It was stated by a poster one the Home Theater Forum that at the 12 min mark there is a part where Jack chases after his pants and struggles to get his first leg in one of the pants leg.

Well after looking at the episode on the DVD, when the episode cuts back to the apartment the 12:08 mark, there are 3 things that confirms that the episode is edited

1. You already hear the audience laughing at Jack putting on his pants

2. Jack is already in the process of putting on his pants as he falls into the door

3. Jack already has one of his legs inside the pants


So basically we never seen Jack before he puts the pants on and that confirms that this is the second edited episode on the DVD for season 4.



The only person who would have caught that this episode was edited was someone who watched the show every week on ABC. I only knew Ralph's Rival was cut because there was no Tag scene.

bump for SkyWalker

It was stated by a poster one the Home Theater Forum that at the 12 min mark there is a part where Jack chases after his pants and struggles to get his first leg in one of the pants leg.

Well after looking at the episode on the DVD, when the episode cuts back to the apartment the 12:08 mark, there are 3 things that confirms that the episode is edited

1. You already hear the audience laughing at Jack putting on his pants

2. Jack is already in the process of putting on his pants as he falls into the door

3. Jack already has one of his legs inside the pants


So basically we never seen Jack before he puts the pants on and that confirms that this is the second edited episode on the DVD for season 4.



The only person who would have caught that this episode was edited was someone who watched the show every week on ABC. I only knew Ralph's Rival was cut because there was no Tag scene.

Do you know the running time for that episode? If it has an odd running time like "Ralph's Rival" then it's likely edited.

Do you know the running time for that episode? If it has an odd running time like "Ralph's Rival" then it's likely edited.


I would have to check but after watching it as soon as the episode cuts to the scene with him backing into the door, you can tell that it was a scene that was already in progress because the audience was already laughing.

Maybe 30 to 45 secs was cut out

I would have to check but after watching it as soon as the episode cuts to the scene with him backing into the door, you can tell that it was a scene that was already in progress because the audience was already laughing.

Maybe 30 to 45 secs was cut out

Well if it is edited, it's not a big deal. Aside from ladies who have a crush on John Ritter does anyone really want to see a half naked Jack trying to put on pants because I sure don't. :lol:

Do you know the running time for that episode? If it has an odd running time like "Ralph's Rival" then it's likely edited.


Mighty Mouth run time was 25:04

The ep Lee Ain't Heavy, He's my brother was 24:46 run time

Ralph's Rival run time was 24:30


The SitcomsOnline Review said all the eps from that season were in between 24:30 and 25:30


So you can see some eps are cut more than others

Well if it is edited, it's not a big deal. Aside from ladies who have a crush on John Ritter does anyone really want to see a half naked Jack trying to put on pants because I sure don't. :lol:

I looked at it again and when the scene cuts back to the apt, the audience is already laughing but you don't see anyone. Then all of a sudden jack appears and falls into the door and only has one leg inside the pants

Which proves that the scene was cut when he put his first leg inside the pants

Mighty Mouth run time was 25:04

The ep Lee Ain't Heavy, He's my brother was 24:46 run time

Ralph's Rival run time was 24:30


The SitcomsOnline Review said all the eps from that season were in between 24:30 and 25:30


So you can see some eps are cut more than others

If 25:04 is the normal running time for episodes from Season 4 then I don't think it's edited. I used to check the running times for my dvds as soon as I got them and I don't recall any eps from that season running 25:30 long, more like 25:10 at the most.

I looked at it again and when the scene cuts back to the apt, the audience is already laughing but you don't see anyone. Then all of a sudden jack appears and falls into the door and only has one leg inside the pants

Which proves that the scene was cut when he put his first leg inside the pants

Is it possible that ABC cut the scene before it originally aired due to time? The part with Jack putting his pants on could be a deleted scene. I can understand why the Tag scene in Ralphs Rival is missing because of bad audio, or not being able to find the master, but it wouldn't make sense why they wouldn't have that small scene from Mighty Mouth on there if it was part of the original broadcast.

