I just happened to notice on the UM facebook page that there is a poll for viewers to vote for 1 old RS segment to be released on their website Dec 21st. Given CMP's actions over the years, I was very happily surprised, even if its just one segment.

I was reluctantly forced to vote for a LL segment because its the only option offered that I hadn't seen.

Here is the poll for anyone interested.

https://apps.facebook.com/my-polls/form/vote-for-lost-unsolved-mystery-segment?from=admin_wall

Shut the front door!

Merry Christmas to all! I wish it were more, but I'll take what I can get. :)

What can I say, to you... bonita?

Voted! Thanks for posting!!!!

Shut the front door!

Franklin Delano!

Unfortunately, the choices are limited to these:

-Missing mother Pamela June Ray
-“Miss Subways” search for her birth mother
-Church Doe from Boise, Idaho (William L. Toomey)
-Fritz Vincken’s Christmas American G.I.s
-The disappearance of Joan Gay Croft

The "Joan Gay Croft" segment won.

The video can be found on the official site/official Youtube channel.

It's a shame the video quality is terrible...a badly compressed video just lazily slapped onto Youtube.

Still, it's better than nothing...and it may possibly pave the way for more RS segments in the future. Something that fans have always wanted...it looks like C&M are starting to take note...

Wouldn't that be great? We can always dream.

I'm just glad it wasn't Fritz and the soldiers. Nothing against that segment. I've just seen it way more than others such as the Joan Gay Croft one, which I believe is the one I voted for. Or was it Pamela June Ray?

All of those are good choices, as they are unsolved, with the exception of the Fritz Vincken episode. The Joan Gay Croft episode is in decent quality, although I hope that if they start to re-run Robert Stack episodes, that Cosgrove/Meurer will use today's technology to remaster the audio and picture quality so that it's in high quality and crisp enough to watch.

I will have to check it out later that's good to hear. Likewise I do hope that UM does more of this in the future!

I really hope this is a sign that we can get access to more or all of the "lost" episodes at some point, but I'm definitely confused by CMP reversing its course on this. Their position, as I understood it, was that writers guild agreements in place at the time the original segments were produced were preventing the segments from being available online.

To me this meant that royalties, however small, were due to the individual writers every time the episode was shown. Because the internet was in its infancy at the time, contracts would probably not have envisioned the world we live in now, where a such a vast portion of media is available for free (or nearly free.) It could very well be the case that CMP has to pay out of their own pockets to allow access to these old segments. If that's the case, what's different now? Are these particular episodes not covered by those agreements for some reason? They were between '90 and '95. Or is it as simple as CMP being willing to pay to give us access to one, but not 1,000 segments?

Perhaps, someone, somewhere, may be able to shed some light on this mystery. Until then, I will simply say thank you to CMP for putting at least the one out there.

This was fun to watch, and I hope they do more of these (although it would be even better if they could stream the full episodes on Netflix or something). With the rising interest in true crime (Serial, The Jinx, Making a Murderer, etc.), as well as rebooting long-cancelled tv series, I wouldn't be surprised if we get a new version of Unsolved Mysteries in the next five years or so.

I think CM is starting to test the waters, as other posters have said. I think, as of now, it is the best time for the RS UM versions to come back, whether to Netflix, etc..., as there is a huge wave of our generations "nostalgia" as of right now actually going mainstream and being profitable (Dumb and Dumber 2 comes to mind.) And, everyone knows or remembers UM, and they remember the RS version. So, I think we are getting close to having something out there...

This segment is exactly why I loved unsolved. It showed us different parts of the country with real stories of real people. It's a shame so many people died in the tornado. We got to see a glimpse of what they went through.

I think CM is starting to test the waters, as other posters have said. I think, as of now, it is the best time for the RS UM versions to come back, whether to Netflix, etc..., as there is a huge wave of our generations "nostalgia" as of right now actually going mainstream and being profitable (Dumb and Dumber 2 comes to mind.) And, everyone knows or remembers UM, and they remember the RS version. So, I think we are getting close to having something out there...The funny thing is, I was actually introduced to the Stack version of UM through the more recent, rebooted Farina version. I just happened to flick it on one night and I liked some of the stories featured...I think one of the first stories I watched on the Farina version was the Alcatraz Escape segment. I had never heard of the attempted escape by Clarence/John Anglin and Frank Morris before.

