What unsold pilots would you like to see released (1 Viewer)

[Bryan^H]

For MASH fans, wasn't there also a pilot for Radar at one point? Was it included in the complete MASH set?

Hopefully if AFTER MASH is ever released on dvd W*A*L*T*E*R will be included with it. I just watched the pilot on Youtube a few nights ago. It's OK.

 

[Vahan_Nisanain]

The three Mr. Belvedere pilots, predating the 1985-1990 Christopher Hewett & Bob Uecker sitcom:


Reginald Gardiner (1956)

Hans Conried (1959)

Victor Buono (1965)

 

[Vic Pardo]

The three Mr. Belvedere pilots, predating the 1985-1990 Christopher Hewett & Bob Uecker sitcom:


Reginald Gardiner (1956)

Hans Conried (1959)

Victor Buono (1965)

Without even researching these, I'm most intrigued by the Hans Conried one.

 

[phillyrobt]

HUD with Steve Carell and Joe Garage (not on IMDB?) to start with

 

[DeWilson]

The people who put stuff up on youtube are the people who are in the same category as those who sell crappy quality multi-generational dubs on Ioffer. Folks who neither originated anything nor spent significant sums to acquire the shows. Rest assured, no one who spends $$$ on a 16mm film print of a show is rushing to offer it up to everyone for free. Ask the people who put together the My Living Doll DVD what the film collectors were asking just to borrow prints.

I have a problem with the folks behind the "My Living Doll" box sets - expecting to get prints for nothing. Jack Chertok Television & CBS were careless in keeping track of the shows (do YOU really believe the BS story that the elements at CBS were damaged due to an earthquake at CBS Radford in the 1990's, but we never heard of any other series being damaged?)

The guy behind this is a flake - I don't care how nice the extras packages on "My Favorite Martian" was.

Collectors (and "Moviecraft,a well known legitimate PD VHS outfit who put out 2 episodes,and holds one Chertok TV doesn't hold and wouldn't met their reasonable terms - Grey Area release - did C-TV even have valid copyrights till the search began?) rescued and saved the prints and should be compensated fairly. Chertok's person crying poor over the years and the whole "we're not going to make money due to CBS's profit participation has gotten old.

Yeh, yeh, I know the whole independent producers didn't care about their lesser stuff back then, but now is different. But it didn't stop them from selling them to Hulu

This isn't a matter of Hoarding, this is a matter of fair compensation.


But I digress....

 

[Jack P]

(do YOU really believe the BS story that the elements at CBS were damaged due to an earthquake at CBS Radford in the 1990's, but we never heard of any other series being damaged?)

Uh, yes, for the same reason that I also know how flooding at an MGM facility I think which had some elements from the old UA films caused by the same earthquake ended up damaging beyond repair the original stereo tracks to the score for the movie "Hallelujah Trail" which were hiding inside a box that wasn't discovered for another decade, by which point only one cue could be halfway salvaged for inclusion on a CD reissue of the LP.

 

[Neil Brock]

I have a problem with the folks behind the "My Living Doll" box sets - expecting to get prints for nothing. Jack Chertok Television & CBS were careless in keeping track of the shows (do YOU really believe the BS story that the elements at CBS were damaged due to an earthquake at CBS Radford in the 1990's, but we never heard of any other series being damaged?)

The guy behind this is a flake - I don't care how nice the extras packages on "My Favorite Martian" was.

Collectors (and "Moviecraft,a well known legitimate PD VHS outfit who put out 2 episodes,and holds one Chertok TV doesn't hold and wouldn't met their reasonable terms - Grey Area release - did C-TV even have valid copyrights till the search began?) rescued and saved the prints and should be compensated fairly. Chertok's person crying poor over the years and the whole "we're not going to make money due to CBS's profit participation has gotten old.

Yeh, yeh, I know the whole independent producers didn't care about their lesser stuff back then, but now is different. But it didn't stop them from selling them to Hulu

This isn't a matter of Hoarding, this is a matter of fair compensation.


