So, would there be an audience out there if all 179 I Love Lucy episodes were colorized? What episodes would you like to see most in color?

So, would there be an audience out there if all 179 I Love Lucy episodes were colorized? What episodes would you like to see most in color?
Oh yes, most definitely i would buy those AGAIN! After seeing the incredible colors on that Scotland episode, it makes me want the whole series that way. However, i do realize that they would not all look as great as that one does, because the whole point of that one was the color, as opposed to most of the eps being filmed against grey backgrounds and muted shades on everybody's clothes for Karl's genius photography. I think the Honeymooners sold better in color and other shows were helped by it also, so although some of us hate colorization as it sometimes looks fake, in this case it would help enhance the basic product. Some people just hate watching things in black and white.

What episodes would you like to see most in color?

For me, most of them are alright in B&W, but I would like to see colorized eps that just give a good look at 'both' Ricardo apartments, the Mertzes apartment [both before and after the extreme makeover], the Hollywood sets including the pool, and definitely the Connecticut home sets because that house in B&W looks dirty. Although I would like to see the many location shots in color, probably all of them are available to be found in color from various sources...the Washington Bridge over the Hudson, whatever street they're driving in "Hollywood at Last!", the Alps, Miami Beach. But it may be hard to find them from the early to mid 50's.

Otherwise, I would like to see those "hostess pants" in color that Ethel and Lucy have the fight about,;and when the characters appear in costumes, such as Lucy dressed as Marilyn Monroe, Fred as a matador, and that silly operetta.

Yes! Lucy in Scotland blew me away.

NOOOOO!!!! Colourising B&W anything is VANDALISM; i wouldnt buy ILL in colour anymore than I'd buy it if someone hand-painted mustaches and glasses on all the actors! (Its the same thing, to me!)

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I want them yesterday! LOL

You don't mess with a masterpiece. B & W is just fine by me , thanks.

Color candy coating belongs on M&M's not classic B&W tv shows. ;)

Color candy coating belongs on M&M's not classic B&W tv shows. ;)
:clap :clap

Color candy coating belongs on M&M's not classic B&W tv shows. ;)

Another nice way of putting it!!:thumbsup:

I think I would like to see the episodes in color, but not sure that I would be a fan. Part of the show's "charm" is that it's in black and white. I almost think it's weird to see it in color.

So how does the colorization happen? Are the colors identified based on any available pictures from the tapings (or before/after) or is there some technique or technology to guessing what colors things really were?

I think that's part of the turnoff for me in the colorized version--I'm still left wondering how they arrived at those colors and how real it all is.

Btw I've been away from this board for over three years and just stumbled onto it again the other day after watching the ILL marathon on TVLand. Made me want to read some of the behind-the-scenes stuff and thoughts from other fans, and low and behold I came across some stuff that I had written myself. :) I realized I had an account once upon a time and used to be a poster. How time flies and the memory forgets.

So how does the colorization happen?

http://www.berlinwallpaper.com/PrissPrints/images/PrissPrints%20stx%20Images/Crayola_FFM2.jpg

You don't mess with a masterpiece. B & W is just fine by me , thanks.
Same here. You don't mess with ILL, and I don't want to see it in anything other than the classic b&w.

I'd like to see the series in color, it wouldn't bother me. I'd buy it, I bought both versions of Bewitched, so I would buy I Love Lucy.

As much as I love Bewitched, it is not in the same league as ILL. (What is?)

Bewitched came along much later, has special trick photography and given the nature of the show, I could see color here. But I still prefer things exactly the way they came out--it's part of a show's charm.

ILL is one of TV's earliest efforts and for the many compelling reasons I've articulated in past threads is the "Citizen Kane" of sitcoms. IMO, a big part of ILL's charm is the B & W. You just don't mess with a masterpiece.

Especially after seeing the eps all remastered and perfect on the new sets, it's hard to imagine they could ever look any better in color, but like i said, some people just will not watch things in black and white and to bring the world's most beloved tv series to color would not be the end of the world as we know it, just a new way for CBS to milk the ILL cash cow.

Otherwise, I would like to see those "hostess pants" in color that Ethel and Lucy have the fight about,;and when the characters appear in costumes, such as Lucy dressed as Marilyn Monroe, Fred as a matador, and that silly operetta.

Maybe this will help satisfy some of your curiosity. :)

Especially after seeing the eps all remastered and perfect on the new sets, it's hard to imagine they could ever look any better in color, but like i said, some people just will not watch things in black and white and to bring the world's most beloved tv series to color would not be the end of the world as we know it, just a new way for CBS to milk the ILL cash cow.

Another incisive take. Yes, doing color to this masterpiece is essentially just a vulgar way to work the show for all the coins that can be shaken from it.

Probably not. After seeing some pretty horrible coloration jobs... i shudder to merely think of it!
And besides, not being around when the show was originally aired, I think it's neat to see it the way America originally watched it; in black and white.

I think I'll stick with the black & white episodes.

To have the complete I Love Lucy set ALL IN COLOR, would truly be a dream come true. Colorization is not what you saw it as 20 years ago, the process has been perfected and it is now a beautiful artform in itself. YES, I'd definitley buy I Love Lucy complete set ALL IN COLOR, I'll buy 2 just to spite the fuddy duddys who refuse to see and be enlightened by the marvelous new colorizing process. Now, let's see the Honeymooners Classic 39 in color and all of Perry Mason in color too! WOW, I'm getting excited just thinking about it!:crazy:

YES, I'd definitley buy I Love Lucy complete set ALL IN COLOR, I'll buy 2 just to spite the fuddy duddys who refuse to see and be enlightened by the marvelous new colorizing process.

