60s Batman show rights issues resolved!

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Chris3123, Jun 7, 2012.

  1. Turtletrekker

    Turtletrekker Admiral Admiral

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    One scene in particular was a spoof on the video to Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love". Without the rights to the music, there was no way to salvage the scene for the video release.
     
  2. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Setting aside the questions of whether Batman should be serious, just looking at the 1966 Batman as a television sitcom, it was, quite simply, a good sitcom. It was clever and funny, with lots of smart humor and imaginative situations. It had a terrific cast of mostly top-notch actors (Burt Ward notwithstanding). It had excellent production values and set design. It was one of the most innovative sitcoms of the era, with its own distinctive style and approach unlike anything else on the air. And it tapped into the zeitgeist of the era with its mod designs and psychedelic colors and wry, subversive send-ups. For a couple of years, it was a huge pop-culture phenomenon, getting all sorts of press, inspiring nightclubs, etc.

    Of course, it wasn't all good. The writing started to decline some in the second season, and was downright lousy in season 3, whose one bright spot was the introduction of Batgirl/Barbara Gordon. But at its peak in the first season, it was a really fun, well-made, worthwhile show, and the same goes for the '66 feature film.
     
  3. Brendan Moody

    Brendan Moody Vice Admiral Admiral

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    A Warner Bros. contact has told TVShowsonDVD.com that the deal mentioned in the article pertains only to the type of consumer product mentioned therein, and "there's been no new news on the DVD front."
     
  4. Mr. Adventure

    Mr. Adventure Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    The rights have been resolved, DVD set MSRP $599.



    I was just thinking that and unfortunately that seems confirmed.
     
  5. Captain Craig

    Captain Craig Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I guess everyone wants to resolve things before the Mayans are put to the test. It can be the only explanation.
     
  6. Trekker4747

    Trekker4747 Boldly going... Premium Member

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    Yeah, and TOS's release really harmed the "cred" of the later series and J.J.'s movie so it should totally be taken off the shelves.

    :rolleyes:

    I doubt the release of the 1960s TV series will harm any of Batman's cred in the movies and comics.

    That would be the worst idea in the long, sad, history of bad ideas. Changing it to generic, PD, music would have a heavy impact on the tone of the series. (see: WKRP in Cincinnati and Married with Children.)
     
  7. Chris3123

    Chris3123 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Or not. Oh well. :( Hopefully we can at least get some awesome merchandise. Some good quality action figures perhaps?
     
  8. Gojira

    Gojira Commodore Commodore

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    No dvds??!! Off to the bootlegs then.
     
  9. Trekker4747

    Trekker4747 Boldly going... Premium Member

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    Eh, I'm not interested at all in bootlegs of the show. They're syndication edits and the quality is sure to be terrible. Someday the series will come to DVD.
     
  10. Nerys Myk

    Nerys Myk A Spock and a smile Premium Member

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    Loved the show when I was seven years old. It was one of the reasons I got into comic books. Not my favorite take on Batman, but still enjoyable.
     
  11. Kirkman1987

    Kirkman1987 Commodore Commodore

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    Not true. not saying where you can find them, but sets exist made from the studio masters. they even have the "in color" intros and "insert commercial here" screens. I've heard they are possibly sourced from tapes of the series that were given to the cast and crew around the time of the '89 Batman movie.
     
  12. Gojira

    Gojira Commodore Commodore

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    Most of the sellers give the rating for the bootlegs around an 8 out of 10 in quality and that's good enough for me.
     
  13. RandyS

    RandyS Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Mine are good. Irrelevant since I'm not selling them, but they're good.
     
  14. the G-man

    the G-man Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    to your immediate right

    Yeah...maybe forty years ago.
     
  15. the G-man

    the G-man Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    That was my understanding as well. The celebrity cameos in the windows pose a potential nightmare of licensing issues and it only gets worse when you consider that some of the celebrities were portraying characters owned by other studios: Lurch, Col. Klink, the Green Hornet, etc.

    On the bright side, however, maybe this means that the next post-DKR film or cartoon could actually use the Neal Hefti music somewhere. I always thought it would have been great to use it in the B&B cartoon if nowhere else.
     
  16. marillion

    marillion Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I used to have the metal Corgi Adam West era Batmobile complete with missile launcher and popout chain cutter in the hood.. I also had the Bat-Boat w/ trailer that came with it... God I played with that thing endlesslly... I think I probably still have the car buried in a box somewhere, but the rest of the stuff is nowhere to be found. I just looked and found a complete set for $300.00.. HOLY CRAP, Batman!!

    Batmobile/Boat combo
     
  17. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Well, Romero and Meredith, mentioned in the quote, were guest stars, albeit recurring ones. Not sure if that answers your question, though, assuming you're talking about things like the window cameos.
     
  18. Peacemaker

    Peacemaker Vice Admiral Admiral

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    As an aside, this thread provoked me to look up some facts on this show, which I still actually catch off and on when watching late night tv. I had no idea and no memory of John Astin as the Riddler until I read it today and subsequently watched a clip.
     
  19. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Yeah, John Astin's turn as the Riddler wasn't particularly memorable -- largely, I think, because he was trying too hard to pretend he was Frank Gorshin, and the performance style didn't suit him as well. He would've been better if he'd handled the character in his own way.
     
  20. Gov Kodos

    Gov Kodos Admiral Admiral

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    If ever there was reason for time travel:techman: I do hope they will get a nice edition of the show out on DVD, it might even get me to break down and get blue ray with some good cast interviews.