Our Miss Brooks on ME TV

[tropicjeff]

Bleary eyed me got up to watch ME TV this morning since at 5am they are airing Our Miss Brooks. I had only seen a blurry Youtube video of the show. These are obviously remastered and clear as I Love Lucy (considering Desilu filmed them).

 

Nice to see Karl Freund, Wilbur Hatch and Dann Cahn in the credits. This is not a "Desilu Production" but rather a CBS production. I think I saw a quick Desilu mention in the credits before it faded to the CBS mention.

 

The show had Eve Arden trying to sell a dress to the male teacher she adores....and Gale Gordon trying to buy a raccoon coat. Not exactly 2016 material people can relate to, but I enjoyed it.

 

Hope to see it again but am not up at 5 am often.  We don't have a DVR. It seemed simpler in the VHS recorder days...despite those timers.

[Mot Morenzi]

That's exciting. I wish it could get a home video release, even if MOD.

[upperco]

Unfortunately, CBS only remastered the 127 episodes in the syndication package (of 130 total), so they're certainly not considering a DVD release right now. But the prints readied for Me-TV are better than the stuff that's been circulating for years, so it's still cause for celebration. 

[HarryCarter]

I watched the episode that was on this morning and add me to the chorus of people who are amazing at how great it looked.

[Freddie2]

This is exciting! The near-complete series of OMB was removed off of YouTube awhile ago (much to my dismay). I'm usually in the shower at 5 AM, so I guess I'll have to get up earlier for the sake of supporting second-tier Desilu. 

 

Going a bit off topic, I just checked MeTV's schedule and saw that their mystery movie tonight is the Columbo episode "Étude in Black", which is my favorite of the series featuring two of my favorite movie people- John Cassavetes and Myrna Loy!!! I'd recommend tuning in at 3 AM. Or just watching it on Netflix.

[JoeySanJoaquin]

Unfortunately, CBS only remastered the 127 episodes in the syndication package (of 130 total), so they're certainly not considering a DVD release right now. But the prints readied for Me-TV are better than the stuff that's been circulating for years, so it's still cause for celebration.

 

Well that's curious! Why not the 3?? That's odd!

[Mot Morenzi]

Well that's curious! Why not the 3?? That's odd!

Yes, why were 3 episodes not sold into syndication?

[tropicjeff]

Why would only syndication prints hold up a dvd release?

[upperco]

Yes, why were 3 episodes not sold into syndication?

 

Music, I believe (but don't quote me). 

 

Why would only syndication prints hold up a dvd release?

 

I've been told that CBS only chose to remaster what they could put into syndication, as that's their only consideration with regard to ​Our Miss Brooks at this time. 

[JoeySanJoaquin]

Music, I believe (but don't quote me). 

 

 

I've been told that CBS only chose to remaster what they could put into syndication, as that's their only consideration with regard to ​Our Miss Brooks at this time. 

Thanks for the info although it sounds a little 'off".... They managed to clear or have no problem with the entire series save THREE episodes, perhaps for music rights (wouldn't be the first time though)? Sounds funny ...although not implausible. 

 

The way these things works (or more accurately, don't work!) sometimes can be mind boggling.

[upperco]

Thanks for the info although it sounds a little 'off".... They managed to clear or have no problem with the entire series save THREE episodes, perhaps for music rights (wouldn't be the first time though)? Sounds funny ...although not implausible. 

 

The way these things works (or more accurately, don't work!) sometimes can be mind boggling.

 

I don't actually think it's 100% accurate either. 127 episodes of the series have circulated among collectors (and were indeed uploaded to YouTube for a time), one of them being "Public Property On Parade," which is currently unavailable for syndication and allegedly un-remastered. A friend told me this was due to music licensing issues, but in the 22-mintue version out there, there's nothing that would indicate this to be true. (In general, I don't think this series ever had a lot of music that would need clearing.) 

