For those of you who enjoy minutiae, IMDB Streaming has an alternate cut of the Pilot Episode "The Jeffersons Move Up" as part of the All in the Family series run.

Firstly, it is an edited episode, missing Edith's first interaction with Louise, but there is an interesting anomaly..

Now, it looks like two versions of the Pilot must have been made and re-tooled at some point, one with the other Helen and Tom from the previous All in the Family episode and one with Roxy Roker and Franklin Cover. And, I can't be sure that either one was done with a studio audience. But! The IMBD episode is missing the laugh track during the Willis' scenes, and only a "guide" laugh can be heard, making the whole interchange between George, Tom and Helen all the more awkward in a dramatic sense, as well as a technical one!

It ain't like that on the dvd.

The IMDB episodes up to this point in the series (All in the Family) is a mixed bag of unedited and syndicated cuts. Some look to have been re-transferred in the last 10 years, re-instating "From Television City In Hollywood" at the beginning of many, and those eps have full 25 minute run times.

Some early episodes even had color bars and vintage slates, while others have modern slates with text referencing Sony, so I'm sure there are some new transfers in there, somewhere. It's just so jumbled and you never know if you'll get a complete or a cut episode!

Some clock in at 21 minutes or less and are obviously cut.

But, that missing laugh track thing had me floored! Never knew undedited (or, unsweetened) tapes existed for this show?

Wonder what else could be in the Sony vaults that we don't know about?

For those of you who enjoy minutiae, IMDB Streaming has an alternate cut of the Pilot Episode "The Jeffersons Move Up" as part of the All in the Family series run.

Firstly, it is an edited episode, missing Edith's first interaction with Louise, but there is an interesting anomaly..

Now, it looks like two versions of the Pilot must have been made and re-tooled at some point, one with the other Helen and Tom from the previous All in the Family episode and one with Roxy Roker and Franklin Cover. And, I can't be sure that either one was done with a studio audience. But! The IMBD episode is missing the laugh track during the Willis' scenes, and only a "guide" laugh can be heard, making the whole interchange between George, Tom and Helen all the more awkward in a dramatic sense, as well as a technical one!

It ain't like that on the dvd.

The IMDB episodes up to this point in the series (All in the Family) is a mixed bag of unedited and syndicated cuts. Some look to have been re-transferred in the last 10 years, re-instating "From Television City In Hollywood" at the beginning of many, and those eps have full 25 minute run times.

Some early episodes even had color bars and vintage slates, while others have modern slates with text referencing Sony, so I'm sure there are some new transfers in there, somewhere. It's just so jumbled and you never know if you'll get a complete or a cut episode!

Some clock in at 21 minutes or less and are obviously cut.

But, that missing laugh track thing had me floored! Never knew undedited (or, unsweetened) tapes existed for this show?

Wonder what else could be in the Sony vaults that we don't know about?


I dont think there is a version with the other tom and helen for the move up episode. I do recall seeing a pic of a different helen with Franklin Cover in the move up episode

I dont think there is a version with the other tom and helen for the move up episode. I do recall seeing a pic of a different helen with Franklin Cover in the move up episode

Wow! So, the Helen character was re-cast again? Who was the other actress?

Wow! So, the Helen character was re-cast again? Who was the other actress?

Yeah its another darkskin lady with tom and I think I saw the pic on the episode guide for IMDB

Wow! So, the Helen character was re-cast again? Who was the other actress?

This is the pic I am referring to. This looks like another version of the pilot

This is the pic I am referring to. This looks like another version of the pilot

Nope, never seen that version with the different actress. I wonder if that iteration still exists somewhere?

Nope, never seen that version with the different actress. I wonder if that iteration still exists somewhere?

The actress name is Midge sinclair and I believe her name is in the closing credits for the Jeffersons Move Up episode

If I'm not mistaken, she was in the movie Coming to America. She played Akeem's mother.

If I'm not mistaken, she was in the movie Coming to America. She played Akeem's mother.

Yes she was

Watching AITF from the start on IMDb tv. Up to S5 E17 Jeffersons Move On Up. This thread explains some of the episode's flaws. But, the whole episode is unprofessional. Sherman Hemsley always smiling, the awkward pauses between lines, single person laugh in background. The entire episode is a trainwreck. It appears to be an unpolished rehearsal. Is any of this alternate IMDb tv episode on the DVD version? Or is it all different? From the studio vault.

