I think UM doesn't give you the full story a lot of times to keep it unnecessarily scary (which is like their mission) or to make you speculate more. Just look at America's Most Wanted, which DOES give you the full story, has been more successful, and has survived the longest out of any television program I believe (over 20 years).

In the Cindy James case they cut out some of the parent's interviews like how James would've never committed suicide like she did and in the box set cut out how the psychiatrist and her parents never witnessed any multiple personality disorder. Another one that comes to mind is how Kurt Sova's friend doesn't say how sure he was that it was actually Kurt got into another car along the road.

Another thing I don't like is how they overedit the program or try to suggest foul play, like in the Keith Reinhard case. They even labeled Eric Smith as one of the "Three Suspects" when there was hardly any proof to suggest he took part in the murder of Eric Tamiyasu just to make it look more entertaining.

I think you're stating the painfully obvious here.

I'm actually asking a question.

Yes as much as I love this show no doubt they have left out key things before. Not sure whether its for time sake or they just lean towards a certain outcome and want to try and prove their point. I've stated this before but the Keith Reinhard case is a prime example. They suggest something sinister is going on when it seems more plausible that he decided to climb the mountain that day and either fell or perished from the elements.

...has been more successful, and has survived the longest out of any television program I believe (over 20 years).
700 Club is actually one of the longest-running shows ever, if not the longest. Over 40 years.

Also:

PRICE IS RIGHT: Game show that debuted in 1972. 35 years of being on television.

SESAME STREET: A childrens' programming show that debuted in November, 1969. I was a wee 4 years old.

MEET THE PRESS: It debuted in 1947!!!! That is over 60 seasons!

THE TONIGHT SHOW: Started in 1957 and continues to this day with Jay Leno.

WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS: Started in 1961 and ended in August 2006.

Well no matter how useful or valuable to solving crimes and mysteries, the main focus of the show is to be entertaining and make money. If they really wanted to do as unbiased a job and tell the whole story without any type of over dramatacism (which AMW is full of) then they would probably portray their cases more like what you see on Investigation Discovery. A very dry telling.

Now I love both styles, but I don't think the dry ID way would make as much money on a prime time network. (And yes I know they show Dateline on ID)

Also, if you want to know the whole story, there are other programs like City Confidential, Forensic Files, 48 Hours, Cold Case, American Justice, etc. that profile single cases and spend the entire episode on that one case. I would suggest those programs if you're looking for something more in-depth. UM is like an anthololgy of cases. They can't include every detail on a story. To me, it gives me enough information to where it makes me interested in the case, and several times I've looked the case up on the internet or even asked about it here on this forum.

I like America's Most Wanted, but it doesn't come near what Unsolved Mysteries is to me. UM also has different grounds to cover, i.e, the unexplained, ghost stories, UFOs, etc. Although the crime stories are always my favorite, the title encompasses all of these types of mysteries.

I think if you want the full story, it's best to do research on your own from different sources and then make your own opinion...

I don't know if anyone has commented on the new "look," Joshypiano, but I only have one thing to say:


REDRUM. REDRUM!!! :D

Thanks for noticing. I will always have nightmares of those twins. Scariest movie ever! I know this will open up a huge can of worms (it always does) but I much prefer the movie to the book. The book is good but the movie is way scarier to me.

I don't know if anyone has commented on the new "look," Joshypiano, but I only have one thing to say:


REDRUM. REDRUM!!! :D

I know two kids who named their little brother Danny just so they could say, "Come play with us, Danny"! :lol:

I know two kids who named their little brother Danny just so they could say, "Come play with us, Danny"! :lol:

Wow.. Thats dedication....verging on compulsive dimensia.

I was impressed by that, and the fact that he says "Redrum" in that scene 40 times.

I think UM doesn't give you the full story a lot of times to keep it unnecessarily scary (which is like their mission) or to make you speculate more. Just look at America's Most Wanted, which DOES give you the full story, has been more successful, and has survived the longest out of any television program I believe (over 20 years).

In the Cindy James case they cut out some of the parent's interviews like how James would've never committed suicide like she did and in the box set cut out how the psychiatrist and her parents never witnessed any multiple personality disorder. Another one that comes to mind is how Kurt Sova's friend doesn't say how sure he was that it was actually Kurt got into another car along the road.

Another thing I don't like is how they overedit the program or try to suggest foul play, like in the Keith Reinhard case. They even labeled Eric Smith as one of the "Three Suspects" when there was hardly any proof to suggest he took part in the murder of Eric Tamiyasu just to make it look more entertaining.

Well the do say most often that it's a dramazited reenactment of events. We get alot of convasation on cases which sometimes we only know what's been presented on the TV. Which I guess is why we are still here discussing ideas on cases that some were shown 20 years ago.

They left out details in both the Amy billig case and the Jesse James Hollywood case. In the JJH case, they lead you to believe Nick was some naive kid. in reality, his parents had caught him with valium and marijuana in the past (prior to his abduction). I am in no way saying he deserved to be abducted. I just think it's interesting they left that out.

In the amy billig case, the girl was heavily involved in the south florida drug scene (mainly marijuana) and even wore roach clips in her hair. I have often wondered if there is some kind of drug connection to her disappearance (i.e. she was offered drugs by a motorcyclist).

In the Jeffrey McDonald case, UM does ot mention that McDonald had been unfaithful throughout his marriage and that the case was actually reopened at the request of his in-laws (UM blames it solely on his appearance on Mike Douglas). Theinfidelity gave prosecuters another avenue for motive (though I still believe McDonald is 100% innocent)

This is just speculation on my part, but I feel like the reason that UM chooses to "doctor" their stories a bit is to evoke more sympathy, thus evoking more outrage at what's happened to the victims. I think that people are more likely to get involved in a case if they are personally outraged at what has happened.

Look at the JJH case, for example. If it's true that Nick had experimented with valium/marijuana, it would make sense that UM would choose to omit that particular detail because it makes Nick less sympathetic of a character. If he were less sympathetic, people may be less likely to help find his killer.

I think the same applies to Amy Billig. If UM had left the part about her being heavily involved in the drug scene, it may cause some people to think that "the little hippie got what she deserved." I think that UM recognizes that people have their biases and it's best to try not to evoke them when presenting cases that they want to solve.

Just my two cents, yo. :)

This is just speculation on my part, but I feel like the reason that UM chooses to "doctor" their stories a bit is to evoke more sympathy, thus evoking more outrage at what's happened to the victims. I think that people are more likely to get involved in a case if they are personally outraged at what has happened.

Look at the JJH case, for example. If it's true that Nick had experimented with valium/marijuana, it would make sense that UM would choose to omit that particular detail because it makes Nick less sympathetic of a character. If he were less sympathetic, people may be less likely to help find his killer.

I think the same applies to Amy Billig. If UM had left the part about her being heavily involved in the drug scene, it may cause some people to think that "the little hippie got what she deserved." I think that UM recognizes that people have their biases and it's best to try not to evoke them when presenting cases that they want to solve.

Just my two cents, yo. :)

Very good point!!! People are more likely to get involved in a case they care about...UM made you care about the people and the cases.

Jeffrey McDonald is a weird one in that there is every indication that he was involved and also extremely good evidence that the intruders were present. Could it be he somehow hired them to make himself look like a victim? If so, how come none of them ever indicated this in their confessions?

There was also time constraints. Unlike shows that had one case as an hour long piece, UM had 3-4 segments a show. Parts of segments with the missing information of the case may have been shot for almost every segment aired, but edited for timing. UM may not have purposely "doctored" the stories.