Not wanting to see a classic vandalised in the name of "modernising" doesnt make someone a "fuddy duddy"....Would you put a hoodie and blue jeans on the Mona Lisa?

Oh i'd just LOVE a copy of Mona dressed like that, it would become her.:lol:

Not wanting to see a classic vandalised in the name of "modernising" doesnt make someone a "fuddy duddy"....Would you put a hoodie and blue jeans on the Mona Lisa?

I hadn't thought of it. But would you take the original Mona Lisa and decolorize it, if B&W is "classic?"

A nice pair of shades on Mona would also be an improvement. Notice Mona is not in b/w, she's in COLOR, oh dread, imagine something in color instead of drab and dreary dated b/w. Horrors. Give me a colorized I Love Lucy, Dennis The Menace, or Citizen Kane anytime, I love the NEW colorization, it looks real and that's all you could ever ask for. If you b/w stuck in the muds out there don't want to see a program in color don't buy it. Meantime the enlightened ones, like me, want all b/w shows and movies in beautiful living color. :D

I hadn't thought of it. But would you take the original Mona Lisa and decolorize it, if B&W is "classic?"

I think the real point is that the lighting and photography were set to create the best black and white image possible. The black and white image on that show is is the artistry of Karl Freund, and his work is essentially destroyed by colorizing it. But looking at it a different way, the people doing the colorizing are also (hopefully) artists. And if they use the same kind of care doing what they're doing as he did with what he did, perhaps they can give us a new visual art. It's not so much like putting a bonnet on the Mona Lisa because we're not losing anything -- the black and white version will still be around to appreciate -- but more like someone making a copy of the Mona Lisa and putting a bonnet on it. We're not losing anything, really, we just have something else to chose from. I just hope that the same kind of care can be taken to make sure the colorizing is done right. Like it or not, it's going to happen eventually -- maybe sooner than we think -- we just have to hope for the best. Now how about if they colorize those first 30 episodes of The Lucy Show?

I'll buy 2 just to spite the fuddy duddys who refuse to see and be enlightened by the marvelous new colorizing process.

If a show was originally produced in black & white then that's how I want to see it. Those that later went to color such as Bewitched and The Andy Griffith Show should not have their original B&W episodes tampered with. If colorization happens to all these shows then so be it and it's fine if you prefer them that way but please don't insult my intelligence by calling people fuddy duddys simply because they want to see a classic B&W program in it's originally intended form. I bet Rod Serling and Alfred Hitchcock would turn over in their graves if some moron wanted to colorize The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock presents.

I bet Rod Serling and Alfred Hitchcock would turn over in their graves if some moron wanted to colorize The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock presents.

Not Hitch-- he was cremated.

You guys are a riot! LOL! Novarick said it best. Colorization has greatly improved and with the new technology, anything is possible. Nobody is stopping you from seeing the show the way you want, but all i'm saying is if it increses it's audience by putting the color IN, then so be it. My all time greatest film, Citizen Kane, i think is best in black and white, but again, if it means more people would see that masterpiece, then put out a color version for those who want it. It's a wonderful life, same thing. And I Love Lucy too. I have Hitchcock's first season and all his films, some look dated, specially the tv show, so if colorization makes his audience bigger, gets more people to see this genius's work, then i don't mind the color, the black and white will still be there also. Everybody can get it the way they WANT o see it.

Color candy coating belongs on M&M's not classic B&W tv shows. ;)
I second that.

so if colorization makes his audience bigger, gets more people to see this genius's work, then i don't mind the color, the black and white will still be there also. Everybody can get it the way they WANT o see it.

That pretty much sums it up.

Not Hitch-- he was cremated.

Didn't know that, Thanks. :wave:

Color candy coating belongs on M&M's not classic B&W tv shows. ;)

:lol: Well said!

Watch the terrible Scottish episode on the new boxed set in that glorious color and tell me you dont want to see others like that. It was just incredible. Felt like i was watching something done this past month, not 50 years ago.

Watch the terrible Scottish episode on the new boxed set in that glorious color and tell me you dont want to see others like that. It was just incredible. Felt like i was watching something done this past month, not 50 years ago.

If the Scottish episode was so terrible then why bother colorizing it? The last B&W show I saw that was colorized was a 1963 episode of The Twilight Zone titled "Miniature" starring Robert Duval. This was one of the hour long episodes that was never included in the original syndication package because of a lawsuit that was still in litigation at the time.

The suit was settled but "Miniature" wasn't released until the mid 80's. Only certain scenes were colorized and it aired as part of Twilight Zone special hosted by Patrick O'Neal in which other episodes that weren't originally syndicated finally were. The colorized scenes were very poorly done but this was 20 years or so ago.

colorization sucks. The end.

To have the complete I Love Lucy set ALL IN COLOR, would truly be a dream come true. Colorization is not what you saw it as 20 years ago, the process has been perfected and it is now a beautiful artform in itself. YES, I'd definitley buy I Love Lucy complete set ALL IN COLOR, I'll buy 2 just to spite the fuddy duddys who refuse to see and be enlightened by the marvelous new colorizing process. Now, let's see the Honeymooners Classic 39 in color and all of Perry Mason in color too! WOW, I'm getting excited just thinking about it!:crazy:

This iconic and beloved show is the the "Citizen Kane" of TV comedy, and I am sorry, but monkeying around with it to try and make it "better" by colorizing it just doesn't sit right with me. If this makes me a fuddy duddy then I am proud to be a fuddy duddy.

