Saturday Night Live-Season 5...Any News? (1 Viewer)

[GuruAskew]

I haven't got that far yet but there's a sketch where Harry Shearer plays a DJ and it has the actual "Stairway to Heaven" audio so I see no reason why they'd edit it later in the season when they were able to clear the original recording.

I was pretty surprised to hear it on there.

 

[Powell&Pressburger]

Yeah, I was surprised on that skit with Shearer over the Led audio, and the funny thing is, it occurs on the Howard Hessman skit where he plays himself talking about WKRP.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE the Teri Garr epidode and the Martin Sheen episode is solid also. Thise season I think out ranks the first 4 seasons to me. Very solid skits usually. Their comedy gets to be very on target much of the time.

Originally Posted by Bill GrandPre

I haven't got that far yet but there's a sketch where Harry Shearer plays a DJ and it has the actual "Stairway to Heaven" audio so I see no reason why they'd edit it later in the season when they were able to clear the original recording.

I was pretty surprised to hear it on there.

 

[Ben Phillips]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cheetah

That will make close to yet another 15 minutes of bumpers that the idiots will cut out for yet another incomplete season set.

While I understand and empathize with the desire to see these bumpers on these sets, their exclusion in no way makes the set "incomplete" in the traditional sense of the word. I don't know of any American television series that has been released on DVD with commercial bumpers contained within the episodes, but if it has happened, it is certainly the exception to the rule.

I understand that bumpers were included on VHS releases of these same episodes, and that these bumpers have more artistic value than most. However, they are still in fact bumpers, and their absence is simply not equivalent to the removal of a sketch or a song contained within the actual programming.

 

[TravisR]

Originally Posted by Ben Phillips

I don't know of any American television series that has been released on DVD with commercial bumpers contained within the episodes, but if it has happened, it is certainly the exception to the rule.

Unfortunately, the season sets of The Twilight Zone had the bumpers included. They're completely intrusive and break up the flow of the story (though that wouldn't be an issue with SNL).

 

[AnthonyC]

Even though the sketches are self-contained, I still think it would be irritating, disruptive and awkward to have silent still pictures in between every sketch for 5-10 seconds. That said, there was one instance, the Richard Pryor episode, where he references the (missing) bumper--in that case, I think it should've been included. Otherwise, I'd love to have them included in the packaging, perhaps as a booklet/poster. But their absence isn't making me lose sleep at night. (Not that removed sketches/performances would either, but certainly I'd be much more peeved at that.)

 

[FrankNolan]

Originally Posted by AnthonyC

Even though the sketches are self-contained, I still think it would be irritating, disruptive and awkward to have silent still pictures in between every sketch for 5-10 seconds. That said, there was one instance, the Richard Pryor episode, where he references the (missing) bumper--in that case, I think it should've been included. Otherwise, I'd love to have them included in the packaging, perhaps as a booklet/poster. But their absence isn't making me lose sleep at night. (Not that removed sketches/performances would either, but certainly I'd be much more peeved at that.)

Did you ever watch the VHS tapes of the old shows? The bumpers aren't the least bit intrusive. I think it would take a major effort to be irritated by them - at least as much as Cheetah has exerted in his annoyance over their absence. It's not really a big deal to me either, but the decision to leave them out seems completely arbitrary.

 

[Cheetah]

While I understand and empathize with the desire to see these bumpers on these sets, their exclusion in no way makes the set "incomplete" in the traditional sense of the word. I don't know of any American television series that has been released on DVD with commercial bumpers contained within the episodes, but if it has happened, it is certainly the exception to the rule.

I understand that bumpers were included on VHS releases of these same episodes, and that these bumpers have more artistic value than most. However, they are still in fact bumpers, and their absence is simply not equivalent to the removal of a sketch or a song contained within the actual programming.

