Gilligan Movies on DVD, Update - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Harold Hecuba · 11-09-2007, 01:45 AM

Hello Folks,

Before I tell you the latest, I'd like to mention something else. I'm sure you recall the controversy that erupted when I first started posting here. Mainly it was when Jack 77 publicly doubted my legitimacy. A short while ago, Jack e-mailed me privately to say that he now knew who I was and that I was indeed in the Schwartz camp. I did ask if he might post this but I see that he has not posted anywhere for nearly a month. Hope all's well Mr. 77.

Anyway, I was hoping a long time ago to tell you that we had made a deal to release all three Gilligan movies as a set on DVD. Unfortunately, I still can't officially tell you that and here's why.

The good news is that the rights to the movies themselves are all straightened out and also that a very good distributor (I can't say which one) is ready to make a deal with both the Schwartzes and Universal, owner of the third movie 'Globetrotters'.

What's holding it all up is, sadly, the thing that is the bane of all DVD production..................music clearance.

In order for a set of the three movies to come out, the following songs have to be cleared with EMI Music Publishing and Warner/Chappell Music Publishing:

1. The Ballad Of Gilligan's Island
2. Gilligan's Theme (instrumental by John Williams, you all know it)
3. Sweet Georgia Brown (The Harlem Globetrotters theme)
4. Lazybones (sung by Tom Bosley in 'Castaways')
5. I Wanna Be Loved By You (sung by Ginger#3 in 'Globetrotters')
6. Anchors Aweigh (plays in Skipper's seamanship test machine in 'Globetrotters')

One of the biggest problems in this end of the business is that music publishers charge more money for inclusion of songs in movies and TV Shows (called 'Sync Licensing') than most DVD budgets can handle. This is why certain movies and shows end up having the music replaced or the title just doesn't get released. And it can take forever to work this out, if you're even able to. The music publishing companies are outdatd business models and charge rates that are not commensurate with other realities because they are operating out of fear.

Bonsai astutely pointed out that 'projects don't happen unless you can meet a demand, cover expenses and make enough profit to be worth your while'. There is indeed a demand but if a music publisher wants more money for a sync license than there is in the whole budget of a project, the project can't go forward unless the music publisher goes down on the price, something they aren't known for.

The sad fact here is that if the distributors and the publishers can't work this out..............then this project can't happen. And I have no idea when we will know the answer to that.

For now, if you're so inclined, pray that this snag gets taken care of so I can come back here and announce some exciting news.

HH

kooky12 · 11-09-2007, 02:19 PM

If a couple of songs need to be replaced or eliminated, so be it, as long as it's documented on the package. Let's not stop the project because of it..it's just reality these days.

Harold Hecuba · 11-09-2007, 02:25 PM

Here's the problem with that:

A) It's possible that Universal, for reasons too complicated to go into, can't allow the music in their movie to be replaced.

B) It's also possibe that even if we got rid of perhaps the last three songs on that list that even the three that we can't do without (The two Gilligan themes and Sweet Georgia Brown) might STILL cost more than is workable.

It's a crazy business. But we're trying!

mrs.gingerhinkley · 11-09-2007, 07:54 PM

Well.. thanks for the update HH!!!
I'm glad things were resolved between you and Jack somewhat.

I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for this to pull through but, who knows how long it could take!

clj2 · 11-10-2007, 10:50 AM

Thanks for the update - any chance they could use replacement muic?

Harold Hecuba · 11-10-2007, 02:27 PM

I don't think we could get away with discarding 'The Ballad Of Gilligan's Island' or 'Sweet Georgia Brown', the Globetrotters Theme. They are just too integral.

The irony of course is that some of the bootlegs of 'Rescue' contain the EMI owned theme and no one paid for that and EMI didn't come after them.
But to do this lawfully, you gotta pay!

gilligan fanatic · 11-16-2007, 10:41 PM

Glad to see it still in the works HH.

Jack77 · 01-16-2008, 08:30 AM

Happy New Year Everyone!

It's true, "Harold" is legit and really trying hard to make this project happen. At this time, I will not reveal his identity. However, I can confirm that he has met with Sherwood at his home and everything that he has reported so far on this message board regarding the delay on a legit DVD release for the three reunion movies is the truth.
Lets hope everyone involved can come to some kind of agreement!
Cross your fingers & stay tuned. Aloha...

