Honeymooners on High-Definition DVD??? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

The Great One · 11-10-2006, 03:53 PM

From what I have read there are plans to eventually release the "I Love Lucy"
series on high-definition dvd. I'm thinking that there's a good chance that the same will be done with the Honeymooners. I heard that on a recent music award show they showed a segment of video from a 50's variety show that had been processed with the latest computer technology that made the video clip look as though it had been filmed with modern video equipment.
How awesome that would be if they applied that technology to the Honeymooners series and then released it on high-definition dvd. Anyone out there have an opinion on this. Tell me what you think.

The Great One · 11-11-2006, 10:17 AM

Nobody wants to see this happen?

*ClassicPinUp* · 11-11-2006, 12:10 PM

I have 2 different sides to this. 1 side says yes since some of the episodes could use a little work & it would be nice to see it crystal clear. The other side kind of likes the "old" look to the shows & would miss it BUT I guess the original releases could alway be kept incase. So the answer is yes I'd like to see this done.

The Great One · 11-11-2006, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndAwayWeGo

I have 2 different sides to this. 1 side says yes since some of the episodes could use a little work & it would be nice to see it crystal clear. The other side kind of likes the "old" look to the shows & would miss it BUT I guess the original releases could alway be kept incase. So the answer is yes I'd like to see this done.

You make a very good point. There's a very unique aura and feel to the episodes when viewed just as they are right now. I would hate to lose
experiencing that captivating effect. As long as the original releases were
available it would be interesting to compare the differences.

Bill S. · 11-11-2006, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndAwayWeGo

The other side kind of likes the "old" look to the shows & would miss it

I agree, I personally love the scratchy black & white feel of the show. That's one of the reasons I could never really get into the color episodes. On the other hand, if they were able to restore the Lost Episodes to look like the Classic 39, it'd definitely be interesting to see.

*ClassicPinUp* · 11-11-2006, 04:33 PM

Just out of curiosity Bill S. what did you think about the replacements *Alice & Trixie* in The Color Honeymooners? To be honest I've never seen them & really don't intend to. As much as I love Art & Jackie I could never imagine Alice & Trixie being played by someone other than Audrey or Joyce.

Bill S. · 11-11-2006, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndAwayWeGo

Just out of curiosity Bill S. what did you think about the replacements *Alice & Trixie* in The Color Honeymooners? To be honest I've never seen them & really don't intend to. As much as I love Art & Jackie I could never imagine Alice & Trixie being played by someone other than Audrey or Joyce.

I'm not much of a fan of the Color Honeymooners, I could never get used to them. They're kind of sad in a sense, with the musical numbers, different wives and an older Gleason & Carney recycling old Lost Episode scripts that I already know and love, it just seemed unnecessary. I'm not saying Sheila MacRae and Jane Kean weren't good actresses, they just weren't Audrey Meadows and Joyce Randolph. Even Pert Kelton took some getting used to, but she was the first Alice, so I was able to accept that. A part of me wishes Jackie would've just left it alone after the 50's, but I guess the color versions were good for the time, since the Lost Episodes that they were remaking didn't come to light until the 80's.

*ClassicPinUp* · 11-11-2006, 05:27 PM

Agree 100% thanks for sharing your opinion. I often heard it was hard for Jackie to let go of The Honeymooner characters as they were one of the biggest things he really loved & put all his effort into..I guess maybe that's why he had to give it another go. I'm sure he would be glad that the Kramden's & Norton's are still going strong.

Dr. Thong · 11-11-2006, 07:27 PM

The Honeymooners in color doesn't look right to me. It seems unnatural. Even though they were shot that way, it looks alien to me. Besides, I'm not a fan of musicals anyway and to have the "fake" Alice and Trixie just adds to the dislike factor.

The Honeymooners should be viewed in black and white, with the episodes ("lost" and "classic") from the fifties.

Besides, I would think that you can only do so much to old film via upconverting. I'd be curious to see what enhanced digital HD Honeymooners would look like, but not at the expense of taking away the original look and feel.

That's like when they take old recordings and use noise reduction as part of the remastering process for CDs - it kind of sucks the life out of the recording. Tape hiss was part of the original tape and your ears adjust to it after a while. Same with video artifacts.

*ClassicPinUp* · 11-11-2006, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Thong

That's like when they take old recordings and use noise reduction as part of the remastering process for CDs - it kind of sucks the life out of the recording. Tape hiss was part of the original tape and your ears adjust to it after a while. Same with video artifacts.

True. The occasional line or 2 through the episodes is something I don't even notice anymore while others new to seeing it are annoyed by it. Never knew the Color Honeymooners had singing in them *until today* don't-even-want-to-imagine. The originals are always the best

.

Dr. Thong · 11-11-2006, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndAwayWeGo

True. The occasional line or 2 through the episodes is something I don't even notice anymore while others new to seeing it are annoyed by it. Never knew the Color Honeymooners had singing in them *until today* don't-even-want-to-imagine. The originals are always the best

.

I've seen a few of them. Nothing special. They should have left well enough alone.

I remember they aired a colorized '50s episode of The Honeymooners back in the mid-'80s when colorizing technology was a new thing and it looked horrible. It looked like a child had colored it with crayons. And that's only a slight exaggeration.

W.B. · 11-11-2006, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Thong

I've seen a few of them. Nothing special. They should have left well enough alone.

