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The Warner Chat 5/7: Official Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

Peter M Fitzgerald

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In addition to DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK, these four classic telefilms of the early 1970s would make a nice collection (all are from the Lorimar catalog that Warner controls), in the manner of Warner's upcoming "Cult Camp Classics" series of theatrical films:

BAD RONALD (1974, directed by Buzz Kulik (BRIAN'S SONG ('71), WARNING SHOT ('67), several classic TWILIGHT ZONE episodes))
--Scott Jacoby plays a teenage nerd who accidentally kills a neighbor's daughter. His mom, Kim Hunter, hides him from the police in a special hidden room in their house. However, she dies, and a new family moves into the house, unaware that the deranged son secretly still dwells there. Co-starring Dabney Coleman, Pippa Scott, John Larch and John Fiedler.

THE STRANGER WITHIN (1974, scripted by Richard Matheson (DUEL, THE NIGHT STALKER, THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN, STIR OF ECHOES, I AM LEGEND, SOMEWHERE IN TIME, etc)
--Basically a sci-fi variation of a ROSEMARY'S BABY-style plot, starring Barbara Eden as the expectant mother. Co-starring George Grizzard, Joyce Van Patten, David Doyle ("Bosley" from CHARLIE'S ANGELS) and Nehemiah Persoff.

DYING ROOM ONLY (1973, scripted by Richard Matheson)
--Cloris Leachman plays a woman whose husband, Dabney Coleman, goes missing at a roadside diner in the desert, and is threatened by the eatery's owner, Ned Beatty. Co-starring Ross Martin.

WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE GONE? (1974, directed by John Lewellyn Moxey (HORROR HOTEL, THE NIGHT STALKER)
--Peter Graves and family are the only survivors when the rest of the world's population is disintegrated by solar flares. Co-starring Kathleen Quinlan, Verna Bloom (Dean Wormer's wife in ANIMAL HOUSE), and Nobel Willingham.
 

Xenia Stathakopoulou

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Peter, if they are going to do a 3 pack set, the 3 that would work best are dont be afraid of the dark, bad ronald,the stranger within.Anyone agree ?
 

brett tolino

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Hi Ben,

I honestly don't believe that Warners are just linear bean counters, uninterested in what consumers want. If they were, they never would have spent 3 hours of their time conversing with fans, which is much more than any other studio will do.

I too was very critical of Warners but after reading the chat carefully, became much more aware of their consumer focus which is clearly missing in other divisions of the company. Hearing that they have every intention of releasing full shows on dvd was a comfort although many times, sales do not warrant subsequent releases.

For veteran shows like KNOTS LANDING, I just wish more thought would go into their sales projections. I don't know what their budget costs are to manufacture the show but clearly, music rights shouldn't be an issue because there is no music on a show like KNOTS. Additionally, the episode count vs price point and the fact that the show did not become the hit it was until Season 3 and on should also be taken into consideration when producing sales projections. These are important keys which need to be factored in when gaging whether or not a show is deemed successful on dvd.

However, like it or not, this is the way studios project their subsequent releasing. Like Matthew, who vented his frustration regarding Mama's Family, many consumers are becoming more and more troubled by the way series' are being released on dvd and it is going to start affecting sales one way or the other. So, either the studio is going to need to adjust their sales projections or we just may see the whole success of TV on dvd go right down the drain.

PS. At the very least, with studios claiming the enormously rising music costs of bringing these shows into home libraries, one would think that today, when licensing music to air on a current show, they also include in the contract that the license extends all the way to home video and not just for initial broadcast release. For older shows, I can see the red tape but on newer shows, music licensing should not be a problem.
 

Malcolm R

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...and Christine (Markie Post) arrived in S3 of "Night Court." So it's not until S3 when it really became the show everyone has fond memories of now.

I can almost guarantee if they jumped to S3 of "Night Court" and put a prominent yellow starbust on the front cover with the words "Christine's First Season!", it would sell much better than S1. I loved NC, but have little interest in the pre-Christine seasons.

I know some people will yell about observing proper chronology, but many classic shows struggled in their first couple of seasons before they became the beloved shows everyone remembers. Studios such as WB should start with the seasons when the show hit it's stride then, if those sell OK thru the finale, go back and issue the early sets for the completists.

I mean, who wants to buy "Family Matters" pre-Urkel? That's another guaranteed failure if they base the fate of the entire series on the sales of S1 without Jaleel White. WB should start with the Urkel seasons, then go back to S1 later if there's demand.

And while I'd love to own "Mama's Family" on DVD, I can watch syndicated episodes for free five nights a week on ION. Why buy them? I'd own them in a second if the DVD's were the full-length originals.
 

Peter M Fitzgerald

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I agree. I just brought up the other two films in case they are evaluating a (somewhat) larger set than what they're doing with the "Cult Camp Classics" series of DVDs. Bear in mind most/all of these telefilms run about 75 minutes each, so they could double-feature them, two to a disc. If so, a few more to consider (these were produced by Warner Brothers Television):

THE EYES OF CHARLES SAND (1972, Story by Henry Farrell (WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE, HUSH HUSH SWEET CHARLOTTE, WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH HELEN, HOW AWFUL ABOUT ALLAN))
--Peter Haskell plays a fellow who inherits ESP from his dead uncle, allowing him to see ghosts, glimpses of the past/future, etc. He uses his newfound macabre talents to solve a mystery involving the murder of a young woman's brother. Co-starring Sharon Farrell, Bradford Dillman, Joan Bennett, Barbara Rush and Adam West.

