Edited shows on DVD-deal breaker? (1 Viewer)

[Vahan_Nisanain]

That's a common myth. Frank Sinatra's estate is NOT to blame for why the price on the Married... with Children theme got jacked up all of a sudden; it was the publishers.

 

[Carabimero]

The reviews of the complete series at amazon.com would suggest otherwise. Someone listed about 10 episodes from seasons 2-8 that appeared to be unedited. Another reviewer said about 160 episodes have been cut.

Those numbers (10 episodes from seasons 2-8 that appeared to be unedited) are simply not true. I actually have the set and I've been keeping count. In my opinion, too many of those reviews on Amazon are unfair, knee-jerk reactions.


A handful of people are upset that every episode isn't pristine and complete, so they trash a great series with a one-star rating and exaggerate how bad it is.


I suppose it's subjective. I'm glad I'm not letting the less-than-perfect quality and syndicated versions keep me from enjoying this set. I can't remember when I've enjoyed a set so much. I used to be a stickler for perfection and probably missed out on a lot of good entertainment because of it.

 

[Ron1973]

Those numbers (10 episodes from seasons 2-8 that appeared to be unedited) are simply not true. I actually have the set and I've been keeping count. In my opinion, too many of those reviews on Amazon are unfair, knee-jerk reactions.

A handful of people are upset that every episode isn't pristine and complete, so they trash a great series with a one-star rating and exaggerate how bad it is.

I suppose it's subjective. I'm glad I'm not letting the less-than-perfect quality and syndicated versions keep me from enjoying this set. I can't remember when I've enjoyed a set so much. I used to be a stickler for perfection and probably missed out on a lot of good entertainment.

I'm not worried about pristine quality. I just feel VEI dropped the ball either in not doing due diligence with regards to the edited episodes from CBS, or in not putting a disclaimer.

 

[Carabimero]

I'm not worried about pristine quality. I just feel VEI dropped the ball either in not doing due diligence with regards to the edited episodes from CBS, or in not putting a disclaimer.

I think there is a disclaimer on the bottom of the box, if you get out a microscope.

 

[zoetmb]

I suppose it's subjective.

There should always be a disclaimer if it's edited. For shows that include music, it's almost impossible to license for DVD/streaming if the song was popular - the costs are enormous. When these shows were produced, no one knew there would be a market for them decades in the future so no contracts were written "in perpetuity".

Aside from music, generally if a show was originally a network show and it's edited, it's because the only version they could get for DVD is the syndicated version, which was cut to fit more commercials. For older shows shot on film, this is usually because they cut the original negative and the uncut show no longer exists.

Frankly, for most of these shows, I'm surprised there's any market at all for these on physical media.

 

[LouA]

For me , I'd rather a show comes out on DVD even if it's edited . Naturally I'd prefer unedited , but if it's choice of syndicated prints or NO DVD , I'll go with releasing the shortened version .


Example : I really like the real McCoys . Every season has been released in edited , syndicated versions ,but I bought them all anyway . At least I got a chance to see the show again . And truth be told , I did enjoy it even with footage missing .


Back in the sixties , and seventies , whenever we were able to find these old shows on TV as reruns , we always saw the syndicated versions. Seeing them cut was better than not seeing them at all.

 

[Carabimero]

There should always be a disclaimer if it's edited. For shows that include music, it's almost impossible to license for DVD/streaming if the song was popular - the costs are enormous. When these shows were produced, no one knew there would be a market for them decades in the future so no contracts were written "in perpetuity".

Aside from music, generally if a show was originally a network show and it's edited, it's because the only version they could get for DVD is the syndicated version, which was cut to fit more commercials. For older shows shot on film, this is usually because they cut the original negative and the uncut show no longer exists.

Frankly, for most of these shows, I'm surprised there's any market at all for these on physical media.

You took my quote out of context. I did not say it's subjective whether or not to put a disclaimer. I said it's (sadly) subjective whether sub-standard picture quality or syndicated prints are a deal breaker in being able to enjoy a terrific show like BARNABY JONES..

 

[pegward]

The reviews of the complete series at amazon.com would suggest otherwise. Someone listed about 10 episodes from seasons 2-8 that appeared to be unedited. Another reviewer said about 160 episodes have been cut.

