Hey i was just thining to myself knowing that both HD and L&S dvd season 2 will be coming out in April i think like the mork and mindy first comeplete boxset which contained 23 or whatever episodes it has will be in a bigger boxset, i no that both HD and L&S second season has a total of 23 episodes, and knowing that both series will have four disc that will be hott i a praying that as a bonues features that they will have the unaired pilot of laverne and shirley living in the fonz apartment, and on HD2 a bonues of the Happy Days pilot Love American style i hop paramount will put those in as a bonues features and i think that they will sell, if i an not mistaken i think the company who owns threes company did as a bonues features on season 2 the three unaired pilots hey we will never now will we

I'd like to see the pilot of Laverne & Shirley on the dvd set. :)

Well - it's official. The second season of Laverne & Shirley will infact be released on April 17th! :talk:

To pre-order, or find out more about the set, here's the amazon.com link:

http://www.amazon.com/Laverne-Shirley-Complete-Second-Season/dp/B000M343AS/sr=11-1/qid=1167922081/ref=sr_11_1/102-4310598-5700105

It's about time! They need 2 put HD/L&S on iTunes.:)

I know this isn't anything official and I don't know how reliable it is, but last night, I was looking at the Laverne and Shirley profile on the website www.wikipedia.org and it said Season 3 of 'Laverne and Shirley' is to be released on Sept. 18, 2007. I was curious about 'Happy Days' and 'Mork and Mindy,' so I looked at their profiles, and they also said their third seasons were to be released on that day. Again, I know this isn't anything official, but I found it interesting.

never trust ANYTHING on wikipedia - ANYONE can put stuff in there

I hope it's true! Maybe they should add L&S to iTunes

I know this isn't anything official and I don't know how reliable it is, but last night, I was looking at the Laverne and Shirley profile on the website www.wikipedia.org and it said Season 3 of 'Laverne and Shirley' is to be released on Sept. 18, 2007. I was curious about 'Happy Days' and 'Mork and Mindy,' so I looked at their profiles, and they also said their third seasons were to be released on that day. Again, I know this isn't anything official, but I found it interesting.

That would be fantastic! That would be less than 6 months though which seems unlikely. Plus it lists the date as September 17th and that's a Monday. Usually, new releases come out on Tuesday. But I would love to see it happen. Season 3 is probably my favorite season. It has The Dentist and The Slow Child, 2 of my favorite episodes. :)

Yeah, I saw that wikipedia S3 listing today and wondered if there was any truth to that....

Well, looks like CBS DVD has struck again.

Happy Days Season 2 does NOT have "Rock Around the Clock" theme, it is replaced by the "Happy Days" theme that starts in Season 3. Also, the back of the box says "Music has been changed for this home entertainment version."

The Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy sets are also altered. For them the back of the box says: "Some music has been changed for this home entertainment version."

We at SitcomsOnline will try to investigate what is missing in our reviews of each.

Well, looks like CBS DVD has struck again.

Happy Days Season 2 does NOT have "Rock Around the Clock" theme, it is replaced by the "Happy Days" theme that starts in Season 3. Also, the back of the box says "Music has been changed for this home entertainment version."

The Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy sets are also altered. For them the back of the box says: "Some music has been changed for this home entertainment version."

We at SitcomsOnline will try to investigate what is missing in our reviews of each.


I would be very interested in knowing how that would look on the DVD. to see the RATC opening footage with the other theme. I'm so used to seeing the Record Player Opening with the Season 3 and After theme.

Please tell me they didn't do the same for Laverne & Shirley's opening. That would be so dumb. Hopefully, they are minor changes that we may not even recognize. For announcing this release so far away from the release date, I would have thought they would have cleared all music rights. Didn't someone post that they had a conversation with someone at Paramount who confirmed that all music rights had been secured? I'm eager for Pav's review.

After looking forward to the release of L&S's second season on DVD for so long, I am very disappointed in it. Their first season was released as the "complete first season." The key word there is "complete." And that's what every other TV show on the planet is being released as -- complete. Otherwise, why bother? If I go to the trouble and expense of purchasing a favorite TV show on DVD, I expect it to be complete and unedited from its original condition. So now Paramount and CBS are expecting L&S's fans (as well as Happy Days' fans and Mork and Mindy's fans) to accept a stripped down version with strange, unrecognizable music in the background. I mean, it might as well have been taped off of TV Land or something! So I'm more than disappointed, I'm furious! This is an outrage!

