PR: American Gladiators (The Original Series): The Battle Begins

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Release Date: July 7, 2009, 6:45 am
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Long before reality TV competitions were all the rage, American Gladiators was the extreme sports show to get your adrenaline going. In this popular television series, two teams, one male and one female, competed each week in highly physical events against the pumped up stars with the colorful names: Blaze, Gemini, Gold, Lace, Laser, Malibu, Nitro, Sunny, Titan and Zap. Available for the first time ever, this 3-DVD collection contains original episodes from the first season, a special booklet on the gladiators, commentaries with Dan "Nitro" Clark, Ray "Zap" Hollitt and Jim "Laser" Starr, and interview with contestant and actor Billy Wirth.

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For Immediate Release

American Gladiators (The Original Series): The Battle Begins

Witness One of the Original Competitions Series as Contenders Challenge the American Gladiators in a Series of Grueling Events in this 3-DVD Set

AVAILABLE ON DVD FOR THE FIRST TIME JULY 14, 2009 FROM SHOUT! FACTORY



Long before reality TV competitions were all the rage, American Gladiators was the extreme sports show to get your adrenaline going. In this popular television series, two teams, one male and one female, competed each week in highly physical events against the pumped up stars with the colorful names: Blaze, Gemini, Gold, Lace, Laser, Malibu, Nitro, Sunny, Titan and Zap. After enduring a series of punishing events, the winners of the final round walked home at the end of the season with a hard-earned $35,000.

The original series American Gladiators catapulted to success based on its unusual competitive premise and the wrestling mania of the Eighties. Premiering in 1989, the weekly program began with Joe Theismann and Mike Adamle as the hosts – those early episodes are encapsulated in a jam-packed recap episode. The Battle Begins then commences with the second half of Season One, when Adamle took over as the sole host and the show's arena expanded into a large soundstage on the back lot at Universal Studios. Season One contenders included actor Billy Wirth (The Lost Boys), fitness expert Cheryl Ann Silich and Olympic hopeful Wendy Brown.

Twenty years after the original series first emerged on American television, Shout! Factory will release the American Gladiators (The Original Series): The Battle Begins DVD set on July 14, 2009. Available for the first time ever, this 3-DVD collection contains original episodes from the first season, a special booklet on the gladiators, commentaries with Dan "Nitro" Clark, Ray "Zap" Hollitt and Jim "Laser" Starr, and interview with contestant and actor Billy Wirth. The collectible American Gladiator The Original Series: The Battle Begins DVD set is priced to own at $29.99.

Created by Dan Carr and John Ferraro, and executive produced by Ron Ziskin in association with Orion Pictures Corporation, the original American Gladiators competition featured a total of six grueling events for each contestant: Assault, Breakthrough & Conquer, Human Cannonball, Joust, Powerball and The Eliminator. The second half of Season One saw the exciting addition of the spectacle known as The Wall, in which contenders had two minutes to scale a rock climber's wall with a Gladiator in relentless pursuit.

American Gladiators is owned by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. and is distributed by Shout! Factory under license from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC. American Gladiators is a registered trademark of Flor Jon Films, Inc. All rights reserved.

About Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is a diversified entertainment company devoted to producing, uncovering and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their careers sharing their music, television and film faves with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory's DVD offerings serve up classic, contemporary and cult TV series, riveting sports programs, live music, animation and documentaries in lavish packages crammed with extras. The company's audio catalogue boasts GRAMMY®-nominated boxed sets, new releases from storied artists, lovingly assembled album reissues and indispensable "best of" compilations. These riches are the result of a creative acquisitions mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. With its fingers on the pulse of pop culture, Shout! Factory continues to impact the entertainment media landscape through acquisition of top quality programming for home entertainment releases. Shout! Factory is based in Santa Monica, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit www.shoutfactory.com.

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News Editor July 7, 2009, 6:45 am