Eight Is Enough Is Finally Happening (1 Viewer)

[younger1968]

i am waiting for this set as adam rich was my age when the show was on the air. I can relate to Nickolas as i was 10-11 when the show first aired. The family style shows are non-existence now unless you watch re-runs of the old shows.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

Any sign of early reviews for this set?

 

[vnisanian2001]

Yes, and do they have the mentions and phone calls from Joan (the old mother) and the original opening credits intact for half of the season one episodes, like sjbradford described?

 

[derosa]

I'm waiting for a review before ordering, so if anyone comes across some details,
please post them here.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

Since it's supposed to be out today, hopefully there will be someone reviewing the discs.

 

[Jon Baker]

This isn't a full-on review, but the picture quality is beautiful. Like watching the show again for the first time. Original theme and openings intact.
Also this is a 3-disc set (not 2 as some sites had listed). Comes in a slipcase and includes insert episode guide.

 

[vnisanian2001]

This isn't a full-on review, but the picture quality is beautiful. Like watching the show again for the first time. Original theme and openings intact.
Also this is a 3-disc set (not 2 as some sites had listed). Comes in a slipcase and includes insert episode guide.

Wait a minute. Does this mean that the original opening is intact on ALL 9 season 1 episodes? Not the reedited one with Diana Hyland's name taken out? And are all mentions and phone calls from her Joan character intact for half of the season one episodes, like sjbradford described?

 

[younger1968]

I have watched just the pilot episode and the quality goes back and form between good and poor. There is some dust and/or issues with the conversion to dvd. The pictures are ok, but they do not appear to be re-mastered other then the bare minimum. I think the opening change in S2 as the mother (died - both on the show and in real life) and they changed it up a bit with house shots and nicholas riding his bike.
The show is classic about family situation, like kids growing up and facing different issues. It is too bad families today are not exposed to good family programming, like eight is enough!
i hope there is more of the show to come, especially the reunion movies. It is too bad that Mary's real life person died, but unfortunately shows that have kids grow up on them rarely seem them because successful as adult actors/actresses. Ralph Macchio is the only one i think did anything from the show after it ended. The other actors got themselves into troubles like Adam Rich and Willie Aames.

 

[vnisanian2001]

Sorry for repeating myself, but:
Is the original season 1 opening intact on ALL 9 season 1 episodes? Not the reedited one with Diana Hyland's name taken out? And are all mentions and phone calls from her Joan character intact for half of the season one episodes, like sjbradford described?

 

[MattHR]

Sorry for repeating myself, but:
Is the original season 1 opening intact on ALL 9 season 1 episodes? Not the reedited one with Diana Hyland's name taken out? And are all mentions and phone calls from her Joan character intact for half of the season one episodes, like sjbradford described?

I don't know if they're all intact as originally broadcast, but here are the running times with Diana Hyland's credits noted. She is only credited in four episodes, #1, 2, 3 & 5, so perhaps one was aired out of production order. I only briefly scanned through them, so I can't verify if any of the scenes referencing her character have been removed. Do you know of any specific episodes/scenes I could check?
Also, despite what has been mentioned earlier in this thread, it certainly appears that the episodes have been remastered for this release. They are really nice transfers, on par with other filmed shows from the same era that WB has released recently (they match the quality of Man From Atlantis to my eyes). If you look at the cast "reunion" on Disc 3 (which is nothing more than a 15-minute collection of interviews from a Today Show segment, you'll see a bunch of clips from the show in varying quality that represent how many shows end up looking on DVD. The actual episodes in the set are pristine and gorgeous by comparison.
1) Never Try Eating Nectarines / 47:34 / Hyland credited
2) Schussboomer / 49:08 / Hyland credited
3) Pieces of Eight / 49:11 / Hyland credited
4) Women, Ducks and the Domino Theory / 49:12
5) Turnabout / 49:12 / Hyland credited
6) Quarantine / 48:11
7) V is for Vivian / 48:44
8) Hit and Run / 49:12
9) The Gipper Caper / 48:49

 

[vnisanian2001]

Not really, other than that sjbradford said that originally, Diana Hyland was credited in ALL 9 season 1 episodes. Also originally, because of her illness, the episodes she was not in featured scenes where they explained her absence, and even voiceovers from Hyland as Joan on the phone with Tom Bradford.
When ABC reran the series in the summer of 1977, after Hyland's death, they only showed the episodes in which she did not appear, editing out any mentions or phone calls from Joan, and using a new version of the opening credits without Hyland. They did this so that viewers would get used to the show without her.

 

[younger1968]

I have watched about 6 episodes and the opening changes from time to time on each episodes. I watch an episode with the lovely adrienne barbeau as should have been like 32 years old at the time. The episode was good, because it talked about younger guy with older girl (cougar time, lol)
The episode quality is decent, especially with the different issues of the day. I like the reunion segment with dianne kay, connie needham, betty buckley, willie aames, dick van patten, grant goodeve and laurie walters. Adam Rich was not able to attend and of course Lani o'grady had dies years before the interview. The interview talks about the show and its roots. Today's youth has not experience the family sitcoms that prior generations experience in their development.

 

[vnisanian2001]

That's because Lorimar, in their stupidity, decided to go back and reedit some of those episodes.
They should be ashamed of themselves. Absolutely be ashamed of themselves. BTW, I added a note to the alternate versions section of this show on IMDB, just to show how badly Lorimar molested those episodes.

 

[ScottRichard]

Okay, seriously??? I think your being way over the top here. I, of course, would prefer all TV series to be unaltered, but removing her name from the credits of episodes she didn't actually appear in doesn't exactly seem like "molesting" them! I still have yet to even see where someone who has the DVDs has said that her name has been removed from any of the openings or that the voiceover or phone call scenes are indeed missing. The above poster just said that the openings change on some episodes. I still think you need some clarification on this. In any case, I still think your reaction is a bit much!

 

[vnisanian2001]

Well, sjbradford just happened to be one of, if not the only people who remember such a thing from way back, 35 years ago.
It's possible he may be remembering things wrong, but I think he knows what he's talking about.

 

I can't see how there were phone calls and references when there are only mere seconds differences between the episodes Hyland is in and the ones she isn't. Also, if these scenes were cut, then they were cut from the negatives and the only way they would have been seen in syndication is if the network prints from the original runs were shown (which isn't likely since the edited versions were the last versions shown on network.) See what I'm getting at?
EDIT: If these did air originally, then maybe they were the teasers for the episodes and those teasers were refilmed with Van Patten and Rich.

 

I found this article from 1977:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MWsqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=H1cEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6877,5902066&dq=eight+is+enough&hl=en

The article is to the right of the Jesus article.

Also, the 9th episode didn't air until August of 1977, mere weeks before the Season 2 premiere. Hyland had been hospitalized before her death with a back injury and was expected back to work when she died of cancer.

 

[Brian Himes]

BTW, I added a note to the alternate versions section of this show on IMDB, just to show how badly Lorimar molested those episodes.

I don't see how this helps anyone since you can't see this on IMDB. I searched and searched and couldn't turn up a single link on the Eight Is Enough page to direct me to these notes.

 

[vnisanian2001]

I don't see how this helps anyone since you can't see this on IMDB. I searched and searched and couldn't turn up a single link on the Eight Is Enough page to direct me to these notes.

It takes a while for it to be processed. I know this, because I have made many contributions to IMDB for the past year or so.

 

The article I linked to clearly states that the remaining episodes would make no mention of "the missing mother."