This past March, Shout! Factory released
Room 222 - Season 1 on DVD. This is absolutely a classic title with a great cast (including Karen Valentine), yet sales on the title didn't exactly make the grade, and retailers haven't shown much interest in stocking a follow-up. But the studio isn't giving up on the program: Shout! is planning to bring the follow-up set out anyway, and will be selling it themselves at their website, directly to the fans. Actually,
Room 222 - Season 2 is one of several items that will be offered. Here's a quote from the studio:
In an effort to bring fans a series of memorable catalog titles under-represented at retail, Shout! Factory will be offering select releases of TV-DVD and film catalog titles as Shout! Factory Exclusives, available for purchase directly from the official online store site.
As you can see, Shout! Factory is preparing a number of Direct To Consumer releases in 2010, similar to their earlier direct offerings of the collectible complete-series releases for the original
G.I. Joe and
The Transformers classic animated programs. Like those titles, these ARE going to be factory-produced sets, and will NOT be manufacture-on-demand titles. Unlike those titles, however, the new slate of offerings will concentrate on shows that have much smaller fan bases, and for which most major retailers have resisted carrying the DVDs:
Ironside, Mr. Belvedere, My Two Dads, The Bill Cosby Show, The Goldbergs and
The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. Today you'll see separate news postings for each of these (some more in-depth than others).
Room 222 - Season 2 is part of their first group of titles, a 4-DVD set that the studio says was "
created from the best surviving video masters available to Shout! Factory." We don't have an exact price yet, but we do know that it will be available to ship starting
Tuesday, January 19th. And, beginning about a month prior to that (specifically on Thursday, December 17) you'll be able to pre-order the title
from a listing at Shout!'s online store (look toward the left). Want more? Below we have the studio description of this release, followed by a peek at the packaging:
Room 222 is a compelling series about life at a multiracial Los Angeles high school. It left an indelible mark on popular culture by using the half-hour form to explore socially relevant issues (more than a year before Norman Lear's other groundbreaking shows - All In The Family and Maude) and by starting the still-popular trend of high school television series. Created by the now-legendary James L. Brooks (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda, The Simpsons), the program was praised for dealing realistically with such subjects as racism, sexism, illiteracy, guns in school and drugs.
Pete Dixon (Lloyd Haynes) is a dedicated and popular history teacher who fights the good fight on the side of his students. Joining him in his idealistic approach to education are guidance counselor Liz McIntyre (Denise Nicholas) and student teacher Alice Johnson (Karen Valentine). Experienced and slightly world-weary principal Seymour Kaufman (Michael Constantine) provides a balance to the youthful idealism of the '60s cultural revolution - but at the end of the day, everyone is on the side of the students. Season Two guest stars include Richard Dreyfuss, Kurt Russell, Cindy Williams, Chuck Norris, Tim Matheson and Ed Begley, Jr.
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