Frank Soyke
Screenwriter
In lieu of VEI recent thankful gutting of CBS's stalled vintage titles, I thought now might be a good time to take another look at what's left and the chances of release of these titles. Be aware, this is by no means a comprehensive list and I know some are missing. This is just an overview of some of the more requested unreleased vintage titles and/or seasons. I split them into three categories:
1) The Ongoing Titles - (Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Happy Days) - These appear to be ones CBS is still releasing (albeit at a much slower pace than before). They will continue with these IMO but there is no guarantee any will be completed. Truthfully, I am not a big western fan and IMO the best seasons of Happy Days are already out there, so I'm not really concerned here personally.
2) The Ongoing Titles??? - (Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction) - Multiple posters have reported that the next season of each ot these titles is coming soon, but I will feel much more comfortable when I see an official announcement. Truthfully, I wish these two would have been included in the VEI deal. At their current snails pace, it will be 5 years till BH is complete. I just want this one done and on my shelf.
3) The Unreleased and Titles Remaining Stalled:
a) Love American Style - Multiple times it's been stated there aren't any usable prints for anything beyond season 1 so this one IMO will continue to be pretty much dead in the water
b) Love Boat - Still a mystery to me why those additional seasons were remastered so long ago and have been just sitting there but it remains that only 2 seasons are out there. CBS obviously has no intentionally of doing anything with them, I think Shout would be a great fit on this one based on what they are putting out now, but truthfully I don't know if they have ever licensed anything from CBS. If this doesn't end up with Shout, I see it shelved for good.
c) My 3 Sons - DItto on what I said about Shout Factory although they have been quickly moving away from 60 b/w releases the past few years. Maybe VEI will take a chance on this one in their next batch, but this is not really their wheelhouse. Have they ever put out anything b/w or even color from the 60's? This is my last big thorn in my side remaining at CBS. I have a whole "alternate" set, but would love a high quality proper release.
d) The Defenders - Unless Timeless wants to take a chance on this one, I see this one also shelved forever. No-one else (not named Warner Brothers) currently is out there putting out hour long b/w 60's Dramas. A shame, but I'm guessing this one's a lost cause.
e) High Chapparal - A moot discussion cause if you really want it, you can get it through Madman overseas, so unless this is a grail show for you and you absolutely NEED a region 1 release, it's out there if you want it.
f) The Rebel - Reportedly being released by Timeless in the late summer.
g) Our Miss Brooks - Remastered recently but I don't see CBS releasing it themselves. They are pretty much out of the b/w half hour sitcom business. Shout has moved that direction also so I was say they only hope on this one migh be a smaller independant???
h) The Millionaire - See Our Miss Brooks above.
i) One Step Beyond - With the recent best of set and the releases already out there, I don't really see a distributor taking a chance on licensing a show when most of the episodes are already on the market in one form or another.
1) The Ongoing Titles - (Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Happy Days) - These appear to be ones CBS is still releasing (albeit at a much slower pace than before). They will continue with these IMO but there is no guarantee any will be completed. Truthfully, I am not a big western fan and IMO the best seasons of Happy Days are already out there, so I'm not really concerned here personally.
2) The Ongoing Titles??? - (Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction) - Multiple posters have reported that the next season of each ot these titles is coming soon, but I will feel much more comfortable when I see an official announcement. Truthfully, I wish these two would have been included in the VEI deal. At their current snails pace, it will be 5 years till BH is complete. I just want this one done and on my shelf.
3) The Unreleased and Titles Remaining Stalled:
a) Love American Style - Multiple times it's been stated there aren't any usable prints for anything beyond season 1 so this one IMO will continue to be pretty much dead in the water
b) Love Boat - Still a mystery to me why those additional seasons were remastered so long ago and have been just sitting there but it remains that only 2 seasons are out there. CBS obviously has no intentionally of doing anything with them, I think Shout would be a great fit on this one based on what they are putting out now, but truthfully I don't know if they have ever licensed anything from CBS. If this doesn't end up with Shout, I see it shelved for good.
c) My 3 Sons - DItto on what I said about Shout Factory although they have been quickly moving away from 60 b/w releases the past few years. Maybe VEI will take a chance on this one in their next batch, but this is not really their wheelhouse. Have they ever put out anything b/w or even color from the 60's? This is my last big thorn in my side remaining at CBS. I have a whole "alternate" set, but would love a high quality proper release.
d) The Defenders - Unless Timeless wants to take a chance on this one, I see this one also shelved forever. No-one else (not named Warner Brothers) currently is out there putting out hour long b/w 60's Dramas. A shame, but I'm guessing this one's a lost cause.
e) High Chapparal - A moot discussion cause if you really want it, you can get it through Madman overseas, so unless this is a grail show for you and you absolutely NEED a region 1 release, it's out there if you want it.
f) The Rebel - Reportedly being released by Timeless in the late summer.
g) Our Miss Brooks - Remastered recently but I don't see CBS releasing it themselves. They are pretty much out of the b/w half hour sitcom business. Shout has moved that direction also so I was say they only hope on this one migh be a smaller independant???
h) The Millionaire - See Our Miss Brooks above.
i) One Step Beyond - With the recent best of set and the releases already out there, I don't really see a distributor taking a chance on licensing a show when most of the episodes are already on the market in one form or another.
