What unsold pilots would you like to see released (1 Viewer)

[Scott511]

I ran a search but couldn't find a topic strictly on unsold pilots.

What you like to see released?

Here's a few off the top of my head to kick things off:

The Long Hunt of April Savage Robert Lansing 1966
Code Name: Diamond Head Roy Thinnes 1977
Champion Duncan Regehr 1985
Condor Ray Wise 1986
Northstar Greg Evigan 1986
Dark Avenger Leigh Lawson 1990
The Owl Adrian Paul 1991

 

[Jack P]

Only because of the performers involved would I be interested in a look at these, which aired on "Vacation Playhouse" (a dumping ground for unsold pilots back in the day)

Sybil (1965) Suzy Parker
Off We Go (1966) Nancy Kovack

Of course the actual list of unsold pilots that have made it to DVD isn't very high to begin with. We should also make a list of those that have. The ones that come to mind are:

The Time Tunnel (2002) (in Time Tunnel DVD set)
The Man In The Square Suit (1966) (in My Favorite Martian S3 set)
Two's Company (1965) (in That Girl S1 set)
The Greatest American Heroine (1987) (failed revival of Greatest American Hero included in S1 set with GAH title credits so episode is now officially the last GAH episode)

Also a failed pilot for a series version of "Barefoot In The Park" was folded into a S1 "Love American Style" episode as one of the segments. This is not to be confused with the later all-black version that did make it to series several years later (though I understand the script for this failed pilot which aired on LAS was recycled as an episode of that version)

Of course the original Star Trek pilot "The Cage" in its orginal form also would count since it was a totally different program.

 

[Gary16]

Technically these were not unsold pilots but the final program was very different from the pilot(s).
The original semi-pilot for "77 Sunset Strip" called "Anything for Money" with Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Stu Bailey, which was an episode in the series "Conflict" on ABC in 1957.
Also "Girl on the Run" which was the "official" pilot for the series (but still with just Efrem Zimbalist Jr in his Stu Bailey role), was released theatrically in other countries, and aired as the first episode of the series. It has been aired as part of the syndication package but not on home video.

 

[Charles Ellis]

The original pilot for The Big Bang Theory- no Penny, and Sheldon was 'normal' (!)- in other words, dull compared to the super nerd we all know and love And of course, the rejected 1963 Peyton Place pilot featuring the infous Cross family of the novel.

Personally, the vaults should be opened- hundreds of pilots from the past 60 years are there!! A lot of TV history featuring future stars and rare appearances by screen legends. Why hasn't Paramount/CBS, Warners, Fox, Sony, and NBC/Universal done this?

 

[Jack P]

Silly of me to also leave out the Carl Reiner "Head Of The Family" prototype for what became the Dick Van Dyke Show among those available on DVD (and it was terrible!). The short-lived "Bewitched" spinoff "Tabitha" also has an earlier pilot version with a different actress (there's something else about that one I'd like to say but won't).

 

[Neil Brock]

All of them. I have hundreds of unsold pilots recorded from back in the 70s, 80s and 90s when networks would throw them on the air. Plus I've picked up quite a few from film as well but there are still thousands more out there that no one has.

 

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

LOOKWELL - with Adam West.

Many, of course, like Gene Roddeberry's SPECTRE (1977), were made-for-TV movies. There are several of those I know I'd like, but the half-hour/hour unsold pilots are interesting, too.

If I were an enterprising decision-maker at, say, CBS/Paramount or Universal (or Shout/Timeless or Mill Creek, licensing from a major), and the various rights issues weren't too complicated and/or expensive, I'd put together big, cheap thematic bundles of unsold pilots (sci-fi, westerns, crime/detective, sitcoms, decades) to sell, not unlike the 'public domain' multi-movie/TV episode collections Mill Creek and others put out, that later influenced the majors' release packages of catalog titles for a little while. I wonder if such things would sell many units, if the stars (depending on who you had to work with), genres and 'retro appeal' were promoted on the packaging, rather than trying to sell 2-4 select pilots in an individual disc release.

Actually, what amazes me a little is how most of this material isn't dumped more onto streaming services (Netflix, Hulu) as filler, and as a way to gauge consumer interest in it, to see if enough of the public might be later interested in purchase of this otherwise-unknown programming, either as pressed DVD, MOD or downloads.

 

[Professor Echo]

On the Roku system there is a streaming channel called PILOT TV that is supposed to have various pilots, but last time I checked there was nothing very interesting. It's been awhile since I looked though.

