My Three Sons: Season 1, Vol. 1 (1 Viewer)

[Jude86]

Well, I pre-ordered this yesterday (and should have it by next week with the free super saver shipping). It's been so long since I've seen the black and white episodes, I wouldn't know what was edited or what music was replaced. It was a decent price and I don't think I'll regret getting this good old show!

 

[pitchman]

Well, the review is pretty positive so I guess that is good news. The price-point though, and the half-season sets (especially knowing that there are TWELVE full seasons) are real sticking points for me. I think I will for sure NetFlix it, but I cannot commit to purchasing this since I vowed last year to swear off starting any more series where there is a strong likelihood of not being able to complete the whole thing. Based on what CBS/P is doing thus far, I can't imagine how the entire series will ever make it out the door.

 

[Dan McW]

Taking a cue from Steve above, I checked my Columbia House tape of "Chip off the Old Block," which should be in the S1V1 set. The only credits with the word "music" in them are "Music by Frank DeVol" and "Music editor - Edwin T. Luckey." Can someone with the S1V1 set check the credits to see if there has been an alteration? DeVol's name is the only one on screen when he is credited, and Luckey's name is one of four on screen, appearing below the director of photography and above the property master and costumer.

 

[Jim B.]

Only the first couple of episodes say Music by Frank DeVol. It changes to Original Theme Music by Frank Devol with no other credits (except music editor) until episode 31- Music by Jeff Alexander, and 32- Music by Jeff Alexander , and episode 34- Music by Pete Rugolo, and that is it for season one. The uncredited music is very good and the Alexander music is exceptional.

I hate to say it but I am sure this season is full of library music. I do not know which library but I have a bad feeling.

 

[Stephen Bowie]

The exact text of Braverman's comments about "The Fugitive" on his website before he removed them were:


I recorded this when I began researching my blog piece about the music replacement, around June 10 or 11, and again (by retrieving Google's cached page) on June 17 when I learned, via a post on Macleans, that Braverman had removed the comment I quoted. So either Jim B. has misremembered this or, intriguingly, he may have captured an earlier version of Braverman's words than I did.

The music credits Jim B. transcribed from My Three Sons read like a typical TV show from that period: a theme credit plus individual composer credits on a handful of episodes for which an original score was composed (DeVol for the first few on which he has the variant credit, then Rugolo or Alexander). Fortunately I don't see a smoking gun here, and the one silver lining in Jon Burlingame's depressing final report on the "Fugitive" situation suggests that the clearance problem was unique to "The Fugitive"'s cue sheets.

And incidentally, Frank DeVol was an atrocious composer. How the hell did he keep getting work?

 

[Jim B.]

The qoute by Braverman I posted about editing SEVERAL classic shows for Heyes has been on his site since the middle of June and is still there today.

Hopefully someone who knows the correct music for this release will review it soon so we will know what if anything has been removed. I am very gun shy after what CBS did with the Fugitive with no warning.

Maybe Paul Mavis will review it soon and let us know ha ha

 

[jdee28]

Given the outcry over the Fugitive Season 2, Volume 1 and the non-release of the Fugitive Season 2, Volume 2, maybe -- hopefully!! -- CBS/Paramount will never go the route of dumping complete music scores ever again.

 

[Jon_Are]

That's a little harsh. The dude does (ok, did) have four Academy Award nominations.

Jon

 

[Carabimero]

What's up with these Iron Man colors? An ad scheme? The dark brown really puts me off and makes it hard to read.

I hate crap like that.

And just to make my post relevant, I cancelled my pre-order for My Three Sons until someone else knowledgeable spends their money on it and gives me the scoop.

 

[MatthewA]

He was hilarious as Happy Kyne on Fernwood 2Night. The polka version of "Shake Your Booty" has to be seen to be believed.

 

[Jim B.]

Well they have, I went to buy When We Left Earth on 1/2 off sale at Best Buy and gave in and bought My Three Sons since it was even cheaper than Amazon.
Went right to the episode Lady Engineer and its gone, the great jazz music, replaced with the Mark Heyes synthesizers in a pitiful attempt at jazz. Then to the episode Brotherly Love starring Cheryl Holdridge. Mark Heyes style synthesizers replacing all the original music. And it is awful music, when you play it next to the original it is so pitiful, the original music was so good. The Mark Heyes crap is so amatuer I bet he comes real cheap. Have spot sampled a couple more episodes and its all gone. Do not waste your money on this release. I hope someday another company like Image will licence these shows and do it right.
Shame on CBS.

