TV Movie Titles We'd Unlikely See on Blu-Ray or DVD for That Matter... (1 Viewer)

[Lasermanfan]

The old Prism label released a number of TV movies back in the day. Kino and Shout Factory have released some TV movies on DVD / blu ray. I have on Prism VHS "Little Ladies of the Night" 1977 teen prostitution, "No place to hide" Kathleen Beller 1981 thriller. Another Kathleen Beller thriller "Deadly Messages" 1984 was never released on VHS in North America, only Australia. Would love to see these on DVD or blu ray. Shout Factory released "Are you in the house alone" 1978, again with Kathleen Beller. I suggested to them "No place to hide" and "Deadly Messages" but they did not respond. There were a lot of good made for television movies back in the 70s - 90s.

 

[Scamp]

Murder Can Hurt You, which was a TV detective parody with Don Adams narrating.

A Howling in the Woods with Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman. There were some pretty good tv movies. At the very least, they captured my imagination.

--james

Have thought of "Murder Can Hurt You" many times in wishing for it to be released on physical media. Not familiar with "A Howling in the Woods", but the title is interesting and can't go wrong with both Hagman and Eden in it.

 

[B-ROLL]

There is still hope - Warner Archives released this one on blu:

 

[jayembee]

Yup, I'd think any TV movie with sci-fi or horror aspect has the best chance of release (& selling well), like, A Cold Night's Death on your list.

Or (also on his list) The People, which I have on VHS (a friend came across a copy, and gave to me for my birthday one year).

A couple of other TV movies I've thought of...related in that they use the same trope of pretending to be a "Breaking News" type deal:

Special Bulletin (1983). An astonishing movie from the Marshall Herskovitz & Edward Zwick team, about terrorists threatening to set off a nuclear bomb in Charleston, South Carolina. Ed Flanders and Kathryn Walker played the news anchors covering it. It was a comment about the way the news media handles threats of this gravity as much as it was about the threat itself. It was, at least at one point, the only TV movie that Leonard Maltin's movie guide rated "way above average". It was released on VHS (I have a copy) by Warner, and later on DVD-R (which I don't have, but I should look into that) by WAC. I'd love to see WAC release it on Blu-ray, but I doubt that'll ever happen, since (as far as I know) it was completely shot and post-processed on SD video.

Special Report: Journey to Mars (1996). Similar deal, about media coverage of the first manned mission to Mars. Starred Keith Carradine and Alfre Woodard. Not nearly as good as the previous, but it has its own pluses. Owned by CBS, I believe.

 

[jayembee]

Plus Willliams is sitting on TOM CORBETT: SPACE CADET and SPACE PATROL... Supposedly a complete run of All 210 ABC Half hour Space Patrols (UCLA is sitting on over 300 of the daily 15 minute local version!) and alot of unseen Tom Corbett shows from across the entire 4-Network 5 year run! (Nobody is really sure how many of The Corbett episodes, but it's alleged to be substantial - both the 15 and 30 minute versions - runs of story arcs for the 15s.)

Williams is also sitting on all of whatever episodes still exist of Tales of Tomorrow. I've got the three DVDs he released through Image/Corinth, but I'm not sure whether that's all of the extant episodes. I do recall taping a bunch of (edited) episodes off of The Sci Fi Channel back in the late 90s/early 00s.

 

[Worth]

Something Evil is available on DVD in Germany. Not the greatest picture quality, but watchable.

 

[JamesSmith]

Do our wishes get subtracted if some of these films are available on YouTube?

--jthree

 

[Dick]

Or (also on his list) The People, which I have on VHS (a friend came across a copy, and gave to me for my birthday one year).

A couple of other TV movies I've thought of...related in that they use the same trope of pretending to be a "Breaking News" type deal:

Special Bulletin (1983). An astonishing movie from the Marshall Herskovitz & Edward Zwick team, about terrorists threatening to set off a nuclear bomb in Charleston, South Carolina. Ed Flanders and Kathryn Walker played the news anchors covering it. It was a comment about the way the news media handles threats of this gravity as much as it was about the threat itself. It was, at least at one point, the only TV movie that Leonard Maltin's movie guide rated "way above average". It was released on VHS (I have a copy) by Warner, and later on DVD-R (which I don't have, but I should look into that) by WAC. I'd love to see WAC release it on Blu-ray, but I doubt that'll ever happen, since (as far as I know) it was completely shot and post-processed on SD video.

