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The Official LUCY ON BLU-RAY Thread!


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Did the film stock for the show ever change? I've always wondered about shows whose early episodes appear different to the later ones. The Lucy Show is a particular example, as the color for the later seasons appears different than seasons 2 and 3. Was film stock always being improved and modified?

I think  the answer is yes. Certainly with the "I Love Lucy"s, we noted that the second season programs seemed to be on a better-grade film stock that the first... But  then again, cannot be certain. We do not get to touch the actual original negatives, etc. Those were re-transferred years ago, and are now in a film vault somewhere.  

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I need to correct a statement that I made a few months ago... Not really "correct," but "update" -- because what I said at the time was true, but things have changed... We WILL be including the colorized "Job Switching" on our Season Two Blu-ray release.  

 

Things are moving along on that package, and at least for now we are still hoping for a mid-July release...

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I haven't even gotten season 1 on bluray. I'll have to check Hulu to watch them. I didn't think they'd get any clearer than what we've seen on dvd. But it is possible! I wish VIDEOTAPE could be restored to bluray but it cannot. I guess the way Lucy Calls the President is, is the best restoration job we'll ever see. It is pretty clear quality but the only special Miss Ball shot on tape rather than film, aside from all her appearances on comedy shows such as Flip Wilson, Carol Burnett . . .

How DID they convince Lucy to do President on tape, not film?

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I haven't even gotten season 1 on bluray. I'll have to check Hulu to watch them. I didn't think they'd get any clearer than what we've seen on dvd. But it is possible! I wish VIDEOTAPE could be restored to bluray but it cannot. I guess the way Lucy Calls the President is, is the best restoration job we'll ever see. It is pretty clear quality but the only special Miss Ball shot on tape rather than film, aside from all her appearances on comedy shows such as Flip Wilson, Carol Burnett . . .

How DID they convince Lucy to do President on tape, not film?

 

I think they were just trying to "stay with the times." All of the big shows in this period (the Norman Lear comedies, etc. )were being done on video tape, so I am guessing they wanted to give it a try.  Mistake.

 

Sadly, even though "Life With Lucy" was shot on film, it was transferred to and edited on tape.  Which means that the show masters are all tape.  The camera negatives still exist, but it would be impossibly expensive to ever go back to those and re-edit the shows on film.  So what we have now as masters for those 13 episodes are again 1-inch video tapes...

 

As was said, videotapes do not transfer well into High-Def (for Blu-rays, etc.)...

 

Once again, Hollywood's longtime favorite media form -- film -- is still the best there is... It can be remastered into almost every other format... 

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I need to correct a statement that I made a few months ago... Not really "correct," but "update" -- because what I said at the time was true, but things have changed... We WILL be including the colorized "Job Switching" on our Season Two Blu-ray release.  

 

Things are moving along on that package, and at least for now we are still hoping for a mid-July release...

As much as I dislike the practice, that may be an incentive for people to buy it and hopefully keep the Blu-Ray project alive.

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I think they were just trying to "stay with the times." All of the big shows in this period (the Norman Lear comedies, etc. )were being done on video tape, so I am guessing they wanted to give it a try.  Mistake.

 

Sadly, even though "Life With Lucy" was shot on film, it was transferred to and edited on tape.  Which means that the show masters are all tape.  The camera negatives still exist, but it would be impossibly expensive to ever go back to those and re-edit the shows on film.  So what we have now as masters for those 13 episodes are again 1-inch video tapes...

 

As was said, videotapes do not transfer well into High-Def (for Blu-rays, etc.)...

 

Once again, Hollywood's longtime favorite media form -- film -- is still the best there is... It can be remastered into almost every other format...

 

Sadly, a one season program from the 80s that didn't receive good reviews and isn't widely remembered isn't likely to warrant the same sort of treatment Seinfeld, Friends or I Love Lucy do on home video. At least there studios know there is money to be made in going back to the sources and recreating the episodes for hi-def displays. Maybe we could crowd source a Life With Lucy restoration deal? If nothing else, I hope the tape masters get used for a release someday.

