We shouldn't be surprised at anything like this. We've allowed the studios to call the tune on these sorts of things (edited content, music substitutions, etc.) from the getgo and there's probably little we can do. Oh sure, we can fulminate here and elsewhere, but the sad fact is the only thing the studios or any business today for that matter understands is the bottom line. In the case of T&J, somebody made a decision that sales would be affected by the inclusion of these shorts so they were omitted. And realize that, like a previous poster alluded to, this is overall bottom line throughout Warner, not just home video. If Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson threaten a boycott across Time-Warner, the feared loss of profit is immense, so better safe than sorry. Issue a high-minded statement taking the high ground and the only ones hurt are the true fans who don't really matter that much anyway.
Another poster here was perfectly correct when he said that parents use cartoons to keep their kids occupied; that's because the vast majority of parents seem to feel that anything animated is for kids. Studios are eager to pander to that to up their profits.
Now, I know that some will read this and jump to the defense of the fine work done by Feltenstein with the Looney Tunes shorts and the other classic films he's given us. I'll grant you that and I own most of them (my brother owns the rest
). But as soon as someone above him in the food chain becomes unimpressed with the profits he generates or decides that the consumer will buy whatever, that spring will dry up. As for the Looney Tunes shorts themselves, ask yourself how many black and whites have been put out. I'll grant that these may present restoration problems, but I'll also bet that somebody out there said, "Let's concentrate on color; the B&W won't sell as well!" (there's that old bottom line again, you see). As for the Censored 11, Feltenstein will ultimately be backed into that corner (Lord knows I'm sure he's discussed it a lot already) and we may not like the result.
Several people have mentioned possible boycotts or bad publicity from Al Sharpton. Well, he's not the only one who can use that tool. If we as consumers had boycotted DVDs when something was missing from a set or changed, maybe it wouldn't happen as often as it does. As it is, we now have sets coming out with deleted or altered footage, changed soundtracks
and God knows what and we have no choice but to accept the changes or not buy the product. The problem with this is that the studios then conclude, not that the product was faulty because of the changes, but that there was a smaller than anticipated market in the first place, making it therefore economically infeasible (that old bottom line) to release the product in the future. Elsewhere in this forum, WHV has said that it would like to release its '50s TV output, but was having trouble with the numbers. That problem will only increase because the people who remember this sort of show and want it are getting older, going onto fixed incomes (in which DVD purchases will probably become a smaller part of the budget), or, regrettably dying off. That market is here now, but the studios won't invest in it because they'd rather see huge upfront sales of Balls of Fury or American Pie than accept smaller but steady sales of older titles.
As to a boycott of all DVD to force the studios to pay attention, it wouldn't work and here's why: even if everyone who reads this agreed with it, it would always be on the basis of "I'll never buy another edited DVD again . . . unless they put out X (and everyone has their own X), then I've got to have it!" And I'm not above that myself. I've got more edited DVDs than I'd like to admit (one that comes to mind is the first season of Mary Tyler Moore). Most of these purchases were blind, the result of little or no research on my part. When I realized how consistent the trend toward music substitution has become, I became much more cautious. But when The Addams Family came out, I learned that it was edited, but bought it anyway. I had to have it. See what I mean? A boycott will never work; I know it and the studios know it.
As to music substitution, that problem will never be solved. There's already in place a modus vivendi that makes a solution unnecessary barring a successful negotiation for whatever show is at issue. As I understand it, music is bought for broadcast only. The viewer associates music with a particular show, but the producers have left the decision as to whether that music will be on the DVD to negotiators at later date. Then, if an agreement can't be reached, it's time for a more economically feasible (say hello to our old friend the bottom line) substitution. This will always happen and I can't see a feasible solution, economic or not.
Music should be tied to the show in which it was used, with some formula to allow for compensation to the composers and performers involved. Any TV show is a crap shoot; it may hit, it probably won't. If it flops, those that licensed their music for inclusion count themselves lucky for the bit of icing they got on their rights. If it flies, I would assume that they renegotiate periodically as part of the normal rise of production costs over time. With DVD, there's only the one bite of the apple, so music holders assume that every DVD will be a megaseller so they want a big piece up front. That's flawed reasoning because broadcast TV is free (as of now) and DVD is not.
A show might be a big hit in one medium but garner slower sales because everybody has a limit on their DVD budget (it's inconvenient I know, but one has to eat and feed one's family). But rather than accede to that reality, we have impasses in negotiation and therefore music substitution.
I realize that if you've made it this far, you may have concluded that I've gone far afield from the topic, but not really. T&J is just the latest example of what we have to put up with and it all ties together. If the moderators want to move this to its own topic, that's fine by me, but we all know that there's be another such decision by the studios tomorrow or the next day. T&J is just the one that finally made me put in my two cents, which is funny, because I've never really cared for them as much as the Looney Tunes or Donald Duck. That shouldn't detract from my comments, though. Thanks for reading!
PatH