Special Report: Journey to Mars (1996). Similar deal, about media coverage of the first manned mission to Mars. Starred Keith Carradine and Alfre Woodard. Not nearly as good as the previous, but it has its own pluses. Owned by CBS, I believe.

SPECIAL BULLETIN is a scary, suspenseful nuclear terrorism film that doesn't end well for anyone (i.e. it pulls no punches). The DVD is pretty good, I think. I do not believe it would benefit much from a Blu-ray upgrade.

 

[maxfabien]

Bette Davis made several excellent movies for television. "Strangers", "White Mama", "A Piano for Mrs. Cimino", "Little Gloria...Happy at Last", "Right of Way", "The Disappearance of Aimee", and of course, "The Dark Secret of Harvest Home, along with several others. Some of these would be excellent choices for Blu-ray consideration.

 

[FriendlyGhost]

Here are a few I'd love to see:
LAST HOURS BEFORE MORNING - Ed Lauter
GOODNIGHT, MY LOVE - Richard Boone
GOLDEN GATE MURDERS - David Janssen
CURSE OF THE BLACK WIDOW - Tony Franciosa
THE DEAD DON'T DIE - George Hamilton
VAMPIRE - Richard Lynch

 

[Billy Batson]

Do our wishes get subtracted if some of these films are available on YouTube?

--jthree

Ha, happy to report that my wish, Goliath Awaits is on YouTube.

 

[randyoh]

I’d like to see A Death In Canaan (1978) with Stefanie Powers & Paul Clemens. It aired on CBS and even got an Emmy nomination. TCM has it listed on their site so it may be under Warner or Lorimar control. Just another film lost to time.

 

[JamesSmith]

Ha, happy to report that my wish, Goliath Awaits is on YouTube.

Still, it means something to have it on a ready made disk in my hands.

--jthree

 

[Desdinova]

I was dropping in to mention Daughter of the Mind but SIBIE beat me to it!

While I'm heppy to have the two MFTV movies of the Night Stalker on blu-ray, I'd love to have the series on blu, also.

 

[haineshisway]

Any of the great ABC Movie of the Weeks would be great. A couple of 'em got DVD releases - The Girl Most Likely to and Isn't It Shocking? but they don't look so hot. My personal want is Incident in San Francisco, with Richard Kiley, David Opatashu, and a lot of other terrific actors, including Christopher Connelly - this was actually a back door pilot for a series for the Connelly character. Great score by Pat Williams, too. I had a wonderful LPP 16mm print that I wish I still had. I think many of these movies were not properly copyrighted, which is part of the problem.

 

[Matt Hough]

The Girl Most Likely To... did get a Blu-ray release from Kino. I reviewed it here. I'd love to see many others that have been mentioned here get the Blu-ray treatment.

 

[JamesSmith]

How many of these tv movies were owned by WB? If they were made by Warner's, there is a greater chance that the Archives might put them out? Anybody guess a percentage?

--jthree

 

[B-ROLL]

How many of these tv movies were owned by WB? If they were made by Warner's, there is a greater chance that the Archives might put them out? Anybody guess a percentage?

--jthree

Hard to guess -
Here is a list from wikipedia

This list is only Warner Television -other entities (HBO, Hanna-Barbera, Lorimar) are listed below this list at the link above -​

