How many would like the Banacek TV series on DVD? (1 Viewer)

[RogerHiles]

One more vote for Banacek-- one of my all-time favs. A stylish and fun show-- in that way like "It Takes a Thief", so I can see how some on this thread would connect them.
I'm thinking the lack of any more seasons of McCloud or MacMillan, and the disappearance of the "Mystery Movie" badging on the last few seasons of Columbo, means Universal is not much interested in the series.
Question for those with good memories-- did the Weds. Mystery Movie use the "man with a flashlight" opening also?

 

[Dan McW]

I'd buy Banacek on DVD because it often, if not always, featured plots in my favorite crime genre: the "impossible crime," such as the one described by Jeff# above. Another Banacek plot involved a valuable item stolen despite having security cameras trained on it, and guards watching the monitors, at all times.
John Dickson Carr cornered the market on mystery novels in the locked-room/impossible-crime genre, but it's not often represented in film and TV and certainly not as the basis for a TV series. I think the first ABC Columbo featured a locked-room subplot, and Dragnet '67 had "The Bullet" episode as another example.
Re the man with the flashlight, I can't remember if he was on Wednesdays. You could check the closing credits of a Wednesday Mystery Movie to see if he's shown in a still behind the titles, as he was in the close of each Sunday Mystery Movie. I've always wondered who Flashlight Man was, myself.

 

[Steve...O]

From today's Home Media Retailing article found on HTF:

Under terms of the deal, New York-based Hart Sharp will release the up to six television programs on DVD under the “TV Guide Presents…” brand.
The first release, Banacek: The First Season ($29.95), features the late George Peppard (“The A-Team,” Breakfast at Tiffany’s) as wealthy Boston private eye Thomas Banacek. Special features in the double-DVD set, due May 15, include a photo gallery from the 1972 series, a TV Guide crossword puzzle and access to a “Banacek” microsite at TVGuide.com.
TV Guide will market the DVDs in the magazine, on cable (TV Guide Channel) and its Web site. “Banacek,” which has never been released on DVD, was acquired from NBC Universal in a two-series deal brokered by Hart Sharp president Joe Amodei and Shelli Hill, VP of video, music and product development for NBC Universal Television Distribution.

Steve

 

[Corey3rd]

well it's good to know Banacek is coming (better be a part 2).

But what gets me is that TVGuide buys TVshowsondvd.com and they didn't break the story of this release on their new site.

 

[Gord Lacey]

But what gets me is that TVGuide buys TVshowsondvd.com and they didn't break the story of this release on their new site.

Yup, it's pretty shitty, isn't it? The press release went out from Hart Sharp, and we've never had dealings with them before, and I haven't met the TV Guide licensing person who handled this yet. Don't worry, I'll get bitchy about this
Gord

 

[Corey3rd]

Yup, it's pretty shitty, isn't it? The press release went out from Hart Sharp, and we've never had dealings with them before, and I haven't met the TV Guide licensing person who handled this yet. Don't worry, I'll get bitchy about this
Gord

They better line you up for some giveaway action. Hopefully Hart Sharp will understand that a lot of us do get our TV shows on DVD information from your site.

 

[Mary_P]

Some info and cover art at Hart Sharp's website:
http://www.hartsharpvideo.com/catalog/drama/BANACEK.php
Any word what the other titles under consideration are?
Mary

 

[Greg_S_H]

The Crow complete series was mentioned at TVShows. I am not 100% in love with the cover right now. The big TV Guide logo, and Peppard looking like he's on an A-Team mission. But, it's what's inside that counts.

 

[Gord Lacey]

Run Time: 576 minutes on 2 discs - (8 episodes/72 minutes each)
I had thought these would be DVD-18s, but they aren't, they're DVD-9s.
Gord

 

[Corey3rd]

that better be a mock up cover since it says Complete Series.

 

[Steve...O]

There were only 16 episodes, plus the pilot movie. It would be nice if the entire series was released at once.

