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THE MONKEES TV SERIES: Show Facts & Speculation About Possible Future HD Releases (1 Viewer)

Tony Bensley

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Still hoping for a "bare-bones" Blu-ray set for this series at some point. It seems like it would sell.
At this point, $30 per season or $50 for both seasons is probably the maximum I could scrape together, and even then it would be a challenge.

Of course, that's beside the point. I also think the above pricing wouldn't be unreasonable, given today's market.

CHEERS! :)
 

BobO'Link

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I think you'd be lucky if they were $50/season on a re-release due to all the music and its associated license fees. Add to that that it'd likely be licensed to KINO or Shout! and you have a recipe for an above average MSRP.
 

MartinP.

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I wanted to buy the limited edition set when it was released, but it wasn't feasible at that time. Of course, saving up for it was futile because it sold out and now getting one is even pricier if there's one to find at all. ...sigh...
 

The Obsolete Man

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I think you'd be lucky if they were $50/season on a re-release due to all the music and its associated license fees. Add to that that it'd likely be licensed to KINO or Shout! and you have a recipe for an above average MSRP.

I disagree with... well, most of that, outside the price.

Rhino/WB owns The Monkees outright. Songs, TV show, all of it. Bought it in the 90s. So, for a bare bones release, I'd assume the Archives, or another Rhino release. As for music licensing, well, they own it, so either no licensing fees, or they shuffle money around from company to company.

However, like Star Trek, fans are used to paying a Monkees Tax for stuff, so with the LE being $200, I could see the regular release being at least $100.
 

Tony Bensley

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I disagree with... well, most of that, outside the price.

Rhino/WB owns The Monkees outright. Songs, TV show, all of it. Bought it in the 90s. So, for a bare bones release, I'd assume the Archives, or another Rhino release. As for music licensing, well, they own it, so either no licensing fees, or they shuffle money around from company to company.

However, like Star Trek, fans are used to paying a Monkees Tax for stuff, so with the LE being $200, I could see the regular release being at least $100.
The benchmark I considered at least in part, was the barebones BATMAN '66 Blu-ray release, which was around $100 for 120 episodes, and that series was "Riddled" (Get it?) with clearance issues. THE MONKEES TV series totals 58 episodes, albeit, assuming that the multiple alternate soundtracks from the NBC summer reruns and ABC Saturday Morning broadcasts were included in a bare bones Blu-ray release, that could drive up the price point, I suppose.

CHEERS! :)
 

Tony Bensley

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I think you'd be lucky if they were $50/season on a re-release due to all the music and its associated license fees. Add to that that it'd likely be licensed to KINO or Shout! and you have a recipe for an above average MSRP.
If licensed to either KINO or Shout!, I'm inclined to agree that $50 a season would likely be pretty accurate.

CHEERS! :)
 

The Obsolete Man

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The benchmark I considered at least in part, was the barebones BATMAN '66 Blu-ray release, which was around $100 for 120 episodes, and that series was "Riddled" (Get it?) with clearance issues. THE MONKEES TV series totals 58 episodes, albeit, assuming that the multiple alternate soundtracks from the NBC summer reruns and ABC Saturday Morning broadcasts were included in a bare bones Blu-ray release, that could drive up the price point, I suppose.

CHEERS! :)

The way I read the LE Box stuff, the 10th disc with the Johnny Cash Show stuff and all those extras was the exclusive disc. So a "bare bones" release would be the rest of the set as is, including Head.

But that's just how I read it.
 

Mark Y

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While my recent viewings for most of THE MONKEES Episodes remain fairly fresh, I will try to post some observations (Along with a few DVD screenshots!), as they relate to the series, the Kellogg's commercial spots within the select episodes (Along with the Season 1 Bonus Features, which also include a couple of Yardley's Of London spots!), and the 33 1/3 REVOLUTIONS PER MONKEE (1969) TV Special.