I already had some idea of the show Unsolved Mysteries, I had saw the parody on "BASEketball" :lol: and was somewhat aware of the host Robert Stack and his eeriness, and was surprised when it was somebody different hosting.

I started to look it up on the internet, hoping to find some of the older stuff. I was frustrated when all I could find were one or two bad quality bits on Youtube, and some of the DVD segments from other video sites...it spiked my curiosity and interest in the older version of the show. Unfortunatly, I had started looking after the big purge of UM videos from the internet took place...I had just missed out :(

Bringing this show back would certainty satisfy older fans nostalgia and whatnot, but I definitely think there is a market for newer fans too...it just seems to have a certain formula that other true-crime shows don't. Its look is perfect (I love that grainy film texture), its slightly out-of-date creepy music, its host (obviously!), its sometimes painfully bad acting :lol:, its wide variety of cases etc.

If you are listening, C&M...please release more! :wave:

Bringing this show back would certainty satisfy older fans nostalgia and whatnot, but I definitely think there is a market for newer fans too...it just seems to have a certain formula that other true-crime shows don't. Its look is perfect (I love that grainy film texture), its slightly out-of-date creepy music, its host (obviously!), its sometimes painfully bad acting :lol:, its wide variety of cases etc.

Having a certain formula that is absent in other true crimes was one of the things that made the show good. Although it was usually devoid of good acting, the overall look and feel made up for that.

If you are listening, C&M...please release more! :wave:

Even if Cosgrove/Meurer wanted to release more UM DVDs, they have no say on the matter. A distributor would have to make that call.

Having a certain formula that is absent in other true crimes was one of the things that made the show good. Although it was usually devoid of good acting, the overall look and feel made up for that.



Even if Cosgrove/Meurer wanted to release more UM DVDs, they have no say on the matter. A distributor would have to make that call.DVDs are becoming more and more redundant thanks to the versatility and convenience of the internet.

It may be difficult to negotiate contracts with Netflix/Hulu. There are no guarantees that, even if they were interested in showing old episodes of UM, that we would get the entire UM back-catalogue (13 seasons worth!).

Youtube however has many examples of official channels that have started adding segments of their shows online...everything from "My Strange Addiction" to "The Jeremy Kyle Show".

Unsolved Mysteries already has an official channel...I can't see how hard it would be to start uploading Stack's UM segments onto it (in HD of course) alongside the newer unsolved crime/missing persons clips they are already releasing now. It would certainly bring more subscribers, viewers and attention to the channel and to the ongoing cases and investigations.

I believe that it would also put a stop to people uploading VHS-rips of their creation online. Who would want to watch a crappy VHS UM segment when you could watch it on their official channel in HD? If Cosgrove/Meurer are so adamant that people not upload their show, that is one way to deal with it.

DVDs are becoming more and more redundant thanks to the versatility and convenience of the internet.

It may be difficult to negotiate contracts with Netflix/Hulu. There are no guarantees that, even if they were interested in showing old episodes of UM, that we would get the entire UM back-catalogue (13 seasons worth!).

Youtube however has many examples of official channels that have started adding segments of their shows online...everything from "My Strange Addiction" to "The Jeremy Kyle Show".

Unsolved Mysteries already has an official channel...I can't see how hard it would be to start uploading Stack's UM segments onto it (in HD of course) alongside the newer unsolved crime/missing persons clips they are already releasing now. It would certainly bring more subscribers, viewers and attention to the channel and to the ongoing cases and investigations.

I believe that it would also put a stop to people uploading VHS-rips of their creation online. Who would want to watch a crappy VHS UM segment when you could watch it on their official channel in HD? If Cosgrove/Meurer are so adamant that people not upload their show, that is one way to deal with it.

I agree wholeheartedly with this. The possibility of UM ever coming out on DVD is gone, simply because there are too many parties involved, there is physical inventory for something that already hasn't sold well, etc... However, with Netflix/Streaming, the services would negotiate directly with C&M, which would actually make things easier, with less parties involved. I do think that they will either do that or post it to their official UM channel, as, with posting it to their own channel, they can make money off of advertising, etc... I am excited to see these cases again, not even in HD, just to where they don't have tracking lines on the screen, etc...

I think having a YouTube channel with old segments would be great. At this point I will take anything. Haven't seen the show in a long time.

Wow, this could be the start of something special. Very important that everyone on here watches the segment to get as many views as possible.

The UM DVD sets sold poorly?

