Is the b&w era of TV on DVD slowly coming to an end? (1 Viewer)

[Richard V]

Anyone interested in this show should really check out the radio programs. They're terrific. Some of the best OTR ever.

Listened to one on Sirius radio. It was great.

 

[Vic Pardo]

I did a review of the Dragnet box set on my blog, with pictures:

http://briandanacamp.wordpress.com

Remember the episode with Michael Ansara as a grieving husband?

Or Lee Marvin as an unrepentant serial killer?

 

[LouA]

Since this is a landmark show, a comprehensive 1950's Dragnet set should have been released long ago, but at this stage , who would do it? Seems like companies are shying away from releasing b & W shows , especially shows that have episodes in the Public Domain . .

 

[Dan McW]

Or Lee Marvin as an unrepentant serial killer?

Lee Marvin's episode was called "The Big Cast," perhaps sarcastically because Lee is the only cast member in the show besides the regulars.

 

[Gary OS]

Bringing over a discussion from another thread because it fits here so well:

Yes, I always thought this was a backward step as far as the fans of older classic TV were concerned. Timeless didn't always get it right but did make available an awful lot of material which would never have seen the light of day but for them.

From what I can gather Timeless haven't released anything that wasn't acquired prior to the takeover. Shout have indicated they are moving away from 'classic' TV thus there are no independents in the field to release this stuff. TGG have put out a few items from the old ZIV catalogue but this was probably a one off. I know Image have just done 'Naked City' but they are hardly prolific. We are therefore left with what the studios will release, which I suspect won't be a great deal.

Regrettably, I must agree with everything Chris has stated. Right now things are not looking good with regards to Timeless specifically and, somewhat by default, B/W TV on DVD in general. The slowdown that began several years ago, with a few surges here and there, seems to really be kicking in now. The second half of this year really has been sparse, and it doesn't look like it will get any better next year if January and February are any indication.

I went and looked at the stats (i.e. releases) since August and they really are grim. Less than a dozen new b/w series releases (not counting re-releases of any kind), and I've only been interested in half of those since many are the WB westerns that don't really interest me.


Gary "not saying we won't still get some older material released, but I honestly don't see it picking back up strong from here" O.

 

[Jack P]

S2 of "Burke's Law" is my only B/W show that if it isn't released will always leave me with a sense of having an unscratchable itch I can't attend to collecting wise. If that makes it, I can be 100% at peace even if other titles that I might be interested in never make it.

 

[jrol]

S2 of "Burke's Law" is my only B/W show that if it isn't released will always leave me with a sense of having an unscratchable itch I can't attend to collecting wise. If that makes it, I can be 100% at peace even if other titles that I might be interested in never make it.

Yes to this. I have a few more B&W series that I would still jump on if somehow they ever saw release, such as Burns & Allen, the remaining seasons of ZANE GREY THEATER, etc., but the second season of BURKE'S LAW is an item whose continued absence still bothers me, and I still hold out hope that it will come out on DVD before the curtain truly falls on B&W series sets.

 

[Gary OS]

Re-posting this news here:

According to the CBS Syndication Bible, Our Miss Brooks Season One is being transferred into HD!! That's big time news in my book. And completely unexpected.


Gary "very excited to read this information" O.

 

[Ron1973]

Re-posting this news here:

According to the CBS Syndication Bible, Our Miss Brooks Season One is being transferred into HD!! That's big time news in my book. And completely unexpected.


Gary "very excited to read this information" O.

CBS continues to amaze! I wonder what other surprises they have in store?

 

[David Weicker]

Kind of off-topic (i.e. not release related).

But the Game Show Network (at least for the next two weeks) is showing What's My Line and I've Got A Secret in the wee hours (2am/2:30am CST) Monday through Friday.

What's My Line is one of my favorite shows of all time (after Doctor Who, Remington Steele, and The Rockford Files),


David

 

[Ron1973]

Re-posting this news here:

According to the CBS Syndication Bible, Our Miss Brooks Season One is being transferred into HD!! That's big time news in my book. And completely unexpected.


Gary "very excited to read this information" O.

I've never watched it, Gary, but usually shows of that era don't disappoint for me. A friend on Facebook gave me a link to some of the episodes on YouTube. I intend on watching those after Christmas and seeing what I think! I'd say right now without watching those that I would still go blind buy for the series.

 

[JoeDoakes]

CBS taking steps to potentially release Our Miss Brooks has to be one of the tv on DVD biggest surprises ever. I wonder what their thinking is about that. Personally, I'd still like them to revisit Bilko.

 

[Joe Lugoff]

I recently read a book about the making of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." The book said Mary Richards was the first single, employed woman on television.

After rolling my eyes and shaking my head, I reviewed the book on Amazon and I said I think that honor should go to Connie Brooks, on "Our Miss Brooks," which began on radio 22 years before "The MTM Show" and on television 18 years before. (There were other single, employed women before MTM, too, such as Ann Sothern in two series; even Lucy Carmichael eventually worked for Mr. Mooney.)

