*UPDATE* "The Mothers-In-Law" scheduled for early next year!

[Benno123]

The original announcement said that MPI will release this show "later in 2009," and we're just coming up to the end of the 1st quarter of 2010. There never was a definitive date set, and considering that the 3rd month of 2010 is not even close to being done yet, all this talk of "MPI is giving up" or "This release will not happen" is just plain silly. As I said before, patience patience patience. Either you wait and get something outstaning (has the Arnaz children let anyone down with any of the releases they've been involved with yet?) or get a rush job and crap for a collection and then a bunch of complaining about how "MPI should have done this" or "MPI didn't do that, they could have made this set soooo much better."

[Marvo301]

Originally Posted by Benno123

The original announcement said that MPI will release this show "later in 2009," and we're just coming up to the end of the 1st quarter of 2010. There never was a definitive date set, and considering that the 3rd month of 2010 is not even close to being done yet, all this talk of "MPI is giving up" or "This release will not happen" is just plain silly. As I said before, patience patience patience. Either you wait and get something outstaning (has the Arnaz children let anyone down with any of the releases they've been involved with yet?) or get a rush job and crap for a collection and then a bunch of complaining about how "MPI should have done this" or "MPI didn't do that, they could have made this set soooo much better."

Very well said Benno! I'm getting very tired of all the negativity and conclusion jumping on this thread. Let's just be patient and wait for what is sure to be great set that will be released sometime this year. (as MPI has stated)

[Benno123]

Exactly Marvo.* MPI has access to a lot of great footage, and let's give them time to sort through all of it and make it an outstanding set.* I see it as if someone wants to give up and refuses to buy the set just because "I've waiting long enough, and maybe I'll just buy it if it's on a discount" then they're not hurting anyone but themselves. Certainly not hurting MPI or the Arnaz children, and certainly not hurting me! In fact, it just betters my chance of being able to buy one with that many more available on the market!

[McGillicuddy]

Originally Posted by Benno123

Exactly Marvo.* MPI has access to a lot of great footage, and let's give them time to sort through all of it and make it an outstanding set.* I see it as if someone wants to give up and refuses to buy the set just because "I've waiting long enough, and maybe I'll just buy it if it's on a discount" then they're not hurting anyone but themselves. Certainly not hurting MPI or the Arnaz children, and certainly not hurting me! In fact, it just betters my chance of being able to buy one with that many more available on the market!

I too, don't like the negativity. Thankyou Marvo and Benno for all your great points. M.P.I. has yet to disappoint me. All though they don't have an extensive library of classic sit-coms, I'm so grateful for the supurb job they've done with Here's Lucy, their volumes of The Beverly Hillbillies and The Doris Day Show. I plan to get Family Affair and The Honeymooners Lost Episodes eventually. I hope they don't stop after The Mothers-in-Law.

[McGillicuddy]

Originally Posted by Robert 13

I think this series deserves to be in the "Most-Delayed tv-on-dvd" list. I can't recall others that have been delayed to this degree. I'm sure there have been but not in recent years. Does anyone remember any other shows that went through this much deliberation on the studio's part?

Have you forgotten The Lucy Show? Remember how long it took to f-i-n-a-l-l-y get the Official Season 1 into our hands? And what about the remaining seasons of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, (seasons 5-7), after announcing a complete series?

[Benno123]

Originally Posted by markway895

Have you forgotten The Lucy Show? Remember how long it took to f-i-n-a-l-l-y get the Official Season 1 into our hands? And what about the remaining seasons of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, (seasons 5-7), after announcing a complete series?

Oh Markway, don't even get me started on how long it took to get MTM out. Fox made it up by releasing seasons 5 & 6 pretty close, and while no annoucement has been made about season 7 I look for it to be around by late summer or early fall. Then if Fox wants to go back and release an entire series box that can, but that debate involved making fans repurchase the first 4 years to get all 7. To repurchase more than half the series would have been a disaster for Fox. And yes, there will be a year gap in The Lucy Show releases if season 2 stays on the last schedule that I had heard which was in July. (Though did it get pushed back to October? Heck, I can't remember!)

If you're thinking of purchasing The Honeymooners lost episodes MPI has discontinued those DVDs for the time being. There's been talk that MPI and the Gleason Estate have been in the process of remastering the original kinescopes and releasing a more comprehensive set in the future and including some skits that were not included in the original VHS and DVD releases. I don't know what the time frame on that is, but I don't think it's something MPI has any rush to do since those shows have already been made available.

The great thing about MPI is that it is a small company and it cares about its product. Like I said earlier in this thread or elsewhere on the board, I've never been able to get a response to any calls or emails I have sent with questions or concerns. If that is the biggest problem I have with MPI then I consider that pretty darn good!

[1960'sTVfan]

Originally Posted by Robert 13

I hope it makes it out this year. I'm a little worried about how they say "It still looks like it will be out this year, just later on". That may mean it could be postponed to 2011. I hope not.

Exactly. All MPI needs to do is simply issue a statement explaining the delays and assure everyone that the series will definitely be released in 2010. They have no one to blame but themselves if people speculate because the release date keeps getting mysteriously delayed without explanation.

It's interesting when an old sitcom that had a life of one or two seasons is slated for a DVD release. The initial reaction usually is- Wow this is cool, haven't seen this in ages, will be great to see this again. But after the nostalgia trip subsides, reality sometimes sets in. With many of these one and two season sitcoms, the reason they had a short life is because the show wasn't really very good! Of course there are exceptions where you might have a great show but in a rotten time slot against established popular shows which results in poor ratings. Regarding the Mothers In Law, from what I recall the first season was decent with the majority of episodes pretty good. Eve Arden and Kaye Ballard were funny together. But it lost focus in the second season and the writing was generally not up to par. The series always struggled in the ratings department, NBC nearly cancelled it after season one but eventually renewed for a second season. Ratings didn't improve in season two, resulting in the show being cancelled.

