Heres An Idea.....VIDEO downloads of old TV

RetroSmith · 01-16-2005, 11:35 AM

With all the record co's getting involved with music on line downloading, heres an idea for the TV networks:

Instead of letting all that videotape in your vaults just rot away, Digitize it all, and on a rotating basis, allow people to download complete runs of classic TV shows for a fee.

I mean, if "Get Smart" were available now online, I'd buy it in a second.

And how about lost shows like "Im Dickens, He's Fenster" (Marty Ingals and John Astin) that NEVER rerun.......

The networks think that there is no market for stuff like "The Gary Moore Show" or old TV game shows. i think they are wrong. besides, putting it on line today is CHEAP. After a few downlaods, that cost is paid for and its all profit from there. i mean, whats so hard for them to understand that people would buy this stuff if it were available?

bencasey · 01-16-2005, 01:40 PM

Do you want me to list the problems with this? Okay, 1, you are talking about the entertainment industry, which has zero foresight whatsoever. Any new technology that comes about, instead of looking for ways to benefit from it, they look for ways to destroy it. It happened with television, with VCRs, with music on the internet, etc. 2 - The vast majority of people at these places haven't a clue what these shows even are. You think some 25 year old numbskull has ever heard of I'm Dickens, He's Fenster? 3 and this is the big one. It's not if they can make a profit or not, it's how much can they make. They are not interested in putting time and effort towards things that might make them a few thousand dollars. It's not worth it to them. They want to make millions or at least hundreds of thousands. Anything less they don't feel is worth their time. Sad but true.

RetroSmith · 01-16-2005, 02:08 PM

You know Ben, youre probably right. hell, if EMI wont digitize 94% of ITS library why would CBS?

Drifter · 01-16-2005, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bencasey

You think some 25 year old numbskull has ever heard of I'm Dickens, He's Fenster?

This 37 year old numbskull has never heard of "I'm Dickens, He's Fenster". :p

RetroSmith · 01-16-2005, 03:09 PM

LOL.....

Well, i'm a 45 year old numbskull, but i've heard of it.

Steve D. · 01-16-2005, 05:18 PM

I'll tell you who would make millions, The lawyers. Unless these shows fell into public domaine, just getting the rights and paying the licenseing fees would cost a bundle.

Now the trivia: "I'm Dickens - He's Fenster"
ABC-TV Sep. 1962 - Sep. 1963. Fri. 9pm.

Doug Sclar · 01-16-2005, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drifter

This 37 year old numbskull has never heard of "I'm Dickens, He's Fenster". :p

I remember it. They were carpenters.

JonUrban · 01-16-2005, 05:29 PM

I remember it too! Marty Ingles and John Astin. I am now wondering WHY I remember this show? I was pretty "little" when it was on.

Ed Bishop · 01-16-2005, 05:33 PM

That role probably got Astin his best-known gig, as Gomez on THE ADDAMS FAMILY....a show that, luckily, has been rerun a bit, and holds up very nicely.

RetroSmith · 01-16-2005, 06:07 PM

If i recall correctly, they were handymen in an apartment building right?

I mean, its like 30 years since I saw it last.

And while we're on the subject of old shows, I was crushed to find out that they put out a whole DVD set of "Heres Lucy"...........and my favorite episode, the one where Buddy Rich gives drum lessons to Desi Arnaz jr, was NOT included. You talk about depressed!!!!

Ready Steady Go · 01-16-2005, 10:03 PM

In "I'm Dickens, He's Fenster," Harry Dickens (played by John "Gomez" Astin) was married to the actress who played Mrs. Bellows on "I Dream Of Jeannie." And Arch Fenster (Marty Ingels) played the swinging bachelor. I found a book that lists some of the episodes. For those who may remember:

"Harry has been chosen to do a TV commercial for a tool company." (Guest starred Harvey Korman)

"Harry is in charge of the entertainment for the Carpenter's Annual Show."

"Harry and Arch find a strongbox in an old gangster's house."

"Arch is engaged to his latest girlfriend, but Harry doesn't think it is a good idea." (Guest starred Ellen Burstyn).

"The carpenters bet that Arch can get a date with a beautiful girl." (Guest starred Sally Kellerman)

"While at the Post Office, Arch and Harry find a WANTED poster that looks just like their friend Mel."

TimM · 01-17-2005, 12:00 PM

What I would truly like to see someday is a set up that would allow me to download things on an episode by episode basis. There are a lot of old shows I enjoyed, but don't really care to own ten season sets of. I think it would be fun to go back to a show like "My Three Sons" and just pick out 3 or 4 episodes of each year to see how the show evolved over time. I know this would be an huge data base, but who knows, maybe someday someone will give it a shot.

seriousfun · 01-17-2005, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve D.

I'll tell you who would make millions, The lawyers. Unless these shows fell into public domaine, just getting the rights and paying the licenseing fees would cost a bundle.

Now the trivia: "I'm Dickens - He's Fenster"
ABC-TV Sep. 1962 - Sep. 1963. Fri. 9pm.