Watching AITF from the start on IMDb tv. Up to S5 E17 Jeffersons Move On Up. This thread explains some of the episode's flaws. But, the whole episode is unprofessional. Sherman Hemsley always smiling, the awkward pauses between lines, single person laugh in background. The entire episode is a trainwreck. It appears to be an unpolished rehearsal. Is any of this alternate IMDb tv episode on the DVD version? Or is it all different? From the studio vault.

What episode is a trainwreck? Jeffersons Move Up?

Here's a clip of the alternate edit of "The Jeffersons Move Up":

sZEVv0iiajw

This isn't a "trainwreck" as described above, rather than a technical anomaly. During transfer, the canned laugh track was omitted from the soundtrack during the scenes of Tom and Helen that were inserted into the next-to-final edit. It makes the scene play awkwardly for the home viewer, but this is indicative of only one stage of how programs get assembled for final release. And, it's rare and neat to see!

This copy was likely pulled from the archive by accident during recent years for digitizing as part of the online collection of All In The Family. A few episodes of AITF on IMDB are new (as of 2007, anyway!) transfers that are more complete than the dvds, including color bars and slates at the start:
https://i.ibb.co/pzrJWCS/prime-All-In-The-Family-S01-E06-Gloria-s-Pregnancy-mp4-snapshot-01-05-2022-02-10-20-46-40.jpg (https://ibb.co/d2JGbnR)

Madge Sinclair is, indeed, erroneously credited as Helen Willis instead of Roxy Roker on this particular transfer.
https://i.ibb.co/c8r3qCH/All-In-The-Family-S05-E14-Jeffersons-Move-Up-The-Alt-Edit-mp4-snapshot-22-01-2022-02-10-20-15-03.jpg (https://ibb.co/LgZRKJW)

Somewhere down the line, we need someone to go through the classic series libraries like the Norman Lear collection and re-transfer episodes from broadcast masters. There's no telling what else may be lurking in the archives!

Here's a clip of the alternate edit of "The Jeffersons Move Up":

sZEVv0iiajw

This isn't a "trainwreck" as described above, rather than a technical anomaly. During transfer, the canned laugh track was omitted from the soundtrack during the scenes of Tom and Helen that were inserted into the next-to-final edit. It makes the scene play awkwardly for the home viewer, but this is indicative of only one stage of how programs get assembled for final release. And, it's rare and neat to see!

This copy was likely pulled from the archive by accident during recent years for digitizing as part of the online collection of All In The Family. A few episodes of AITF on IMDB are new transfers that are more complete than the dvds, including color bars and slates at the start.

Somewhere down the line, we need someone to go through classic series like the Norman Lear collection and re-transfer episodes from broadcast masters. There's no telling what else may be lurking in the archives!


Are you saying the pilot on IMDB is a lot different?

Are you saying the pilot on IMDB is a lot different?

The IMDB edit is different insofar as the soundtrack is concerned and is a syndicated edit, clocking in at 22:32, eliminating Edith's first bit with Louise in the kitchen. I will be checking this against the dvd version to see if any other edits are present. Also, since AITF's episode "Gloria's Pregnancy" runs 27 minutes on IMDB with color bars and slate, I intend to do a comparison to the dvd with that one, as well, to see if there are any differences.

Still glad to have a copy of this to go with The Jeffersons complete series set. I think this stuff is fascinating.

I wish they would re-transfer Sanford and Son as complete episodes from the broadcast masters, as I would looooove to see the entire end credits film play out to the end of the song. Maybe it would also be possible to eliminate the dialogue and effects (audience) from the music to get a clean version of that mix of the theme, as well?

Rhino pulled off a miracle getting The Monkees transferred from original negatives, Sony could certainly put some effort into these Norman Lear perennial cash cows and give us something spectacular, surely?!!

The IMDB edit is different insofar as the soundtrack is concerned and is a syndicated edit, clocking in at 22:32, eliminating Edith's first bit with Louise in the kitchen. I will be checking this against the dvd version to see if any edits are present. Also, since AITF's episode "Gloria's Pregnancy" runs 27 minutes on IMDB with color bars and slate, I intend to do a comparison to the dvd with that one, as well, to see if there are any differences.