For those who were able to purchase the ultra expensive limited edition Blu-ray series sets, please feel free to weigh in with comparisons!

CHEERS! :)

Well, I can tell you a few differences. First of all, the sponsor stuff in the shows mostly didn't make the cut for the Blu-Rays. The cereal boxes in the closing credits are all absent. There is an early episode, I think "Monkee Vs. Machine " which has audio commentary by Peter Tork (repeated from the DVD releases) and he specifically comments on the cereal boxes in the closing, but they aren't there. Speaking of audio commentary, the pauses in between scenes (where the commercial breaks would have gone) are longer on the Blu-Rays than the DVDs so there is some manipulation to the audio commentary tracks to accommodate this.

The few shows which retain the opening Kellogg's billboards are all ones with audio commentary, and that may be the main reason those were kept in.

AV quality on the shows is as flawless as it's ever going to be, and it's wonderful to have the original Screen Gems closing logos at the end of the shows. However, I do recall one or two episodes (I would have to go back and check which ones) where there is some kind of technical glitch and several seconds of the beginning of a scene are missing after the spot where a break would have been. "Monkee Mayor" might be one where this happens.

Also, although the extras on the Blu-Ray set generally blow the DVD extras away, there are a few DVD extras which didn't translate to the Blu-Ray set. Off the top of my head, these include two comedy skits from "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour," some NBC News film of the Monkees in New York, and a few "Easter Egg" interviews with guest stars.

There are some alternate songs included from the 1967 and 1969 reruns. These are from 35mm film footage from Andrew Sandoval's personal collection and are only there because he made it happen. Sony still retains all the best film elements and they very likely have more -- some slipped out on cable reruns since the 1980s -- but IIRC, Andrew stated the extras were done after the remastering of the episodes was finished, and Sony declined to go back to look for the alternate song footage. There actually had been talk of re-creating them by newly dubbing the replacement songs in, but Andrew pushed for only authentic material to be included. It's a good thing too, since so many of the songs used on the show were unique mixes and/or unique edits, and I can't imagine they all would have been presented accurately.

The bonus disc is actually the best thing in the set, including much material that's never been previously available, or not seen since it originally aired.
 

Tony Bensley

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Well, I can tell you a few differences. First of all, the sponsor stuff in the shows mostly didn't make the cut for the Blu-Rays. The cereal boxes in the closing credits are all absent. There is an early episode, I think "Monkee Vs. Machine " which has audio commentary by Peter Tork (repeated from the DVD releases) and he specifically comments on the cereal boxes in the closing, but they aren't there. Speaking of audio commentary, the pauses in between scenes (where the commercial breaks would have gone) are longer on the Blu-Rays than the DVDs so there is some manipulation to the audio commentary tracks to accommodate this.

The few shows which retain the opening Kellogg's billboards are all ones with audio commentary, and that may be the main reason those were kept in.

AV quality on the shows is as flawless as it's ever going to be, and it's wonderful to have the original Screen Gems closing logos at the end of the shows. However, I do recall one or two episodes (I would have to go back and check which ones) where there is some kind of technical glitch and several seconds of the beginning of a scene are missing after the spot where a break would have been. "Monkee Mayor" might be one where this happens.

Also, although the extras on the Blu-Ray set generally blow the DVD extras away, there are a few DVD extras which didn't translate to the Blu-Ray set. Off the top of my head, these include two comedy skits from "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour," some NBC News film of the Monkees in New York, and a few "Easter Egg" interviews with guest stars.

There are some alternate songs included from the 1967 and 1969 reruns. These are from 35mm film footage from Andrew Sandoval's personal collection and are only there because he made it happen. Sony still retains all the best film elements and they very likely have more -- some slipped out on cable reruns since the 1980s -- but IIRC, Andrew stated the extras were done after the remastering of the episodes was finished, and Sony declined to go back to look for the alternate song footage. There actually had been talk of re-creating them by newly dubbing the replacement songs in, but Andrew pushed for only authentic material to be included. It's a good thing too, since so many of the songs used on the show were unique mixes and/or unique edits, and I can't imagine they all would have been presented accurately.