The “actual programming” is anything that actually ran on the network the night the episodes were broadcast. With the exception of advertising, everything else that aired during a program’s time slot is the actual program. Edie Baskin’s name appears in the credits as part of the program’s production. While it is true that a viewer of these episodes as presented on the DVDs will get to see all the sketches and songs and in the order that they appeared on the original broadcast, they are still being denied the true and complete SNL experience. Furthermore the audience applause that appears between some segments in place of the bumpers is not from the actual programming. Watching these shows on DVD is more removed from presenting the show as it was originally broadcast than it should be or even needs to be. I have many episodes from the 70’s and 80s from the live NBC broadcast and with the ads intact. While I understand that the commercial DVDs will never give the viewer that same trip back in time as those recordings, for the enhanced picture quality I don’t mind forgoing the commercials. Don Pardo’s promotional announcements were never expected to be included (although it would have been really neat to see them on there). However I along with others never expected the bumpers to be cut save for one. Particularly given where the show is segmented unlike a drama, how they are so unique and also the quantity of them. If the in house band music presented additional licensing issues then it would have been preferable to mute them than just discard them as if they were an unwanted nuisance. I know that season one of The Untouchables on DVD has the bumpers included as does at least some of the episodes of Hee Haw, a show I do not collect but have seen some of its presentation on DVD. However regardless of the number of series which made it to DVD that do or do not have any of the bumpers intact, this should not be used as a form of rationalization or justification to leave them off of the SNL DVDs. Particularly with the flow of the show being altered and as you already mentioned how they hold more artistic merit than those from other programs. Unlike other prime time shows, SNL’s bumpers are episode specific and enhance the nostalgia for those that have seen the episodes the night of the original broadcast. The commercial DVDs unlike my massive private collection take that away and for no good reason.



By the way, having the bumpers included in the Twilight Zone sets was one of the many reasons which made those season sets the gold standard for presentation of TV shows on DVD. I can never understand why anyone would think that a bumper even for a dramatic show would actually be intrusive. How then would such a person ever have enjoyed watching any TV shows whatsoever before they arrived on DVD with the several minutes of commercials per hour they had to sit though?

 

[LeoA]

What's a bumper? Is it just something used as a transition to commercials (Such as some episodes of Newhart before the final commercial break that feature the show's title card with the voice of Joanna stating "Newhart will be right back"?

 

[GE Cafe]

I'm glad you wrote that, Cheetah, because that means I don't have to. Agreed 100%. The flow of the show is part of its character. It was very frustrating for me when the first season was released on DVD and I found out about this, along with the other edits. I didn't purchase the set out of protest until years later. My sister had given me the second season for Christmas that year, which I hadn't planned to buy. A few months later when S3 came out I bought it for myself. At that point I broke down and bought season 1. I only find myself popping these in when I want to see a specific sketch or musical performance. Watching "whole" episodes makes me feel bad, I actually feel mild anxiety, the shows I know aren't there, it's some perverted version of what Michaels thinks they "should" be. They just aren't enjoyable. And putting the modern Broadway Video/NBC tags at the end is awful too. They always edit it over the last few seconds of video. Those poor people in the audience, their one chance to be immortalized on DVD, replaced with a production tag.

Anyway. I price shopped online this morning to find where I can buy it cheapest. Wal-Mart was cheapest at $45, but it was Wal-Mart, so I went to Target where they had it for $5 more but I wouldn't have the stink of Wal-Mart on me at least. Well, all the copies at Target, they had the collector's box, but they were all folded incorrectly. The spine was off, the part where it should gracefully bend over to the front cover was heavily indented. Like this batch went into the presses slightly off-allignment. I went to Wal-Mart, and all 6 of their copies had the same problem! As did the Wal-Mart in the neighbouring town. These are factory rejects, they should have been discarded out-of-hand or donated to the poor or something. Here they are, putting them out as units at retail price. Looks like they were too cheap to toss them so they dumped them on the Midwest, because hey, fuck us flyover states eh. Thinking garbage product will play in Topeka. Think again bitch, the contents of the DVDs are damaged enough intentionally, I'm not dropping 50 dollars on them with outer damage as well. The rest of my set is flawless. I guess I'll just wait a couple weeks until new batches filter in.

 

[vnisanian2001]

Who cares about the bumpers? So what if they're gone? Does that mean the show on DVD should be avoided at all costs?

 

[GE Cafe]

There's a few shades of grey between the two extremes.

 

[TravisR]

Originally Posted by Cheetah

 

[Cheetah]

I don't understand how anyone couldn't find it intrusive. I'm not saying that people have to hate bumpers or can't want them to be included but I can't imagine anyone seriously trying to say that it doesn't interrupt the show. If I'm engrossed in the show, how wouldn't stopping for about 5 seconds to put the name of the show onscreen not break up the flow of the story?