​

Television films and specials​

Warner Bros. Television​

• Crosscurrent (1971)
• Probe (1972) (co-production with Leslie Stevens Productions)
• The Eyes of Charles Sand (1972)
• Climb An Angry Mountain (1972)
• Genesis II (1973) (co-production with Norway Productions) *
• The Third Girl from the Left (1973)
• Deliver Us from Evil (1973)
• Cry Rape! (1973) (co-production with Leonard Freeman Production)
• Key West (1973)
• Smile Jenny, You're Dead (1974)
• Wonder Woman (1974) *
• Sidekicks (1974) (co-production with Cherokee Productions)
• Planet Earth (1974) *
• The Healers (1974)
• The F.B.I. Story: The FBI Versus Alvin Karpis, Public Enemy Number One (1974) (co-production with Quinn Martin Productions)
• Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the ku Klux Klan (1975) (co-production with Quinn Martin Productions)
• Search for the Gods (1975) (co-production with The Douglas S. Cramer Company)
• Black Bart (1975)
• Death Among Friends (1975) (co-production with The Douglas S. Cramer Company)
• Strange New World (1975)
• Brinks: The Great Robbery (1976) (co-production with Quinn Martin Productions)
• Panache (1976)
• The Dark Side of Innocence (1976)
• Mayday at 40,000 Feet! (1976) (co-production with Andrew J. Fenady Productions)
• Carnival of the Animals (1976)
• Flood! (1976)
• The Possessed (1977)
• Fire! (1977) (co-production with Irwin Allen Productions)
• Bugs Bunny's Howl-oween Special (1978)
• Bugs Bunny in King Arthur's Court (1978) (co-production with Chuck Jones Productions)
• A Death in Canaan (1978) (co-production with Chris/Rose Productions)
• The Return of Captain Nemo (1978) (co-production with Irwin Allen Productions)
• The New Maverick (1978) (co-production with Cherokee Productions)
• Zuma Beach (1978) (co-production with Bruce Cohn Curtis Films Ltd. and Edgar J. Scherick Associates)
• Katie: Portrait of a Centerfold (1978) (co-production with Moonlight Productions)
• Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery (1978) (co-production with Edgar J. Scherick Productions)
• How Bugs Bunny Won the West (1978)
• The Pirate (1978) (co-production with Howard W. Koch Productions)
• Someone's Watching Me! (1978)
• Champions: A Love Story (1979)
• The Corn Is Green (1979)
• Hanging by a Thread (1979) (co-production with Irwin Allen Productions)
• You Can't Take It with You (1979)[N 6]
• Dummy (1979) (co-production with The Königsberg Company)
• Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet (1979)
• Friendships, Secrets and Lies (1979) (co-production with W/R - Wittman/Riche Productions)
• The Memory of Eva Ryker (1980) (co-production with Irwin Allen Productions)
• Haywire (1980) (co-production with Pando Productions)
• This Year's Blonde (1980)
• The Scarlett O'Hara War (1980) (co-production with David Wolper-Stan Margulies Productions) **
• Fun and Games (1980) (co-production with The Kainn-Gallo Company)
• The Women's Room (1980)
• The Bugs Bunny Mystery Special (1980)
• Crazy Times (1981)
• Scruples (1981) (co-production with Lou Step Productions)
• Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy 'Satchel' Paige (1981) (co-production with Satie Productions Ltd., TBA Productions Inc. and Triseme)
• Fly Away Home (1981) (co-production with An Lac Productions)
• Golden Gate (1981) (co-production with Lin Bolen Productions)
• Sidney Shorr: A Girl's Best Friend (1981) (co-production with Hajeno Productions)
• A Few Days in Weasel Creek (1981) (co-production with Hummingbird Productions)
• Splendor in the Grass (1981) (co-production with Katz-Gallin Productions and Half-Pint Productions)
• The Marva Collins Story (1981) (co-production with Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions and NRW Features)
• The Children Nobody Wanted (1981) (co-production with Blatt-Singer Productions)
• Murder Is Easy (1982) (co-production with CBS Entertainment Production and David Wolper-Stan Margulies Productions)
• Victims (1982) (co-production with Hajeno Productions)
• The Long Summer of George Adams (1982)
• Divorce Wars: A Love Story (1982)
• Thou Shalt Not Kill (1982) (co-production with Edgar J. Scherick Associates)
• The Letter (1982) (co-production with Hajeno Productions)
• Bare Essence (1982)
• Missing Children: A Mother's Story (1982) (co-production with Kayden / Gleason)
• The Night the Bridge Fell Down (1983) (co-production with Irwin Allen Productions)