The bonus disc is actually the best thing in the set, including much material that's never been previously available, or not seen since it originally aired.
Thank you for your exhaustive comparisons, Mark!

This is quite a mixed bag, to be sure!

Insofar as the series itself, for me ideally, I think the much improved visual quality, along with the inclusion of some of the alternate soundtracks, and the Screen Gems end logo would trump the missing commercial spots and cereal labelled closing credits, along with the one or two episodes affected by technical glitches.

That said, I have a couple of questions regarding the bonus features:

Weren't the two Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour sketches included within the complete GCGH episodes that are included on the bonus disc?

It's my understanding that the Jerry Lee Lewis "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" performance from 33 1/3 REVOLUTIONS PER MONKEE (1969) was cut from the Blu-ray release due to music clearance issues. Is the edit this created very noticeable, and how does the sound quality of this special compare with the DVD version?

CHEERS! :)
 

Dave Jessup

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Chiming in because I just finished watching my copy of the blu-ray box set...

The 20 to 25 seconds or so of absent Jerry Lee Lewis wasn't especially noticeable; I ran the sequences back to back (blu / DVD) for comparison. Unfortunately I wasn't checking sound quality carefully, so I can't give you a definitive answer there; I didn't notice a vast difference but your ears may vary. It'll be a while before I can face looking at that program again (and I saw it on its network airing).

That blu-ray disc does include what's labeled as an "edited" version of "33 1/3..." which - to my surprise - appears to be a transfer of an NBC reference tape of the program as aired, commercials included. (Missing are the NBC peacock and snake, along with JLL's twenty-odd seconds of footage.)

I'd already decided to keep the Rhino DVD boxes for completeness' sake; seeing mention of sponsor pix missing from the end credits reinforces that.
 

Tony Bensley

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Chiming in because I just finished watching my copy of the blu-ray box set...

The 20 to 25 seconds or so of absent Jerry Lee Lewis wasn't especially noticeable; I ran the sequences back to back (blu / DVD) for comparison. Unfortunately I wasn't checking sound quality carefully, so I can't give you a definitive answer there; I didn't notice a vast difference but your ears may vary. It'll be a while before I can face looking at that program again (and I saw it on its network airing).

That blu-ray disc does include what's labeled as an "edited" version of "33 1/3..." which - to my surprise - appears to be a transfer of an NBC reference tape of the program as aired, commercials included. (Missing are the NBC peacock and snake, along with JLL's twenty-odd seconds of footage.)

I'd already decided to keep the Rhino DVD boxes for completeness' sake; seeing mention of sponsor pix missing from the end credits reinforces that.
Perhaps also noteworthy, is the two separate DVD commentary tracks for 33 1/3 REVOLUTIONS PER MONKEE (1969) by Micky Dolenz and Brian Auger.

Indeed, some of the bits from the above special don't hold up terribly well, especially with repeat viewings. For instance, the ending can be best described as chaotic noise. That's my opinion, anyway.

Did any of the commercials stand out for you in any way?

CHEERS! :)
 

The Obsolete Man

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Indeed, some of the bits from the above special don't hold up terribly well, especially with repeat viewings. For instance, the ending can be best described as chaotic noise. That's my opinion, anyway.
If I recall the ending correctly, it was a magnificent live performance of Listen To The Band that devolved into crap.

So your opinion is mostly spot on.
 

Dave Jessup

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Tony -

None of the commercials stood out in memory, except for this: all of them had run often enough on network TV at that time that I remember having seen them repeatedly.

Didn't run the commentary tracks, so now I'm curious enough to sample it again...
...sometime. :)

And yes, after the preceding 45 minutes of variable-interest performances, I thought "ooo, nice!" when the acoustic "Listen To The Band" began. My younger sister (a devoted fan from early reruns onward) told me she was ready to turn the program off about halfway through that jam. (She'd pre-ordered the box when it was announced. I jumped on it this past January when my budget allowed and the cost was reduced by $50 for a short time.)
 

