Has Season 6 to 8 ever been in syndication?

[stevea]

Antenna not getting the rights to air seasons 6 thru 8 may be a legality. I don't think I've ever heard of a "spilt" series, where one entity owns and syndicates some seasons, and another entity owns and also syndicates the remaining seasons. The post above is the most logical, and obvious situation. The DVD release situation can probably be solved, eventually...but I can't imagine the syndication being solved, unless Sony would sell the rights and the DR estate would be willing to buy them. DR must be a cash cow for MeTV--I'd bet they're not paying much for the rights to it...and it's probably doing reasonably well for them.

I've noticed those Todon Production copyrights in small print. I do have a few season 6 episodes...they changed the opener right after Shelley Fabares left the show a few episodes into the 6th season.

I just pulled my DVD where I have a few 6th season episodes. Episode 6-11 has Copyright MCMLXI Todon Of California Inc., and episode 6-12 has Copyright MCMLXIII Screen Gems Inc. Both of these episodes are derived from 16 mm prints, and are the ABC network originals. The 1961 copyright from the 4th season is explained by Screen Gems being sloppy and too lazy to change the opener. I'm sure the ownership deal and change took place at the start of the 6th season, as described above...SG was too lazy to change the opener/(C) year/copyright owner until they HAD to change it when Shelley Fabares departed (they removed her from the opener and added Patty Petersen).

[jimmo]

Originally Posted by jehobden

Sony included 2 Season 8 episodes, "Four on the Floor" & "No More Parties", on a DVD included with "specially marked boxes" of a few General Mills cereals back about 10 years ago. I bought a box and let my housemate eat the cereal. I was just buying it for the DVD. Other cereals had 2-episode discs of other Sony series like Barney Miller & Married with Children.

Those special edition DVDs of Sony television series' distributed with General Mills cereals also included Mad About You.

[jimmo]

Originally Posted by Jude The Obscure

Sony just needs to stop being lazy...convert seasons 6-8 to digital...sell the rerun rights to Me-TV and allow MPI the DVD rights.

Easier said than done.

The reasons behind withholding certain television series' from distribution on home video and/or in syndication (including, nowadays, streaming rights) are multifaceted, could be due to lacking of music clearances, some party or parties holding out for financial reasons, etc. Or there could be some more complex reason(s) behind the withholding of a TV series from general distribution.

There could even be something of a prohibitive nature as seemingly ridiculous as an actor in a filmed work having a special codicil attached to her/his contract preventing one season of a TV series from being distributed for a certain number of years following that party's death, etc., to avoid potential of embarrassment while the party and/or her/his beneficiaries remain alive. In a case involving such a heavy-handed stipulation, it could require a crane to have the restriction removed. The law can work in strange and mysterious ways (to the uninformed).

[jimmo]

Originally Posted by stevea

he played Dr. Dave Kelsey, and his wife was Midge, played by Ann McCrea. Both appeared in the original season 7 opening credits. Both started their roles in the equally elusive season 6. They bought the house next door to the Stones'. The Stones had supposedly known them for many years, since there was a flashback episode to before the Kelseys were married. I think Bob Crane appeared in s fifth season episode, as a doctor also, but possibly with a different name.

Bob Crane left the role after season 7 (to play the lead in Hogan's Heroes). Ann McCrea continued into the final season, but was not in the opening credits.

So actress Ann McCrea's situation in the eighth season of The Donna Reed Show was similar to that of actress Edna Skinner in the fourth season of Mister ED following the death of actor Larry Keating, the latter who portrayed neighbor "Roger Addison," the husband of Skinner's character ("Kay Addison") in the series, in that each actress was released from her contract following special circumstances involving actors (who portrayed spouses of their characters) who suddenly departed each respective series. Skinner remained for five episodes (and with credit-only for a sixth episode) into the fourth seaopsn, along with Jack Albertson reprising the role of her brother (music producer "Paul Fenton") in three of those five episodes, before Leon Ames and Florence MacMichael were brought aboard as new neighbors "Colonel Gordon Kirkwood" (a retired Air Force officer who had been the commander of "Wilbur Post," presumably in either World War II or the Korean conflict) and "Winnie Kirkwood" for most of the fourth and the fifth season of Mister ED.

Similarly, Ann McCrea had little reaosn left to remain a neighbor of the "Stones" in "Hilldale" after the character of her physician husband (portrayed by Bob Crane) departed the series for the grayer pastures of "Stalog 13" in Hogan's Heroes. And with not much developed for either actress their respective roles were eventually written out of each series. Although, to be frank, Skinner's "Kay Addison" was much more interesting and contributed more to the humor of Mister ED than did McCrea's ditzy character of "Midge Kelsey," a generic neighborette.

[jimmo]

There is an upload of "Play Ball," the third episode (with guest stars Don Drysdale, Leo Durocher and Willie Mays of the Los Angeles Dodgers) in the seventh season of The Donna Reed Show, on YouTube. But be forewarned the upload is of poor quality, merely a video shot (and at an angle to boot, rather than a straightforward perspective of the TV screen) playing the file transferred from 16mm film, rather than a direct file upload. I have seen these instances before on YouTube, which may only be accounted for by the single term of "laziness."

[stevea]

Originally Posted by jimmo

Easier said than done.

The reasons behind withholding certain television series' from distribution on home video and/or in syndication (including, nowadays, streaming rights) are multifaceted, could be due to lacking of music clearances, some party or parties holding out for financial reasons, etc. Or there could be some more complex reason(s) behind the withholding of a TV series from general distribution.

There could even be something of a prohibitive nature as seemingly ridiculous as an actor in a filmed work having a special codicil attached to her/his contract preventing one season of a TV series from being distributed for a certain number of years following that party's death, etc., to avoid potential of embarrassment while the party and/or her/his beneficiaries remain alive. In a case involving such a heavy-handed stipulation, it could require a crane to have the restriction removed. The law can work in strange and mysterious ways (to the uninformed).

I get your drift. I noticed when MeTV resuscitated the long-missing season 8 episodes a few years ago, the single episode with Crane in it was skipped. Crane was murdered in June 1978, over 41 years ago--maybe the codicil is 50 years but who knows. If a codicil is indeed the hangup, it probably covers the season(s) he is under contract; therefore, his few appearances in an earlier season (I think S5) are still aired. The season 8 episode is probably leftover from season 7, and therefore still not aired.

[merlinjones]

Just for the record, Bob Crane guests (in the same role/Dave) in at least 2 season 5 episodes that are included in the DVD and Syndication packages:

Season 5 episode 26 "The Two Doctors Stone"
Season 5 episode 29 ''Friend and Neighbors"