An open note to, The Estate of Creator Paul Henning: The Beverly Hillbillies DVD. (1 Viewer)

[Tom_mkfty]

Please do not speed up, cut, or alter, the Beverly Hillbillies, The Ultimate Collection, 4 disc set containing 26 episodes, that will be released on September 27.

 

[Bob Hug]

You may want to contact the company that's releasing THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES, MPI. From the looks of their description at their web site, this looks like it's going to be an excellent release. See the description here:

http://www.mpihomevideo.com/productdetail.asp?pid=1710

 

[Tom_mkfty]

How is MPI's record?

I understand that the Honeymooners DVD is one of theirs.

 

[Bob Hug]

MPI released the "lost episodes" of The Honeymooners, while Paramount released the "Classic 39" episodes that most people are familiar with. The "lost episodes" came from Jackie Gleason's variety show and are variable in length whereas the "Classic 39" were in the half hour format. Other than a couple of "lost episodes" DVDs that I bought (which, frankly, were so-so), I really can't speak to MPI's track record but I'll hazard a guess and say that their HILLBILLIES release will, at a minimum, be an improvement over the various public domain releases that we've seen in the past and will include the original theme music. The bonus material looks pretty good for a 40 year old series. The set appears to be priced right for the number of episodes and bonus material included and Amazon is already offering it on pre-order for less than 25 bucks . . . less than a dollar an episode.

 

[JohnMor]

MPI's recent release of The Doris Day Show Season One featured episodes that appear to be time-sped, and a few scene transitions on a couple of episodes that lead me to believe some may be syndication prints.

However, I think they put out what they're given. Hopefully, if the Henning Estate is involved in this package, the eps should be uncut.

 

[Steve...O]

Yes. I am impressed with the offerings from MPI that I have, but JohnMor is correct, their product is only as good as what they get. Their Rathbone Holmes DVDs look beautiful thanks to the great work done by the UCLA team. Their Cisco Kid DVDs are fine, but the prints aren't restored. MPI is a distributor; they don't have the restoration facilities that Warners or Fox have.

I am confident that the BH sets will be first rate given the close working relationship with the Henning Estate.

As an aside, MPI's customer service is first rate. They've always replied to my e-mails in a very timely basis.

Steve

 

[Tom_mkfty]

I sure hope it is the best quality. The last time I had a chance to see these early ones, I wanted to videotape them, only to be stumped by unscheduled infomercials.