THE POSSESSED (1977, teleplay by John Sacret Young (CHINA BEACH, THE WEST WING))
--An exorcist, played by James Farentino, has returned from the dead to fight evil forces threatening a girl's school. Co-starring Harrison Ford (!), Joan Hackett, P.J. Soles, Diana Scarwid and Dinah Manoff.

SOMEONE'S WATCHING ME! (1978, written & directed by John Carpenter)
--A stalker torments a woman, played by Lauren Hutton, from a building facing her apartment. Co-starring Bavid Birney & Adrienne Barbeau.
 

Gary OS

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I appreciate the Warner Bros. folks coming out last night and participating in the chat. That was wonderful. Having said all that, I think that after hearing that the company basically has no plans to release any of their older classics (pre '70s stuff) I'd have to rate WB as either the worst or next to worst studio when it comes to classic TVonDVD. For me it would come down to either them, Universal or Sony. Paramount is clearly king in this department and I'd have to rate Fox as second even though I hate the double-sided discs and split seasons. The only saving grace for WB is their animation department. And on the strength of that I guess they'd stay out of the cellar (where Sony and Universal are sitting). But if I didn't take animation into account, then they'd actually fall to the bottom slot because at least Sony and Universal have released a few decent shows from the 50's and 60's. Or they've rented them out. Right now the WB is sitting on a ton of great b&w shows, especially in the western and detective genre. And they apparently aren't giving any consideration to those shows at all.

Gary "to be honest, last night's chat was really depressing for a fan of the older shows like myself" O.
 

Jay_B!

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pre-70's? more like pre-1990's outside of Dallas actually, hell, I'd even argue pre-00's if you don't count Friends, Fresh Prince and Full House (yea, it started in 87 but it's more of a 90's show IMO).

Warner only knocks them out of the park with current shows, and even then they aren't always the best, much like them holding off on Everwood too long for the moment to pass, when if season 2 had come out around the time of the series finale, it would've sold well.
 

Peter M Fitzgerald

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They did say THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. was coming later this year, a mid-1960s show, with the first season being in black & white.

And when I specifically asked about MAVERICK, they did say they were "continuing to look at it" (which I take as, at least, slightly better news than, say, "We have no plans whatsoever for MAVERICK, so buzz off, you oily little freak."). :)

Maybe if Paramount's releases of GUNSMOKE, PERRY MASON, THE UNTOUCHABLES and THE FUGITIVE do well, WB will take notice, and give their classic black & white series a fairer shake.
 

Gary OS

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Well, I was trying not to come across as so extreme so I limited myself to the shows I'd really like to see. And those are pre-70's. But you're correct. WB, with very few exceptions, seems only committed to current or recently off the air television. That's why I really thought long and hard about putting them in my own personal "cellar" of TVonDVD. If I consider it for very long I may change my opinion and put them at the bottom in spite of their H/B animation releases.

Gary "their answers last night really bummed me out because the way I read them, there's no chance we'll see any of those great westerns or detective type shows" O.
 

brett tolino

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I see your point Gary and agree wholeheartedly.

It's really sad when you think about it. Granted, the demand for these shows are considerably less than shows airing today but the b/w shows from the 1950's and 60's are an important part of historical culture and should be made available, if only for properity's sake. The generation that these shows were special too are becoming older and older and these shows, like many from the 70's & 80's are NOT going to generate the same sales as shows released today but should be released if only to have it in print and available for library viewing reference.

I for one wish that studios like Warners would release these shows in complete series form, the way they did for Get Smart this way, the die hard fans have the option of buying the complete series outright because the way studios are gaging subsequent releasing, by sales of lesser popular seasons, is killing the whole genre.

On a show like Dallas or Sopranos, if either of those shows 1st and 2nd seasons did NOT feature JR EWING or TONY SOPRANO, none would sell in the numbers they did. Many shows took a couple of seasons to find their successful cast and as a consumer, I just wish more thought went into figuring sales projections rather than a general, across the board, if it doesn't sell xxx amount of units, the series is on hold.
 

Gary OS

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I don't know, Peter. I didn't get a great vibe with that answer from them. I wouldn't mortgage the house on them releasing that series - especially in season sets.

Gary "and yea, the 'Man From U.N.C.L.E.' comment was nice - but I'll wait until we get an official announcement to get too excited" O.
 

Peter M Fitzgerald

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Too bad WB's "TV on DVD" division doesn't take a page from Paramount, and Paramount's "movies on DVD" division doesn't likewise emulate George Feltenstein & co's treatment of WB's older film catalog on DVD. Then, eveyone would be happier (and poorer).
 

