Selby,
You are talking about those who are already fans of the show, many from the original run, and not a newer generation of people who are accustomed to higher production values that are seen on the air. People in their 20s do not have a memory of "live" TV and I suspect their experience of it and its bloopers is limited. Those who rent DVDs out of curiousity may see a dilly or two of a blooper and wonder what they are in for elsewhere. If I saw some of the more blatant gaffes and bloopers for the first time frankly I would not pursue watching it. Much of my theory about why MPI is editing some of the more blatant gaffes is because I have known people who started to watch DS because their parents did, but found some gaffes too distracting to bother watching anymore. Some people enjoy the feel of live television and errors don't bother them, others don't. I seriously doubt fans of DS are going to stop buying the DVDs because some bloopers aren't on there.
The PBS stations of the 1980s and the Sci Fi Channel in the 1990s have shown that airing DS uncut, in its original form produces loyal viewers in great numbers. The Festival attendence soars when the show is being currently broadcast and most of those Festival attendees are there for the first time. Many are new fans, having never seen the show before. Most times that DS is featured on a show like "Entertainment Tonight" or "Extra" the bloopers are mentioned as an integral part of the show.
The bloopers were mentioned as being part of the production by the nature of how the show was done. That's very different than being viewed as an "integral" part of a show. You say "most of those festival attendees are there for the first time. Many are new fans, having never seen the show before." I'm confused - why were they at a festival for a show they had not yet seen? Did you mean this in some other way?
Many of the actors, whether they mean it or not, publicly speak of the bloopers in endearing terms.
I have heard the actors describe the bloopers as embarrassing and while they just deal with the reality that their mistakes survive on tape, several have stated they don't get why fans look for bloopers. Louis Edmonds and Jonathan Frid are two actors that immediately come to mind as having made this point.
And the DS blooper tape apparently still sells very well. Perhaps MPI's cutting of classic bloopers will further their sales of the blooper tape (DVD eventually) by allowing them to promote it as "the only place you can see Bathia Mapes go up and other classic bloopers"?
Outtake tapes tend to sell very well, and I buy them. However, you will note that the outtakes you see on such tapes aren't actually seen in the program/show in question. I don't want to see them on the actual show.
If MPI is attempting to clean these up to attract a "larger and more diverse audience" (which I don't believe), why then did they leave intact the blooper of the DS studio person who was caught in the mausoleum with Barnabas and Angelique? IMO, this was a greater blooper than the off camera line feed to Anita Bolster. Why did they leave in "That night must go nothing wrong"?!! Why leave in the intruding TV camera when Carolyn was reporting Julia's comings and goings to Barnabas? Could not these bloopers have been "fixed" for the DVD releases?
No. And the reason for that is that fixing lines that an actor trips over and people/camera in a scene is far more difficult to edit and would probably call more attention to the flub or error if done. It is far easier to dub over or cut out something like an offstage voice saying something when there is otherwise silence than to edit dialogue where a word or two is juxtapositioned. Covering a camera on the screen or a crew person on screen when there is a scene going on is extremely difficult.
Where were the fan complaints about the presence of these bloopers on the VHS tapes and DVDs?
As you have pointed out, the bloopers are a reality because that is how the show aired and was taped. Fans have indeed found fault with the muffed lines and other gaffes claiming it to be distracting. But there would be little point writing to Dan Curtis after the fact complaining about the presence of the bloopers. But put the show on a major network now day or evening and see what would be said about the bloopers.
Whether MPI ever does away with the bloopers or not, the simple fact of the matter is that with the continued production of the blooper tape, people will always be aware that these bloopers occured during the actual show itself because they were gleaned from it.
Bloopers and outtakes are a reality of every single TV show there is or was. I don't think anyone believes something as involved as a TV show (or any kind of production) happens without any miscues or mistakes. That doesn't even happen at work, certainly not in my job!!
No matter how much the people involved with DS wish the bloopers weren't there, they will always be an integral part of it. These folks have every right to be very proud of a classic show that they, together, created. If there are any of them who have not yet gotten over the bloopers or their own stumbling for lines or looking desperately for the teleprompter, they should stop crying over spilt milk and join the fun in appreciating the show for what it was.
I believe every fan or every actor should be entitled to remember the show as they wish, and not be told how they should remember it or view their own work. I don't get the intense interest over bloopers or why anyone would devote any amount of time actually looking for them but if that is what someone wants to do because h/she enjoys it, that's up to the individual if it rocks h/her boat.. It's easy to tell an actor who might wince or object to seeing his or her mistakes over and over again to just get over it because it's not your mistake and it's not your work that's made fun of.
Perhaps it wasn't on the same level as "All in the Family" or "The Sopranos" but it certainly holds its own special place in TV history. Jonathan Frid once said that DS has now become a part of American folklore. He also said that while more often than not, they fell on their faces (perhaps meaning that bloopers and mis-spoken lines made up a majority of the show?) every once in a while they reached for and found their place in the stars and made TV magic. As a fan, I certainly loved those magic moments. But, also just as endearing were the times when, still trying to reach those stars, they heroically fell like the rest of us fallible human beings.
I watched the show during the original run and the bloopers went over my head. I just went passed them. It was the character of Barnabas, Roger and others that reminded me about the fallibility of human beings. That's why I watched the show - to see these flawed people try to overcome the obstacles they faced.
I'm still glad MPI is editing out the bloopers where they are able to. Those who feel cheated can buy the Blooper tape which is still available. That way, everyone is happy.
Nancy
