The HitchHiker HBO -series coming to DVD!!! (1 Viewer)

[Walt Riarson]

I thought this too, Esten.

Especially since the re-filmed opening with Fletcher wasn't used for the episode.

Anyone know for sure?

 

[Louis_P]

How many episodes are on the Hitchhiker season 3 set? I can't seem to find this info anywhere...

Thanks

 

[Larry P]

The Episode List for the Canadian "Season 3" seems to be the United States Season 5 that aired on USA.

I bought this set thinking it was the U.S. Season 3, hoping to find the Virginia Madsen episode "Perfect Order" which actually seems to be part of Season 4, the only season Koch doesn't own apparently.

So instead I got stuck with the crappy USA Season 5; here they are:


1- The Martyr
2- In Living Color
3- Dark Wishes
4- Garter Belt
5- Shadow Puppets
6- Renaissance
7- The Miracle of Alice Ames
8- Code Liz
9- Her Finest Hour
10- Together Forever
11- Phantom Zone
12- Spinning Wheel
13- Square Deal
14- Part of Me
15- Fashion Exchange
16- Hootch
17- The Verdict
18- Coach
19- Hit & Run
20- Studio 3X
21- Striptease
22- The Cruelest Cut
23- Dying Generation
24- My Enemy
25- Power Play
26- Pawns

 

[Jack Connor]

Any updates on The Hitchhiker lately?

Season 2 getting any closer to release up in Canada? And what of Season 4? Earlier in this thread, the Koch rep said that 2 was the only one they didn't have the rights to. Does this mean Season 4 will be coming sometime this year?

 

[WaveCrest]

Looking at when the last post in this thread was posted, it's been over 3 years. What has happened since with The Hitchhiker on DVD? I remember a long while ago looking on Amazon at the listing pages for the US releases and getting very confused. The general feeling I got from the reviews on there was disappointment.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

My gut feeling it it has been abandoned, especially considering the first set was recently "remaindered" at Big Lots for $3.00, a far cry from its original retail price.

I think the US releases were doomed due to the (IMO) very high price for just having 10 episodes each, plus the fact that they were "skipping around" rather than releasing them chronologically.

 

[Bob Hug]

And Oldies.com is currently offering the second and third sets for $6.36 each.

 

[WaveCrest]

Just checked on eBay's US and Canadian websites and I can't see any listings for the Canadian boxsets of The Hitchhiker. All I can see are the US boxsets.

EDIT: Below is a link to one Oldies.com listing page for The Hitchhiker. Is this one of the Canadian boxsets of the show?

Hitchhiker - Seasons 1 & 2 (4-DVD) - Television on DVD (1980) Starring Willem Dafoe; Kirstie Alley & August Schellenberg; HBO Home Video : OLDIES.com

 

[Esten]

inetvideo has the Canadian 3 and 4 sets. I should be getting them in a few weeks. The Season 1 set seems to be very rare. Nobody has it.

I noticed between the US and Canadian sets, the episode Nightshift is the cut version on the US release. The makers have a commentary on that episode, but didn't seem to notice, though they did say this was their first run-in with a body double. The Canadian print is unedited, and runs over 3 minutes longer.

As I mentioned back in 2004, the third episode is cut, but I also found out that One Last Prayer is edited, too. It runs shy of 22 minutes, and has no cussing or nudity.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

Picked up HBO's volume 3 at Big Lots recently ($3.00). I've heard volume 2 was spotted at certain Big Lots stores, meaning all three have been remaindered there in the $3.00 bins for awhile.

Wish HBO would revisit this and do chronological sets (or at least, one big set with all the HBO-produced episodes). I was only ever interested in the HBO ones, anyway (couldn't stand the USA version).

 

[Esten]

For US season 4 (canadian season 2) all but 2 episodes are in the HBO releases. Doctor's Orders and Minuteman. So, if you can get ahold of the Season 1 Canadian set, get that, then you'd have all but 2 HBO episodes.

 

[WaveCrest]

TVShowsOnDVD posted a new news article on their website yesterday about The Hitchhiker:



The Hitchhiker: The Complete Collection - TVShowsOnDVD.com news article



Intriguing news, but will the episodes be uncut and unedited?

 

[AndyMcKinney]

Originally Posted by WaveCrest



Intriguing news, but will the episodes be uncut and unedited?

