Hey Guys,

I haven't recently watched the ME-TV presentations of The Bradly Bunch. Don't know if I can speak for all episodes. However, today to the best of my knowledge, they showed "The Dropout" (i.e Greg's Baseball Obsession) complete and uncut. Footage that is only on the DVD was on this episode. You can tell when they switch to a faded color print. That's Paramount's backup copy of a scene that was cut.

The Slumber Caper episode was next. The girls game of "HA" was included, which has been edited out for years. The only part ME-TV did not show was Mike and Carol looking at Marcia's drawing of "George Washington" whom Mr. Randolph thought she drew Mrs. Denton.

What's interesting is Inspiration Network (INSP) also is running Brady Bunch close to the same episodes that ME-TV is showing. Have not checked those recently, but they always were the same prints that have been used since about 1985.

The only other time that I have TWICE seen the same episode of Brady Bunch uncut was "Our Son The Man" a few years ago on some local station. When I saw it earlier last year it was the cut print.

I wonder if ME-TV is showing the DVD versions and only edited when really necessary? I don't think this is the case. "The Dropout" was time compressed, and in both instances of the theme song, there is a hollowness like the kids are signing in a cave!!! hahaha! The hollowness goes away once the episode starts.

I hope ME-TV keeps doing what it's doing to show The Brady Bunch as complete as possible. It's a very "groovy" change!

Jack

I live in Ozone Park, New York. We have Directv and get Me-TV, but no episodes of "The Brady Bunch" are on here Sunday mornings. I also noticed that the schedule advertised on Me-TV weeknights is wrong, in that "Odd Couple" isn't on at 10 PM Monday through Friday.

Hey Guys,

I haven't recently watched the ME-TV presentations of The Bradly Bunch. Don't know if I can speak for all episodes. However, today to the best of my knowledge, they showed "The Dropout" (i.e Greg's Baseball Obsession) complete and uncut. Footage that is only on the DVD was on this episode. You can tell when they switch to a faded color print. That's Paramount's backup copy of a scene that was cut.

The Slumber Caper episode was next. The girls game of "HA" was included, which has been edited out for years. The only part ME-TV did not show was Mike and Carol looking at Marcia's drawing of "George Washington" whom Mr. Randolph thought she drew Mrs. Denton.

What's interesting is Inspiration Network (INSP) also is running Brady Bunch close to the same episodes that ME-TV is showing. Have not checked those recently, but they always were the same prints that have been used since about 1985.

The only other time that I have TWICE seen the same episode of Brady Bunch uncut was "Our Son The Man" a few years ago on some local station. When I saw it earlier last year it was the cut print.

I wonder if ME-TV is showing the DVD versions and only edited when really necessary? I don't think this is the case. "The Dropout" was time compressed, and in both instances of the theme song, there is a hollowness like the kids are signing in a cave!!! hahaha! The hollowness goes away once the episode starts.

I hope ME-TV keeps doing what it's doing to show The Brady Bunch as complete as possible. It's a very "groovy" change!

Jack

I DVR'd INSP's version of The Slumber Caper. Yes! ME-TV is using different prints with very little to nothing lost with the two episodes I have seen that way mentioned above. INSP was the same edits that have been in syndication since the 90's.

I don't know if all of ME-TV's episodes are near complete or if this is a fluke. Can't say how long it is going to last. ME-TV says they get their shows right from the distributor, do no editing of their own and no split-screens or credit crunching!

Jack

Everyone,

I can confirm that the almost uncut Bradly Bunch episodes on ME-TV are not a fluke! If you don't have the DVD's, watch these episodes! You will see scenes that have not been seen about thirty to forty years and are ONLY seen on the DVD.

There's maybe about 20 seconds gone from the episodes. Like a line or two, that's it! Yesterday, they showed "What Goes Up" with the kids bringing Bobby toys and games after he hurts his ankle falling from the tree-house. You also see a scene not seen since the 70's of Greg walking on stilts encouraging Bobby to try them out.

"The Tattletale" had a scene of Cindy snitching on Greg for tearing his good pants playing basketball. The only cut line was after Tiger gets into Mike's golf bag he says he "loses more golf balls in the house than on the course. Not to mention shoes and socks." Don't tell me he's going through a phase too." (Carol had earlier suggested that Cindy's tattling could be a phase she's going through.) (That line was included.) A few other scenes with the kids moving away from Cindy when engaging in conversation for fear of being snitched.