But I digress....

Flake is a polite way to describe him. PM me if you want some stories that will make your hair stand up. Suffice it to say that he is not welcome amongst the film community and he's lucky he's still a free man.


An article printed in the mid-80s had someone who spoke to Chertok and he said that he had all of the elements destroyed, just like Jack Webb did with the failed shows he had owned and tired of paying storage on. The fact that this guy posts all over the internet fabricating stories about earthquakes and prints squirreled away by private collectors is all hogwash. The producer himself said he disposed of the show. What more proof than that is needed. The fact that even 11 episodes survived is pretty amazing. Go see if you can round up 11 Noah's Arks or 11 Pete Kelly's Blues. He also pissed off every film collector he came into contact with by making idle threats to try to get what he wanted. Meanwhile the show was never copyrighted, although with the new Sonny Bono laws, shows from 1964 on have I think 75 years to be registered. Even then, without elements, I don't think its possible.

 

[Jack P]

I'm just going to say for myself that what Mr. Greenwood brought to fruition with the MLD set and also the upgrades to the My Favorite Martian sets over the lousy ones Rhino first gave us (as well as making possible a release of MFM soundtrack music on CD) is to be commended. My only major complaint is that the S1 MPI set that promised the original version of the pilot episode did *not* include it and that necessitated retention of the Australian region free version of S3 for that.


I would also point out that there is a difference in reliability when its "someone who spoke to Chertok" as opposed to "Chertok said in an interview". Even if the latter were the case, producers themselves can forget about what they have and where it is over time. Maybe both can be correct. The bottom line is that I don't think it's a particularly relevant point. I do know from other situations how that particular earthquake *did* destroy archival material so its not as if its a ridiculous thing to consider in the first place.

 

[JohnHopper]

Hunter (1973), produced and written by Bruce Geller and starring Steve Ihnat, John Vernon, Fritz Weaver, Sabrina Scharf.

Music by Lalo Schifrin.

It was an unsold pilot launched by the creator of Mission: Impossible.

 

[bretmaverick2]

Wonder what a njghtmare it would be for a studio to package unsold pilots together in sets of like 10 in terms of compensation to the parties involved??


I think some studios could put together packages by themes (western, super heroes, sitcoms) and the sales may be fairly decent.

 

[DeWilson]

Uh, yes, for the same reason that I also know how flooding at an MGM facility I think which had some elements from the old UA films caused by the same earthquake ended up damaging beyond repair the original stereo tracks to the score for the movie "Hallelujah Trail" which were hiding inside a box that wasn't discovered for another decade, by which point only one cue could be halfway salvaged for inclusion on a CD reissue of the LP.

I'm aware of THAT particular situation and damage at that facility.

Flake is a polite way to describe him. PM me if you want some stories that will make your hair stand up. Suffice it to say that he is not welcome amongst the film community and he's lucky he's still a free man.


An article printed in the mid-80s had someone who spoke to Chertok and he said that he had all of the elements destroyed, just like Jack Webb did with the failed shows he had owned and tired of paying storage on. The fact that this guy posts all over the internet fabricating stories about earthquakes and prints squirreled away by private collectors is all hogwash. The producer himself said he disposed of the show. What more proof than that is needed. The fact that even 11 episodes survived is pretty amazing. Go see if you can round up 11 Noah's Arks or 11 Pete Kelly's Blues. He also pissed off every film collector he came into contact with by making idle threats to try to get what he wanted. Meanwhile the show was never copyrighted, although with the new Sonny Bono laws, shows from 1964 on have I think 75 years to be registered. Even then, without elements, I don't think its possible.

i've heard a few of the stories about the guy, myself Neil I don't know what his mental illness is about fabricating stories of earthquakes and hoarding collectors. You got to love his tales of South America and Alaska!

