"Mama's Family" ratings on i Network boad well for DVD releases! (1 Viewer)

[David Rain]

It ultimately doesn't matter to me who did what or how many idiots worked on the project. These episodes were released in unacceptable versions when the originals could have been obtained. There had to have been numerous people and/or companies who could have made sure the right thing was done. No one did and so all of those people are to blame. Yet again, the fans are the most informed and also the ones who get the shaft and the lies from the big companies who think customer opinions don't matter.

How about if fans start taking their edited sets and dumping them in front of the headquarters of these companies ? I think that's a nice visual.

 

[Allison]

I'm more upset about the fact that the 1982 movie Eunice wasn't even included in this set. I have it on tape and transferred over to DVD -- but my copy is 25 years old (they filmed Eunice in 1981) and in very poor shape, because my copy is from the original airing in '82. They couldn't even include the PILOT to the series... sigh...

 

[MatthewA]

Allison,

Warner apparently doesn't consider it part of the series because it never aired in the syndication package as three episodes, as it would have.

 

[MatthewA]

This thread seems to have died down (people must have used up their outrage on The Little Mermaid and Grease, which are badly remixed but not missing footage), but all I can say at this point is:

Keep those letters and phone calls up. It's the only chance of changing this unacceptable situation for the better.

 

[Gord Lacey]

How will the situation change? If they don't own the rights as they say, then they can't do anything about it.

Gord

 

[Jason_V]

What I think MatthewA is referring to is WB perhaps obtaining the rights for a complete S1 and/or a complete S2. Of course, I could be terribly wrong.

 

[MatthewA]

Gord,

I appreciate you going out to find the answers, but I suspect that they may of course be covering their asses. They could have acquired the rights at any time. They just didn't feel like it.

 

[David Rain]

Ok, I'm not sure I believe it but let's assume that they didn't have the rights to the unedited eps. How about not releasing a series until you DO have the rights ? And I've never heard of a series where the original versions were owned by one company and the syndies owned by another. Hello !

Perhaps our only hope is that they will make sure Season 2 isn't butchered.

 

[MatthewA]

Or they could just slap a "syndicated versions" notice in 4 point print on the back. After, Lion's Gate got away with it on "ALF."

Season 1 is defective, and like any defective disc it must be fixed. To not screw up further releases is a start. Warner must recall, repress, and repent, otherwise we have failed.

 

[Steve Phillips]

It should have a sticker that fully discloses that the episodes are edited by several minutes each. Also, the "complete first season" should be removed, because it is in no way complete.

"Syndicated Episodes" doesn't automatically translate to edited to the average person. Lions Gate took the easy way out on the "Alf" packaging.

Warner can say they don't own the rights to the full shows all they want, but the fact is they still released edited product and didn't disclose it. If they knew they didn't get the uncut masters, I say they shouldn't have bothered to release the set in the first place.

It kind of sucks that so many people refer to this EDITED, TRUNCATED junk as "syndicated versions" instead of just calling it what it is. No one would accept a movie with 20% of the footage removed on DVD, so why people accept it with a shrug with TV on DVD is beyond me.

 

[MatthewA]

They accept it because they do not know that it is, in fact, cut. Why should they know when it is S.O.P. to cut all shows for syndication, with the uncut versions only available to archives and those smart enough to tape it in the original run (or, in the case of filmed shows, nab an uncut 16mm print from the collector's market)? It doesn't just kind of suck, it is a sick injustice.

And people still buy the first seasons of any Carsey-Werner show getting cut versions, even though all other seasons are unedited. They have yet to be fixed, and the company releasing "Cosby Show" and "A Different World" is in the process of being sold.

The very least Warner Bros. can do is make unedited episodes available to those who request it, as an act of good faith.

If Warner really doesn't own the uncut versions someone*else could, theoretically, license them for release.

 

[Jason_V]

MatthewA, you know I've agreed with you this entire thread...and I continue to do so. People don't know these episodes are cut and, as far as I've been able to discern, they do not care either. It's the same thing with pan and screen vs. widescreen. Effectively, the image is getting mauled in P/S when you can have the entire thing in widescreen. But people don't see that; all they see is a "small" image with black bars on their screen. (The term fullscreen doesn't help either, mind you.)

I am not promoting or trying to get hits or anything like that, but this ticked me off so much two weeks that that I had to use the things at my fingertips to enlighten some people. It was published two weeks ago and I think I hit everything we've been discussing.

I've got another one going live over the weekend about the regulatory board we discussed up thread.

 

[MatthewA]

Great article, Jason. I just worry that our plea may fall on deaf ears.

Of course, a tiny Canadian company can get another show from the same network and era right in regards to uncut episodes ("Gimme a Break"), but the largest entertainment conglomerate in the world can't?

Perhaps maybe one of the cast members will discover this and pitch a fit. Roseanne was livid when she found that season 1 of her show was cut on DVD.

 

[MatthewA]

It turns out John Hamilton, son of the late Joe Hamilton, owns the rights. Read on and follow the link.

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=6499

 

[Jason_V]

Okay, now we're getting somewhere. While the agreement may preclude John Hamilton from releasing them, does it necessarily preclude Warner from giving him a ring saying "Hey, what would it take for us to get our hands on the original episodes?" I can't imagine John would want too much for two seasons of episodes, especially with the quick turnaround time he responded to the original e-mail. Sounds like a good guy...Warner, drop him a line!

 

[Steve Phillips]

Warner is NOT off the hook for releasing edited product and labeling it complete.

If they don't own the rights to the uncut shows, and are either unwilling or unable to secure the rights to them, why not just forget the idea of a DVD set?

After all, they still sell the edited shows in syndication and can make money that way.

However, if they had clearly labeled the set as edited, shorter versions and removed the word complete from the title of the set, then at least they wouldn't be guilty of deceptive practices.

 

[MatthewA]

I agree 100% and stand by my statement that Warner could have made a deal for the DVDs with John Hamilton at any time.

 

[JohnMor]

And John Hamilton could have made the deal for the uncut ones as well. That goes both ways. The rights owners are the ones really in charge, not the bidders. A studio can't force you to license them the inferior product.

 

[MatthewA]

Perhaps so.

Did they even try to negotiate a deal with John Hamilton? No. Did John Hamilton contact Warner Bros. saying he had the network-length copies? No.

Can they do it and offer replacements for those who ask for them? Yes, and if they expect me to patronize their products in the future, they should.

 

[David Rain]

Is John Hamilton on some type of medication ? He had to have known at some point that the show was being prepared for release. Did he bother contacting anyone to say he had the originals ? Did he care about the fans of the show at all ? Alienating devoted fans of your show is really great business practice, huh ?

Everyone involved in this project is to blame for this disaster. I suggest that all of us be prepared to blow Season Two out of the water as well since this may very well happen again.