Edited episodes

[mitsguy2001]

I have read that Episode 1696 (Monday episode of Transformations) was edited, to remove a scene with a laser pointer.  Were there any other episodes during the series that were edited?

One possibility (and I never saw this episode, so I don't know) is 1336.  The files I've seen for that episode list the Tomorrow song.  On another board, at least one person (who seemed reliable) remembered seeing that episode, and said that it had the Tomorrow song, even though it hadn't been used in 2 years.  But another person said that the files were wrong, and that it definitely had Good Feeling at the end.  Could that episode, for whatever reason, maybe had the Tomorrow song, and later had it edited to use Good Feeling?

[earnhardtfan4life]

The nighttime episodes later on were dubbed Russia instead of Soviet Union.

[mjb1124]

I remember reading that some early color episodes had new footage dubbed in - namely, on reruns of one 1969 episode demonstrating ear protectors at an airport, you see a United Airlines logo that wasn't introduced until 1973.   (EDIT: I think the episode in question is actually 1121 from 1970.)

As for 1336, I doubt the ending was edited.   Most likely, either the older episode guides and/or the memory of one of the people in question is wrong.   I know I've seen a number of inconsistencies between the old episode guides and the entries here, and I have no reason to doubt that Tim's information is correct.    And since the episode hasn't aired since the late 80's, it's understandable that people would have fuzzy memories.   I am looking to visit the University of Pittsburgh library to watch some MRN episodes sometime this summer, and 1336 is definitely one I'm going to check out.

[mitsguy2001]

I remember reading that some early color episodes had new footage dubbed in - namely, on reruns of one 1969 episode demonstrating ear protectors at an airport, you see a United Airlines logo that wasn't introduced until 1973.   (EDIT: I think the episode in question is actually 1121 from 1970.)

As for 1336, I doubt the ending was edited.   Most likely, either the older episode guides and/or the memory of one of the people in question is wrong.   I know I've seen a number of inconsistencies between the old episode guides and the entries here, and I have no reason to doubt that Tim's information is correct.    And since the episode hasn't aired since the late 80's, it's understandable that people would have fuzzy memories.   I am looking to visit the University of Pittsburgh library to watch some MRN episodes sometime this summer, and 1336 is definitely one I'm going to check out.

I don't think Tim has commented either way on which closing song 1336 had.

[mjb1124]

I know, I'm just saying in general that I'm more inclined to believe his info than the episode guides previously posted.

[bka]

If the Tomorrow song was written in part by Josie Carey, Fred would have replaced it with It's Such a Good Feeling - he was moving away from his previous collaboration and into total control of his work, and he would have had to give her credit and pay her royalties. I believe that he received royalties when his own songs were played on air....but you'd have to check that hearsay out. with ASCAP, or whoever the songs were copyrighted by.

[mitsguy2001]

If the Tomorrow song was written in part by Josie Carey, Fred would have replaced it with It's Such a Good Feeling - he was moving away from his previous collaboration and into total control of his work, and he would have had to give her credit and pay her royalties. I believe that he received royalties when his own songs were played on air....but you'd have to check that hearsay out. with ASCAP, or whoever the songs were copyrighted by.

That does make sense.  However, 1336 had its last airing on May 30, 1988, while there were episodes with the Tomorrow song that aired in the summers of 1989, 1990, and 1991.  So it seems unlikely that they would have edited 1336 but not any of the older episodes.

[mitsguy2001]

I remember reading that some early color episodes had new footage dubbed in - namely, on reruns of one 1969 episode demonstrating ear protectors at an airport, you see a United Airlines logo that wasn't introduced until 1973.   (EDIT: I think the episode in question is actually 1121 from 1970.)

I wonder what was originally in that episode.  I'm guessing it was edited, rather than having that week removed from the rotation, since they didn't want to lose the opera in 1125.

[mitsguy2001]

A few more possibly edited episodes, as I mentioned in another thread:

Episode 9: According to Tim, this has the new set, and was taped at a later date than other episodes from that era.  However, since its tape date (Jan. 4, 1968) was still before its airdate (Feb. 29, 1968), the original version never aired, if it even exists.