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If film masters for Life With Lucy exist, then I'm sure with time the restoration team should get to them. This was done for Star Trek: The Next Generation, which was also edited on tape (plus special effects), and the results were astounding. LWL should be much easier, quicker, and cheaper.

 

And maybe tjw missed my earlier post, but: "I have a hypothetical. Assuming sales are strong (or okay), how long would it take to remaster in HD the entire Lucy TV library (hopefully including Life With Lucy), and how long would it take to come out on Blu-ray? And is some stuff even possible to remaster, or are the DVDs the best we'll ever have? And finally, is the remastering entirely contingent on blu-ray sales? What about general future-proofing of iconic television for Netflix and such?" Thanks.

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They just released the entire series of Family Matters (aka the Steve Urkel show) on iTunes/Amazon instant video, in stunning HD. Didn't think that would ever happen. It was also shot on film but layed down on tape, like LWL. But making it HD would require going back to the original negatives, like you said, TJW. But I want to watch it on my tv, not taking up space on my iPad mini.

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And maybe tjw missed my earlier post, but: "I have a hypothetical. Assuming sales are strong (or okay), how long would it take to remaster in HD the entire Lucy TV library (hopefully including Life With Lucy), and how long would it take to come out on Blu-ray? And is some stuff even possible to remaster, or are the DVDs the best we'll ever have? And finally, is the remastering entirely contingent on blu-ray sales? What about general future-proofing of iconic television for Netflix and such?" Thanks.

That's an impossible question to answer. Each of the series is a separate case, plus the specials, etc. Some are owned by CBS, others are not... It would be very expensive to remaster everything simply for the sake of remastering... 

 

The generic ("syndicated") prints are fairly available, but the real challenge in these projects is the original broadcasts, cast commercials, and some of the other "extras" which take time to research, legally "clear," transfer, remaster, etc.

 

The shows that were done on video tape are difficult to remaster in High Def. It can be done, but the results are not always wonderful.

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That's an impossible question to answer. Each of the series is a separate case, plus the specials, etc. Some are owned by CBS, others are not... It would be very expensive to remaster everything simply for the sake of remastering... 

 

The generic ("syndicated") prints are fairly available, but the real challenge in these projects is the original broadcasts, cast commercials, and some of the other "extras" which take time to research, legally "clear," transfer, remaster, etc.

 

The shows that were done on video tape are difficult to remaster in High Def. It can be done, but the results are not always wonderful.

Dunno about everybody else, but i want every show Lucy ever did.   I appreciate your devotion and hard work, but Lucy made her reputation on those 500 plus shows, not the commercials, lead ins, and what not you are searching for and working so hard to bring us before they fade away, LOL!

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I think they were just trying to "stay with the times." All of the big shows in this period (the Norman Lear comedies, etc. )were being done on video tape, so I am guessing they wanted to give it a try.  Mistake.

 

Sadly, even though "Life With Lucy" was shot on film, it was transferred to and edited on tape.  Which means that the show masters are all tape.  The camera negatives still exist, but it would be impossibly expensive to ever go back to those and re-edit the shows on film.  So what we have now as masters for those 13 episodes are again 1-inch video tapes...

 

As was said, videotapes do not transfer well into High-Def (for Blu-rays, etc.)...

 

Once again, Hollywood's longtime favorite media form -- film -- is still the best there is... It can be remastered into almost every other format... 

So, you are the one to answer this, the copies of I Love Lucy i am now watching on Comedy Gold, are they perfect looking with no flaws anywhere, is it because of my new FEED which is HDTV and my tv which is fairly new or have the syndication copies been upgraded also and that's why they are so flawless?

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I think they were just trying to "stay with the times." All of the big shows in this period (the Norman Lear comedies, etc. )were being done on video tape, so I am guessing they wanted to give it a try.  Mistake.

