The Rockford Files: The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Available for Preorder (1 Viewer)

[The Obsolete Man]

I'm not blaming MC...entirely. I know they only release that which they are given. But... they could put some effort into researching the products they are licensing. It could only help them to create the best possible product (not that they're actually concerned about that.) Today, anyone with access to the internet can do a little research and find out just about anything they need to know about The Rockford Files (or any other show for that matter.) If MC were to do that, they'd know exactly what they're dealing with when they receive the masters from Universal, and could then contact them to investigate other options for alternate versions of episodes, repairs for problems, etc. They could then issue an accurate press release as to the product's contents and make proper indications on the packaging, giving consumers exactly the kind of information we want before its release. 20+ years into the DVD (and now Blu-ray) formats, it's utterly ridiculous that there's still a reason for posts like these. Rant over. For now.

You know, I'm going to give you the "they should do research into what they're releasing" statement, and agree wholeheartedly.

Their Quantum Leap press release only mentioned "most music restored", and when the discs came, all the music had been restored. That could have been a major selling point and headed off a lot of crap people were thinking before the series was released.

 

[revgen]

I assume that is the same distributor in the UK where I read used the wrong color space settings for their Universal releases making the overall picture darker than is suppose to be (i.e., similar to what was done within part of the X-Files release). Appears those releases come with their own issues.

Yep. But only for Knight Rider, Incredible Hulk, and Miami Vice. Magnum PI and A-Team don't have this issue. However, the color issue can be corrected easily on certain TV's. Syndicated episodes don't have such an easy fix.

It would be nice if publishers did their due diligence when producing these TV sets. Unfortunately, that's not always the case.

 

[smithbrad]

Yep. However, the color issue can be corrected easily on certain TV's. Syndicated episodes don't have such an easy fix.

It would be nice if publishers did their due diligence when producing these TV sets. Unfortunately, that's not always the case.

I believe we are at most talking about less than 10 episodes (the two-parter's) that have the syndication issues I'd actually say the color issue is probably the bigger overall problem considering the number of devices that support the compensation and those that actually understand the issue and can figure out how to implement it, in comparison to those that could spot the differences within the few syndicated episodes in relation to the original broadcast. Personally, I'd rather a few syndicated episodes then deal with the color issue. Especially, when I have to consider the vast difference in pricing between the two distributors.

 

[MattHR]

I clocked The Case is Closed at 75 minutes. It was aired as a 90-minute show, so 75 minutes seems correct. IMDB shows that the running time is 75 minutes.

The missing footage you are complaining about is from the syndicated version. When it was syndicated it was edited into two parts, and roughly 15 minutes of additional footage was added to stretch the syndicated version out to fill up two hours.

It's easy enough to check this out, because Universal has the syndicated version on its DVD set.

So which do you want? The original version as was aired on 10/18/74, or the syndicated version?

That is the correct time for "The Case Is Closed". That's one of the episodes that is presented properly on MC's DVD and Blu-ray set, but not on the original Universal release (they used the two-part syndication version.)

Most of the hour-long shows that were broadcast on the three major networks in the mid-to-late 70s had a net running-time of 50 minutes (per broadcast hour), and half-hour shows netted 25 minutes. The occasional 90-minute extended episodes netted 75 minutes each. By Rockford's fifth and final seasons, the episode running times dropped to 49 minutes. Since then, network (and most of cable) shows' running times have continued to drop, with several today netting only 35 minutes-per-hour of actual program. And virtually no show today has an opening "title sequence" or end credits crawl (at least none slow enough to read.) Eliminating the opening and closing titles allows for about two more minutes of program—or commercials—depending on how you look at it.

There were always exceptions, but those running times were fairly standard, especially for Universal. They were pretty strict on their producers and directors to turn in final cuts that fit the templates. The reason was due to the networks (and their local affiliates) pre-selling commerical timeslots to advertisers, which would be set in advance of the episodes actually being completed. Occasionally there was a need for a network to "bump" an advertiser's spot if an episode ran long, or place "fillers" for ones that came up short. Moonlighting is probably the best example of show with a troubled production history that resulted in wildly inconsistent episode running times. ABC never knew how much advertising time they could sell, since the episodes always varied in length and usually were delivered late.