If 25:04 is the normal running time for episodes from Season 4 then I don't think it's edited. I used to check the running times for my dvds as soon as I got them and I don't recall any eps from that season running 25:30 long, more like 25:10 at the most.


Maybe it was longer than 25:04??

That run time doesn't mean it wasn't edited, it just means it was supposed to be 25:35.


It was only a 20-30 second scene that was cut so it's not that big of a deal but it's very obvious when watching the episode.

Is it possible that ABC cut the scene before it originally aired due to time? The part with Jack putting his pants on could be a deleted scene. I can understand why the Tag scene in Ralphs Rival is missing because of bad audio, or not being able to find the master, but it wouldn't make sense why they wouldn't have that small scene from Mighty Mouth on there if it was part of the original broadcast.


It wasn't a deleted scene because I stated in the beginning someone already saw the scene back in 79 on ABC. That's what made me go and watch the episode to see if I can identify the edit and I was able to do that.

It wasn't a deleted scene because I stated in the beginning someone already saw the scene back in 79 on ABC. That's what made me go and watch the episode to see if I can identify the edit and I was able to do that.

Is it the same person who said that the Tag scene on Ralph's Rival was Jack getting a bone crusher handshake? He swore it too.

Is it the same person who said that the Tag scene on Ralph's Rival was Jack getting a bone crusher handshake? He swore it too.


No this was another person. I will look for it

Ok, I just checked this episode and I don't believe it is edited. The running time for Mighty Mouth on my DVD Player is 25:12 and I checked many of the running times for other Season 4 episodes and a lot of them are 25:11- 25:12. The main reason I think it's not edited is because I watched that scene and yes the audience is laughing, but if you notice the beginning of the scene you see most of the living room and then we see Jack bump into his door. He was in his bedroom. Then we see Jack's room and Jack struggles to put on his pants and he makes a joke. Now if it was edited, there would be no reason for that shot at the beginning which shows the whole living room we would just see Jack in his bedroom putting on his pants.

Ok, I just checked this episode and I don't believe it is edited. The running time for Mighty Mouth on my DVD Player is 25:12 and I checked many of the running times for other Season 4 episodes and a lot of them are 25:11- 25:12. The main reason I think it's not edited is because I watched that scene and yes the audience is laughing, but if you notice the beginning of the scene you see most of the living room and then we see Jack bump into his door. He was in his bedroom. Then we see Jack's room and Jack struggles to put on his pants and he makes a joke. Now if it was edited, there would be no reason for that shot at the beginning which shows the whole living room we would just see Jack in his bedroom putting on his pants.


I'm not sure I understand, Jack already had one of his legs inside them pants
which proves a scene is missing

That doesn't prove anything. Maybe they decided not to do a cross fade of scenes and that the audience laughter bled into the next scene. Many of the first and second season episodes did that. Watch the first episode or It's Only Money. There were numerous scenes in those episodes that the laughter bled into the next scene without a cross fade. And the runtimes in season one were slightly shorter than season 4.

That doesn't prove anything. Maybe they decided not to do a cross fade of scenes and that the audience laughter bled into the next scene. Many of the first and second season episodes did that. Watch the first episode or It's Only Money. There were numerous scenes in those episodes that the laughter bled into the next scene without a cross fade. And the runtimes in season one were slightly shorter than season 4.



The fact that we never see Jack put in leg inside the pants pretty much makes this a obvious edit. I don't know how it can be more obvious since he already had one of his legs inside the pants.

The episode Mighty Mouth is not edited. I checked my DVD and looked at the scene in question, there is nothing missing. The episode runs 25:10 on the DVD, which is the correct run time for uncut season 4 episodes. Any season 4 DVD episodes that run under 25:10 are likely edited.

The episode Mighty Mouth is not edited. I checked my DVD and looked at the scene in question, there is nothing missing. The episode runs 25:10 on the DVD, which is the correct run time for uncut season 4 episodes. Any season 4 DVD episodes that run under 25:10 are likely edited.