• Cave-In! (1983) (co-production with Irwin Allen Productions)
• Sparkling Cyanide (1983)
• A Caribbean Mystery (1983)
• Found Money (1983) (co-production with Cypress Point Productions)
• The Mystic Warrior (1984)
• No Man's Land (1984)
• Goldie and the Bears (1984)
• His Mistress (1984)
• The Bad Seed (1985) (co-production with Hajeno Productions)
• Murder with Mirrors (1985)
• Midas Valley (1985) (co-production with Edward S. Feldman Company)
• Thirteen at Dinner (1985)
• Between the Darkness and the Dawn (1985) (co-production with Doris Quinlan Productions and Entheos Unlimited Productions)
• Dead Man's Folly (1986)
• Kung Fu: The Movie (1986) (co-production with Lou Step Productions)
• Killer in the Mirror (1986) (co-production with Litke/Grossbart Productions)
• Northstar (1986) (co-production with Daniel Grodnik Productions and Clyde Philips Productions)
• Murder in Three Acts (1986)
• Of Pure Blood (1986)
• Promise (1986) (co-production with Garner-Duchow Productions and Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions)
• The Betty Ford Story (1987) (co-production with David L. Wolper Productions)
• Nutcracker: Money, Madness & Murder (1987) (co-production with Green Arrow Productions)
• The Spirit (1987) (co-production with De Souza Productions and Von Zerneck-Samuels Productions)
• Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story (1987) (co-production with David L. Wolper Productions)
• What Price Victory (1988) (co-production with David L. Wolper Productions)
• The Town Bully (1988) (co-production with Dick Clark Productions)
• Roots: The Gift (1988) (co-production with David L. Wolper Productions)
• The Man in the Brown Suit (1989 film) (1989) (co-production with Alan Shayne Productions)
• Bugs Bunny's Wild World of Sports (1989)
• My Name Is Bill W. (1989) (co-production with Garner-Duchow Productions and Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions)
• The Plot to Kill Hitler (1990)
• Murder in Mississippi (1990)
• Forbidden Nights (1990) (co-production with Tristine Rainer Productions)
• The Face of Fear (1990)
• A Promise to Keep (1990) (co-production with Elliot Friedgen & Company & Sacret)
• When You Remember Me (1990)
• To My Daughter (1990) (co-production with Zacs Productions and Nugget Entertainment)
• Dillinger (1991) (co-production with David L. Wolper Productions)
• Babe Ruth (1991) (co-production with Elliot Friedgen & Company)
• Prisoner of Honor (1991) (co-production with Dreyfuss / James Productions and Etude)
• Survive the Savage Sea (1992) (co-production with Von Zerneck-Sertner Films)
• Taking Back My Life: The Nancy Ziegenmeyer Story (1992) (co-production with Elliot Friedgen & Company and Lytte Heshty Production)
• A House of Secrets and Lies (1992) (co-production with Chris/Rose Productions and Elliot Friedgen & Company)
• Empire City (1992)
• The Sands of Time (1992) (co-production with Dove Audio)
• Condition: Critical (1992) (co-production with Toots Productions)
• Killer Rules (1993) (co-production with Lee Rich Company)
• The Flood: Who Will Save Our Children? (1993) (co-production with Wolper Productions and Film Queensland)
• I'll Fly Away: Then and Now (1993) (co-production with Brand/Falsey Productions)
• No Child of Mine (1993) (co-production with Bonnie Raskin Productions and Green/Epstein Productions)
• Fatal Deception: Mrs. Lee Harvey Oswald (1993) (co-production with Elliot Friedgen & Company, David L. Wolper Productions and Bernard Sofronski Productions)
• Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman (1993)
• A Cool Like That Christmas (1993)
• Lies of the Heart: The Story of Laurie Kellogg (1994) (co-production with MDT Productions and Daniel H. Blatt Productions)
• Beyond Obsession (1994)
• Where Are My Children (1994) (co-production with Andrea Baynes Productions)
• The Innocent (1994) (co-production with Grammnet Productions)
• Someone She Knows (1994)
• Beyond Betrayal (1994) (co-production with Daniel H. Blatt Productions)
• Without Warning (1994) (co-production with The Wolper Organization and Mountain View Productions)
• How the West Was Fun (1994) (co-production with Dualstar Productions, Green/Epstein Productions and Kicking Horse Productions Ltd.)
• Because Mommy Works (1994) (co-production with Spring Creek Productions)