However, NOVArick does put the colorization debate in an interesting and eloquent light -I suppose if the colorization were done with great care then it might turn out fine for those who must have color no matter what. I, however, will still cling doggedly to the B & W original masterpiece.

Because colorizing the show is one more way to milk the show for cash, your wish will probably come true. And even though we strongly disagree, I hope you'll enjoy it the way you want--because after all, Lucy is meant to be enjoyed.

I hadn't thought of it. But would you take the original Mona Lisa and decolorize it, if B&W is "classic?"
Obviously not, the idea is that you don't vandalise a masterpiece, if something is in colour, you don't decolourise it anymore than you should colourise a masterpiece that's in B&W

Obviously not, the idea is that you don't vandalise a masterpiece, if something is in colour, you don't decolourise it anymore than you should colourise a masterpiece that's in B&W

But you do syndicate it. You appreciate it. You emulate it. You inculcate it. If these things also weren't the original intent, why not colorate it?

Listen to a lot of RAP, do you? :lol: (No offense intended, but, i couldnt resist! :) )

Listen to a lot of RAP, do you? :lol: (No offense intended, but, i couldnt resist! :) )

:lol: :lol:

Artificial red coloring was intended for Easter eggs not Lucy Ricardo's hair. :D

Colorizing these shows is no different than a singer releasing a box set and instead of the original recordings, We get new updated versions that are horrible and sound nothing like the original.

One such artist was Bobby Bare, His box set was released a few years ago and samples were available to listen to online. My favorite song of his is "Four Strong Winds" and even though he wasn't the original artist, His version is far better than anyone elses I've heard including Neil Young.

Unfortunately, the re-recording was a huge disappointment as were new versions of all the other tracks. If the original recordings had been used then I would've grabbed it immediately but it wasn't meant to be. Bobby Bare isn't the only artist to do this but I'm only using him as an example.

Artificial red coloring was intended for Easter eggs not Lucy Ricardo's hair. :D

Colorizing these shows is no different than a singer releasing a box set and instead of the original recordings, We get new updated versions that are horrible and sound nothing like the original.

One such artist was Bobby Bare, His box set was released a few years ago and samples were available to listen to online. My favorite song of his is "Four Strong Winds" and even though he wasn't the original artist, His version is far better than anyone elses I've heard including Neil Young.

Unfortunately, the re-recording was a huge disappointment as were new versions of all the other tracks. If the original recordings had been used then I would've grabbed it immediately but it wasn't meant to be. Bobby Bare isn't the only artist to do this but I'm only using him as an example.


As you can tell from my previous posts I 99.99% feel the way you do. I can't imagaine any new process that alters anything about ILL being as magnificient as the ORIGINAL masterpiece. I wouldn't want a colorized version of ILL, even for free, because that is NOT how the original was made. But there are those who fervently believe color makes everything better. Sigh, let them have their version and let the cash registers ring once more. But I'm sticking to the original.

Somebody brought up Lucy's hair, there ya go, perfect example, she looked so much better IN COLOR. As for the comment on the terrible Scottish ep being colorized, they used that one because the outfits were already so colorful AND they wanted to compete with the first musical extravaganzas like Peter Pan which were showing up on tv. I never liked the Scottish ep and now that i've seen it in glorious unbelievable color, it is now one of my all time favorites, it's just unbelievable. See it before you make comments, LOL! I agree that BAD cheap colorization is not what we're talking about, we mean the great process used NOW that looks so friggin REAL.

Alot of my friends say the coloured ones are better, but the b&w are the originals and the best, they are what we all know and love. :)

:) THe fuddy duddy stick in the muds need to get over it. Color looks better than b/w if for no other reason than it makes the show/movie more relevant to today. If the b/w morons want to stick to only b/w, let 'em wallow in their limited world. But what I object to is these idiots trying to stop colorizing all together and taking my pleasure of seeing shows and movies in color if I want to. If they don't like it, don't watch, meantime I'm going to love to see Lucy, A. Hitchcock Presents, Honeymooners, Superman and Twilight Zone & Psycho in beautiful LIVING (not dated and old looking) COLOR. Color, it's the only way to watch the classics, I already enjoy Casablanca and It's A Wonderful Life in the new beautiful color process, now on to Outer Limits, Twiight Zone, and every other b/w show ever made!!:happyface

:) THe fuddy duddy stick in the muds need to get over it. Color looks better than b/w if for no other reason than it makes the show/movie more relevant to today. If the b/w morons want to stick to only b/w, let 'em wallow in their limited world. But what I object to is these idiots trying to stop colorizing all together and taking my pleasure of seeing shows and movies in color if I want to. If they don't like it, don't watch, meantime I'm going to love to see Lucy, A. Hitchcock Presents, Honeymooners, Superman and Twilight Zone & Psycho in beautiful LIVING (not dated and old looking) COLOR. Color, it's the only way to watch the classics, I already enjoy Casablanca and It's A Wonderful Life in the new beautiful color process, now on to Outer Limits, Twiight Zone, and every other b/w show ever made!!:happyface Well, that's the thing, they weren't MEANT to be in color, color just wasn't available, or too costly or whatever other reason they had, today, they have ways of making it seem so much better with all the new sophisticated ways they can use. But i wouldn't put those people who do not want color down for any reason, they want it the way they've been enjoying it for decades, so be it, as long as they do not mind other people getting it the way THEY WANT also. Live and let live. I admit i had the same reaction when i saw Wonderful Life colorized for the first time, it takes getting used to.