Nah, I'm sure nearly all of these are still owned by one of the large media companies. There may be a few issues with music rights, creative royalties, and other things, but I'm sure most shows could be made available.

If we could just get the record companies to take Janis Ian's idea and put their entire back catalog out ther for 50 cents each...

RetroSmith · 01-19-2005, 01:51 PM

The licensing is not the problem, they do that all the time for other shows. The media companies have this thing thast they have to make over a certain amount of money on every license deal.

Its GREED that prevent us from seeing alot of this stuff.

seriousfun · 01-19-2005, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikey5967

The licensing is not the problem, they do that all the time for other shows. The media companies have this thing thast they have to make over a certain amount of money on every license deal.

Its GREED that prevent us from seeing alot of this stuff.

Don't get me started about MST3K DVD releases...

RDK · 01-19-2005, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve D.

I'll tell you who would make millions, The lawyers. Unless these shows fell into public domaine, just getting the rights and paying the licenseing fees would cost a bundle.

No, Steve is exactly right. Unless PD material - and even then there are legal/financial considerations - clearing this stuff, paying residuals, locating tapes, transfering them, etc. is a costly endeavor, involving dozens of people. It's one thing if they can move tens of thousands (or hundreds of thousands) of DVD box sets, but how many people are really gonna pay to download old episodes of "My Mother the Car?" Someday, when the technology is in place and d/l'ing video is the norm, then maybe this could work, but I can't see it happening anytime soon.

Now what I don't understand is why some of these old shows - even the PD ones - don't show up more on TV, where there's much greater profit potential. There's not much of it now other than old "What's My Line" eps that air late night on Game Show Network...

bencasey · 01-19-2005, 07:08 PM

It's very simple why they don't show up. Who do they appeal to? The wrong demographic. Anything outside of 18-35 is undesirable. So it's not so much a matter of price or availability but just that they are not interested in that audience. And I don't think too many 20 year olds would be flocking to see Adventures in Paradise.

TimM · 01-20-2005, 05:16 AM

It does seem like a time when someone with a little imagination could see the potential for a cable channel that shows more obscure old shows. TV land and Nick at Night are OK but they recycle the same dozen shows over and over. If someone would dig a little deeper in the catalog I think it would work, it's a matter of finding a niche and then servicing it. People over 35 have money too.

vanmeterannie · 01-20-2005, 06:43 AM

My wife and I both fondly recall the Nostalgia channel being on here 20+ years ago, and we're in our 30s. It's long gone, of course.

bencasey · 01-20-2005, 03:46 PM

The Nostalgia channel is not long gone, only maybe from your cable system. It's now called Good Life TV and they air all of the old Warner Brothers detective shows and westerns. It's still a great network, just not too many people can get it. Again, it doesn't appeal to the right audience and it's not crude and vulgar. It appeals to baby boomers and families, not 23 year olds with tattoos.

01-16-2005, 11:35 AM	#1
RetroSmith Forum Hall Of Fame (Formerly Mikey5967) Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: East Coast Posts: 6,843	Heres An Idea.....VIDEO downloads of old TV With all the record co's getting involved with music on line downloading, heres an idea for the TV networks: Instead of letting all that videotape in your vaults just rot away, Digitize it all, and on a rotating basis, allow people to download complete runs of classic TV shows for a fee. I mean, if "Get Smart" were available now online, I'd buy it in a second. And how about lost shows like "Im Dickens, He's Fenster" (Marty Ingals and John Astin) that NEVER rerun....... The networks think that there is no market for stuff like "The Gary Moore Show" or old TV game shows. i think they are wrong. besides, putting it on line today is CHEAP. After a few downlaods, that cost is paid for and its all profit from there. i mean, whats so hard for them to understand that people would buy this stuff if it were available?

01-16-2005, 05:18 PM	#6
Steve D. Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Hollywood Hills, Ca. Posts: 332	Legal eagles I'll tell you who would make millions, The lawyers. Unless these shows fell into public domaine, just getting the rights and paying the licenseing fees would cost a bundle. Now the trivia: "I'm Dickens - He's Fenster" ABC-TV Sep. 1962 - Sep. 1963. Fri. 9pm. __________________ Please visit my vintage color tv site: http://community.webtv.net/stevetek/StevesCT100

01-16-2005, 05:29 PM	#8
JonUrban SHF Member #497 Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Connecticut Posts: 8,070	I remember it too! Marty Ingles and John Astin. I am now wondering WHY I remember this show? I was pretty "little" when it was on. __________________ "We were staying up all night giving the days away. And the music was flowing, amazing and blowing my way." :-jon

01-16-2005, 05:33 PM	#9
Ed Bishop Vinyl Hound, Esq. Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Between D.C. and Charleston Posts: 24,568	That role probably got Astin his best-known gig, as Gomez on THE ADDAMS FAMILY....a show that, luckily, has been rerun a bit, and holds up very nicely. __________________ "A Bad " ...have a question about Quad and Multichannel discs? Visit QQ

