Shout! Factory goes direct with TV DVDs

Disc Announcements, News

Things are getting rough in the retail world of DVDs as various chains reduce their DVD shelf space. DVDs of TV series are quickly becoming the victim of this squeeze play. Many studios are now offering burn on demand DVD-Rs of lesser titles. Luckily the folks at Shout! Factory have decided to go direct with real DVDs of their various shows. Here’s the press release of what to expect in the new year from them:

Poised to answer demand of passionate fans ….

SHOUT! FACTORY TO OFFER HOME ENTERTAINMENT RELEASES OF SOUGHTAFTER CATALOG PROPERTIES BEGINNING JANUARY 2010

Featuring Returning Seasons of Fan Favorite Classic TV Shows
Mr. Belvedere, Room 222, Ironside, My Two Dads
Available Exclusively From ShoutFactoryStore.com

In an effort to bring fans a series of memorable catalog titles under-represented at retail, Shout! Factory is offering select releases of TV-DVD and film catalog titles as Shout! Factory Exclusives, available for purchase directly from the official online store site. Starting December 17, 2009, consumers can pre-order titles from upcoming Shout! Factory Exclusives from shoutfactorystore.com.

Some of the fan favorite new-to-DVD titles slated from Shout! Factory Exclusives releases on January 19, 2010 include:

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MR. BELVEDERE: SEASON FOUR (3-DVD Set)
Featuring all 20 original episodes from the complete fourth season, Mr. Belvedere (Christopher Hewett) is back to clean up another series of sticky situations as the booming, bombastic butler to the Owens family.

With George’s (Bob Uecker) new gig as a big-shot TV sportscaster, Marsha’s (Ilene Graff) new job with a sleazeball boss, Kevin (Rob Stone) now in college pledging a fraternity, Wesley (Brice Beckham) refusing to bathe and Heather (Tracy Wells) busting the elderly out of nursing homes — it’s no wonder Belvedere turns to gambling in the middle of what is the most uproarious season yet!

There are few ’80s sitcoms that have been referenced as often throughout pop culture during the past two decades. Mr. Belvedere dishes out a serious sense of humor with a heartfelt warmth that leaves you yearning for multiple helpings. Bonus features include: Commentaries by creator and cast.

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ROOM 222: SEASON TWO (4-DVD Set)
Room 222 is a compelling series about life at a multiracial Los Angeles high school. It left an indelible mark on popular culture by using the half-hour form to explore socially relevant issues (more than a year before Norman Lear’s other groundbreaking shows — All In The Family and Maude) and by starting the still-popular trend of high school television series. Created by the now-legendary James L. Brooks (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda, The Simpsons), the program was praised for dealing realistically with such subjects as racism, sexism, illiteracy, guns in school and drugs.

Pete Dixon (Lloyd Haynes) is a dedicated and popular history teacher who fights the good fight on the side of his students. Joining him in his idealistic approach to education are guidance counselor Liz McIntyre (Denise Nicholas) and student teacher Alice Johnson (Karen Valentine). Experienced and slightly world-weary principal Seymour Kaufman (Michael Constantine) provides a balance to the youthful idealism of the ’60s cultural revolution — but at the end of the day, everyone is on the side of the students. Season Two guest stars include Richard Dreyfuss, Kurt Russell, Cindy Williams, Chuck Norris, Tim Matheson and Ed Begley, Jr.

This release was created from the best surviving video masters available to Shout! Factory.

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IRONSIDE: SEASON THREE (7-DVD Set)
From his uniquely equipped office at SFPD headquarters, Chief Robert T. Ironside (Raymond Burr) continues to lead his special police unit fighting crime that others cannot. His crack team includes Sergeant Ed Brown (Don Galloway), ex-con-turned-assistant Mark Sanger (Don Mitchell) and policewoman Eve Whitfield (Barbara Anderson). Season Three guest stars include Bill Bixby, David Cassidy, DeForest Kelley, Cloris Leachman, Mort Sahl and William Shatner.

Upcoming Shout! Factory Exclusives home entertainment releases for early 2010 include
My Two Dads: The Complete Second Season (3-DVD Set), The Bill Cosby Show: Season Two (4-DVD Set), The Goldbergs: The Complete Series, Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog: Volume Three (4-DVD Set), among other memorable titles.

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.