:) THe fuddy duddy stick in the muds need to get over it. Color looks better than b/w if for no other reason than it makes the show/movie more relevant to today. If the b/w morons want to stick to only b/w, let 'em wallow in their limited world.

Calling those of us that prefer these shows in their original form morons is totally uncalled for. If you want to watch them in color that's fine but please cease with the name calling.

If you saw the first colorization of It's a Wonderful Life, literally 20 years ago, then I'd agree, it was a lousy job, all tones of brown or blue. But that was 20 years ago, the technical ability of the modern colorists has improved to the point now where it looks perfect, looks like it was actually shot in color, each and every separate object in a frame is assigned it's own color now, there is a gray scale that now goes into the 1000's instead of a double digit scale before. Colorizing today is just like watching a program that was filmed in color. It's A Wonderful Life was re-colorized about 10 years after the first attempt by Republic Pictures and that new colorized version was a big improvement. (UPDATED REVISION FOLLOWS) "It's A Wonderful Life" has just be re-colorized in 2007 using the latest modern color techniques, and the result is pure beauty. It looks exactly like the film was shot in color not dreary b/w. It is extremely clear, colors clear and bright and totally real looking. (Revision over.)

I don't mind people who only want to watch in b/w, it's when they start calling others morons first, that I get my dander up and when these same snobs who still are judging colorization from the 20 year ago standard and refuse to see the marvelous new color shows and films and further they do what they can to stop colorizing so others can't enjoy it because they deem themselve the arbiter of what should and shouldn't be seen, that's when I call foul to them and term them the stick in the mud spoil sports. Not satisfied to watch b/w to themselves, they want to ruin the pleasure the rest of us get out of seeing a program in color rather than drab b/w by trying to ban colorizing all together. Now that's taking your b/w opinion too far when you try to stop colorizing and not allow others to enjoy color classics instead of b/w classics. Freedom of choice is what I'm about and I want to be free of the b/w censors telling me what I should and shouldn't be watching. They should all mind their business and not watch color if they don't like it.:mad:

Here's an excerpt from a 1996 interview with the late Tommy Bond who played Butch the bully on Our Gang. The entire interview can be read here. (http://www.ramseyltd.com/rascals/butch/interview.html)


What do you think about all this colorization?

I don’t object to it. I’ll tell you why; we’re playing for the kids of today who are used to color. I don’t think it will do anything but enhance them. Now, I would never colorize anything like Casablanca or Citizen Kane. That was mood, set with black & white. But with a kids comedy show, I don’t see any objection to it.

It was one of the b/w purists who called those of us who prefer a world of color morons first. Now going back over the thread the word moron is gone from their message. I was just responding in kind to THEIR name calling. Putting all that aside, bottom line is I prefer a freedom of choice those who want to stick to b/w are welcome to, just don't deny the rest of us our color choice.

:) Color, it's the only way to watch the classics, I already enjoy Casablanca and It's A Wonderful Life in the new beautiful color process, now on to Outer Limits, Twiight Zone, and every other b/w show ever made!!:happyface

I agree with you for the most part, but a comedy show is one thing. When you talk about something like Casablanca being colorized, that's another. Yes, it's a free world and I'm not here to argue that anything should not be colorized, but the black and white imagery in a movie like Casablanca was filmed to convey certain moods. That is entirely lost with colorization. If that movie had been filmed in color originally, the director/director of photography would have worked to find ways to light scenes in order to capture those moods with color film in mind. In other words, had Casablanca been filmed in color originally, the end product would look very different than a colorized version of the black and white film because the lighting would be very different. This is what I'm talking about when I say some of the artistry can be lost from colorization. I don't think this is as big an issue with a comedy show (though it's still an issue), but with something like Casablanca or a Hitchcock film, that's a very different matter. I'm not anti-colorization in those cases, but I think viewers should be forewarned that they may be deprived of some of the richness in moods and feelings the director had intended to convey if they watch the colorized version. It may look prettier on the surface, but the feelings and moods will not be captured in their full glory.

Zoneboy, that Tommy Bond comment took the words right out of my mouth. That's exactly what I'm saying. And Asheboro? Are you kidding? I was born and raised there!

It was one of the b/w purists who called those of us who prefer a world of color morons first. Now going back over the thread the word moron is gone from their message. I was just responding in kind to THEIR name calling. Putting all that aside, bottom line is I prefer a freedom of choice those who want to stick to b/w are welcome to, just don't deny the rest of us our color choice.

I'm one of those purists who prefer B&W but I agree that you should be able to enjoy the shows the way you want to. If colorization will bring new fans to these shows then I see nothing wrong with that. I know several people that will refuse to watch Twilight Zone, I Love Lucy or any other show because it's in B&W.

It is a valid point that in some classics the fact it was in shades of gray [B&W] was used to advantage as a mood-setter. I think that's one difference between the attempts at reviving The Twilight Zone and the original series; but of course it's not nearly as much a factor as Serling's creativity and hard work, and the chip on his shoulder for having his scripts for Playhouse 90 and other shows censored for direct references to Soviet communism, infedelity, et al.

I'm not very familiar with Casa Blanca and It's a Wonderful Life, but some 'creepy' shows from the mid-60's like Straightjacket and I Saw What You Did would also give less of the mood of impending danger if they had been in color.