Harold Hecuba · 01-17-2008, 03:11 PM

Thanks Jack.

At press time, we have little ray of sunshine about this matter. It is possible that the existing agreement between Harlem Globetrotters Inc. and Warner Chappell, publisher of Sweet Georgia Brown, will cover the song's use in the movie. If that's the case then that's half the problem eliminated and we can take it from there.
My goal is to have something formal to announce about this when Mr.Schwartz gets his star. Keep your fingers crossed.

mrs.gingerhinkley · 01-17-2008, 07:29 PM

Good luck. Can't wait to hear more!

TV DVD Fan · 03-01-2008, 11:48 PM

Glad all the hostility's been worked out. That was a pretty confusing couple of days for me--- I didn't know who to trust! Anyway, I hope this thing really does see the light of day. After all 98 episodes are already out there, I'm sure Gilligan fans everywhere are thirsting for more! I know I am!

Harold Hecuba · 03-02-2008, 05:38 PM

I hope so too...............but at press time we've been at this for a year and it's more stuck than ever. I'm reminded of the fact that the 'Gilligan' theatrical movie has been in development for 20 years and THAT'S still stuck too.

My advice at this point, to quote Mr.Schwartz in the original edition of his book is 'don't bet on it but don't bet against it either'.

algebra74 · 03-12-2008, 09:26 PM

The one thing that concerns me Mr. Harold Hecuba is continuity. You say that the Ballad of Gilligan's Isle, Gilligan's Theme, and Sweet Georgia Brown themselves may cost more than it is worth to include, but have we forgotten that these same songs (with the exception of the last) were all included on the individual season releases? How could Warner Brothers afford to include this music?

Now I admittedly do not know all that goes into this process, but it just seems to me that if a song were included a a previous "legal" release of another form (such as the complete season releases), then it can be included in a new release. And who owns the rights to these songs anyway? If Warner Brothers does, which I suspect, then why can't they produce these DVD movies? Why does it have to be an individual release, which would imply complicated music licensing?

Thanks.

Harold Hecuba · 03-13-2008, 01:46 AM

Interesting questions. There is an existing agreement between Warner Brothers, owner of the episodes (it was actually an agreement with United Artists which Warner now owns) and EMI, who owns the Gilligan themes, that covered the use of these songs for the series and any repurposing of the series. The agreement however does NOT cover the three movies which are owned by Sherwood Schwartz and Universal, respectively.

It was actually discussed to have Warner Home Video release this movie set themselves but for several reasons, Warner decided against it and Universal probably wouldn't have licensed their movies to them anyway. The distributor we have in line is actually much more suited to marketing something like this than Warner Home Video would be.

At press time, the project is contingent on Harlem Globetrotters Inc. and Warner/Chappel music finalizing an agreement for use of 'Sweet Georgia Brown' which will hopefully cover the Gilligan movie.

On a funny note, it was Lloyd who hired me and then once I was hired I was introduced to Sherwood. Then I told him exactly what I was doing and he said, 'Well you're a brave young man'. I didn't know what he meant back then. NOW I DO!

Harold Hecuba · 03-13-2008, 02:37 PM

Oh and even if that agreement between Warner and EMI did not exist, you asked how Warner could afford to clear the songs.

Two answers:

1. Warner's pockets are WAAAAAAAAAAYYYY deeper than either the distributor we are dealing with or the Schwartz family.

2. While we on this board hold the series and all spinoffs and reunions in equally high regard, the fact is that this set of movies is a much more boutique item in terms of the general marketplace and is not poised to sell anywhere near the amount of units that the series DVDs did.........which was quite a lot.

