Any humanitarian can tell you it's hard just to stand by and watch injustice.

Well, sit by, actually. For instance, in a just and sane world, how could "Charmed" be available on DVD but not "King Kong" or "The African Queen"?

In a fit of outrage or something a few weeks ago, I asked readers what conspicuously glaringly absent titles they wanted to see on DVD, and promised to use all my vast power and influence to get results.

" 'Charmed' second season!" reader Catrina F. e-mailed.

"The African Queen"

Thanks for the support, ma'am. Paramount says it'll be released "towards the end of summer," but no release date's been set.

Anyhow, dozens of other requests poured in, detailing hundreds of injustices — that is, movies and shows most wanted on DVD that didn't involve a trio of young witches and the assorted dudes in their lives.

The latest figures show why that kind of volume shouldn't have come as a surprise.

Consumers spent a record $21.2 billion buying and renting DVDs in 2004, according to the Digital Entertainment Group. That's less than half of Bill Gates' personal bankroll, but it's more than theatrical movies (a paltry $9.4 billion) and video games (a mere $7.3 billion) combined. Since DVDs are doing nothing less than reshaping the entertainment industry (accounting now for 60 percent of studio revenue), it's hard to overstate their impact. People in an average household bought 13 of them last year.

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

Before we get to the list, it might help to know a little about the maddening capriciousness — I mean strategy — behind the decisions to release or not to release stuff on disc. With Turner, RKO and much of MGM in its holdings, Warner has the biggest film library and is the best outfit to ask. More than 80 percent of U.S. households will have a DVD player by the end of this year, and as the format spreads, studios are digging deeper, says George Feltenstein, senior V.P. of marketing for Warner Home Video's classics catalogue.

From left: William Campbell, Wally Brown, John Wayne and Robert Stack in "The High and the Mighty." One person e-mailed that it "was the first movie that Daddy took his little girl to. Surely someone somewhere has rescued this classic."

"When DVD first hit in 1997, early adopters wanted 'The Terminator' or 'Ice Station Zebra.' They were males 35 to 55 with high disposable incomes, and they wanted action movies. They did not want to watch Bette Davis films. Slowly, the market started to change and broaden, and that made it possible to start releasing a more broad and versatile variety of films," Feltenstein says.

Consumer demand — figured by mail to the studio, Web sites, Amazon.com traffic, articles like this — is just one factor. Finding film elements and remastering them costs time and money. Warner plans its releases two or more years in advance, taking 12-15 months on restoration and disc production and involving hundreds of people. The 1968 adventure "Ice Station Zebra" was in Warner's second batch of consumer-voted "DVD Decision" releases in January, and it cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to restore. More obscure flicks that may not pay off that kind of investment are less likely to see the digital light of day.

There are more than 44,000 titles on DVD as of this month, and Feltenstein says you can only put out so many at once.

There wouldn't be room. Limited shelf space in stores has made studios more and more competitive, so getting even a peep about titles that haven't been officially announced can be like extracting Manhattan Project secrets. That's why, despite my vast power etc., some of the following is on the vague side.

TV shows

"The Rockford Files" was by far our most-wanted show on DVD. Reader Michael T. asks, "Why hasn't this national treasure been released on DVD?"

Universal won't say, and after the kind of pestering that would earn most people a restraining order, the studio would only reveal that the beloved James Garner private-eye series is slated for release in the "near future."

"The good thing with Universal is that they're releasing a lot of stuff now," says Gord Lacey of www.tvshowsondvd.com. "They were going through their merger with NBC and weren't releasing a lot of product. Since this merger we've seen 'The A-Team' and 'Buck Rogers.' Just recently they made announcements for 'Airwolf,' 'Quincy' and 'Dragnet.' "

CBS From left: Loni Anderson, Gary Sandy and Frank Bonner in the radio-station comedy "WKRP in Cincinnati."

"WKRP in Cincinnati": Loni and Burt will get remarried before the '70s radio-station sitcom hits DVD. The problem: clearing the rights to all the pop music in the show. "There are regular discussions of how to do it, but it hasn't been resolved," says Fox Home Entertainment's Steven Feldstein.

"Tales from the Crypt": "This was the first show to really put HBO on the map for original programming. Where is it?" writes reader Michael G. The answer: limbo. Says HBO's Laura Young, "We only released three collections on DVD directed by Robert Zemeckis. Our rights for all of the 'Tales from the Crypt' have expired."

"Beauty and the Beast": "I'd like to put in a heartfelt 'Do It, Already!' " writes Reed C. "After 15 years, it is still an all-time favorite of mine, even if it did implode on itself during the third season. Here's to your tremendous power and influence!"