 

[Gary OS]

What?!!! They messed with the Cheryl Holdridge episode? Is nothing sacred? This is ridiculous and will probably mean a no sale for me. And no, I'm not being sarcastic (as anyone here knows Cheryl was my first crush as a kid). I just can't believe they are doing this!

Gary "so incredibly disappointed with CBS/P at this point" O.

 

[Steve...O]

Thanks for the warning, Jim. This is a definite pass for me then.

This music replacement makes the very high price point for this half season even more puzzling. If CBS/P had high licensing fees to retain the music this would explain the high price, but that does not appear to be the case.

The fact that Mr. Heyes' name is not digitally inserted into the credits makes it appear that CBS/P is attempting to hide these replacements even more so than the Fugitive debacle.

To be fair, I hold no animosity toward Mr. Heyes. He's just doing a job. The ill will should be directed towards his employer.

CBS/P could be the subject of an interesting case study: how a studio has gone from top of the heap in the classic TV department to being scorned within a relatively short time.

Their unwillingness to go "on the record" about these changes is a big mistake IMO. The American public has a track record of being rather forgiving and understanding when told the honest truth straight up. By refusing to enter a "no spin zone" CBS/P is making themselves look bad.

 

[Gary OS]

I need to "amen" this, Steve. Mr. Heyes is not to be blamed here, but I think we all know who should be blamed.

Gary "they are really pushing me to rethink my buying purchases overall with their company - how crazy is that when just 6 months ago I was singing their praises" O.

 

[Jim B.]

I can not say for sure it is Heyes but after listening to his work for the Fugitive I would bet it is. And I do place some of the blame on someone who would take a job that destroyed a classic. I am not the best musician but I old friends with one of the worlds greatest jazz piano players, arranger, organist, producer, out of New York, and knowing him and his respect for past classics, lets just say he would never take a job to rework something that was classic perfection like the Fugitive or this show.

Anyway my fear is that now that CBS/P has done this to these shows, if a network wants to broadcast it or another company wants to licence it they will get these versions that CBS has changed. These shows might now be permenantly ruined. In disecting the musical elements from the shows we may have forever lost the original versions?

 

[Gary OS]

Jim, I agree with you that as a person who cares greatly about classic television I would NOT have signed on to do this work (not that I can do it, just making a general point). And that Mr. Heyes agreed to do it does make him liable for this unfortunate situation to some degree. But our greater outrage should surely be directed at CBS/Paramount for commissioning this type of work at all. See, if not Heyes, then someone else. They would have found somebody to do this work, so I'm not nearly as disturbed at the individual as I am at the company making the choice to do this in the first place. Nope, for my money the brunt of the blame rests squarely on the shoulders of CBS/Paramount. As was said before, "Shame on them!"


Gary "this really needs to be addressed - calling Dave & Gord, calling Dave & Gord" O.

 

[Carabimero]

Glad I cancelled my pre-order.

So sad.

More money to the bootleggers.

I have no more anger to give this. I am all out and love classic TV on DVD too much.

The end result? I'm buying a tenth of what I used to buy, just because my pre-order habit is gone for good. I used to pre-order the day of the solicit.

Never again.

 

[DeWilson]

WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH CBS/P?

Too Cheep or Too Lazy?

Why not use suitable replacement classic library cues owned by CBS instead of having 'new' music compossed?

AT LEAST it would sound more authentic.

Can't use some of the original cues, then find subsitutions from an age-approprate library!

Simple!

 

[DeWilson]

He can be blamed for not composing better matching music!

If you're replacing 1950's music - make it sound like 1950's
If you're replacing 1960's music - make is sound like 1960's

Case in point,THE FUGITIVE could have been rescored BETTER if the music was closer in spirit to the original.

How many times have you heard sound-a-like similar sounding music that you could tell what it was supposed to be.

Synthesizers isn't the way to go - they should put together a small combo - 3-4 guys - studio folks who can sound like the era the programs are from.

sure it might add a little more to the production costs - but it would SOUND BETTER.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

What is going on with Paramount? I cannot fathom these musical scores would be that expensive to secure, it seems to me they are'nt even bothering, given that they are charging a ridiculous price for a half a season I would expect these fees to be taken care of. The word needs to get out to the mainstream video publication , especially the ones running the Ads that Paramount places Classic TV on a pedestal, about these releases. What gets me is that Rawhide uses many stock cues yet those soundtracks are untouched as are gunsmoke's, might not this be the case for the next versions. And what about S5 of the Odd couple? This is insane.