Why Do DVDs Rarely Include and Television Footage? (1 Viewer)

[WillG]

Anyone ever notice that when movies that have well known extra footage that has aired on Television broadcasts (Airplane, Naked Gun, Superman films, Halloween) are released to DVD, very rarely is the extra footage included on the disc. I guess technically the television footage for "Halloween" is available, but you have to buy a separate edition of the film to view it. Anyone know why studios rarely bother to include that type of footage as part of the DVD? Rights issues, Director hates it? Anyone?

Edit: in case anyone is confused still. I typoed the thread title. Should be "any" instead of "and" If a mod can edit the title, I would appreciate it.

 

[Chad R]

I know in the case of Fast Times at Ridgemont high Amy Heckerling (the director) hates the extra footage and that's why it's not on the disc.

 

[Eric Paddon]

In the case of a number of Universal movies from the late 70s, there was often a great deal of extra footage shot specifically for TV showings only, and sometimes this footage was shot years after the movie was first made.

Some examples I can think of right away:

Airport '77 (the extra footage restores coherency to the film)
Earthquake
Two Minute Warning
Midway

Only "Midway" has offered some of its TV-only specific footage as a supplement on the DVD release. Even there, "Midway" only included footage of the added Charlton Heston-Susan Sullivan romance and none of the Coral Sea Battle footage that was also shown only in TV airings.

 

[John*C]

Message deleted Okay, you win on this thread. :frowning:

 

[WillG]

Even if it was on tape, that should not mean footage could not be included. I'm not talking about in the film, but as supplements.

It always bugs me when I watch "Naked Gun" at the end when Frank is wearing the Umpire uniform and all of a sudden the chest protector becomes deflated in a subsequent shot. The television footage shows where Ricardo Montelban shoots the protector and we actually do see it deflate.

 

[Mark Edward Heuck]

In the case of TWO-MINUTE WARNING, NBC was extremely uncomfortable with the sniper storyline, fearing copycat attacks at other sporting events. So they commissioned Universal to shoot an entire new subplot, where the sniper was now a "diversion" for the police while a hotsy-totsy art gallery was robbed of valuable paintings. The director and most of the creative team found this idea ludicrous and refused to participate, so a TV unit was dispatched to shoot the new scenes.

As TWO-MINUTE WARNING already is on DVD (and anamorphic, I think), I doubt there will be a reissue. And even then, I doubt they will allow these scenes to be included even as a supplement. And I think we're all the better for it.

 

[John Sparks]

Didn't TV change the story line of a Cheech and Chong movie (Up In Smoke), from them carrying around a duffle bag of grass to a duffle bag of diamonds?

 

[Bill Williams]

In the case of the first three "Superman" films, the extended broadcasts were independently produced by the Salkinds. Some of the extra footage for "Superman: The Movie" is pretty much extraneous material Richard Donner filmed during production - in other words, "cover your ass" footage. Some 11 minutes of footage (eight minutes of reintegrated footage and three minutes of outtakes) were included on the DVD.

For the extended TV broadcasts of "Superman II", that was cobbled together using some of the lost Richard Donner footage from his work on the film in 1977-78, including a lost outtake from "Superman" (where Superman races the Concorde - yes, it WAS filmed for the first film, not the second, it's in the Tom Mankiewicz script for I) and some cheated footage of Superman and Lois' night flight. To the Salkinds, it was all about one thing: making money. And yet, for the extended TV broadcasts, only Richard Lester's directorial credit is retained. For the complete, convoluted history of "Superman II", go to http://www.supermancinema.net or http://superman.rossiters.com/index.html.

With "Superman III", it was also done by the Salkinds, and all of the 17 minutes of extra footage is simply extraneous "cover your ass" footage as well.

In the case of "Superman IV", the syndicated TV broadcasts from 1990-on utilized three extra minutes of footage included by Viacom. The extra clips, of the tornado scene and Superman saving Red Square from a nuclear missile attack, were taken from the 93-minute international print of the film distributed by Cannon Films. (I have the Japanese widescreen laserdisc released by Tohokushinsha Home Video, which has additional Japanese credits prior to the start of the film, the Cannon logo instead of the WB logo, some slightly different title credits at the start of the film, and the three extra minutes of footage.) Warner Bros. removed those three minutes of footage for the 90-minute domestic theatrical release. Both versions, the 90-minute U.S. print and the 93-minute European print, were cobbled together from the 134-minute master print which had been shown only once in 1987 to a sneak preview audience prior to its U.S. theatrical release. Everyone who attended that sneak preview showing said the film sucked big-time, and Warner Bros. officials ordered drastic edits to the film and reportedly ordered the 40+ minutes of extra footage destroyed. Yet, here's where things get interesting:

