kevin@voder.UUCP (The Last Bugfighter) (07/04/85)
KTEH here in San Jose showed Tom Baker's `Underworld' last Saturday and
there were some strange things going on with this story. The first episode
was alright but the second had a narrator explain what happened in the first
(even called The Doctor `Doctor Who'). The big surprise was about three
10 second gaps when the screen and sound just went blank. At the end they
didn't even have closeing credits, just ran a short piece of the opening
again!
Episode three was the same way, three or four blackouts and another nar-
rator. The blackouts were almost as if the episode was too short and they
were trying to stretch it out, or if scenes were missing.
This story takes place in Doctor Who's fifteenth season and is the episode
just before Leela and K9 MK1 leave. It's about a race of people who died out
100,000 years ago except for a small group on board a space ship searching
for an earlier colonizing ship which contains a genetic `race bank' with which
they can recreate their race. The searchers keep regenerating themselves so
as to continue the quest. `The Quest is the Quest'.
Anyone know why this story is so screwed up?
---
Kevin Thompson {ucbvax,ihnp4!nsc}!voder!kevin
"It's sort of a threat, you see. I've never been very good at them
myself but I'm told they can be very effective."percus@acf4.UUCP (Allon G. Percus) (07/07/85)
> KTEH here in San Jose showed Tom Baker's `Underworld' last Saturday and > there were some strange things going on with this story. The first episode > was alright but the second had a narrator explain what happened in the first > (even called The Doctor `Doctor Who'). The big surprise was about three > 10 second gaps when the screen and sound just went blank. At the end they > didn't even have closeing credits, just ran a short piece of the opening > again! > Episode three was the same way, three or four blackouts and another nar- > rator. The blackouts were almost as if the episode was too short and they > were trying to stretch it out, or if scenes were missing. . . . > Anyone know why this story is so screwed up? This is almost exactly what happened with "Image of the Fendahl" on WLIW in Long Island, NY. Apparently, the usual distributor was unable to provide KTEH with the usual versions of episodes 1 and 3 of "Underworld," so they used the versions broadcast by commercial televisions in the late 70's and early 80's (I think I'm right about the years...). At the beginning, the announcer explains what happens in the most stupid and horrid way possible, and then the regular episode begins. A few minutes into the show, there is a commercial break (hence the blank section on your television station's tape), in addition to which there are several more later on (hence the number of blackouts). Then, as you said, a short piece of the opening is played, which is usually followed by *ugh* scenes from the next episode. Then, that gives way into the usual credits screen. It seems that your station got a copy with this awful ending cut off, and consequently the credits with it. This occurrence was probably an extreme measure -- it shouldn't happen too many times. A. G. Percus (ARPA) percus@acf4 (NYU) percus.acf4 (UUCP) ...!ihnp4!cmcl2!acf4!percus