Is the b&w era of TV on DVD slowly coming to an end? (5 Viewers)

[Gary OS]

Unfortunately, I've heard the same thing Chris has about sales for S6 being "soft" and the potential slow down and/or stalling of the series as a result. Hopefully CBS reconsiders, but at this moment I'm being told this is legit.


Gary "bummer" O.

 

[Jack P]

TMG's announcement of giving "I Spy" it's *third* release has me really annoyed because if they have the Four Star catalog and are supposedly going to unstall "Zane Grey Theater" then as far as I'm concerned there is no excuse to not unstall "Burke's Law" which was a more popular show and still runs on cable and was a top seller for VCI when S1 was released. We are talking about just *one* more season (I don't care if "Amos Burke Secret Agent" ever gets released. That's not the same show as far as I'm concerned) and this should be a natural for TMG even with a diminished B/W output. If "Burke's Law" gets frozen out just because it's not a western, that will not make me happy with their management at all.

 

[smithbrad]

Unfortunately, I've heard the same thing Chris has about sales for S6 being "soft" and the potential slow down and/or stalling of the series as a result. Hopefully CBS reconsiders, but at this moment I'm being told this is legit.


Gary "bummer" O.

This would seem to be the likely time to stop if that be the case since the remaining seasons fall into the Lost Episodes package. CBS has listed that they are done remastering season 7 and are currently working on season 8, so they appear to still be working towards the future of being able to syndicate it all in HD eventually. As along as they continue remastering there is always a hope of future releases, even if delayed from time to time based on other priorities.

I wonder how Gunsmoke is fairing? It would be interesting to having at least one season in color.

 

[JoeDoakes]

TMG's announcement of giving "I Spy" it's *third* release has me really annoyed because if they have the Four Star catalog and are supposedly going to unstall "Zane Grey Theater" then as far as I'm concerned there is no excuse to not unstall "Burke's Law" which was a more popular show and still runs on cable and was a top seller for VCI when S1 was released. We are talking about just *one* more season (I don't care if "Amos Burke Secret Agent" ever gets released. That's not the same show as far as I'm concerned) and this should be a natural for TMG even with a diminished B/W output. If "Burke's Law" gets frozen out just because it's not a western, that will not make me happy with their management at all.

I bought Burke's Law on the strength of comments here. I imagine that anyone who has seen season 1 of Burke's Law wants season 2.

 

[mmyers]

What is the source for the statement that TMG is going to "unstall" Zane Gray Theater?

 

[Gary OS]

This would seem to be the likely time to stop if that be the case since the remaining seasons fall into the Lost Episodes package. CBS has listed that they are done remastering season 7 and are currently working on season 8, so they appear to still be working towards the future of being able to syndicate it all in HD eventually. As along as they continue remastering there is always a hope of future releases, even if delayed from time to time based on other priorities.

I wonder how Gunsmoke is fairing? It would be interesting to having at least one season in color.

Hopefully CBS will reconsider, if this really is their plan going forward. We'll just have to wait and see. I'd think Gunsmoke is safe. But then again, I'd have thought Bonanza was safe, so who knows for sure.


Gary "there's always a chance the decision from the higher ups isn't set in stone - that's the best thing to hope for" O.

 

[Jack P]

What is the source for the statement that TMG is going to "unstall" Zane Gray Theater?

Sorry I can't cross reference from another thread well here but it was in the Death Valley Days thread by Silverking on February 26. I've pasted from there.

Randy, I highly recommend ZANE GREY THEATER for a very good example of a western anthology. Only one season released so far, but not very expensive.

Agreed & this may be changing soon !

 

[Roy Wall]

I wonder how Gunsmoke is fairing? It would be interesting to having at least one season in color.

True...I'd love to have season 12 on DVD...but truly Gunsmoke was never quite the same once writers Meston and Hite left the series.

 

[Jack P]

I really think the show lost something when it went to an hour and the stories just had more fat on them IMO instead of being the nice lean compact shows at a half hour (admittedly benefiting from 26 minutes at the time). Once Weaver was gone and we had Festus, that made it less enjoyable for me.

