The Adventures of Superman (1 Viewer)

What are the chances of this classic 50s show coming to DVD? I hope it sees the light of day. It deserves it more than any other Superman show.

Okay! TVShowsonDVD just released the news.. I'm wondering though... why is Warner Bros waiting for the movie to come out so they can tie in the release? I read the explanation in the post. But... Frankly, I strongly feel that the movie will bomb... since Christopher Reeve isn't in the acting biz anymore... I don't think fans of the franchise will want to continue watching it unless they cast it right. I was thinking Gerard Christopher from the tv show The Adventures of Superboy. But again, why are they waiting this long?

Remember that discussion you and I had a while ago about marketing, well this is part of the whole thing. Warner isn't the only studio that does this, Columbia is doing the same thing with Starskey and Hutch and I'm thinking they did something similar with the second Charlie's Angels movie, but I'm not sure.

Like the story said, it makes good awareness if say you slap a free movie ticket in that first season box set, and personally I think this makes more sense than just putting it on the market tie it in with something else, maybe someone will buy the box set watch it be overcome with feelings of nestalgia and trot off to the theater to see the new movie. I don't think it really matters whether or not the new movie will bomb or not, they'll probably have the season 1 DVDs on the shelf shortly before the release. They also did something like this with the Looney Tunes sets and promoed the new movie using those sets. Its just a sound marketing strategy.

Casey, this movie has been floating in limbo for how long? Almost since Superman IV came out... it's not smart... it could change any time.

Granted, but that still doesn't change the fact that there are a lot of benefits to the studio for holding off on the release until the movie is ready to go. If the movie gets canned for good, then I'm sure they'll still release the series they just won't have a tie in, but if the possibility of a tie in exists than why not go for it?

Sure, it may suck for the consumer such as yourself who really wants this show, to have to wait until 2006 or beyond, but Warner is hardly being stupid with this release if that's what they're choosing to do. Besides, if they use this time to prepare bonus materials and do some cleaning up of the source material than that's going to make the set that much better. Which would you rather have a set that comes out at the end of this year that looks like crap and is a barebones release, or a set that ties in with a movie that has been cleaned up a bit, and may possibly include some bonus material? It takes time to gather all of that stuff up, and I don't have a problem if WB takes the smart road on this release.

This strategy has worked in the past and I don't see why it won't work in the future.

I agree with Casey on this one. As much as I want this release, I am willing to be patient because Warners has an excellent track record in developing quality product before it hits the shelves and then promoting it to excellent advantage.

Given the age of the show, it will need some clean-up. Although the truncated syndicated prints on TV Land and Goodlife don't look terrible, they can be improved. Who knows what the condition the complete unedited tapes are in?

Besides there are plenty of good titles to enjoy between now and then. My bank account will appreciate spacing out of releases

Steve

First off... the show is fifty years old. And I think back then, it was filmed on tape. right? I wonder how terrible the footage looks on the 39 classic DVD set. What bonus footage do you think will be added to the set, huh?

Second of all... When they're releasing Starsky & Hutch: Complete First Season, that's because the movie is based on the show. I don't think the upcoming movie of Superman will be based on the 50s show. Though, I'd agree that it would be a great move... the show never had a Lex Luther so that might be a good way to start the franchise... Then again, the movie Charlie's Angels didn't take place in the 70s... and the angels weren't the original Jill, Sabrina, and Kelly. The sequal didn't have a white Bosley. So that p'd me off haivng a black man play a white character. I could go on and on and on....

The market for the DVD release of the show is the Baby Boomers. Do they actually think that we are the market for the movie? I would love to see who is doing their audience research if they think that. I personally hate movies based on TV shows. The only one I thought wasn't half bad was The Fugitive. I just don't get the tie-in. Its 2 completely different audiences.

Being a total superhero geek, I'll pick this up if it ever comes out. I can wait though, as there is a ton of quality releases rumored, and I am more interested in the animated Superman/Batman/ superfriends stuff.

Wasn't there a Superman Serial? Maybe they could do a classic superman box set with the Serial and TV Series.

It's called a tie-in. They release the set around the same time as the movie in the hopes that people writing about the new Superman movie will add something like, "and if you can't get enough Superman, Warner Bros will release the 1950s version..." and they get free press. It's a smart way of doing things, and it's cheaper for them.

