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Why No Classic TV variety Shows

C

cspotrun

Guest
i've posted about how much i like MeTv, and there are a few others out there using Classic TV shows from the 50's-70's in their programming. i've often wondered, why don't they program variety shows from the era like Red Skelton, Dean Martin,Carol Burnett, Ed Sullivan,Andy Williams or Old Tonight Shows with Steve Allen,Paar & Carson? or Dick Cavett.. (i bet they would hold up well against Leno & Letterman)
 
WhoDat! said:
i've posted about how much i like MeTv, and there are a few others out there using Classic TV shows from the 50's-70's in their programming. i've often wondered, why don't they program variety shows from the era like Red Skelton, Dean Martin,Carol Burnett, Ed Sullivan,Andy Williams or Old Tonight Shows with Steve Allen,Paar & Carson? or Dick Cavett.. (i bet they would hold up well against Leno & Letterman)
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As I heard, most of the Tonight Shows from the Steve Allen, Jack Paar, and early ones with Carson have been wiped also some kinescopes from Carson's glory era were wiped out. Some from Carson's era in the 1960s/1970s exists in both B&W/Color (some videotapes and kinescopes). Many episodes of Ed Sullivan and Dick Cavett shows (especially the prime-time/late-night versions on ABC) exists on videotape. And, some episodes of The Dick Cavett Show are on DVD courtesy of Shout Factory.
 
The Carol Burnett Show is no longer available for syndication, & that's why it's not even seen on pay TV. I would like to see that show as well, but it's not likely we'll see that show in syndication again. I don't believe CBS holds the rights to the program anymore.
 
WhoDat! said:
i've posted about how much i like MeTv, and there are a few others out there using Classic TV shows from the 50's-70's in their programming. i've often wondered, why don't they program variety shows from the era like Red Skelton, Dean Martin,Carol Burnett, Ed Sullivan,Andy Williams or Old Tonight Shows with Steve Allen,Paar & Carson? or Dick Cavett.. (i bet they would hold up well against Leno & Letterman)
Click to expand...

I've seen numerous informercials promoting Dean Martin and Carol Burnett programs which I take it means that Gunthy Ranker (sp) owns the distribution rights to these shows thus they will never be broadcast over MeTV.

Also, as another poster has pointed out, a number of programs televised back in the 1950s and early 60s were destroyed.
 
Two words: Music licensing. :(
 
Markieo said:
Two words: Music licensing. :(
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That was along the lines of my guess. That and the fact that the estates of these classic
performers who regularly appeared on those shows are always going to court trying to assert
more control over their image and likeness. (it's what put Rich Little on the sidelines).
 
There were syndicated runs of comedy clips from Carol Burnett and Johnny Carson at one time, but like Mark said, if Guthy Renker owns them now they may be keeping off of TV and selling them only as DVDs now. But then like I said in an earlier thread ads for those and possibly Laugh-in on DVD are about the only infomercials I care anything about watching.
 
I always thought it would be interesting to see what would happen if somehow the Johnny Carson Tonight shows could be repeated M-F @ 11:30pm. Alas, not enough of them exist to undertake such a plan.

I have been enjoying the Dick Cavett DVDs lately from Netflix. It's really a retro-refreshing treat to see guests appear on the show without a thing to "promote."
 
TVLand aired clips from both the "Ed Sullivan Show" and the "Flip Wilson Show" in the early days of the network ('96-98) and the Music Licensing was a problem form the very start. The Flip Wilson clips had NO MUSICAL GUEST performing other than in comedy scketches. And this was when Flip Wilson would have guest such as Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Sly and the Family Stone and other big names in classic Soul music appearing on his show. The Ed Sullivan clips did have musically performances but it consisted mainly the likes of Judy Garland, Jack Jones and other lounge singer types and some Motown stars. There were NO CLIPS of Elvis, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Doors and other big musically acts of the mid to late '60s being shown. After about three of four weeks, TVLand would air Ed Sullivan clips from the shows they had only aired a few weeks, or in some cases, a few days earlier.
 
where's the music issue when when it comes to YOUTUBE. i see all kinds of clips from these shows- that include music. DVD sales of some of these shows has been going on for years, i would think the "RUN" of sales and demand for them on DVD would be about over.
 
Speaking of You Tube and clips from variety shows, I've noticed over the past few months clips being removed from You Tube.

An example is when Jackie Gleason made his one (and only) appearance on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. That clip is no longer available. Anyone know why?

I think the reason is that those individuals, or companies, that own the syndication rights to programs don't want snippets or entire programs available to the public (via You Tube) at no charge.
 
Mark_Giardina said:
Speaking of You Tube and clips from variety shows, I've noticed over the past few months clips being removed from You Tube.

An example is when Jackie Gleason made his one (and only) appearance on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. That clip is no longer available. Anyone know why?

