To colorize the kinescopes or not to colorize the kinescopes

[Professor1985]

Do you think that the lost COLOR episodes of "Dark Shadows" that now exist only in B&W kinescopes should be colorized? Why or Why Not?

[Gothick]

I'd say not.  It would be expensive, the end result would probably be rather tacky looking (though some of the Dr. Who tapes from the BBC show that it can look OK--check out the Daemons for a good example), and a lot of fans enjoy those shows just the way they are.

Watching them is also a helpful reminder of how incredibly lucky we are to have all but one of the episodes surviving in some form or other.

Gothick

[lurkerintheshadows]

I think they should stay B&W because i don't like tampering with the film.Also,i like to compare and contrast the color and B&W.

[Professor1985]

I would say yes to COLORIZATION to the Kinescopes of "Dark Shadows"  and I wish that ABC maked COLOR kinescopes for the COLOR episodes of "Dark Shaodows" back then.

[VAM]

I think they should stay B&W because i don't like tampering with the film.Also,i like to compare and contrast the color and B&W.

I agree...

[kuanyin]

Interesting, I had the same thought today. On one hand, they are crappy quality and it isn't as though someone would be marring a classic that was meant to be B/W.

On the other, I thought today's beginning with Amy's entrance was very dramatic in B/W.  If a really good job could be done, I guess I'd go for color, but it's quite a close call for me.

[Cassandra]

While I admit I do enjoy seeing the color episodes of DS, I don't really mind seeing these B&W episodes every once in awhile.  I think as long as the quality of the film isn't too bad, these B&W episodes add a rather spooky & ghostly effect to the atmosphere.  Although today's episode was pretty good, I have seen other B&W episodes on DS that were of such bad quality you could barely make out what you were seeing.

I remember one particular show from 1795 in which the story was shown in B&W on Sci-fi, and yet on my MPI tape the exact same show was in color.  The B&W version of this episode I might add was of such poor quality that I found it strange that it wasn't done over in color as it was on the MPI tape.

[Connie]

I don't think they should be [overcolor=blue]COLORIZED[/overcolor].  I really dislike the look of colorized films.  What's the point anyway?  There are only a few black and white kinescopes...eh!
Does anyone notice the difference in quality of these kinescopes in comparison to say, the black and white I Love Lucy Episodes??  Kinescope really sucks.

Funny -- we were discussing this while watching yesterdays tape, and I mentioned that when I watched DS during its original run, I watched it all in black and white anyway!  Even when ABC switched the show to color, it didn't matter for me 'cause we didn't have a color TV!!  LOL

I also remember being in shock when my friend and I got to visit the studio and seeing Jonathan Frid walking toward us down the hallway.  I mean, the shock was enough as it was (LOL) but he was also in COLOR !!!

-CLC  

[Eleanor_Rigby]

I would vote no.  I agree with what Gothick said.  And I was like Connie.  I saw the original episodes on a black/white TV.  Very many years later I saw them in color.  I like seeing the costumes in color but the b/w made a statement too.

[Stuart]

though some of the Dr. Who tapes from the BBC show that it can look OK--check out the Daemons for a good example

That's because they're not colorization in the accepted sense.  They are created from a US viewer's original colour home video recordings (the only surviving colour source), which are then syncronised with the archived black and white films.

TBH, colorizing the kinescopes isn't an option -- they are technically too low in quality, and for decent colorization you need a lot of tonal value, which was simply lost in their original transfer.

Leave them be and be glad you are able to view them at all, as it's a minor miracle that the show has survived.

[Craig_Slocum]

I think it's a miracle any of it was recovered, especially all that was!  

[TERRY308]

No.  I think they would probably look like Turner Network Television, ( wasn't it  "It's a Wonderful Life") and you all remember how terrible that fiasco turned out to be.  

Besides, I like the black and white ones.  It's more "Gothic" that way.

[Blue_Whale_Barfly]

I agree.  Keep the crayons away.  I know that they were orginally broadcast in color but the b/w's add to the mystique.  I don't think that there are many kinescopes of other shows lying around.