 

Sadly, even though "Life With Lucy" was shot on film, it was transferred to and edited on tape.  Which means that the show masters are all tape.  The camera negatives still exist, but it would be impossibly expensive to ever go back to those and re-edit the shows on film.  So what we have now as masters for those 13 episodes are again 1-inch video tapes...

 

As was said, videotapes do not transfer well into High-Def (for Blu-rays, etc.)...

 

Once again, Hollywood's longtime favorite media form -- film -- is still the best there is... It can be remastered into almost every other format... 

At this point, i'm always having to convince this crowd that Life with Lucy will one day come to dvd like i said The Lucy show and Here's Lucy would, when nobody believed me, so we don't care how they come, what the picture quality is, we'd just love to get them out in the marketplace PERIOD.  P L E A S E !

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Dunno about everybody else, but i want every show Lucy ever did, i could not care less about the commercials and all the other crap you are devoting so much time in getting added on. I appreciate your devotion and hard work, but Lucy made her reputation on those 500 plus shows, not the commercials, lead ins, and what not you are searching for and working so hard to bring us before they fade away, LOL!

This nonsense coming from the guy clambering for episodes bastardized by some fingerpainting. Lol One man's "crap" is another man's treasure. People like Tom are restoring history here. Why have an incomplete ILL viewing experience when you don't have to?

 

:lucy1: How can you live with the substitute when you can have the real thing?

 

Bring on the ultimate ILL experience!

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Dunno about everybody else, but i want every show Lucy ever did, i could not care less about the commercials and all the other crap you are devoting so much time in getting added on.  I appreciate your devotion and hard work, but Lucy made her reputation on those 500 plus shows, not the commercials, lead ins, and what not you are searching for and working so hard to bring us before they fade away, LOL!

 

Well, I include on my list of "extras" -- which took a great deal of time and energy -- are things like "Lucy in London," "The Lucille Ball Comedy Hour" (with Bob Hope) -- from which Lucy's Pepsodent commercial is still missing -- various guest appearances on specials like "Opening Night," etc.  it's not just the little stick-figure openings, etc.  And these things, I think, ARE part of Lucy's heritage...

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Well, I include on my list of "extras" -- which took a great deal of time and energy -- are things like "Lucy in London," "The Lucille Ball Comedy Hour" (with Bob Hope) -- from which Lucy's Pepsodent commercial is still missing -- various guest appearances on specials like "Opening Night," etc.  it's not just the little stick-figure openings, etc.  And these things, I think, ARE part of Lucy's heritage...

EXACTLY, now THAT's what i'm talking about, special Lucy appearances that i treasure in my memories.  Sorry if i upset everybody with those comments, i was in one of my MOODS again, senility had set in i fear.  What about Lucy's talk show appearances, when will we be able to see every Merv, Dinah, Virginia, Johnny, Mike, Phil etc?

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This nonsense coming from the guy clambering for episodes bastardized by some fingerpainting. Lol One man's "crap" is another man's treasure. People like Tom are restoring history here. Why have an incomplete ILL viewing experience when you don't have to?

 

:lucy1: How can you live with the substitute when you can have the real thing?

 

Bring on the ultimate ILL experience!

You see where there's an LOL at the end, it was said a bit tongue in cheek but i really meant it, sorry, but i want to see her performances more than i want to see commercials of that era.  I HAD to sit through them back then, spare me now.  LOL!  LOL!  LOL!   LOL!  LOL!

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An invaluable part of Lucy's heritage!

 

I realize  that some of the little things -- like the ads, show bumpers, etc., are not everyone's cup of tea, which is why for the Blu-ray we want to offer things two ways: "plain or peanut," as the candy company used to say...

 

It was while in search for some of these little odds-and-ends that we discovered some rather nice treasures -- including the Lucy/Desi Make-up Tests. We were looking for old commercial wrap-arounds that morning... We had no idea as to what we would find... So often times one thing leads to another. If we had be satisfied with just the "plain" heart versions of the shows, we would not have looked any further...

 

Which is the magic of research!

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