I believe it was mentioned that it's a 40 second cut which is not much but it's still a obvious edit.


You can't say nothing is cut out when "we never seen Jack put his first leg in the pants"

I believe it was mentioned that it's a 40 second cut which is not much but it's still a obvious edit.


You can't say nothing is cut out when "we never seen Jack put his first leg in the pants"

The episode is not edited, no scenes were cut. Not seeing Jack put his first leg in his pants is correct, the episode was filmed that way. He is seen shuffling along the floor with one leg inside his pants, that is correct, nothing is edited out. And the 25:10 run time confirms the episode is complete. If you still want to believe the episode is edited, then go ahead, I am certain the episode is not edited.

The episode is not edited, no scenes were cut. Not seeing Jack put his first leg in his pants is correct, the episode was filmed that way. He is seen shuffling along the floor with one leg inside his pants, that is correct, nothing is edited out. And the 25:10 run time confirms the episode is complete. If you still want to believe the episode is edited, then go ahead, I am certain the episode is not edited.


How can you say the 25:10 is confirmation on the DVD when we already confirmed that the episode "Ralph's Rival" was edited? So just because something is on a DVD doesn't make it final


The only confirmation would be a ABC episode

How can you say the 25:10 is confirmation on the DVD when we already confirmed that the episode "Ralph's Rival" was edited? So just because something is on a DVD doesn't make it final


The only confirmation would be a ABC episode

Ralph's Rival runs 24:30 not 25:10, because the tag scene is missing.

The only other season 4 episode that runs short is Lee Aint Heavy He's My Brother, I haven't seen this episode yet on the DVD but going by the run time 24:45 something is possibly edited.

The first two episodes on the season 4 DVD run 24:50, but I believe that is because a shorter opening credit sequence was used in those episodes, the episodes are complete, nothing is missing.

The other season 4 DVD episodes all run 25:10, including Mighty Mouth. An ABC episode is not necessary to confirm it, I'm certain the episode is complete.

Ralph's Rival runs 24:30 not 25:10, because the tag scene is missing.

The only other season 4 episode that runs short is Lee Aint Heavy He's My Brother, I haven't seen this episode yet on the DVD but going by the run time 24:45 something is possibly edited.

The first two episodes on the season 4 DVD run 24:50, but I believe that is because a shorter opening credit sequence was used in those episodes, the episodes are complete, nothing is missing.

The other season 4 DVD episodes all run 25:10, including Mighty Mouth. An ABC episode is not necessary to confirm it, I'm certain the episode is complete.


But it's possible that there are other edits since the Tag was missing from Ralph's Rival.

But I guess we will never know for sure since I don't expect to see a ABC version

But it's possible that there are other edits since the Tag was missing from Ralph's Rival.

But I guess we will never know for sure since I don't expect to see a ABC version

Would be interesting to know why the tag scene from Ralph's Rival was omitted from the DVD.

Mighty Mouth is the complete episode, it is not edited. I'll have to take a look at the episode Lee Aint Heavy He's My Brother and see if I notice anything unusual where something might be cut.

Would be interesting to know why the tag scene from Ralph's Rival was omitted from the DVD.

Mighty Mouth is the complete episode, it is not edited. I'll have to take a look at the episode Lee Aint Heavy He's My Brother and see if I notice anything unusual where something might be cut.


If the episode Lee Ain't Heavy He's My Brother is under 25 mins then it's a good chance something is missing.

Is there a possibility that Lee Ain't Heavy possibly ran short?

Is there a possibility that Lee Ain't Heavy possibly ran short?


No it's obviously edited since it's under 25 mins. The entire season 4 DVD is screwed up

You know I watched the DVD of Lee Ain't Heavy the other day, and nothing stood out to me as being obviously edited. Until any of us have proof, I don't think it's fair to say one way or the other if it's edited or not. I don't believe it is, you do and that's fine, but you shouldn't say it is until you have concrete proof. Just saying...