The UM DVD sets sold poorly?
I don't know if this is true or not but I wouldn't be surprised either way. I bought all of the sets except for The strange legends and I was a little disappointed that many ofThe segments were ones I had already seen multiple times. Whereas many of The segments that have infamously circulated online were not included in the dvd sets. This always made me want to have access to more material. And the fact that I had not seen the Joan gay segment previously makes me Wonder what else I've missed in spite of being such a loyal fan. One poster mentioned(maybe cricci) that they didn't want to see the fritzs soldiers episode that they had seen a thousand times. that's sort of how I feel although that segment may be one of the best ever featured from a warm and fuzzy outlook.

I don't know if this is true or not but I wouldn't be surprised either way. I bought all of the sets except for The strange legends and I was a little disappointed that many ofThe segments were ones I had already seen multiple times. Whereas many of The segments that have infamously circulated online were not included in the dvd sets. This always made me want to have access to more material. And the fact that I had not seen the Joan gay segment previously makes me Wonder what else I've missed in spite of being such a loyal fan. One poster mentioned(maybe cricci) that they didn't want to see the fritzs soldiers episode that they had seen a thousand times. that's sort of how I feel although that segment may be one of the best ever featured from a warm and fuzzy outlook.The Fritz Vincken segment is featured on the "Best of Unsolved Mysteries" DVD box set; It would have been a waste to vote for that one.

The Fritz Vincken segment is featured on the "Best of Unsolved Mysteries" DVD box set; It would have been a waste to vote for that one.
Yeah We've all seen it many times used to be on lifetime a lot.

My problem with the "Best of UM" boxset (which I own) is that a lot of the cases covered were NOT, in fact, the "best" of UM. For every truly great UM segment featured on the box set, there were about three others that were purely filler.

The boxed sets also contained a lot of the newer segments and not the "classic UM" that we all love. I know part of that had to do with copyrighting issues, but it was just a bummer.

...and yeah. Had Fritz and the soldiers won the poll, I would have been one sad panda. I had probably seen THAT segment the most of any of them. :)

My problem with the "Best of UM" boxset (which I own) is that a lot of the cases covered were NOT, in fact, the "best" of UM. For every truly great UM segment featured on the box set, there were about three others that were purely filler.

The boxed sets also contained a lot of the newer segments and not the "classic UM" that we all love. I know part of that had to do with copyrighting issues, but it was just a bummer.

I agree with that, although I think the reason they called it "Best Of" was because each of the other 6 dvd sets were a specific genre, whereas this one was all-encompassing (bizarre murders, UFO's, strange legends, miracles, psychics, ghosts, treasures). It probably sounded better than "UM Catch-All"

The sad thing is I brought two DVD players with me to Korea and both of them ate my UM DVDs. They are both stuck in my DVD players. And my computer disk drive broke the week after. Now I can't watch them at all. I used them to fall asleep. Oh well. But yes I am so tired of some of those segments too. I mean ghost boy the entity come on....

I'm always amused whenever I see a comment about releasing the old UM segments in HD quality.

I'm always amused whenever I see a comment about releasing the old UM segments in HD quality.Why's that?

They took down the Joan Croft video already :(

They took down the Joan Croft video already :(

Yeah I was just looking for that. Cocksgrove Muerer are truly pieces of ****. Their new videos are absolutely piss poor production, looks like a sixth grader put them together, **** THEM.

Is anyone surprised?

The UM DVD sets sold poorly?

I think that was stated by CM - there was some sort of interview or Q&A I remember being posted a few years ago on here (maybe someone just emailed them and they answered some questions?).

They said it was unlikely that there would be more DVDs released because there wasn't enough demand for the ones that were already out there.

Which is funny when you consider how much the original 4 disc versions are going for, but a few obsessed collectors don't represent the masses!

I'm always amused whenever I see a comment about releasing the old UM segments in HD quality.

Why's that?

Mainly because it was shot on 35mm Film, and it is my understanding that the term HD doesn't even apply to film. But beyond that, UM intended their re-enactments to be grainy & gritty documentary style pieces, so even if it is technically possible to improve the sharpness of the picture, you'd be changing one of the key ingredients in the UM recipe.

I wasn't trying to single you out, I've seen many similar comments on the Box Sets pages on amazon as well.