There is noted dialog speed up to compensate for the added material, but to the untrained ear, you won't notice it much. Enjoy it, because ME-TV USED to have the same syndicated prints that stations have aired since the mid-80's. until just recently. Thank you ME-TV for these near complete prints! (Check your schedules for specific times,) but The Bradly Bunch usually runs on ME TV late Sunday mornings, (four episodes in a row!) I am doing my best to DVR what I can to compare the more complete prints. Only about twenty seconds is lost to nothing at all at least from what I have seen so far.

Jack

I live in Ozone Park, New York. We have Directv and get Me-TV, but no episodes of "The Brady Bunch" are on here Sunday mornings. I also noticed that the schedule advertised on Me-TV weeknights is wrong, in that "Odd Couple" isn't on at 10 PM Monday through Friday.

You should contact your local MeTV station and tell them that you want them to air The Brady Brunch if possible. Most of us who get MeTV are able to see Brady Bunch eps in that format.

However, "most" is the key word when it comes to available shows from Me, as far as whether your local affliliate is willing or able to carry them. You will see a disclaimer written on their promos for the shows.

The Odd Couple was replaced by The Dick Van Dyke Show in the 10 p.m. slot many weeks ago, so you have been looking at an out-of-date schedule. This happened when Rhoda took the 9:30 spot.

You should contact your local MeTV station and tell them that you want them to air The Brady Brunch if possible. Most of us who get MeTV are able to see Brady Bunch eps in that format.

However, "most" is the key word when it comes to available shows from Me, as far as whether your local affliliate is willing or able to carry them. You will see a disclaimer written on their promos for the shows.

The Odd Couple was replaced by The Dick Van Dyke Show in the 10 p.m. slot many weeks ago, so you have been looking at an out-of-date schedule. This happened when Rhoda took the 9:30 spot.

We still have Odd Couple on ME-TV at 9:30 weekdays in Wisconsin.

Jack

You should contact your local MeTV station and tell them that you want them to air The Brady Brunch if possible. Most of us who get MeTV are able to see Brady Bunch eps in that format.

However, "most" is the key word when it comes to available shows from Me, as far as whether your local affliliate is willing or able to carry them. You will see a disclaimer written on their promos for the shows.

The Odd Couple was replaced by The Dick Van Dyke Show in the 10 p.m. slot many weeks ago, so you have been looking at an out-of-date schedule. This happened when Rhoda took the 9:30 spot.

In some cities (such as here in Indy) there are some programs which MeTV carries, which are already under contract at another local station. In those cases, MeTV has an alternate feed which is then carried by the MeTV affiliate. In other instances, the local affiliate of MeTV may opt to pre-empt MeTV to carry other local programming.

The new Fall Schedule for next week is going back to Season 1, Episode 2. "A Clubhouse Is Not A Home" according to my TWC Guide. The Brady Bunch Brunch is still being shown. To prevent confusion on the time, check your guide or ME TV's website here:

http://metvnetwork.com/

You may need to change your location in the upper right hand corner of the page, to reflect programing for your area.

I just HOPE that ME-TV keeps up with the prints they have of Brady Bunch! Most episodes shown have no more than 20 seconds missing. Last Sunday, "Liberation of Marcia Brady seemed uncut." followed by "Light's Out"which had maybe FIVE SECONDS at most cut from the episode.

Are they using DVD prints or something else? The true test will be the following:

1.) The fill-in squares on the vacation episodes. (Cut on the DVD.)
2.) The fill in squares on "Greg Gets Grounded" (blended with the tag scene on DVD.)
3.) The one missing line of dialogue from "Pass The Tabu" (Cut on DVD.)
4.) The fill in squares missing from "Love and the Older Man" on DVD
5.) Just thought of this, the brief "In Color" musical interlude with the family on the steps for Season 1 and Season 2. We will have to see how ME-TV's presentation matches up with the DVD's.

Just don't go back to those crappy syndication prints that INSP is using. Actually the prints are cleaner than ME-TV's, but they are the same syndication edits that have been in place since the 90's.

Jack

Well,

Unfortunately, some of ME TV's later episodes have a little more taken out. But still far less compared to other syndicated copies:

"The Big Bet" has part of a scene cut where Bobby tries to lift a weight, but omits Mike giving him exercising tips, and Bobby resisting Alice's "Energy Drink" till she tells him it made Greg strong as a horse when trying out for the basketball team.

