Wish for Maverick Season Sets (1 Viewer)

[Garysb]

I am really enjoying the uncut Maverick that is being shown on Encores Westerns. I assume they are uncut as they include a teaser at the beginning, which I have never seen before. They run almost 50 minutes.
I know Warners put out a sample set but nothing else. Cheyenne got a season 1 after a similar sample set. The show looks pretty good for a 51 year old TV show. Please Warner Bros release Maverick.

 

[changa]

Warner Bros have a treasure chest of classic TV Westerns and Detective Shows from 1955-1965.
They are a part of American Television History,which have also been recognised with various books for these WB TV Shows.
As of yesterday,CHEYENNE-The Complete First Season was still selling very well from Amazon (DVD'S Sales Ranking) in which they had to order more stock,as there was only 5 left.
There are no excuses for WB,they must release more of their classic tv shows or the people concerned should just hand in their resignations.

 

[Bill Thomann]

I definitely would go for Maverick in a heartbeat too.

 

[Steve...O]

At the risk of repeating myself, the absence of MAVERICK on DVD borders on dumbfounding. This is a very recognizable show with a popular theme and a very likable star.

Unfortunately James Garner's recent stroke now makes his participation on a Maverick set unlikely at best. That's a real shame.

Perhaps Paul Brownstein can pitch this to TL as a "complete series" set?

 

[Elena S]

I totally agree. And let's not forget that Roger Moore--James Bond-- was in it, too.

About the airings on Encore Westerns...are they completely uncut? The shows I watched were under 50 minutes and that seems awfully short for an hour program from the late 50s.

 

[Carabimero]

Yeah I have a set of DVDs made from Columbia House Videos which are very good--and it is odd this thread appeared today as I watched the pilot yesterday and episode two today. I'd trade my copies in a heartbeat for unaltered factory DVDs.

 

[FrosteyV]

They come in right at 50 minutes, which is the same as "Alfred Hitchcock Hour" which is more or less from the same era.

 

[Carabimero]

These copies I have are 49:40. Can't say they're complete, but have teasers and seem virtually complete.

 

[BobSchneider]

Hmmm maybe time compression? Well Id love to see Maverick on dvd there was a short time (freshman/ sophmore) in high school Old channel 9 in LA was showing in the afternoon episode of Maverick , then WWW and in the evening around 9pm I Spy , Ah those were the days . But serious I can figure out why Maverick hasnt come out on dvd ethier? Heck the could even get some english/europe interest int the release because of the early Rooger Moore appreances.

 

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

The episodes on Encore don't seem time-compressed to me. And if they were, I assume they'd clock in at around 45-46 minutes.

I have a feeling the slightly-shorter running time may be due to clipping off the opening WB fanfare sequence, showing a bird's-eye view of the Warner lot, with the announcer saying, "From Warner Brothers studios in Hollywood, bladda-bladda-blah...", after the episode's preview scene, but before going into the Maverick opening title/theme music sequence proper.

These "studio" openings are on the TV FAVORITES: MAVERICK disc (albeit with the episodes featured being from Season 2), and I think they run for what seems to be the better part of a minute. I'll have to pull the disc out to check, but I can easily see that accounting for the missing minute or so on the Encore airings, unless the first season episodes originally opened differently than subsequent seasons (I've only previously seen the first season episodes when TV LAND reran them during the channel's early, better days).

 

[ScottHM]

Seconded. I was very disappointed when the Maverick Television Favorites didn't result in the release of season sets.

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[Elena S]

Weren't television shows in the 50s generally sponsored by only one company per show? With a single commercial break every so often? If that's so, then a good 5 minutes is missing from the shows we're seeing now. Is there anyone who can answer this question? Perhaps someone who used to watch the show when it first aired, or has seen other hour-long programs from that era and knows about the advertising? I'm just not convinced that these are uncut, as 10 minutes out of an hour is a LONG time for advertising back in the 50s.

