from Timeless Media Group, owned by Shout!
Season One was announced for August or October 2014, but has been delayed (not cancelled). They still intend to release the entire series.
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Game-Season-1/19988
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00JEZWQ5O/tvshowsondvdcom
Fantastic news!
A definite purchase.
http://abriefingwithmichael.tumblr.com/
someone pointed out the cover photo is mistakenly reversed (flipped horizontally)- I'm not sure it was a mistake. Could have been an artistic decision so they're all looking to the right. It would look more consistent with our left-to-right reading, right-handed society; dvd case opens on the right.
shareHopefully in the DVD set the opening graphic will once again 'Rotate' as it originally did putting up the featured star of the trio first for their segment episodes (later on for some strange reason the graphic was wrongly 'frozen' in a 'Stack-Barry-Franciosa' order - taken from a Robert Stack episode) put on most episodes except a few when Encore TV then Cozi TV reran some episodes in the USA in the 90's and again recently.
I hope the 1966 pilot TVM 'Fame is The Name of The Game' starring Tony Franciosa will be included, perhaps put at the end of season three as a 'bonus' extra as Tony Franciosa only appeared in just three episodes in season three therefore it would increase his feature in any third season DVD box set.
I understand there may be a delay in releasing the first season box set as episodes were recorded on differing formats - hopefully not too long a delay !
There's a thread at Home Theater Forum devoted to this show. Sounds like the DVD has been merely delayed. Should be out sometime in 2015. Honestly, I've never seen the show but it looks interesting. I'm just a classic tv buff!
shareThe show was made by the same production teams that next gave us: Columbo, Banacek, McCloud, McMillan and Wife etc (note even the episodes yellow lettering credits in TNOTG is identical in those later seventies 'Mystery Movies').
Susan Saint James got her starring role in 'McMillan and Wife' as a direct result of her award winning supporting role as Peggy Maxwell in TNOTG.
Peter Falk (Columbo) guests as Howard Publications' reporter Lewis Corbett in the third season episode; 'A Sister from Napoli' while Dennis Weaver (McCloud) is a guest star in the Robert Stack episode; 'Give Till it Hurts'
TNOTG is not unlike the 'Mystery Movies' that followed it with episodes being 'feature length' and many guest stars are common to both shows
Gene Barry episodes are either 'political intrigue' or 'big business' tales plus a few memorable 'offbeat' surreal episodes including even a sci fi episode; 'L A 2017'(directed by a young Steven Spielberg) and a western episode; 'The Showdown' (both tales are brought back to the modern day settings with 'twist' endings)- the episode; 'Love in At Ground Zero' re a group of young protestors in the desert planning a protest group suicide during a chemical weapons test is eerily prophetic pre-Charles Manson, Waco, Jonestown, & the attack on the Kurds in Iraq etc
Tony Franciosa stories are 'current affairs' stories with things such as corrupt officials, bogus Doctors, a reclusive millionaire with a missing wife, industrial esponage, racial tensions, too real military training camps, etc - 'The Incomparable Connie Walker' features a black mayor (Ivan Dixon) fighting corruption charges, while; 'The Black Answer' is about racial tensions sent soaring after a murder where a young black guy is accused...
Robert Stack segments were more crime capers - things such as corruption in sport, illegal slave labor use of prisoners in rural jails, crooked charities, drug trafficking, corruption/murder in the music business, etc - the episode; 'Ordeal' is curiously similiar to the recent Oscar Pistorius case...while 'The Bobby Currier Story' features a spree killer (created by an unexpected accomplice)
the episodes move at a somewhat slower pace than modern TV (as did the 'Mystery Movies' too) but are absorbing feature film like tales that are well crafted.
A few special guest leads appear too - Robert Wagner (as Dave Corey), Peter Falk (as Lewis Corbett), Robert Culp (twice as Paul Tyler) & Vera Miles (as Hilary Vanderman) all other star reporters of 'Howard Publications' while Darren McGavin once guest stars as freelance newsman 'Sam Hardy' (in the episode; 'Goodbye Harry'- re a search for a missing rocket scientist) a friend of Glenn Howard's who gives him first refusal on any stories he digs up.
Cliff Potter (as Howard's exec assist Andy Hill) once takes lead in 'Pineapple Rose' when Peggy is mistakenly kidnapped (Gene Barry cameos as Howard & the episode is under his segment)
Susan Saint James as Peggy is once the main featured character in; 'The King of Denmark' where Tony Franciosa appears at the start & returns for the final 15 minutes and the episode is put under his segment.
All the other episodes feature either Gene Barry, Tony Franciosa, or Robert Stack as lead.
TNOTG is a surprisingly contemporary series for a show made way back between 1968 and 1971 & deserves a long overdue DVD release.
That's some sweet news to hear, especially since the COZI channel just started running the show on weekends again at 1:00 a.m.----in fact, that's probably why they're showing it again, due to this release.
Here's the discussion about it on the Home Theater Site:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/topic/332547-tmg-the-name-of-the-g ame-season-1-8192014/
Halfway through 2015 now and I can't find any release info for this yet. It might mean it's planned for a release at the very end of the year...or not.
Is Shout! still intending to release this?
Can you dig it? I knew that you could!
We need an insider to spill some news about it.
I emailed them in April 2015 and here's what they said then:
Nothing we can announce yet. I keep asking. I keep hearing that there has been some sort of technical issue delaying this release; I’m not sure when it is expected to be resolved.
Hmm, "technical issue." That covers a lot of ground. Hope it's a minor issue, and not something significant like missing episodes.
Can you dig it? I knew that you could!
I can't get any reply to emails I sent to Shout Factory, NBC Universal or Universal Studios via their 'contact us' pages !
Last word I heard (from a guy on the show's Facebook page) was something about 'lack of useable elements' - which sounds ominous !
ALL episodes SHOULD be held by NBC Universal - I have heard in the past that episodes were recorded on differing formats, thus 'standardisation' plus restoration was required PLUS clearance issues (probably re music) had to be sorted before all 76 episodes & the pilot TV Movie could be released on DVD (hopefully with the rotating opening graphic duly properly restored to each of the main three stars' respective segment episodes)
we do know the show 'Search' was slated for DVD release...but held up for some time due to 'clearance issues' - delayed for a few years, but finally emerged as a DVD set (similarly the Adam West 'Batman' show was held up for quite a long time due to legal issues but has now been released in full)
so NEVER say Never....and at least 32 or so episodes ARE rerunning again in the USA on COZI TV once more - maybe those as a 'taster' for the complete series copuld hopefully at least get a future DVD release ?
Such a lavish well made Award winning influential ground breaking color show featuring three famous regular leading stars in: Gene Barry / Tony Franciosa / Robert Stack - with many top guest stars & even early supporting roles for future stars Susan Saint James & Ben Murphy plus occasional special guest leads; Robert Wagner, Peter Falk, Robert Culp, Darren McGavin & Vera Miles - with work by Steven Spielberg, Steven Bochco, Dean Hargrove, Leslie Stevens, Gene L.Coon, George Eckstein etc SHOULD be released on DVD & hopefully NBC Universal will sort out the ongoing "issues" & get the show out in the not too distant future ?
'lack of usable elements' is BS shorthand for NBC/U not wanting to strike up new prints. They don't want to spend the money (Yes, it costs money, even in house) to strike up new transfers
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