Gord

Gord it's a ****ing dumb way to advertise. This movie's been in limbo since the aftermath of Superman IV: the Quest for Peace. What if Superman Reborn never gets made? Then I guess "The Adventures of Superman" is never released... What are they waiting for? Judgment Day?

That's a bit presumptive don't you think?
If the movie is written off for good, I'm sure that Warner will release the show eventually, but as long as it is possible to wait for a movie tie in they'll hold off. If that becomes an impossibility then they'll go a different direction.

As far as this being a bad way to market something I've got 2 words for you.

Looney Tunes

Casey, they haven't released Looney Tunes in Season Sets... second of all, I was only talking about that being a bad way to advertise is because of the improbability of some of the movies that hang in limbo.

No. The show was photographed on 35mm film. A decent restoration effort would most likely bring the series up to par, considering its age. And we all know that Warner Bros. (who owns the series) isn't exactly a slouch when it comes to restoring 50+ year old films.

Just keep bringing it up in chats with the Warner folks and make noise. If Warner hears of enough demand, they'll probably make an effort to restore it for new transfers.

I agree that Warner Bros. is probably waiting for a tie-in opportunity, which, at this point, the show would probably benefit greatly from.

That's because the Looney Tunes weren't originally made for television, they were originally shown in movie theaters before the feature. As such, there are no "Seasons" of the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies shorts, per se; what was shown on television was really just a collection of theatrical shorts, occasionally bookended by some newer animation (but not much). Warners has released its first volume of Looney Tunes, and they got quite a few favorites, plus they've been releasing individual titles with some of their other classic titles like the Warner Legends series and a couple of others. I'm pretty sure the plan is to, eventually, have all the Warners animated titles in box sets, but how to organize them is an eternal tic-tac-toe game.

Chris, I think you need to calm down. The HTF is not a place to be all hostile and stuff.

Maybe their thoughts are that they NEED the movie tie-in in order to make the show sell. I know of so many sets that wouldn't have been released when they were without a tie-in. Remember, this is Warner Bros we're talking about - they have the largest catalog of TV shows out of any studio I know of. They have so many A-list titles that something like a movie tie-in can make or break a DVD release.

Gord

"Remember, this is Warner Bros we're talking about - they have the largest catalog of TV shows out of any studio I know of. They have so many A-list titles that something like a movie tie-in can make or break a DVD release."



I really have to disagree with this statement. In terms of television properties, here is how I would rank the major studios:


1. Paramount - They have their own library which includes Star Trek, Mission Impossible, Brady Bunch, Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, Taxi, Odd Couple, Love American Style, Mannix, Bosom Buddies, Untouchables, etc. Then there are all of the Viacom shows - I Love Lucy, Lucy Show, Andy Griffith, Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, Hogan's
Heroes, Wild Wild West, Hawaii-Five 0, Bilco, Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, My Three Sons, Gomer Pyle. They also own Worldvision: Fugitive, Invaders, Ben Casey, Doris Day, Streets of San Francisco, People's Choice, One Step Beyond, Combat. Then there's Republic: Get Smart, Bonanza

2. Columbia - A ton of great sitcoms from the 50s on up: Bewitched, Jeannie, Flying Nun, Father Knows Best, Donna Reed, Dennis the Menace, All in the Family, Sanford and Son, Good Times, Maude, Partridge Family, Jeffersons, Gidget. Some pretty good dramas - Naked City, Route 66, Tightrope.


3. Fox - All of the MTM shows: Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart, Rhoda, Phyllis, White Shadow, Hill Street, St. Elsewhere, WKRP in Cincinnati, Betty White Show. Then there are the Fox produced shows such as Batman, Green Hornet, Land of the Giants, Lost in Space, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Time Tunnel, Room 222


4. Universal - Premier supplier of 1 hour shows throughout the 50s - 70s as well as classic sitcoms like Leave it to Beaver, McHale's Navy, Munsters, etc.


5. Warner Brothers - Lots of late 50s-early 60s detective shows and westerns but I don't know how many have a commercial appeal. Also, the old MGM library which includes Man from UNCLE, Flipper and others.

6. MGM - All UA shows except Gilligan's Island, all Ziv shows, all Orion shows.

I only have three words to say here about AOS on DVD:

Bring it on, baby! (Okay, that's four words, I know, but hey, let's get it out there on the market!)

Ditto! And fast... like... within the next 12 hours