"Little Big Man" is mostly intact except for Bobby's "Brain Power" questions.

The edits are more "skilled." so if you don't have the DVD's, or don't remember the show as it aired 40+ years ago, you would probably find it difficult to see what's missing. ME-TV claims to get their shows right from the distributor and does not edit on their own.

ME-TV SEEMS to have DVD prints, and their distributes are only taking out small parts in subtle places to do what they can to get leave as much intact as possible.

Jack

To continue with this topic's update,

ME-TV continues to be the BEST source for Brady Bunch episodes with the least amount of editing. In "The Show Must Go On?" the long ago deleted scene with Bobby and Peter selling Family Night Frolic Tickets WAS included! This scene was cut for syndication and by most accounts has not been seen since the original run. I can't remember this scene even as far back as 1975

The famous "Bobby and Cindy" want to go skinny dipping in the neighbor's pool, cut since about 1985 is also included in "Goodbye Alice Hello" along with more scenes of Peter and Bobby trying to conceal the broken lamp after trying to fix it

There's maybe about thirty seconds to one minute gone from episodes that are not time-compressed, and twenty to thirty seconds gone from episodes that are time compressed. This is the closest you will get to uncut Brady Bunch episodes without buying the series on DVD.

Jack

Yesterday I timed the commercials, and including the 10 second METV ID time, the total ad time is 7:00. This would leave 23:00 for program, which is excellent by today's standards. Does anyone know the original episode length? If it was around 25:00, this would mean 2:00 or more is edited out. As was stated before, these are pretty slick edits though. Most old-show syndication prints have horrible editing (pick any old Screen Gems black and white show,for example).

Yesterday I timed the commercials, and including the 10 second METV ID time, the total ad time is 7:00. This would leave 23:00 for program, which is excellent by today's standards. Does anyone know the original episode length? If it was around 25:00, this would mean 2:00 or more is edited out. As was stated before, these are pretty slick edits though. Most old-show syndication prints have horrible editing (pick any old Screen Gems black and white show,for example).

Good Job!

They are also time compressing the episodes, which could bring some episodes down to maybe 1:30 cut compared to the 3-5 minutes that you get from The Brady Bunch on other syndicated prints. And don't even get me started on Hallmark's showings with their split-screen end credits and edits. Hallmark's Brady Bunch acquisitions were unwatchable.

Saw Cincinnati Kids yesterday. Probably THE MOST USUALLY SYNDICATED edited episode in years! Not on ME-TV! Tons of added shots and Bobby and Cindy eating all the junk food and Bobby has some very funny rationalizations for why it's not junk food! LOL!

"Eating ice cream isn't really eating.....it's licking!"
"Eating popcorn isn't really eating.......cuz we're just after the prizes and they are always on the bottom."

Bobby and Cindy eats a lot of food in this episode! But in most syndicated prints, you only see Bobby and Cindy heading toward a pizza place and maybe one other eating scene. (There's at least four as I recall.)

But what's really funny is the race with Mike's sketches to get them back to him in time. The William Tell Overture, (a.k.a The Lone Ranger Theme) is what is time compressed to get all the added scenes included in ME-TV's presentation! It's like twice the normal speed and everybody runs twice as fast as when you see those scenes on the DVD!

Oh yea, and "Peter and the Wolf" one of my FAVORITE episodes seemed complete compared to the DVD, except one line omitted when Sandra and Linda are talking about Peter's ("Phil Packer's) phoney mustache!" Oh that scene with the mustache and the popcorn!!!!! LMAO!!!!!!

I just love this episode!

Greg coaching Peter having him do everything that he does. Pete being "Phil"

Greg to Sandra: "Sorry it took so long"

"Phil" to Linda: "Took a long time"

Greg to Sandra: "Really crowded"

"Phil" to Linda: "Lot of people."

Greg puts his arm around Sandra, "Phil" does the same with Linda and knocks over her popcorn!

Greg to Sandra, (moves toward her with an affectionate sniff) "What's that wild scent you're wearing?"

Sandra: "Exotica."

"Phil" to Linda: (Peter gets close to her and sniffs really loud!) hahahaha!

"Phil": "What's the wild scent your wearing?"

