According to the link it will be released: http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=2701

It''s been a long time coming!

I actually bought Volumes 1-4 on Laserdisc last year which featured many key episodes.

Now if only something could be done with Adam West's Batman series...

I hope a Maverick release is also realized as part of this promotion.

How did the West BATMAN movie dvds sell? If they had disappointing sales, you won't see boxed seasons of the TV series. You can forget seeing 'official' releases of Green Hornet too probably.

Os the realist and pecimist

I would buy Batman in a heartbeat...I will be picking up these Superman ones...I wonder if there is an online petition somewhere concerning putting the Batman show on DVD..

The movie DVD sales, I doubt, would have any impact on the TV series sales on DVD. The two are very different animals. I know people who dislike the movie and did not purchase the DVD (even though I thought they were crazy...), but would buy the TV series in an instant.

I bought the movie AND the Holy Batmania! set on DVD, and wouldn't hesitate on the TV show. What's holding it's release up are arguments over who holds the rights to the show and various design elements of the show. This all has to be cleared up before any release of the TV show can be considered.

rights in dispute, etc....says who, the rumor mill? I definetly saw it posted before the movie dvd was on shelves that it's sales had to be good enough or WB would'nt release the series.

I doubt Fox owns the TV series anymore or would have any interest in it now. WB did'nt do the movie originally yet it came out via the WB label on dvd right?

WB owns ALL DC hero screen rights and any TV shows and movies including serials and has for a long time. I guess Time Warner owns DC.

Os

Batman is much more complicated than that. Fox made the movie and released it dvd because they own everything about it outright. Fox owns the tv show and can syndicate it to tv stations but do not own the rights to release it on dvd. It has been decided(by courts?) that dvd rights are not included in any original agteements between parties. Fox owns the show gut WB owns the dvd rights to the Batman character. There are other copyright/trademark issues with the show also. Columbia made the Superman serials but WB has the video rights. The original Batman serial was made by Columbia but WB has the video rights because Columbia didn't buy it outright. Columbia made and retains the video rights to Batman and Robin serial because whatever the original deal was gave them outright ownership of it. Fox owns The Green Hornet show but not the character. I think Universal owns GH now. This same stuff went on when TV came about in the 50s. Tarzan for example. Mgm made 6, Rko made several after that and several more by various studios. Except for Tarzan the Ape Man, which is owned by MGM, the tv rights are owned by the Burroughs estate. MGM and RKO did not obtain tv rights when they made the movies because there was no tv. When AMC aired all the tarzan movies several years ago they dealt stictly with the estate, the studios had no say. That is why they showed everyone except the two versions of Tarzan the Ape Man because MGM owned them. Likewise, although there were 6 MGM tarzans, all TCM would ever show was Tarzan The Ape Man, they didn't have tv rights to the other 5. WB made a deal with the Burroughs estate to include the other 5 on dvd with Tarzan the Ape Man. Likewise TCM has shown them a couple times but had to pay Burroughs estate to do it. It can get confusing.

It certainly is, but thanks for the explanation. Warner definitely knows what they've got with the Batman series, and they know the demand is out there.
As for the movie, I'm happy to have it, but it plays like a very mediocre over-long episode. Doesn't compare to the standout episodes with different guest stars each week - so I don't think it's sales are a particularly good barometer.

The only way I ever see it happening is if Fox were to sell the show to WB lock, stock and barrel and WB paying off all the other parties with claims:Barris, the costume designer, the guy who wrote the theme song(Neal Hefti?). The alternative would be for Fox to pay WB for the rights to release a show that has the Batman character and then Fox dealing with all the other parties, less likely. Third a co-venture by both studios, kinda split the profits deal(You've got the salt, I've got the pepper, let's get together). I'm not optimistic about any of them.

GOOD NIGHT, what a jumble of complexity! I'm surprised that ANYTHING is on video, dvd, laser disc and TV!

Nobody would believe all that but I can.

Os

Anyone know if similarly tricky situations exists with the Gordon Scott, Jock Mahoney, Mike Henry Tarzan movies and Ron Ely TV series?
El cheapo dvds were put out of some non Weismuller Tarzans: a Scott, Buster Crabbe and the Herman Brix serial.

BTW, there's a dvd set of the 70's version of the HOWDY DOODY tv show for $12.00!

Os

The estate owns the Ely tv series, all the Jock Mahoney, Mike Henry and Gordon Scott except Tarzan and the Trappers

It's Tarzan and the Trappers that's on DVD. Originally a longer two part TV special. I am in the middle of changing a Screamin Buster Flash Gordon into his Tarzan. Big chore with epoxy puttying the torso over and sculpting. Boot areas too. Don't know if it'll succeed.

Os

Other titles with a complicated rights are King Features Syndicate characters. Some are public domain(Flash Gordon). The first Dick Tracy serial is PD but the other 3 aren't. King Features has controlling rights with the Jungle Jim and Bomba movies made by Columbia.

UPDATE: http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=2802

I would think restoration on this series would be a pretty major undertaking. Don't anyone get your hopes too high for pristine transfers of this show.

On the other hand, it shouldn't be in particularly bad shape. While they didn't restore the animated Batman series, it still looked decent. And it was older.

Any opinions on how good this Superman series was, maybe as compared with the first two years or so of the Batman series? I haven't seen any of Superman.

Qapla'

SSB

On the other hand, it shouldn't be in particularly bad shape. While they didn't restore the animated Batman series, it still looked decent. And it was older.

Any opinions on how good this Superman series was, maybe as compared with the first two years or so of the Batman series? I haven't seen any of Superman.

Qapla'

SSB

Scott - "The Adventures of Superman" premiered in 1952. It was produced on a low budget (especially the first couple of years) in black & white (switched to color during the '55 season I believe), and the bad guys were generally fedora wearing 'dese and 'dose types with the occasional nutty professor thrown in. The charm of the series comes primarily from the performance of George Reeves, whose Superman was friendly but stern, and his extremely charming Clark Kent who shared a sort of "wink, wink" relationship with the viewing audience. The series was also influenced in some of it's particulars by the old Fleischer Superman cartoons. The charm of the series was further enhanced by the performances of Jack Larson as Jimmy Olsen, John Hamilton as Perry White, and starting in '53, Noel Neill as Lois Lane. Phyllis Coates played Lois during the first season. It's a series that is very much of it's time but again, is appealing primarily due to the talents and personalities of the actors involved.

Oh, okay. Wires crossed. I thought we were talking about the much more recent animated series. That'll teach me to check the link.

Qapla'

SSB