[78-L] So what? was Re: Warner Home Video to release Shorts via Archive Series

[H D Goldman]

David, you are not alone.   cheers,

Duane Goldman

On Sep 1, 2009, at 4:51 PM, David Lennick wrote:

> Big deal. I saw enough Our Gang and Little Rascals on afternoon TV  
> in the 50s
> to last me a lifetime. I have absolutely no nostalgic pangs for that  
> stuff..am
> I the only one who couldn't care less about them or the Three  
> Stooges? I
> realize that's what sells, but boy it would be nice to have more  
> Vitaphones,
> Robert Benchley shorts (okay, I already have a disc of those) and  
> stuff with a
> little creativity to it.
>
> dl
>
> Steve Ramm wrote:
>> Just read this article in trade magazine. They discuss Our Gang but  
>> looks like VITAPHONES could be coming this way too! Note George  
>> Feltenstein mentioning that many of the shorts are ones they've put  
>> in as bonus features.
>>
>> Steve
>>
>> Warner adds shorts, TV series to MOD DVD
>> PHYSICAL: Our Gang first in studio's new Archive Collection  
>> categories
>> By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 8/31/2009
>> AUG. 31 | PHYSICAL: Warner Archive Collection is launching two new  
>> categories, classic theatrical shorts collections and TV DVD.
>>
>> Much of this shorts content, with its limited mass merchant appeal,  
>> has been seen on DVDs only in bits and pieces as bonus features.  
>> But Warner Home Video is taking advantage of the Archive’s  
>> efficient manufacturing-on-demand business model to roll out whole  
>> collections of theatrical shorts for the first time, starting with  
>> this week’s release of a 52-episode, five-disc set of Our Gang.
>>
>> These shorts, starring famous kid characters Spanky and Alfalfa,  
>> were released by MGM during big-screen news reels between 1938 and  
>> 1944. They shouldn’t be confused with the Little Rascals TV series,  
>> which starred the same actors and featured similar story lines but  
>> was controlled by different rights holders. Genius Products has  
>> streeted many Little Rascals content on DVD already.
>>
>> The Our Gang set is priced at $49.95, but will be offered at $35  
>> during its first week on sale. It will kick off planned monthly  
>> installments of one to two theatrical shorts collections on  
>> Warner’s MOD service.
>>
>> “We have 3,000 shorts, but we’ve released less than 200 on DVD, and  
>> only as enhanced content,” said George Feltenstein, Warner senior  
>> VP of theatrical catalog. “It would be hard to know where to put  
>> this [material] in stores. But the Archive can target the consumer  
>> who loves it. We’re taking advantage of the opportunities the  
>> Archive business model provides.”
>>
>> Also now available are Warner Archive’s first TV movies, 1973’s  
>> Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, 1974’s Bad Ronald and 1978’s The  
>> Bermuda Depths. These campy favorites, which all first aired on  
>> ABC, are new to DVD. Episodic TV will be added shortly to the  
>> Archive, Feltenstein said.
>>
>> “Consumers have been asking for these [films], and they were out on  
>> VHS but never on DVD,” he said. “They’ve been out of legitimate  
>> view for a long time.”

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