 

The other two excluded episodes are "The Bakery" and "Blood, Sweat, And Laughs," both of which, unlike "Public Property," have probably been out of syndication for decades -- and maybe this is due to music. (Incidentally, for those who either saw the series on YouTube or have that bootleg set, this new package includes "The Dream," a memorable third season installment that has remained elusive for collectors; I screened it at the UCLA Archives a few years ago, and it'll be good to see the outing in rotation.)

 

Now, it's also possible that those three episodes are currently unavailable due to a lack of quality sources. I've gotten conflicting reports as to whether these new syndication offerings come from 16mm or 35mm prints (evidence points to 16mm, but they LOOK 35 -- I'm no expert though), and the syndication bible specifically lists them as being Syndication 4x3 HD as opposed to Network 4x3 HD; I've been told this was intentional and that full-length ready-for-home-release versions weren't made because Me-TV was "footing the bill" for the transfers -- otherwise CBS wouldn't have even considered it. Essentially, their only interest in ​Our Miss Brooks (right now, anyway) is giving Me-TV something to play that looks fairly good, not preserving the entire series for posterity and/or using it outside of this current deal. 

 

I wonder if tjw might know what the real story is... 

[JoeySanJoaquin]

I don't actually think it's 100% accurate either. 127 episodes of the series have circulated among collectors (and were indeed uploaded to YouTube for a time), one of them being "Public Property On Parade," which is currently unavailable for syndication and allegedly un-remastered. A friend told me this was due to music licensing issues, but in the 22-mintue version out there, there's no music that would indicate this to be true. (In general, I don't think this series ever had a lot of music that would need clearing.) 

 

The other two excluded episodes are "The Bakery" and "Blood, Sweat, And Laughs," both of which, unlike "Public Property," have probably been out of syndication for decades -- and maybe this is due to music. (Incidentally, for those who either saw the series on YouTube or have that bootleg set, this new package includes "The Dream," a memorable third season installment that has remained elusive for collectors; I screened it at the UCLA Archives a few years ago, and it'll be good to see the outing in rotation.)

 

Now, it's also possible that those three episodes are currently unavailable due to a lack of quality sources. I've gotten conflicting reports as to whether these new syndication offerings come from 16mm or 35mm prints (evidence points to 16mm, but they LOOK 35 -- I'm no expert though), and the syndication bible specifically lists them as being Syndication 4x3 HD as opposed to Network 4x3 HD; I've been told this was intentional and that full-length ready-for-home-release versions weren't made because Me-TV was "footing the bill" for the transfers -- otherwise CBS wouldn't have even considered it. Essentially, their only interest in ​Our Miss Brooks (right now, anyway) is giving Me-TV something to play that looks fairly good, not preserving the entire series for posterity and/or using it outside of this current deal. 

 

I wonder if tjw might know what the real story is... 

Well...if "Public Property..." only runs 22 minutes in its current edited form then maybe it IS music issues since episodes (like ILL) generally ran about 25 minutes give or take, so that would make sense.

 

Re: the UCLA Archives: does this mean you're LA-based and if so, are these open to the public or only to students, faculty etc.? Also, if you've been there I'm assuming you know about the Paley Center and whether you've checked their library and what they might have in their hot little hands (some pretty cool finds there sometimes!).  I LOVE (and so miss) the Paley and could spend days on end looking at and for rare stuff you'd find nowhere else, not even online.

 

Given this nice recent remastering job, it's too bad someone doesn't take that next leap and make these available, either digitally online (e.g. Amazon.com, iTunes, etc.) and/or home video.  Despite the increasing shift to streaming etc.  (I know I'm doing it more and more, particularly for rare stuff you can't access elsewhere!) there's still those of us who prefer and continue to acquire tangible versions of our favorite material be it DVD, blu-ray....and whatever else may or may not come down the pike next.

[upperco]

Re: the UCLA Archives: does this mean you're LA-based and if so, are these open to the public or only to students, faculty etc.? Also, if you've been there I'm assuming you know about the Paley Center and whether you've checked their library and what they might have in their hot little hands (some pretty cool finds there sometimes!).  I LOVE (and so miss) the Paley and could spend days on end looking at and for rare stuff you'd find nowhere else, not even online.