 

[John Stell]

They're going to fit 4 episodes on a single side? Wow, that sounds unlikely. I thought a single layer DVD could hold about 130 minutes, so a dual layered, single sided disc could hold 260 minutes. Four episodes would run 288 mins. These specs don't sound right if the discs are in fact single-sided.

Still, I hope this all works out so we get the complete Banacek. Next to Columbo, this was my favorite NBC Mystery Movie series. If it sells well maybe we'll get more MacMillan, McCloud, - hell, even Hec Ramsey, Amy Prentiss, McCoy...bring 'em all on, says I.

 

[beatlejam]

If it sells well maybe we'll get more MacMillan, McCloud, - hell, even Hec Ramsey, Amy Prentiss, McCoy...bring 'em all on, says I.

And don't forget The Snoop Sisters!
I would also like to see Ellery Queen get a release.
I emailed someone in marketing at Hart Sharp about these titles, and she said she would forward my requests to their acquisitions department to see what they can do.
I think this TV Guide Presents/Hart Sharp/Universal development is very exciting and has great potential. Fingers crossed!

 

[70stvfan]

The Crow complete series was mentioned at TVShows. I am not 100% in love with the cover right now. The big TV Guide logo, and Peppard looking like he's on an A-Team mission. But, it's what's inside that counts.

I completely agree. What's with this cover art, anyway? Looks like a bad (i.e. illegal) knock-off of the type you'd get on eBay!! I also agree that it's what's inside that's important, but... the extras mentioned look really lame. A TV Guide crossword puzzle?? Who cares! This doesn't bode well for fans of the show. Even those new to the show would most likely think the whole thing is lame with packaging/extras like this! I'd much rather have a commentary track, as well as TV spots from back in the day. Also, I would hope each episode would be bracketed by the Mystery Movie flashlight guy and Henry Mancini's great theme music.

 

[Ethan Riley]

I've never seen Banacek, but I'm crazy about the fact that another obscure series is going onto dvd; this will make a lot of people happy!

Who is this Hart Sharp? Doesn't that sound like the name of a tv series itself? Like: "Hart Sharp: Cardiac Surgeon" or "Hart Sharp: Pet Detective" or "Hart Sharp: Discoteque Proprietor..."

 

[Gord Lacey]

The artwork isn't final.
I was told (by someone at Hart Sharp) that the quality of the episodes won't suffer by cramming that many on a disc, but I can't see how that's possible. Sony's DVDs that included 6 hour-long episodes (approx 43 mins each) on a DVD-9, and this is going to be about 40 mins MORE per disc. I just don't see how the episodes can look decent with that many on there, but I guess I should reserve judgment until I see the product.
Gord

 

[Dave Scarpa]

Well good new bad news, maybe the quality won't suffer because the shows don't look great to begin with, I remember seeing some of these in syndication and they looked pretty bad, if not remastered , yikes, I guess it's good that some more obscure series , that would never get released are going to because of this TV Guide venture, but if they try to do this on the cheap the results could be Public Domain quality releases.

I was amazed to find when I bought Season 3 of Rockford files that universal on a couple of the Disks jammed 5 50 min or so episodes on 1 disk. The quality was still pretty good considering. Still I would like to see 4 be the limit on a DVD-9

 

[Regulus]

/Hart Sharp/Universal development is very exciting and has great potential. Fingers crossed!

I'd like to see Cool Million! It was about this Investigator who charged $1,000,000 for his services.

 

[Stan]

I love this show, and it's a definite buy, but am shocked that there are only 16 episodes.

My family and I watched all the NBC Mystery Movies when I was a kid and I know they rotated through "McMillan and Wife", "Columbo", etc. but only 16 Banaceks?

Granted, in 1972 I was 12 when I started watching this, but I thought there were a lot more shows than 16. Does anyone have a count of the different Mystery Movies?

McMillan and Wife, Columbo, McCloud, etc.?

 

[Corey3rd]

not sure on the numbers, but there's a good article about the NBC Mystery Movie here:
http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/N/...bcmysterym.htm
You can check with tv.com for the numbers of the various series.