Rawhide - Stalled/Abandoned? (1 Viewer)

[Jack P]

At this point these are the only CBS/Paramount titles that have HD transferred seasons that are not yet released on DVD.

1-Mission: Impossible, S7 (We can count on that)
2-Hawaii Five-O, S7 (We can count on that)
3-Mannix, S3-6
4-Perry Mason, S4
5-Bonanza, S1
6-Love Boat, S3-5, partial S6

The fact that "Love Boat" is that far along makes the fact that they're doing split seasons of that all the more puzzling IMO.

 

[Corey3rd]

Remember that the HD transfers are also being done for TV channels. HD Net ran the HD versions of Hogan's Heroes. Only makes sense that Paramount/CBS/Viacom/MTV networks will want to make a TVLand HD at some point.

 

[Gary OS]

Joe, you read my mind. I was just about to post that very thing when I saw you had already mentioned it. Just because the CBS Bible mentions certain shows are transferred to HD doesn't necessarily mean they are getting DVD releases. Some of this is simply for the purposes of HD broadcasting.

As Joe mentioned, HDNet broadcast beautiful looking prints of "Hogan's Heroes" last year, and now the HD Universal channel is running the show. So we might not want to assume that a show being transferred to HD automatically means it's getting a DVD release. It might get a release. It's probably even ok to say it's likely to get a release. But I don't think we can say for sure a release is coming based on the Syndication Bible info.

Gary "remember, there are some shows being released on DVD right now that are NOT being transferred to HD at all" O.

 

[Charles H]

I would hope that RAWHIDE would make it to the seventh season and an episode from 1964 called "Canliss". It's the only western script written by Stirling Silliphant, and it's directed by Jack (THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN) Arnold. The guest cast includes Ramon Novarro, Dean Martin (as Canliss), Theodore Bikel, Scoyy Marlowe, and Michael Ansara!

 

[michael_ks]

Sure enough, Silliphant did write a "Rawhide". I believe his only other western series credit was for an earlier "Zane Grey Theater". Scott Marlowe is one of my favorite character actors, so I'm sure I would enjoy this episode just for his appearance alone.

Man, the seventh season looks about as distant as the Milky Way right about now. I'm just praying that we see seasons 4 and 5, the Endre Boehm years.

By the way, did anyone happen to notice the incredible Jerry Goldsmith score featured in "Incident in the Middle of Nowhere"? I believe it may have been the first original score for the series. Not a particularly memorable episode but wow, does Goldsmith's rhythms propel this episode forward!

 

[Dave Scarpa]

Wow I'll miss Rawhide, I love the show. If Clint Eastwood as hot as he is right now off of Gran Torino and Changeling can't sell a series I don't know what will. I hope CBS just won't sit on these series, license them out, or, as much as you guys hate this I think it's a better option than nothing, set them up on Itunes as digital downloads.

 

[Bert Greene]

I sure hate to hear of "Rawhide's" potential abandonment. It's my favorite ongoing western release. I thought Eastwood's enduring popularity might be enough to keep this one chugging along for a while longer (although I've actually been pining for a cover spotlighting Fleming, who, perched in his saddle, is still the initial image I envision whenever the topic of the series arises). It's hard to say whether or not FULL-season sets might have sold better or worse, but I've always been concerned that the half-season volumes would drag things out and slow momentum. This has especially been my worry with both "Rawhide" and "Gunsmoke." It's particularly maddening in the latter case, as I always felt that it was the 3rd-season in which the series really 'opened up' and started to get beyond its radio origins.

 

[Gary OS]

"Amen" to your entire post, Bert. I'm so discouraged at this latest news because RAWHIDE had become one of my absolute favorite dvd releases. In fact it's probably one of my top 5 series of all time at this point.

I've really had some bad luck with many top tier favorites as of late, and this one stings about as much as any if the show really is stalled. And if it's not on the schedule through November then I'd consider that stalled. Anything that goes beyond a year in between releases qualifies as stalled/abandoned in my book.

Gary "I agree about Fleming too, he's the heart and soul of the series" O.

 

[michael_ks]

I'd be willing to have a "Rawhide" S4 set sporting just a picture of 78 year old Eastwood alone in a photoshopped cowboy hat if it meant the series could go forward. Not that I'd like it. Incidentally, I'm surprised that Eric Fleming's face alone actually graces the main menu in every other disc--didn't Paramount realize they risked having someone say "Who's that guy, anyway?"

"Rawhide" is in my top three for unfinished series released to dvd--right up there with "Route 66" and "The Fugitive". Count me in as one of those who lamented the half season releases from the very beginning what with Paramount charging $60.00 per season. I was, and still am willing to pay that, and still more if it gives the studio enough profit to continue the releases but I just really could never envision 14 separate announcements by the studio when this began to unfold with S2.