Take the episode "The Bridal Shower" for example. The original (which can be seen in syndication) has Carmine singing at the Pizza Bowl at the beginning but the episode that's in the new second season DVD set skips over that scene completely and begins with what happens immediately after Carmine is finished singing. That is editing that I do not wish to see in the L&S episodes that I have longed to see unedited for so long! Plus, later on in that same episode when L&S attend the bridal shower at Rosie's apartment, the original music of Johnny Mathis and other recognizable '50's type music has been changed to uncognizable elevator type music that is very distracting. And it's distracting so much that it actually takes away from the scenes. I find myself listening to the music (trying to figure out what it is) instead of listening to the dialogue. And sometimes the music is even louder than the dialogue which is even more distracting! I've only watched a couple of episodes so far in the new second season set but what I've seen I don't like one bit. What I would like to do is write Paramount and/or CBS and tell them if they can't present L&S to the buying public in complete seasons, don't do it at all. Because, to me, the whole point of purchasing TV shows on DVD is seeing them complete and unedited as they were originally broadcast. What I'm afraid of now is that Paramount/CBS may have set a precedent for all other companies to release TV shows just as edited and chopped up as they want them to be and, we, the buying public, will just have to put up with it. Also, the new packaging for L&S's second season is very cheap looking plastic with the discs just thrown together in the same area. Their first season was in a much better looking slip case with each disc secured in its own containter. And that season was complete! So that first season was how each of L&S's seasons should have been presented to the buying public! Not this cheap, stripped down version that I'm not even interested in anymore! So attention Paramount/CBS: Either do it right or don't do it at all!

After looking forward to the release of L&S's second season on DVD for so long, I am very disappointed in it. Their first season was released as the "complete first season." The key word there is "complete." And that's what every other TV show on the planet is being released as -- complete. Otherwise, why bother? If I go to the trouble and expense of purchasing a favorite TV show on DVD, I expect it to be complete and unedited from its original condition. So now Paramount and CBS are expecting L&S's fans (as well as Happy Days' fans and Mork and Mindy's fans) to accept a stripped down version with strange, unrecognizable music in the background. I mean, it might as well have been taped off of TV Land or something! So I'm more than disappointed, I'm furious! This is an outrage!

Take the episode "The Bridal Shower" for example. The original (which can be seen in syndication) has Carmine singing at the Pizza Bowl at the beginning but the episode that's in the new second season DVD set skips over that scene completely and begins with what happens immediately after Carmine is finished singing. That is editing that I do not wish to see in the L&S episodes that I have longed to see unedited for so long! Plus, later on in that same episode when L&S attend the bridal shower at Rosie's apartment, the original music of Johnny Mathis and other recognizable '50's type music has been changed to uncognizable elevator type music that is very distracting. And it's distracting so much that it actually takes away from the scenes. I find myself listening to the music (trying to figure out what it is) instead of listening to the dialogue. And sometimes the music is even louder than the dialogue which is even more distracting! I've only watched a couple of episodes so far in the new second season set but what I've seen I don't like one bit. What I would like to do is write Paramount and/or CBS and tell them if they can't present L&S to the buying public in complete seasons, don't do it at all. Because, to me, the whole point of purchasing TV shows on DVD is seeing them complete and unedited as they were originally broadcast. What I'm afraid of now is that Paramount/CBS may have set a precedent for all other companies to release TV shows just as edited and chopped up as they want them to be and, we, the buying public, will just have to put up with it. Also, the new packaging for L&S's second season is very cheap looking plastic with the discs just thrown together in the same area. Their first season was in a much better looking slip case with each disc secured in its own containter. And that season was complete! So that first season was how each of L&S's seasons should have been presented to the buying public! Not this cheap, stripped down version that I'm not even interested in anymore! So attention Paramount/CBS: Either do it right or don't do it at all!



Cut scenes on a DVD is always unaccepable, sorry that you Wasted your money. If I was you I would just throw the sh*t in the trash. Especially since you mention that the episode cut out something TV Land didn't

So I'm more than disappointed, I'm furious! This is an outrage!

So attention Paramount/CBS: Either do it right or don't do it at all!

Whoa, chill out for a sec! There are reasons why they did what they did. I wish to refer you to a thread in the Happy Days forum, since a lot of discussion has been going on and I have no desire to re-type any of it:

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=198956

After reading this, you may still not agree it was a good investment, and that's entirely your perogative, but you'll at least understand why Paramount did what they did. It wasn't to be lazy or mean. Their hands were more or less tied in this.

