Do you have this recorded from an original network broadcast? Can you check to see if it was sped up when originally aired?

I wonder if this episode ran over time when originally aired-- a novelty for that time, but some big network shows would certainly ride the clock during the 90's-2000's.

The part of this Newhart episode where Dick is The Devil (Dicky-Doo-Dah-Devil?) looks wonky even on the Shout release and, yeah, I know those weren't perfect but the beat the TNN airings by a country mile.

Seems strange it would play so fast, and it gets noticeably worse in the last 10 minutes, like there was material crammed in and rushed through. Spoils the pacing, and I can't imagine a big reveal like Bob in a devil suit not being played out slowly for laughs.

This episode suffers the very worst case of time compression I've seen since TVLand's botchery of Hogan's Heroes, where the dialogue is so sped up, frame dropped and clipped it is actually a stress trigger. No lie! MASH, too, plays so fast sometimes that when people walk across the screen it is like they teleport:
*===> * ===> *===>

I always thought that scene was intentionally sped up. It was Michael's dream, so I guess the joke was that Michael thinks with mile-a-minute pacing just like he talks in real life.

Wasn't that the only scene in the episode that was sped up? As I recall all the other characters' dreams were normal speed.

I always thought that scene was intentionally sped up. It was Michael's dream, so I guess the joke was that Michael thinks with mile-a-minute pacing just like he talks in real life.

Wasn't that the only scene in the episode that was sped up? As I recall all the other characters' dreams were normal speed.

The rest of the show seems to move at an artificial pace, though not as exaggerated as the Michael dream sequence, so you're probably right and the conceit of his dream world running at warp speed does seem to fit.

Plus, it is a David Mirkin episode, and he always enjoyed tinkering with wild and different production techniques. Maybe I could pin him down on Twitter and get the definitive word about this episode..?