Mill Creek's rerelease of SOAP (1 Viewer)

[bretmaverick2]

Loved this show back in the day.


Is this set going to have everything fully restored? My understanding was that in the season releases that camee out before that there was material missing from the hour episodes, specifically the Bea Arthur material plus, probably some other stuff I don't knowo about.


Just curious as to how 'complete' this 'complete series' set actually is.

 

[mrz7]

There were THREE 90 minute summer specials in between seasons. These shows I don't believe will be on the Mill Creek edition of the so-called "Complete Series". There are 90 episodes on 8 DVD's (roughly 11 episodes per DVD).

The 90 minute specials were "clip shows" (featuring some new footage with Jessica Tate talking to another character on the show about events that happened from the previous season). The 1st special featured Jessica (in jail for wrongly accused of killing Peter Campbell) talking to Burt Campbell (which is Peter's dad/Jessica's brother-in-law) about who really killed Peter (with clip shows from the first season). This special aired in the summer after the 1st season and before the second season). This particular show was only released on VHS back in the 90's, but never on DVD.

After the second season was over, another summer special aired (right before the third season), this time featuring Jessica Tate talking to Benson (her Butler, played by Robert Guillaume) who was leaving the show to star in his own spin-off series "Benson". Once again, Jessica and Benson recapped (featuring clips from the 2nd season). But the focus here was on Benson's departure.....the last scene between Jessica and Benson is a tearjerker. But by viewing the regular episodes, Robert Guillaume does return for the first 3-4 shows of the 3rd season to help the Tates get their son, Billy, out of a cult group called "the sunnies". Guillaume would also make another appearance at the end of the 3rd season at Jessica's deathbed. This 2nd special is the only one that has never been released at all on any home video format (no VHS, No DVD).

The third (and last) summer special (airing after the 3rd season, and before the 4th season) is the infamous "Bea Arthur" show featuring Bea as the angel/gatekeeper to heaven. Jessica enters in (while being in a coma back on earth) and pleads with Bea's character to talk to God and give a second chance to be with her family. Once again, using the clip shows. This 3rd special, like the 1st special, was only released on VHS...this too was never released on DVD.

As far as the regular 90 episodes, when the show was released on VHS thru Columbia House, all 90 episodes were complete (nothing was cut). When the show was released on DVD (thru Sony, both in season sets and complete series (Sony Versions)), many of the shows were cut (syndicated episodes) and some segments with music. My understanding, from reading some of Amazon Comments on the 1st & 2nd season rerelease from Mill Creek a few months ago, some of the cut footage from the Sony DVD's were restored in the Mill Creek release (again, I am basing this on Amazon comments, I don't not own the Mill Creek version of the first two seasons....I do own the Sony set version and also have my Columbia House VHS versions. So...I am only assuming, whatever footage was cut from the 3rd and 4th season of the show from the Sony version, might be restored in this new Mill Creek Complete series? Once again, the three 90 minute specials, I don't believe will be on the new Mill Creek set, based on the number of episodes (about 11) per each DVD (which there be a total of 8 DVD's).

I hope that helps.....would love if the show would get a truly "Complete" set, but I don't think will ever see that based on this new set coming out from Mill Creek. If someone does buy the Mill Creek set, and finds restored footage, I hope they will please let us know this AND, if all 3 specials are on here....but I have my doubts about the latter.

 

[MatthewA]

Between the Columbia House VHS set, the Sony DVD set, and the two Columbia/TriStar VHS tapes of the retrospectives, you can put together the complete series save the Season 2 retrospective. But if I recall correctly, the only one that has any footage exclusive to it is the Season 3 one with Bea Arthur at the gates of Heaven. There's a clip from it in the recap of the season 4 premiere, yet they never put it in syndication.* I'm not buying this show again until I see a review, and since it's Mill Creek I'm keeping my expectations low. Maybe they'll spring for the two Rodgers & Hammerstein songs that weren't on the DVDs.**

There were two cut episodes in the Columbia House tapes, too; one was the episode with Benson's departure to the Governor's mansion, and the other was the episode where Ted Shackleford played a homophobic cowboy.***


*When I lived in North Carolina, there used to be a store that sold old TV Guides, among other things. I found out that WRAL, my hometown CBS station that was my ABC station when Soap was in its network run, was one of the stations that didn't show it. Not until season 3. And when they reran The Golden Girls, they got a package that cut the beginning of this scene, and practically every episode had mutually exclusive cuts from the versions Lifetime got.
**"There is Nothing Like a Dame" and "Oh What a Beautiful Morning," both crooned by Jody in season 1.
***Ironic, since I always thought he looked like a heterosexual version of Monty Python's Graham Chapman.

 

[bretmaverick2]

mrz7 - Thanks for all the info!


I really liked this show back in the day. I had forgotten about the clip show / catch up specials between seasons!

 

[jimmyjet]

many of these re-releases sound like a greatest hits cd


no matter which hits you buy, you can get some stuff, but not other stuff


i stopped purchasing greatest hits cds a long time ago

 

[classicmovieguy]

Here is that bittersweet last meeting for Benson and Jessica... at least they tried to clear up the shoddy way things were left in "Soap"'s final episode...

 

[Ethan Riley]

The William Daniels episode was missing all kinds of footage.