Read on friend, especially my responses since some of the other posts are just people complaining. The ones that weren't I quoted in my responses. That should tell all...

Ed

Whoa, chill out for a sec! There are reasons why they did what they did. I wish to refer you to a thread in the Happy Days forum, since a lot of discussion has been going on and I have no desire to re-type any of it:

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=198956

After reading this, you may still not agree it was a good investment, and that's entirely your perogative, but you'll at least understand why Paramount did what they did. It wasn't to be lazy or mean. Their hands were more or less tied in this.

Read on friend, especially my responses since some of the other posts are just people complaining. The ones that weren't I quoted in my responses. That should tell all...

Ed



I really believe that a EDITED DVD belongs in the Garbage can, especially when they don't have footage on the DVD that was seen in Syndication.

I really believe that a EDITED DVD belongs in the Garbage can, especially when they don't have footage on the DVD that was seen in Syndication.

Again, you're entitled to feel that way. I'm just explaining why they did what they did. It was either put out an edited DVD or nothing at all. Those that don't want edits don't have to buy it. But people are blaming Paramount and it's not their fault. Did you read any of the thread?

Ed

Again, you're entitled to feel that way. I'm just explaining why they did what they did. It was either put out an edited DVD or nothing at all. Those that don't want edits don't have to buy it. But people are blaming Paramount and it's not their fault. Did you read any of the thread?

Ed


Ed are you going to tell me that not having SEASON 2 realeased at all is not better than a Season 2 DVD that was released with several Cuts and holes in it? Come on Ed I know you are not going to tell me that

Ed are you going to tell me that not having SEASON 2 realeased at all is not better than a Season 2 DVD that was released with several Cuts and holes in it? Come on Ed I know you are not going to tell me that

Actually, I am. I bought the DVD, and the edits are only on like 2 or 3 episodes. Sure, it's not perfect, but it's not Paramount's fault. I'd rather have what I can get. About 90% of Season 2 was left intact, and I can live with that.

At least they let us know this upfront, unlike other shows like Alf, Mama's Family, and Roseanne Season 1.

I want complete episodes, but it's not going to happen because the music costs are too out of whack. I feel the show is strong enough to survive a few musical edits, but I realize some won't feel that way. But at least both sides can have a choice. I bought mine and enjoyed every minute of it. I hope for Season 3 very soon...


Ed

What I can't understand, Ed, is if Paramount's hands are tied concerning music costs, then why are L&S's episodes shown with the original music in syndication? Does that mean that every channel that shows L&S repeats has to pay through the nose just to cover the extra cost of music copyrights? That doesn't make sense. Also, if there's such a problem with music costs, then why was L&S's first season complete with original music? If that first season had come out on DVD with changed music and edits because of extra music costs, I would now be able to accept the second season's present condition more. But giving us a complete first season and then an edited second season makes it very hard to accept or to understand. I just feel cheated. I'm a big L&S fan and I waited so long for the second season to come out on DVD and then when it does come out, I get a changed version so naturally I'm disappointed.

One more question: If the music costs are such a big problem, then why are some of L&S's complete and unedited episodes available on VHS? (As in the ten video series that was put out by Columbia House some years back.) I have nine of those videos and every episode on them is complete and unedited. If Paramount could put complete episodes out on video, why can't they put complete episodes out on DVD? There are just too many unanswered questions to make me satisfied that Paramount's hands are tied.

What I can't understand, Ed, is if Paramount's hands are tied concerning music costs, then why are L&S's episodes shown with the original music in syndication? Does that mean that every channel that shows L&S repeats has to pay through the nose just to cover the extra cost of music copyrights? That doesn't make sense.

It's a different issue altogether. Obviously, even before the show aired in prime time, there was such a thing as syndication, and any details were ironed out back then. They probably have it in their contract that the songs are allowed to be part of the episodes forever. And it's not like the show airing in syndication is the same thing as the show being sold on DVD, where there's money to be made. Do they make money when it airs on syndication? Only from the channel itself and the sponsors (commercials) that are aired. The DVD sets are a different thing altogether. Also, again, the DVD format did not exist, and therefore prior agreements with music is not covered. Easy as that!

Also, if there's such a problem with music costs, then why was L&S's first season complete with original music? If that first season had come out on DVD with changed music and edits because of extra music costs, I would now be able to accept the second season's present condition more. But giving us a complete first season and then an edited second season makes it very hard to accept or to understand.