I started with the 5th season and so far in seasons 5-8 I have only found four episodes that aren't edited. Funny in seasons 5-8 there are four episodes that are two part episodes, three of those are the full episode while the fourth one is edited. I thought I was going to find all of them unedited but nope for some reason one of them is edited.


All in all I have been enjoying the episodes just wished I didn't know which scenes were missing.

 

[JP0825]

Those numbers (10 episodes from seasons 2-8 that appeared to be unedited) are simply not true. I actually have the set and I've been keeping count. In my opinion, too many of those reviews on Amazon are unfair, knee-jerk reactions.


A handful of people are upset that every episode isn't pristine and complete, so they trash a great series with a one-star rating and exaggerate how bad it is.


I suppose it's subjective. I'm glad I'm not letting the less-than-perfect quality and syndicated versions keep me from enjoying this set. I can't remember when I've enjoyed a set so much. I used to be a stickler for perfection and probably missed out on a lot of good entertainment because of it.

Well someone should post the running times for all the episodes if it's not true. Barnaby Jones is a great series and I'd even consider buying it if no more than half of the episodes were the syndicated versions. That doesn't seem to be the case, unfortunately. 12 years ago I bought ALF season 1 and Too Close for Comfort Season 1, knowing in advance that they were all syndicated episodes, because I hadn't seen those shows in so long and didn't care so I do understand why some people are satisfied with the Barnaby Jones complete series set.

 

[JP0825]

I started with the 5th season and so far in seasons 5-8 I have only found four episodes that aren't edited. Funny in seasons 5-8 there are four episodes that are two part episodes, three of those are the full episode while the fourth one is edited. I thought I was going to find all of them unedited but nope for some reason one of them is edited.


All in all I have been enjoying the episodes just wished I didn't know which scenes were missing.

How many episodes have you watched? I'd say anything under 48-49 minutes from 1976-1980 is an edited episode.

 

[bigshot]

That's a common myth. Frank Sinatra's estate is NOT to blame for why the price on the Married... with Children theme got jacked up all of a sudden; it was the publishers.

But it probably is the reason that Time Life released the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts with every episode in the run EXCEPT the Sinatra episode. If you want the complete run, you have to order direct from TL and pay $100 more.

 

[Ron1973]

For me , I'd rather a show comes out on DVD even if it's edited . Naturally I'd prefer unedited , but if it's choice of syndicated prints or NO DVD , I'll go with releasing the shortened version .

Example : I really like the real McCoys . Every season has been released in edited , syndicated versions ,but I bought them all anyway . At least I got a chance to see the show again . And truth be told , I did enjoy it even with footage missing .

Back in the sixties , and seventies , whenever we were able to find these old shows on TV as reruns , we always saw the syndicated versions. Seeing them cut was better than not seeing them at all.

WREG in Memphis was running unedited shows well into the early 90's, so I don't know where you got 60's and 70's.

 

[AndrewCrossett]

Usually, I won't buy an edited TV show (or movie) any more than I would buy a book with pages missing.


Even with WKRP, my favorite comedy series of all time, I didn't buy the original Fox release because of all the music edits, which severely damaged the feel and character of the show and also demonstrated Fox's utter lack of concern for anything other than a quick buck. But I bought the Shout set, and have enjoyed it, because the edits aren't extreme, and obvious care was taken (and money spent) to preserve the integrity of the show.


Even when I don't remember the original episodes in detail and thus don't know what I'm missing... it still bothers me to look at any piece of art knowing that it's not what the artist(s) intended for me to see.

 

[LouA]

WREG in Memphis was running unedited shows well into the early 90's, so I don't know where you got 60's and 70's.

I'm in the New York area. Very early - around 1968 or 1969 , WPIX began editing the openings and closing bits from the Munsters and other shows . The Abbott and Costello Show and the Honeymooners were also heavily edited . During the late

1980s , there was as surge of popularity for the Honeymooners , and WPIX began showing them uncut , but they made a big deal about it , proclaiming the fact in their advertising, that hey were no longer edited .It's possible that NYC was a more competitive TV market even back then, prompting the cuts to get more advertising revenue .

 

[phenri]

I also take into consideration that classic TV on DVD is a shrinking market. Most of the major studios are bailing out of releasing new or continuing their incomplete series on DVD. Now is the time to buy a release even though it has flaws, because you will never receive a better one.

