View Full Version : Anybody notice this about the 'original' UM episodes compared w the 'Dennis' versions


johnnyangel
11-14-2011, 04:38 PM
I have noticed this on many of the episodes.... you really have to KNOW your episodes almost line by line...

Many things are edited down (or out), or even added or changed. Certain words or sentences from people are edited out and even certain words or sentences are spliced together to a point where it almost seems like "thats why they said."

When watching the original Stack-narrated episodes tho, wow you'd be surprised the editing that took place.

One example today I was watching was the BARON 52 mission in Vietnam, love that episodes.

Lots of stuff was removed, some things added, and various words or sentences "taken out." Yes it sounds like I am nitpicking, but for example:

Mrs. Matejov says" There were secret missions and bombing going on in Laos, and we said we were not at war with Laos, but..."

The narrated version: "There were secret missions and bombing going on when we said we were not at war."

The "Laos" part was completely edited, and trust me she was not re-interviewed or interviewed twice at that original shooting/airing date!

There are MANY other examples. Another more obvious thing is that much of that "moody music" or "sounds" to fit the storylines has also been changed or removed...

justins5256
11-14-2011, 05:05 PM
I noticed on the Marilu Geri segment they deleted a line from Stephen's interview. In the part where he is discussing his alibi for the time of his wife's murder, he mentions going to "Don Richardson's auto glassworks" or something like that. It was edited on Spike so he just said "auto glassworks".

Even in the original broadcast I thought his mention of the company in that context was odd and I was surprised they didn't edit it out originally. Seems like the auto glass place wouldn't want that kind of publicity.

TracyLynnS
11-14-2011, 05:35 PM
I had noticed the deleting of certain phrases, mainly because they were the ones that were entertaining to me, like the sacrificed snails in the Mann haunted house episode, Dorothy Wacker's smirk at the end of their segment, and the Michael Jordan statement in the Bean/Snead/Wheeler segment.

Also the ones that were endearing to me like when at the end of her interview, Logan Carroll's mom said in a really sweet way, "We'll keep him".

He died right after being born, like his older sibling, was pronounced dead, and they were scheduling his autopsy when he revived. The new version doesn't make it as clear that the boy suffered permanent disability because of what happened to him. That's why his mom saying what she did seemed so important to me. No matter what had happened to Logan or how "imperfect" he would seem to others, he was her perfect, special baby who survived.

I hadn't noticed that they were actually using some (what I consider to be) sketchy editing practices in the newer version. What motive could they have for editing "we were not at war with Laos" into "we were not at war". Seems like a weird thing to cut out of a person's interview.

DarkDante
11-14-2011, 06:30 PM
I've mentioned this before but by far the most hilarious ad-lib to watch for in the Farina broadcasts is during the Missy Munday / Jerry Strickland segment.

In the original Stack broadcast, RS runs down Jerry's list of offenses from passing bad checks to I believe attacking his sister in-law.

Dennis Farina essentially does the same thing but after he runs down the list he stares directly into the camera and ad-libs "This was not a nice guy!".

Also worth watching is the Doreen Picard case. There is some additional dialog from Susan Laferte's husband regarding his wife's condition upon her time of arrival at the hospital that did not feature in the RS broadcast. Actually to tell you the truth that whole segment is interesting as there are at least three different versions of it, each one featuring unique material.

TheCars1986
11-14-2011, 06:45 PM
In the Mike Riemer/Diana Robertson segment, they completely edited out the interview with Riemer's father. He isn't shown in the segment at all, and the segment is more slanted towards the "Riemer is guilty" theory.

RobinW
11-14-2011, 07:11 PM
I was quite sad to see that Paul Pollis' mother's melodramatic denial of the allegations against her was trimmed down quite a bit in the Spike version, and that her infamous "Oh, I think that's positively ludicrous!" line was cut.

justins5256
11-14-2011, 08:09 PM
I've mentioned this before but by far the most hilarious ad-lib to watch for in the Farina broadcasts is during the Missy Munday / Jerry Strickland segment.

In the original Stack broadcast, RS runs down Jerry's list of offenses from passing bad checks to I believe attacking his sister in-law.