You speak as though you have never seen a television commercial in your life or have never seen any show on TV before the advent of DVD. I seriously don’t understand how anyone can think a 5 second bumper is intrusive. These are not movies or books were are talking about, having a 5 second bumper simulates as close as can be expected on a commercial DVD the experience of watching each episode as it was during the night it originally was broadcast. I guess we can agree to disagree on The Twilight Zone sets but at least we can agree as far as SNL is concerned.

 

[vnisanian2001]

Originally Posted by Cheetah

I guess we can agree to disagree on The Twilight Zone sets but at least we can agree as far as SNL is concerned.

Don't speak for everyone. There are some people who don't care about the bumpers on SNL, and you should have some respect for those people's opinions.

 

[Cheetah]

I am not speaking for everyone. My comments were only in response TravisR and what he had said previously. I should have posted the name of the person for which I am responding to but nonetheless his quote which I highlighted is where my comments were directed.

 

[AnthonyC]

Originally Posted by FrankNolan /forum/thread/282192/saturday-night-live-season-5-any-news/60#post_3634859


You speak as though you have never seen a television commercial in your life or have never seen any show on TV before the advent of DVD. I seriously don’t understand how anyone can think a 5 second bumper is intrusive. These are not movies or books were are talking about, having a 5 second bumper simulates as close as can be expected on a commercial DVD the experience of watching each episode as it was during the night it originally was broadcast.

Commercials are different. Commercials are what make the show possible in the first place--they're a necessary evil. To me, they're a pain but you have to live with them. I'd feel the same way if the bumpers were included on the DVDs--I wouldn't want to have a 5-second silent still picture in between every sketch but if that were the difference between seeing full episodes of SNL that I'd otherwise never get to watch, then I'd put up with them.

(On that note--obviously this could never happen but I think it would be awesome if they could include the original broadcast commercials--I'm guessing they'd use the NYC market. In that case, including the bumpers would be a more natural fit.)

 

[TravisR]

Originally Posted by Cheetah

...having a 5 second bumper simulates as close as can be expected on a commercial DVD the experience of watching each episode as it was during the night it originally was broadcast.

If someone really wanted to watch the episode the same way that it was originally broadcast then I guess they also want the commercials that originally aired on every episode too. And for shows today, they would want the network bug and the pop-up ads. I don't see very many people asking for either of those things to be on DVDs though.

Like you said, it is a different story for SNL since those bumpers don't break up the sketches and, while their absence doesn't bother me, I can understand why people want to see them on the DVDs.

 

[Michael Rogers]

In the case of SNL, the cutting of bumpers is bothersome to me, but not a dealbreaker. I always don't like it when a modern fanfare is used instead of the one used originally.

 

[Ethan Riley]

Originally Posted by Michael Rogers

In the case of SNL, the cutting of bumpers is bothersome to me, but not a dealbreaker. I always don't like it when a modern fanfare is used instead of the one used originally.

I was concerned when I heard about the lack of bumpers (when the reviews started coming in for Season One). And I bought the set anyway; I found that I didn't particularly miss the bumpers. It's a trivial problem IMO and doesn't really hurt the show. So what? The show is 98% of what it should be, and that's a pretty good percentage when comparing SNL to some of the severely edited tv dvds; WKRP or Mama's Family, anyone?

 

[GE Cafe]

Originally Posted by TravisR



If someone really wanted to watch the episode the same way that it was originally broadcast then I guess they also want the commercials that originally aired on every episode too. And for shows today, they would want the network bug and the pop-up ads. I don't see very many people asking for either of those things to be on DVDs though.

Like you said, it is a different story for SNL since those bumpers don't break up the sketches and, while their absence doesn't bother me, I can understand why people want to see them on the DVDs.

Did you really just compare a bug to unique photography art that is different not only every week, but almost every single instance within a given episode? I'm getting what you're saying, but it's not a fair comparison. (I WOULD like original commercials, fwiw, and no locals... just 60 seconds of the SNL band playing under the bumper. But I'm fucking insane, so.)