Does anyone know or have access to episodes of the show Almost Grown created by David Chase? The only place I can find something is on YouTube that features only half of one episode “Jersey Blues”. I know they released a VHS of the first episode titled “American Love” which is basically a two hour movie that is also hard to find. Anyone have info where I can watch or buy this show from?
I know I have some of the episodes recorded somewhere, but I don't think I got the whole series. I'll have to try to dig those out sometime. While I ended up thinking it was not a great series, at the time it hit my musical interests full-on, which is why I started watching. When he sits in his car listening to the Del Fuegos' Night on the Town.......
Hey any luck on finding the tapes of Almost Grown? What are some other musical memories you have of the show?
Unfortunate. I would have told you to try sell.com or one of those sites but they're all shut down. Most of what was sold on their weren't from collectors like myself, but 3rd and 4th generation dubs, but fine if you couldn't a show otherwise. Were you also a fetus a few years ago when those sites were around?
Now that I have stumbled upon this thread, I have to say this show seems very intriguing to me sadly, I can't help you, either. There was one home video release, a 90-minute film version that came out in Germany on a rental VHS tape (titled "American Love" for whatever reason). Naturally, it's very rare and only in german, anyway.
I actually purchased the tape myself and getting converted as we speak to mp4 and DVD formats. I'll share a link with you all once I have it!
I don't know what to tell you. I would love to see AFL and ABA games from the 60s but they weren't saved by the networks and there wasn't home recording. I don't trade anymore but the rule of thumb is that pretty much anything that aired after VCRs came out, someone recorded. There used to be collector's publications where you could find fellow collectors, like The Videophile, TV Collector, The Big Reel and Movie Collector's World but none of those exist anymore. A show that ran that late, believe me, there's people out there that would have it. Up to you to use your noodle and find them. Oh, one other problem. If you don't have a collection yourself, what would you trade them?
I remember seeing some of it. They really have blown it not putting the 13 episodes of this out on DVD properly, same with David Lynch's On The Air.
Its too bad On The Air isn't better know because that would surely make anyone's list of Top 5 worst shows of all time. I only watched it for Marla Rubinoff.
Wikipedia lists Marcia Cross appearing in the series, but IMDB lists the Pilot as her only appearance.
On The Air is such great fun! Pure absurdity a quality release is LONG overdue. Criterion should have done it when they released the wonderful "Fishing With John" on DVD.
I loved Fishing With John too, what a wondrous program to stumble upon for the first time... and that ice fishing one where they get cabin fever is up there with the Taxi episode with the girl guide at Danny DeVito's door!
I should have VHS tapes in a box somewhere with all 9 aired episodes of Almost Grown. I don't remember what speed I used to tape them. I loved this show. It's a mini-tragedy that CBS never aired the final 4 episodes.
I have been looking for this show for a while. I liked the show for a couple of reasons. One was that it clearly took place in suburban Essex County NJ, where I grew up. I got a kick out of the fact that names of people I knew and places I went were sprinkled into the script, such as the Quittner twins, whom I went to elementary school with in West Orange, and Grunings Ice Cream Parlor, which was in South Orange. I also found interesting the way the series told a current story and connected it with the past through flashbacks. One would think that with all the competing streaming services needing content, one of them would make this short-lived series available.
I really liked Almost Grown! I recall they used a James Brown song for title sequence (Think…?), which “borrowed” the Pablo Ferro style title lettering from Stop Making Sense. Tim Daly and Eve Gordon were very good, I hadn’t known it was a David Chase project, I was oblivious at the time.
You might try the Paley Center for Media in New York. They have vast archives and usually have the first and last episodes if a series. However you must view at their facility, they’re on 52nd Street in Manhattan.
There are literally hundreds and hundreds of shortlived TV series that did maybe 5-10-15 episodes and died, never to be seen again. The studios say it makes no economic sense to try to reissue them in any form, but my theory has always been if they just remaster them and put them up for streaming, it costs them very little money, and might actually make a few bucks. Instead, we have streaming channels like HBOMax that's removing shows from streaming in order to "streamline operations" and reduce costs... HBO Max to Remove 36 Titles, Including 20 Originals, from Streaming - Variety To me, they need to put all their programming -- every short, every newsreel, every pilot, every episode, and every feature film ever made -- up on their various streaming channels in some form. I like that idea a lot more than just letting the original films and tapes rot in the warehouses.
So, a little update from my side: though not anymore neccessary thanks to OP's link, I found the german American Love VHS at a record fair today and just couldn't leave it behind