So wait...the ENTIRE series of Carol Burnett & Friends is available on DVD??

[CapnHook]

Posted: 10/17/09 at 9:17am

I thought those infomercials were a seres of highlights, not the entire DVD series??

And then I see a Facebook ad for THIS today:

http://www.carolburnettdvd.com/

Which SCREAMS bootleg and not a professional distributor.

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/17/09 at 10:23am

Yes, this is a bootleg. And it's the half-hour cut-down "Carol Burnett and Friends" that aired for years in syndication, not the full hour-long shows that originally aired during the main run.

The horribly overpriced ($19.95 for two episodes) DVDs are the only legit ones.

Why Carol struck that deal with Guthy Renker is beyond me. She wanted a lot of money, I guess.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/17/09 at 10:27am

I bought these for a friend last year. They're pretty well-done, considering.

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/17/09 at 10:30am

If you're happy with the half-hour episodes, then yes.

For syndication, they cut out most of the musical numbers and just kept the sketches. That's what people have been seeing ever since the original show went off the air.

EDIT: There are a lot of "mistakes" on their ad copy that would lead buyers to believe they're getting the original, full shows:

"Carol Burnett and Friends, also known as The Carol Burnett Show ..."

No, it wasn't. The Carol Burnett Show (name) was only used for the full hour-long programs.

"Carol Burnett and Friends aired on CBS from September 11, 1967 to March 29, 1978 for a total of 278 episodes."

No, it didn't. The Carol Burnett SHOW did. Carol Burnett AND FRIENDS first started airing after the original program went off the air. Sometime around 1979, when they created the half-hour cut-downs.

"12 Digitally Re mastered DVDs and 8 Regular dvds with over 120 shows total."

Meaning that they ripped their boots from remastered DVDs, but only for the first 12 discs. The last 8 DVD-Rs were recorded from someone's TV set.

Updated On: 10/17/09 at 10:30 AM

[CapnHook]

Posted: 10/17/09 at 8:49pm

But the ones available from Guthy Renker are the full hour-long episodes? And EVERY SINGLE full-length episode is available for purchase??

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 10/17/09 at 11:58pm

My Christ, reading this thread made my eyes roll so far into the back of my head my chair flipped over backwards, I had a seizure and there was foam coming out of my mouth. Thank god it's about bootlegs and will be deleted before anybody else accidentally suffers my fate.

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/18/09 at 12:21am

"But the ones available from Guthy Renker are the full hour-long episodes?"

Yes, they are the full, hour-long episodes.


"And EVERY SINGLE full-length episode is available for purchase??"

No, not remotely. At two (hour-long) episodes per disc, I'm guessing there are about a hundred so far at the most ... out of 278 episodes. Not even half yet. And you're right about them being random selections. They're marketed as "Carol's hand-picked favorite episodes." They aren't in any chronological order, and there aren't any full season sets out yet. Her show ran for 11 seasons on CBS.

Updated On: 10/18/09 at 12:21 AM

[morosco]

Posted: 10/18/09 at 1:17am

QVC has 6 full length hour long episodes + the "Showstoppers" DVD for $27.50 (plus s&h).
Carol Burnett Show 4 DVD Collection by Guthy Renker

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/18/09 at 10:38am

That's a good deal for a "sample" of the full shows, morosco!

Most people today think the Carol Burnett Show was more of a sketch-comedy show ala SNL or Mad-TV, but it really was a "variety show." The musical performances (solos as well as fully produced production numbers) were as prominent on her series as the sketches.

Carol was a savvy business woman in her day, but I think she's made some serious mistakes with the marketing of her TV series for home entertainment. She owns the full rights herself, which is highly unusual. I think they used to be shared with her ex-husband (Hamilton) who co-produced the show. But she bought him out, I believe, when they divorced. Not sure of the details. But it's "her show," literally now. So she can take it wherever she wants to. She doesn't have CBS or Sony or Paramount, etc., calling the shots and leading the way.

I believe she first released the full episodes (a handful) via Time-Life. Then she partnered with Guthy Renker. I've no doubt they've given her a very lucrative deal, but it's killing the sales. The discs are way too expensive for the average consumer, and at just two episodes per disc, people aren't going to want to buy them all. It's a real "shelf space killer."

She should go back to a studio now and make a realistic deal. She won't be getting as much money per unit, but she will likely sell a whole lot more if she's mass-produced and mass-marketed. I would also think a studio or distributor might be nervous releasing the complete show in chronological order. Are people really going to be interested in the 1967-68 season first? A very small audience for it, I would imagine. But the later years, the ones so many of us remember, would sell quite well. If I were doing it, I would release full season box sets, but not in order. I would start with a mid-to-late '70s season to lead the way.

There is also a bit of a "statue of limitations" as far as pop nostalgia and memory go. If she waits too long, the majority her potential DVD consumers will die out, forget, fade away, or all of the above. For now, it's not too late. But many of the younger generations already have no idea who she is. Such a shame! And she's not helping them out any with her business approach, either.

Also, Carol is around 76 or so now. What the hell is she waiting for?

[bdwaygirl]

Posted: 10/18/09 at 11:31am

Besty, you need to get a hold of her, sit her down, and tell her all this!