I like Karl Malden. Anyone think he was upset over losing his job to Stack? Not to mention the fact that Lifetime screwed him out of royalties by not re-running his episodes.

Justin

I'd like to see the episodes that Karl Malden and Raymond Burr hosted again, just to see how much the show changed. I taped the second Karl Malden special on April 25th 1988, when it was rerun on NBC minus the update on the John Burns case.

I'm missing a few minutes of the beginning of that. Do you still have the tape?

I still have the tape, but it's in SLP mode and has a lot of programs on it.

Any chance you could copy it? I have the other specials.

No, I don't have another VCR, but I might try copying several tapes somtime later on.

I like Karl Malden. Anyone think he was upset over losing his job to Stack? Not to mention the fact that Lifetime screwed him out of royalties by not re-running his episodes.

Justin

I never saw the Karl Malden segments. But it should be noted that when he (and Raymond Burr) hosted the show, it was only a series of specials, and not yet a regular series. So at the time, they didn't really have a permanent host. When they tested Robert Stack, I guess the producers simply liked what they saw. And the rest is history.

Watching the Burr or Malden hosted segments now is an experience because you're so used to having Stack as the host. It's interesting to see the show even in it's beginning stages with a different host but out of them all, no one wore that trench coat quite like Robert Stack, no disrepect to Burr or Malden who are both great actors.

Pre-Stack segments are coming shortly to my site, stay tuned..

Pre-Stack segments are coming shortly to my site, stay tuned..
All I can say is, Echoes...

Y O U ' R E T H E M A N ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Did Raymond Burr wear a trenchcoat or a suit like on Perry Mason? It's been so long since I saw the Raymond Burr hosted special in 1987. I have a repeat of the second Karl Malden special, and he looked like he did on The Streets Of San Francisco tv series, with that hat and trenchcoat, like Johnny Carson spoofed on The Tonight Show.

I believe he wore a suit like perry mason with a matching trench coat, he was also walking with a cane I think.

All I can say is, Echoes...

Y O U ' R E T H E M A N ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !


Yeah, second that. :D


I would love to see the pre-Stack specials, just to notice the difference between these specials and the series.

Another way of looking at it perhaps both Malden & Burr were approached along with Robert Stack about hosting UM when Cosgrove and company decided to take it to the air as a full time show. It could be possible that they could have just taken the actor with the lowest asking price although Stack did have that great presence in his voice that nobody else has really.

Actually I would have loved to see the three of them host it together - Stack could do a segment, then Burr and then Malden - and change it up for each case. Of course the price tag for producing and episode would have been astronomical but hey it's one for the idea mill.

Portions of the pre-stack specials as well as stuff from the stack specials that hasn't been seen in years will be featured on UNSURPASSED MYSTERIES VOLUMES 6 & 7 - In addition I might have a little surprise for the majority of the board in a few weeks - Need to talk to cd and echoes first though but stay tuned same Dante time - same Dante channel!

Later.

It could be possible that they could have just taken the actor with the lowest asking price although Stack did have that great presence in his voice that nobody else has really.


That sounds like a believable theory. Besides, I would imagine that there are a lot of highly paid actors who would be considered too pricey for a show like UM. And there are times when an actor might be unwilling to settle for a salary that is even slightly lower than what they normally get. I'm not saying this to be critical of any actor; I'm simply stating the fact that a salary demand (or request) is a common factor in who gets hired. In other words, if the candidate asked for too much money, chances are they would be ruled out.

An actor's schedule is another common factor. Robert Stack could also have been the one most available to commit to the show. Often times, people in show business turn down offers because of scheduling conflicts.

Well at the time of doing the first special, Burr was already doing the new Perry Mason series and did so up until his death on September 12, 1993. I guess he just couldn't commit to the show. Not sure about Karl Malden though.

Did anybody tape or see the episode of Larry King Live in which he did a show about Unsolved Mysteries with John Coscrove and I believe Robert Stack were guests?

Well, besides Stack looking freaking creepy in his trench, perhaps they had been planning a series and Malden turned the job down, so they let him go entirely and brought Stack in? I don't know much about the show and It's workings, this is just a guess.

Well at the time of doing the first special, Burr was already doing the new Perry Mason series and did so up until his death on September 12, 1993. I guess he just couldn't commit to the show. Not sure about Karl Malden though.

Good point. I never did think about that, but I doubt Burr would have had the time.

FWIW, I think it's cool that you're putting the specials on your site. I have already discussed with DarkDante the possibility of a tape tree. Let me know if you want to get in on this. I can send you better quality DVDR copies that are a generation down.

As long as it's on a DVD I'm in, Just let me know.

I thought RB & KM were great, but RS was DA MAN!

[QUOTE=DarkDante]Another way of looking at it perhaps both Malden & Burr were approached along with Robert Stack about hosting UM when Cosgrove and company decided to take it to the air as a full time show. It could be possible that they could have just taken the actor with the lowest asking price although Stack did have that great presence in his voice that nobody else has really.


I read a Karl Malden biography someplace on the web which stated he did not stay with UM because they didn't meet his asking price, which makes sense to me.

He was around 70 years old at the time and had already had a full career doing stage, films and TV (Streets of San Francisco) and Im guessing enough cash so why bother? But I wonder, given the success of the show and the pay raises which Stack certainly received, if he wished had taken the offer?

Chris

It's pretty much known now that Burr and Malden were not selected because their asking prices were too high. "Astronomical" was a term used in one article I read and it was a quote from an NBC executive.