Nevertheless, they can colorize these films, and if a viewer prefers the 'original' way they were meant to be viewed, he can simply turn his color down or off. The same is the case with I Love Lucy; although it does not, and is not meant to, have the impending danger mood that old B&W helps to set. And indeed, color plays a role in the comedy that we know only by direct reference in the dialog... Lucy's hair, the "old clothes" ep and Ricky's plaid shirt and stuff, the hostess pants, the barbecue and the tulips in the Connecticut eps. Seeing those scenes in color wouldn't hurt a thing and would magnify the visual comedy facet.

Hazel, calling people morons is against the rules, do it again, and Im going to report you.

The fact is a movie should be seen the way it was originally meant to be seen whether it's in black and white or color. It is totally sickening the way the classics have been ruined by colorization. I have a huge movie collection and I would never think of getting a colorized movie. And I was very upset when I looked for the IDOJ season 1 DVD, and all I could find was the colorized version. It's sickening if you ask me. Now go back to your name calling ( moron, fuddy duddy, etc). ;)

It was one of the b/w purists who called those of us who prefer a world of color morons first. Now going back over the thread the word moron is gone from their message. I was just responding in kind to THEIR name calling. Putting all that aside, bottom line is I prefer a freedom of choice those who want to stick to b/w are welcome to, just don't deny the rest of us our color choice.

Hazel, I do not recall anyone calling you a moron on this thread, and in any event, if someone did and deleted it, it was not I who flung that mud in your face.

Yes, I am hopelessly old-fashioned about seeing masterpieces the way they were originally created (e.g. B&W in B&W). To me, part of the charm is seeing the shows the way they were originally done. Also NOVARicks's trenchent observations about B&W is another compelling reason.

And while I still intensely dislike the idea of monkeying around with B&W masterpieces, your observations about colorization are illuminating. If the colorization process is as advanced as you say, then I understand your passion. Because I'm sure there are others out there who equate colorization to progress, many B & W masterpieces will have colorized versions. So...let each of us have what we want and be happy. And let us please be able to disagree without being disagreeable.

Also, BTW I know you are a serious collector so I take your opinions seriously. I still can't believe you have virtually all of the Father Knows Best series. Did you ever get that last one you were looking for? Hope you did. And BTW I like Hazel the show too, and already devoured S#1. Since I'm also an Adv. of Ozzie and Harriet fan, seeing Don DeFore in both shows is a delicious treat.

Also, just so you know, I do like color (just not for the B&W classics). When I was a kid, only one house on our block had a color TV and I would go GA GA when they let me come over to watch Walt Disney in color. Whenever the NBC peacock would come on, I would go apesh**t with pleasure (I was like 9-10 back then)!

The fact is a movie should be seen the way it was originally meant to be seen whether it's in black and white or color. It is totally sickening the way the classics have been ruined by colorization. I have a huge movie collection and I would never think of getting a colorized movie. And I was very upset when I looked for the IDOJ season 1 DVD, and all I could find was the colorized version. It's sickening if you ask me. Now go back to your name calling ( moron, fuddy duddy, etc). ;)
^Right on!
Throw me in with the rest of the -fuddy duddy morons-

Mikado, it does pain me to say it but you're proving yourself to be exactly what SOMEONE ELSE called the colorized fans. As I stated before it was someone else who called the colorized fan people "morons" I merely responded in kind. Later they revised their message and took "moron" out of it. So mine was the only message left with the moron term. So perhaps now you get it? If not just re-read this until it sinks in. Now, by all means, do go run and tell Daddy. Now back to the subject.

Rich P, I thank you for the kind words. If you and I have traded with each other you know I'm a much sweeter & kinder person one on one. I THOUGHT I was getting the missing few episodes of Father Knows Best from another supposed collector, I sent him double the amout of episodes I needed and he was supposed to send me the few missing ones. Yep, you guessed it, he was a crook, took my discs and never returned any messages then disappeared off this board. Somewhere the great Collector's God in the sky will mete out just rewards to these liars and crooks. Meantime, the only Father Knows Best's I'm really missing are the repeat episodes that they did, the one's where they re-showed an older episode.

But I too can see your point in wanting to see them in their original form, I would just like there to be a choice for those of us who prefer shows in color. Lucy & 1st couple years of Superman and the "Classic 39" Honeymooners would all be GREAT in color.

I Dream of Jeanie, by the way, LOOKED ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS colorized. "Walking Tall" (but not seeing much) should see it first and then seriously tell us how horrible it was. The Colorized I Dream Of Jeanie is absolutely perfect, not a flaw, bright beautiful accurate color, one of the very best I've ever seen. How anyone in their right mind can complain about it must mean they didn't see it. Heck, the whole rest of the Jeanie series was in color, does this mean they hated all the actual color episodes too? I just don't understand these seemingly irrational anti-colorizing thoughts. But please, Walking, don't bother to explain, I have lost interest, I will continue to enjoy the COLOR Jeanie and you will just have to imagine how wonderful it would be in color.

Rich P, I thank you for the kind words. If you and I have traded with each other you know I'm a much sweeter & kinder person one on one. I THOUGHT I was getting the missing few episodes of Father Knows Best from another supposed collector, I sent him double the amout of episodes I needed and he was supposed to send me the few missing ones. Yep, you guessed it, he was a crook, took my discs and never returned any messages then disappeared off this board. Somewhere the great Collector's God in the sky will mete out just rewards to these liars and crooks. Meantime, the only Father Knows Best's I'm really missing are the repeat episodes that they did, the one's where they re-showed an older episode.

But I too can see your point in wanting to see them in their original form, I would just like there to be a choice for those of us who prefer shows in color. Lucy & 1st couple years of Superman and the "Classic 39" Honeymooners would all be GREAT in color.


