Columbia House Offers Old TV Series On Video

It seemed like a crazy idea: selling episodes of old television series on videocassette.

After all, fans could see the shows run over and over again on cable and broadcast stations.

That was especially true of “I Love Lucy,” the first TV series Columbia House decided to offer in its Collector’s Edition format in 1985.

Harry Elias, vice president of Columbia House Video Library, admitted there were some initial reservations about such a project.

“Obviously, we wondered if people would respond,” Elias said. “But as we progressed into the late 1980s, we started to believe because the response was far beyond our expectations.”

Beyond expectations? How about way beyond?

Twelve years later, “Lucy” not only is still one of its hot sellers, but Columbia House, under its re-tv banner, now offers nearly 50 old television series as Collector’s Editions.

Once you’ve sampled one of these editions, their appeal is obvious. Not only are they packaged in attractive cases, but in addition the prints are superior, there are no commercials and each episode is complete. The latter is most important, because as much as three to four minutes are trimmed from episodes of older shows when they air on TV.

“We strive for the highest quality possible,” Elias said. “We have a dedicated team that works endlessly looking for the best sources. In many cases, the originals are remastered. Other times we find footage no one has seen in years.”

One of the newest additions to the re-tv library is “Sanford and Son,” the Red Foxx series that ran on NBC from January 1972 to the summer of 1977. Foxx plays Fred Sanford, who runs a junk business with his son Lamont (Demond Wilson).

Fred, who’ll do anything to get out of work, is almost always at odds with Lamont, who dreams of one day leaving “the Sanford empire” for greener pastures. That day, of course, never comes.

The initial cassette contains the first four episodes from the series in chronological order. In the very first show, Fred uses a ploy that would become a running gag throughout the series: his faking a heart attack to get sympathy from Lamont.

With his hand over heart, Fred yells, “It’s the big one, Elizabeth! I’m coming to join you, honey!”

Also just added to the library are the Patrick McGoohan sci-fi classic “The Prisoner,” the acclaimed-medical drama “St. Elsewhere,” the off-beat Western “Kung Fu” and the rural comedy “Petticoat Junction.”

Coming soon are “Hill Street Blues,” “The Dukes of Hazzard,” “Laverne and Shirley” and “Barney Miller.”

Collector’s Editions can be ordered by calling 1-800-638-2922. The first cassette is $4.95, and subsequent volumes are $19.95 and shipped every four to six weeks. And, by the way, if after you’ve received a few cassettes of a particular show and decide you want to quit, you can cancel without any hassle.

But there are many folks who don’t quit until they’ve received the entire run of a show. That doesn’t surprise Elias, because Columbia House does plenty of research before it adds a title to the re-tv lineup.

“Most of the people who buy these are really passionate about the shows,” Elias said. “We pay attention to those people who write to us about series they’d like to see. Plus we take note of what’s hot, be it science-fiction, Westerns and so forth. But the primary source is the correspondence with our customers.”

The biggest seller in the re-tv lineup? The “Star Trek” titles.

“That’s a franchise unto itself,” Elias said. “Some of the others that do really well are ‘All in the Family,’ ‘M.A.S.H.,’ ‘Lucy’ and a few more.”