- The U.S. theatrical trailer (on the Region 1 DVD) includes two additional clips, of Lex Luthor saying "I'm smarter than I thought!" and of the Nuclear Man in his silo.
- The 1990 Viacom preview trailer included a clip of Lacy and Clark kissing in the back seat of a taxi. Yet it's not in the 90-minute version or the 93-minute version.
- There were at least two TV spots for the film, one of which has two extra clips in it, of Lex Luthor and his nephew Lenny putting on nuclear helmets and witnessing the creation of the first Nuclear Man (Clive Mantle) and of Lex Luthor saying to Superman, "Isn't he adorable?"
- There's also reportedly an international trailer to the film that was assembled. A reliable friend of mine supplied me with the transcript of the trailer that was included on the head of the overseas VHS release of Cannon's "Masters of the Universe", and according to the transcript it contained the clip of Lacy and Clark kissing in the taxi, of Superman flying through the clouds (the start of the tornado sequence), and a clip of Superman confronting the first Nuclear Man at night on the streets of Metropolis. He sent me the tape, but the tape got lost in overseas mail. He did confirm that Paris Films in Brazil distributed all of Cannon Films' releases and that "Superman IV" was distributed by Paris Films. (Anyone reading this around the world who has an international copy of "Masters of the Universe" on VHS with the "Superman IV" international trailer on it, please get in touch with me.) Bottom line: documentation is important.

An urban legend surfaced in the mid-90's in which it had been reported that the complete 134-minute master print of "Superman IV" had aired on the now-defunct SFM Holiday Network syndicated series of TV programs and films, prior to its ending in 1990. According to the urban legend, someone's friend/brother/sister/uncle/aunt/mother/father taped it but then taped over it/lost it/couldn't find it. Contacts in the late 90's with people who worked for SFM confirmed that the complete version of "Superman IV" was never shown on their network.

I personally contacted several video store retailers around the world and inquired if any of them had the 134-minute print of "Superman IV" on video. One lead I tracked went to a video retailer in the Netherlands, in which it was reported that they had a 120-minute version of the film on video. When I contacted them, they verified that they didn't have that version on tape, only an 88-minute version (most likely a PAL transfer of the 90-minute U.S. cut or 93-minute European cut). Another lead I tracked to Washington state, where it had been reported that a fellow had the 134-minute master print of the film on videotape for $20. When I contacted him, he confirmed that he didn't have it, either.

Whether we will get to see the complete 134-minute master print of "Superman IV", restored with completed visual FX, on DVD is quite unlikely, although you never know. They said the same thing about Ridley Scott's original cut of "Legend" and David Fincher's original cut of "Alien 3", and we have both of them now on DVD. So never say never.

As for the case of a restored "Superman II", click here for more information: http://www.theforbidden-zone.com/supermanii/index.shtml

 

[Reagan]

Three others with aired but unavailable extra footage:

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (conversation on plane about airplane food)

Tommy Boy (can't remember extra scene, but there was one)

Billy Madison (kickball game)

-Reagan

 

[Mark Cappelletty]

Don't forget about the alternate TV version of "Videodrome," either. Hopefully some of this will end up on the Criterion DVD (so I can retire my A&E-taped video!)

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

Blazing Saddles is another one:

o Several more attempts at incapacitating Mongo
o Governor Lepetomaine arriving and greeting the fake citizens of fake Rock Ridge
o Gabby Johnson translating for Lily
... and a couple others

Regards,

 

[Damin J Toell]

Sadly, it won't. Cronenberg apparently doesn't care for presenting deleted footage from his films.

DJ

 

[WillG]

So does this mean if Fox gets his participation for "The Fly" SE we'll have a double edged sword. We'll get his commentary possibly an approved new transfer, but the legendary deleted scenes would not be included as per his request?

 

[Damin J Toell]

Since The Fly was re-edited during the test screening process (as opposed to an earlier editorial stage), perhaps Cronenberg can be convinced to give us a taste of what we missed out on...

DJ

 

[Chad Ferguson]

Loaded Weapon has around 20 extra minutes I believe that has only been shown on TV. Although I guess that Doesn't matter since I think I'm the only one that liked that show.
Thanks

 

[Jeannette Walsh]

I know that "The Warriors" had a about 6 mins of footage in the TV version that isn't in the theatrical version too.

 

[Bill Williams]

I remember recording the original theatrical version of "Teen Wolf" off HBO years ago, then later seeing it on broadcast TV. The broadcast version had about three or four minutes of footage that was not in the theatrical cut. Not sure if the current DVD has that TV footage or not, but I still have the tape of that HBO telecast of the theatrical version. It's basically superfluous footage of Michael J. Fox and his father talking and a couple of other bits and pieces.

 

[Matt Butler]

Waterworld was another that was a lot longer on TV. I taped it but its gone. :frowning:

Anyone who might have this please PM me. Thanks.

 

[Andrew Radke]

One of my favourite jokes in 'Airplane' happens to be an added scene for television. The scene where a guy starts waving and yells, "Hi Jack.". Then airport security hauls him away. We then see a big sign above which says "NO HIJACKING". That was one of the funniest jokes in the film, and when I later watched the VHS version, it was a disappointment to learn it wasn't there.

 

[CraigL]

We could mention:

all the Police Academy movies.
Backdraft
Sea of Love
Jaws
Jaws 2
Jaws The Revenge (original ending)