When did TV to film adaptations start?

[Mysterious Benefactor]

TVGuide.com's FlickChick mentions hoDS in her column about TV shows being made into feature films:

Movies Based on TV Shows: They've Been Around for a Long Time!
(However, apparently whoever wrote the synopsis for hoDS on the normally factual TVGuide.com must have seen a completely different version of the film than I have because I certainly don't remember any scenes in which Jonathan Frid turned Joan Bennett into a vampire.    (Though it most certainly would have been incredibly interesting to see the stately Liz vamped.  )  Also, who knew Thayer David was actually playing a doctor? Or that both he AND Grayson Hall fall prey to Frid's blood lust?  :-   (I must have missed the vampire attack(s) on Julia.  ) And, of course, I COMPLETELY disagree with their accessment of NoDS!    (But that probably goes without saying.  ))

[Raineypark]

Geez.....getting THAT much information wrong at one time must have taken one hell of an effort......

They must pay her VERY well........

[CyrusL]

One of the most common pieces of misinformation  repeated about Dark Shadows
is that it was the first TV show to be adapted for the "Big Screen." By the time "House of Dark Shadows" came out in 1970, McHale's Navy, Batman and the Munsters had already had features made from them. Now if you count TV cartoon shows, and there's no reason not to, you can also add Yogi Bear and the Flintstones which had animated full length features, all of these films by 1966. As far as I can tell, Dark Shadow's main distinction is that it is the only TV soap opera to have a feature film. I might add only a few drama TV shows had feature films, the X-Files comes to mind, but that one of course was much later. These are all directly tied into the original productions.
     (I am not counting feature films made from TV shows, such as edits of Green Hornet, Superman or the man from UNCLE released as feature films, as these are just re-edits.)
        The rage of reinvention of TV to feature films, is a newer phenom, which I guess you can blame on the big success of The Addams Family. But at leats that one had its merits.

Michael 

PS Don't get me started on the abominations that were The Avengers and Wild,Wild West films! 
 

[David]

In 1954, 4 eps of Adventures of Superman were strung together and released to theatres, but these were originally aired on TV.
Does this count?

David

[CyrusL]

In 1954, 4 eps of Adventures of Superman were strung together and released to theatres, but these were originally aired on TV.
Does this count?

I thought about that right after I posted. The Superman I was referring to was the Reeves series, but re-edits of TV series do not really qualify as original features. However 1951's "Superman Versus the Mole Men" counts as that was made directly for theatres. Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels also did some Lone Ranger features in color just for theatres as another example of ones that do count. (trivia, the Lone Ranger featutes are color, the TV show was always B & W, the Reeves series was switched to color to extend its syndication life, as well as to re-edit it for features in Europe and kiddie matinees.)
      By the way, I miss when the IMDB separated film and TV appearences on their lists, unlike the way they do now.
       Anyway, Shadows is the only show I can think of that had two original theatre films, as X Files has never followed through on a promised second feature.

Michael 

[David]

Superman & The Mole Men came first in 1950, and was preceded by Superman serials in 1948 and early 1950.
Their sucess led to the TV show which followed.

Mole Men is now available on the DVD box set, Adventures of Superman Season 1, which also includes the 2 part episode Unknown People, which uses footage from the film.

David

[BuzzH]

By the way, I miss when the IMDB separated film and TV appearences on their lists, unlike the way they do now.

Oh I HATE that they combine TV and movies too! 

[Gerard]

There was also a re-edit version of several episodes of Timmy and Lassie which later became a feature film.  In the story, Timmy and Lassie somehow get stuck in a balloon, float away, come down in the wilderness, and survive, finding their way home, and not once did Timmy get stuck in a well.

Gerard

[Brandon Collins]

There has got to be some type of pirated fan-version of HODS out there, or something, because this is the umpteenth time that I've seen completely wrong information about HODS. I don't know where they get this information--maybe there's a faulty website out there that they think is good? Or maybe they all turn to the same short description that is incorrect in the first place.

Whatever the reason, they ought to get a DS fact checker out there who can put them in the right place!

[MagnusTrask]

Many 60s shows were turned into movies.  It Takes a Thief was another one.    Star Trek was a special case of course.   The trend of recasted remakes definitely started with Addams Family.  That one was talked about for years and years before it actually got made.   I imagine it was a hard-sell.   Everything changed when it was a hit.  Beverly Hillbillies was the second one.