Posted on: October 7, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Mill Creek Entertainment, a recognized leader in value entertainment, in an unprecedented deal with NBC Universal Television, DVD, Music and Consumer Products Group, will debut 40 of 126 licensed episodes of The Howdy Doody Show for the first time ever on DVD on November 4th, 2008.  Mill Creek will release the classic children’s television show The Howdy Doody Show to audiences around the country with 3 DVD compilations, followed by releases of six more in the months to follow. The initial 40 episode 5-DVD Box Set will be priced to own at $29.98 on DVD.  A 2-DVD-set containing 20 episodes will be available for $14.98.

The Howdy Doody Show made its debut on television in 1947.  When The Howdy Doody Show first aired, there were only 20,000 American homes with television sets and NBC only had stations in six television markets.  The show was credited as a major factor in the growth of NBC.  The Howdy Doody Show went on to air 2,543 episodes, before running its final episode on Dec. 30, 1960.

The Howdy Doody Show set numerous benchmarks for television.  It was the first network kids show to air five days a week, the first show on the air each day (it was preceded by the network’s color pattern), the first television show ever broadcast in color, and the first show ever to air in more than 1,000 continuous episodes.  While Howdy and his friend’s entertained American children, they also sold television sets to American parents and demonstrated the potential of the new medium to advertisers.

The Howdy Doody Show remains known by a generation of (now grown) kids who remember Buffalo Bob’s greeting – “Say, kids. What time is it?” – and, the answer: “It’s Howdy Doody Time” that came from the approximately 40 kids that squeezed each day into the studio’s “peanut gallery.”

“A generation of Americans grew up watching Howdy Doody.  We’re so pleased that through Mill Creek’s deal with NBC, that we are able to bring these classic shows to viewers who enjoyed watching Howdy Doody growing up, their children and their grandchildren today on DVD,” says Ian Warfield, President and COO of Mill Creek Entertainment,   “And, as always, Mill Creek brings amazing content to viewers at budget prices.”

“We are really excited to release such an iconic television show like The Howdy Doody Show on DVD from the rich resources of NBC Television Catalog,” said Stacey Ward, Director NBC Universal Television, DVD, Music and Consumer Products Group.  This timeless classic is sure to bring back some fond memories for so many people and we look forward to introducing more of this series and many others in the months to come.”

About Mill Creek Entertainment

Mill Creek Entertainment is a source of value home video entertainment. Helmed by a management team with over eighty years of experience in the consumer home entertainment marketplace, the company produces entertainment products that typically sell in quantity, at impulse price-points, while adhering to high standards of quality unsurpassed in the industry. The Mill Creek product line encompasses many genres, speaks to broad consumer tastes and has found favor with both North American and emerging Latin markets. The company’s DVD product line consists of classic movies, television episodes, historical documentaries and feature films.

About NBC Universal Television DVD, Music and Consumer Products Group:

NBC Universal is a leader in providing entertainment programming to the domestic and international marketplaces. NBC Universal Television DVD, Music and Consumer Product Group manages all global ancillary television business endeavors for The NBC Universal Television Group, including third-party home entertainment distribution, consumer products, musical soundtracks, special market projects and the NBC Universal Online Store.

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