Kino Lorber has TV Titles from Universal… (1 Viewer)

[DeWilson]

Kino Lorber announced a recent deal with NBCUniversal for about 200 titles (See the Kino Lorber Insider Thread on the Blu-ray and UHD board) which includes (At least) 1 TV Series and 8 TV Movies.
I’m surprised it hasn’t been brought up here. They really haven’t said anything (as usual) about what the TV Serie(s) and TV movie(s) are or might be.
Anyone know the rights status to RUN FOR YOUR LIFE or T.H.E. CAT (NBC production property but that may be tied up with the whole NTA pre-1973 NBC Films deal which means CBS may have the rights)
My thought TV Series wise might be one, or more, of the MCA/REVUE anthology series – due to the large number of known stars – before and when they were famous – and the depth of the anthology library B&W and Color. I could see “best of” compilations rather than series for a wider selection.
Hey, Neil Brock, any thoughts – you are always insightful on this sort of thing.

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[ClassicTVMan1981X]

One TV show that is sorely lacking a DVD release as of late, that I hope K-L will tackle, is Still the Beaver, aka The New Leave It to Beaver.

This revival of the 1957-63 CBS/ABC series Leave it to Beaver had originally started with a two-hour made-for-TV movie which aired on CBS in 1983, which was then broken up into four half-hour episodes when re-ran on Disney Channel and later (W)TBS with the proper half-hour seasons.

~Ben

 

[JohnHopper]

Kino Lorber announced a recent deal with NBCUniversal for about 200 titles (See the Kino Lorber Insider Thread on the Blu-ray and UHD board) which includes (At least) 1 TV Series and 8 TV Movies.

I'm surprised it hasn't been brought up here. They really haven't said anything (as usual) about what the TV Serie(s) and TV movie(s) are or might be.

Anyone know the rights status to RUN FOR YOUR LIFE or T.H.E. CAT (NBC production property but that may be tied up with the whole NTA pre-1973 NBC Films deal which means CBS may have the rights)

My thought TV Series wise might be one, or more, of the MCA/REVUE anthology series - due to the large number of known stars - before and when they were famous - and the depth of the anthology library B&W and Color. I could see "best of" compilations rather than series for a wider selection.

Hey, Neil Brock, any thoughts - you are always insightful on this sort of thing.

Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974-1975), restored and released on Blu-Ray. I wish they could do it!

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I can’t even begin to guess but I’d love to see if one of our members can figure it out before they announce it. I wouldn’t bet against this group of TV enthusiasts.

 

[LeoA]

I'd personally love to see it be Emergency! on Blu-Ray.

 

[Flashgear]

As a few others have said already, it's likely a short run, one season show...to accommodate KL's cautious selection of what TV series will likely sell enough units, and being mindful of disc count and retail price point.

I'd like to see a whole lot of Universal B+W TV newly released on DVD, or upgraded to Blu, but I'm guessing Universal's 1968-69 Darren McGavin P.I. series The Outsider, 26 one hour episodes and the 1967 TV movie pilot. A great, groundbreaking series about an ex-con private detective, abandoned as a child and reared in abusive institutions, who suffers from his anxiety attacks, depression and perhaps alcoholism...if some of this sounds familiar to the later The Rockford Files, there's a reason, as both shows were created by Roy Huggins...The Outsider is the only Darren McGavin show that has yet to see a DVD release...like the immortal Rockford files, The Outsider is a great combination of witty humor and drama.

I've already asked KL about The Outsider...

If KL might do a longer running Universal TV series, I might hope for McCloud...only a re-edited season one with the uncut season two were released in R1 DVD...Madman released the other 6 seasons in R4 locked DVD.

 

[Lord Dalek]

Night Gallery remastered in 1080 pleeeeaase.

 

[Gary OS]

My list, none of which will turn up as Kino's choice based on their telling us it will be a short-lived series, would include but not be limited to:

Bachelor Father
Restless Gun (for better prints)
The John Forsythe Show
The Wide Country (for better prints)
Sheriff Lobo
New Leave it to Beaver (does Universal even own that?)

Gary "not going to name stuff like The Munsters that has already had a solid release" O.

 

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

Short-run, one-season-or-less, I'm going to guess it may be either:

Darkroom (1981-82, horror anthology, 7 hour-long episodes)

Cliffhangers! (1979, mystery/sci-fi/western/horror serialized multi-story mix, 10 hour-long episodes)

Otherworld (1985, family sci-fi drama, 8 hour-long episodes)

Suspicion (1957-58, crime/suspense anthology, 23 hour-long episodes) -but this last one, despite its Alfred Hitchcock pedigree, would be a real long shot.