Linda: "Buttered Popcorn!!! hahahaha

Jack

PS. Original Brady Bunch episodes ran between 25-26 minutes. (Approximately)

Their time compression is good--really not noticable. You'd think it would be noticable on the theme.

Yes, don't get me started on credits. Hallmark is really bad (as was their predecssor, Odyssey) on both split credits and episode length. And other channels are just as bad, in a different way--redoing them "modern style", so as to make them totally unreadable--not to mention losing the theme. Ooh--but they get and extra 30 seconds of promo time! Or time to air more junk ads!

In the episode "Try, Try, Again", the scene where Jan breaks the ball with her foot, is cut on Me-TV.

In the episode "Try, Try, Again", the scene where Jan breaks the ball with her foot, is cut on Me-TV.

Wow,

I don't remember that scene! I remember Jan breaking a window when throwing a baton, Greg throwing a Ping-Pong game to her, and her Tap Dancing routine dropping Mike's Souffle on the floor. There also a scene where she's Tap Dancing a and something falls off a shelf and breaks, I have the DVD, so I should probably check that out!

Jack

They must be editing season 1 from the commercial DVD's, since they showed an episode this past Sunday that included the Brady Bunch in Color slide. (By the way, MeTV...that is SO cool to do that!...makes you feel like a time traveler back in 1969!)

They must be editing season 1 from the commercial DVD's, since they showed an episode this past Sunday that included the Brady Bunch in Color slide. (By the way, MeTV...that is SO cool to do that!...makes you feel like a time traveler back in 1969!)

Thanks! Preach it to the choir!

Whoever is in charge with ME-TV showing these episodes with such a small amount of editing like no other station has done with The Brady Bunch for almost FORTY YEARS deserves the highest praise, and a raise!

It's really cool! Because about a year ago when ME-TV started "The Brady Bunch Brunch" as it is called in most markets with four back-to-back episodes on Sundays. they had the same old syndicated prints. Until some months ago, and they did that time change, my jaw hit the floor in seeing scenes that have not been seen for thirty to forty years, and in some cases, not since the original run:

For instance, before ME TV started with the minimal edits, if you don't have the DVD's, you have to go back to pre-1985 to see Bobby and Cindy wanting to Skinny Dip in the new neighbor's pool! Or back literally to the original run to see Peter and Bobby selling Family Night Frolic Tickets door to door in "The Show Must Go On?" I don't EVER remember that scene in syndication till I got the DVD! Now we have a post that says they saw the original "In Color" bumpers! (Part of the first two seasons,) shown in syndication till about the mid-70's. (The bumpers were dropped by the early 80's.)

These restorations are a gem! The only thing that no one has been able to turn up are the little sequences between the fill in squares and the tag scene where one of the kids, (Often who that episode was about) would come on to a still screen of the Bradly Bunch and say, "The Brady Bunch Will Return in a Moment." I think those are unfortunately gone for good. (Left sometime between the first syndicated run of late 1974 to mid 1975.)

In my area, my station played early season episodes DURING THE ORIGINAL RUN. I think it was Saturday mornings.

Jack

MeTV is doing other interesting things. For instance, for the final season showings of Family Affair, many episodes include either the kids or Sebastian Cabot opening and closing the show. I think many sitcoms included this kind of thing--I know Silver Spoons did. Now I know Brady Bunch did. So did Father Knows Best, but most of these ended up in the trash.

Is the Paramount split box intact?

Is the Paramount split box intact?

I have seen it on some episodes, yes!

Jack

I live in Ozone Park, New York. We have Directv and get Me-TV, but no episodes of "The Brady Bunch" are on here Sunday mornings. I also noticed that the schedule advertised on Me-TV weeknights is wrong, in that "Odd Couple" isn't on at 10 PM Monday through Friday.


You live in Ozone Park? Cool!!! I live about six miles from you here in Corona!

I want to check out these prints of the show and do some comparisons. I have always enjoyed that show.

Me TV is still doing minimal editing of The Brady Bunch compared to other syndicated prints. "The Wheeler Dealer" had a little bit more edited than other episodes, (This might be because Season 4 episodes of The Brady Bunch according to the DVD, come in between 25:30 to 26 minutes.) There is a good extra 30 seconds on those 26 minute episodes, not in other seasons, which run between 25:00-25:30. ME TV Restorations included:

1.) Greg giving a "simulated" driving test to Alice in the kitchen. Cut long ago, except on DVD and ME-TV.

