Any news on a Carol Burnett Show DVD? (1 Viewer)

[Berkshires]

Let's see. Misleading packaging? Check. Total secrecy about the contents? Check. Super-size price tag? Check.
Anybody who buys this two hundred dollar pig-in-a-poke is every bit as gullible as Time-Life thinks you are.
And, not for nothing, but what does it say about Carol Burnett that she would allow this kind of contemptuous treatment of her fans?
I hope everyone on this board will give that contempt right back to them and boycott this nonsense.
For the rest of you, enjoy your two hundred dollar Big Box Of 50 Episodes You Already Own.

 

[JohnMor]

Originally Posted by Berkshires /t/28224/any-news-on-a-carol-burnett-show-dvd/120#post_3945461
Let's see. Misleading packaging? Check. Total secrecy about the contents? Check. Super-size price tag? Check.
Anybody who buys this two hundred dollar pig-in-a-poke is every bit as gullible as Time-Life thinks you are.
And, not for nothing, but what does it say about Carol Burnett that she would allow this kind of contemptuous treatment of her fans?
I hope everyone on this board will give that contempt right back to them and boycott this nonsense.
For the rest of you, enjoy your two hundred dollar Big Box Of 50 Episodes You Already Own.

? ? What in the "packaging" (which hasn't even been released yet except for 2 photos) is "misleading?" And given that they're giving us at least a partial list of guest stars and sketches, there is hardly total secrecy about the contents.

I don't own ANY Carol Burnett dvds, so how am I enjoying a "two hundred dollar Big Box of 50 Episodes" I already own? No one is being forced to buy this big box for any reason. If you already have all the previously released dvds, why would you even care about this box? This box is NOT for people who already own previously released dvds. It's for people like me who want to jump start their collection.
Lastly, the price isn't discounted now before release, so what's the urgency with knowing the full and exact contents now, before it's released? Once it's out, people will post the contents and everyone will know whether they want to order it or not. The price will be the same no matter. It's not like you'll lose money by waiting to see what's on the discs. This time next month, we'll all know.

 

[NY2LA]

Let's see. Misleading packaging? Check. Total secrecy about the contents? Check. Super-size price tag? Check.
Anybody who buys this two hundred dollar pig-in-a-poke is every bit as gullible as Time-Life thinks you are.
And, not for nothing, but what does it say about Carol Burnett that she would allow this kind of contemptuous treatment of her fans?
I hope everyone on this board will give that contempt right back to them and boycott this nonsense.
For the rest of you, enjoy your two hundred dollar Big Box Of 50 Episodes You Already Own.

Reality? Check...
Okay first of all, what's misleading about the packaging? Have you even SEEN the packaging?
Supersize price tag? Check the amount of content, and compare with other series box sets. Check with people who bought this show at $20+tax/shipping for 2 episodes. So they were paying roughly $12 an episode, and that rate would make this set $600. This is only a third of that, not even counting the extra value of all the bonus content that the other discs don't have.
But be prepared: YES a LOT of the episodes will be previously released ones because they were among the most popular, and because they have to pay music fees for every new episode along with remastering cost. Programming created before the advent of Home Video has WAAAY more legal costs and hurdles to jump through than a show that was produced even ten years ago, especially if music is involved, which is why we don't have complete seasons of Sonny and Cher, Garry Moore, etc. It's not as if Carol owns all this stuff outright and has just been sitting on it for decades.
Total Secrecy about contents? Wrong. There is a wide margin between Complete listings and Total Secrecy. We've been given a good amount of detail about some well known sketches and other content, so Total Secrecy is bullshit.
I bought the set and believe me I'm not gullible. I'm fine with this new set and looking forward to it with excitement. I made a choice based on the information I had. I never had all the previous releases, and the few I had I was able to sell at a profit online.
"contemptuous treatment of her fans?" If you could believe this of Carol you're really not a potential customer for this set anyway and just looking for an excuse to summon up Oliver Stone.
This set is not a BLIND sale. It's not a LIMITED TIME sale. It's going to be available for a long time. You've gotta know that even if the complete episode breakdown doesn't come out before it's released, (and we still have a month) SOMEONE will post that list here the minute they get it! Which means in about a month you will know exactly what is in this set and then decide if you want to buy it or not.
PS John M: Obviously you got your post up while I was composing mine, and obviously we agree. (although I wouldn't expect Time Life to discount this set in the foreseeable future.)

 

[JohnMor]

I forgot to point out the 30-day money-back guarantee. So no one is stuck if they buy it and have too many of the eps already.