I'm glad I still have the old "Best of" sets because even though those were older transfers it at least gives me enough of a "sampler" of later seasons so that I feel the later era is represented to an extent on my shelf.

 

[Ron1973]

Hopefully CBS will reconsider, if this really is their plan going forward. We'll just have to wait and see. I'd think Gunsmoke is safe. But then again, I'd have thought Bonanza was safe, so who knows for sure.


Gary "there's always a chance the decision from the higher ups isn't set in stone - that's the best thing to hope for" O.

This is why CBS needs to get on with a MOD program!

 

[Jack P]

The thing is, if CBS is going to license some titles out as they have (Mod Squad and now potentially Bilko) that pretty much undermines the need for a MOD program it seems like. It's because Warner has never licensed a title of theirs out that they can do MOD program and pretty much use the full scope of the catalog as they seem to be doing.

 

[Professor Echo]

I recently picked up the first five seasons of BONANZA new at incredibly cheap prices, which may indicate that there is more supply than demand and it hasn't done well. This may be another case of all the public domain releases causing confusion in the marketplace. I know similar reservations happened with THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES, but CBS/Parramount has persevered at least for now. Westerns still sell and their demographic is strong, so maybe future releases of BONANZA will follow the lead of BH and make their way out as Walmart exclusives. Releasing the "Lost Episodes" as unsplit, no frills single seasons would help.

 

[LouA]

On another thread here at HTF it was stated that the complete four year run of Sgt. Bilko will be released as a box set in England . I have a multi region DVD player so I'll be ordering this . It would be better if Paramount /CBS released this show , but judging by the fate of Bonanza and some other CBS shows, it seems like this English release is our best bet.

 

[LeoA]

There's no evidence in that thread that it's going to be a Euro exclusive. Someone also said something about Shout Factory being behind it which makes it even more difficult to believe that it wouldn't be making its way out here.

CBS seems to do a pretty good job for the most part and I'm sure we can look forward to further releases like more of Bonanza (Which last saw a release less than half a year ago). I just hope they restart and redo My Three Sons someday now that they've gotten rid of their heebie jeebies about some sound cues.

 

[Silverking]

TMG's announcement of giving "I Spy" it's *third* release has me really annoyed because if they have the Four Star catalog and are supposedly going to unstall "Zane Grey Theater" then as far as I'm concerned there is no excuse to not unstall "Burke's Law" which was a more popular show and still runs on cable and was a top seller for VCI when S1 was released. We are talking about just *one* more season (I don't care if "Amos Burke Secret Agent" ever gets released. That's not the same show as far as I'm concerned) and this should be a natural for TMG even with a diminished B/W output. If "Burke's Law" gets frozen out just because it's not a western, that will not make me happy with their management at all.

Jack

I have heard no announcements that Timeless have acquired the Four Star catalogue. The likelihood is that they negotiate for different shows on a series by series basis. Wether 'Burkes Law' was a top seller for VCI I don't know. They didn't release S2 though, nor did the UK company where it had appeared first.

I sincerely doubt Timeless would freeze it out because its not a western, We have had this debate before in a different thread & TMG have released many, many shows which aren't westerns. Bit unfair to be angry with them for a series they don't even have !

 

[Jack P]

That they are already releasing "The Big Valley" (which I am grateful for) and if they are doing "Zane Grey Theater" means that the Four Star catalog is available at what should be a reasonable license rate again for the shows covered by it. I certainly did not mean to say that Timeless has the rights to the whole catalog but if we are seeing them get titles *from* it, then I think that should make those titles encompassed by the Four Star catalog fair game for consideration by Timeless and fair game for comment. If "Burke's Law" isn't going to get consideration for them then I think there's a legit reason to feel disappointment on that score because the title has had a much longer after-life then frankly most of the B/W titles Timeless has ever released in the past from whatever catalog they utilized. If "Burke's Law" doesn't make it, but "Zane Grey Theater" gets fast-tracked, then I'm not left with much of a reason for why that should be the case other than one isn't a western.