As I've stated before, they tried doing the 1st season as complete as possible, and they paid through the nose for it, and the sales were still abysmal. Obviously, Paramount didn't feel it was worth it (can you blame them?) to continue paying the overly-expensive music costs for a show that isn't going to be a top seller. They lost a HUGE amount of money on the first season, and yet they want to still try to please the fans by releasing more. But they have to do it in a way that's cheaper for them. What other choice do they have? It's either do it without some of the original music or not release anything at all. It sucks big time!

I just feel cheated. I'm a big L&S fan and I waited so long for the second season to come out on DVD and then when it does come out, I get a changed version so naturally I'm disappointed.

It's understandable. I too am disappointed. I'm not trying to get you to not be. I just don't want you or anyone else wrongly blaming Paramount. They're caught between a rock and a hard place. They spent over $100,000.00 for the music rights to Happy Days Season 1 and didn't even make back 1/10th of that. Plus, there are other expenses to releasing shows on DVD that don't even involve the music. Again, they can't sell it at that great of a loss. It just wouldn't be smart.

One more question: If the music costs are such a big problem, then why are some of L&S's complete and unedited episodes available on VHS? (As in the ten video series that was put out by Columbia House some years back.) I have nine of those videos and every episode on them is complete and unedited. If Paramount could put complete episodes out on video, why can't they put complete episodes out on DVD? There are just too many unanswered questions to make me satisfied that Paramount's hands are tied.

From what I've heard, Columbia House didn't even pay to release the whole series, and that was actually because of the music rights. They anticipated the show selling well and it didn't. Your episodes may be complete, but you probably have up to the first 2 or 3 seasons and that's all. Columbia doesn't offer the whole series and never will.

Columbia is a private market. The music royalty holders know that Columbia's customer base is smaller, and they charge less for the use of the songs. The regular DVDs are available nationwide, which increases the potential for more profits, and realizing this, the royalty holders see $$ in their eyes and adjust their fees accordingly. It's all a game unfortunately.

Also something to consider, Columbia was in a better position to recoup any financial loss. Not only were their fees lower, they also charged $20 or $30 per VHS cassette, and all you'd get for each cassette was 4 episodes. Not much of a gamble as far as profits go. Paramount stands to make only $30 for a whole season of episodes by comparison. See the difference?

I too belonged to Columbia House and bought the Wonder Woman collection which featured two 60 minute episodes each. The show ran for 3 seasons and Columbia ended up releasing the whole show EXCEPT for 5 episodes because the 5 episodes had music royalty issues. I was outraged at the time so I know fully well how frustrated you are.

Either way, I hope you understand more fully what's going on. You can choose to not like it, of course (I wish we had gotten the original full length episodes too!) but try to see that Paramount didn't really have a choice. In fact, if I were running the company, I would've ceased production on further seasons after suffering such a huge financial loss. They did not do that. They're still trying to do right by the fans, but they don't want to do it at such a loss to them. I think they should be commended for that. Any one of us would do the same.


Ed

Ed I completely understand your point about season 1, it's cost so much to put it out there complete as possible and the fact that they didn't make up for it in sales probably led to the decision not to do the same with season 2.

Ed, I too understand and I thank you for the full explanation and please don't think I'm being picky but I have one more question. If Paramount suffered such a huge money loss releasing L&S's first season complete, then why gamble on a stripped down version? Isn't it a possibility that Paramount stands to lose even more on a DVD set that isn't complete? I can't believe that a big company like Paramount is willing to gamble with that much money just to please L&S's fans. There had to have been some of kind of profit in the releasing of season one or at least the promise of a profit in releasing season two or they would have dropped it altogether. Business is business.

Ed I completely understand your point about season 1, it's cost so much to put it out there complete as possible and the fact that they didn't make up for it in sales probably led to the decision not to do the same with season 2.

Ahhh, someone else who sees the light. Thanks for that Solomon. I really appreciate it. Yes, they lost quite a bit, unfortunately. I'm not saying I like edited episodes, but given a choice between nothing and a set where 3 of the 24 eps are edited, I'll take the latter. It's better than nothing, after all.

Ed, I too understand and I thank you for the full explanation and please don't think I'm being picky but I have one more question. If Paramount suffered such a huge money loss releasing L&S's first season complete, then why gamble on a stripped down version? Isn't it a possibility that Paramount stands to lose even more on a DVD set that isn't complete? I can't believe that a big company like Paramount is willing to gamble with that much money just to please L&S's fans. There had to have been some of kind of profit in the releasing of season one or at least the promise of a profit in releasing season two or they would have dropped it altogether. Business is business.

