Sheena, Queen of the Jungle 1956 Irish McCalla news (1 Viewer)

I hope to see the Irish McCalla series Sheena, Queen of the Jungle on DVD. Here is a HUGE website on Irish McCalla. Videoclips from her Sheena TV show. Audio interview that runs 72 minutes. Comprehensive biography. Rare photos. http://terrororstralis.com/sheena/irish/irish-intro.htm

Likewise, though as we learned in the My Living Doll thread, we may not see the rights owners act on what they've got anytime soon which is a pity.

The 1956 Sheena is in the public domain but a DVD complete set can be copyrighted so that's an incentive to get it published first. Also a new Sheena movie is planned so that should help sales once it's greenlit.

Here is a HUGE website on Irish McCalla. Videoclips from her Sheena TV show. Audio interview that runs 72 min. Comprehensive biogrpahy. Rare photos. http://terrororstralis.com/sheena/irish/irish-intro.htm

Here is a HUGE website on Irish McCalla. Videoclips from her Sheena TV show. Audio interview that runs 72 min. Comprehensive biography. Rare photos. http://terrororstralis.com/sheena/irish/irish-intro.htm

While we wait for a DVD set, here is a rare swimsuit film Irish McCalla made in 1950. http://terrororstralis.com/sheena/irish/biography/AV-beach.htm

SheenaFan said:

The 1956 Sheena is in the public domain but a DVD complete set can be copyrighted so that's an incentive to get it published first. Also a new Sheena movie is planned so that should help sales once it's greenlit.

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I don't know if that statement is true or not but I can tell you that the episodes themselves, as they exist, once in the public domain, cannot be copyrighted. They can make additions or changes and copyright that version, but the existing material itself will always be PD.

What we have to hope for is that the Nassour heirs, who we were told by Chertok Television have *all* of the episodes, can be persuaded to one day get a company like Timeless to release the series and give us the best possible quality version of the series. Timeless has shown it can bring a 50s show previously available only in scattered PD releases like "Medic" to DVD, so it seems to me that a show like "Sheena" would be a real natural for them given their reliance on good 16mm material. It was great to know that the ten "lost" episodes that have not made their way into earlier PD releases do in fact exist but now the other half of the battle is to get this series to DVD and to see some long overdue recognition for a true icon of 50s TV like Irish McCalla who paved the way for the likes of Lynda Carter in later decades!

Even better the heirs hinted they have some episodes on 35 mm. Chetok Television told me New York and LA stations had the 35 mm Sheena prints while other stations were given 16mm. The custom was for stations to return the 35mm reels to the producers. I would love to see the detail on a 35 mm episode. A new Sheena movie is in the works so getting an Irish McCalla DVD set ready now to captilize on the new movie's publicity would be prudent.

Even one episode in 35mm quality would be the ultimate Holy Grail for Sheena fans! But I do think someone needs to encourage the heirs to get in touch with the companies that are specializing in these kinds of releases like Timeless to see if they can be interested. If Timeless can put out sets just as the result of fan based contributions of film prints for so many shows, this is one that it would stand to reason wouldn't require quite as much effort cost-wise.

There's also a color version of the pilot episode that exists as well. Not sure if its a version of the aired pilot or if its an unaired version.

Neil Brock said:

There's also a color version of the pilot episode that exists as well. Not sure if its a version of the aired pilot or if its an unaired version.

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UCLA film archives has the color version of an existing show. I asked the Sheena copyright holder if he could obtain a copy for me. He was nice enough to inquire and UCLA told him it would cost $5000! That was too high for me. However UCLA is obligated to give a free copy to whomever donated it if they ask according to another fan. I don't know who donated it and I heard UCLA doesn't easily give out that information. It'd be nice to find out who and ask them for a copy.

SheenaFan said:

UCLA film archives has the color version of an existing show. I asked the Sheena copyright holder if he could obtain a copy for me. He was nice enough to inquire and UCLA told him it would cost $5000! That was too high for me. However UCLA is obligated to give a free copy to whomever donated it if they ask according to another fan. I don't know who donated it and I heard UCLA doesn't easily give out that information. It'd be nice to find out who and ask them for a copy.

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Yes, I looked it up and they have the color pilot. As for the "free copy" obligation, I have never heard of that being the case and considering they have costs themselves, I find it highly unlikely. And, no, to the best of my knowledge their transfer costs are not cheap but nowhere near the price you were quoted. That would put them up in Universal territory! Most likely, whoever told you that just didn't want to be bothered so they came up with that number to get you to leave them alone. I had actually spoken to someone many, many years ago who claimed to have a copy of the color pilot. I never wound up dealing with him but when I get a chance, I will see if I still have his info in my records somewhere and I can PM you.

I had no idea the color version did exist! I've been going too much by the info in the old Ferret/Black book on Sheena which I know is years out of date but I'd seen no info on the main Sheena site that indicated the existence of the color pilot had been confirmed (of course there was no awareness I don't think of all episodes existing there too). UCLA is such a tough nut to crack. It's too bad these can't be made available with great convenience. If there was something that I would support the existence of a non-downloadable "streaming" format it would be for material kept in archives so that way they could be accessed without being owned.

Thanks Danny. I'd appreciate that.

Also, the show was syndicated by Worldvision so I wouldn't be surprised if a set of 35mm prints resides in the CBS vaults as well.

Around 1988 me and Bill Feret asked Worldvision if they had Sheena and they denied it. But I think Bill said they might not know they have it. Also the Sheena website will have huge updates soon. A review and clip of the unreleased Jungle Manhunt which is owned by a nice guy named Chris. (Sheena gets a costumed sidekick.) This episode will not be available until Chris decides to make it available. Plus photos from Irish's sons. There is a photo of what I'm sure was a deleted scene. The rule was Irish could not show cleavage and in this photo Sheena is in a sexy knife fight with Rafik and it was later re-filmed at a lower angle to avoid cleavage. Photos of Irish in alternate Sheena costumes. One a one piece swimsuit I think she altered for her own use. One a leopard bikini but with the Sheena armbands for a hula dance troupe. There is a fan movie of her hula dancing in costume at a Torrance CA Polynesian restaurant floating around somewhere. Did anyone see the Irish McCalla Sheena statue from ReelArt Studio?

If you want to see the first Sheena movie "Queen of the Jungle" starring Irish McCalla, AC Comics is now selling a DVD. The Nassours took three episodes of the Bull Kendall trilogy and linked them with new footage. Shown for foreign markets. 50 years later Christian Drake told me he was unaware of this movie. They never told him. He played the movie for guests at his birthday party. The middle episode is one of the lost ones. A fan told me he saw it when it first aired and that the movie version deleted a scene where Rafik up in a tree throws a noose around Sheena's neck and tries to hang her. Of course Chim saves her. http://www.accomics.com/?p=7341

Videoclips from Jungle Manhunt and a review will be posted online soon on it's episode page: http://terrororstralis.com/sheena/irish/TV/TV-11.htm

I have heard from the producer of the new Sheena movie that I won't be disappointed on who the Executive Producer is.