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01-16-2005, 01:40 PM	#2
bencasey Forum All Star Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Long Island, NY, USA Posts: 3,425	Do you want me to list the problems with this? Okay, 1, you are talking about the entertainment industry, which has zero foresight whatsoever. Any new technology that comes about, instead of looking for ways to benefit from it, they look for ways to destroy it. It happened with television, with VCRs, with music on the internet, etc. 2 - The vast majority of people at these places haven't a clue what these shows even are. You think some 25 year old numbskull has ever heard of I'm Dickens, He's Fenster? 3 and this is the big one. It's not if they can make a profit or not, it's how much can they make. They are not interested in putting time and effort towards things that might make them a few thousand dollars. It's not worth it to them. They want to make millions or at least hundreds of thousands. Anything less they don't feel is worth their time. Sad but true.

01-16-2005, 02:08 PM	#3
RetroSmith Forum Hall Of Fame (Formerly Mikey5967) Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: East Coast Posts: 6,843	You know Ben, youre probably right. hell, if EMI wont digitize 94% of ITS library why would CBS?

01-16-2005, 03:09 PM	#5
RetroSmith Forum Hall Of Fame (Formerly Mikey5967) Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: East Coast Posts: 6,843	LOL..... Well, i'm a 45 year old numbskull, but i've heard of it.

01-16-2005, 06:07 PM	#10
RetroSmith Forum Hall Of Fame (Formerly Mikey5967) Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: East Coast Posts: 6,843	If i recall correctly, they were handymen in an apartment building right? I mean, its like 30 years since I saw it last. And while we're on the subject of old shows, I was crushed to find out that they put out a whole DVD set of "Heres Lucy"...........and my favorite episode, the one where Buddy Rich gives drum lessons to Desi Arnaz jr, was NOT included. You talk about depressed!!!!

01-16-2005, 10:03 PM	#11
Ready Steady Go Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: California Posts: 557	In "I'm Dickens, He's Fenster," Harry Dickens (played by John "Gomez" Astin) was married to the actress who played Mrs. Bellows on "I Dream Of Jeannie." And Arch Fenster (Marty Ingels) played the swinging bachelor. I found a book that lists some of the episodes. For those who may remember: "Harry has been chosen to do a TV commercial for a tool company." (Guest starred Harvey Korman) "Harry is in charge of the entertainment for the Carpenter's Annual Show." "Harry and Arch find a strongbox in an old gangster's house." "Arch is engaged to his latest girlfriend, but Harry doesn't think it is a good idea." (Guest starred Ellen Burstyn). "The carpenters bet that Arch can get a date with a beautiful girl." (Guest starred Sally Kellerman) "While at the Post Office, Arch and Harry find a WANTED poster that looks just like their friend Mel."

01-17-2005, 12:00 PM	#12
TimM Forum Addict Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Dayton Ohio Posts: 1,368	What I would truly like to see someday is a set up that would allow me to download things on an episode by episode basis. There are a lot of old shows I enjoyed, but don't really care to own ten season sets of. I think it would be fun to go back to a show like "My Three Sons" and just pick out 3 or 4 episodes of each year to see how the show evolved over time. I know this would be an huge data base, but who knows, maybe someday someone will give it a shot.

01-19-2005, 01:51 PM	#14
RetroSmith Forum Hall Of Fame (Formerly Mikey5967) Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: East Coast Posts: 6,843	The licensing is not the problem, they do that all the time for other shows. The media companies have this thing thast they have to make over a certain amount of money on every license deal. Its GREED that prevent us from seeing alot of this stuff.

01-19-2005, 07:08 PM	#17
bencasey Forum All Star Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Long Island, NY, USA Posts: 3,425	It's very simple why they don't show up. Who do they appeal to? The wrong demographic. Anything outside of 18-35 is undesirable. So it's not so much a matter of price or availability but just that they are not interested in that audience. And I don't think too many 20 year olds would be flocking to see Adventures in Paradise.

01-20-2005, 05:16 AM	#18
TimM Forum Addict Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Dayton Ohio Posts: 1,368	It does seem like a time when someone with a little imagination could see the potential for a cable channel that shows more obscure old shows. TV land and Nick at Night are OK but they recycle the same dozen shows over and over. If someone would dig a little deeper in the catalog I think it would work, it's a matter of finding a niche and then servicing it. People over 35 have money too.

01-20-2005, 06:43 AM	#19
vanmeterannie Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Wild, Wonderful West Virginia Posts: 2,141	My wife and I both fondly recall the Nostalgia channel being on here 20+ years ago, and we're in our 30s. It's long gone, of course.

01-20-2005, 03:46 PM	#20
bencasey Forum All Star Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Long Island, NY, USA Posts: 3,425	The Nostalgia channel is not long gone, only maybe from your cable system. It's now called Good Life TV and they air all of the old Warner Brothers detective shows and westerns. It's still a great network, just not too many people can get it. Again, it doesn't appeal to the right audience and it's not crude and vulgar. It appeals to baby boomers and families, not 23 year olds with tattoos.