Rowan and Martin's Laugh In - why only 2 DVD sets? (1 Viewer)

[Mark Y]

There is a Laugh-In Facebook group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/392251180876723/

I don't have time to dig through the posts right now, but there has been discussion of planned season sets. That would be cool.

 

[Neil Brock]

I don't think that the show is just dated in the sense of the cultural references but I think in terms of just the style of the production. For its time, it was innovative and cutting edge in the way it was produced. That was one of the main appeals. However, decades later, when all of the quick cuts and camera tricks have become old hat, what's left is a fairly pedestrian comedy-variety show.

Surprised that they actually aired the last season as I remember reading that George Schlatter hated it and would never allow it to be seen again. Oh well, never say never. Maybe there's hope for the first 3 seasons of Make Room For Daddy yet.

 

[Vahan_Nisanain]

Speaking of Decades, why the film look? Are the DVDs like that, too?

 

[BobO'Link]

Speaking of Decades, why the film look? Are the DVDs like that, too?

It shouldn't look like film. It was shot and edited on 2" video tape. And *physical* tape splices at that! (My mind boggles at the thought of cutting 2" video tape and doing manual splices.)

 

[AndyMcKinney]

Speaking of Decades, why the film look? Are the DVDs like that, too?

I have noticed this "jittery" look (on occasion) across different digital sub-stations of one local network here. One day, it'll be the Laff channel. Another, it'll be Antenna TV. It's like someone in the control room got the frame rate wrong or something.

Does the problem affect any other programming on Decades, or just Laugh-In? If it's only Laugh-In, then it sounds like a mastering problem, but if it affects other shows on the channel (this would even apply to commercials), then the fault is likely with your local affiliate.

 

[Neil Brock]

Speaking of Decades, why the film look? Are the DVDs like that, too?

Because there are people nowadays, and I'm holding myself back from saying something disparaging, who are unhappy watching things recorded in gorgeous videotape because of the way it looks on their hundred inch high def sets and therefore many transfers are being done now where shows are being re-incoded to give it a crappy fake film look. The Joan Rivers That Show DVD set suffered from that. So instead of looking like it should, which is beautiful, thanks to the morons who refer to videotaped shows as "soap opera looking", this is what is being done now by many syndicators.

 

[BobO'Link]

Because there are people nowadays, and I'm holding myself back from saying something disparaging, who are unhappy watching things recorded in gorgeous videotape because of the way it looks on their hundred inch high def sets and therefore many transfers are being done now where shows are being re-incoded to give it a crappy fake film look. The Joan Rivers That Show DVD set suffered from that. So instead of looking like it should, which is beautiful, thanks to the morons who refer to videotaped shows as "soap opera looking", this is what is being done now by many syndicators.

And that's just plain stupid. I see many TV sets adjusted so film looks like video tape just so they can get that "soap opera look." It's also what some studios have done to some titles to remove/eliminate/negate grain thinking people don't want to see a film look. Stupid on both accounts!

 

[MartinP.]

I don't think that the show is just dated in the sense of the cultural references but I think in terms of just the style of the production. For its time, it was innovative and cutting edge in the way it was produced. That was one of the main appeals. However, decades later, when all of the quick cuts and camera tricks have become old hat, what's left is a fairly pedestrian comedy-variety show.

I don't know. As much as I love The Carol Burnett Show and Saturday Night Live, for example, when you come across a sketch that is very tedious (or let's say "bad") it goes on for several minutes and one may (want to) use the FF button. Same with the musical guests. You're not going to have that happen (usually) in a Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In episode; in that sense I wouldn't call it pedestrian. (Lacking inspiration or excitement; dull.)

Surprised that they actually aired the last season [...]

Except for the very last episode for some reason.

 

[MartinP.]

An example of a music rights issue:

Although most of the musical material in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In was in house, there are some exceptions. The Season 2, Episode 20 program with guest star Tiny Tim featured a Mod World segment with a very lengthy "Salute to the Past", traveling through previous decades with Tiny Tim singing a song from each one: "When My Sugar Walks Down the Street", "Out of Nowhere", "Stage Door Canteen", "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree", "Hound Dog", and a 60's rock version of "Tiptoe Through the Tulips."

