Rex Bachmann
Screenwriter
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2001
- Messages
- 1,972
- Real Name
- Rex Bachmann
This post is intended for officials at CBS Home Video, whose product is now supposedly to be distributed by Paramount Home Video. (Anyone else with information, please chime
in!) I'll try to keep it succinct, but it requires a bit of background.
I and others have been trying for several years to find out about the home video prospects of a short-lived horror program entitled "Way Out", which was broadcast on the CBS
network in the spring of 1961 in the time slot right before (or right after?) "The Twilight Zone".
This is a legendary program, justly called the "Holy Grail of weird tv". It was produced by David Susskind's production company, Talent Associates Ltd., was hosted by
British-Scandinavian children's literature author Roald Dahl, and consisted of 14 half-hour episodes that had nasty and horrific twist endings. Unfortunately, it proved to be a little too bizarre for both mainstream critics and the viewing public of the time, and, so, was cancelled after just over about three months on air.
It represents a true classic (as opposed to some of the junk Karloff tv stuff from the 50's that has shown up recently on DVD) whose legend has been enhanced not in the least
because it has (apparently) never again been broadcast in syndication rerun. If you missed it the first time around, you're out of luck. Consequently, it has developed a cult following. (See Ken Kaffke's "Terror tv" site at AOL.) In short, it's a perfect DVD collectible!
So, would it be possible to find out from officials there whether CBS still owns the homevideo rights, and, if not, who does? Who, if anyone, has the physical masters? And
what shape are they in after 40 years? If CBS HV retains the rights to this programming,is there any willingness on the part of CBS/Paramount HV to consider an in-house digital
restoration and DVD release? If not, is there a willingess to (sub)licence to interested specialty independent parties, such as Anchor Bay, Something Weird, or Rhino Home Video?
For those who may be interested, more informartion can be had at links hosted at Kristine
Howard's Roald Dahlfans.com Website
:
http://www.roalddahlfans.com/tvshows/wayoarticle.php (Filmfax article "Inside the Dahl House of Horror",
by Gary Joseph and Martin H. Friedenthal)
http://www.roalddahlfans.com/tvshows/wayoepisode.php (episode guide to above named article)
http://www.roalddahlfans.com/tvshows/wayopages.php
(scan of the pages of the above named article)
http://www.imagesjournal.com/issue08/features/wayout/ (shorter version of same article by
Joseph & K. Kaffke)
I've been trying to get a response from CBS HV for several years now on this, without any luck. I'm hoping this forum will provide a more effective means to that end.
Thanks for any useful feedback.
Rex Bachmann
in!) I'll try to keep it succinct, but it requires a bit of background.
I and others have been trying for several years to find out about the home video prospects of a short-lived horror program entitled "Way Out", which was broadcast on the CBS
network in the spring of 1961 in the time slot right before (or right after?) "The Twilight Zone".
This is a legendary program, justly called the "Holy Grail of weird tv". It was produced by David Susskind's production company, Talent Associates Ltd., was hosted by
British-Scandinavian children's literature author Roald Dahl, and consisted of 14 half-hour episodes that had nasty and horrific twist endings. Unfortunately, it proved to be a little too bizarre for both mainstream critics and the viewing public of the time, and, so, was cancelled after just over about three months on air.
It represents a true classic (as opposed to some of the junk Karloff tv stuff from the 50's that has shown up recently on DVD) whose legend has been enhanced not in the least
because it has (apparently) never again been broadcast in syndication rerun. If you missed it the first time around, you're out of luck. Consequently, it has developed a cult following. (See Ken Kaffke's "Terror tv" site at AOL.) In short, it's a perfect DVD collectible!
So, would it be possible to find out from officials there whether CBS still owns the homevideo rights, and, if not, who does? Who, if anyone, has the physical masters? And
what shape are they in after 40 years? If CBS HV retains the rights to this programming,is there any willingness on the part of CBS/Paramount HV to consider an in-house digital
restoration and DVD release? If not, is there a willingess to (sub)licence to interested specialty independent parties, such as Anchor Bay, Something Weird, or Rhino Home Video?
For those who may be interested, more informartion can be had at links hosted at Kristine
Howard's Roald Dahlfans.com Website
:
http://www.roalddahlfans.com/tvshows/wayoarticle.php (Filmfax article "Inside the Dahl House of Horror",
by Gary Joseph and Martin H. Friedenthal)
http://www.roalddahlfans.com/tvshows/wayoepisode.php (episode guide to above named article)
http://www.roalddahlfans.com/tvshows/wayopages.php
(scan of the pages of the above named article)
http://www.imagesjournal.com/issue08/features/wayout/ (shorter version of same article by
Joseph & K. Kaffke)
I've been trying to get a response from CBS HV for several years now on this, without any luck. I'm hoping this forum will provide a more effective means to that end.
Thanks for any useful feedback.
Rex Bachmann