Taxi - Complete List of DVD Cuts and Music Replacements (1 Viewer)

[WhitneyG]

Given how useful my thread on music changes in Cheers ended up being, I decided it was finally time to do the same for Taxi. The DVD releases were criticized for suffering from music changes, but my review found that they weren't nearly as bad as I expected. Season 4 had a number of cuts and very little music survived, but there also wasn't a lot of music in that season to begin with. Season 5 was much better, with a lot of music surviving.

Episodes with music cuts on DVD

Season 4, Episode 2: Vienna Waits - A character singing Vienna at around 8:00 is cut. The original Billy Joel recording plays elsewhere in the episode as transition music, but is replaced with a cover version on the DVD. This is the only instance of music *replacement* on the Season 4 DVDs; all other instances involve only footage cuts, whereas this episodes involves both cut footage and audio changes.

Season 4, Episode 4: Jim Joins the Network - At the very end (23:25), Louie sings "born free" (off camera).

Season 4, Episode 11: I Wanna Be Around - Jim sings a song about coffee right after the opening credits.

Season 4, Episode 13: Nina Loves Alex - Nina singing at 7:20.

Season 4, Episode 14: Tony's Lady - Vic sings "here I come to save the day" at 17:20, and Jim sings about going on a date at 23:08. DVD has "here I come to save the day," but is missing Jim's song at the end.

Season 4, Episode 20: Elegant Iggy - Jim plays a lot of music at 21:15, but all classical that is public domain and is on the DVD. Fades to everyone singing at 22:45, which is cut from the DVD.

Season 5, Episode 22: Jim's Mario's - Alex playing piano and singing at 18:05.

Season 5, Episode 23: A Grand Gesture - Dialog on TV starting at around 10:15. Bonanza theme music at 11:45. Dialog from the TV appears to be the same, but the Bonanza theme has been replaced on the DVD version.


Episodes with music intact on DVD

Season 4, Episode 15 - Music on the radio, but it sounds like original music in Latka's language.

Season 4, Episode 18 - Pac-Man arcade game sound effects.

Season 5, Episode 1 - Love Boat theme song at about 8:45; Jim sings to the tune of the Bob Newhart Show at 20:10

Season 5, Episode 2 - You Are The Sunshine at 22:10.

Season 5, Episode 8 - "It Had to be You" at 10:20. Also referenced after the commercial break at 12:47.

Season 5, Episode 9 - "New York, New York" at 16:20

Season 5, Episode 10 - Non-English song at 9:45 and "I'm in Heaven" at 12:15

Season 5, Episode 12 - Singing at 7:00, 8:30, 21:25, 22:50, but all of it is original or public domain.

Season 5, Episode 13 - Theme from Laverne & Shirley at 17:05.


All other episodes have no music (that I identified, anyway) other than incidental music original to Taxi. I did not review A Taxi Celebration because it has almost no original content. I also did not review seasons 1, 2, and 3 for music, as those were released before CBS took over the home video releases and were reported to be unaffected by cuts. Nevertheless, if anyone spots any missing content from any season that isn't included in this post, please share and add to our collective knowledge. It's also quite possible some of this information is incorrect, so please add corrections too. Much of this is based on reports that the streaming releases are uncut, so if something is missing from both the DVDs and the streaming versions, then it would have escaped my notice.

 

[ClassicTVMan1981X]

Given how useful my thread on music changes in Cheers ended up being, I decided it was finally time to do the same for Taxi. The DVD releases were criticized for suffering from music changes, but my review found that they weren't nearly as bad as I expected. Season 4 had a number of cuts and very little music survived, but there also wasn't a lot of music in that season to begin with. Season 5 was much better, with a lot of music surviving.

Episodes with music cuts on DVD

Season 4, Episode 2: Vienna Waits - A character singing Vienna at around 8:00 is cut. The original Billy Joel recording plays elsewhere in the episode as transition music, but is replaced with a cover version on the DVD. This is the only instance of music *replacement* on the Season 4 DVDs; all other instances involve only footage cuts, whereas this episodes involves both cut footage and audio changes.

Season 4, Episode 4: Jim Joins the Network - At the very end (23:25), Louie sings "born free" (off camera).

Season 4, Episode 11: I Wanna Be Around - Jim sings a song about coffee right after the opening credits.

Season 4, Episode 13: Nina Loves Alex - Nina singing at 7:20.

Season 4, Episode 14: Tony's Lady - Vic sings "here I come to save the day" at 17:20, and Jim sings about going on a date at 23:08. DVD has "here I come to save the day," but is missing Jim's song at the end.

Season 4, Episode 20: Elegant Iggy - Jim plays a lot of music at 21:15, but all classical that is public domain and is on the DVD. Fades to everyone singing at 22:45, which is cut from the DVD.

Season 5, Episode 22: Jim's Mario's - Alex playing piano and singing at 18:05.

Season 5, Episode 23: A Grand Gesture - Dialog on TV starting at around 10:15. Bonanza theme music at 11:45. Dialog from the TV appears to be the same, but the Bonanza theme has been replaced on the DVD version.


Episodes with music intact on DVD

Season 4, Episode 15 - Music on the radio, but it sounds like original music in Latka's language.

Season 4, Episode 18 - Pac-Man arcade game sound effects.

Season 5, Episode 1 - Love Boat theme song at about 8:45; Jim sings to the tune of the Bob Newhart Show at 20:10

Season 5, Episode 2 - You Are The Sunshine at 22:10.

Season 5, Episode 8 - "It Had to be You" at 10:20. Also referenced after the commercial break at 12:47.

Season 5, Episode 9 - "New York, New York" at 16:20

Season 5, Episode 10 - Non-English song at 9:45 and "I'm in Heaven" at 12:15

Season 5, Episode 12 - Singing at 7:00, 8:30, 21:25, 22:50, but all of it is original or public domain.

Season 5, Episode 13 - Theme from Laverne & Shirley at 17:05.


All other episodes have no music (that I identified, anyway) other than incidental music original to Taxi. I did not review A Taxi Celebration because it has almost no original content. I also did not review seasons 1, 2, and 3 for music, as those were released before CBS took over the home video releases and were reported to be unaffected by cuts. Nevertheless, if anyone spots any missing content from any season that isn't included in this post, please share and add to our collective knowledge. It's also quite possible some of this information is incorrect, so please add corrections too. Much of this is based on reports that the streaming releases are uncut, so if something is missing from both the DVDs and the streaming versions, then it would have escaped my notice.

The only issue I have with the season 3 DVD set is that the end credits were edited to use the IAW screen and Paramount logo from the DVD release of Cheers, when in reality the logo at the end had the same 1979 jingle as season 2 did (when originally on ABC and in pre-1990s reruns and also the Columbia House Collector's Edition VHS tapes).

Season 2 ending (DVD):


Season 3 ending (DVD):


Season 3 ending (Columbia House Collector's Edition VHS):


~Ben