Don't forget, it's actually 12 surviving episodes - the one that Larry Urbanski, at Moviecraft has that he wouldn't let go. (& Greenwood has badmouthed Urbanski for years!) Larry had another episode - both were on the VHS he sold for years - which they had so it's TWO prints of one of the 12 existed!)

If what I've read is correct, Post-1964, as long as the copyright notice is correct on the published print, then they are protected even without timely registration. although technically, by Chertok destroying the masters, there is an argument for abandoned copyright.

Wonder what a njghtmare it would be for a studio to package unsold pilots together in sets of like 10 in terms of compensation to the parties involved??


I think some studios could put together packages by themes (western, super heroes, sitcoms) and the sales may be fairly decent.

The Anthology series were full of unsold and sold pilots. "Zane Grey Theater" is a prime example! Except for the Rifleman pilot, all the pilots are there.

Any hope to see unsold and sold pilot are the ones part of the anthologies. Thing is, no one has shown interest in releasing them beyond "Zane Grey", and that's only because it was the only Western anthology!

 

[battlebeast]

W*A*L*T*E*R

 

[JamesSmith]

There are several I'd like, but I can't name them right now.

James

 

[spiny norman]

Some 10 minutes of "Beane's of Boston", the US version of Are You Being Served, showed up on facebook. Looks like it's from a very old betamax tape!
The US version of Dad's Army, called "Rear guard", is also around with a few collectors. Still no "Snavely" though (a US Fawlty Towers).

One of the few that I would really like to find is "Jake's Journey", a 1988 pilot for a fantasy series written by Monty Python's Graham Chapman. In "The best TV shows that never were" they classed this as one of the (very) few that SHOULD have been made. It had Rik Mayall and Peter Cook in it, too.

 

[bretmaverick2]

Probably original pilots for shows that were way different when they made it to air, be it cast changes or concept tweaking. Like BIG BANG THEORY or TWO AND A HALF MEN. Maybe a production company could bundle failed pilots of there shows.

Also pilots that didn't sell with actors that later became huge stars.

But I would def be open to buying some of that stuff.

 

[Neil Brock]

Would like to see the original Ed pilot which has him moving to Stuckeyville.

 

[AndrewCrossett]

Two unsold pilots based on comic book series I like... Locke and Key, and Global Frequency.

I've never been able to find the Locke and Key pilot, online or otherwise. The Global Frequency one did leak online and I've seen it, but it would be nice to get a formal release with some extras.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

I'm surprised MPI hasn't tried to get the rights to release the unaired WB pilot for Dark Shadows.

Unless they did try and it isn't available for licence.

 

[Charles Ellis]

My personal vote goes to (no surprise) the unaired 1963 Peyton Place pilot directed by Irvin Kershner. Personally, I would love to see a big boxed set of failed pilots done by the Warner Archive or Shout Factory.

 

[Osato]

LOOKWELL - with Adam West.

Many, of course, like Gene Roddeberry's SPECTRE (1977), were made-for-TV movies. There are several of those I know I'd like, but the half-hour/hour unsold pilots are interesting, too.

If I were an enterprising decision-maker at, say, CBS/Paramount or Universal (or Shout/Timeless or Mill Creek, licensing from a major), and the various rights issues weren't too complicated and/or expensive, I'd put together big, cheap thematic bundles of unsold pilots (sci-fi, westerns, crime/detective, sitcoms, decades) to sell, not unlike the 'public domain' multi-movie/TV episode collections Mill Creek and others put out, that later influenced the majors' release packages of catalog titles for a little while. I wonder if such things would sell many units, if the stars (depending on who you had to work with), genres and 'retro appeal' were promoted on the packaging, rather than trying to sell 2-4 select pilots in an individual disc release.

Actually, what amazes me a little is how most of this material isn't dumped more onto streaming services (Netflix, Hulu) as filler, and as a way to gauge consumer interest in it, to see if enough of the public might be later interested in purchase of this otherwise-unknown programming, either as pressed DVD, MOD or downloads.

+1 for lookwell!