Any News On These Universal Shows Getting Released (1 Viewer)

Does anyone have any updated information about the possibilities of any of these Universal shows getting released on DVD by Universal or licensed out -- Shout , VEI, etc any time within the next year?

Dragnet 1950's Original
MCCLOUD
Hec Ramsey
O'Hara US Treasury
Tenafly
Project UFO
The DA
Sierra

Also, any information about issues that may be keeping these unreleased is appreciated!

Thanks!

Robert

MCCLOUD said:

Does anyone have any updated information about the possibilities of any of these Universal shows getting released on DVD by Universal or licensed out -- Shout , VEI, etc any time within the next year?

Dragnet 1950's Original
MCCLOUD
Hec Ramsey
O'Hara US Treasury
Tenafly
Project UFO
The DA
Sierra

Also, any information about issues that may be keeping these unreleased is appreciated!

Thanks!

Robert

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I wouldn't expect too many of these one season series to see a release. I don't have any insider info but I'm basing this on past/current release trends. Timeless is doing some short run westerns, but no current distributor that I know of is releasing short run color dramas from the 70's. That could change, and I hope it does, but I'm not real confident. I know that somebody mentioned Hec Ramsey material being part of the Universal fire a few years back.
One bright note, the whole run of McCloud is available through Madman in Austrialia

McCloud has been available thru Universal DVD.

Technically, Project: UFO is a two-season show, although it only amounts to two runs of 13 (the equivalent of most single-season shows back then).

I think the hold-up with that show has something to do with rights/ownership, doesn't it (Mark VII Productions)?

AndyMcKinney said:

Technically, Project: UFO is a two-season show, although it only amounts to two runs of 13 (the equivalent of most single-season shows back then).

I think the hold-up with that show has something to do with rights/ownership, doesn't it (Mark VII Productions)?

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Project UFO was a Worldvision property and thus is now owned by CBS.

I would like to see Bachelor Father get a DVD release. Maybe Shout! or even VEI on this one.

MCCLOUD said:

Does anyone have any updated information about the possibilities of any of these Universal shows getting released on DVD by Universal or licensed out -- Shout , VEI, etc any time within the next year?

Dragnet 1950's Original
MCCLOUD
Hec Ramsey
O'Hara US Treasury
Tenafly
Project UFO
The DA
Sierra

Also, any information about issues that may be keeping these unreleased is appreciated!

Thanks!

Robert

Click to expand...

Dragnet is problematic. The first 100 shows are PD. Universal neglected to renew the copyrights on them as they are filmed versions of the radio show. The next 100 are copyrighted and then of the last 71, some are, some aren't. Not sure of the exact breakdown. For whatever reason, no one seems at all interested in the property.

McCloud is out in Australia, so if you are interested I would pick it up from there.

Hec Ramsey is an elements issue problem (no tapes or 16mm prints). No one is paying for expensive 35mm transfers.

O'Hara US Treasury, there should be elements from the A&E run but its not a show of much interest.

The other shows you mentioned, Tenafly, The D.A. and Sierra, are very obscure and of little commercial interest. That is, if there even are 16mm elements available, which there is a good chance there aren't.

Some seasons of McCloud have been released in the US by Universal.As for some of the other shows - even if they seem 'obscure', they might get released. Snoop Sisters was from the same era with about the same level 'obscurity', and that got a release.

I keep hoping for a North American release of McCloud. I really don't understand why it hasn't been picked up by someone considering what has been getting released. I always thought it was a much better show than MacMillan. I wonder if Universal wants too much for it.

Neil Brock said:

Dragnet is problematic. The first 100 shows are PD. Universal neglected to renew the copyrights on them as they are filmed versions of the radio show. The next 100 are copyrighted and then of the last 71, some are, some aren't. Not sure of the exact breakdown. For whatever reason, no one seems at all interested in the property.

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What I have always been told on message boards about Dragnet 5X is that the films were locked away in the Universal Vaults in the 60s, roughly around the time Dragnet 6X began, and have remained there since. And, the major problem with Dragnet 5X coming to DVD is that there are no readily available digital or even videotape masters to work from, since the show was never syndicated after the mid-60s. So, bringing Dragnet 5X to DVD would involve making new digital masters from the original film elements, which would probably cost more than Universal, Shout, or whatever company releasing it would make on the sets. Sort of like what you described the Hec Ramsay situation being.

At least, that's what I've always heard from random people on the internet.

I don't see where Public Domain would be as big an issue, since only around 30 episodes have ever popped up on PD releases, and they're mostly in horrible condition. Sure, cheap DVDs have flooded the market, but no season sets.

The Obsolete Man said:

I don't see where Public Domain would be as big an issue, since only around 30 episodes have ever popped up on PD releases, and they're mostly in horrible condition. Sure, cheap DVDs have flooded the market, but no season sets.

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I'm sure the PD releases would make at least some impact. I think most here would agree that the PD releases of One Step Beyond had a definite negative impact on sales of the cleaned-up, remastered Season One set, enough so that Paramount didn't see any reason for remastering/releasing the rest.

JoeDoakes said:

I keep hoping for a North American release of McCloud. I really don't understand why it hasn't been picked up by someone considering what has been getting released. I always thought it was a much better show than MacMillan. I wonder if Universal wants too much for it.

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I asked Shout about releasing complete McCloud and Baretta.They said no plans
for either.I want the correct Season 1 McCloud episodes in Region 1.

I would love to get Baretta but that's one of the shows where the tape transfers were lost in the fire. So it would entail new mastering and that's not likely happening any time soon.

David Weicker said:

Some seasons of McCloud have been released in the US by Universal.As for some of the other shows - even if they seem 'obscure', they might get released. Snoop Sisters was from the same era with about the same level 'obscurity', and that got a release.

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Yep, and Janssen still has a huge following so O'Hara US Treasury would indeed make good sense for some smaller company to release, especially now with the surprise success of Harry O for WAC.

Neil Brock said:

I would love to get Baretta but that's one of the shows where the tape transfers were lost in the fire. So it would entail new mastering and that's not likely happening any time soon.

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That will make that show perpetually unique in the annals of TV on DVD to have had its first season released and then the transfers lost afterwards to thus leave that forever stalled at S1.

Of course Universal only released S1 in the first place to exploit Robert Blake's murder trial.

Is there a full accouting of titles confirmed lost in the fire? "Switch" I believe was also reported to be another one.

one we forgot to mention:BLACK SHEEP SQUADRON THE FINAL SEASON.

Neil Brock said:

I would love to get Baretta but that's one of the shows where the tape transfers were lost in the fire. So it would entail new mastering and that's not likely happening any time soon.

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Me too. I've long thought that I wish they would have at least got to season 2 if for no other reason than for the familiar Sammy Davis theme song rather than the inferior season one theme

Jack P said:

Is there a full accouting of titles confirmed lost in the fire? "Switch" I believe was also reported to be another one.

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Are you kidding? Even people who work there can't ask questions. The powers that be don't reveal info on this stuff to anyone.

HenryDuBrow said:

Yep, and Janssen still has a huge following so O'Hara US Treasury would indeed make good sense for some smaller company to release, especially now with the surprise success of Harry O for WAC.

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Yeah, the studios don't think that way. No one says, hey, lets put out this failed show because the star of it was popular. If that was the case, then we would get:

Headmaster/The New Andy Griffith Show
The New Dick Van Dyke Show
The Good Life & Here We Go Again (Larry Hagman)
For the People & Barbara Coast (William Shatner)
Assignment Vienna, The Duke, Man Called Sloane, The D.A. & who knows how many other failed series starring Robert Conrad

There are tons of failed shows which had popular stars in them.