 

[MattHR]

I believe we are at most talking about less than 10 episodes (the two-parter's) that have the syndication issues I'd actually say the color issue is probably the bigger overall problem considering the number of devices that support the compensation and those that actually understand the issue and can figure out how to implement it, in comparison to those that could spot the differences within the few syndicated episodes in relation to the original broadcast. Personally, I'd rather a few syndicated episodes then deal with the color issue. Especially, when I have to consider the vast difference in pricing between the two distributors.

I'm not sure if that's the cause of some of the color and contrast problems I saw with MC's Season 1 & 2 DVD sets. Several of the episodes had what I'd describe as a "layer" of grayish-green color that caused me to adjust my TV's settings. A few episodes had a really nasty case of "crushed black" syndrome that couldn't be helped. Some episodes exhibited these problems throughout, while others were affected only in certain scenes (similar to the audio problems I previously described).

What's frustrating is that when the episodes look good, they look extremely good (usually in outdoor locations or studio sets. Rockford was a show that uitilized extensive non-studio Los Angeles locations for filming, contributing to its high production-value "look" and "feel". But also, on the negative side, they filmed in a lot of non-typical environments (actual homes, apartments, offices, warehouses, etc.) that prevented them from using traditional studio lighting, resulting in sequences exhibiting excessive film grain or loss of shadow details.

Speaking of studio sets, I stopped counting when I hit the 10 times I spotted a particularly famous set (well, to me anyway) used on Rockford. Also filmed at Universal during Rockford's first four seasons was The Six Million Dollar Man. It was fun to see how they tried to disguise Oscar Goldman's O.S.I. office for use as some other room on Rockford. No matter if they swapped out the furniture and wall decor, it was still more-than-obvious. Also, I counted at least five times that the exterior of the house in Hart to Hart was used in establishing shots. Of course, once Rockford went inside the house, the interior was completely different each time.

 

[Blimpoy06]

Glad to hear "This Case Is Closed" from season one is presented as a 90 minute presentation. How does season five's "The Man Who Saw the Alligators" hold up? It was a 90 minute episode presented correctly on the Universal sets. And I believe season six's "Lions, Tigers, Monkeys and Dogs was originally a two hour show split into two parts by Universal.

 

[Richard Gallagher]

WHY USED SYNDICATED CUTS OF EPISODES 12 AND 13 PROFIT AND LOSS ? YOU ARE MISSING FOOTAGE FROM ORIGINALLY AS AIRED BROADCAST -- season 1 disc 3

Your comment about this episode also makes no sense. Profit and Loss originally aired in two parts, each part running 50 minutes plus commercials. On the Blu-ray set each part runs for 50 minutes. So what is that you believe is missing?

 

[revgen]

I believe we are at most talking about less than 10 episodes (the two-parter's) that have the syndication issues I'd actually say the color issue is probably the bigger overall problem considering the number of devices that support the compensation and those that actually understand the issue and can figure out how to implement it, in comparison to those that could spot the differences within the few syndicated episodes in relation to the original broadcast. Personally, I'd rather a few syndicated episodes then deal with the color issue. Especially, when I have to consider the vast difference in pricing between the two distributors.

It all comes down to personal preference and what you're willing to tolerate.

There's yet to be a perfect release of Knight Rider. Japanese set has interlaced video. Fabulous Films set has wrong color levels. Mill Creek has Dolby Digital audio and syndication episodes for two-parters instead of Network episodes. Between three publishers, you'd think one of them would get it right. Unfortunately not.

 

[Richard Gallagher]

T

Most of the hour-long shows that were broadcast on the three major networks in the mid-to-late 70s had a net running-time of 50 minutes (per broadcast hour), and half-hour shows netted 25 minutes. The occasional 90-minute extended episodes netted 75 minutes each. By Rockford's fifth and final seasons, the episode running times dropped to 49 minutes. Since then, network (and most of cable) shows' running times have continued to drop, with several today netting only 35 minutes-per-hour of actual program. And virtually no show today has an opening "title sequence" or end credits crawl (at least none slow enough to read.) Eliminating the opening and closing titles allows for about two more minutes of program—or commercials—depending on how you look at it.