Regarding your first two sentences, I think you're just fine. There were misunderstandings going around that needed to be cleared up. I think when you feel attacked you get ornery--that your viewpoint will get undermined unless you go tit for tat. It's easy to fall into that, but what happens when you go back and forth with someone trading insults, you get derailed about what you orig. came on to discuss. Besides, Hazel, when you stick to facts, you make very strong arguments--for example, your first four sentences in Post #49. Anyone who collects as much as you do is clearly knowledgeable and sophisticated--I don't have your technical sophistication or your tenacity for collecting (and bless you for that, I admire you for this)--but I do have an equal love of the shows.

And I really must get more with the program--by that I mean more technologically savvy. You surely will hang that fuddy duddy label on me when I tell you I didn't have a color TV til 2003. Since I mostly watched 50s & 60s shows on VHS, and the 11 news, it didn't seem a big deal esp. since I had a friend who didn't have any kind of TV at all. Now that was hard for me to understand. I'd say to him Bill, what about the news for God's sake. But no, no TV for him.

What got me to get color were the French lesson videos I bought. I would watch them after hrs @ work, and when I saw how beautiful they were in color (and here, color was approp because they were made in color and meant to be watched that way) that I got my color TV. And I'm glad I did. It's really only the classics I want to see in B&W & ILL is a classic). In 03 I also got a DVD, in 04 a computer & in 06 a cell phone. And it's true, once you move forward you can't go back. VHS tapes make my skin crawl now. Yecch! And my land line feels so ancient, but I just can't get rid of it yet. (Silly I know)

P.S. Did you ever end up getting that one missing FKB ep?????

OK, I'm a bit of a hothead:mad: , but not without reason, seems so many on this board are just lying in the weeds with knives just waiting for you. My mistake is giving right back to them what they dish out. If I was smart, I'd ignore them. Just gets me dander up when people try to put a stop to something based on 20 year old evidence. In the late 1980's colorizing was in it's infancy, maybe the mistake was letting out these initial colorizing efforts out to the public who then judged colorizing forever more as "looking terrible". Today, as I've said, it's a much different story. If the b/w purists don't like color, fine, but don't judge the colorized products of today on 1986 colorized films. The 2 seasons of Bewitched colorized and the I Dream of Jeanie colorized season are fantastic looking.

Well, I can see why you have no interest in colorized shows, since you didn't even have a color set till 2003!!!! Honestly, I didn't even think you could buy anything but a color set for at least the past 10 years. I used to see small b/w sets for sale, but now everythings color. Congratulations on holding back the tide as long as you did. I am like you in other ways, I still have dialing phones in my house, just like the one's you see on '60's sitcoms. Never have owned a cell phone. Don't own a computer, only have one at work. Don't like ANY new TV shows (except Judge Judy & Conan O'Brien) so I recently cancelled my cable and now only watch my DVD collections of old TV shows. My TV viewing nights now are a pleasure compared to having to put up with the the lousy cable programming of today. But I am on the cutting edge when it comes to video and the latest forms it takes that they keep coming out with. This also means you get burned most of the time, I was the first to buy Beta tapes & Laser discs, great formats but now useless and extinct. Also the first to get a DVD player and DVD recorders. But now the trouble is I'm stuck with betas and laser discs that can't be played once my old players give out on me. :(

Hazel,

You're missing the point about why people are opposed to colorization. You keep implying that it's because the anti-colorization people are expecting the same bad quality of the technology from 20 years ago. It's not about that at all, at least not for me. It's the fact that filming in color is different than filming in black and white, in terms of lighting. A director who going to film a scene in black and white sets up the lighting in such a way to capture a desired black and white image. If that director decides to film in color, instead, the lighting is going to be markedly changed. You mentioned a colorized version of Casablanca. I had been unaware that film had ever been colorized until you mentioned that. I was in your camp on this colorization issue until you said that. The thought of that film being colorized mortifies me, and is going too far. For that film, the black and white imagery, and lighting for those black and white images, were absolutely key to the moods the director was trying to convey. It's an essential element of that film. It is impossible to colorize that and still maintain the moods the director was trying to capture, at least not to their full extent.

For a black and white comedy show like I Love Lucy, the lighting was done more to enhance the visual image of Lucille Ball and appease her vanity than to capture any particular mood. For that reason, I am not personally bothered by attempts to colorize that show. And as has been mentioned already, the colorization could actually enhance the comedy. But for something like Casablanca, those black and white images and the way they were filmed are as important to the film as the actors themselves and the classic dialogue. In other words, I am very excited about the prospect of seeing a colorized version I Love Lucy (though I wouldn't give up my b&w versions). But there is no way you could get me to watch a colorized Casablanca. If that movie had originally been filmed in color, the director would have filmed it very diferently, with different lighting in order to capture the intended moods in color. Colorizing the actual black and white film is not going to look anything like that film would have looked had it originally been filmed in color. And if fewer people want to watch Casablanca because it's in black and white, I say so what, because they would be missing very important aspects of that film anyway by watching a colorized version of it.