[Benno123]

Provide me with when there has been an actual date set for release, and then show me when it's been pushed back from that date? There hasn't been one, it's all been merely speculation. MPI took time to remaster the episodes, and put together extras. (As an old news report on tvshowsondvd.com says, "it will be loaded.") MPI has more than one project to work on, and while this is a major release for them at the same time it's not the only place for them to put their focus at.

If I was someone at MPI, came here and read all this negativity I would pull the plug on the project. I would view it as "If everyone already has this negative attitude towards something that is not even completed, then why even bother?" Of course, I can't nor would I want to. So instead of wondering about it, call them at (800) 323-0442 or send them an email via this link http://www.mpihomevideo.com/Contact/ and and maybe you'll have some luck in getting a reply back and maybe someone will give the answers of why it has not been released yet.

[TeeVeeCloset]

Originally Posted by TeeVeeCloset

I don't think it is abondoned either, it's the economy and lack of sales that are hurting all DVD companies, especially ones like MPI, who release their series the correct way most of the time.....This release is owned by The Arnaz Family who also own the rights to "Here's Lucy".....they are very proud that this series was a Desi Arnaz production right from the first opening credit and his several appearances during the 2 season run. I'm sure the hold-up is they don't want to saturate the market....."Here's Lucy" 2 came out rather quickly, they probably will release season 3 and "Mothers" sometime in 2010, probably near the fall. Don't forget they are also releasing the Lucy specials.

Remember MPI is the company that released 5 full seasons of "The Doris Day Show", a very small niche series, but they stuck with it!

I am actually going to quote myself above from March 15, 2010, since then we have learned pretty much exactly what I said, according to www.tvshowsondvd.com "Here's Lucy 3" is coming June 15 and "Mothers" could come by the end of the year......lets not speculate and be so negative, again read the post, we are in extremely difficult economic times where major cuts are happening all over at especially niche smaller DVD companies......and no it doesn't help when people announce "they rent at libraries" (I understand though) or "won't buy it till the discount bin"......

If MPI doesn't release it and I'm sure they will, again The Arnaz Estate WANTS THIS OUT and it will come out, probably through MPI or if they do pass, it could come out through Shouts online only site even, but we need to be supportive here......alot of classic television is coming out again....in fact I am quite surprised by the many releases lately, these do not make much money for the companies.....

I suspect it is the restoration process and the economy, I have never seen an episode of "Mothers" in good shape....it always looked awful, they must have used the cheapest film available.....if film was erasable, I'm sure they used it.....that's a joke! It looked awful when running in the 1970's on my local WNEW-TV Channel 5 , here in New York weekdays at 1:00PM....and when it does indeed come out someday, I will watch weekdays at 1:00PM!

Posted two days after my March 15, 2010 post here announcing a probable end of the year release, just as I said.......http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Mot...-Delayed/13475

[1960'sTVfan]

While the delays are a legitimate cause for concern, I'll give MPI the benefit of the doubt because their track record is very good. They are probably taking their time with this to make sure everything is right before announcing a release date.

[rcbrad]

Originally Posted by Benno123

Provide me with when there has been an actual date set for release, and then show me when it's been pushed back from that date? There hasn't been one, it's all been merely speculation. MPI took time to remaster the episodes, and put together extras. (As an old news report on tvshowsondvd.com says, "it will be loaded.") MPI has more than one project to work on, and while this is a major release for them at the same time it's not the only place for them to put their focus at.

If I was someone at MPI, came here and read all this negativity I would pull the plug on the project. I would view it as "If everyone already has this negative attitude towards something that is not even completed, then why even bother?" Of course, I can't nor would I want to. So instead of wondering about it, call them at (800) 323-0442 or send them an email via this link http://www.mpihomevideo.com/Contact/ and and maybe you'll have some luck in getting a reply back and maybe someone will give the answers of why it has not been released yet.

I was going to make the same point. It really has not been pushed back as many times as people say. I remember reading that it could be fall 2010. This was before the notice appeared on Kaye's website, announcing a May release, which turned out to be not true.

I mean no offense, but I think that some of the negativity must be from people who do not seem to really be that interested in getting the set period, regardless of the delays. This is a must buy for me.

[Marvo301]

Originally Posted by rcbrad

I was going to make the same point. It really has not been pushed back as many times as people say. I remember reading that it could be fall 2010. This was before the notice appeared on Kaye's website, announcing a May release, which turned out to be not true.

I mean no offense, but I think that some of the negativity must be from people who do not seem to really be that interested in getting the set period, regardless of the delays. This is a must buy for me.

Bingo! A lot of these folks are fairweather fans who are losing interest as fast as they are losing patience. It's their loss. They're going to miss out on a great set when it comes out!

[Benno123]

Originally Posted by rcbrad

I was going to make the same point. It really has not been pushed back as many times as people say. I remember reading that it could be fall 2010. This was before the notice appeared on Kaye's website, announcing a May release, which turned out to be not true.

I mean no offense, but I think that some of the negativity must be from people who do not seem to really be that interested in getting the set period, regardless of the delays. This is a must buy for me.

Right on ... right on ... right on ....

[1960'sTVfan]

I'm interested in these DVD's, make no mistake about that. Otherwise I wouldn't voice concern over the delays. But despite these delays, MPI's reputation is pretty good so this DVD set will probably be out later this year.