There were always exceptions, but those running times were fairly standard, especially for Universal. They were pretty strict on their producers and directors to turn in final cuts that fit the templates. The reason was due to the networks (and their local affiliates) pre-selling commercial timeslots to advertisers, which would be set in advance of the episodes actually being completed. Occasionally there was a need for a network to "bump" an advertiser's spot if an episode ran long, or place "fillers" for ones that came up short. Moonlighting is probably the best example of show with a troubled production history that resulted in wildly inconsistent episode running times. ABC never knew how much advertising time they could sell, since the episodes always varied in length and usually were delivered late.

That's why it make no sense to argue that episodes that originally aired in 90 minutes (75 minutes actual running time) are missing footage in two-part syndicated versions. If they put just 75 minutes of footage into a 120 minute time slot you'd be looking at 45 minutes of commercials.

When I get the time I'll go through the episode guide and put together a list of episodes which originally ran two hours, originally ran 90 minutes, and originally ran as two-parters. Then I'll see how they are shown on the Universal DVDs and the Mill Creek Blu-rays. As it stands right now I'm not convinced that any of the episodes on the Blu-rays are missing any footage, although some obviously are different (but not shorter) than the original broadcasts.

 

[David Weicker]

I do like one of the syndicated "two-parter" chase scenes. Since the broadcast was originally 90 minutes (75 run time), they padded the chase, adding additional car shots, and made it longer. The result was that Jim managed to drive a car from the future for part of the chase,and his headlights magically changed back and forth from a single wide lamp to dual lamp just by turning a corner

 

[MattHR]

That's why it make no sense to argue that episodes that originally aired in 90 minutes (75 minutes actual running time) are missing footage in two-part syndicated versions. If they put just 75 minutes of footage into a 120 minute time slot you'd be looking at 45 minutes of commercials.

When I get the time I'll go through the episode guide and put together a list of episodes which originally ran two hours, originally ran 90 minutes, and originally ran as two-parters. Then I'll see how they are shown on the Universal DVDs and the Mill Creek Blu-rays. As it stands right now I'm not convinced that any of the episodes on the Blu-rays are missing any footage, although some obviously are different (but not shorter) than the original broadcasts.

Most extended two-hour episodes that were later re-dited into two-parters aren't missing any footage at all. When the majority of a shows' two-hour episodes' scripts were written, they were originally conceived to be two one-hour episodes. One of two things usually happened that turned them into two-hour episodes: The producers realized they had "something special" with that particlar story and convinced the network to air the episodes combined. Or the network, looking to create a "special event", highlight the show during "sweeps week", or perhaps simply fill in a blank spot on the calendar, requested that the episodes be combined.

The two-hour episodes were easy to re-edit into two on-hour eps, since all they'd have to do is basically "cut them in half" and then add one set of closing and opening titles, a "next on" teaser and "last on" recap. When watching the two-hour versions, you can usually detect the "cliffhanger" moment at what would become the end of "Part I", somewhere around the 46-47 minute mark. There's typically a dramatic moment and music build-up, leading to a commercial. If the episode was originally planned to be two separate parts, that would have been natural. And even if it had been planned as a two-hour episode, it still would have been intentional, as the producers would have known they needed to have a two-part version prepared for both potential network repeats and then syndication. It's also possible the episodes were already prepared to be in two parts, so any last-minute decision to air them as a two-hour event would have required minimal changes, thus creating two versions of the episode(s) right from the start. Also, notice that most two-hour episodes don't actually run 100 minutes (as you'd expect when combining two 50-minute episodes.) They typically run 94-97 minutes. That difference in time would allow for the addition of the previously described additional set of credits, teaser, and recap, which would amount to approximately 5 minutes.

Now, the 90-minute episodes are a completely different matter. The only way to alter them for syndication was to shorten them to one-hour (rarely done) or expand them to form two one-hour episodes (which was much more common.) Typically, most of the expansion was achieved by adding a really long "next on" teaser to the end of Part I, and then adding a reeeaaally long "last on" recap to the front of Part II. That usually wasn't enough, so they would "pad" the episode here-and-there with footage lifted from other episodes or stock-footage. The end results were episodes that didn't quite "feel" right compared to the rest, in part because they were edited years later by persons not originally involved with the series. The severe editing of some required that certain music needed to be replaced, which has been an issue with fans (as we know all too well.) There are a few 90-minute episodes of some old shows that were never edited to become standard one-hour episodes (likely due to the inability to be satisfactorily edited), and as such were never seen again (unless/until they were released on DVD.)