You know I watched the DVD of Lee Ain't Heavy the other day, and nothing stood out to me as being obviously edited. Until any of us have proof, I don't think it's fair to say one way or the other if it's edited or not. I don't believe it is, you do and that's fine, but you shouldn't say it is until you have concrete proof. Just saying...


Not a obvious edit but most likely edited since it's under 25 mins. We both know that just because a episode is on DVD doesn't mean it's uncut.


I discovered that from reading a article about one of my shows and thought the episode was uncut for years only to find out it wasn't

You know I watched the DVD of Lee Ain't Heavy the other day, and nothing stood out to me as being obviously edited. Until any of us have proof, I don't think it's fair to say one way or the other if it's edited or not. I don't believe it is, you do and that's fine, but you shouldn't say it is until you have concrete proof. Just saying...

I watched Lee Aint Heavy also, and I didn't notice anyplace where something might be cut, nothing looks unusual, everything seems to be there. So I'll go with the assumption that the episode is complete and just runs a tad short. The only known edit in the season 4 DVD is the missing tag scene from Ralph's Rival. I believe the other episodes are all complete.

I watched Lee Aint Heavy also, and I didn't notice anyplace where something might be cut, nothing looks unusual, everything seems to be there. So I'll go with the assumption that the episode is complete and just runs a tad short. The only known edit in the season 4 DVD is the missing tag scene from Ralph's Rival. I believe the other episodes are all complete.


All it takes it one edited episode to believe that other eps may have been cut too.

For those of you that own all the sets, is it only Season 4 that has edit(s)? Are all other seasons from Seasons 5-8 consistent in their run time? I have 1-3 and they seemed complete with fairly consistent 25+ minute running times. Like TVFactFan, I get suspicious when suddenly, after consistently 25+ minute times, you get the 24:?? episode.

For those of you that own all the sets, is it only Season 4 that has edit(s)? Are all other seasons from Seasons 5-8 consistent in their run time? I have 1-3 and they seemed complete with fairly consistent 25+ minute running times. Like TVFactFan, I get suspicious when suddenly, after consistently 25+ minute times, you get the 24:?? episode.


Yes season 4 is the only one who has edits. Mighty Mouth and Ralph Rivals

Thanks for the information. I hate edited episodes but I'm glad it's only 2 episodes out of 8 seasons. I was concerned about the episode "Lee Ain't Heavy..." because I came across a thread on here where you or another poster mentioned its under 25-minute run time. It's good to know that it's not edited.

Thanks for the information. I hate edited episodes but I'm glad it's only 2 episodes out of 8 seasons. I was concerned about the episode "Lee Ain't Heavy..." because I came across a thread on here where you or another poster mentioned its under 25-minute run time. It's good to know that it's not edited.


I knew right away that Ralph's Rival was edited because the Tag scene was missing

I knew right away that Ralph's Rival was edited because the Tag scene was missing

That's a shame that was left off. I found a thread here where a member, Mr.Pitt, posted that transcript and he said the audio was bad. It's odd that all the other episodes have their tag scenes and just that one was missing. It almost makes you wonder if Anchor Bay used the original ABC masters? Unless the tag was on the master they used and its audio is damaged even on that source, and they didn't want to invest the time or money to improve it. Although, if it's damaged on the original master, it may not be repairable. I still wish we would have got it, crackling audio and all.

That's a shame that was left off. I found a thread here where a member, Mr.Pitt, posted that transcript and he said the audio was bad. It's odd that all the other episodes have their tag scenes and just that one was missing. It almost makes you wonder if Anchor Bay used the original ABC masters? Unless the tag was on the master they used and its audio is damaged even on that source, and they didn't want to invest the time or money to improve it. Although, if it's damaged on the original master, it may not be repairable. I still wish we would have got it, crackling audio and all.


I know it sucked that out of all the eps on the DVD, ralph's rival was the only one with the missing tag scene

I know it sucked that out of all the eps on the DVD, ralph's rival was the only one with the missing tag scene

I went back today and watched the 6-episode Season 1 DVD. None of those episodes have tag scenes except "Roper's Niece" and almost all of them run in the 24-minute range instead of the 25+ minute range.