There actually are episodes of the '80s fantasy with Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman on DVD, but not in wide release. You can only get them through the Columbia House DVD Club (www.columbiahouse.com). Hardcore fans have discovered other shows exclusive to Columbia House, including "The Wild Wild West."

"Mission: Impossible": The 1960s caper series will most likely be held until the theatrical release of Tom Cruise's "Mission: Impossible III" in July 2006, says Paramount Home Entertainment's Michael Arkin. Why not release the show after the first or second film? "TV on DVD wasn't as big then."

ABC Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd bantered, flirted and solved mysteries in "Moonlighting."

"Moonlighting": The show that put Bruce Willis and his hairline on the map is coming May 31 from Lions Gate. The set will include the first two seasons as well as commentary from Willis, Cybill Shepherd and creator Glenn Gordon Caron.

Movies

"King Kong": Reader Bob P. writes, "My #1 request is the 1933 film 'King Kong' with tons of extras." Put it on your Christmas list, buddy boy.

Warner won't reveal the date, but here's the math: Director Peter Jackson's remake hits theaters in December, remakes generally prompt studios to release the originals, and Jackson is participating in the original's DVD extras.

"It's one of the most extensive releases we've ever done, with an enormous amount of special features," Feltenstein says. "We had been looking for a good film element [negative] on 'King Kong' for years. We didn't get it in our hands on the lot until February; we located it in Europe last year. The fact that Mr. Jackson is doing a remake and approached us last year — he said, 'Would you mind if I helped you with your DVD special features on "King Kong"?' Mind? Of course, I'd be delighted!"

"The Incredible Shrinking Man" (1957): Universal won't reveal a speck about this reader favorite from the pen of the great Richard Matheson. But Keenan Ivory Wayans is reportedly directing a comedy remake for release sometime in 2005, which makes a DVD of the original a good bet.

"The African Queen" (1951): John Huston's riverboat adventure with Bogie (his Oscar performance) and Hepburn "is being beautifully restored" at Paramount, but no release date has been set.

The Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies: Warner will finally release five on DVD this year and another five next year. Which ones and exactly when, Feltenstein won't say, but they're being lovingly restored. "They're going to look beautiful and those art deco sets are going to shine and glimmer because we've gone back to the original negative on every picture."

"Nightmare Alley" (1947): This astonishing carnival-geek-noir starring Tyrone Power is coming from Fox June 7 — for a measly $9.98.

"Bad Day at Black Rock" (1955): May 10 is the day for the masterpiece starring Spencer Tracy as a one-armed karate expert who shows up in a town where the residents don't mind leaning on strangers to keep their secret hidden. Too bad, though: the DVD comes without the audio commentary from director John Sturges heard on an earlier Criterion Collection laser disc. "Criterion owns that commentary and will not make a deal with us to get it. That's also why MGM could not release 'The Great Escape' with Sturges' commentary," Feltenstein says.

"The High and the Mighty" (1954), says reader Linda M., "was the first movie that Daddy took his little girl to. Surely someone somewhere has rescued this classic." John Wayne's airplane-disaster thriller was notoriously tied up in rights limbo for decades and rarely seen. Paramount has finally struck a deal with Gretchen Wayne, wife of the star's late son, Michael, who owned Wayne's Batjac Productions for 30 years. Previously announced for a May release, it's been pushed back to this fall at the earliest.

"Reds" (1981): Paramount's Arkin says of Warren Beatty's Oscar-winner, "The issue for us is more about working with the filmmaker and the talent to make sure we have the most appropriate presentation. It's something we've been very involved in with Warren Beatty in developing, and should be released next year."

Most wanted director: Reader Mike S. demands, "Why isn't there a Preston Sturges Box Set? What a great writer and director!" "Thank God for Criterion doing 'The Lady Eve' and 'Sullivan's Travels,' " writes Mary D. Paramount has the rights to several more but has no plans for a box set. Sturges' 1944 "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" is "in development" for DVD, though.

And finally, reader Jeff P.'s plea for an obscure one was impossible to ignore: "Canadian Broadcasting Company's 'Da Vinci's Inquest.' Starring Nicholas Campbell. I'll put you in my will if you can point me in the direction of getting 'Da Vinci' on DVD."

Call your lawyer, baby, because the first season of the police-coroner drama is available on Amazon's Canadian Web site: www.amazon.ca. You'll be ordering it from an exotic foreign country, but the discs will work in your player.

Hey, I'm no Oprah, but I can sometimes use my vastness to make just a few lousy little dreams come true.

Mark Rahner: 206-464-8259 or mrahner@seattletimes.com