 

[MattHR]

I do like one of the syndicated "two-parter" chase scenes. Since the broadcast was originally 90 minutes (75 run time), they padded the chase, adding additional car shots, and made it longer. The result was that Jim managed to drive a car from the future for part of the chase,and his headlights magically changed back and forth from a single wide lamp to dual lamp just by turning a corner

That and I think he changed his shirt a few times during that chase scene, too. Even more impressive than his awesome "J-turn", which would widely become known as a "Rockford".

 

[Richard Gallagher]

WHY SPLIT INTO 2 EPISODES / WHY USE SYNDICATED VERSION OF Never Send a Boy King to Do a Man's Job ? YOU CUT OUT 8 MINUTES OF FOOTAGE THAT WAS IN ORIGINAL BROADCAST VERSION -- IT IS MEANT TO BE 1 EPISODE - season 5 disc 4

It is true that this originally two-hour episode is split into two parts on the Blu-ray. However, the running time of Part 1 is 49 1/2 hours, excluding the preview of Part 2 and the closing credits; the running time of Part 2 is 48 minutes, excluding the opening credits and the brief recap of Part 1. That gives us 97 1/2 minutes of footage. If as you claim, there is 8 minutes of footage missing, you are saying that the original two-hour episode had 105 1/2 minutes of footage and only 14 1/2 minutes of commercials. That is impossible. There would have been at least 20 minutes of commercials in the original broadcast.

 

[Richard Gallagher]

Now, the 90-minute episodes are a completely different matter. The only way to alter them for syndication was to shorten them to one-hour (rarely done) or expand them to form two one-hour episodes (which was much more common.) Typically, most of the expansion was achieved by adding a really long "next on" teaser to the end of Part I, and then adding a reeeaaally long "last on" recap to the front of Part II. That usually wasn't enough, so they would "pad" the episode here-and-there with footage lifted from other episodes or stock-footage. The end results were episodes that didn't quite "feel" right compared to the rest, in part because they were edited years later by persons not originally involved with the series. The severe editing of some required that certain music needed to be replaced, which has been an issue with fans (as we know all too well.) There are a few 90-minute episodes of some old shows that were never edited to become standard one-hour episodes (likely due to the inability to be satisfactorily edited), and as such were never seen again (unless/until they were released on DVD.)

The only 90-minute Rockford episode that was shortened for syndication is The Man Who Saw the Alligators. It was cut from 75 minutes to 50 minutes. It is 73+ minutes on the Blu-ray.

 

[MattHR]

The only 90-minute Rockford episode that was shortened for syndication is The Man Who Saw the Alligators. It was cut from 75 minutes to 50 minutes. It is 73+ minutes on the Blu-ray.

As far as I know, I've never seen any episode of any show edited down that much. I'd like to think I'd have noticed it as unwatchable.

 

[FanCollector]

The 90-minute Quincy, M.E. episodes from the beginning of its run were edited from 75 minutes to fit a one-hour syndication slot. Also, all the NBC Mystery Movie episodes were notoriously edited from either 75 or 96 minutes down to fit much shorter slots (like 65 minutes, including commercials, sometimes!) for the CBS Late Movie. Messrs. Levinson and Link wrote about meeting the CBS Late Movie editor at a party, and telling her they heard her excuses at Nuremberg.

And yes, all of the above examples are hard to watch.

 

[Robert Crawford]

That's why it make no sense to argue that episodes that originally aired in 90 minutes (75 minutes actual running time) are missing footage in two-part syndicated versions. If they put just 75 minutes of footage into a 120 minute time slot you'd be looking at 45 minutes of commercials.

When I get the time I'll go through the episode guide and put together a list of episodes which originally ran two hours, originally ran 90 minutes, and originally ran as two-parters. Then I'll see how they are shown on the Universal DVDs and the Mill Creek Blu-rays. As it stands right now I'm not convinced that any of the episodes on the Blu-rays are missing any footage, although some obviously are different (but not shorter) than the original broadcasts.

I think most of us will be very happy with this release despite some contrary comments in this thread.