Well, from what I've heard and I may be wrong (this is speculation on my part; I don't work for Paramount) but there were a few reasons. Firstly, Paramount was deluged with a plethora of requests from fans to release more seasons. Paramount is proud of the show (and its parent show Happy Days) and wished to comply with fans wishes, but they were stuck as to how to go about it.

Also, there was a merger of some sorts with Paramount or a company shake-up, and that caused a delay with Paramount's plans with all of the series it owns, not just Laverne & Shirely and Happy Days. So any counter plan to try to save both series in the DVD format was shelved for a while; hence the LONG delay.

Paramount was also aware that another classic TV sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, owned by FOX, had a similar situation where Season 1 was released but did poorly. After FOX sat on the series for a couple of years, they released a stripped down Season 2 set which was lower in price and not as expensive in packaging, and sales picked up. FOX realized that there had been an audience for the show but that they had went about it the wrong way. They then went on to release Seasons 3 & 4. Currently, only Seasons 5-7 remain unreleased, plus the show's spinoffs Rhoda, Phyllis (nobody really expects this show to be released) and Lou Grant.

SONY as well has had success with their classic TV releases (i.e., All in the Family, The Jeffersons and Sanford & Son, to name but a few), again released with bare bone extras (most had no extras) with an affordable price range of $20-$30.

Paramount saw this and figured they could try to do the same with its shows; however, their dilemma is that, even if the DVD sets outsold themselves like some of today's current hits, with the amount of money they would have to invest in music royalties alone, they'd never make back their investment, let alone see a profit.

So how do they sell their shows at the same price range and do as well as FOX and SONY? By decreasing as much of their cost as possible. Sadly, and Paramount is just as frustrated as anyone about this since they know they're bound to tick people off, that meant either altering a TON of music or leaving out scenes altogether. Again, they really had no choice.

Something similar has happened with the first season release of WKRP in Cincinnati where practically every episode is altered or edited. You should hear some of the fan backlash over it. It's a crappy situation but again, it's either cave in to the sin of expense and make adjustments or not release anything at all. Paramount knows some fans will choose not to buy the sets but they hope other potential fans will realize their dilemma and purchase them. We really have no choice in the matter. It's not like we'd be teaching Paramount a lesson if we refused to buy their sets, and it's not going to get us the "real" versions of the episodes. It's either take what they offer and be grateful for it or get nothing at all.

At least they're trying, and with the huge loss they suffered with the Season 1 releases, we owe them a huge thank-you. Any other normal business would've shelved future releases permanently.

And trust me, if you do buy the set, you'll be amazed at how crystal clear the episodes look. They did a beautiful job at restoring the episodes. That alone is worth the price!

Peace,

Ed

Is there a detailed description of what has been edited out of each episode on the DVD?

I'm still debating on whether I should purchase it.

Is there a detailed description of what has been edited out of each episode on the DVD?

I'm still debating on whether I should purchase it.

I don't know offhand. It's only like 2 or 3 episodes at the most. Not a big deal since the show didn't have that much music to clear. The typical episode time is 24:30 or so and 2 or 3 episodes the time was about 22:00. Again, nothing major. I honestly wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't kept track of the time. The edits that were made were seamless and didn't detract from the viewing of the episodes.

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised should you decide to purchase it. The video quality alone is to die for...


Ed

If it came down to offering us nothing, or offering us an edited DVD, I'd take the edited DVD any day. Was the background/ambiance music good for the show? Yes, it was a wonderful period mood-setter, however, the tunes were not the be all/end all of L&S.

I haven't watched all of my Season 2 discs yet (savoring them like a fine wine!), but I've watched a few eps and the only one that really caught my attention editing-wise was that they edited out Carmine singing "Once in Love with Amy" at the end of "Look Before You Leap" and editing in some very generic piano music. Had the ediitng been a little smoother, I wouldn't have cared a bit since the original song didn't add much to the show.

And yes, I will gleefully order Season 3 when/if it comes out, edited or not! ;)

Shotzette

I noticed that. I remembered that Carmine had been singing a song while Laverne gave the news to her father. The camera does show him holding a microphone but Carmine isn't singing.

I also noticed that in "Good Time Girls", I think there was a minor music substitution when Hector walks into the men's room at the pool hall. It's pretty brief but it sounds like they replaced something there.

