The Month in Home Media is a monthly column highlighting short-lived or rare television series, specials, miniseries or made-for-TV movies released on DVD or Blu-ray during the previous month, as well as recent additions to streaming services like Warner Archive Instant. The releases discussed in this column are encoded for Region 1 use in the United States and Canada. The Month in Home Media is published on the first Thursday of each month.
Support Television Obscurities
August 2017 saw the release of one season wonder The Magician (NBC, 1973-1974) on DVD. Also, Amazon Prime began streaming Stanley (NBC, 1956-1957) and Pat Paulsen’s Half a Comedy Hour (ABC, 1970), among other shows.
DVD/Blu-ray Releases
The Magician (TV Series, VEI, DVD)
Bill Bixby starred in this hour-long drama as crime-fighting magician Tony Blake. Bixby insisted on performing his own magic tricks. The series ran for 21 episodes on NBC during the 1973-1974 season. A pilot telefilm aired in March 1973 and is included in this set.
DVD/Blu-ray News
Shout! Factory plans to release D.C. Follies on DVD on November 14th. The 4-disc set will include all 44 episodes of the syndicated sitcom, which ran for two seasons and 44 episodes from 1987 to 1989. Fred Willard starred alongside puppet characters. Sid & Marty Krofft created the series (TVShowsOnDVD.com).
Mill Creek will re-release Hearts of the West on DVD on October 3rd. Beau Bridges and Lloyd Bridges starred in the Western drama, which ran on CBS for 15 episodes during the 1993-1994 season. Tango Entertainment previously released the complete series on DVD in 2005 (TVShowsOnDVD.com).
Also on October 3rd, Mill Creek will re-release Man with a Camera on DVD. The crime drama starred Charles Bronson as a freelance photographer. A total of 29 episodes aired over the course of two seasons on ABC from 1958 to 1960. Infinity Entertainment previously released the complete series on DVD in 2007 (TVShowsOnDVD.com).
Streaming
Amazon Prime began streaming a variety of short-lived and obscure television shows last month. Perhaps the most obscure is forgotten sitcom Stanley
Other TV shows you can now find on Amazon Prime include Pat Paulsen’s Half a Comedy Hour (ABC, 1970), Saturday morning cartoon The Houndcats (NBC, 1972), both seasons of The Mothers-in-Law (NBC, 1967-1969), and the first live-action adaptation of The Tick (FOX, 2001-2002).
Hit the comments with any news about upcoming DVD/Blu-ray releases or additions to streaming services.
If you check “Stanley” out, 2 future stars were featured in the show: Carol Burnett as Hackett’s girlfriend and an unseen Paul Lynde as the hotel manager. Also of note, except for one-off special episodes of shows like “Will & Grace” and “30 Rock”, it would be NBC’s last live sitcom for nearly 60 years, until “Undateable”.