Are they definitely uncut? It's strange that only one Season 1 episode would have a tag scene, and also runs only 24:?? as well. The running times seem 30 to 60 seconds shorter than the Seasons 2 and 3 episodes too. Usually, TV networks sell a finite number of minutes in ads to be run in a television show. That's why many shows on DVD have such consistent running times. When I start seeing episodes that are more than 10 seconds off, I start to wonder about edits.

You mentioned only two episodes being uncut. I've been reading through the Three's Company and The Ropers threads here during the last few days. In one thread, you or someone else mentioned the shorter running time of "Lee Ain't Heavy...". I just came across an old thread in The Ropers section here. In it, you mention having an ABC version of "Lee Ain't Heavy" on VHS. You were talking to someone about a trade. Just for the heck of it, have you ever compared your ABC recording to the DVD since the DVD version has that shorter run time compared to many other episodes?

Finally, I realize The Ropers has never had an official DVD release. Is there anywhere that I can find all the episodes, uncut from their original airings, on DVD-r?

I went back today and watched the 6-episode Season 1 DVD. None of those episodes have tag scenes except "Roper's Niece" and almost all of them run in the 24-minute range instead of the 25+ minute range.

Are they definitely uncut? It's strange that only one Season 1 episode would have a tag scene, and also runs only 24:?? as well. The running times seem 30 to 60 seconds shorter than the Seasons 2 and 3 episodes too. Usually, TV networks sell a finite number of minutes in ads to be run in a television show. That's why many shows on DVD have such consistent running times. When I start seeing episodes that are more than 10 seconds off, I start to wonder about edits.

You mentioned only two episodes being uncut. I've been reading through the Three's Company and The Ropers threads here during the last few days. In one thread, you or someone else mentioned the shorter running time of "Lee Ain't Heavy...". I just came across an old thread in The Ropers section here. In it, you mention having an ABC version of "Lee Ain't Heavy" on VHS. You were talking to someone about a trade. Just for the heck of it, have you ever compared your ABC recording to the DVD since the DVD version has that shorter run time compared to many other episodes?

Finally, I realize The Ropers has never had an official DVD release. Is there anywhere that I can find all the episodes, uncut from their original airings, on DVD-r?



Ropers used to air on Antenna TV in 2012 but they removed it. It's available on the trading board but not sure if it's uncut. It's been so long since I had that ABC episode that I don't remember. I think that was in 2005

Ropers used to air on Antenna TV in 2012 but they removed it. It's available on the trading board but not sure if it's uncut. It's been so long since I had that ABC episode that I don't remember. I think that was in 2005

Oh, I didn't realize you got rid of that tape. Time flies. 2005 doesn't seem like 9 years ago already.

I'm wondering on those Season 1 episodes now. Maybe we'll come across someone with the ABC airings on those so we can find out for sure if they're complete. The lack of tag scenes on 5 out of 6 and shorter run times have made me suspicious.

I'm going to go back and check the run times of those 6. If they're consistent with each other, the shorter run times compared to Season 2-onward could be explained away by this theory: a new, unproven show getting a small, 6-episode order from the network; the network's desire to keep costs to a minimum on an unproven show leads them to sell an extra minute of advertising per episode compared to typical 70's run times, and thus, shorter episodes. An extra 60 seconds of ad time is a significant difference in revenue for a network. Maybe wishful thinking on my part, but it sounds good. :D

Here are the running times on the Season 1 episodes:


A Man About The House (24:08)
And Mother Makes Four (24:52)
Roper's Niece* (24:17)
No Children, No Dogs (24:25)
Jack The Giant Killer (24:17)
It's Only Money (24:26)


*Roper's Niece is the only episode of the 6 with a tag scene, yet its run time is consistent with all but "And Mother Makes Four".