2.) Greg coming home from practicing driving with Mike, Marcia and Jan raz him when he forgets to unbuckle his seat-belt before getting out of the car.

3.) Greg talking to Peter and Bobby about how to get rid of the car when he realizes how crappy it is.

Missing are two funny scenes:

1.) The kids working on restoring the car. Marcia cleaning the upholstery with what Greg thinks is "Black Water." Bobby and Cindy cleaning the engine with the vacuum cleaner! LOL, and Peter trying to get the rust off the door:

Greg: "Is all the rust coming off"
Peter: "Hope not"
Greg "What do you mean?"
Peter: "It's the only thing holding the car together!" LOL!

2.) Alice, "Boiling out the Carburetor" on the stove. Carol thinks she's making something that smells odd takes some guesses, and Alice pulls it out, "Boiled out Carburetor Ala Greg." (This scene was cut from most syndicated prints many years ago.)

Jack

I noticed they cut out the closing boxes on the Grand Canyon trip, at least two of the episodes, shown on ME yesterday...this may have been discussed before. They also had some other poor edits...the car was traveling, then it cut to suddenly stopped, then suddenly traveling again. I need to buy season 3 just to see the trip unedited! And, boy, is that opening theme NOTICEABLY sped up on TV Land!

I noticed they cut out the closing boxes on the Grand Canyon trip, at least two of the episodes, shown on ME yesterday...this may have been discussed before. They also had some other poor edits...the car was traveling, then it cut to suddenly stopped, then suddenly traveling again. I need to buy season 3 just to see the trip unedited! And, boy, is that opening theme NOTICEABLY sped up on TV Land!

Check for the lack of fill in squares on the folloowing episodes when ME-TV shows them:

All Vacation episodes- (Grand Canyon and Hawaii)
"Love and the Older Man."

If they aren't there, ME-TV is probably using DVD prints. Also, "Greg Gets Grounded" on the DVD omits the fill in squares between Greg and Rachel with the "Frog Pizza" at the Drive-Inn and blends in to the next scene of Carol and Mike in bed with Carol laughing about it.

It has been debated if "Greg Gets Grounded" aired that way on original broadcast and the fill-in squares were added for syndication. Or if this is a was a very poor DVD preparation job by Paramount. The lack of fill in squares for "Love and the Older Man" WAS a bad DVD transfer job by Paramount. You can hear the music for the fill in-squares just start, for that episode on DVD, than it cuts out.

Jack

Check for the lack of fill in squares on the folloowing episodes when ME-TV shows them:

All Vacation episodes- (Grand Canyon and Hawaii)
"Love and the Older Man."

If they aren't there, ME-TV is probably using DVD prints. Also, "Greg Gets Grounded" on the DVD omits the fill in squares between Greg and Rachel with the "Frog Pizza" at the Drive-Inn and blends in to the next scene of Carol and Mike in bed with Carol laughing about it.

It has been debated if "Greg Gets Grounded" aired that way on original broadcast and the fill-in squares were added for syndication. Or if this is a was a very poor DVD preparation job by Paramount. The lack of fill in squares for "Love and the Older Man" WAS a bad DVD transfer job by Paramount. You can hear the music for the fill in-squares just start, for that episode on DVD, than it cuts out.

Jack

Watched "Greg Get's Grounded" on MeTV recently. It's the DVD print that they are using with the blend in sequence from the drive-inn to Carol laughing in bed. (Other syndicated prints show fill-in squares and go to a commercial shortly after Greg's line at the drive-in, "and he was in 34th place too.") What this means is that on these prints, "Greg Gets Grounded" has no tag sequence. It has been debated whether or not this was the way the episode originally aired and were the fill-in squares added in later for syndication? Unless someone has an original ABC Broadcast from 'Greg Gets Grounded" from January 19, 1973, we may never know for sure.

TV Land when they got prints with different edits in the Summer of 1988 would fill in the squares after Greg says, "That does it!" You miss his ad-libbed lines, "I don't think we'll be eating this tonight, and he was in 34th place too." Other syndicated prints also have the full in squares after Greg's final lines at the drive in. To my recollection this is the only episode of The Brady Bunch that is sequenced differently, depending on what version is being viewed.

Jack