Mr. Handley

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Ironically, I never bought the Blu-ray set, because I thought it was WAY overpriced. Now, I'd gladly pay $200 for a copy, LOL!
 

Neil Brock

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As much as I love The Monkees music, I find the show unwatchable today, no longer being 9 years old. And the less said about 33 1/3 and Head, the better. I transferred my VHS box over to DVD in the early days of DVD recorders. My question is, is there any material on the VHS set which did not carry over to DVD?
 

Tony Bensley

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Tony -

None of the commercials stood out in memory, except for this: all of them had run often enough on network TV at that time that I remember having seen them repeatedly.

Didn't run the commentary tracks, so now I'm curious enough to sample it again...
...sometime. :)

And yes, after the preceding 45 minutes of variable-interest performances, I thought "ooo, nice!" when the acoustic "Listen To The Band" began. My younger sister (a devoted fan from early reruns onward) told me she was ready to turn the program off about halfway through that jam. (She'd pre-ordered the box when it was announced. I jumped on it this past January when my budget allowed and the cost was reduced by $50 for a short time.)
So, the commentary tracks are on the Blu-ray version, as well? Some tinkering must have been done with the added commercials, and minus the Jerry Lewis "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" track, then.

The Micky Dolenz commentary is definitely what I'd call...interesting! He certainly makes no pretext of 33 1/3 REVOLUTIONS PER MONKEE (1969) being a classic in any way, and I found some of it quite amusing! :D

CHEERS! :)
 

Mark Y

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Thank you for your exhaustive comparisons, Mark!

This is quite a mixed bag, to be sure!

Insofar as the series itself, for me ideally, I think the much improved visual quality, along with the inclusion of some of the alternate soundtracks, and the Screen Gems end logo would trump the missing commercial spots and cereal labelled closing credits, along with the one or two episodes affected by technical glitches.

That said, I have a couple of questions regarding the bonus features:

Weren't the two Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour sketches included within the complete GCGH episodes that are included on the bonus disc?

All that's on the bonus disc from the Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour are two music performance segments. One is a medley of (IIRC) "Last Train To Clarksville," "Salesman" and "I'm A Believer," and the other is a lip-sync of "Tear Drop City."

The DVD set had two comedy sketches -- "Touch Tone Symphony" and "Secret Agents." Apparently, there was at one time a limited edition DVD release of otherwise unavailable episodes of the Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour through his official website which included the show with the Monkees, but it is long out of print and expensive now. (The Monkees appearance was not included in the set released to general retail.) (Or am I thinking of Johnny Cash?)

It's my understanding that the Jerry Lee Lewis "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" performance from 33 1/3 REVOLUTIONS PER MONKEE (1969) was cut from the Blu-ray release due to music clearance issues. Is the edit this created very noticeable, and how does the sound quality of this special compare with the DVD version?

CHEERS! :)

If I didn't know about it, I don't know if I would have noticed it. As far as the quality, I don't know if there is a big difference in sound quality, I have never done an A/B comparison. But I know they did do some remastering from better video sources of raw footage when it was available. The sound is probably improved as well.

If I recall the ending correctly, it was a magnificent live performance of Listen To The Band that devolved into crap.

So your opinion is mostly spot on.

A different edit of "Listen To The Band" without a lot of the chaos and a more complete performance, is included in the set among the 33 1/3 outtakes.

As much as I love The Monkees music, I find the show unwatchable today, no longer being 9 years old. And the less said about 33 1/3 and Head, the better. I transferred my VHS box over to DVD in the early days of DVD recorders. My question is, is there any material on the VHS set which did not carry over to DVD?

I believe aside from a few cereal box closings, everything in the VHS box carried over to the DVDs.
 
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