Mainly because it was shot on 35mm Film, and it is my understanding that the term HD doesn't even apply to film. But beyond that, UM intended their re-enactments to be grainy & gritty documentary style pieces, so even if it is technically possible to improve the sharpness of the picture, you'd be changing one of the key ingredients in the UM recipe.

I wasn't trying to single you out, I've seen many similar comments on the Box Sets pages on amazon as well.The film quality is part of what makes UM what it is. Some people, like me, would just want a DVD release of the episodes. UM is one of the few shows where I would not only be fine with, but would want them to not upgrade a thing.

Mainly because it was shot on 35mm Film, and it is my understanding that the term HD doesn't even apply to film. But beyond that, UM intended their re-enactments to be grainy & gritty documentary style pieces, so even if it is technically possible to improve the sharpness of the picture, you'd be changing one of the key ingredients in the UM recipe.

I wasn't trying to single you out, I've seen many similar comments on the Box Sets pages on amazon as well.

35 mm film, even 16 mm film, can be converted to HD.

I think that was stated by CM - there was some sort of interview or Q&A I remember being posted a few years ago on here (maybe someone just emailed them and they answered some questions?).

They said it was unlikely that there would be more DVDs released because there wasn't enough demand for the ones that were already out there.

Which is funny when you consider how much the original 4 disc versions are going for, but a few obsessed collectors don't represent the masses!

They never do, any more than "nerds" represent the majority of Star Trek viewers.

35 mm film, even 16 mm film, can be converted to HD.

Sure, just like I can take a high-resolution photo of the Mona Lisa. But I'd rather have the Mona Lisa. ;)

It's not my intention to be overly dramatic. I just happen to like the grainy quality of the re-enactments, and I honestly feel like a razor-sharp picture would lessen the spooky/eerie feelings many of the Unexplained segments had and the scary nature of the Wanted/Missing Persons Segments.

Also I think the added clarity would highlight a bunch of not-so special effects used and other times UM got by on the cheap. Remember, the show was relatively low-budget for its day, and barely comparable to the movie-quality TV shows being put out today.

Besides, aren't we talking about going frame by frame through roughly 10,000 hours of film to sharpen up the image? Talk about a big, expensive task that CMP would undoubtedly laugh at, even if they were stylistically in favor of it.

Sure, just like I can take a high-resolution photo of the Mona Lisa. But I'd rather have the Mona Lisa. ;)

It's not my intention to be overly dramatic. I just happen to like the grainy quality of the re-enactments, and I honestly feel like a razor-sharp picture would lessen the spooky/eerie feelings many of the Unexplained segments had and the scary nature of the Wanted/Missing Persons Segments.

Also I think the added clarity would highlight a bunch of not-so special effects used and other times UM got by on the cheap. Remember, the show was relatively low-budget for its day, and barely comparable to the movie-quality TV shows being put out today.

Besides, aren't we talking about going frame by frame through roughly 10,000 hours of film to sharpen up the image? Talk about a big, expensive task that CMP would undoubtedly laugh at, even if they were stylistically in favor of it.

I'm not arguing the merits of converting UM to HD. I was responding to your assertion that HD doesn't apply to 35mm film. Not true. Shows and movies filmed on 35mm film are converted to HD all the time (a recent example being the X-Files).

Oh I see what you are saying. Well, part of my assertion is that I don't believe film HAS resolution in the same sense that video does because it isn't a digital medium. Therefore, the measures of HD or SD aren't applicable.

I do get that you'd end up with a resolution once you used a device to convert the film to digital, like with X-Files as you mention. But wouldn't you then end up with a very sharp image of a grainy roll of film?

Oh I see what you are saying. Well, part of my assertion is that I don't believe film HAS resolution in the same sense that video does because it isn't a digital medium. Therefore, the measures of HD or SD aren't applicable.

I do get that you'd end up with a resolution once you used a device to convert the film to digital, like with X-Files as you mention. But wouldn't you then end up with a very sharp image of a grainy roll of film?

I'm not good at tech talk, so I'm linking to an article that explains it better than I could.

http://www.howtogeek.com/199182/ask-htg-how-can-studios-release-high-definition-versions-of-decades-old-movies-and-tv-shows/

FWIW, I think it would be unnecessary to convert old UM episodes to HD. Half of the charm is in its 80s aesthetics.

But wouldn't you then end up with a very sharp image of a grainy roll of film?

Nah, IMO one of the greatest qualities of DVD/Blu-ray to watch is a nice transfer of an old movie. It's like the best of both worlds.