I think the reason is that those individuals, or companies, that own the syndication rights to programs don't want snippets or entire programs available to the public (via You Tube) at no charge.
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I agree that the removals and other restrictions are due to copyrights claimed by the rightsholder. Carson Entertainment does have their own YouTube page featuring clips from old Tonight Shows, though they don't have everything, for one reason or another.
 
I'm sure that compilation packages such as "Carol Burnett And Friends"
and "Carson's Comedy Classics" eliminated the musical segments for
licensing reasons; I don't know if this was also true in England but the
American reruns of "The Benny Hill Show" also cut out the musical guests.

Red Skelton once said that his CBS shows (which constitute 17 of his 20
years on television) would never be shown again; he was that bitter over
the cancellation in 1970. Consequently, what has turned up on PBS and on
infomercials consists of comedy bits from the 1951-53 and 1970-71 NBC shows.

I would think most of Jack Benny's shows could be shown, perhaps cutting Dennis
Day's songs, as well as a few musical numbers by the likes of Peter, Paul and Mary
and the Kingston Trio. TVLand did show one once, from 1963, with guest Johnny Carson,
who did a drum solo, and there don't appear to have been any legal issues there; likewise,
there don't appear to have been any involving a 1965 appearance by the Smothers Brothers.
 
bpatrick said:
I don't know if this was also true in England but the American reruns of "The Benny Hill Show" also cut out the musical guests.
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Not so early on -- when Benny Hill was first syndicated in the US in the late-1970s and early-1980s, some of the musical guests were also included in the repeats. These segments were removed in the late-1980s syndicated run, when the sketches were shuffled around, and the show became more like a "greatest hits" series.

I don't know whether or not the musical guests are included on the DVD sets, which featured the episodes in their entirety (otherwise).
 
There's one classic black and white TV variety show currently seen on cable... if you get JLTV, Jewish Life TV. The Dinah Shore Chevy Show. But JLTV isn't widely seen. I get it on Time-Warner.

JLTV runs Dinah Shore (her parents were Jewish immigrants) every Thursday at 6pm Eastern. The same show repeats the following Thursday at 9pm and Midnight.

JLTV also shows Jack Benny, The Goldbergs and Soupy Sales. JLTV used to also run You Bet Your Life with Groucho Marx but discontinued a couple of years ago. I e-mailed asking why but they never got back to me.

Gregg
[email protected]
 
jwk1979 said:
TVLand aired clips from both the "Ed Sullivan Show" and the "Flip Wilson Show" in the early days of the network ('96-98) and the Music Licensing was a problem form the very start. The Flip Wilson clips had NO MUSICAL GUEST performing other than in comedy scketches. And this was when Flip Wilson would have guest such as Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Sly and the Family Stone and other big names in classic Soul music appearing on his show. The Ed Sullivan clips did have musically performances but it consisted mainly the likes of Judy Garland, Jack Jones and other lounge singer types and some Motown stars. There were NO CLIPS of Elvis, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Doors and other big musically acts of the mid to late '60s being shown. After about three of four weeks, TVLand would air Ed Sullivan clips from the shows they had only aired a few weeks, or in some cases, a few days earlier.
Click to expand...
Sullivan Show clips featuring the Beatles & The Doors have recently been aired on PBS.
 
WhoDat! said:
where's the music issue when when it comes to YOUTUBE. i see all kinds of clips from these shows- that include music. DVD sales of some of these shows has been going on for years, i would think the "RUN" of sales and demand for them on DVD would be about over.
Click to expand...
I've witnessed YouTube offerings getting pulled, with notice that the particular selection was not "authorized". The most recent example: Beau Brummels, Laugh Laugh. The album clips were suddenly removed, while Shindig performances stayed on. Later though, the album clip resurfaced. Go figure.
 
jfrancispastirchak said:
WhoDat! said:
where's the music issue when when it comes to YOUTUBE. i see all kinds of clips from these shows- that include music. DVD sales of some of these shows has been going on for years, i would think the "RUN" of sales and demand for them on DVD would be about over.
Click to expand...
I've witnessed YouTube offerings getting pulled, with notice that the particular selection was not "authorized". The most recent example: Beau Brummels, Laugh Laugh. The album clips were suddenly removed, while Shindig performances stayed on. Later though, the album clip resurfaced. Go figure.
Click to expand...

Yes, some get pulled, but I'm amazed that so many songs STAY on YouTube for so long. There are free internet programs (adverstiser supported) you can download that will quickly convert You-Tube videos to MP3, and then pirate the music.
 
For what it's worth, MuchMusic in Canada airs the "Best of" Saturday Night Live specials. It was good (in a bittersweet way) to see the John Belushi skits last week.
 
while bmi and ascap nickel and dime cable networks & YouTube, restricting use of video clips with music from classic tv shows is a good way to make these songs disappear forever. when does public domain set in?
 
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