To be honest, the music cuts didn't bother me at all. I'd SOO MUCH rather Paramount do this and release the set, than not release it at all. In theory, the idea of a "complete season set" sounds great to me, but I'm just happy that we got this release at all (I honestly thought that season 1 would be the end of L&S on DVD...)

To be honest, the music cuts didn't bother me at all. I'd SOO MUCH rather Paramount do this and release the set, than not release it at all. In theory, the idea of a "complete season set" sounds great to me, but I'm just happy that we got this release at all (I honestly thought that season 1 would be the end of L&S on DVD...)


But how would the set be complete if the music cuts shortened the eps? The set would be incomplete

But how would the set be complete if the music cuts shortened the eps? The set would be incomplete

He wasn't saying the sets would be complete with the music cuts. He was saying that, although he'd prefer COMPLETE seasons, a season release with music cuts (which is therefore INCOMPLETE) is better than no release at all. Re-read his post and you'll see what I mean.

Ed

Paramount was also aware that another classic TV sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, owned by FOX, had a similar situation where Season 1 was released but did poorly. After FOX sat on the series for a couple of years, they released a stripped down Season 2 set which was lower in price and not as expensive in packaging, and sales picked up. FOX realized that there had been an audience for the show but that they had went about it the wrong way. They then went on to release Seasons 3 & 4. Currently, only Seasons 5-7 remain unreleased, plus the show's spinoffs Rhoda, Phyllis (nobody really expects this show to be released) and Lou Grant. Ed

when the first season of Mary Tyler Moore came out, it was ridiculously overpriced - i think it listed for about $70 - and for that reason the sales were horrible. A couple of years after that Sam's and Walmart started selling it for $19.99, the sales took off, and THEN they decided to release the second season at a more reasonable price (it still had a bunch of pricey extras, but they were all done earlier).

when the first season of Mary Tyler Moore came out, it was ridiculously overpriced - i think it listed for about $70 - and for that reason the sales were horrible. A couple of years after that Sam's and Walmart started selling it for $19.99, the sales took off, and THEN they decided to release the second season at a more reasonable price (it still had a bunch of pricey extras, but they were all done earlier).

You're half right. The price originally was in the $50 range and FOX declared the series dead since it didn't sell well in their eyes. When plans were made to go ahead with Season 2 (3 years after the "failure" of Season 1), they re-released Season 1 with cheaper packaging and sold it at the more affordable price.

The reason for the going ahead with Season 2 was for 2 reasons. One, they had anticipated Season 1 doing very well, since the show is a classic, and had already done the restorative work needed to put the show on DVD. Secondly, other shows, like Lost in Space, which had done abysmally in sales the first time around, had additional releases that were reformatted. With Lost in Space, instead of doing a pricey one season set, they cut in half and sold it as "volume" sets instead, and sales picked up immensely. FOX saw this and thought to re-think their strategy with The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

By this time, there was healthy demand for Season 2 to be released and so they released it with a slimmed down packaging. The extras contained on it were done prior to Season 1's release, but from there on, there would be no more extras added to the set. All of these factors helped decrease the costs on FOX's end to release the show, thereby making it less risky and more of a guarantee that they'd see a profit. FOX liked the money they made from the release and went ahead with Seasons 3 & 4.

The rest, I assume, you know...


Ed

You're half right. The price originally was in the $50 range and FOX declared the series dead since it didn't sell well in their eyes. When plans were made to go ahead with Season 2 (3 years after the "failure" of Season 1), they re-released Season 1 with cheaper packaging and sold it at the more affordable price.

i said it LISTED at about $70 - and I had seen it Best Buy and some other stores for around $60 dollars when it first came out.

- what differences are there in the packaging? i can't find any separate UPC code numbers or re-release information for the first season... the original packaging looks the same as all the following season sets to me.

i said it LISTED at about $70 - and I had seen it Best Buy and some other stores for around $60 dollars when it first came out.

- what differences are there in the packaging? i can't find any separate UPC code numbers or re-release information for the first season... the original packaging looks the same as all the following season sets to me.

That's the thing. The packaging for the original Season 1 release was very different. It was presented as if it was in a book and not in plastic cases. There was also pics from the show throughout all the packaging. Really fancy and classy release.

Ed

That's the thing. The packaging for the original Season 1 release was very different. It was presented as if it was in a book and not in plastic cases. There was also pics from the show throughout all the packaging. Really fancy and classy release.