Dennis Farina essentially does the same thing but after he runs down the list he stares directly into the camera and ad-libs "This was not a nice guy!".

Also worth watching is the Doreen Picard case. There is some additional dialog from Susan Laferte's husband regarding his wife's condition upon her time of arrival at the hospital that did not feature in the RS broadcast. Actually to tell you the truth that whole segment is interesting as there are at least three different versions of it, each one featuring unique material.

I read an article which indicated that the UM crew filmed extensive interviews with Elmer Daboer's widow and family for the original airing of the Jerry Strickland/Missy Munday segment. Given their pension for re-inserting previously cut footage, specifically on those early specials and episodes, I'm surprised that, even to this day, no part of that interview has ever surfaced.

SageSlowdive
11-14-2011, 11:45 PM
BOTTOM LINE:

"New" UM SUCCCKKKSSS.

1990 UM fan
11-15-2011, 03:41 AM
BOTTOM LINE:

"New" UM SUCCCKKKSSS.

:lol:

Apostapler
11-15-2011, 07:08 AM
In the Mike Riemer/Diana Robertson segment, they completely edited out the interview with Riemer's father. He isn't shown in the segment at all, and the segment is more slanted towards the "Riemer is guilty" theory.

Okay, you did it...this is one of my fav cases, and you're going to make me go watch the segment! Way to go. :p

That is ironic that they would make the segment slant that way, considering we now know he was dead in the woods all these years.

TheCars1986
11-15-2011, 11:46 AM
Okay, you did it...this is one of my fav cases, and you're going to make me go watch the segment! Way to go. :p

That is ironic that they would make the segment slant that way, considering we now know he was dead in the woods all these years.

I know they've updated the case on their website, but they did not show an update on the televised version that aired after Riemer's remains were found.

XCalibur
11-15-2011, 06:41 PM
BOTTOM LINE:

"New" UM SUCCCKKKSSS.

I don't think its all that bad personally. I've kinda gotten used to Farina. Robert Stack is still the man don't get me wrong.......... but the new one isn't to bad.

However, I do agree they need to update it more, reactivate the 1-800 number, and show new stories along with the old ones that haven't been solved. Doesn't look like its gonna happen though.

ernmerica
11-15-2011, 07:14 PM
I won't lie I watch the new ones over and over, but only because the Stack ones aren't on. The new ones go out of the way to hide the dates of the crimes because otherwise it would be obvious they were talking about an incident from 1979.

The lack of an 800 number baffles me. UM fans, how many times does the update start "Just after we aired this story, we got a call.....". It's crazy how many crimes have been reported to UM, even interviews with LE say "If it was for UM, this would have taken much longer". Makes no sense.

unsolved88
11-16-2011, 08:00 AM
It seems as though certain lines are edited to be more "politically correct", particularly if a person's race is mentioned.

In the original version of the Barbara Petrovsky segment where she describes being shot in the parking lot of the donut shop, she says "A black man approached me." Spike edits the line so that she simply says "A man approached me."

To be fair to Spike however, Stack's UM did this a bit as well toward the end of its run. In the Veronica Jefferson segment from 1989 on NBC, both she and her killer are simply described as being "black". In the 2001 Lifetime segment in which her killer is confirmed to be the same man who killed Rachel Raver and Warren Fulton, they seem to go out of their way to use the term "African-American" whenever possible.

everybodylovesrs
11-16-2011, 09:19 PM
BOTTOM LINE:

"New" UM SUCCCKKKSSS.

I agree. I was willing to give Co$grove-Meurer a chance again when they posted the "Looking For New Cases" thing on the front of the website, but now it is pretty clear to me anyway that they have yanked that text and don't want to do new episodes, so the show can end for all I care. No one is going to see these crappy versions of 20 year old cases and solve a mystery.

TheCars1986
11-17-2011, 12:35 PM
I'd also like to point out in the Patsy Wright (strychnine poisoning) segment, on the new UM, they added a part that was cut from the original (I'm not sure if it aired on the NBC version but on the Stack rerun of the segment on Lifetime it was not in it) in which a woman calls Patsy's daughter and taunts her over the phone about her mothers death. I have no idea why the old UM decided to not use this part since it definitely adds a bigger heir of mystery to the segment.