 

[Garysb]

I think commercial breaks were every 15 minutes . Breaks at the half hour were twice as long as at 15 and 45 minutes after the hour. The half hour break included local spots. There would also have been an announcement at the end saying this was an ABC film presentation . Also stay tuned for whatever followed on most of these ABC stations. This would have been after the show and not over the ending credits. There are also breaks between shows which included local sponsors.
A show might end at 58 minutes after the hour. There would be 2 minutes of commercials and then the next show started. I have never heard of an hour show running 55 minutes without commercials. I don't think 50 minutes is short for an hour show even in the 1950's. Of course this is just speculation.
Does anyone know of any hour shows from the 1950's that ran longer than about 50 minutes?

 

[GlennH]

I agree that 50 minutes seems about right. The half-hour Alfred Hitchcock Presents shows from the 1950's run 25 to 26 minutes. The Alfred Hitchcock Hour from the early 1960's run about 50 to 51 minutes.

I also don't see any reason why these should be edited versions. There aren't any commercials on Encore Westerns that would lead them to use shorter "syndication" cuts are there?

That said, I don't know for sure.

EDIT: I notice that the total runtime of the Maverick (TV favorites) DVD is 149 minutes (3 episodes). I don't own it but that's what Amazon.com lists.

 

[FrancisP]

I think that part of the problem is that James Garner only appeared in half of the season spisodes and left the show after 3 seasons. I don't believe that Warner is sold on Jack Kelly. When Maverick was revived, it became a vehicle for Garner. Also the Television Features dvd had Garner playing a major role in all three while Jack Kelly played a major role in 2 out of 3. Also the last 2 seasons, the show limped along.

 

[BobSchneider]

Hmmmm maybe all I know is maverick was lots of fun to watch and I sure if the show was treated with some repect (even the level of the Streets of San Francisco releases) alot of fans of tv westerns would line up to buy season sets of maverick. I know for example if cbs started up again with HGWT or who ever going to take over the Rifleman they are all sure fire buys because the story telling and acting of all those shows are far superior in terms enterianment and stand up to repeat viewing compaired to the run of the mill crap that pass off of tv shows today. Im sure there a audience out there the sets just need to be released.

 

[Tom.W]

I agree with Garysb and Peter. There were also bumpers leading into and coming out of commercial breaks in the original network versions: "And now for the next act of Maverick". A complete Warner Bros show, whether it be Hawaiian Eye, 77 Sunset Strip, or Maverick with all the
trimmings, would max out at about 51:45, maybe 52:00. Since Encore doesn't air commercials, these are the missing pieces, not episode content, I believe. Too bad they cut the opening studio sequence though. This has been the trend, going back to the ALTV/Goodlife airings.

Maybe I am forgetting, but did the vocals on the closing credits start after the first season? I noticed the early episodes used the instrumental version. Thought maybe there was rights issue happening with Encore. I seem to recall the vocals in the first season. I'll check my old tapes.

 

[Carabimero]

I tell you what these episodes are as smart as I remember them being twenty years ago. The collection I have is hit or miss in terms of quality, but man are these episodes good.

I just got through watching episode 3 "According To Hoyle" and guess who was in it? Dr. Richard Kimble's wife! Diane Brewster!

 

[silverking]

I live in the UK and don't get the Encore channel unfortunately, so can't say for sure, but I do have the Columbia House videos which were uncut & from the comments made ,it would seem the the Encore versions are complete except for the Warner fanfare & bumpers.

As for the theme song, this didn't arrive till S2. There were actually 3 versions of it, the first on the episode 'The Day They Hanged Bret Maverick',this was used only once Thereafter a more robust version was used for the remaining episodes on S2 .3 & 4. A third version was used on S5.
When the series was syndicated some markets dubbed this version over S1 episodes which were purely instrumental.

As for Warner Bros - their lack of enthusiasm for DVD releases of their vintage western & detective shows is deplorable. The market for them will decline year on year as the baby boomers age & there needs to be some movement now if they ever hope to cash in on this material. I am puzzled as to why Paramount can make money from their old catalogue whilst WB show such disinterest.

 

[GlennH]

Indeed, and it seems to be just the opposite for theatrical movies. WB does very well with classic movies while Paramount has largely treated their catalog with disdain in recent years.