• Spenser: The Judas Goat (1994) (co-production with ABC Cable & International Broadcast Inc., Boardwalk Entertainment and Protocol Entertainment)
• A Walton Wedding (1995) (co-production with Amanda Productions, Eagle Point Production and The Lee Rich Company)
• Young at Heart (1995) (co-production with TS Productions)
• Virtual Seduction (1995)
• Divas (1995) (co-production with CBS Productions and The Thomas Carter Company)
• Prince for a Day (1995) (co-production with The Wolper Organization)
• It Was Him or Us (1995) (co-production with MDT Productions)
• The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years (1996) (co-production with The Wolper Organization and Village Roadshow Pictures Television)+
• A Brother's Promise: The Dan Jansen Story (1996)
• Sins of Silence (1996) (co-production with Daniel H. Blatt Productions)
• Radiant City (1996) (co-production with Witt/Thomas Productions)
• Never Give Up: The Jimmy V Story (1996) (co-production with Daniel H. Blatt Productions and Sports Illustrated Television)
• Kidz in the Wood (1996) (co-production with Green/Epstein Productions and Pacific Motion Pictures)
• Once You Meet a Stranger (1996) (co-production with Michael Filerman Productions)
• Blue Rodeo (1996) (co-production with Lakeside Productions and The Paul Lussier Company)
• Childhood Sweetheart? (1997) (co-production with Daniel H. Blatt Productions and Lakeside Productions)
• The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! (1997) (co-production with Kudzu Productions)
• A Walton Eater (1997) (co-production with Eagle Point Production)
• Dallas: War of the Ewings (1998) (co-production with Lakeside Productions)
• Blade Squad (1998) (co-production with H. Beale Company)
• Border Line (1999) (co-production with Aviator Films)
• Fail Safe (2000) (co-production with Maysville Pictures)[N 6]
• The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood (2000) (co-production with Kudzu Productions)
• Witchblade (2000) (co-production with Halsted Pictures, Image Comics, Mythic Films and Top Cow Productions)
• Shadow Realm (2002) (co-production with Angel/Brown Productions)
• The Big Time (2002) (co-production with John Wells Productions)
• The Lone Ranger (2003) (co-production with Turner Television)
• Evil Never Dies (2003) (co-production with Coote Hayes Productions and Wolper Organization)
• L.A. Confidential (2003) (co-production with Regency Television)
• Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure (2003) (co-production with Elliot Friedgan & Company and National Lampoon)
• The Goodbye Girl (2004) co-production with TNT)
• Helter Skelter (2004) (co-production with Lakeside Productions and Wolper Organization)+
• Growing Pains: Return of the Seavers (2004) (co-production with Green-Epstein-Bacino Productions)
• Samantha: An American Girl Holiday (2004) (co-production with Red Om Films, Revolution Studios and Sam Films)
• Snow Wonder (2005) (co-production with The Wolper Organization and Without Santa LLC)
• Felicity: An American Girl Adventure (2005) (co-production with Revolution Studios, Red Om Films and American Girl)
• Avenger (2006) (co-production with TNT, Radiant Productions and Appledown Films Inc.)
• Aquaman (2006)
• Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front (2006) (co-production with American Girl, Red Om Films and Revolution Studios)
• The Year Without a Santa Claus (2006) (co-production with The Wolper Organization)*
• Sybil (2007) (co-production with Norman Stephen Productions and Wolper Organization)
• Innocent (2011) (co-production with Frank von Zerneck Films and Mike Robe Productions)
• Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love (2016) (co-production with Dixie Pixie Productions and Magnolia Hill Productions) +
• Hairspray Live! (2016) (co-production with New Line Cinema, Sony Pictures Television, Storyline Entertainment and Universal Television)+
• The Bad Seed (2018) (co-production with Front Street Pictures, Lifetime, Loweprofile, The Wolper Organization and Warner Horizon Unscripted Television)
• Critters Attack! (2019) (co-production with Blue Ribbon Content and New Line Cinema)

I have added the following notes:

* Released on Blu-Ray (Wonder Woman in WW Blu-ray set)
** Released as part of some Gone With The Wind blu-rays
+ Released on DVD may be out of print

Feel free to update if needed