 

[Gary OS]

I agree with your last sentence, Michael. Well, I agree with the entire post, but I'm speaking about the last sentence at the moment. I never thought we'd see the studio making 14 announcements either. That's why I fear for "Perry Mason" and "Gunsmoke" as well. Those series are both just too long for this split-season thing to carry them all the way through.

Your top 3 are certainly on my list as well, along with the two shows I mentioned above. I'd add "Leave it to Beaver" in there as another one in my top 10, along with "Father Knows Best", "Big Valley", "Have Gun, Will Travel", and "The Donna Reed Show". All of those are unfinished and frankly I'm worried about every single one of them ever making it to the end. I don't even count "My Three Sons" because as far as I'm concerned that series hasn't even started yet.


Gary "yep, they can put anything they want on the cover of the dvd cases as long as I get the episodes complete and unmolested" O.

 

[Doug^Ch]

I really am sorry about Rawhide, as it is one of my favorites as well. I don't think that there should be any fear about Perry Mason going forward. This is one series that is a cash cow for Paramount. I believe that this series is bought by far more people than the mostly forgotten Western genre. Everyone knows and loves Mason - there should be no fear about that series being stalled.

 

[jdee28]

You're probably right about Perry Mason. 2008 was the 50th Anniversary for Rawhide. It would have been nice to see a 50th Anniversary edition, like they did for Perry Mason and even Gunsmoke, with the best episodes from Seasons 4-8. but I guess Rawhide just doesn't rank that high up there in interest.

 

[michael_ks]

Just last month was it not? I remember on Jan 9 thinking "Hey, 'Rawhide' is 50! Need to watch 'Incident of the Tumbleweed Wagon' tonight". I was going to mention this in a "Rawhide" thread at the time and forgot.

Guess I'll never see the infamous "Damon's Road" when the seris apparently hit its nadir, and then again I'll never get to see "The Blue Spy", "Incident of the Portrait" and "Incident of Judgement Day", three purported standouts (at least according to the "Rawhide" fan site I'm always checking out).

 

[Dave Scarpa]

Maybe Gord can try to get a direct answer from CBS if they are abandoning it and if so Why. If it for lack of sales I want them to come out and say so. And if it is being abandoned are they willing to license it out/and or get it up somewhere for digital downloading...

 

[Gary OS]

I'd love to the hear the answer as well, but don't hold your breath while you wait.

Gary "the studios rarely divulge such information" O.

 

[Stephen Bowie]

"Damon's Road," as I think I've said before, is one of my favorite moments in 60s television: Eric Fleming spends most of the show in his longjohns, Barbara Eden sings "Ten Tiny Toes" (an infectious Geller tune later recycled on MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE), and the whole thing is essentially a musical comedy. Absolutely brilliant. I can understand how RAWHIDE diehards might prefer standard oater material, but go into it with an own mind.

"Damon's Road" is among the 50+ episodes released on VHS by Columbia House, so if the DVDs never materialize, those will be worth seeking out.

 

[jdee28]

I was wrong. Rawhide premiered January 9, 1959. So this is its 50th Anniversary! It would be nice for CBS/Paramount to come out with a 50th Anniversary edition filled with episodes from seasons 4-8, as they did with Perry Mason, but I won't hold my breath.

It is too bad that the later seasons of Rawhide now seem far, far into the future, if they ever get there. The shows from the later years are divisve; some think they're great, others utter crap. It would be nice to have them on DVD, to allow people to come to their own decisions on it.

 

[Jeff Willis]

This issue, imo, is what would be great to have available as TV/DVD collectors...some sort of a forum or informal news site where we could get some information about these issues with TV/DVD releases with replaced soundtracks, edited episodes, etc. Imagine the effect this would have had on the Fugitive threads on this Bd if we had known the facts regarding the backscore issues with that release.

I know that certain information is proprietary to studios, and that they have to consider potential sales #'s if information was known prior to certain TV/DVD releases, but it sure would be nice to know some things, ie, any more Rawhide coming, what happend to the Big Valley, stopped in the middle of a season's release, were the masters available for M-Squad, any possible LITB complete season release coming, status of liscencing possibilities for such shows....

 

[cajunhillbilly]

so is it abandoned or not? I see Cannon just got released for season2, vol 1. Is that a good sign for Rawhide?

 

[Gary OS]

I'm sure people could quibble over whether to use the word "abandoned" vs. "stalled" but to me there's not a whole lot of difference. Let's put it this way: RAWHIDE is not on the schedule up through November of this year. That means CBS/Paramount will have gone a minimum of a year without a release of this show, which it was only releasing in split season sets to begin with. That's abandonment to me. Could they suddenly decide to pick it back up? Sure. Anything's possible. But right now all the evidence points to RAWHIDE not being on the studio's radar.

Gary "this show is one of my top 5 'holy grail' shows of all time so I'm really, really bummed about this" O.