I've been a huge Bradbury fan for year. I'm sure I read a story or two before the name Bradbury registered with me, but the earliest exposure I can remember came through the magnificent tv show Ray Bradbury's Theatre.

Now that I have the Munch painting, who do I talk to about getting this wonderful television show out on DVD?

Seriously though, does anyone know about the availability of this show? Any future plans for it?

Brian

Strange that you would ask as I was wondering the same thing. When my wife was managing a video store she bought a couple of VHS videos of the Ray Bradbury Theatre.

With the plethora of books, articles, audio tapes, etc., etc., currently available regarding Ray's work, I think that this would be a natural. Say, I just tried calling Ray and there was no answer so he must be out and it's great that he is getting out and about. I will call him this evening. If anyone should know it would be Ray.

I know that I would buy the whole set of 65 shows that were produced.

Many of these are available at local libraries.
Didn't know there were that many made, though!

I've posted this before, but here in the UK we get a daily dose of two episodes courtesy of the Sci-Fi Channel!

65 is quite a lot of episodes. That would be quite a few discs if it were ever released on DVD. Now would be a good time to do it. Hey, they could even "theme" the discs: Martian episodes, Dandelion Wine/Green Town episodes...

Phil www.bradburymedia.co.uk

[Something weird is happening with the RESOURCES topic - it's hardly responding, and keeps double-posting my messages!]

[This message has been edited by philnic (edited 08-26-2004).]

I was going to say that I thought the Sci-Fi channel shows The Ray Bradbury show every so often. (now if they'd just show all the OLD Outer Limits eps.....that show scared the bejesus out of me as a kid!)

Ah, the Sci-Fi channel -- and me in Ireland without a TV! Hell, we've barely got the internet here!

But being from the US... a few years back I did catch an episode or two on the Sci-Fi channel, but they seemed to be a bit irregular with their scheduling.

As biplane1 said, it's a bit strange, with Ray so popular a writer, that the television show is not readily available. It's doubly strange because that show was excellent television.

Biplane1: If you speak with Ray, please give him my regards!

A major problem that one should keep in mind, is that the Sci-Fi channel unfortunately edits old television programmes to fit in more commercials into each half-hour time slot. I'm certain they did this when airing episodes of the original "Twilight Zone"--those shows were slashed to ribbons, a real shame (and very annoying!) I'm not certain that this was done to the Ray Bradbury Theater episodes, but it seems likely.

I can only hope that RBT will be put on DVD at some point in the future. So many television shows have been released on DVD already, and I suppose the trend will continue...

I'm sure this is true, but in the one case where I strongly suspected that something had been sliced from an RBT (it was "The Small Assassin"), I was able to compare the original (British) aired episode with the Sci-Fi channel version, and was pleasantly surprised to find that they were identical.

What IS different - for the early episodes - is that Ray's on screen introductions (where he talks to camera from his office and acts out a little scene) are usually removed.

Which reminds me, since Ray's poems, essays and plays have made it into books, isn't it about time some of his complete screenplays and teleplays were published? A collection of best scripts from RBT wouldn't go amiss. (I would also love to see "And the Rock Cried Out" in print, which is said by those who have read it to be one of his best screenplays.)

Phil
www.bradburymedia.co.uk

Those on screen intros are almost the best part! I love that room.....I could go nuts in that room he sits in! Okay, so I'm just a big kid at heart; I try to live life by the saying, "I may be getting older, but I refuse to grow up." But, I digress (I do that a lot)....seems that cutting that out somewhat ruins the show, since it is an introduction to the show.

The Sci-Fi Channel is most definitely guilty of slicing and dicing the old Night Gallery episodes. I've only ever seen Night Gallery on Sci-Fi channel and have not been impressed. I think I also read somewhere that many of the episodes were edited so badly that they almost didn't make sense anymore!

Just recently Night Gallery was released on DVD... Whoever's in control of RBT needs to take a hint!

The intro of the show always made an impression on me too! And the Music!!! I've also noticed that the intro are usually edited out. Tis a crime! Although I don't ever recall any where he speaks directly to the camera. Weren't they just voice overs mainly?

brian

I've only seen about three episodes where Ray does an introduction (apart from the generic "Where do I get my ideas..." bit which opens all episodes). In at least one of these he talks directly to us - he pours a cup of coffee and says something about machines. It's probably Marionettes Inc, but I can't swear to it without checking. The voice is ever so slightly out-of-sync and acoustically "wrong", usually the sign that it has been re-dubbed afterwards, probably because of noise at the time of recording.

What I don't know (and would love to know, if anyone can help) is whether Ray only did the intros for the first three episodes, or whether he did more and they've just been cut. I know in one interview he says that they stopped doing the intros because they were too expensive to do, but I don't know how many were shot.

Phil
www.bradburymedia.co.uk

[This message has been edited by philnic (edited 08-31-2004).]

I'm certain he did specific intros for numerous episodes (in addition to the 'Where do you get your ideas' bit). But, like I said, I only remember them as a voice over--not the Serling-esque speaking to the audience! But I hope my memory's faulty, because I'd love to think that those intros exist somewhere!

Another interesting questions relating to RBT:

I was watching Bladerunner last night and know that the end of the film was shot in the Bradbury Building in LA(?).

Would the opening elevator sequence of RBT be shot in the same building by chance? The Bradbury Building looks like it has similar elevators in Bladerunner.

It's also interesting to note that an episode of The Outer Limits was shot in the same building. I think it was 'The Demon with the Glass Hand', though I've never actually seen it.

Cheers!
Brian

Bradbury building: absolutely correct in all respects. There is a slight trick involved with RBT, though: although Ray rides the elevator in the Bradbury building, he emerges into his real office, which is in a completely different building somewhere in LA. Whether they chose the Bradbury building because of its name, or whether it was because the lift looks good, I do not know.

Phil
www.bradburymedia.co.uk

[This message has been edited by philnic (edited 09-01-2004).]

It used to be you could walk in the Bradbury Building and take a self-tour freely, looking around, as you passed by all the offices. Now...they charge you ''admission'' to do this, unless you have some genuine business or appointment in one of the companies in the building.