Tick, Tick, Tick, stars are getting old! (1 Viewer)

[Mark To]

I know that the releases are coming but you know a lot of these stars are getting old. Just a partial list of stars and their ages:

Larry Storch (F Troop) 81
Don Adams (Get Smart) 81
Adam West (Batman) 75
Jack Klugman (Odd Couple) 82
James Arness (Gunsmoke) 81
Barry Morse (The Fugitive) 86
Bruce Gordon (The Untouchables) 88
Barbara Billingsley (Leave it to Beaver) 81
Jane Wyatt (Father Knows Best) 92
Alan Young (Mr. Ed) 84
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. (77 Sunset Strip) 85
Robert Vaughn 71 & David McCallum 70 (Man from UNCLE)
John Astin (Addams Family) 74
Dwayne Hickman (Dobie Gillis) 70

I know many shows come out without any commentary but for those companies that do want to include it, its a race against time as many of these people won't be with us much longer and the longer they wait, the less chance they'll be around. At least look ahead to future releases and get their voices down now while these actors are still alive. Worry about the whens and wheres later.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Reading that post makes me feel unbelievably old. :frowning:

- Walter.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Another good reason to get moving on older shows NOW, and not LATER. Would have been great to have an ODD COUPLE set with some commentary/interviews with Tony Randall & Jack Klugman, for example - and now Randall had passed on.

Too bad the LOST IN SPACE set was so late, as we lost Jonathan Harris (Dr. Smith). Then again, it doesn't seem like FOX is using any cast interviews anyway.

Carrol O'Connor of ALL IN THE FAMILY is another case...

 

[Mark To]

I was speaking with my friend last night about how due to reruns people all seem to be frozen at a certain age. You don't think about the fact that 30, 40, 50 years have passed since these shows were made and how much everyone has aged since then. It's a good reason NOT to show performers as they are now. There is a fine line between nostalgia and melancholy. Looking at a show that you remember fondly from your youth is nostalgia. You see it and it brings you back to a happy place in your mind. But if you see these people now, you say, wow, they're old. Then you say, aaargh, I'm old too! So much for feeling good.
So if they do get commentary, keep them off camera

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

Ok, I was really surprised to see Adam West is 75 years old for some reason.

Although, the fact that these stars are getting old really doesn't factor in to the studio's decision as far as I can tell.

Did we take a look at the list of the top 10 selling DVDs of all time? Well, the oldest show on the list debuted in 1989, that being the Simpsons. That's right that's the oldest one on the list, if that doesn't show what kind of market older shows are dealing with then I don't know what else will.

Not every show, new or old is going to come loaded with extras anyway. I suspect that if they were going to do much of anything with some of those shows on the list, they'd either come bare bones, or else they'd simply use already available footage and interviews for extras.
Basically it comes down to this as well. Even if the studio could get these actors involved in the project for free, I'm sure there is a cost to producing documentaries and such that exists even if these people volunteer for the project. The more the studio has to spend on a given set, the more that set has to sell to become profitable, and I'm sorry but if you think any of those shows will hit the numbers of Friends season 1 (10 on the all time list) its just not going to happen.

 

[Tony J Case]

Jesus, this is exceptionaly morbid - and tacky. "I'm sorry Mr Doohan, but would you come into the studio and record a commentary just incase your Alzheimer's gets much worse and you become incoherent?"

Words escape me to express the level of bad taste this thread sinks to.

 

[Dan Rudolph]

James Doohan's wife says he loves talking about Star Trek. THere's nothing wrong with wanting to get his thoughts while the getting's good.

With the Star Trek actors, there's probably lots of convention footage that can be used, at least. Not so with other shows.

 

[Carlos Garcia]

Here's a picture I had taken with Adam West at an autograph convention a couple of months ago, he still looks great. He's very sharp too, so I think if a Batman TV show DVD set is in the works, someone should get Adam's commentary while he's still in good shape!

 

[Carlos Garcia]

True, that's like saying what CD is currently selling better, the Beatles White Album, or Britney's greatest hits. Just because the better shows may have come from an earlier generation, today's buying public mostly consists of the younger generation who mostly couldn't care less about the older stuff.