Maybe there's some feminist push to get Miss Brooks on home video.

I'm kidding about that, of course, but I hope CBS is really thinking of releasing this -- in HD, no less -- because I'm tired of watching those horrible, cut syndicated prints on YouTube.

 

[Joe Lugoff]

The CBS Syndication Bible says this for "Our Miss Brooks":

"This series will be transferred into HD and have the following masters:
Network 4x3 (Season 1, 32 episodes)"

However, the first season had 38 episodes, so as usual, I'm confused and pessimistic.

Confused ----->
Pessimistic ------>

 

[Dave B Ferris]

Kind of off-topic (i.e. not release related).

But the Game Show Network (at least for the next two weeks) is showing What's My Line and I've Got A Secret in the wee hours (2am/2:30am CST) Monday through Friday.

What's My Line is one of my favorite shows of all time (after Doctor Who, Remington Steele, and The Rockford Files),


David

They've done this for the last three or four years, but only for the two weeks. I used to belong to a "chat group" where the members were speculating that GSN was just doing a "burn off" to meet some sort of contractual obligation.

 

[LouA]

Re-posting this news here:

According to the CBS Syndication Bible, Our Miss Brooks Season One is being transferred into HD!! That's big time news in my book. And completely unexpected.


Gary "very excited to read this information" O.

Our Miss Brooks has been on my want list for years . To my knowledge it has never been issued in any format. I hope CBS releases it . And I agree about Sgt Bilko .

 

[Steve...O]

The CBS Syndication Bible says this for "Our Miss Brooks":

"This series will be transferred into HD and have the following masters:
Network 4x3 (Season 1, 32 episodes)"

However, the first season had 38 episodes, so as usual, I'm confused and pessimistic.

Confused ----->
Pessimistic ------>

I don't know what the correct number of S1 episodes is, but the CBS site shows:

S1 - 32
S2 - 32
S3 - 34
S4 - 32
Total - 130

This is great news as I'll finally get to see a series that I've heard about but never seen. Hopefully the entire run gets transferred.

 

[Vic Pardo]

Just for the record, this Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014, marks the centennial of George Reeves' birth. In preparation, I dug out my box sets of "Adventures of Superman" and started watching episodes. So far, six from Season One and six from Season Two, but I hope to see a lot more by the end of Sunday. Many of these are either first-time viewings or the first time since childhood. I never did see a lot from Season One growing up and those episodes are quite a revelation, given how violent they are and how aggressive Superman is in them. The guest stars are interesting, too. Hugh Beaumont (Ward Cleaver) is in one, playing a model citizen and father of a young son and just before he's to receive a civics award he gets outed as an ex-con. Billy Gray (Bud on "Father Knows Best") is an amateur photographer in another and gets a shot of Clark changing into Superman.

 

[BobO'Link]

The Adventures of Superman is a looooong time favorite! I'd seen the information about the Reeves' birth centennial on another forum and have already planned to watch as many episodes as I can today and tomorrow!

As a child I saw all of them enough to practically memorize the episodes! The program aired at 6am Saturday on a local station so I'd get up around 5:30-5:45, get a bowl of cereal, and sit in front of the TV with the sound down low watching the test pattern while waiting for sign-on and Superman. I'd often hide behind the big chair when Supes got into Kryptonite trouble because I couldn't stand to watch him get hurt!

Even as a kid I liked that first season a bit better because it was somewhat darker. I also prefer the 2nd over the 3rd through 6th as it kept some of that crime/noir feeling before the series began its journey into full on comic book land by seasons 5 and 6. It seemed like almost every season after the second had at least *one* "silly" episode, especially those featuring Professor Pepperwinkle. I didn't much care for those and have *never* liked the one "Great Caesar's Ghost" from S3 where Perry is "haunted" by Caesar's ghost and typically didn't like the more "sentimental" episodes. I wanted *action* and *adventure* which many of those lacked.

I also like Phyllis Coats a bit better as Lois because she's more independent and not so much the "damesl in distress". Even so, I still associate Noel Neill more closely with the Lois part and was surprised several years ago to find she'd played Lois in the Superman serials (Superman (1948) and Atom Man vs. Superman (1950)). I'd not seen nor heard of those serials prior to purchasing them on DVD as the local stations where I grew up aired mostly the Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers serials. I *really* love this series!

 

[Matt Hough]

Always a favorite, and I've watched the box sets to death. The black and white episodes were far better mysteries and hid the small production budgets better than the color ones.

I don't have a favorite Lois; each brought something special to the series and they're really different people.

But my favorite parts are the cantankerous Perry bawling out the timid Jimmy. John Hamilton and Jack Larson are just superb in these roles.

I understand if Reeves hadn't died, Pierre Watkin, who played Perry in the serials, was going to assume the role of Perry for the 7th season since Hamilton had died. Maybe it's better those didn't get made. I just love John Hamilton as Perry.