Yes, Novarick I do understand your point and I understood it when I first saw it. I am a big old movie fan and film noir movies are a major part of my movie collection. BUT, I still would rather see Casablanca in color than b/w anytime anyday. I watch Casablanca about once a year and I always watch the color version, it looks in color more relevant and of today rather than a dated old movie. I also have "Out of The Past" and many other film noir movies in beautiful color and they all are improved immensely in color. Dick Powell in "Cornered" & "Murder, My Sweet" looks great in color, much better than the dated and old looking b/w image that bores me to tears. I can't think of anything I'd rather see in b/w as opposed to color. I am serious when I say I'd like to have all b/w movies and TV shows in color. I have all of the Laurel & Hardy shorts in color, even though it's the early color attempts and not great looking like today's color, it's still 100% better than the old dated looking b/w L&H shorts. I recently bought the 3 Stooges releases in their NEW beautiful color versions. The Shemp shorts with the newest color techniques look fantastic. Makes me wish they'd colorize all the Shemps and Joe Besser shorts. They can work on Curly after (not a big Curly fan.)

But, my friend, I have nothing negative to say against you. :santa: You like what you like and I like what I like. That's what makes the world go round. But I do understand your lighting b/w effect and mood comment. I prefer color over b/w no matter what the subject matter. :yippee:

Hazel,

You're missing the point about why people are opposed to colorization. You keep implying that it's because the anti-colorization people are expecting the same bad quality of the technology from 20 years ago. It's not about that at all, at least not for me. It's the fact that filming in color is different than filming in black and white, in terms of lighting. A director who going to film a scene in black and white sets up the lighting in such a way to capture a desired black and white image. If that director decides to film in color, instead, the lighting is going to be markedly changed. You mentioned a colorized version of Casablanca. I had been unaware that film had ever been colorized until you mentioned that. I was in your camp on this colorization issue until you said that. The thought of that film being colorized mortifies me, and is going too far. For that film, the black and white imagery, and lighting for those black and white images, were absolutely key to the moods the director was trying to convey. It's an essential element of that film. It is impossible to colorize that and still maintain the moods the director was trying to capture, at least not to their full extent.

For a black and white comedy show like I Love Lucy, the lighting was done more to enhance the visual image of Lucille Ball and appease her vanity than to capture any particular mood. For that reason, I am not personally bothered by attempts to colorize that show. And as has been mentioned already, the colorization could actually enhance the comedy. But for something like Casablanca, those black and white images and the way they were filmed are as important to the film as the actors themselves and the classic dialogue. In other words, I am very excited about the prospect of seeing a colorized version I Love Lucy (though I wouldn't give up my b&w versions). But there is no way you could get me to watch a colorized Casablanca. If that movie had originally been filmed in color, the director would have filmed it very diferently, with different lighting in order to capture the intended moods in color. Colorizing the actual black and white film is not going to look anything like that film would have looked had it originally been filmed in color. And if fewer people want to watch Casablanca because it's in black and white, I say so what, because they would be missing very important aspects of that film anyway by watching a colorized version of it.

The idea of timeless classics like Casablanca and Citizen Kane being colorized sends shivers down my spine. IMO, the notion that someone could enhance the genius of Gregg Toland through colorization is preposterous. But again to each his own & let us all live well and be happy. There are many things I'd be delighted to view in color, but not these two films.

This reminds me of a joke Johnny Carson (or was it Jay Leno?) told back when Ted Turner was going crazy colorizing everything. He said that Ted Turner had announced he was going to colorize the first 20 minutes of The Wizard of Oz. The point being, sometimes there is intent behind filming in black and white. If b&w seems drab, maybe sometimes that's the point. Shindler's List is an example. If it had been filmed in color, that film would not have worked, or certainly would not have been as powerful. And even certain films that were done in black and white that could have been done in color, they can't be colorized now without losing something special. I guess it requires a certain artistic appreciation. But to each his own. Incidentally, I would love to see the Stooges shorts in color. Just don't invite me over when you watch Casablanca. :lol: I'd be running for the hills! As for your preference of Shemp over Curly, I'm not trying to start another argument here, but . . . :confused:

Yes, Novarick I do understand your point and I understood it when I first saw it. I am a big old movie fan and film noir movies are a major part of my movie collection. BUT, I still would rather see Casablanca in color than b/w anytime anyday. I watch Casablanca about once a year and I always watch the color version, it looks in color more relevant and of today rather than a dated old movie. I also have "Out of The Past" and many other film noir movies in beautiful color and they all are improved immensely in color. Dick Powell in "Cornered" & "Murder, My Sweet" looks great in color, much better than the dated and old looking b/w image that bores me to tears. I can't think of anything I'd rather see in b/w as opposed to color. I am serious when I say I'd like to have all b/w movies and TV shows in color. I have all of the Laurel & Hardy shorts in color, even though it's the early color attempts and not great looking like today's color, it's still 100% better than the old dated looking b/w L&H shorts. I recently bought the 3 Stooges releases in their NEW beautiful color versions. The Shemp shorts with the newest color techniques look fantastic. Makes me wish they'd colorize all the Shemps and Joe Besser shorts. They can work on Curly after (not a big Curly fan.)

But, my friend, I have nothing negative to say against you. :santa: You like what you like and I like what I like. That's what makes the world go round. But I do understand your lighting b/w effect and mood comment. I prefer color over b/w no matter what the subject matter. :yippee:

Mikado, it does pain me to say it but you're proving yourself to be exactly what SOMEONE ELSE called the colorized fans. As I stated before it was someone else who called the colorized fan people "morons" I merely responded in kind. Later they revised their message and took "moron" out of it. So mine was the only message left with the moron term. So perhaps now you get it? If not just re-read this until it sinks in. Now, by all means, do go run and tell Daddy. Now back to the subject.

