$1 Dragnet DVD a rip-off

[Ozzymandias]

I bought a $1 DVD of the B&W episodes of Dragnet from the Fifties. It was a rip-off for the following reasons 1) Bad picture quality. You couldn't see anything. The Fifties shows were know for dramatic zooms and close-ups of clues and other plot points. YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE THE OBJECT.
2) Worst of all, the familiar theme has been dubbed over with a bad piano and drum machine music that sounds more like it belongs in a bad adult video. I have other video and DVDs of the Fifties episodes with good picture quality and the familiar music (one even has the Chesterfield ads). So why did the producers of this feel it nessecary to do this horrible act. That is probably the most famous music in radio and TV. Did they think? "No one will know the difference. Besides it is a dollar."

[JohnL]

The music was probably still under copyright, so they couldn't use it.

[Ozzymandias]

That probably so, but like I mentioned I have others from other companies that have the theme music intact.  Really, that music by now should be almost fair use.

[Menard]

Some have apparently gotten away with using the music even though it is still copyrighted. I have cheap DVDs of THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES, one which uses the opening music (which is still copyrighted), but most of them don't. Actually one of the more creative attempts I have seen has somebody else doing a cover of the original opening music.


It is possible that some DVD distibutors did not know that even though the TV episodes were public domain, the music did not go with them.


There are some TV episodes that are public domain, but contain copyrighted segments. Probably the most well known example of this is an episode of Abbott and Costello which features a segment with Lon Chaney Jr. Even though the episode is available on DVD and they list Lon Chaney Jr. as a guest star, you will not see him in the episode because his appearance is still copyrighted by his family and the distributors would have to pay royalties if they used it.

[Yaddo 42]

From what I've read, it is much cheaper to license the rights to re-record songs than to license the use of the original recording. CNBC did a segment on one of their shows about the price difference explaining why new versions of popular old songs were being used so often in commercials. That might explain the re-recorded theme Menard mentioned.

Ozzymandias, the $1 price is probably why the people behind those cheap DVDs know they can get away with not paying to use such a well known theme. How many many people are likely to organize a backlash or boycott over impulse buys and bargain basement discs? Besides I wonder what the profit margin for all these discs of public domain and grey area material is. Manufacturing costs are apparently dirty cheap now. I wonder how much packaging, graphics, shipping, and other costs are.

[Ozzymandias]

You're right, Yaddo. I got what i paid for.

[Yaddo 42]

I got my copy of "Bad Man's River" dirt cheap, but not quite for a dollar. I actually enjoyed most of the movie but if I try to fast forward or rewind at anything other than 2X speed it freezes up, and being a cheap disc it has only 4 or 8 chapter stops. But considering the price, it's hard to complain too much. So I know how you feel.