TMG: THE NAME OF THE GAME: SEASON 1 8/19/2014 (1 Viewer)

[HenryDuBrow]

Great news, will definitely have this. It may not be a western series, but it's always good to see TMG take on other genres as well and there's lots more unreleased stuff in the Universal vaults (if the fire didn't damage). Hec Ramsey, Switch, Griff, Delvecchio, Sierra, Owen Marshall Counselor at Law, O'Hara U.S. Treasury, Lucas Tanner, Tenafly, Richie Brockelman Private Eye, Baretta, Nobody's Perfect, etc.

 

[High C]

Great news, will definitely have this. It may not be a western series, but it's always good to see TMG take on other genres as well and there's lots more unreleased stuff in the Universal vaults (if the fire didn't damage). Hec Ramsey, Switch, Griff, Delvecchio, Sierra, Owen Marshall Counselor at Law, O'Hara U.S. Treasury, Lucas Tanner, Tenafly, Richie Brockelman Private Eye, Baretta, Nobody's Perfect, etc.

I think, as Jack P said before, Switch and Baretta definitely were damaged in the fire.As for O'Hara, U.S. Treasury, it would be interesting to see him away from Gotham City and Commissioner Gordon for a change. Sorry, couldn't resist. I know that's the David Janssen series in between Fugitive and Harry O.

 

[FanCollector]

I think Hec Ramsey's working prints were lost also. Timeless had been planning to release it and then said that they were unable to do so.But what still puzzles me is that although everyone says the useable prints of Switch burned up in 2008, the series ran on RTV in 2010. Someone must have at least some prints of it.

 

[HenryDuBrow]

Yes, would love to have it out and replacing those rusty old dubs... No network/channels anywhere really haven't got any ok tapes laying around...? It's too bad.

 

[FanCollector]

Yes, would love to have it out and replacing those rusty old dubs... No network/channels anywhere really haven't got any ok tapes laying around...? It's too bad.

I don't know how exhaustive their search for Hec Ramsey was. Although I haven't heard of the show being rerun anywhere since the CBS Late Movie in the early 80s, so I can at least understand that instance. Switch has aired on several cable and satellite outlets since the 80s, and on that digital subchannel AFTER the fire.

 

[Jack P]

If "Switch" aired after the fire then why wasn't Madman able to use those elements for a DVD release? The whole story of "Switch" being lost in the fire was based on a report that Madman in Australia was interested in the title for release and that it was in the course of trying to find "Switch" that they stumbled on a surviving set of transfers for "Law And Harry McGraw" and were able to release that. Since that took place after 2010, then either they didn't know about that set of masters, or someone lost those after the last cable showings or else there are missing episodes from that set.

 

[FanCollector]

I got the worldwide search story from someone at Madman and shared it here. I didn't have RTV, but when someone mentioned it, I checked and found that the show had been airing in 2010. I contacted the same person at Madman and he seemed surprised, but also not exactly jumping out of his seat to rush and call Universal about it. (He said their license for Switch had lapsed and after poor sales of It Takes a Thief, they lost interest in releasing the series anyway.)Since Universal had a deal with RTV, they probably provided them with the Switch prints, so the studio likely knew about them. I have not been able to find a list of episodes that aired, but I think it was a weekly, rather than daily, slot. So I suspect the set may have been incomplete. Does anyone know if TV Land showed all 70 episodes of Switch? Or was it just a partial package? Could those prints have survived?TV Shows on DVD mentioned a rumor of a Region 1 company interested in the series, but they wouldn't say which one. Does anyone know who had been pursuing it in North America?

 

[Jack P]

I believe it might have been E1 which released "Ellery Queen" on DVD that was interested in "Switch" for US release but I'm not 100% sure of that.TV Land only aired "Switch" on weekends and they did not go through the entire run as I recall. If that set of masters does exist it could be an incomplete package overall.

 

[FanCollector]

I just looked back at the news item on TV Shows on DVD and all they would share was that it wasn't E1.Thanks for the detail about the TV Land run. Maybe that's the problem. The last complete set was for satellite channels in the 80s, and those were lying around and burned in the fire. The extant video elements may just be for a sampling of episodes, which is fine for some cable and subchannel showings, but hard to market on DVD.