 

[David Rain]

Despite my devotion to this show I actually have very few of the original 2-fer discs. So no matter what's on this set, I likely will still need it. But I understand the frustration of people who have most or all of the original releases and want to know for sure what they will or won't be getting with this new box set.
My fear is that sales will be lower than expected because so many fans already have these individually and won't want to double dip. Or because they'll assume the set is price too high, For the content that's probably, the price is quite reasonable and certainly cheaper than getting all of the original discs separately. Someone is having to pay for the music rights for these eps as well as whatever cost went into remastering them. There's a similar situation going on with the archive of P&G soap operas being released on DVD. Those fans are not complaining because they're grateful to have their shows available again unedited and in good quality.
Be careful with this boycott nonsense. If you don't want this set, for whatever reason, then don't buy it. But don't screw it up for the rest of us. If this set doesn't sell then you won't be seeing any further releases of this series.

 

[David Rain]

removed

 

[NY2LA]

I am reviving this thread so that our new friend from Time/Life can follow our discussion from the point when we first heard that TL was involved with The Carol Burnett Show. One would miss out on a lot of the passionate discussion history of this topic (and unanswered questions) if one only picked up the thread that began with TL's most recent press release.

 

[timelife jb]

Hi guys -- good to be here. let me look through and digest. I'll need to check details with the product development guys. I'll be back soon with as much as I can tell you.

 

[NY2LA]

I wonder if anyone remembers the Gary Moore Show? Carol was a supporting performer on that show. It was the first time, that I know of, that Carol got national exposure.
I still remember an hilarious sketch from that show. Peter Piper was being tried in court. So there was Durwood Kirby, Gary Moore, and Carol acting out a trial scene with hilarous tongue twisters galore.
The climax of the bit was when they asked the court reporter to read back the testimony. The reporter turned out to be Marion Lorne. Marion's gig was that she stuttered. So here she is trying to read all the tongue twisters.
Well, you had to be watching. It was hilarious. There is so much great TV from years past. If they released it all, we'd all be bankrupt.

Well here we are, eleven years later, talking about that Garry Moore episode. I was under 10 when I saw Garry Moore so my memory of that (along with what I just got up and went into the kitchen for) is foggy, but from your description of this episode, I can just imagine the hilarity, I'd LOVE to see the episode you mention, and can only hope it's one of the GM episodes included In the CB ultimate box set.

 

[NY2LA]

I'm guessing we'll never see complete season sets of this show because of Carol's dislike of the early seasons as well as the huge music rights issues. However, I also use to think this about Saturday Night Live which is now coming out in complete sets.
As far as the syndicated eps, they don't contain the original musical performances, are often badly edited and are taken from only the last 5 years of the show which were considered the best. Tim Conway did not become a regular cast member until later in the series run. This is when the show truly came into it's own.

I wonder if we can eventually dispel the rumor that Carol doesn't like the first five seasons so much and maybe clarify that they were simply unavailable due to rights issues for those seasons. And while I love Conway on the show, I'm not so sure that the last 5 were the best years. I think it was rather good throughout the run. Heck, as a kid I used to tear up a bit every May when the charwoman came on to mop up and turn over that sign that said "Closed for the Season." It was like losing all your best friends.
The big tragedy of this show is how long fans have had to live without it, and how many of those fans who would have loved to buy it are no longer with us. Now that we've a chance to get it back, I hope it sticks around this time, in syndication as well as direct sales. This show was really the Rolls Royce of classic TV and it deserves to be in constant syndicated rotation like M*A*S*H and I Love Lucy.

 

[NY2LA]

Can someone post a link to this more accurate ep guide ? I have been unable to find it on IMDB.

I reposted the full series ep guide to the newer CB thread, but I think at this point it would be VERY helpful if someone could post a list of the 64 previously released episodes.
Anyone??

 

[NY2LA]

Maybe there's a lot of overlap with the Columbia House discs, and they're hoping hard-core fans will cave and buy it before they find out how many duplicated episodes are really on there.

Here's a chance to clear up a PR point. I can see they are trying hard to put a lot of new content in to justify a doubledip sale for people who already have the previously released eps, but we can see here that some people are digging in their heels and not preordering due to the holding back of a full episode content list. I really cannot see the upside in withholding this info. it's quite obvious this set will consist of MOSTLY prereleased episodes. Why would they be "teasing" the content in this case? Why not tear off the Band-Aid - answer the one BIG question - and get it over with so people can then concentrate on the other merits of the set?

 

[JohnMor]

Originally Posted by NY2LA /t/28224/any-news-on-a-carol-burnett-show-dvd/120#post_3950773
Here's a chance to clear up a PR point. I can see they are trying hard to put a lot of new content in to justify a doubledip sale for people who already have the previously released eps, but we can see here that some people are digging in their heels and not preordering due to the holding back of a full episode content list. I really cannot see the upside in withholding this info. it's quite obvious this set will consist of MOSTLY prereleased episodes. Why would they be "teasing" the content in this case? Why not tear off the Band-Aid - answer the one BIG question - and get it over with so people can then concentrate on the other merits of the set?

Frankly I don't see what the obsession with preordering is. In three weeks everyone will know what episodes are contained and can decide then if they want to order. The price isn't cheaper prior to release, nor is it a limited edition set. So what is the big deal in waiting till it's released to order for people who have the earlier dvds? Nothing is gained by ordering now and nothing is lost by waiting.