Ed
do you have pictures of this different packaging - cuz mine isn't like that, and I got mine LONG before Season 2 came out.

much as i hate to sound redonded, but as far as i am concerned i do not believe that lavern an shriley had allot of music not as much as happy days, but i have said it once before paramount cares nothing for the fans who buys there product or any of there dvds which is sad but the truth, i even went on there website and did not see any laverne shirley mork and mindy or happy days seeason 2 its sad, all i am saytng that paramount does not commerically advertize there product and once again it will not surprise me if we do not ee season 3 and the rest of the series i bet you that paramount is still getting tons of calls and complaints but like i said before they can run out and spend billions of dollers on compaines and not restore shows that we like well what can we do nothing

do you have pictures of this different packaging - cuz mine isn't like that, and I got mine LONG before Season 2 came out.

I'll try to take pics of mine with my digital camera in a couple of days (just have to buy batteries for it; the camera drains them something awful) for comparison.

Ed

much as i hate to sound redonded, but as far as i am concerned i do not believe that lavern an shriley had allot of music not as much as happy days, but i have said it once before paramount cares nothing for the fans who buys there product or any of there dvds which is sad but the truth, i even went on there website and did not see any laverne shirley mork and mindy or happy days seeason 2 its sad, all i am saytng that paramount does not commerically advertize there product and once again it will not surprise me if we do not ee season 3 and the rest of the series i bet you that paramount is still getting tons of calls and complaints but like i said before they can run out and spend billions of dollers on compaines and not restore shows that we like well what can we do nothing

Dude, we get it. You keep repeating and repeating yourself ad nauseum, and it gets a bit irksome. Not only that, and I'm not trying to be snotty here (honest!), but your spelling and grammar leave a lot to be desired. It becomes a real effort to make sense of the things you post, and it's really disheartening to figure out that it's merely just a re-hash of the same posts where you bash Paramount. Can you try to at least be a bit more careful in that regard? I'm sure others, along with myself, would appreciate it immensely.

Sorry if I'm coming across as attacking, because that is not my intent. I'm sure you're a nice fellow who's frustrated at the injustice that's been perpetrated on his favorite show. However, if you're posting on a public forum, it should be, at least in part, for the public's benefit and not be an unorganized, rambling rant with spelling and grammar mistakes galore. It simply becomes too laborious to read. Please consider this.

And for what it's worth, I agree with you that many will be dissatisfied with Season 2's release of Happy Days, but ironically, the more that complain, the more copies it has probably sold. If sales are good, this will probably lead to a Season 3 release, with hopefully some of the issues addressed. I don't anticipate the music issue to change, but the video/audio quality may be improved upon if the show becomes more of a commodity to Paramount.

We can only hope...


Ed

Hey ed thank you for you comment. But i am just angery about how paramount handled there dvd season 2 sells, i loved happy days laverne & shirley and mork an mindy, but these were shows that we all grew up watching, but when you half do any show with bad picture quailty and scenes cut, nobody is going to buy the product, and we all must admit that we have waited years to see our long awaited show. And like i have said all along people are not going to buy a half incomplete show, thats jus the way it it. I recently called paramount pictures and i told them that as a fan i was shocked of all the changes that they made. And they told me that they have been getting lots of complaints and letters from fans, and they said that if season 2 of all these three tv shows does not do well, we will not see any of the other series out, they even know that they messed up with the music rights, and to me, even though they could not clear the rights to all of them, they should have cleared some. My friend in ny has told me that he gets a review dvd news paper which tells which dvd's are doing well, and he told me that happy days season 2 is not doing well at all, and again if tv shows are not in there original formate nobody is going to buy them. I am just upset that we had to waite all this time, and i am not the only fan who feels this way. But thanks again.

But how would the set be complete if the music cuts shortened the eps? The set would be incomplete.

Which is what happened with the recently released WKRP In Cincinnati season one set. Though it seems to be selling very well from what I've read.

Which is what happened with the recently released WKRP In Cincinnati season one set. Though it seems to be selling very well from what I've read.

I'm glad to hear this, because I really think the DVD company was caught between a rock and a hard place on this one. I'm not a huge fan of the show so I wouldn't have bought a copy of it anyway, though I do like Loni Anderson. I became a fan of hers when she teamed up with Lynda Carter on the short-lived 1984 detective drama Partners in Crime, but I feel it doesn't warrant my buying a show that isn't a fave.