Five of the six episodes have a run time difference of 18 seconds or less, with two being identical and two being within 1 second of each other. The outlier is the second episode "And Mother Makes Four", which is 44 seconds longer than the first episode and is the only one not consistent with the others. With the exception of "And Mother...", these episodes average almost a 1 minute difference in run times compared to Seasons 2 and 3, which I have.

The run times I've posted include the DLT logo at the end. In case anyone ever turns up the ABC airings and wants to compare, the DLT logo adds only 6 seconds to the run time.

Conclusion: I don't know. The lack of tag scenes on all but Roper's Niece and the big difference compared to "And Mother Makes Four" kind of leads me to think edited. Maybe Anchor Bay wasn't sure how they would sell so they initially looked for a cheap source for the episodes. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure at all.

Here are the running times on the Season 1 episodes:


A Man About The House (24:08)
And Mother Makes Four (24:52)
Roper's Niece* (24:17)
No Children, No Dogs (24:25)
Jack The Giant Killer (24:17)
It's Only Money (24:26)


*Roper's Niece is the only episode of the 6 with a tag scene, yet its run time is consistent with all but "And Mother Makes Four".

Five of the six episodes have a run time difference of 18 seconds or less, with two being identical and two being within 1 second of each other. The outlier is the second episode "And Mother Makes Four", which is 44 seconds longer than the first episode and is the only one not consistent with the others. With the exception of "And Mother...", these episodes average almost a 1 minute difference in run times compared to Seasons 2 and 3, which I have.

The run times I've posted include the DLT logo at the end. In case anyone ever turns up the ABC airings and wants to compare, the DLT logo adds only 6 seconds to the run time.

Conclusion: I don't know. The lack of tag scenes on all but Roper's Niece and the big difference compared to "And Mother Makes Four" kind of leads me to think edited. Maybe Anchor Bay wasn't sure how they would sell so they initially looked for a cheap source for the episodes. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure at all.



Did you buy the season 1 DVD that is show above?

Did you buy the season 1 DVD that is show above?

Yeah, on release day all those years ago. It's got the little, 4-page slip inside with the publicity shots and episode screenshots mixed in.

I bought the first 3 seasons on their respective release dates years ago and then a new girlfriend distracted me ;) and I never picked up the final 5 seasons. We'd watch the reruns on TV almost nightly and back in 2009, I found all the thicker style sets of 4-8, new for $15 each. She talked me out of it. To this day, I can't believe I listened to her. Now I'm rounding up the final 5 and I want the same, thicker case. I've found 7 and 8 easily but 4-6 are proving more difficult in the thicker style.

Yeah, on release day all those years ago. It's got the little, 4-page slip inside with the publicity shots and episode screenshots mixed in.

I bought the first 3 seasons on their respective release dates years ago and then a new girlfriend distracted me ;) and I never picked up the final 5 seasons. We'd watch the reruns on TV almost nightly and back in 2009, I found all the thicker style sets of 4-8, new for $15 each. She talked me out of it. To this day, I can't believe I listened to her. Now I'm rounding up the final 5 and I want the same, thicker case. I've found 7 and 8 easily but 4-6 are proving more difficult in the thicker style.


It's on ebay

It's on ebay

Yeah, I found 7 and 8 on there and grabbed those. I'm looking for new and sealed. When it comes to the thicker style sets on 4-6, so far I've had less luck. I've found those used in the thick style and plenty of new copies that use stock photos that don't make it obvious whether it's the thick or the thin set. I've emailed two sellers selling new copies of 4 and 6 with stock photos, asking which packaging they have. Not a single response yet.

Can some1 goto UCLA and confirm "Mighty Mouth" & "Lee Ain't Heavy..." are indeed edited on the DVD, like a member did with "Ralph's Rival"?

Can some1 goto UCLA and confirm "Mighty Mouth" & "Lee Ain't Heavy..." are indeed edited on the DVD, like a member did with "Ralph's Rival"?


There is no confirmation needed for Mighty Mouth because Jack already has one leg inside his pants which means we never see him put the first leg in