Don't think the music or songs will be any problem here, it's all composed for the show AFAIK. Really looking forward to this, but I don't really see the "Love Boat" comparison, apart from many famous guests. Unlike LB it was not about showing the plights of many guest stories in an episode, but concentrated more on one (or two). It's not light comedy, but drama often with crime taking place among the guests, theft, lovers' spat, even the odd murder IIRC. It's been quite awhile since I saw it last, actually.
Man, I remember watching this as a kid and it had always rattled around in my head as something I thought would be good for a DVD, but was something I assumed was so far down on the list of priorities that it stood no chance.
I'd certainly consider getting a season, just to see if it holds up. Remember very well an episode where the spoiled kids of a hotel guest keep prank calling security crying wolf. Funny until they actually DO witness a murder... and they think it's their babysitter responsible!
Wow, I had long since given up on this ever being released. I believe I even removed it from my tvshowsondvd want list. I think with this coming out there is a good chance every Aaron Spelling show will see a release. You can't go wrong with Connie Selleca here and a full-season set from CBS/Paramount = A must purchase for me in July.
It dosen't state on the front cover that it is the complete first season, so I'm betting that if the music is intact there will be CBS/Paramount logos at the end of the end credits.
Will CBS/Paramount be digitally remastering all of the first season episodes and the pilot TV movie, like they have done with the Mission: Impossible (1966-73), Hawaii Five-O, Mannix and Dynasty (Region 1) boxsets?
That's a good question. I thought that the practice you describe (shooting on film, editing on video) didn't start till around '86 with series like "Dallas" and "Knots Landing," as well as "Matlock." The only real way to tell, I think, is to wait for the first release to arrive (I've already pre-ordered it, by the way).
Don't know when the practice started, but if you look at some of CBS/P's releases from the same time period, most of them are not remastered. TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE, FAMILY TIES, and FRIDAY THE 13th are 3 examples. I'm betting HOTEL will look similar to these.
Gary "this show did have a Christmas episode, so I'm going to have to at least think about it" O.
Tales from the Darkside & Friday the 13th were posted in video which is why they can't truly be remastered like Hawaii Five-O or Mission Impossible. Family Ties was shot on video and cut on video. You can only tweak video. You can't remaster it.
Did notice on imdb that Hotel is listed as being shot 35mm. Perhaps since it's a Spelling production in 1982, he kept it film through out the process. The best way to check is the credits. Do the titles on Hotel look like the were done by am optical house or cranked out by a video titlemaker?
That's another good question. I saw part of the titles from an '83 episode w/the late Jon-Erik Hexum (I think it was '83), and it's kind of hard to tell exactly which way it was done-- looks somewhat like a combination of both. The elevator graphic that was used to indicate the guest stars looks like an optical, whereas the guest star name graphics look like they were made by a video titlemaker. All this, however, is just a guess of mine.
Curious to know if it has subtitles, knowing Parmount, it's a gamble whether or not they do. DVD subtitles = a human right. Especially from the big studios.
No subtitles - only Closed Captioned. The transfers look good. Not sure if they went back and did a highdef pass of the 35mm, but it looks about the same quality of the Love Boat DVDs.