 

[mrz7]

Between the Columbia House VHS set, the Sony DVD set, and the two Columbia/TriStar VHS tapes of the retrospectives, you can put together the complete series save the Season 2 retrospective. But if I recall correctly, the only one that has any footage exclusive to it is the Season 3 one with Bea Arthur at the gates of Heaven. There's a clip from it in the recap of the season 4 premiere, yet they never put it in syndication.* I'm not buying this show again until I see a review, and since it's Mill Creek I'm keeping my expectations low. Maybe they'll spring for the two Rodgers & Hammerstein songs that weren't on the DVDs.**

There were two cut episodes in the Columbia House tapes, too; one was the episode with Benson's departure to the Governor's mansion, and the other was the episode where Ted Shackleford played a homophobic cowboy.***

*When I lived in North Carolina, there used to be a store that sold old TV Guides, among other things. I found out that WRAL, my hometown CBS station that was my ABC station when Soap was in its network run, was one of the stations that didn't show it. Not until season 3.
**"There is Nothing Like a Dame" and "Oh What a Beautiful Morning," both crooned by Jody in season 1.
***Ironic, since I always thought he looked like a heterosexual version of Monty Python's Graham Chapman.

The part where Benson leaves for the governor's mansion is the second 90 minute summer special that has never been released on home video at all, which I mention in a previous post. As far as the Ted Shackleford homophobic cowboy episode, I believe that it's on the Columbia House tapes and I don't recall anything missing from the episode?

 

[upperco]

Can anyone here confirm the restoration of material in these Mill Creek releases previously absent from the Sony sets?

 

[classicmovieguy]

I'm actually not sure. I did own the Sony sets for Season 1 & 2, but sold those a while back, and I currently have the Mill Creek sets; but apart from the first episode of Season 3 being included at the end of the Season 2 set, I can't detect a difference.

 

[mrz7]

This might be a little off topic....but it does relate to "Soap" and Bea Arthur. I recently bought the complete season set of "Maude", which stars Bea Arthur. As I have been watching the show...I noticed two things that are related to "Soap".

The first thing I notice, while watching "Maude", is that the creator and writer of "Soap", Susan Harris, was also a writer for "Maude". She also wrote and was the creator for "Golden Girls" which also stars Bea Arthur. And Susan Harris also wrote for the spin-off to "Golden Girls", "Empty Nest", which stars Richard Mulligan, who was Burt Campbell on "Soap" (six degrees of separation here....LOL).

The second thing I noticed....and I am not positively sure on this, but there is a similar resemblance to Maude's house, (especially in the one room....the kitchen) to the Tate's house (Jessica and Chesters). The kitchen is oddly the same color/and setup (look at the double oven in particular). And the way the stage is setup up for the whole house in "Maude", is oddly the same as the Tate's house as well. I think both shows, "Soap" and "Maude" were filmed in the same studio, using some of the same props. Not totally positive about this, I just notice this while watching the "Maude" episodes. I was more of a fan of "Soap" than "Maude", so I never really made the connection when the two shows first aired.

So the ties with Bea Arthur and "Soap" just seem to be more than just Bea's appearance on one of the "Soap" 90 minute specials. Just some unnecessary trivia for all of you to think about!!!

 

[Brian Himes]

Well, both the Columbia House set and the Sony DVD sets were missing footage. On the Columbia House set, the episode where Billy is rescued from the Sunnies is a syndicated version but the Sony DVD has the full length version.


On the Sony DVD sets, season 1 has two syndicated episodes that are complete on the Columbia House set. Also, the Sony DVD of season 1 is missing Jody singing There's Nothing Like A Dame.


Finally, the Sony DVD set for season 4 is a total mess. Every episode is missing the 'In the last episode of Soap' recaps but they did restore all of the final 8 episodes back to their original intended 30 minute length. The Columbia House set has those episodes in the ABC 1 hour configuration that they originally aired in. ABC was going to cancel the show, so to 'burn off' the final 8 episodes as quickly as possible, they edited those episodes into 1 hour shows. To do this and pad out the running time, they used some deleted scenes and even used one scene in two different episodes.


None of the three 90 minute recap specials have ever been released on DVD. The first and last ones were released on VHS. The second one is available on the trading circuit.


It has been my understanding that the Mill Creek re-releases are exactly the same as the original Sony season sets and Complete Series set.

 

[bretmaverick2]

I sent an email to Mill Creek with some of my questions about the upcoming SOAP release. In the past they have answered questions relatively quickly, within a few days.


So we shall see if I get any answers.

 

[jimmyjet]

were the questions answered in the past always to your liking ?


or would they also answer questions such that they knew that the answers would not be what you wanted to hear ?

 

[Tory]

Here is that bittersweet last meeting for Benson and Jessica... at least they tried to clear up the shoddy way things were left in "Soap"'s final episode...

Thank you for posting that! I know it is so late in the game and we have lost some major characters but I still want to see a combo Soap/Benson reunion to celebrate the wedding of Benson and Jessica.

 

[classicmovieguy]

They were perfect together.

 

[upperco]

I sent an email to Mill Creek with some of my questions about the upcoming SOAP release. In the past they have answered questions relatively quickly, within a few days.

So we shall see if I get any answers.

Any response? I just pre-ordered Mill Creek's Complete Series set from Amazon.

 

[bretmaverick2]

Never did receive a reply to my inquiry, which is sorta strange. Usually they are pretty responsive.

 

[classicmovieguy]

Never did receive a reply to my inquiry, which is sorta strange. Usually they are pretty responsive.

Yes they are normally very quick to reply. I emailed them a while ago to complain about a defective copy of "Charlie's Angels" Season 1, and although they couldn't help, they at least acknowledged my email very quickly.

 

[upperco]

Checked the set briefly. The Season Four recaps are all present, and the two 22-odd minute episodes from Season One are two minutes longer. Still a handful of epsiodes that run under 24 minutes, but they all have consistent run times around 23:40, so maybe there's nothing cut.