Unsold Pilots included as bonus material (1 Viewer)

[Michael Alden]

I'm not a big movie buff but the two instances I know of:

Black Bart pilot included as an extra with Blazing Saddles
Meet Me in St. Louis as part of movie bonus material

If there are any others I'd love to know about them.

 

[Bob Hug]

Michael, interesting post . . .

Although they are of public domain quality, Alpha Video offers a few unsold pilots:

Tales of Frankenstein (1958): http://www.oldies.com/product-view/4278D.html

Hercules and the Princess of Troy (for an unsold 1965 Hercules series): http://www.oldies.com/product-view/4955D.html

Witchcraft (1961): http://www.oldies.com/product-view/4832D.html

And, of course, there’s the ten-episode Boris Karloff series “The Veil” (1958) available from Image and several others that was produced but not aired in the original half hour format. Apparently, the episodes were re-cut into several “movies” for later television syndication.

 

[Charles Ellis]

One of the season sets for The Doris Day Show has the pilot for an unsuccessful spinoff, I think Meredith Baxter was in it. Also, in the fifth and last season of The Brady Bunch, there was an episode called "Kelly's Kids" starring Ken Berry and Brooke Bundy as a couple who adopt three kids of different races (black/white/yellow), and you only see the Bradys briefly. Yes, it was a sneaked-in pilot!

 

[Sam Favate]

The Time Tunnel volume 2 DVD set included a pilot for a 2002 series, which as far as I know, was never seen anywhere else.

 

[Michael Alden]

If you watched it, you'll know why it was never seen! A group goes back disguised as soldiers to the middle of WWII. And 2 of them are women, one of them a black woman. That would sure help them fit in.

But back to my original post. There are many back door pilots that air as episodes of regular series but that wasn't really what I was asking about. It's the stand alone pilots that are really great and hard to come by.

 

[Tory]

Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 3 contains the pilot for Philbert, later released as a theatrical short and Looney Tunes Golden Collection 2 has the pilot for The Adventures of Road Runner, also released as theatrical shorts. Tabitha The Complete Series has a pilot for another, better version. From what I gather The H.P. Lovecraft Collection Volume 2: Rough Magik was a pilot for a series that did not take off starring Paul Darrow (Kerr Avon of Blake's 7 fame). The season finale of Punky Brewster Season 1 was a pilot for Fenster Hall.

 

[Harry-N]

On the same set as THE TIME TUNNEL 2002 Pilot, there's TIME TRAVELERS, which was another Irwin Allen attempt at a time travel show in the '70s. It aired as an ABC MOVIE OF THE WEEK.

A "snuck-in" pilot is on the STAR TREK second season set - the episode with Robert Lansing and Teri Garr.

Harry

 

[Ethan Riley]

There were two different pilots for "Cat Ballou" that were not included on the Cat Ballou dvd. Also, there was a one-hour "Witch Mountain" pilot that aired, but wasn't included on the "Escape From Witch Mountain" dvds. (I don't think, so anyway. It's been reissued several times now). And that one is a shame because Eddie Albert reprised his role from the movie. Maybe for the next format they'll put those things on.

 

[MatthewA]

Also not included were the original unaired pilots to All in the Family and Married with Children.

 

[Tony J Case]

The Doctor Who set "The Beginning" included the both the original pilot (where the Doctor was a right bastard) and the full unedited studio take of the pilot (where the Tardis doors wouldnt close and the like).

 

[Jason Sweet]

The Greatest American Hero first season set contained the pilot for The Greatest American Heroine, which obviously never took off, but had the original cast back to wrap up their roles from the series and pass the suit on to a woman.

 

[Bob Gu]

serialsquadron.com includes the unsold 1958 pilot, EL COYOTE, on it's ZORRO"S BLACK WHIP serial release.

Like BLACK WHIP, EL COYOTE featured a female Zorro type, played by 17 year-old Olympic gymnast Muriel Davis. In the action sequences, Davis duplicates a lot of the stunts from the Douglas Fairbanks, MARK OF ZORRO.

 

[FrankPitt]

There was a TV-pilot spinoff of the film "Steel Magnolias" which actually aired, but isn't on the DVD.

 

[Ethan Riley]

Here's something interesting: the new dvd release of "The King And I" (which comes out next tues., Nov. 7), will include the pilot episode of "Anna & The King" which I assume is the short-lived (13 episode) Samantha Eggar series of 1972. It's not an "unsold" pilot, but it's probably the only chance we'll ever get to see any of this show on dvd.

 

[Ethan Riley]

Here's something else: the dvd of "State Fair" that came out yesterday included the unsold 1976 tv pilot based on that movie. The pilot did air once and starred Vera Miles...it hasn't been seen in 30 years, until yesterday! I wish they'd do this sort of thing more often.

 

[Demis G]

Charmed also has an unaired plot SIMILAR to the official one BUT with 3 actor replacements I wish they include that to the Season 8 extras

 

[JeffWld]

lol....and I transferred my original 1976 CBS broadcast version of this last year-never dreaming it would ever see the light of day again.

 

[Pete Battista]

according to TVShowsonDVD.com they are wanting to include the unaired pilot with season 8.... but not sure they will be able to. I sure hope they get to though!