 

[Frank Soyke]

I got the worldwide search story from someone at Madman and shared it here. I didn't have RTV, but when someone mentioned it, I checked and found that the show had been airing in 2010. I contacted the same person at Madman and he seemed surprised, but also not exactly jumping out of his seat to rush and call Universal about it. (He said their license for Switch had lapsed and after poor sales of It Takes a Thief, they lost interest in releasing the series anyway.)Since Universal had a deal with RTV, they probably provided them with the Switch prints, so the studio likely knew about them. I have not been able to find a list of episodes that aired, but I think it was a weekly, rather than daily, slot. So I suspect the set may have been incomplete. Does anyone know if TV Land showed all 70 episodes of Switch? Or was it just a partial package? Could those prints have survived?TV Shows on DVD mentioned a rumor of a Region 1 company interested in the series, but they wouldn't say which one. Does anyone know who had been pursuing it in North America?

TV Land ran only a few select episodes and they only aired on weekends. Same as they did for The Rogues and The Detectives.

 

[FanCollector]

Thanks, Frank. So if those prints did survive after the 2008 fire, it wouldn't make much positive difference toward a DVD release, but they might have found their way to RTV. Maybe if we start rumors of a new Switch movie with Will Smith and Robert De Niro, Universal will be moved to go back to the 35mm masters?

 

[LeoA]

April
Petticoat Junction 1,2,3

This one sort of doesn't really count. The season 1 & 2 combo pack was just a rerelease and both releases first appeared last year at Wal-Mart.

 

[Worth]

This series also features an early Spielberg directing credit.

 

[Wvtvguy]

Only seen a bit of an episode but I love the period so this is a buy for me. I love late 60s & early 70's tv even though it's before I was born. I'm looking forward to this. I've really enjoyed the 60's shows I've watched like The Fugitive, Route 66, Naked City, M Squad, & 87th Precinct so I'm interested in more of that period as well.

 

[Regulus]

Only seen a bit of an episode but I love the period so this is a buy for me. I love late 60s & early 70's tv even though it's before I was born. I'm looking forward to this.I've really enjoyed the 60's shows I've watched like The Fugitive, Route 66, Naked City, M Squad, & 87th Precinct so I'm interested in more of that period as well.

That is half the fun of this hobby, watching shows that came out before you were born or when you were too young to remember.

 

[phenri]

Only seen a bit of an episode but I love the period so this is a buy for me. I love late 60s & early 70's tv even though it's before I was born. I'm looking forward to this.I've really enjoyed the 60's shows I've watched like The Fugitive, Route 66, Naked City, M Squad, & 87th Precinct so I'm interested in more of that period as well.

I've never seen this show, but I am very excited that it is coming out and definately purchase it. Like many here, I really like late 60s/early 70s tv. I like to try new shows, especially with well known guest stars.

I hope this leads to other Universal shows of the 60s and 70s being released by Timeless, like Kraft Suspense Theater, Run for your Life, O'Hara, US Treasury, and others mentioned in this thread.

I haven't been this excited about a new release in quite a while.

 

[DeWilson]

I hope this leads to other Universal shows of the 60s and 70s being released by Timeless, like Kraft Suspense Theater, Run for your Life, O'Hara, US Treasury, and others mentioned in this thread.

I guess it all depends on what is on hand,doesn't it. The damn fire!

 

[Jack P]

The obvious hint is what has aired on cable stations post-fire and has it been the full runs. This is why I think "The Bold Ones" and "Run For Your Life" and "McCloud" have to make it eventually because they are available.

 

[FanCollector]

There's also the question of international reruns from before the fire. For example, The Snoop Sisters hadn't been rerun domestically since the CBS Late Movie, but it aired in Europe and so there were other prints lying around. Hec Ramsey, alas, doesn't seem to have crossed the oceans lately and so there were no other transfers available.

 

[JoeDoakes]

The obvious hint is what has aired on cable stations post-fire and has it been the full runs. This is why I think "The Bold Ones" and "Run For Your Life" and "McCloud" have to make it eventually because they are available.

What do you mean by "hint"?