Fire at Universal Damages Video Vault! (1 Viewer)

[DeWilson]

But "Downplaying" the disaster could bite them in the rear when it comes to the insurance clams.

 

[DeWilson]

Hank's just reporting what he's heard from his sources. It's more than we're getting from any other outlet - offical or unoffical.

TV GUIDE or TV SHOWS ON DVD have yet to report anything-even rumors - on how this is going to impact NBC-U's video releases - in house or licenced out.

The only "offical" report so far is 100% Universal's archival 35mm prints used for revival/rep houses stored on the lot are now destroyed or damaged. (See "Variety")

 

[TravisR]

I agree. That being said, Hank could be 100% correct but whether he is or isn't, this has already been accepted as fact. Some people who want to believe the worst has happened or want to see a conspiracy everywhere ("Universal is covering up what was lost!!!") and Universal can make all the statements in the world about what was lost and it won't change those people's POVs.

 

[Kruzer31]

I received an E-mail from Timeless today inquiring about whether the Universal fire would affect the season 2 releases of Laredo. Season 2 part 1 is still on schedule for release on August 5th. Season 2 Part 2 is still planned for release but no official date has been determined.

 

[Corey3rd]

The downplaying won't hurt them on the insurance. but it was being done to keep investors from panicking and dumping on Monday morning.

 

[John Kilduff]

Forgive me for being late to the thread, but I recall watching "Out Of This World" when I was younger, and I really enjoyed what I saw. Do you think that this show was impacted by the fire? I say that because, although it's unlikely, I would like to see a DVD release of it, and I fear that the fire might impact the possibility of one.

Sincerely,

John Kilduff...

And would this affect "California Dreams", one of my few favorite 90s programs, as well?

 

[Michael Rogers]

I am pretty sure their are suitable replacements for most of the destroyed stuff. For instance, how many here know that the entire Adam 12 series is currently available for instant viewing at Netflix. This means that Netflix has to have a set of digital masters for that show (they also have most of Emergency beyond the DVD released seasons).

I live near the Eastman House. It was on our local news that many of the destroyed films at Universal can be replaced by The Eastman House achieves.

The audio masters might be a different story.

 

[Corey3rd]

I don't think Eastman House wants to be willing to ship their prints out to anyone who has the rental money. I used to work at a major film archive and you get very protective about loaning prints. For a private collector, they are irreplaceable. The studios don't sell 35mm prints. So once they are destroyed, scratched or stolen, you're screwed. There is a major level of trust that must be built between archive and exhibitor. These are like loaning out Picassos.

Universal didn't have such worries cause if you trashed their print, they could create a new one and bill you.

 

[Ethan Riley]

What I believe is that the damage has not been completely assessed, and that info will be forthcoming. There are insurance matters to be considered before any loss is reported to the public...Universal isn't "covering up" anything; they're probably playing by the rules.

And members on this thread seem to assume that everything Universal ever filmed or owned is gone forever. You guys, I mean really...

 

[RickER]

Thank you!

 

[mannix]

this means house calls now probably won't get released

 

[TravisR]

What's your source on that info?

 

[Hank E]

Then why does every season except for season 1 say "This movie has not been released on DVD. Future availability is not guaranteed."

 

[Tony J Case]

Top 13 Movie Mementos Lost In the Universal Studios Fire That Nobody Will Miss:
01) The next-to-last Starfighter
02) Granny Klump’s prosthetic breasts
03) The pie from American Pie
04) Sting’s codpiece from Dune
05) Jim Belushi
06) Howard the Duck’s copy of Playduck magazine
07) The new cut of American Graffiti featuring an all-CGI Wolfman Jack more in line with the original vision of George Lucas
08) The rarely seen Satanic cauliflower from Veggie Tales
09) Body glitter washed off of Michael Beck after shooting Xanadu
10) Nick Nolte’s accent from Lorenzo’s Oil
11) The X-rated footage cut from Problem Child 2
12) An extensive collection of various vials, syringes, and scraps of scorched aluminum foil recovered from Robert Downey, Jr.’s trailers over the years
13) All prints of the secretly completed surprise sequel to Firefly

(Thanks to Woot, by the way. )

 

[progrocktv]

Most Universal masters I can say for sure (as some people specilated) are in fact, stored in an underground bunker "somewhere" (there are several more besides the Salt Mine) They store 1 and 2" tape masters as well. I'm thinking the tapes destroyed were most likely Syndication "duplication masters" and the like (several copies of duplication masters can exist in several different locations, so it's most likely most of the TV shows destroyed could probably be replaced.

 

[Gord Lacey]

Broadcasting & Cable reports Meyer was upbeat in an e-mail to employees: "Although our video vault was destroyed, losing thousands of tapes and hundreds of duplicate film prints that we are now in the process of recreating, the vault in which we store our library of films was untouched."

Universal Studios Fire -- Studio Chief Says Film Library Untouched - Today's News: Our Take | TVGuide.com

Gord