11-09-2007, 01:45 AM	#1
Harold Hecuba Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Mar 17, 2007 Location: Earth Posts: 89	Gilligan Movies on DVD, Update Hello Folks, Before I tell you the latest, I'd like to mention something else. I'm sure you recall the controversy that erupted when I first started posting here. Mainly it was when Jack 77 publicly doubted my legitimacy. A short while ago, Jack e-mailed me privately to say that he now knew who I was and that I was indeed in the Schwartz camp. I did ask if he might post this but I see that he has not posted anywhere for nearly a month. Hope all's well Mr. 77. Anyway, I was hoping a long time ago to tell you that we had made a deal to release all three Gilligan movies as a set on DVD. Unfortunately, I still can't officially tell you that and here's why. The good news is that the rights to the movies themselves are all straightened out and also that a very good distributor (I can't say which one) is ready to make a deal with both the Schwartzes and Universal, owner of the third movie 'Globetrotters'. What's holding it all up is, sadly, the thing that is the bane of all DVD production..................music clearance. In order for a set of the three movies to come out, the following songs have to be cleared with EMI Music Publishing and Warner/Chappell Music Publishing: 1. The Ballad Of Gilligan's Island 2. Gilligan's Theme (instrumental by John Williams, you all know it) 3. Sweet Georgia Brown (The Harlem Globetrotters theme) 4. Lazybones (sung by Tom Bosley in 'Castaways') 5. I Wanna Be Loved By You (sung by Ginger#3 in 'Globetrotters') 6. Anchors Aweigh (plays in Skipper's seamanship test machine in 'Globetrotters') One of the biggest problems in this end of the business is that music publishers charge more money for inclusion of songs in movies and TV Shows (called 'Sync Licensing') than most DVD budgets can handle. This is why certain movies and shows end up having the music replaced or the title just doesn't get released. And it can take forever to work this out, if you're even able to. The music publishing companies are outdatd business models and charge rates that are not commensurate with other realities because they are operating out of fear. Bonsai astutely pointed out that 'projects don't happen unless you can meet a demand, cover expenses and make enough profit to be worth your while'. There is indeed a demand but if a music publisher wants more money for a sync license than there is in the whole budget of a project, the project can't go forward unless the music publisher goes down on the price, something they aren't known for. The sad fact here is that if the distributors and the publishers can't work this out..............then this project can't happen. And I have no idea when we will know the answer to that. For now, if you're so inclined, pray that this snag gets taken care of so I can come back here and announce some exciting news. HH

11-09-2007, 07:54 PM	#4
mrs.gingerhinkley Bette Davis Fan Senior Member Join Date: Jan 06, 2007 Posts: 2,478	Well.. thanks for the update HH!!! I'm glad things were resolved between you and Jack somewhat. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for this to pull through but, who knows how long it could take!
	__________________ Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night. -Edgar Allen Poe God Bless Our Troops

11-16-2007, 10:41 PM	#7
gilligan fanatic Born to Be Bad Forum Fanatic Join Date: May 06, 2001 Location: down by the Lagoon Posts: 9,954	Glad to see it still in the works HH.
	__________________ Matt Filmaf ~ Twitter ~ Last.FM

03-01-2008, 11:48 PM	#11
TV DVD Fan Member Senior Member Join Date: Apr 07, 2005 Posts: 2,602	Glad all the hostility's been worked out. That was a pretty confusing couple of days for me--- I didn't know who to trust! Anyway, I hope this thing really does see the light of day. After all 98 episodes are already out there, I'm sure Gilligan fans everywhere are thirsting for more! I know I am!
	__________________ Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Sarah Connor: Maybe if you spend your life hiding who you are, you might finally end up fooling yourself. - From the episode "Gnothi Seauton."

11-09-2007, 02:19 PM	#2
kooky12 Member Senior Member Join Date: Sep 06, 2005 Posts: 2,022	If a couple of songs need to be replaced or eliminated, so be it, as long as it's documented on the package. Let's not stop the project because of it..it's just reality these days.

11-09-2007, 02:25 PM	#3
Harold Hecuba Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Mar 17, 2007 Location: Earth Posts: 89	Here's the problem with that: A) It's possible that Universal, for reasons too complicated to go into, can't allow the music in their movie to be replaced. B) It's also possibe that even if we got rid of perhaps the last three songs on that list that even the three that we can't do without (The two Gilligan themes and Sweet Georgia Brown) might STILL cost more than is workable. It's a crazy business. But we're trying!

11-10-2007, 10:50 AM	#5
clj2 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 16, 2005 Location: SC Posts: 3,501	Thanks for the update - any chance they could use replacement muic?

11-10-2007, 02:27 PM	#6
Harold Hecuba Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Mar 17, 2007 Location: Earth Posts: 89	I don't think we could get away with discarding 'The Ballad Of Gilligan's Island' or 'Sweet Georgia Brown', the Globetrotters Theme. They are just too integral. The irony of course is that some of the bootlegs of 'Rescue' contain the EMI owned theme and no one paid for that and EMI didn't come after them. But to do this lawfully, you gotta pay!