 

[NY2LA]

Frankly I don't see what the obsession with preordering is.  In three weeks everyone will know what episodes are contained and can decide then if they want to order.  The price isn't cheaper prior to release, nor is it a limited edition set.  So what is the big deal in waiting till it's released to order for people who have the earlier dvds?  Nothing is gained by ordering now and nothing is lost by waiting.  

Well you see, the sooner you order it, the sooner it arrives, and the sooner you get to play all that stuff.
Anyone following these threads knows I ordered this weeks ago, and encouraged others to do so as well, (including those who are sitting on a bunch of eps already). This set is an ENORMOUS hit on my nonexistent budget, but I'm banking on the huge morale boost that will come with it. So the withholding of the actual episode content is not MY issue personally, and I've defended TL against people who WERE taking it personally, (scroll up to the top of this page)... I've even suggested a viable option: Since the new discs will probably look better, (and certainly be presented more efficiently - 3 eps per disc) Buying the big set and selling off the old discs (legitimately) on Amazon, will be help you pay for yours and benefit folks who bought one of the smaller new sets and want more but can't spring for the big box. So hopefully everyone wins.
Now John has already mentioned we are a different market and he seems to agree that there's no reason not to give us the info. Meanwhile - I'm just doing what I've been doing here for months - keeping the conversation alive.

 

[Carabimero]

I don't think an episode list is too much to ask for my $200.

 

[Stan]

Let's see. Misleading packaging? Check. Total secrecy about the contents? Check. Super-size price tag? Check.
Anybody who buys this two hundred dollar pig-in-a-poke is every bit as gullible as Time-Life thinks you are.
And, not for nothing, but what does it say about Carol Burnett that she would allow this kind of contemptuous treatment of her fans?
I hope everyone on this board will give that contempt right back to them and boycott this nonsense.
For the rest of you, enjoy your two hundred dollar Big Box Of 50 Episodes You Already Own.
 

Berkshires says it all. I fell for their first version of this scam a few years back and luckily got out after the first disk arrived. Carol Burnett has dropped to the bottom of my fan list. Just a greedy bitch out to make a buck. Sadly, enough people will fall for this crap that she'll probably make a ton of money, but good old Karma always bites you in the ass when you least expect it. I feel she'll get what she deserves eventually.

 

[NY2LA]

Berkshires says it all. I fell for their first version of this scam a few years back and luckily got out after the first disk arrived. Carol Burnett has dropped to the bottom of my fan list. Just a greedy bitch out to make a buck. Sadly, enough people will fall for this crap that she'll probably make a ton of money, but good old Karma always bites you in the ass when you least expect it. I feel she'll get what she deserves eventually.

Yeah I heard she also shot Kennedy, buried Hoffa and causes earthquakes, but I like a gal who makes me laugh.

 

[Carabimero]

Just a greedy bitch out to make a buck.

Too bad message boards lack the one essential ingredient necessary for true interpersonal understanding and, at the very least, a modicum of respect. Sadly, it is all too easy to disrespect the very people who draw us to these boards under the shield of Internet anonymity.
I never say anything about a person on the Internet I wouldn't say to their face. The "faraway" folks we so often disparage are, alas, real human beings with real feelings.

 

[JohnMor]

Originally Posted by Carabimero /t/28224/any-news-on-a-carol-burnett-show-dvd/120#post_3950887
I don't think an episode list is too much to ask for my $200.

Agreed. And if TL releases the ep list earlier, that's great. But my point is why do people feel the need to spend the $200 BEFORE it's released and the episode list is known. People are acting like we HAVE to blind buy this forever, never knowing the contents. In 3 short weeks everyone will know all the eps and can decide then if they want to order it.

 

[NY2LA]

Regarding Johnny Angel's wish for the Garry Moore Show ep featuring a skit about the Peter Piper Trial...
Season 4, Episode 34, Aired Jun 12, 1962 -
Garry's guests are Diahann Carroll and Tim Conway. Also with Durward Kirby, Marion Lorne and Carol Burnett. Highlights: "That Wonderful Year" is 1931. Carol does her "Dr. Sisters" routine Carol as the legendary wife of Peter Piper, the man who picked a peck of pickled peppers, stands trial in a highly alliterative courtroom comedy, with Garry as the counsel for the Crown, who wrings a startling disclosure from Carol over the objections of her attorney, played by Durward and Marion Lorne is the court stenographer. Tim and Carol do a spoof of "The Barretts of Wimpole Street" Diahann and Carol duet with the finale "Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries".
This is unfortunately not one of the three eps announced for the upcoming box, but maybe next time... It sounds hilarious, Conway's in it too, and if anyone remembers Marion Lorne (especially as Aunt Clara on Bewitched) that's like the cherry on the sundae.
Episode Info source:
http://www.tv.com/shows/the-garry-moore-show/june-12-1962-1256098/
Hey look at this! Next best thing to seeing the episode:
http://www.oocities.org/tbtho/piper.htm