Gunsmoke on Encore Westerns Question (1 Viewer)

[ChrisALM]

It looks like Gunsmoke will be running once a day, five times a week, Monday thru Friday. So, we will get one chance at "He Who Steals", and then we will have to wait until it comes back around again. The way it had been running, if something happened to the morning recording, I had a second chance with the evening run, about a month later. I have all the season 7-11 episodes of Gunsmoke except, "He Who Steals."


Brad, I think Cheyenne began with a New Year's Day marathon. I'm not sure how long it's been on, but I'm guessing it's three years now. I believe Maverick came on before Cheyenne. When I heard Wagon Train was starting, I thought either the Cheyenne or Maverick run would come to an end, but apparently not. I have not heard how many seasons of Wagon Train will be run. I will opt for the Timeless releases for this and pick up the remainder from Encore.


I am glad to see Lawman is continuing. Like Danny, I would like to see more of the older TV westerns appear on Encore.

 

[Neil Brock]

What I'm curious to see is how far they get on Wagon Train. Throughout its syndication history, only the first 138 hours plus the 90 minute season have been the only ones that have ever run. The fifth, sixth, eighth plus some of the fourth season episodes have never re-aired. Also, the 7th season that Timeless put out came from the old CBN remasters which were cut to around 70 minutes. So, if Universal remastered the show, it will be a chance to get that 7th season complete with the missing footage not on the DVDs.

 

[ChrisALM]

I remember hearing that Timeless put out a color season of Wagon Train that had cut episodes and have been hoping Encore might run uncut episodes for that. However, I haven't heard about any cut episodes for the Timeless season 1 or season 2 releases. Does anybody know anything different about season 1 or season 2?


Meanwhile, regarding Gunsmoke and the color seasons. Does anybody know if any work has been done to restore these episodes? The ones I saw on TV Land were pretty washed out looking. I am hoping Encore might eventually run some better looking episodes in the future.

 

[silverking]

The season 1 'Wagon Train' put out by Timeless appear to be uncut apart from the trailer for the following week's episode.Can't say about S2 as I have only just ordered it now it is a more sensible price on Amazon.See no reason why it should be though.

 

[Neil Brock]

Originally Posted by ChrisALM

I remember hearing that Timeless put out a color season of Wagon Train that had cut episodes and have been hoping Encore might run uncut episodes for that. However, I haven't heard about any cut episodes for the Timeless season 1 or season 2 releases. Does anybody know anything different about season 1 or season 2?


Meanwhile, regarding Gunsmoke and the color seasons. Does anybody know if any work has been done to restore these episodes? The ones I saw on TV Land were pretty washed out looking. I am hoping Encore might eventually run some better looking episodes in the future.

If you are interested in the color Gunsmokes, you need to either get the off ME-TV or find someone who gets the station to record them for you. Unlike the TV Land hack jobs, ME-TV is running the show uncut. Can't speak to the print quality but they are unedited and I don't think DVD will be around long enough for CBS to get around to releasing the colors on this show.

 

[Kenneth V]

A couple years ago I had a friend in Canada record the color episodes off of TV Land. They are uncut and look really nice. I have ME-TV, but the picture is washed out and the sound is so-so. The Canadian versions have better sound and the color isn't as washed out.

 

[Executive]

I always thought it was interesting how the black & white episodes -- both 1/2 hour and hour were remastered years ago.

The hour shows got the royal treatment first in the early 1980s for airing on CBN Cable. The early seasons in the 90s for VHS releases.


The color episodes, however, were not remastered.....not even the handful released on the DVD sets.
One notable exception to that was "Mannon", but that's because clips of it were already remastered for the

first GUNSMOKE post-series TV movie "GUNSMOKE: Return to Dodge".

 

[ChrisALM]

Originally Posted by Neil Brock


If you are interested in the color Gunsmokes, you need to either get the off ME-TV or find someone who gets the station to record them for you. Unlike the TV Land hack jobs, ME-TV is running the show uncut. Can't speak to the print quality but they are unedited and I don't think DVD will be around long enough for CBS to get around to releasing the colors on this show.

Unfortunately, the ME-TV route is not an option for me.


At the rate CBS/P is releasing Gunsmoke, I wonder if they are going to get through season 6, which will at least get me up to the season 7 episodes that I have from Encore.


If Encore were to run the color seasons, I would think they would be uncut. I could handle the lesser print quality, if that's the only way to get those seasons. But, it would sure be great to watch restored versions.

