1 Season (or less) 60s shows that would be great to see (1 Viewer)

[Michael Alden]

Listed by Studio:

Paramount:

He and She
Coronet Blue
Captain Nice
For the People
T.H.E. Cat
Way Out
Breaking Point
The Hero
Run Buddy Run
My Friend Tony
Mr. Broadway
Wendy and Me
Mickey
The Reporter
Trials of O'Brien
Garrison's Gorillas
Accidental Family

Fox:

Blue Light
Man Who Never Was
Hong Kong
Bus Stop
Saints and Sinners
Target: The Corrupters
The Rogues
Hey Landlord
Green Hornet
Debbie Reynolds Show
East Side West Side
Double Life of Henry Phyfe

Sony:

Hawk
Occasional Wife
Love on a Rooftop
Second Hundred Years

Universal:

Calvin and the Colonel
The Outsider
Pistols and Petticoats

Warner:

Hank
The Lieutenant
Sam Benedict
Many Happy Returns

Independently Owned:

The Tycoon
My Living Doll



What are the chances? Well, Sony does seem to take the most chances on short-run series as evidenced by their releases of Blue Thunder, Tabitha and Walking Tall. So I would say their shows have the most shot. Paramount seems to be delving into the vault but unfortunately they own just about everything and it may take years for them to get done with just the popular stuff they own. Fox, we already know is useless. Universal won't do it but apparently they seem to be open to sub-licensing. That's the good news. The bad news is what they charge for sub-licensing. Way too much for any limited run or limited appeal show to be affordable. Warner is even worse. Not only don't they put out their own stuff but they don't license out either.

My prediction is we may see one or two of the Sony titles sometime down the road and perhaps some of the Paramount at some point but there's no chance of any of the other series.

 

[cherisland]

Okay, (you forgot one) how about "THE PRUITT'S OF SOUTHAMPTON" ? I would LOVE to see this series on DVD!

 

[Bert Greene]

I found "Mr. Broadway," with Craig Stevens, rather fascinating. Would love to see more of them, even though it has so few episodes, as it hit the chopping block very quickly, during the 1964-65 season. I have two on tape. Also, "The Reporter," from the same season (I think), seems to be a really top-notch, hard-hitting show. In the sitcom vein, I liked the two episodes I've watched of "Many Happy Returns." Nice premise (set in the complaint dept. of a big store), and seemed rather funny and well produced. A very offbeat 60-minute comedy, "It's a Man's World," has always intrigued me, also. Not that it's particularly great, and it's whimsy is somewhat aggravating at times, but it's just so... interestingly odd.

I always like seeing these shows that didn't make it. Their brief runs certainly don't always indicate a lack of quality. They can occasionally be real gems, perhaps just killed off by long-popular shows competing on other channels, and never given a chance.

 

[Susan Nunes]

You're in the Picture

The Tammy Grimes Show

Turn-On

 

[Ethan Riley]

The only thing I can think of to add to this list is "It's About Time," which isn't as rare because it's actually been run on cable in recent years (mid-90s?) Some of the stuff in that big list is so obscure that the studios probably don't even know they have it. Susan's picks must be a joke because they only lasted for one episode lol. I'd say if any of that stuff had a big star in it, it might have a chance on dvd one day; otherwise it'd have to run on cable sometime and gain some popularity.

 

[Bob Hug]

There's a series of posts at the IMDB.com message board for "My Living Doll" that suggest that we'll see this series in the not too distant future. Here are a few excerpts from "pgreenwood-1" who appears to be connected with Jack Chertok Productions . . .

7/28/06: The show will be out on a DVD boxed set soon, as I said Jack Chertok Productions is seeking the best source material available.
My message is simple if you know of the whereabout of any 16mm network prints of our show please contact me. You will be able to get this fun and well produced show soon.

7/31/06: Well you should (know) she (Julie Newmar) will be hosting each episode on the Boxed set, By the way we are still looking for our 16mm prints in order to complete the run. Also having found all the music from the show we may do a soundtrack, the music is by the great George Greeley.

12/11/06: . . . as we have almost all the shows in film form now. Extra prints would be nice, but unless they are 35mm we are really covered . . . hope you enjoy the boxed set when it comes out in 2007.

