Edited episodes

[rogersfan1]

From this review of episode 1121 Bob Dog was in the episode
http://www.neighborhoodarchive.com/mrn/episodes/1121/index.html

[mitsguy2001]

From this review of episode 1121 Bob Dog was in the episode
http://www.neighborhoodarchive.com/mrn/episodes/1121/index.html

You're right, and there is a picture to prove it.  So I wonder why Tim had that comment that Bob Trow was credited but none of his characters appears.  Sounds like an error.

[Neighborhood Archive]

An error indeed! This is why I rely on all of you to keep me honest!  :)

[bjdwsm]

Some edits I noticed:

As mentioned elsewhere on the board, the early 1970 season shows (1066-1075 or so, can't say for sure) used the previous year's model neighborhood before it was altered slightly (different backdrop with more greenery, the NET building looks a little taller and has a white roof on the new one). During the closing pans of the model, as it approaches the NET building, there's an edit and the remainder of the footage uses the revised neighborhood. From what it looks like on Tim's captures, the 1072 and 1074 copies he has didn't have the trolley episode number card, and didn't have the new NET building footage edit, so I'm guessing this may have been something done to the shows when the 1969-75 repeat package was being prepared.

I think 1101 was also edited for the repackaged post-1976 run. When Fred goes over to Picture-Picture, there's a cut to a tight shot around the frame of Picture-Picture. The wall seems to be a slightly different color in these shots (thought it looks like there were pains taken to make sure it wasn't visible in the shot); I'm guessing they replaced the film footage of the fish because I don't think John Costa was using the synthesizer on the program that early. The fade into the videotaped shot of Fred's fish must also have been replaced footage, then another hard edit back to the original show when Fred's visible on camera again.

[mitsguy2001]

That's really interesting.  Did you notice those edits from your own copy of the episodes, or from Tim's screenshots?

Was the closing of the 1969 episodes also edited the way that you described?  Or was it just the first 2 weeks of the 1970 season (1066-1075)?  I really wonder what was changed.  Was there any obvious difference between edited vs unedited endings?

As for 1101: I also really wonder what was changed there.  If the wall was still yellow it was probably the 1971-73 version that lacked the wainscoting, but obviously before the walls were painted blue.  Just out of curiosity, is your 1101 from when it aired on TV, or is it from a VHS or DVD release?  I seem to remember hearing that there were 2 VHS versions, one of which lacked the NOM segment.  Maybe the edits were related to that?

Somebody needs to ask somebody at FCI about these edits.

I didn't see it in this thread, but another episode we think may have been edited was Episode 37.  The University of Pittsburgh database says that Mr. McFeely smokes in this episode.  But Tim said that in his copy of 37, he did not smoke, and that FCI denies that Mr. McFeely ever smoked.  But the black and white episodes did not air for long; we think that they last aired in the summer of 1970, and I doubt that attitudes toward smoking in 1970 were that much different than 1968.  So I'm guessing that the episode was not edited.

Another possible edit: we've already discussed the edits in 1696.  But I've also heard that when that episode aired the Monday after Fred passed away in 2003, the opening and closing were edited to add a tribute to Fred.  Did anything have to be removed from the episode to fit it in its timeslot with the tribute added?

A possible theory about edited episodes such as 1101 and 1121: perhaps the removed scenes involved products or songs that FCI no longer had the rights to use?

[rogersfan1]

Someone recently posted a batch of 1970 episodes including the entire 1066-1070 week and all those episodes do indeed have a jump in the closing up to the NET building.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QAtWXRubocE

[mitsguy2001]

Someone recently posted a batch of 1970 episodes including the entire 1066-1070 week and all those episodes do indeed have a jump in the closing up to the NET building.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QAtWXRubocE

Does anybody have any idea why these episodes have that jump?  Is it just 1066-1070 that has the jump?  Maybe they had to remove something from the end credits for some reason.

[MIKEBENNIDICT]

Interesting to see those.

I know the FRC as it's known now often doesn't allow these to be put up.

[bjdwsm]

Does anybody have any idea why these episodes have that jump?  Is it just 1066-1070 that has the jump?  Maybe they had to remove something from the end credits for some reason.

From what I saw, it is only 1066-1070 that has the splice. 1071 has the revised model, while 1072-1075 use the 1969 model. Not sure why they would edit the end credits, though...I know sometimes the jump from the closing pan to the trolley number card was sometimes abrupt to eliminate any fade into the NET logo animation, but I can't really see that being the reason to splice in the revised model footage.

I've been trying to pick up where there might have also been other edits, particularly with Picture-Picture films. It looks like 1067 may have had new footage, music or voiceover (right before it fades back to Fred starting "Everything Grows Together"), but I don't really have too much of a theory for the reasons behind the edits aside from cosmetic/technical reasons.

[MIKEBENNIDICT]

I think the trolley cards were added later on.


Notice how different the MRN logo looked with the hooks coming from the letters.

[mjb1124]

Trolley cards were definitely added later.   I think we're talking more about other edits that were made to the episodes at the same time.

[bjdwsm]

Watching the marathon, it looks like Costa started adding the synthesizer to his music later in 1972 and incorporated it full-time in 1973, so I'm guessing any film segment from before that point that has synth was done for the 1976 repeat package.

[mitsguy2001]

I think the trolley cards were added later on.


Notice how different the MRN logo looked with the hooks coming from the letters.

We know that they were added later.  We just don't know when.

[rogersfan1]

I'm noticing some of the 1974 episodes list a second copyright date of 1975 as well, was there new stuff edited in later leading to 1975 being added to the copyright?

[sriv94]

I'm noticing some of the 1974 episodes list a second copyright date of 1975 as well, was there new stuff edited in later leading to 1975 being added to the copyright?

I don't think so--the two seasons prior also used two years on the copyright (for example--1281 [the variety show] was copyrighted 1972 and 1973, although there were a few episodes during that season that used 1973 and 1974 for copyrights then went back to 1972 and 1973 in the same week).

It wasn't until 1391 (first 1975 episode) that they went back to one copyright year.