Episode 10: The production slate and the end credits both list Barbara Russell as a cast member, but not Betty Aberlin.  However, the episode has Betty Aberlin but not Barbara Russell.  The (usually unreliable) files at the University of Pittsburgh correctly list Betty Aberlin, not Barbara Russell.  Since it's unlikely that the slate would be that wrong, it was probably originally planned or shot with Barbara Russell, and then later re-shot with Betty Aberlin for whatever reason.  Whether or not a version with Barbara Russell ever aired or was even shot is not known.

Episode 21: The production slate shows a later date (Aug. 7, 1968) than the airdate (Mar. 18, 1968).  So, obviously it was re-shot after its original airdate.  I wonder what was in the original episode and why it was re-shot.

This is in addition to other known edited episodes: 1121, 1587, and 1696.  It also seems possible that some episodes had the closing song edited, but that is not confirmed.

[mitsguy2001]

Another theory about 1336: I wonder if maybe "Tomorrow" was used as a regular song, and not as a closing song.  It seems appropriate, given that the episode is about watches and clocks.

[bka]

I may be wrong, but I believe the reason the "Tomorrow" song was dropped was that it had been written with Josie Carey, and she would have had to be given royalties. That (I think) is why the Good Feeling song replaced it.  David Newell would probably know.

[mitsguy2001]

I may be wrong, but I believe the reason the "Tomorrow" song was dropped was that it had been written with Josie Carey, and she would have had to be given royalties. That (I think) is why the Good Feeling song replaced it.  David Newell would probably know.

What I meant is, the University of Pittsburgh files say that Episode 1336 has the Tomorow song, even though that was a 1974 episode, and the song had been replaced by Good Feeling in 1972.  I know of at least one person who specifically remembers 1336 having Tomorrow, but another person who specifically remembers it having Good Feeling.  I never saw (or have no recollection of) the episode.  I was wondering if maybe Tomorrow was used in the episode, but not as a closing song, which could be the reason for the confusion.  There was the theory that it originally had Tomorrow but was later edited to have Good Feeling.  That is unlikely, because people remember hearing the Tomorrow song as late as 1991, but 1336 had its last airing in 1988.

[JCostaThePro]

The only other episode i can think of that was obviously edited is Helping 1703.

Originally, as tv.com notes, there was an error in the credits. They accidentally listed the neighbors from the previous episode (Chuck Aber, Joe Negri and David Newell), 1702. Later, as can be seen on Amazon's print of 1703, the mistake was fixed, probably about the second or third time it aired on TV (1997 i think?). One dead give-away to the credits sequence being edited is that in the original version, the camera pan lasts about as long as the outro music, but on the edited version, the camera awkwardly stops at the red apartment building before the music ends.

I know, the University Of Pitt's and tv.com's episode descriptions may not be accurate sometimes, but this is one of the several instances where they're correct. I know because i recorded 1703 when it first aired in 1996 and the credits are clearly all wrong. After all, they were the ones who noted the Eiffel Tower model's absence in 1504-1760, the Platypus Mound's absence in 1651 and the 1758 goof and we all know those are correct.

[JCostaThePro]

BTW, regarding 1336:

I originally didn't want to spill the beans about this until Tim found and covered the episode, but since that won't be until about a year so from now (since he's doing episodes chronologically from now on), i think i may have have to say this here and now. You guys all know about my fascination with John Costa and the outro music of MRN, right? I've been recording and collecting many of the different variations of the jazzy outro music he played at the end of each episode (unfortunately, as i've said before, i'm missing about 76 of the ones from the modern era i.e., the "When Parents Go To Work" outros from 1989). I just happen to have 1336 in my collection and i've had that outro for over a year. No, it definately wasn't the Tomorrow song he played, it was Good Feeling.

[mitsguy2001]

BTW, regarding 1336:

I originally didn't want to spill the beans about this until Tim found and covered the episode, but since that won't be until about a year so from now (since he's doing episodes chronologically from now on), i think i may have have to say this here and now. You guys all know about my fascination with John Costa and the outro music of MRN, right? I've been recording and collecting many of the different variations of the jazzy outro music he played at the end of each episode (unfortunately, as i've said before, i'm missing about 76 of the ones from the modern era i.e., the "When Parents Go To Work" outros from 1989). I just happen to have 1336 in my collection and i've had that outro for over a year. No, it definately wasn't the Tomorrow song he played, it was Good Feeling.

How did you get access to 1336?  Did you get the full episode or just the outro?  If the full episode, then you can check for certain which song it has?  If it has Good Feeling, as you seem to think, is there any evidence that it may have been reshot?