If Warner Bros. is going into its vaults for classic TV on DVD, where's "The FBI"? (1 Viewer)

[Charles Ellis]

To celebrate 50 years as a TV series producer, Warner Bros. is apparently going back in its vaults to release classic favorites like Maverick, Full House, The Adventures of Superman, Chico And The Man, but there are classic shows missing.

For openers, what about The FBI? It was Warners' first big color production and ran for 9 years on ABC. Not only did you get to see rare TV appearances by screen legends like Gene Tierney, but you got to see early appearances by up-and-coming stars like Harrison Ford, Billy Dee Williams, Ed Asner, Cicely Tyson, Brenda Vaccaro and more as they crossed paths with Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.'s Inspector Lewis Erskine. I think this title would do great on DVD- Law & Order- Criminal Intent is merely an updated version of this show!

And let's not forget comedies like Welcome Back, Kotter (the fact that John Travolta is in it alone should make it a top priority for DVD release!), F-Troop, and Growing Pains!

On the drama side, aside from Maverick, no mention has been made of those early Warners shows that kept the ABC TV network on the air from 1955-64, like 77 Sunset Strip, Cheyenne, Sugarfoot, Bronco, Hawaiian Eye, Surfside 6, and Bourbon Street Beat.

If Warner Bros. really wants to celebrate, they should dig a little deeper and release these shows for starters!

 

[Bert Greene]

The Goodlife Network has been rerunning the first 5 seasons of "The FBI." I don't get the network, but my sister does, and she taped them for me. (yep! I've got a swell sister!). I enjoyed the show a great deal. Lots of good guest-stars. The first two seasons sometimes got a tad far-fetched with its plots, but it ultimately developed into a pretty satisfying, straight-forward crime show. Even though I have all those episodes on tape, I like the series enough that I'd upgrade to dvd-sets, were they to ever be made available.

 

[Mark To]

The FBI was Quinn Martin immitating Jack Webb. While there were much better QM shows, this was the longest running of the bunch. While I'm not a big fan of the show, they really did have a ton of great guest stars and it would be worth it for that alone. But considering that the show has always, even back in the mid-70s, done poorly in syndication, I don't think it will be high on their list. And speaking of Warner Brothers, where are the MGM shows they acquired in the Turner merger? Man from UNCLE, Dr. Kildare, etc. All we have seen from that package is Gilligan's Island.

 

[Charles Ellis]

Bert, I get the Goodlife Channel, so I've been lucky to watch those vintage WB shows, but they should be represented on DVD!

Regarding the MGM/Turner stuff, I'm pretty sure we will see both Man and Girl From U.N.C.L.E. released in the near future, but as for Dr. Kildare- I haven't seen that show in years, but Richard Chamberlain has always been a big TV draw, so I'm sure a lot of people would love to see him in his star-making role. There are two other shows in the MGM/Turner library that I'd like to see on disc: Medical Center and The Courtship of Eddie's Father.

 

[David Lambert]

 

[Jeff Willis]

Hello, all...another great thread at HTF

's up for "The FBI" and the "Uncle" series! I'd forgotton about the "Uncle" ones. It would be cool to get those on DVD.

- Jeff Willis ("Bionic" series fanatic )