Shout! Factory/Timeless Media discussion thread

[OceanBlue]

In the back of my mind, I could swear there was an existing separate thread for the Shout! Factory/Timeless Media DVD releases of television series.

This week, came across by accident a DVD release of a late nineties TV anthology series called Ghost Stories. I'm sure I remember reading reviews of episodes of it from back at the time during the show's original airing in the States (in UK horror/sci-fi/fantasy magazine X-Pose (they also did reviews of The X-Files, Millennium and Profiler, among many others). Rip Torn narrated Ghost Stories (I can remember Dan Ackroyd starring in a series from around the same time called PSI Factor).

Shout! Factory/Timeless Media did a Complete Series DVD release of Ghost Stories several years ago (all forty-four episodes).

Another series the labels have done a release of which I'm considering getting, is The Lawless Years (whose cast included James Gregory). Is this a release worth getting?

[OceanBlue]

Found out recently about a Boris Karloff anthology TV series called The Veil (aka Tales of the Unexplained). It's had a North American DVD release by Shout! Factory/Timeless Media (a DVD set and a steelbook).

[OceanBlue]

I came across the Timeless Media DVD release of Going My Way: The Complete Series recently (can't remember how I got to it, although it might have been when I browsing the Timeless Media section on Deep Discount). Am considering getting this series (call it a blind buy).

Does anyone here have this release?

[Nailwraps]

TMG/Shout! also put out most of the Gerry Anderson Supermarionation shows which I recommend adding, they are lots of fun and entertaining.

Thunderbirds has new transfers, 5.1 and Original Mono plus an exclusive documentary and a publicity booklet (in PDF format). Though if you have the A&E set(s), don't throw those out as they have exclusive material. Also note, The Cham-Cham's original Mono is in the correct pitch, but low-pitched on the 5.1 (also low-pitched on the A&E sets), save for the iconic theme.

Incidentally, Shout! should really put out more Gerry Anderson shows (especially on Blu-ray in the States) plus the 50th Anniversary Thunderbirds episodes (of which I was backer ).

[OceanBlue]

Professor Echo, would be interested to read your comments/thoughts on three western drama TV series which were released on DVD by Timeless Media and Shout! Factory: The Deputy, The Restless Gun and Tombstone Territory:

[Show spoiler]

[Professor Echo]

Thanks for the shout out, OB.

Quickly:

THE DEPUTY was terrible. As generic as it gets and largely Henry Fonda in name only, since he’s barely in the series at all. Some kind of sweetheart deal was struck just to put his name on it. The show has trite stories, thinly drawn regular characters and lots of boring trips to nowhere.

THE RESTLESS GUN I have never seen, but I bought the series anyway. I believe it’s based on a great old time radio series called THE SIX SHOOTER which starred James Stewart. John Payne is a very interesting actor so I can’t imagine the series isn’t at least worth a watch.

TOMBSTONE TERRITORY is really an excellent series with two relatively unknown actors who are excellent in their roles. The stories are often fresh and excitingly so and the production values are typically top notch by the great crews of ZIV, one of the finest studios in television series history. I highly recommend this one.

[OceanBlue]

Originally Posted by Professor Echo

Thanks for the shout out, OB.

Quickly:

THE DEPUTY was terrible. As generic as it gets and largely Henry Fonda in name only, since he’s barely in the series at all. Some kind of sweetheart deal was struck just to put his name on it. The show has trite stories, thinly drawn regular characters and lots of boring trips to nowhere.

THE RESTLESS GUN I have never seen, but I bought the series anyway. I believe it’s based on a great old time radio series called THE SIX SHOOTER which starred James Stewart. John Payne is a very interesting actor so I can’t imagine the series isn’t at least worth a watch.

TOMBSTONE TERRITORY is really an excellent series with two relatively unknown actors who are excellent in their roles. The stories are often fresh and excitingly so and the production values are typically top notch by the great crews of ZIV, one of the finest studios in television series history. I highly recommend this one.

Thanks for your prompt reply and comments/observations on the above, three western series. I had checked out Tombstone Territory several weeks ago. Having checked it out again this week before making my previous post in this thread, I thought the idea of it being about a newspaper made it stand out from some of the other western TV series made at the time in the States.

[Professor Echo]

WHISPERING SMITH is another very good Timeless release. A unique western with stories that revolve around Agatha Christie type mysteries. As such it bypasses a lot of the traditional western cliches. I enjoyed it very much and wish it had lasted more than one season.

I also loved TATE, which was a limited run series as a summer replacement show. It’s a very gritty show about a legendarily feared one armed gunfighter who wants to reform and would just as soon vanish into quiet anonymity, but keeps getting dragged into violent situations. David MacLean is great as the reluctant killer who can’t stop himself trying to right the injustices he witnesses as he roams the west.

[OceanBlue]

Have checked the database for the Timeless Media DVD releases of western series still on my want list that I can think of. Not in the database are The Tall Man: The Complete Series, Tate and The Texan.

I've been a bit confused about the front covers for some of the releases. I think I've seen on Amazon.com two different covers for Tombstone Territory and Whispering Smith. And regarding The Texan, there is a ten-disc DVD boxset of most of the episodes (for some reason, not all of them were included).