In any case, this show is a perfect example of how stuck the company was. There's no way they'd be able to recoup their licensing fees of the music with initial sales unless they hiked the price up to the $60 range, and even that's not a guarantee.

Some figure it's better to have altered DVD sets than nothing at all. They know that some purists will moan and groan but they hope there's enough that appreciate the show for the show itself that will result in the the naysayers not having that much of an effect. What choice do they have ultimately?


Ed

Is there a detailed description of what has been edited out of each episode on the DVD?

I'm still debating on whether I should purchase it.

I just watched the episode 'Playing Hooky.' The first minute or so is cut, where Shirley walks into the living room singing a song and Laverne puts her hand over Shirley's mouth. I believe she was singing "Oh What a Beautiful Morning."

It's hard to believe they couldn't get the rights to two lines of a song! That is bordering on the ridiculous.:mad:

I'm so sick of human greed I could spit. In fact I think I will!

I just watched the episode 'Playing Hooky.' The first minute or so is cut, where Shirley walks into the living room singing a song and Laverne puts her hand over Shirley's mouth. I believe she was singing "Oh What a Beautiful Morning."

It's hard to believe they couldn't get the rights to two lines of a song! That is bordering on the ridiculous.:mad:

I'm so sick of human greed I could spit. In fact I think I will!

It is sad isn't it? And it's not that they couldn't get the rights to the song per se, but that each song, if you base it on what WKRP in Cinncinnati had to pay, is about $40,000 each. Yes, that's right. $40,000 for EACH SONG. They're not even guaranteed to make that in DVD sales. So should they keep the song included when it doesn't even move the plot or truncate it so that they can afford to sell the thing?

It's definite greed, but I think it's on the musical royalties side, if you ask me. Go here and see what I mean:

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7201

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7212


Ed

It is sad isn't it? And it's not that they couldn't get the rights to the song per se, but that each song, if you base it on what WKRP in Cinncinnati had to pay, is about $40,000 each. Yes, that's right. $40,000 for EACH SONG. They're not even guaranteed to make that in DVD sales. So should they keep the song included when it doesn't even move the plot or truncate it so that they can afford to sell the thing?

It's definite greed, but I think it's on the musical royalties side, if you ask me. Go here and see what I mean:

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7201

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7212


Ed

Not to mention that the music publishers or record companies shot themselves in the foot by making the prices too high. Think about it, if they'd lowered their prices, they could have made some money on those songs. Perhaps they could have made an arrangement where the music publishers would have gotten a small percentage in exchange for offering a lower licensing fee.

At any rate, the fans are getting cut-rate versions of the originals and have to pay for the privelige. Well, I'm not, but I know the die-hards will...

I just watched the episode 'Playing Hooky.' The first minute or so is cut, where Shirley walks into the living room singing a song and Laverne puts her hand over Shirley's mouth. I believe she was singing "Oh What a Beautiful Morning."


That's really too bad. As much as I have been advocating the whole "something is better than nothing" approach, it really does pain me to hear of cuts like this being made. It definitely all is about money, unfortunately. Ugh.

Not to mention that the music publishers or record companies shot themselves in the foot by making the prices too high. Think about it, if they'd lowered their prices, they could have made some money on those songs. Perhaps they could have made an arrangement where the music publishers would have gotten a small percentage in exchange for offering a lower licensing fee.

At any rate, the fans are getting cut-rate versions of the originals and have to pay for the privelige. Well, I'm not, but I know the die-hards will...


You said it! How can a company decide that no profit is better than a little? And would it really be so difficult to be charitable and take a lesser cut?:confused:

You said it! How can a company decide that no profit is better than a little? And would it really be so difficult to be charitable and take a lesser cut?:confused:

A small percentage of something is better than a percentage of nothing.

The music people make no money.

Paramount has to put out an inferior product, risking low sales.

Die hard fans have to settle for a second-rate product or go without.

Nobody wins.

Too bad the industry couldn't have worked out some standard agreement in regard to all DVDs. Some across-the-board cut of sales. Instead, everyone is out for the most moola, and the consumer has to constantly worry about getting the 'actual' TV show versus some chopped up, fake version. And we have to live in a climate of mistrust and hard feelings.:(

what I don't understand is how all of these huge, multi-million-dollar MEGA-entertainment companies, like Paramount, Sony, Fox, Universal, et al, are getting "pushed around" by individual rights-holders to a few songs...

you'd think they'd all get together and just say, "sorry, but none of your music will ever get used in any movie or tv show EVER again"