I think this stuff is fascinating. I wish they would re-transfer Sanford and Son as complete episodes from the broadcast masters, as I would looooove to see the entire end credits film play out to the end of the song. Maybe it would also be possible to eliminate the dialogue and effects (audience) from the music to get a clean version of that mix of the theme, as well?

Rhino pulled off a miracle getting The Monkees transferred from original negatives, Sony could certainly put some cash into these perennial cash cows and give us something spectacular, surely?!!

I was thinking that IMDB had the pilot with the other helen lol

I was thinking that IMDB had the pilot with the other helen lol

If they did, I'd be sure do download that one quick, too. That would be a true rarity.

Watching AITF from the start on IMDb tv. Up to S5 E17 Jeffersons Move On Up. This thread explains some of the episode's flaws. But, the whole episode is unprofessional. Sherman Hemsley always smiling, the awkward pauses between lines, single person laugh in background. The entire episode is a trainwreck. It appears to be an unpolished rehearsal. Is any of this alternate IMDb tv episode on the DVD version? Or is it all different? From the studio vault.
I stand by my earlier post the IMDb.tv AITF episode was a "trainwreck" throughout. Here's a similarly minded viewer's review.

I stand by my earlier post the IMDb.tv AITF episode was a "trainwreck" throughout. Here's a similarly minded viewer's review.

https://c.tenor.com/DBjKenqntDcAAAAC/tommy-lee-jones-i-dont-care.gif

https://c.tenor.com/DBjKenqntDcAAAAC/tommy-lee-jones-i-dont-care.gif
The episode must really mean a lot to you.

Im going to watch this episode this weekend

Im going to watch this episode this weekend

I’ll be interested in your opinion. Not the troll who got reported and put on ignore.

I’ll be interested in your opinion. Not the troll who got reported and put on ignore.

Please, enjoy your shows.

Ok I just watched the IMDBTV version of this episode and this is kind of weird. I never seen this version

You only hear one person laughing in the background while tom and helen are there and then its back to tons of people laughing once they leave. I believe this version is different from the one on the DVD. I will look at the pilot on DVD tomorrow because its some things in the IMDB version I never heard before.

Watching a/b with the AITF dvd, the only differences I spotted, aside from the missing laugh track, were two scenes omitted from the streaming version: Edith's first appearance at the beginning, and George, Louise and Lionel arguing in the kitchen after The Willis' introduce themselves. Also, the credits are correct on the dvd, and the Sony logo rolls by twice at the end on the IMDB copy.

It is interesting to me, at least, to see a vintage show like this turn up as an alternate edit.

Would still like to see some of the other famously cut shows like "Archie's Brief Encounter, Pt. 1" turn up uncut. Or the Sanford ("Blood is Thicker Than Junk", for one) and Good Times shows that are missing some stuff.

Watching a/b with the AITF dvd, the only differences I spotted, aside from the missing laugh track, were two scenes omitted from the streaming version: Edith's first appearance at the beginning, and George, Louise and Lionel arguing in the kitchen after The Willis' introduce themselves. Also, the credits are correct on the dvd, and the Sony logo rolls by twice at the end on the IMDB copy.

It is interesting to me, at least, to see a vintage show like this turn up as an alternate edit.

Would still like to see some of the other famously cut shows like "Archie's Brief Encounter, Pt. 1" turn up uncut. Or the Sanford ("Blood is Thicker Than Junk", for one) and Good Times shows that are missing some stuff.

Yes the opening scene with Edith and Lionel and George in the Kitchen was not on the IMDB TV version. Have no clue what that mess was on IMDB TV.

Yes the opening scene with Edith and Lionel and George in the Kitchen was not on the IMDB TV version. Have no clue what that mess was on IMDB TV.

None of the other shows from AITF were affected like this one, although there were a large number of syndicated edits which is weird after being used to them uncut on dvd. The standout is still "Archie's Brief Encounter Pt. 1" that eliminates the first minute or so where the guys talk about why Archie keeps insisting they go to the diner. Maybe there's damage to the original tape?

Oh, well. I still prefer the old shows to today's offerings.

The scene in the Bunker's kitchen with Edith & "Weezy" was rock solid. Then, it was all downhill.