 

[Richard Gallagher]

Glad to hear "This Case Is Closed" from season one is presented as a 90 minute presentation. How does season five's "The Man Who Saw the Alligators" hold up? It was a 90 minute episode presented correctly on the Universal sets. And I believe season six's "Lions, Tigers, Monkeys and Dogs was originally a two hour show split into two parts by Universal.

"Alligators" is 73 1/2 minutes, which is about right. "Lions, Tigers, Monkeys and Dogs" is not split on the Blu-ray and has a running time of just under 98 minutes, which again is about right.

So far I can confirm only two episodes which have been altered from their original airing. "Backlash of the Hunter" (which did not have that title when it originally aired as an NBC movie) was originally aired in a 90-minute slot and is now a two-parter, and "Never Send a Boy King to Do a Man's Job" which originally aired in a two-hour slot and is now a two-parter - although it does not appear that any footage is missing.

According to author Ed Robertson's program guide, originally there were three 90-minute episodes, five two-part episodes, and four two-hour episodes. [this sentence has been edited and corrected]

 

[TravisR]

Since then, network (and most of cable) shows' running times have continued to drop, with several today netting only 35 minutes-per-hour of actual program.

What 'hour long' TV shows are only 35 minutes? Maybe TV news runs that short but I've never seen a real show run under 39 minutes (and even that is an extreme rarity).

 

[Richard Gallagher]

I think most of us will be very happy with this release despite some contrary comments in this thread.

There is a lot of misinformation in this thread.

I looked all of the episodes which originally were longer than the usual one-hour (50 minute) episodes.

Three episodes originally ran in 90-minute slots.

Five episodes originally ran as two-part episodes.

Four episodes originally ran in two-hour slots.

Of those, three episodes are presented differently on the Blu-ray set, although none appear to be missing any footage.

1. The pilot episode, "Backlash of the Hunter," originally ran as a 90-minute NBC Sunday Night Movie and had an actual running time of approximately 74 minutes. The episode title was added when the show went into syndication, where it was shown as a two-parter, and 16 minutes of footage was added to the episode. That is the version which appears on the Blu-ray set, The original version is in the Universal DVD set and has a running time of 73+ minutes. The title is simply "The Rockford Files."

2. "Black Mirror" was aired as a two-hour episode but on the Blu-ray is shown in two parts. The combined running time is 96 minutes. If this were the syndicated version, I would expect the running time to be 90 minutes or less.

3. "Never Send a Boy King to Do a Man's Job" was aired as a two-hour episode but on the Blu-ray is shown in two parts. The combined running time is 97 1/2 minutes, If this were the syndicated version, I would expect the running time to be 90 minutes or less.

As for the rest:

"This Case is Closed" originally ran in a 90-minute slot and the actual running time on the BD is 75 minutes, so nothing is missing. In syndication it ran as a two-parter and footage was added.

"The Man Who Saw the Alligators" originally ran in a 90-minute slot and the actual running time on the BD is 73+ minutes, so nothing is missing. In syndication it was cut to 50 minutes.

"Profit and Loss" originally ran as a two-parter and on the BD each part runs for 50 minutes, so nothing is missing.

"Gearjammers" originally ran as a two-parter and on the BD each part runs for 50 minutes, so nothing is missing.

"The Trees, the Bees, and T.T. Flowers" originally ran as a two-parter and on the BD each part runs for a few seconds short of 50 minutes, so nothing is missing.

"To Protect and Serve" originally ran as a two-parter and on the BD each part runs for a few seconds short of 50 minutes, so nothing is missing.

"Only Rock 'n' Roll Will Never Die" originally ran as a two-parter and on the BD each part runs for a few seconds more than 49 minutes, so nothing is missing.

"The House on Willow Avenue" originally ran in a two-hour time slot and the running time on the BD is 98 1/2 minutes, so nothing is missing.

"Lions, Tigers, Monkeys and Dogs" originally ran in a two-hour time slot and the running time on the BD is 99 minutes, so nothing is missing.

So the only episode on the BD set which has been altered in any meaningful way is "Backlash of the Hunter," and the complaint is that it has too much footage.

Two two-hour episodes are shown in two parts on the BD set, but neither is missing any footage.

I hope this helps to clear up the many misconceptions about the Blu-ray set.