 

[jimstacy]

Originally Posted by Kenneth V

A couple years ago I had a friend in Canada record the color episodes off of TV Land. They are uncut and look really nice. I have ME-TV, but the picture is washed out and the sound is so-so. The Canadian versions have better sound and the color isn't as washed out.

TV land is cutting all episodes since several years already!

 

[Jack P]

TV Land Canada is not the same. They have aired many shows uncut (especially Batman).

 

[ChrisALM]

Originally Posted by Jack P

TV Land Canada is not the same. They have aired many shows uncut (especially Batman).

Is TV Land Canada exclusive to Canada or is it available internationally?

 

[Regulus]

TV Land Canada no longer exists. It was bought this past year by CTV and was renamed "Comedy Gold". I had the oppurtunity view some Programs that came from TV Land Canada a couple of years ago (Using a means I refuse to say on the grounds it may incriminate me!) and they ran them in their most pristine form, uncut, uncompressed, and only the TV Land Logo on the lower right hyand corner to mar the view. I had the fortune to talk to Canadian Tourists who had the misfortune to see our TV Land while they were on Vacation here in the US. Their Opinion? WHAT A JOKE! I haven't heard about what has happened since the name change, but from what I read many Shows they once ran are no longer shown.

 

[ChrisALM]

Originally Posted by Regulus

TV Land Canada no longer exists. It was bought this past year by CTV and was renamed "Comedy Gold". I had the oppurtunity view some Programs that came from TV Land Canada a couple of years ago (Using a means I refuse to say on the grounds it may incriminate me!) and they ran them in their most pristine form, uncut, uncompressed, and only the TV Land Logo on the lower right hyand corner to mar the view. I had the fortune to talk to Canadian Tourists who had the misfortune to see our TV Land while they were on Vacation here in the US. Their Opinion? WHAT A JOKE! I haven't heard about what has happened since the name change, but from what I read many Shows they once ran are no longer shown.

Thanks for the info, William. I used to watch our TV Land all the time. Now I never watch it. Encore Westerns does a good job, but they are limited to westerns. I sure wish Dish Network would find a good classic TV channel to carry.

 

[Dan McW]

Originally Posted by ChrisALM

Gunsmoke has had two run-throughs of seasons 7-11 this past year, one in the morning and one in the evening. Both times they skipped, "He Who Steals." I hope Encore gets this straightened out, and have been waiting for the next cycle to see if I can get the missing episode.


On Lawman, I believe Encore skipped the second season episode, "The Wolfer."

The Gunsmoke episode "He Who Steals" is scheduled to run at 7:06 p.m. ET on Friday, March 25. The Lawman episode "The Wolfer" is set for 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 20.


Re Neil's Wagon Train post above: Encore Westerns is going to air only the first 138 episodes.

 

[Neil Brock]

Thanks for that info. I guess they just bought the traditional (Ward Bond) syndication package. The post-Bond episodes, minus the color 7th season, have never been re-aired anywhere, although thankfully many of those episodes have turned up on film.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

I guess these shows with long rns get split up for national syndication, so where does that leave Encore and Rawhide?

 

[Neil Brock]

Originally Posted by Dave Scarpa

I guess these shows with long rns get split up for national syndication, so where does that leave Encore and Rawhide?

My guess would be that they would have the full run of Rawhide. While at various times, Viacom had shortened the Rawhide package, at one time they were all available. With Wagon Train, the McIntyre hour episodes have never been made available.

 

[Dan McW]

F/X must have had the whole run of Rawhide back in the day, as my copy of the final-season episode "Escort to Doom" came from their broadcast of it. That's the one in which Rip Torn plays a Native American and can barely keep from cracking up in close-ups as he delivers one line after another of "heap big"-type of dialogue.


It'll be interesting to see how Timeless handles season four of Wagon Train, assuming the sales remain strong enough for them to release it. That's the season where the syndication cutoff is for the hourlong ones, after the 24th episode.

 

[ChrisALM]

Just a heads up - the Gunsmoke episode, "He Who Steals", is supposed to be running tonight on Encore Westerns at 7:05pm EDT, according to the Encore Westerns online schedule.

 

[smithb]

Originally Posted by ChrisALM

Just a heads up - the Gunsmoke episode, "He Who Steals", is supposed to be running tonight on Encore Westerns at 7:05pm EDT, according to the Encore Westerns online schedule.

It was on the schedule the last time (or two) and the mishap happened where they showed a different episode. I wouldn't be surprised by a similar outcome. But it would be nice if they finally straightened it out.