Lost Episodes edited?

[Bill S.]

I've heard it mentioned several times that the Lost Episodes were actually edited together to form half-hour shows. I don't know how true that is since anyone who owns the Lost Episodes on DVD or VHS knows that every episode's length varies, but here's some excerpts that concerned me after I read them...


From Answers.com:
The show had only one real season of 39 shows, in 1955, and it wasn't a success. Later, the original sketches were re-edited into episodes in the '80s, which is when the show finally became a success.
And from right here on SitcomsOnline.com:
Those 39 episodes got a lot of company in the 1980s when "The Lost Episodes" of The Honeymooners surfaced on Showtime's pay-cable network. The episodes weren't really lost at all. They were actually Honeymooners sketches that had aired on The Jackie Gleason Show in the 1950s. Gleason had kinescopes of the sketches and released the material to Viacom, Showtime's parent company, in 1984. Although as sketches they varied in length from a few minutes to almost a full half hour, they were edited together to produce 68 new Honeymooners half hours.

I also recall an interview with Joyce Randolph where she was talking about her favorite Honeymooners scene, which she described as the part in "Kramden Vs. Norton" where Norton didn't know Trixie's real name was Thelma. She didn't remember the name of the sketch but she was under the impression that that particular scene probably wouldn't be seen today due to sketches being edited together. Does anyone have any information on this? Was this just done when they aired the shows on Showtime or were episodes actually released like this in the past? I'd like to assume their talking about when the Lost shows were aired on TV but you can never be too sure...

[VIDEOWACK]

I've heard it mentioned several times that the Lost Episodes were actually edited together to form half-hour shows. I don't know how true that is since anyone who owns the Lost Episodes on DVD or VHS knows that every episode's length varies, but here's some excerpts that concerned me after I read them...


From Answers.com:

And from right here on SitcomsOnline.com:


I also recall an interview with Joyce Randolph where she was talking about her favorite Honeymooners scene, which she described as the part in "Kramden Vs. Norton" where Norton didn't know Trixie's real name was Thelma. She didn't remember the name of the sketch but she was under the impression that that particular scene probably wouldn't be seen today due to sketches being edited together. Does anyone have any information on this? Was this just done when they aired the shows on Showtime or were episodes actually released like this in the past? I'd like to assume their talking about when the Lost shows were aired on TV but you can never be too sure...

Well, we know that the scene where Trixie's real name (Thelma) is exposed most certainly has been seen, it's the scene in the court room at the end of the episode. As far as the episodes "being edited" together......I think this is just the unfortunate and improper use of the term. The Showtime airings and the home video versions (I honestly believe) are complete and uncut. However, when these same episodes aired on commercial syndication (here in NY on WPIX) many of them WERE cut. Example: in "Ralph's Sweet Tooth" the entire scene where he goes to the dentist was cut for commercial syndication. It's a shame too, because that happens to be a key scene.

[Bill S.]

Well, we know that the scene where Trixie's real name (Thelma) is exposed most certainly has been seen, it's the scene in the court room at the end of the episode. As far as the episodes "being edited" together......I think this is just the unfortunate and improper use of the term. The Showtime airings and the home video versions (I honestly believe) are complete and uncut. However, when these same episodes aired on commercial syndication (here in NY on WPIX) many of them WERE cut. Example: in "Ralph's Sweet Tooth" the entire scene where he goes to the dentist was cut for commercial syndication. It's a shame too, because that happens to be a key scene.
Yeah, unfortunately I don't think Joyce knows too much about which episodes are out there because I've been enjoying that court room scene for many years now. Perhaps what they meant by "editing them to form half-hour episodes," was when they would air more than one of the shorter sketches during the same half-hour time slot? I vaguely remember them doing this once or twice on WPIX.