01-16-2008, 08:30 AM	#8
Jack77 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Oct 01, 2003 Posts: 339	Happy New Year Everyone! It's true, "Harold" is legit and really trying hard to make this project happen. At this time, I will not reveal his identity. However, I can confirm that he has met with Sherwood at his home and everything that he has reported so far on this message board regarding the delay on a legit DVD release for the three reunion movies is the truth. Lets hope everyone involved can come to some kind of agreement! Cross your fingers & stay tuned. Aloha...

01-17-2008, 03:11 PM	#9
Harold Hecuba Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Mar 17, 2007 Location: Earth Posts: 89	Thanks Jack. At press time, we have little ray of sunshine about this matter. It is possible that the existing agreement between Harlem Globetrotters Inc. and Warner Chappell, publisher of Sweet Georgia Brown, will cover the song's use in the movie. If that's the case then that's half the problem eliminated and we can take it from there. My goal is to have something formal to announce about this when Mr.Schwartz gets his star. Keep your fingers crossed.

01-17-2008, 07:29 PM	#10
mrs.gingerhinkley Bette Davis Fan Senior Member Join Date: Jan 06, 2007 Posts: 2,478	Good luck. Can't wait to hear more!

03-02-2008, 05:38 PM	#12
Harold Hecuba Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Mar 17, 2007 Location: Earth Posts: 89	I hope so too...............but at press time we've been at this for a year and it's more stuck than ever. I'm reminded of the fact that the 'Gilligan' theatrical movie has been in development for 20 years and THAT'S still stuck too. My advice at this point, to quote Mr.Schwartz in the original edition of his book is 'don't bet on it but don't bet against it either'.

03-12-2008, 09:26 PM	#13
algebra74 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 14, 2004 Posts: 337	The one thing that concerns me Mr. Harold Hecuba is continuity. You say that the Ballad of Gilligan's Isle, Gilligan's Theme, and Sweet Georgia Brown themselves may cost more than it is worth to include, but have we forgotten that these same songs (with the exception of the last) were all included on the individual season releases? How could Warner Brothers afford to include this music? Now I admittedly do not know all that goes into this process, but it just seems to me that if a song were included a a previous "legal" release of another form (such as the complete season releases), then it can be included in a new release. And who owns the rights to these songs anyway? If Warner Brothers does, which I suspect, then why can't they produce these DVD movies? Why does it have to be an individual release, which would imply complicated music licensing? Thanks.

03-13-2008, 01:46 AM	#14
Harold Hecuba Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Mar 17, 2007 Location: Earth Posts: 89	Interesting questions. There is an existing agreement between Warner Brothers, owner of the episodes (it was actually an agreement with United Artists which Warner now owns) and EMI, who owns the Gilligan themes, that covered the use of these songs for the series and any repurposing of the series. The agreement however does NOT cover the three movies which are owned by Sherwood Schwartz and Universal, respectively. It was actually discussed to have Warner Home Video release this movie set themselves but for several reasons, Warner decided against it and Universal probably wouldn't have licensed their movies to them anyway. The distributor we have in line is actually much more suited to marketing something like this than Warner Home Video would be. At press time, the project is contingent on Harlem Globetrotters Inc. and Warner/Chappel music finalizing an agreement for use of 'Sweet Georgia Brown' which will hopefully cover the Gilligan movie. On a funny note, it was Lloyd who hired me and then once I was hired I was introduced to Sherwood. Then I told him exactly what I was doing and he said, 'Well you're a brave young man'. I didn't know what he meant back then. NOW I DO!

03-13-2008, 02:37 PM	#15
Harold Hecuba Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Mar 17, 2007 Location: Earth Posts: 89	Oh and even if that agreement between Warner and EMI did not exist, you asked how Warner could afford to clear the songs. Two answers: 1. Warner's pockets are WAAAAAAAAAAYYYY deeper than either the distributor we are dealing with or the Schwartz family. 2. While we on this board hold the series and all spinoffs and reunions in equally high regard, the fact is that this set of movies is a much more boutique item in terms of the general marketplace and is not poised to sell anywhere near the amount of units that the series DVDs did.........which was quite a lot.