Dark Shadows: DVD or Video?

[michael c]

i havn't seen d.s. on dvd,but i certainly don't like the idea of the eps. being "cleaned-up".part of the fun of the show is the bloopers and screw-ups.it adds to it's charm imo.

[Darren Gross]

Nelson, was the blooper you mention with Grayson and Tony Peterson's office cut from the DVD?

One other thing- MPI is supposedly double-checking their master tapes to make sure they are complete, bloopers and all prior to authoring.

The 'fixes' to the episodes was something done for a certain run of syndication tapes around 10 years ago. When the DVDs were being made, TPTB sought to use master tapes closer to the original source (and of higher quality) than the several-generations away masters used for the tapes. Unfortunately, they did not check the master tapes for completeness and editing, and released several volumes with 'corrected' bloopers.

This was never an intentional effort by MPI to 'polish' the show- it was someone at Worldvisions idea, about 10 years ago.

MPIs mistake was not checking the masters against the lower quality ones for completeness.

They are now making sure there are no edits before authoring now.

[Nelson Collins]

They are now making sure there are no edits before authoring now.

Very cool, Darren, Thanks!  I did not know that.  Serves me right for shooting off my mouth without all the facts.  I hope my email to MPI didn't sound confrontational, I was merely expressing my disappointment.   I don't write these kinds of letters often, but I do try to take care not to sound like _too_ much of a sad geek (even though I am )

And no, Darren, the Julia/Tony blooper was something I saw off air during DS syndication run in Memphis, TN in, oh, 1982-83.  I loved it, and I hope that it might be included in a new and expanded DS Bloopers on DVD with maybe someone from the show hosting and/or introducing the segments and maybe some new interviews. 

[Darren Gross]

So, was this on the VHS, then?

[Nelson Collins]

So, was this on the VHS, then?

I don't know.  I have not obtained a VHS copy to see how it was handled.  I would surmise that that particular ep was fixed even for VHS since the action pretty much had stopped for 3-5 minutes.  But I don't know.  I was using that particular ep as just an example (albeit an extreme one) of why I love DS warts and all.  

[Mysterious Benefactor]

the Julia/Tony blooper was something I saw off air during DS syndication run in Memphis, TN in, oh, 1982-83.

Yes, Worldvision mistakenly included that in the intial syndication release of episode #360, but by the time I saw that episode in 1986 it had already been fixed. However, it is included on the DS Bloopers VHS. I love Grayson's indignation after the director yells cut. 

[Nelson Collins]

it is included on the DS Bloopers VHS. I love Grayson's indignation after the director yells cut. 

Cool, I have watched the Bloopers VHS a couple of times, I don't remember seeing it.  hmmm, will have to try to find or borrow a copy. Thanks!

[Julia99]

One of my favorite moments when I was discovering DS for the first time when I was in high school (it was syndicated on a local station) was during the episodes leading up to the 1795 flashback.  It was around the time Tony Peterson first appeared. Julia was in his office and completely forgot everying about what she was supposed to say.  After floundering for a few seconds, I distintly heard the director say "cut!" and Grayson broke character and looked off screen.  The picture went black and stay that way for a long time then the picture came back and Grayson was talking with someone (the director perhaps or the script supervisor) looking at was must have been the script.  The picture went black again and when it came back.  They started the scene from the top.  Now I

A blooper 'similar' to that is one a DS Memory or maybe the official Blooper tape but what i have on VHS is that Peterson and Julia are talking in his office (her just about to crackup scene). . everything is going fine then the Director yells "cut" and Grayson very pointedly/annoyed asks "Why?". . and it goes to black. . .

[Darren Gross]

Found it. It's after the main blooper program...there's an 'outtakes' or similarly titled mini section.

Easy to miss as the blooper end credits go on for about 4 hrs, so I probably switched it off soon as the music started to fade out..Damn ADD...

[Nelson Collins]

Found it. It's after the main blooper program...there's an 'outtakes' or similarly titled mini section.

Easy to miss as the blooper end credits go on for about 4 hrs, so I probably switched it off soon as the music started to fade out..Damn ADD...

I take it, it's the Julia/Tony blooper?  VERY cool.  And now I know why I don't remember it - I don't think I _ever_ watched the end credits on my borrowed tape!   Thanks, man!

[Darren Gross]

Yes, that's the one and its a separate program after the end(less) credits....

[IluvBarnabas]

I definitely prefer the DVD's. They do cost more than the VHS tapes, but they do have so much better quality. And as I have admitted it is very convienient of me to just pick an episode I'd like to watch and press a button without fast-forwarding or rewinding.