Assuming all of the above is correct, it's good news though the use of 16mm will compromise the visual quality a bit. Still, this will be a very welcome addition to the short list of rare shows available on DVD.

I'd also like to add the two rodeo themed, modern day Westerns to your list: "Stoney Burke" and "The Wide Country," both of which ran during the '62-'63 season. I'd also like to see the "Custer" series that lasted about a half season on ABC in the late 1960s. Historically inaccurate, but the show had some excellent character actors like Robert F. Simon and Slim Pickens. There's a compilation "movie" of a few episodes that's been making the PD rounds and I expect that's all we'll see of the series since it's a Fox property.

 

[michael_ks]

I'd purchase this just for historical setting alone, but also in large measure on the acting prowess of Robert F. Simon. He was a bit miscast I thought in "Saints and Sinners", but I bet he pulls out the stops as a Brigadier General.

How about "Cain's Hundred" (1961-1962) with Mark Richman? Aside from "Hong Kong" and "T.H.E. Cat", that's another series I'd love to have--wonder which studio owns it.

 

[Charles Ellis]

Michael, Michael, Michael.... at least give credit where credit is due!!!! Perhaps you've forgotten the thread I started regarding this very topic a few months ago! Something to refresh your memory:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...d.php?t=245013

 

[Marvin]

I'd add:

Camp Runamuck
Rango

 

[Art_AD]

The Girl from UNCLE was a single season, I would also like My Mother the Car, Bridget Loves Birney (although early seventies), Then Came Bronson, Going My Way, all great shows

 

[Michael Alden]

I limited mine to sixties shows because otherwise you get these people listing a hundred shows from the last 5 years which they would have recorded if they had half a brain.

BTW, Cain's Hundred is Warner so no chance unfortunately.

 

[Michael Alden]

I know the gentleman. I don't want to disparage him and I understand his reasoning but let's just say he tends to embellish the truth at times.

Those other shows I kind of bypassed only because I have them all from 16mm so I don't really worry about them seeing a release.

Custer aired on FoxNet by the way, in the early 90s along with many other rare series from their library like Blue Light, Karen, Roll Out, Arnie, Felony Squad, Bracken's World, Judd for the Defense and others. None of the black and white shows though.

 

[Charles Ellis]

The number of failed shows in the past decade proves that the quality of TV writing (and network programming!) has gone way down. Now there's too much 'reality' while Saturday has become a network dumping ground for reruns. Remember when shows like All In The Family, Get Smart, The Golden Girls, The Love Boat and Perry Mason made Saturdays must-see viewing?? If a new show is doing badly, perhaps the nets should let it try to thrive on Saturday- as long as the show itself is good, veiwers will come!

 

[TravisR]

So no shows failed before the mid-1990's? I think it's that no one remembers the bad ones but they remember the classics.

 

[Dan McW]

I'd love to see "The Rogues" and "Coronet Blue" from Michael's list, just for starters. RKO Home Video issued at least two episodes of "The Rogues" on VHS around 1985-86, "The Personal Touch" and "The Day They Gave the Diamonds Away." Does anyone know how many episodes RKO issued overall?

 

[Michael Alden]

Expansion, Expansion, Expansion. Just like in sports. When you had 6 teams in the NHL the players were a lot better than now where you have 5 times that many. You had to be damn good to get a job in the league and keep it. As with every other sports league. It's the same with TV. A failed series still had a prime time network slot in an era with only 3 networks and far fewer opportunities as opposed to how many networks now? So just like the 250th best pitcher in the major leagues would have been in the low minors 40 years ago, many shows that are produced and aired now wouldn't have even had a pilot approved then.

 

[Susan Nunes]

All three of those shows were legendary flops of the era; they would be well worth seeing today.

 

[MatthewA]

I can just see the wording: "You're in the Picture: The Complete Episode."

 

[Ethan Riley]

Or "Turn-On": the complete series on 1/4 of a disc!

Actually "You're in the Picture" would make an interesting double-sided disc. On one side would be the show, and on the other side would be Jackie Gleason's 1/2-long apology...

 

[Steve...O]

There's a great blurb about this show here: http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2...05.html#012879

The lead character's name was Michael Alden and he supposedly had amnesia. Because the show was cancelled halfway through S1 nobody ever found out whatever happened to him. Well, 40 years later he turned up on HTF