If Barnaby Jones was released with edits five or more years ago, it would have been more of an outrage. Now I am more excepting, because I know that this is the best I will get for one of my favorite shows.
Also, if Shout! released The Name of the Game with edits, I would gladly buy it rather than not having it at all. I'll take what I can get.

 

[BobO'Link]

WREG in Memphis was running unedited shows well into the early 90's, so I don't know where you got 60's and 70's.

They're more the exception than the rule. My understanding is the owner in the 60s was a huge movie buff so they ran lots of movies, uncut, shortly after their theatrical runs. He pretty much did the same with older TV programs. Generally he'd purchase a copy for them to archive/store locally. I saw Mel Brooks' The Producers first on WREC (before the sale and call letter change) in 1968/69 on WREC late night. As a kid I saw the Universal Monster films as well as the early Tarzan films *uncut* (the scene in Frankenstein where the monster throws the little girl in the lake and even the nude scenes in Tarzan and His Mate) and wondered later when watching them on other channels what happened to those scenes. My wife and I watched *lots* of "syndicated" TV content and movies during the overnight hours in the late 70s/early 80s. They didn't run commercials in most of that, typically running PSA/promo blocks at the end of a show to fill time till the next started. That was all before they were sold a few times, each to a larger corporate concern. Now they fill that time with "junk" TV (infomercials mostly) instead of old TV shows and movies. They're no longer the TV junkie friendly station they once were and we're worse off for it.

 

[Ron1973]

They're more the exception than the rule. My understanding is the owner in the 60s was a huge movie buff so they ran lots of movies, uncut, shortly after their theatrical runs. He pretty much did the same with older TV programs. Generally he'd purchase a copy for them to archive/store locally. I saw Mel Brooks' The Producers first on WREC (before the sale and call letter change) in 1968/69 on WREC late night. As a kid I saw the Universal Monster films as well as the early Tarzan films *uncut* (the scene in Frankenstein where the monster throws the little girl in the lake and even the nude scenes in Tarzan and His Mate) and wondered later when watching them on other channels what happened to those scenes. My wife and I watched *lots* of "syndicated" TV content and movies during the overnight hours in the late 70s/early 80s. They didn't run commercials in most of that, typically running PSA/promo blocks at the end of a show to fill time till the next started. That was all before they were sold a few times, each to a larger corporate concern. Now they fill that time with "junk" TV (infomercials mostly) instead of old TV shows and movies. They're no longer the TV junkie friendly station they once were and we're worse off for it.

Ahh, thanks for the explanation! They were still running their own mini TV Land into the early 90's, though it had went to a late night slot by that point. By that point, the 16mm prints on a lot of the shows were looking really rugged and brutal. I can specifically remember The Beverly Hillbillies with lines and scratches going through them; I can remember it getting really, really bad, yet they had one more run-through, and I'm surprised the prints survived as horrible as they looked.

 

[Ron1973]

I also remember approximately 2 1/2 seasons worth of the show missing from their syndication package. They did finally obtain those shows, but they were the edited for syndication variety, and I think they got one run before they completely quit showing it. I know WPTY picked it up for a short time, but they were showing the edited shows also. I can remember as a kid when WREG, KAIT, and WBBJ were all running unedited episodes of it. My dad put in a Winegard antenna, Channel Master rotor, and an amplifier in the attic, and it was TV Heaven for years out here. We received all of the Memphis stations, both Cape Girardeau stations, Jackson, TN., and the two Jonesboro stations. If the weather was "just right," there were times we'd pick up Evansville, IN. and some of the St. Louis stations.

 

[pegward]

How many episodes have you watched? I'd say anything under 48-49 minutes from 1976-1980 is an edited episode.

The edited episodes run 45-46 minutes, the unedited episodes run 51 minutes.

 

[Jeff*H]

Companies will always show more respect to an obscure film than even a fairly mainstream TV show from the past, and no amount of online protests and petitions or refusals to purchase an imperfect set will change that. (I think last year's Fugitive corrections was a one-time anomaly; the exception to the rule.)

One other exception to the rule, in which fan protests DID make a difference, was with HAWAII FIVE-O Season 10. Originally rushed to market with non-remastered transfers taken from uncut but muddy syndication prints, the fans complained, Amazon sales suffered, and the studio ultimately went back and created pristine HD-remastered transfers of Season 10 that were included in the Complete Series set.