Rich P, I thank you for the kind words. If you and I have traded with each other you know I'm a much sweeter & kinder person one on one. I THOUGHT I was getting the missing few episodes of Father Knows Best from another supposed collector, I sent him double the amout of episodes I needed and he was supposed to send me the few missing ones. Yep, you guessed it, he was a crook, took my discs and never returned any messages then disappeared off this board. Somewhere the great Collector's God in the sky will mete out just rewards to these liars and crooks. Meantime, the only Father Knows Best's I'm really missing are the repeat episodes that they did, the one's where they re-showed an older episode.

But I too can see your point in wanting to see them in their original form, I would just like there to be a choice for those of us who prefer shows in color. Lucy & 1st couple years of Superman and the "Classic 39" Honeymooners would all be GREAT in color.

I Dream of Jeanie, by the way, LOOKED ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS colorized. "Walking Tall" (but not seeing much) should see it first and then seriously tell us how horrible it was. The Colorized I Dream Of Jeanie is absolutely perfect, not a flaw, bright beautiful accurate color, one of the very best I've ever seen. How anyone in their right mind can complain about it must mean they didn't see it. Heck, the whole rest of the Jeanie series was in color, does this mean they hated all the actual color episodes too? I just don't understand these seemingly irrational anti-colorizing thoughts. But please, Walking, don't bother to explain, I have lost interest, I will continue to enjoy the COLOR Jeanie and you will just have to imagine how wonderful it would be in color.
I've seen it in color. Halmark aired the first season in color a few years ago. It doesn't matter to me whether the colorization is good or bad. It's not how it originally aired. That's where my enjoyment comes from, seeing the shows as they aired originally which means uncut and uncolorized. I do have the DVD for Miracle on 34th Street and it contains both the black and white version and the colorized version. I did watch the colorized one too and I didn't like it at all. Classics should not be tinkered with. I'm sorry I came off so angry but when I see someone calling people marons and such just because they like to watch a show in it's original form then I get angry. I think most people that only care to watch something in color aren't real fans anyhow. No offense.

I just learned today of a fact I didn't know yesterday. Yesterday I stated if "It's A Wonderful Life" was colorized today as opposed to either the 1986 bad version or the later 1990 much better version it would look perfect. Well, I have the good news and honor to state that the new "It's A Wonderful Life" release contains an all new brilliantly and excellently colorized version. It is perfect now, sharp, clear and the color is accurate and complete. You'd think you were watching an original color movie. I give 5 stars to the new color release. So see it and see what you've been missing.

To Walking Tall, I didn't see I Dream of Jeanie on Hallmark, but years ago they ran a color version of Bewitched and IT IS NOT THE SAME beautiful color version that you can buy today on DVD. It was re-colorized with the newest most modern electronic effects, now it's a thing of beauty in bright clear precise color. The same is true of I Dream of Jeanie, it's now in beautiful bright clear color, no longer the sort of faded slightly off color that it was. So unless you've seen the DVDs you still can not judge. As I said before the irrational thought & reactions that colorizing gets is baffling. If you hate a color 1st season does this mean you hated all the color seasons of Jeanie that followed too? If your answer is yes, then at least you're being logical, you just prefer b/w over color, no matter what. But if you tell me you like the color seasons but just don't like the colorized season even though it looks better than the actual color shows, then you're being irrational. And here's where you b/w purists lose me. #1 you judge without seeing the product, 2 even if it is perfect looking you still refuse to admit it's a decent picture. So enjoy your b/w world and I'll watch the color Casablanca one more time just for you. And yes, I've been a old movie fan since I was a kid. I can actually remember when I was little in the 1960's watching Laurel & Hardy and W.C. Fields on TV and wishing that they were in color. This was back in the old days when normal local broadcast stations actually did show Laurel & Hardy DAILY and Fields movies on the weekends. But I do remember even as a kid wishing all the b/w pictures were in color. My Dad got us a color set in 1967 and I haven't wanted to watch a b/w image since. I hope every b/w movie and TV show ever made (at least the one's I like) is colorized, I'll be happy to buy any and all colorized programs and movies. Legend Films has released many great colorized films, their Sherlock Holmes movies are perfect, now they've worked their modern magic on It's a Wonderful Life. I recently saw "She" & "Most Dangerous Game" in their brand new color versions. I'd have never even consider watching these ancient '30's movies if they were still in their scratchy b/w form, but thanks to the restored color versions, I was thrilled with each of these films. "She" was great looking in bright color and "Most Dangerous Game' had the best story of the 2. But they were both great examples of MODERN colorization.

But to one and all B/W fuddy's, love your b/w if you choose, just don't deny me the choice to watch my beautiful colorized versions.

I personally would not buy the complete series set of a colorized I Love Lucy. I do not mind the one episode (in addition to the colorized Christmas portions) being included as "extras" in a DVD set, buy I do think that colorizing the entire set would ruin the timeless and nostalgic feel that I Love Lucy so vividly maintains.

I do recognize however that I Love Lucy's fan base is dwindling. The show simply isn't played in syndication as much as it once was. This may be in part due to the recent TV on DVD craze (which will surely drive down the syndication market), but it is a simple fact that as time goes on, any TV show's popularity will dwindle. I recognize that maybe the last attempt to reckon with today's generation on TV viewers may be to colorize this show, and all other classic B&W TV Shows. I am simply saying that I wouldn't purchase the product; I'm too satisfied with the B&W DVDs.

By the sales numbers of the ILL series, i think the dwindling is not that significant, if it's lasted fifty years, i think it's still got quite some life left. It might not be on tv as much bit those dvd sales are going to keep it before the public for quite a while, a classic remains TIMELESS. I think DVD sales are dwindling period, we all have enough to watch forever as it is.