I remember they aired a colorized '50s episode of The Honeymooners back in the mid-'80s when colorizing technology was a new thing and it looked horrible. It looked like a child had colored it with crayons. And that's only a slight exaggeration.

More like an understatement, if you ask me. If I wanted to see The Honeymooners in color, I'd settle for those late '60's Miami-made installments. As I've seen on AmericanLife (and MPI's Color Honeymooners Collection #1). The '70's hour-long non-musical specials, well . . .

Bill S. · 11-12-2006, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndAwayWeGo

Never knew the Color Honeymooners had singing in them *until today* don't-even-want-to-imagine.

Yeah, the Kramdens and Nortons randomly breaking out in song and dance really takes away from the realism of the show. With the black & white shows, it was almost as if you were a neighbor looking in on this struggling family from outside the window. I'm sure the same could be said about some of the color shows too, but if my neighbors just randomly jumped up and started singing out of nowhere I think I'd get outta town.

*ClassicPinUp* · 11-12-2006, 01:28 PM

^LOL especially a Ralph Kramden type! Like he says in the "Catch a Star" episode "I don't know what he's drinking but whatever it is get me a case of it."

Dr. Thong · 11-12-2006, 02:10 PM

The more I think about it, making them look as though they were filmed today is wrong. They were filmed over fifty years ago. To me, tweaking them too much is like airbrushing the original look or performing plastic surgery.

You can process the charm and soul out of something if you go overboard with technology. I don't mind if they fix a film splice or restore a frame or fix some minor glitches that would detract from watchability. But that's as far as it should go for me.

11-10-2006, 03:53 PM	#1
The Great One Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Aug 29, 2006 Posts: 6,378	Honeymooners on High-Definition DVD??? From what I have read there are plans to eventually release the "I Love Lucy" series on high-definition dvd. I'm thinking that there's a good chance that the same will be done with the Honeymooners. I heard that on a recent music award show they showed a segment of video from a 50's variety show that had been processed with the latest computer technology that made the video clip look as though it had been filmed with modern video equipment. How awesome that would be if they applied that technology to the Honeymooners series and then released it on high-definition dvd. Anyone out there have an opinion on this. Tell me what you think.
	__________________ . Last edited by The Great One; 11-11-2006 at 10:16 AM.

11-11-2006, 12:10 PM	#3
ClassicPinUp ***** Senior Member** Join Date: Oct 28, 2006 Posts: 2,246	I have 2 different sides to this. 1 side says yes since some of the episodes could use a little work & it would be nice to see it crystal clear. The other side kind of likes the "old" look to the shows & would miss it BUT I guess the original releases could alway be kept incase. So the answer is yes I'd like to see this done.
	__________________ Imy firefighter!

11-11-2006, 07:27 PM	#9
Dr. Thong a/k/a "ACK!" Forum Veteran Join Date: Jul 10, 2001 Location: New Hampshire, USA Posts: 5,546	The Honeymooners in color doesn't look right to me. It seems unnatural. Even though they were shot that way, it looks alien to me. Besides, I'm not a fan of musicals anyway and to have the "fake" Alice and Trixie just adds to the dislike factor. The Honeymooners should be viewed in black and white, with the episodes ("lost" and "classic") from the fifties. Besides, I would think that you can only do so much to old film via upconverting. I'd be curious to see what enhanced digital HD Honeymooners would look like, but not at the expense of taking away the original look and feel. That's like when they take old recordings and use noise reduction as part of the remastering process for CDs - it kind of sucks the life out of the recording. Tape hiss was part of the original tape and your ears adjust to it after a while. Same with video artifacts.
	__________________ "Sunday has been cancelled due to lack of interest. That is all."

11-11-2006, 10:17 AM	#2
The Great One Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Aug 29, 2006 Posts: 6,378	Nobody wants to see this happen?

11-11-2006, 04:33 PM	#6
ClassicPinUp ***** Senior Member** Join Date: Oct 28, 2006 Posts: 2,246	Just out of curiosity Bill S. what did you think about the replacements Alice & Trixie in The Color Honeymooners? To be honest I've never seen them & really don't intend to. As much as I love Art & Jackie I could never imagine Alice & Trixie being played by someone other than Audrey or Joyce.

11-11-2006, 05:27 PM	#8
ClassicPinUp ***** Senior Member** Join Date: Oct 28, 2006 Posts: 2,246	Agree 100% thanks for sharing your opinion. I often heard it was hard for Jackie to let go of The Honeymooner characters as they were one of the biggest things he really loved & put all his effort into..I guess maybe that's why he had to give it another go. I'm sure he would be glad that the Kramden's & Norton's are still going strong.

11-12-2006, 01:28 PM	#14
ClassicPinUp ***** Senior Member** Join Date: Oct 28, 2006 Posts: 2,246	^LOL especially a Ralph Kramden type! Like he says in the "Catch a Star" episode "I don't know what he's drinking but whatever it is get me a case of it."

11-12-2006, 02:10 PM	#15
Dr. Thong a/k/a "ACK!" Forum Veteran Join Date: Jul 10, 2001 Location: New Hampshire, USA Posts: 5,546	The more I think about it, making them look as though they were filmed today is wrong. They were filmed over fifty years ago. To me, tweaking them too much is like airbrushing the original look or performing plastic surgery. You can process the charm and soul out of something if you go overboard with technology. I don't mind if they fix a film splice or restore a frame or fix some minor glitches that would detract from watchability. But that's as far as it should go for me.