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

[David Lennick]

Meanwhile, fans of the obscure, "Hangover Square" is on Turner tonight. Never 
seen that one..and I see they're setting aside Tuesdays in September to 
highlight Bernard Herrmann!

dl

H D Goldman wrote:
> 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.”
> 
> H D Goldman Lagniappe Chemicals Ltd.
> PO Box 37066 St. Louis, MO 63141 USA
> v/f 314 205 1388 thedoctor at discdoc.com
> 
>