as the search goes on for the lost segments of Unsolved Mysteries, I discovered yesterday a website that may hold the key. It is called freecycle.org

basically, what this website is a collection of yahoo groups of areas all around the country. people post offers of stuff that they would like to see someone use rather than throw it away. they offer it to you for free, and you pick it up. Essentially, this is a win-win situation as the givers enjoy seeing their items go to futher use as opposed to junking them, and the takers get stuff, possibly rare, treasured items for free. you can also post wants.

It will come as a suprise to absolutely no one that, towards the start of the decade, dvds gradually started the phase out of vcr tapes, for obvious reasons. What this created was a bunch of people with boxes full of vhs tapes that they no longer want/need.

I decided to mention this because I know there are some people there are dying to see the lost segments, and I feel that this may be the only method to obtain them. I've stated a few times before, that I think if these segments exist somewhere, the people that own them probably aren't aware of it. Since most people view UM as a show you watched, but didn't save, they may have taped it, with the intention of recording over it one day, but never got around to it.

Of course I'm not going to recommend that every one do this because of the time involved, and everyone has lives, but I thought I would mention it as a possible avenue. I may try it myself soon, but I haven't had a whole lot of free time lately, which is partially evidenced by the fact that I haven't been able to post alot here lately. A word of caution: don't click the box that says you wish to receive e-mails of new postings: I made that mistake, and when I checked my e-mail a few hours ago, there were 182 messages (coincidence? my screenname), all but a half a dozen or so were from freecycle.

I recently resurrected my old website for this purpose. I hope someone will stumble across it in a search some day and then realize that they have an episode or two. I'm sure they are out there, but, like you said, those who have them probably don't realize it or know the signifigance.

as the search goes on for the lost segments of Unsolved Mysteries, I discovered yesterday a website that may hold the key. It is called freecycle.org

basically, what this website is a collection of yahoo groups of areas all around the country. people post offers of stuff that they would like to see someone use rather than throw it away. they offer it to you for free, and you pick it up. Essentially, this is a win-win situation as the givers enjoy seeing their items go to futher use as opposed to junking them, and the takers get stuff, possibly rare, treasured items for free. you can also post wants.

It will come as a suprise to absolutely no one that, towards the start of the decade, dvds gradually started the phase out of vcr tapes, for obvious reasons. What this created was a bunch of people with boxes full of vhs tapes that they no longer want/need.

I decided to mention this because I know there are some people there are dying to see the lost segments, and I feel that this may be the only method to obtain them. I've stated a few times before, that I think if these segments exist somewhere, the people that own them probably aren't aware of it. Since most people view UM as a show you watched, but didn't save, they may have taped it, with the intention of recording over it one day, but never got around to it.

Of course I'm not going to recommend that every one do this because of the time involved, and everyone has lives, but I thought I would mention it as a possible avenue. I may try it myself soon, but I haven't had a whole lot of free time lately, which is partially evidenced by the fact that I haven't been able to post alot here lately. A word of caution: don't click the box that says you wish to receive e-mails of new postings: I made that mistake, and when I checked my e-mail a few hours ago, there were 182 messages (coincidence? my screenname), all but a half a dozen or so were from freecycle.

There is a cultural institution, located in Los Angeles and New York, called the Paley Center for Media. This insititution keeps at least one copy of a huge number of television shows. When you go, you may request a viewing of any show in their archives. Of course, you can't make a copy, and I don't know if they would consider "Unsolved Mysteries" a work of "art," and thus worthy of inclusion, but that may be the only viable venue for even seeing some of these segments.

I have a direct line telephone number for the archives at WPTV - the West Palm Beach Florida NBC affiliate. I don't know if they would sell episodes or tapes of the broadcast nights, but I've been meaning to call them.

highly unlikely any nbc affiliate would have anything left. Stations get feeds of shows, then play them back, then reuse the tapes. Most stations run shows out of a server now. Even reruns get refed, so there is no reason for stations to hang on to anything. They'd be on an old format (probably 1" or 3/4") anyway that you'd have to get converted.

Your best bet is to make friends with someone at Cosgrove/Meurer. I'm still hoping for more segments to come to dvd.