I'd dearly love for it to be T.H.E. Cat (1966-67, action/drama, 26 half-hour episodes), my most-wanted 'grail' series of all, but I think Denny answered his own question in the opening post, about CBS (now Paramount) owning the old pre-1973 NBC Films series (which would also include Buck Henry's Captain Nice (1966, fantasy sitcom, 15 half-hour episodes), rather than Universal.

I hope if Kino does another deal with Paramount, they'd seriously consider excavating and remastering T.H.E. Cat from the CBS vaults, as it's a major cult gem awaiting rediscovery, on par with The Wild Wild West, The Avengers, The Invaders, The Prisoner and Kolchak (and, I'd argue, superior to fun shows like The Green Hornet, UFO, Honey West and The Time Tunnel).

 

[Darby67]

I would love to see Kino release Kolchak: The Night Stalker or Cliffhangers!

 

[David Weicker]

Well, Kolchak, The Night Stalker was asked about on the other site.

KL asked for and was denied (hinted that its with another distributor)

 

[TravisR]

Night Gallery remastered in 1080 pleeeeaase.

I think this or the remaining Alfred Hitchcock Presents/Hour episodes on DVD are the only things that are even remotely possible.

 

[Neil Brock]

My list, none of which will turn up as Kino's choice based on their telling us it will be a short-lived series, would include but not be limited to:

Bachelor Father
Restless Gun (for better prints)
The John Forsythe Show
The Wide Country (for better prints)
Sheriff Lobo
New Leave it to Beaver (does Universal even own that?)

Gary "not going to name stuff like The Munsters that has already had a solid release" O.

How do Bachelor Father (157) episodes and New Leave it to Beaver (101) qualify as "short lived"?

 

[Neil Brock]

Among Universal shows, which I don't have, I would hope for The Outsider, although having had the chance to view all of the episodes over the last few years at various archives, its not a great show. There's an excellent article on how the show was bastardized and had most of the violence edited out: https://www.tvobscurities.com/2009/10/tv-violence-in-1968-the-outsider/

A couple of shows, which are highly unlikely that I'd love to see, are 90 Bristol Court, with all 3 segments, 52 half hours total. Also, one of the rarest westerns, The Road West, which starred two of the beauties of 60s TV, Brenda Scott and Kathryn Hays.

 

[MatthewA]

New Leave it to Beaver (does Universal even own that?)

I heard that supposedly the rights are shared with some company outside the US that has been in some mergers since the show ended.

 

[Neil Brock]

I heard that supposedly the rights are shared with some company outside the US that has been in some mergers since the show ended.

Qintex, which went bankrupt: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1989-11-14-8911132743-story.html

 

[JohnHopper]

Among Universal shows, which I don't have, I would hope for The Outsider, although having had the chance to view all of the episodes over the last few years at various archives, its not a great show. There's an excellent article on how the show was bastardized and had most of the violence edited out: https://www.tvobscurities.com/2009/10/tv-violence-in-1968-the-outsider/

Very good overview of The Outsider. Thanks for the link.​

…

 

[mark-edk]

I concur with Cliffhangers and would add Supertrain though I don't know if it's actually a Universal property or not. Remastered Blu-rays of Ellery Queen and Kolchak would also get me to open my wallet.

 

[MatthewA]

Qintex, which went bankrupt: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1989-11-14-8911132743-story.html

The closest successor-in-interest to them is Sonar Entertainment, née Hallmark Entertainment, née RHI Entertainment. They're the same company that remade Gypsy with Bette Midler, Bye Bye Birdie with Jason Alexander, Call of the Wild with Rick Schroder (Qintex produced Lonesome Dove before buying the farm), and Alice in Wonderland with Whoopi Goldberg as the Cheshire Cat. Then they bought out Filmation and junked the negatives to almost everything and kept only PAL videotape copies. That and the 2008 Universal vault fire put a big question mark over it. Who actually got physical ownership of the master tapes? Universal or RHI/Hallmark/Sonar?

If Universal could come to a clear agreement with Sony about who owns what regarding Punky Brewster, then, in theory, they should be able to reach some kind of a deal for The New Leave it to Beaver. I just don't think they've bothered to ask because they're more concerned with who's streaming The Office.

 

[ClassicTVMan1981X]

Qintex, which went bankrupt: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1989-11-14-8911132743-story.html

That is correct, sir. I believe Universal regrets having even inked that deal. I wish they have regained full control of this.

~Ben