Blondie (1957) TV Series Kickstarter from ClassicFlix

[McCrutchy]

ClassicFlix are hoping to bring the entire 26-episode run of the Blondie (1957) TV series to Blu-ray, with new extra features, to boot. ClassicFlix did some raw test scans of the 35mm elements and even without being cleaned up yet, they look AMAZING. Just look at the video here:

Bring the 1957 Blondie TV Series to Blu-ray - YouTube

The campaign just began today and copies can be had for only $30, with other perks if you donate more.

Here is the link to the campaign, which also includes a video that provides more details about the project:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...die-to-blu-ray

[Starchild]

In for all I can afford to give!

[ltb2.0]

I am definitely in.

[ClassicFlix]

Thanks to all! Please share and tell others who love Blondie, Classic TV or who just want to support these kind of releases to pledge too (in what basically amounts to a pre-order of a title at only $30, shipping included).

And to those on the fence or who are not wanting to support this release because they only want the 28 feature films (as I do), I want to encourage you to support this crowdfund.

Why? Because there is no altruism for most rights holders when it comes to licensing their properties -- they just want money.

And while we don't have an inside track to the 28 films, what better way to send a message to the Blondie rights holders than to show that the Blondie franchise is still well-loved the world over and they're leaving money on the table by not releasing the 28 feature films, restored and uncut.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...die-to-blu-ray

- David

[McCrutchy]

Hey guys, I'm going to bump this thread for the weekend. Please try and spread the word about the campaign if you can. If possible, I would also link to the YouTube video in the original post as well, to show the quality of the (unrestored!) film elements.

I know many people aren't familiar with this series--I'm one of them--but we really need more classic television on Blu-ray. There are so many great shows that could and should be on Blu-ray by now, I hope we can make Blondie happen and at least crack open the door for other series on Blu-ray, too.

[Keyser Soze.]

This looks great.

I’m in.

[javi92]

Got my pledge in

[Starchild]

Please donate everyone! Hate to see this opportunity be lost.

[noirjunkie]

I kicked in. Hopefully the word will spread. I'd like to see more shot-on-film classic TV come to blu-ray.

[ClassicFlix]

Thanks all! Please continue to spread the word as I know a lot more people would pledge if they knew about this release and what it means for potentially more classic TV being released on Blu.

- David

[MifuneFan]

Not to be pessimistic, but isn't asking for 20K in less than a month for a fairly obscure show a bit of a hard sell? Like, did it really have to have such a short deadline? I hope it does truly meet the goal, and I will try and spread the news wherever possible.

[movieben1138]

Shared this to my fb a couple times. I'll be making my pledge come payday. I do hope this works out.

[deltatauhobbit]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Not to be pessimistic, but isn't asking for 20K in less than a month for a fairly obscure show a bit of a hard sell? Like, did it really have to have such a short deadline?

That's pretty standard, I don't see many projects go longer than that, especially since the middle portion of the campaign tends to be the lull. Most of the donations happen at the beginning and the end, with only a trickle during the middle unless they're running a really aggressive campaign on multiple fronts (think the MST3K campaign).

[ClassicFlix]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Not to be pessimistic, but isn't asking for 20K in less than a month for a fairly obscure show a bit of a hard sell? Like, did it really have to have such a short deadline? I hope it does truly meet the goal, and I will try and spread the news wherever possible.

We hope not. And as mentioned, 21 days is pretty typical.

Also, we've had great support our retail release of IT'S ABOUT TIME. And as much as I like Joe E. Ross (Car 54 is a personal favorite of mine), I think Arthur Lake and the Blondie franchise should be a much better sell. The price point is a bit higher than IAT, but having this series on Blu, with bonus features should be worth the difference for most fans.

- David

[ShadeRF]

Backed at the $40 level. Hope it meets the goal!

[movieben1138]

When I shared this earlier, I tagged a handful of folks I thought would be interested. I've watched the number of backers go up by 4 since then and I know for certain two of them were people I tagged. So...yeah...doin' my part, and stuff.

-Ben, the braggart

P.S. My own personal contribution is coming on Friday (a.k.a. payday), because I want to do the $100 level.

[hagios]

Pledged today for the Blondie BD! Looks like it might be my 'cup of tea' for this classy/funny show (however I do not think I've ever seen it ) from what I saw from that trailer!

[McCrutchy]

Well, we're several days in and the campaign has only raised $3,566 from 56 backers. I have to say, I'm frustrated. I really don't want a DVD of this material if it looks and sounds as good as what the example scan showed. It seems that TV series are always getting screwed over on the Blu-ray format, and as someone who appreciates good television, it makes me really sad, and it is definitely one of the most obvious deficiencies on the format, especially in terms of comedies, dramas and vintage series.

I've tried posting this on social media and a couple other forums, but so far, there hasn't been much interest as they don't generally discuss vintage TV shows. Sitcoms Online is one such forum I found, but it already has a thread discussing the release.

I wish there was more we could do to make this happen.

[hagios]

Originally Posted by McCrutchy

Well, we're several days in and the campaign has only raised $3,566 from 56 backers. I have to say, I'm frustrated. I really don't want a DVD of this material if it looks and sounds as good as what the example scan showed. It seems that TV series are always getting screwed over on the Blu-ray format, and as someone who appreciates good television, it makes me really sad, and it is definitely one of the most obvious deficiencies on the format, especially in terms of comedies, dramas and vintage series.

I've tried posting this on social media and a couple other forums, but so far, there hasn't been much interest as they don't generally discuss vintage TV shows. Sitcoms Online is one such forum I found, but it already has a thread discussing the release.

I wish there was more we could do to make this happen.

Very to hear this! It is a shame that more people do not enjoy classy, "vintage TV shows" enough anymore to get them on blu-ray.

[McCrutchy]

Originally Posted by hagios

Very to hear this! It is a shame that more people do not enjoy classy, "vintage TV shows" enough anymore to get them on blu-ray.

There are many possibilities for why the campaign hasn't worked, but the idea that people don't enjoy vintage television on Blu-ray probably isn't one of them, which is why it's such a shame that this probably won't happen. I was really looking forward to enjoying the Blu-ray quality.