 

[Mark Collins]

City Beneath The Sea by Irwin Allen and Time Travelers which have each been released. TT on Time Tunnel DVDs and City by the WB as MOD movie.The other Peyton Place The Next Generation which has not had a release but was rerun on Fox channels in the 90s.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

Though I mentioned it in another thread, I'll mention Beane's of Boston, the unsold pilot for an American version of Are You Being Served? It sure would be nice if BBC Worldwide could secure it for a single-disc release along with the re-coloured/restored version of the original 1972 pilot and the documentary The Story of Are You Being Served? that aired alongside it in the UK.

 

[MattPriceTime]

The World Color it Happy, or at least the cartoon segments if the celebrity parts aren't worth clearing.

 

[Vic Pardo]

All of them. I have hundreds of unsold pilots recorded from back in the 70s, 80s and 90s when networks would throw them on the air. Plus I've picked up quite a few from film as well but there are still thousands more out there that no one has.

By any chance, have you uploaded any of these to YouTube, like so many collectors have?

One unsold pilot that I remember quite vividly was "Ghostbreakers," a paranormal series produced by the same crew that did "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." and starring Kerwin Mathews, Diana Van der Vlis and Norman Fell. It aired in Sept. 1967. Guest stars on it included Kevin McCarthy and Margaret Hamilton.

 

[Professor Echo]

By any chance, have you uploaded any of these to YouTube, like so many collectors have?.

Uh, don't hold your breath waiting for this. Check out the definition of the phrase NEVER EVER GONNA HAPPEN.

 

[Vic Pardo]

Uh, don't hold your breath waiting for this. Check out the definition of the phrase NEVER EVER GONNA HAPPEN.

What should I not hold my breath for? Waiting for the pilots to be uploaded to YouTube--which is not what I was asking--or waiting for Mr. Brock to answer yes or no as to whether he has (past tense) uploaded any or not? I'm confused.

 

[Professor Echo]

What should I not hold my breath for? Waiting for the pilots to be uploaded to YouTube--which is not what I was asking--or waiting for Mr. Brock to answer yes or no as to whether he has (past tense) uploaded any or not? I'm confused.

Vic, based on a long pattern of posts for many years in this forum, the devil will be driving a Good Humor ice cream truck in hell before "Mr. Brock" shares any of his collection for free.

 

[Vic Pardo]

Vic, based on a long pattern of posts for many years in this forum, the devil will be driving a Good Humor ice cream truck in hell before "Mr. Brock" shares any of his collection for free.

Ahhh! Got it. Thanks.

Too bad, though. I've discovered so many old TV shows on YouTube within the past month or so that were put up by collectors who just wanted to share treasures that would not be available in any other way. I'm not sure who owns the copyright these days on shows like "This Man Dawson" or "Everglades!" or "Rescue 8," but how much would it cost to put up whatever available prints they have on the web? I'd happily pay a copyright owner a reasonable fee if they would put up the shows they own in this manner. If Ziv or CBS or NBC Universal, etc., started their own channel or made them available through an existing service, that would be great. I understand that some TV suppliers already do this through Hulu and such, but I'd love to see a wider range of older titles available before I sign up. Just a thought.

 

[Professor Echo]

Warner Archive Streaming has some vintage shows available which have not come out and probably never will, but I personally don't think it's worth $9.99 a month unless you watch everything you want within a single month's time. Plus their service is kind of buggy and not always very clear. They have a ways to go before they can compete with Netflix, yet they are already charging more. Not surprising given that it's Warners, who ever since the start of the Archive program consistently overprice an inferior product.

 

[Gary16]

I'm very happy with the Warner Archive streaming and DVDs. This is something they did not have to do so I give them a big thanks since we've seen nothing even closely similar from any other studio. I have no problem paying $9.99 a month to watch the many WB series that are otherwise not available. Yes, the video is buggy at times but overall is very high quality. Plus they are very responsive to defective discs whenever that occurs. I don't believe the Warner Instant Archive streaming would be available if there weren't enough satisfied consumers.

 

[Ron1973]

Warner Archive Streaming has some vintage shows available which have not come out and probably never will, but I personally don't think it's worth $9.99 a month unless you watch everything you want within a single month's time.Plus their service is kind of buggy and not always very clear. They have a ways to go before they can compete with Netflix, yet they are already charging more. Not surprising given that it's Warners, who ever since the start of the Archive program consistently overprice an inferior product.

I tried them for a few days and wasn't impressed. Only two seasons of Superman for instance. Other shows were very spotty and the movie collection was less than impressive.

 

[Professor Echo]

I I don't believe the Warner Instant Archive streaming would be available if there weren't enough satisfied consumers.

It's too soon to say whether it's successful or not, but you can believe Warners is investing very heavily into streaming, believing it to be the future of home entertainment. My sources at the studio say they will eventually abandon their physical media departments altogether and focus strictly on streaming. We'll see if this comes to pass.