 

[Charles Ellis]

As a Dark Shadows fan, I'm proud that that the DVDs have interviews with the stars that were done over the years, mostly from the early '90s onward. Also, the recent Dark Shadows Reunion DVD not only has the complete Museum of TV & Radio cast and crew reunion which was taped for the 35th Anniversary (including rare appearances from Kate Jackson and Alexandra Moltke Isles), but also has vintage TV interviews with Jonathan Frid (The Merv Griffin Show- 1969), and the late Joan Bennett (The Mike Douglas Show- 1970), and actual TV promos Kathryn Leigh Scott did for local ABC affiliates in 1969. Now, this is a fine example of how a vintage TV show should be issed on DVD with extras. The best example of this right now is the Dick Van Dyke Show DVDs, which are bursting with extras!

By the way, Jonathan Frid (Barnabas Collins) turns 80 on December 2!!

 

[todd s]

Well, he doesn't think so. He is doing a convention in August billed as "his" goodbye to the fans. It will be the last time he will sign autographs and take photos with the fans at a show.

While, it might sound morbid. Some of these actors are proud of the work they did and probably wouldn't mind having their thoughts and memories preserved.

 

[JeffWld]

That kind of thinking has been responsible in the past for the loss of a historical perspective that can never be recovered.

 

[Jeff Jacobson]

Jesus didn't start this thread (or even post in it).

 

[Paul Miller]

Adam West has plenty of time left, he excels in situations where time is running out and everything looks impossible. ;->

Paul

 

[Jason_V]

I actually don't see anything tacky about this. Morbid, possibly, but talking death always has that kind of effect.

Remember, most of these people became household names because of their TV shows and they should be eager, willing and ready to put their thoughts about the show down on film for posterity. Not for money (although they should be compensated) but because that was a different era than the one we have now. Wouldn't it be fascinating to have Rod Serling commentary on every Twilight Zone episode? Gene Roddenberry on every Star Trek? That's not gonna happen now since they've passed.

And Jimmy Doohan...apparently still sharp as a tack and remembers everything about Trek. Maybe and interview and one commentary, or a group commentary...together one last time (sans De Kelley, sadly).

 

[Joe Karlosi]

But let's not forget that The Beatles' albums - all of them - will be here long after Britney is forgotten. It's a shame that "what's hot now" gets all of the attention even though its staying power for generations to come is practically nil.

 

[Deb Walsh]

On a more positive note, having Jimmy Doohan participate in commentaries, especially with some of the other Trek cast, might stimulate his memory. And having recordings of those conversations might also help to keep his memory fresher. It could be beneficial to him.

I haven't seen him in years, don't really go to conventions like I used to. But I remember him as a very enthusiastic, very positive and upbeat speaker. With his accent and mimicking facility, he'd make a really cool commentator.

 

[David Lambert]

Scanning through this thread, I have a thought. What's to keep any of these actors from investing a bit of their own time and money to record their own commentaries and interviews now, put them in a vault somewhere, and if later on a studio comes and asks for the same, they can just pay the actor for the already-recorded material. This material will be available whether or not the actor is able to record something later, due to disablement or death. It allows them to get their thoughts on-the-record, secures a possible income method later for themselves or their estate, and is something they can do "for the fans".

 

[Steve...O]

Thanks for making me feel old Mark

You bring up a very valid point. Turner Classic Movies has done a wonderful thing in taping interviews with various actors over the past decade discussing a myriad of topics. They run snippets of these between movies and occasionally you'll see someone who has passed on.

The same thing needs to be done for TV actors. Dave's suggestion is right on the money.

Some other names I've thought of and how old they are this year

I Dream of Jeannie: Larry Hagman (73), Barbara Eden (70), Bill Daily (76)
Bob Newhart (75)
Barbara Hale (83)
Richard Anderson (78)
John Astin (74)
Russell Johnson (80)
John Hart (the Other Lone Ranger) (87)
Eddie Albert (96)
Noel Neill (84) and Jack Larson (71) from "Superman"

and the list goes on and on....

Steve

 

[Tony J Case]

Hey - sorry for putting good taste and tact before a selfish desire to get an audio commentary track before Gomez Addams drops dead in his tracks. I just calls 'em as I sees 'em.