Bob Gu

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Except for Maverick,Warners classic Western hour series pretty much all appeared in shared time slots. (WB Presents, Cheyenne Show, Cheyenne alternating with Shirley Temple Theater) So even full-season releases of Cheyenne, Sugarfoot, and Bronco would be, more or less, short season sets anyway and WB could probably charge the same as any other full-season set. So there should be a way for them to make money.

I still have hope that we will see more Cheyenne and eventually 77 Sunset Strip. These two shows helped put ABC on the map in the fifties and are an important part of Warner's history in TV.

I don't buy the, "the audience is too old", "too small", "they don't sell" or "there's no interest" lines. If a company has a product to sell they should create interest and make it sell. I've said this before. It's not ninety year-olds buying Bogart and Thin Man Collections, it's people looking for solid entertainment and WB classic movies and classic TV shows deliver.
 

MatthewA

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Didn't they legalize cloning in Missouri? They can clone George Feltenstein and Paul Brownstein and put one of each in all DVD company divisions.
 

David Levine

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Yes. They don't currently license out anything, and that doesn't appear to be changing any time soon. :frowning:
 

caperchick

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I also participated in last nights chat, and was dissappointed with a lot of their answers. I was especially upset when I asked about Scarecrow and Mrs. King being released and was told it's under consideration. They have been saying that forever. I think this show would do very well in sales. I agree with what everyone is saying about them ignoring older shows. I guess if you don't sell as well as Friends, you are considered a flop and you do not get a second release.
 

jacktripper1

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You know, that's a good point. But, maybe they'll release a complete sreies set with those 2 movies in it?
 

Jeff-Wooten

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If Warners announced that collection today for release in Oct. 2008 (as you suggested last night), I'd pre-order it in a heartbeat today. Of course, I'd much rather see it for release in Oct. 2007 but I guess I have to be realistic here. I hope they seriously follow through with this. I know a few other friends who remember these movies and would buy 'em up too (and these same friends probably also buy Maverick and Hawaiian Eye sets--and we're in our 30s.)
 

Ethan Riley

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I love all those stupid movies!! Every school kid saw them on tv back in the 70s!!

For Knots; they did a major missfire in the first release. They should have just gone and done both seasons in one big box, like they did for Dallas (THAT certainly worked out well). Melrose Place had a big first release too, and apparently sold well 'cause we're already on season two. For whatever reason, they were very timid with the first Knots release and I think it backfired.
 

DeWilson

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I did end up attending and sitting through the entire chat last night ("DennyW" - Yes,I was the one who asked about the pre-1965 B&W shows) and enjoyed it very much.

The only surprise I had was that no one asked about "Mayberry RFD" or "Max Headroom". While I'm not a fan of KNOTS LANDING, (It is a good show) I do find it disappointing they will not be releasing the 2nd season anytime soon.

Add me to the list of people who are just scratching his head over the "we can only get the syndicated edited version" of MAMA'S FAMILY. Heck,do the un-edited master tapes even EXIST?

After some thinking, I've figured out the whole why X studio releases more TV product than Y and Y studio releasing more theatrical product than X. It comes down to how much they own overall Films and TV.

Let's call "older product" anything before 1975 - 10 years into the 'color tv era'. When I refer to older films,that's anything before 1980 or so.

WARNER BROTHERS has one of the largest film libraries of quality A and B films from not only Warners,but MGM, most of the RKO library,Monogram, Allied Artist and Lorimar. So they can afford not to exploit older TV product as they have so many films - a matter of how much they can bring to market,budget to restore films,etc. (Let's not forget Warners has the GREATEST Cartoons of all time as well - both the stuff from "Termite Terrace" and from MGM!)

PARMOUNT doesn't own any of it's pre-1947 films,having sold the rights to MCA TV in the 1950's, so they have only later films and television to exploit. They are doing a good job with the TV shows from the Desilu Library,the Spelling/Worldvision Library and the CBS,inc Library. This covers the bulk of pre-1969 shows as Paramount Television didn't really exist till the Desilu purchase in 1967-1968. (For the life of me, I can't think of ANY TV shows produced by Paramount prior to the Desilu purchase - I know they did lease space for shows such as "Have Gun,Will Travel" and "Bonanza" but did they do anything prior to the 1969-1970 season?)

UNIVERSAL,20th CENTURY FOX and COLUMBIA all fit into the WARNERS CATAGORY - 3 Studios also with Deep film libraries and more of a focus on older film product over older tv product.

MGM isn't even classic MGM,it's what is left of FILMWAYS and United Artist - That CBS or Warners doesn't own. As well as the ORION and AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL PICTURES libraries. They don't own much older product - and what they do own,they have released some of it - "Adams Family",a "Mr.ED" box, "Green Acres" and "Rat Patrol". Is there anything left? (outside of "Johnny Socko and His Giant Flying Robot" from the AIP Library.)

So, I guess if you look at everything from this point of view,you can get a better understanding of what we can or can not expect. Sure, things could change in the future - shows licenced out,older shows made available for downloads,etc.

Regardless of what is or isn't released, support your favorite studio - take the time to write real letters - not emails - and let them know how you feel about their releases. I'm sure they'd appreciate the feedback.

- Denny "De" Wilson
 

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