The Decades airing of this episode features these musical numbers, but the Guthy-Renker dvd release of the program edits them all out, except for "Tiptoe Through the Tulips". Also edited out was the opening joke, where Dan Rowan, as Leonardo Da Vinci, is "talking" some of the lyrics to the song "Mona Lisa" whereupon the camera pans from Da Vinci and the Mona Lisa painting over to Tiny Tim, playing the Mona Lisa model, where he says the song lyric, "I guess I'm just a cold and lonely lovely work of art."

Even when the episode was taping, the Hal Erickson book about the series states, "Tiny Tim was supposed to have sung Frank Loesser's 'Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition' during the Salute to the Past, but apparently the music rights couldn't be cleared."

 

[BobO'Link]

I just saw on tvshowsondvd.com that Time/Life is releasing the ENTIRE SERIES, 6 seasons on 38 discs! It has a release date of June 19th, 2017 and a price of $249.95 (installment pricing available - 5 payments of $49.99 each).

It's a bit too expensive for my budget at the moment but will be ordered at some point. I'm hoping they pull a Wonder Years and do a wide release of the individual seasons after a few months of TL site exclusivity.

 

[Vahan_Nisanain]

Hopefully, they'll get the encoding right, unlike Decades.

Someone should email to Time Life, tell them that videotape should look smooth and fluid, and not have the dreaded "film look" like on Decades.

 

[Ron Lee Green]

Hopefully, they'll get the encoding right, unlike Decades.

Someone should email to Time Life, tell them that videotape should look smooth and fluid, and not have the dreaded "film look" like on Decades.

I was watching "Mama's Family" on Me-TV the other day, and it also had a film-like appearance. It looked weird to me because I remember the show being shot on videotape. So its the encoding.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

Someone should email to Time Life, tell them that videotape should look smooth and fluid, and not have the dreaded "film look" like on Decades.

While they're at it, someone should also ask Time-Life if it's too late to include the short-lived 1977 revival series with Bill Rafferty, Robin Williams and others. Those episodes haven't been seen since their original broadcast.

 

[Gary16]

I was watching "Mama's Family" on Me-TV the other day, and it also had a film-like appearance. It looked weird to me because I remember the show being shot on videotape. So its the encoding.

Doesn't have that film look here so must be your stations encoder.

 

[Brian Himes]

This is sweet. I'll be getting this but no right away.

 

[MartinP.]

I'M-IN!

 

[Marsh]

An example of a music rights issue:

Although most of the musical material in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In was in house, there are some exceptions. The Season 2, Episode 20 program with guest star Tiny Tim featured a Mod World segment with a very lengthy "Salute to the Past", traveling through previous decades with Tiny Tim singing a song from each one: "When My Sugar Walks Down the Street", "Out of Nowhere", "Stage Door Canteen", "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree", "Hound Dog", and a 60's rock version of "Tiptoe Through the Tulips."

The Decades airing of this episode features these musical numbers, but the Guthy-Renker dvd release of the program edits them all out, except for "Tiptoe Through the Tulips". Also edited out was the opening joke, where Dan Rowan, as Leonardo Da Vinci, is "talking" some of the lyrics to the song "Mona Lisa" whereupon the camera pans from Da Vinci and the Mona Lisa painting over to Tiny Tim, playing the Mona Lisa model, where he says the song lyric, "I guess I'm just a cold and lonely lovely work of art."

Even when the episode was taping, the Hal Erickson book about the series states, "Tiny Tim was supposed to have sung Frank Loesser's 'Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition' during the Salute to the Past, but apparently the music rights couldn't be cleared."

MartinP.,

I briefly checked the episode from the DVD box set, and the songs are there.

Marshall

My review of the Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In: The Complete Series DVD box set:
https://hubpages.com/entertainment/Rowan-and-Martins-Laugh-In-The-Complete-Series-Box-Set-DVD-Review