trb (10/24/82)
Saturday night, CBS aired an edited-for-tv version of Mel Brooks' classic "Blazing Saddles." I have never seen such a hatchet job on a movie in my life. It was cut up so much that worthless scenes that didn't make it into the original were inserted at random into the tv version. I just can't express how appalled I am and how sad I feel that some group of editors decided that the emasculated-for-tv version was more fitting for the American public than the original theater version. I assume and hope that that version will never again be shown in its current state. Has a movie ever suffered so much at the hands of tv censors? Andy Tannenbaum Bell Labs Whippany, NJ (201) 386-6491
sjb (10/25/82)
I just read that Mark Fowler, chairman of the FCC, has proposed lifting ALL restrictions (including those of content) from TV broadcasters. Hopefully, if that goes through, we won't be subjected to the butchers who hack at poor innocent movies.
jon (10/26/82)
#R:floyd:-72600:hp-pcd:6500004:000:230
hp-pcd!jon Oct 26 11:26:00 1982
I dont currently have an opinion on the censoring issue. On
the other hand I see no reason to air 'Marry Poppins' without
the 'Supercali...' number. This ruined our whole evening.
Jon Brewstertw (10/26/82)
#R:floyd:-72600:hp-pcd:6500003:000:801
hp-pcd!tw Oct 26 09:45:00 1982
Although I didn't see that particular broadcast of
Blazing Saddles, I think it is a safe bet that other
movies have been butchered as badly. As an example, a
couple of years ago, I saw Monty Python and the Holy
Grail on TV. It had been 'censored' a bit, and if they
had *tried* to destroy the movie they couldn't have done
a more effective job. Take the Castle Anthrax scene.
Deleting the punch line, which contains an obscenity,
makes the whole thing completely useless; they might as
well have cut it all.
I really resent this sort of mindless tampering; I'd
rather they just didn't show movies than to destroy them
like that.
Twmclure@sri-unix (10/28/82)
#R:floyd:-72600:sri-unix:1400006:000:555 sri-unix!mclure Oct 27 13:19:00 1982 Yes, a similar hatchet-job was done on Woody Allen's Sleeper in Pittsburgh. Apparently, the station decided to insert adverts into the movie itself! I don't mean commercials. I mean they actually added new scenes to the movie in which the product is hawked in the futuristic setting. Supposedly, Woody's lawyer and some other lawyers are going after the station manager. I make it a point to never watch a theater movie on T.V. if it's likely to be butchered. There are some stations that avoid hatchet-jobs. Seek them out. Or go pay-TV! Stuart