiots. Whereas guests and story lines used to last for two episodes, in seasons 8 and 9 they go on and on. We get not only the unfortunate use of Phil Silvers and Kathleen Freeman, but also the painful 7 episode stretch of episodes featuring Shug Fisher as Shorty Kellems (I'd rather watch Cousin Oliver). Whereas Uncle Jed was once a "wise fool" as Buddy Ebsen once said, in seasons 8 and 9 he's too often a simple fool, like when he repeatedly gets taken by con men. TBH is my favorite show, and what I like about it is the way it makes fun of the absurdities of modern life and the pretensions of its people. Although there are occasional bright moments, most of seasons 8 and 9 are devoted to treating the Clampets as the objects of the joke. Another note, up until around 1990, the syndication packages I saw all stopped after the seventh season. I recall when I first saw episodes from season 8, how shocked I was.

 

[ahollis]

Mercy. We are supposed to be discussing Season 4. Check the heading. Lol

 

[Rob_Ray]

Hey, I'm happy we're discussing The Beverly Hillbillies at all! Season Four is a good one. One episode I remember fondly that I haven't seen in about 40 years is the one where Granny is running against Mrs. Drysdale for Possum Queen of Beverly Hills and Mrs. Drysdale has no idea that there is a contest. Drysdale cynically manipulates both Granny and his wife to compete against each other in a non-existent competition and Mrs. Drysdale hasn't a clue as to what's going on. But he manages to surreptitiously record her saying things like "Granny is running behind" for a campaign commercial. Very clever episode, as I recall. But the time I saw it was on CBS daytime reruns.

 

[Ron1973]

Hey, I'm happy we're discussing The Beverly Hillbillies at all! Season Four is a good one. One episode I remember fondly that I haven't seen in about 40 years is the one where Granny is running against Mrs. Drysdale for Possum Queen of Beverly Hills and Mrs. Drysdale has no idea that there is a contest. Drysdale cynically manipulates both Granny and his wife to compete against each other in a non-existent competition and Mrs. Drysdale hasn't a clue as to what's going on. But he manages to surreptitiously record her saying things like "Granny is running behind" for a campaign commercial. Very clever episode, as I recall. But the time I saw it was on CBS daytime reruns.

I was just thinking of that episode last night! Wasn't that the one that was a two-parter and he went to different towns trying to get a Possum Day parade?

S3 and S4 were the highwater marks in my personal opinion. Still some great episodes in other seasons but those two were the penultimate seasons.

 

[Rob_Ray]

I was just thinking of that episode last night! Wasn't that the one that was a two-parter and he went to different towns trying to get a Possum Day parade?

S3 and S4 were the highwater marks in my personal opinion. Still some great episodes in other seasons but those two were the penultimate seasons.

Yes, I seem to recall that the Race for Possum Queen was spread out over a couple of episodes, as most BH story arcs in those days were.

 

[Ron1973]

AND...this is the first season that premiered in color as well...this is where the series really picks up steam, up until the middle of the 8th season.

I have ALWAYS loved the background music they started with in S3 and then into S4. S3 was the best of the b&w years for me and then S4 was the ultimate.

I will say it started losing steam somewhere in the 6th or 7th season. Okay, the England episodes are funny but not enough to go the course of several weeks solid. That led into the whole Robin Hood adventure in Griffith Park. One funny moment from the Robin Hood episodes was Granny getting caught by the cops. She told them she was going down to the lake to smoke some crawdads but first she needed a little pot!!! Roflmbo!!!!!

The 8th season started out promising. Rob Reiner guest starred as a hippie and Jethro was helping them protest the Commerce Bank. Granny's interactions with Elverna Bradshaw were hilarious as was Ellie Mae entering the bake caking contest in Silver Dollar City. Then Phil Silvers came along and took them to New York and it went downhill. One of the few redeeming things about those episodes was Sammy Davis, Jr. cameoing as a NYC cop.

 

[Ron1973]

Oops, cake baking contest, NOT bake caking!!!

 

[JohnMor]

Oops, cake baking contest, NOT bake caking!!!

LOL. I read the original post as "cake baking" and wouldn't even have noticed if you hadn't followed up with this. Funny how the mind "sees" what it expects.