That's my worry/concern. Not only do we have to wonder whether all the nudity/language will be intact in the HBO episodes (after all, edited versions were distributed for USA Network reruns/US syndication), we also have to worry about whether they will know to include the three original Nicholas Campbell versions of When Morning Comes, Shattered Vows and Split Decision. After all, Koch released the later re-shot Page Fletcher versions of some of those three on their Season One set (probably were just using what Alliance sent to them).


I'm hoping Dave or someone at TVSonDVD has a contact at the company they can pass this info along to before it's too late to rule out mistakes.


It sucks (for me) that they're not splitting this into two sets: HBO and USA, because I have absolutely no interest in the USA episodes, but they're probably aware people might be like me and avoid those.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

Looks like Alliance's Hitchhiker: The Complete Series has been delayed yet again! It was supposed to street yesterday, but when you look at Amazon.ca, instead of 'in stock', it says "ships in 1-2 months"! At Amazon and CDPlus, they still give the previously-announced August release date, but I just checked out HMV.ca and they give September 20th as the release date, so looks like it got bumped again! With all these delays, I can only hope that means they took their time to make sure that all of the HBO episodes were the unedited original versions (and that the first three were the original Nicholas Campbell ones, not the ones with re-shoots).

 

[WaveCrest]

Thanks for posting an update. Still hoping that the HBO episodes are the unedited original versions. Had considered getting the Region 2 DVD which contains a few episodes of The Hitchhiker. After reading about this complete series boxset I had been looking forward to it being released.

 

[WaveCrest]

TVShowsOnDVD have posted a new news article on their website for The Hitchhiker:



The Hitchhiker: The Complete Collection - TVShowsOnDVD.com news article

 

[WaveCrest]

New TVShowsOnDVD news article about The Hitchhiker: The Complete Collection:



The Hitchhiker: The Complete Collection (3D front cover artwork) - TVShowsOnDVD.com news article



Like the front cover artwork. My concern is about whether the first season episodes (shown on HBO in late 1983) will be the versions with Nicholas Campbell as the Hitchhiker.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

New TVShowsOnDVD news article about The Hitchhiker: The Complete Collection:



The Hitchhiker: The Complete Collection (3D front cover artwork) - TVShowsOnDVD.com news article



Like the front cover artwork.

I wonder if this art is the real thing or just a mock-up. The reason I say that is if you compare it to the US HBO volume 1 release, the front cover (including slogan and even the guest-star list) is exactly the same in both content, photo composition and color, type style, etc. to the US release. There are very few minor differences which could have been knocked up in five minutes. Of course, maybe Alliance is 'sharing' HBO's artwork files like they did with Echo Bay on the Canadian release of Lexx: Season 1.

My concern is about whether the first season episodes (shown on HBO in late 1983) will be the versions with Nicholas Campbell as the Hitchhiker.

That is one of my two main concerns. The other is whether or not they were careful to make sure all of the HBO episodes are the 100% uncut HBO versions and not the edited-for-syndication versions.

 

[WaveCrest]

Originally Posted by AndyMcKinney



I wonder if this art is the real thing or just a mock-up. The reason I say that is if you compare it to the US HBO volume 1 release, the front cover (including slogan and even the guest-star list) is exactly the same in both content, photo composition and color, type style, etc. to the US release. There are very few minor differences which could have been knocked up in five minutes.

Of course, maybe Alliance is 'sharing' HBO's artwork files like they did with Echo Bay on the Canadian release of Lexx: Season 1.

A very fair observation. I would have thought that if Seasons 5 & 6 were being included (the set being called 'The Complete Collection'), the USA Network would be mentioned alongside HBO.

That is one of my two main concerns. The other is whether or not they were careful to make sure all of the HBO episodes are the 100% uncut HBO versions and not the edited-for-syndication versions.

Edited for content? Music substitutions? Title sequence and end credits altered? I've never seen The Hitchhiker but it is a TV series I've been wanting to see, and I do like anthology series.

 

[Esten]

The one thing still kind of shady is if this actually IS going to be the entire series? "The studio could not be reached for comment" on multiple occasions is weird. The price in Amazon.ca is also a little too cheap for 85 episodes, even if they are hal-hour. They'd need at least 6 double-sided dual-layer DVDs to fit the entire series. Until I see actual reviews and specs, I remain skeptical. Something seems off. In around 2 weeks I guess we'll see.