VCI incidentally did want to continue releasing Burke's Law, which was a top seller with them (I kept checking their website for weeks on end back in those days hoping that would justify continuation) but Fox simply raised the rates on them. That clearly also applied to "Zane Grey Theater" at the time as well so now if things have softened on one title for Timeless, then I really don't see why it should also be the case for arguably the most popular B/W title in the whole catalog. It's not like we're talking about "The Rogues" or one of the lesser non-western titles.

 

[JoeDoakes]

It's not exactly b&w, but was the Burke's law reboot in the 1990s very good?

 

[LouA]

There's no evidence in that thread that it's going to be a Euro exclusive. Someone also said something about Shout Factory being behind it which makes it even more difficult to believe that it wouldn't be making its way out here.

CBS seems to do a pretty good job for the most part and I'm sure we can look forward to further releases like more of Bonanza (Which last saw a release less than half a year ago). I just hope they restart and redo My Three Sons someday now that they've gotten rid of their heebie jeebies about some sound cues.

I agree that CBS has done a good job with most of it's TV releases . But I still hope we'll see more B&W in the future starting with One Step Beyond.

 

[Vic Pardo]

So I'm considering all the other stuff they have there: overpriced box sets of different seasons of Combat, Rawhide and Perry Mason, and a few other goodies including The Fugitive, of which there's a Volume 1 set, used, for $7.97 and a complete box set of The Rat Patrol for $19.99. These are the ones I'm considering. So I do some research. I watch the very first episode of "The Rat Patrol" on YouTube, the first time I've seen an episode, and liked it enough to want to see more--on DVD. I still haven't seen an episode of "The Fugitive," but everything I read about that set on Amazon compels me to buy it. So I go back to FYE last night and what do I find? They're both gone! Some like-minded soul beat me to it, the bastard! Was it one of YOU guys?!

I was out boosting the local economy yesterday and decided to take a stroll into FYE, just on a whim, to see if they had any more used TV box sets I might want. And what did they have? The exact sets of "The Fugitive" and "The Rat Patrol" that went missing on the visit in January cited above.

So this time I got them.

Now I just need time to watch them.

 

[Gary OS]

Even though it's not a b/w show, I thought I'd pass on the sad news that Bonanza has indeed been stalled out. That's official from multiple sources, including a publication that some fans read so it's not a big secret at this point. We'll get S7, but S8 (which had been set for a 4Q release) is now on the backburner with no release date. The reason I mention that, in this thread, is because it's one more indicator that we really are seeing the final days of consistent vintage TV on DVD releases. Note I said "consistent" releases. That's key in my statement so that no one can run with it and say I'm predicting we'll see no more vintage releases in the future. Of course we'll see some things here and there. But the days of counting on regular releases of b/w and early color TV shows are quickly fading into the sunset. A good friend of mine summed it up nicely to me in a PM. I'm going to quote him this morning as I finish out this post:


"You & I have predicted for some time in various threads that vintage TV was dying, now it appears to have actually happened. One time I used to have to make a list of all the forthcoming releases & select which ones to get in order of affordability & interest. No more. I could count on one hand the releases over the last six months or so that I will buy.

I despair of the optimists who counsel about patience & their 'everything will be released' thinking. They are due for major disappointment I fear. I am even very sceptical of __________ despite their assurances they will be bringing out more of their 'classic' range. I don't think its going to happen any time soon."


It's a real shame that this day has finally arrived, but I think most of us knew it would happen eventually. On the plus side, I've got a huge collection and I won't be hurting for things to watch for the rest of my life. So it's not all sad news. But the title of this thread is now absolutely reality whether, as my friend said, the optimists* want to believe it or not.


Gary "take care, folks - and enjoy your collections" O.


* 'The man who is a pessimist before 48 knows too much; if he is an optimist after it, he knows too little.' - Mark Twain