 

 

I wasn't based in L.A. when I visited the UCLA Archives -- I've done so twice now -- but I am currently a resident of the city. I've also been to the Paley Center quite a few times and am friendly with some of the staff members. Both have extensive libraries, but so little available for actual viewing.

 

In the case of UCLA, it's open to the public, but you can only view material that has been transferred to DVD or, in some cases, VHS, and you have to let them know in advance what you want to screen (and give some indication of when). They also generally require information about the research you are hoping to conduct, but I told them that I was both a student and a blogger and that seemed to be enough. Truthfully, they drag their feet about transferring items and only do so if you're actively working on a specific project (like a book or documentary, etc.), but I sweet-talked them into burning an episode of my beloved ​He & She -- the only one of the 26 that's not in that currently circulating set -- to a DVD-r. (Now anyone can ask and see the episode!) It was a compromise of sorts because when I was planning my first visit, I'd requested many items that weren't readily available. 

 

Also, I just checked their online database and they have 16mm prints of those two non-circulating and unsyndicatable episodes of Our Miss Brooks. So there's no doubt that these episodes do exist and are accessible to CBS. 

[nertz2mertz]

Bleary eyed me got up to watch ME TV this morning since at 5am they are airing Our Miss Brooks. I had only seen a blurry Youtube video of the show. These are obviously remastered and clear as I Love Lucy (considering Desilu filmed them).

 

Nice to see Karl Freund, Wilbur Hatch and Dann Cahn in the credits. This is not a "Desilu Production" but rather a CBS production. I think I saw a quick Desilu mention in the credits before it faded to the CBS mention.

 

The show had Eve Arden trying to sell a dress to the male teacher she adores....and Gale Gordon trying to buy a raccoon coat. Not exactly 2016 material people can relate to, but I enjoyed it.

 

Hope to see it again but am not up at 5 am often.  We don't have a DVR. It seemed simpler in the VHS recorder days...despite those timers.

 

I also saw it on MEtv. Never saw the show and loved it. I love Eve Arden. She is very funny. I'm not sure but I think I read some where years ago that an episode was filmed in color as a test but I'm probably wrong and confusing it with some of the other shows like Burns and Allen who did a color episode.

[Neil]

I watched the episode that was on this morning and add me to the chorus of people who are amazing at how great it looked.

 

HA!! Caught You!!

 

You said you were NEVER in the chorus. 

[Neil]

Frustrated by the lack of Mr. Boyton's attention, frustrated spinster Connie Brooks is inspired by her former student teacher Pamela Smart and looks to the student body for love.  To avoid duplicating Pamela's criminal charges, Connie turns her attentions to 27-year-old senior Walter Denton.  It all starts out quite innocently during their daily ride to school.  When Walter swerves to miss hitting Mrs. Davis's cat Minerva, Connie instinctively grabs what she thinks is the emergency brake* and the affair is off and running.  When Walter's English grades shoot up, the other boys want in on the action...

 

 

I had to rewind this to make sure I heard right.  She IS saying "flunked" but it sure sounds like......

 

 

*gag borrowed from "Golden Girls" where Dorothy tries to explain rekindling her car-centered romance with Stan.  "I guess I made the first move....I SWEAR I thought I was setting the parking brake."

 

 

 

[WELL!]

I had to rewind this to make sure I heard right.  She IS saying "flunked" but it sure sounds like......

 

 

This is hilarious!

 

I've enjoyed watching these episodes of Our Miss Brooks so much. PLEASE let them see a DVD eventually.

[Neil]

The run is currently into the latter part of season 2 of Our Miss Brooks's 4 season run.  Mrs. Davis is gone visiting some relative and Jesslyn Fax is her replacement as Mrs. Davis's sister Angela.   Usually when a sitcom character has gone away to take care of a sick relative--and it's announced as already having happened-- that means only one thing: the actor died.   But Mrs. Davis is back for later episodes so thankfully she recovered. Jesslyn did 15 episodes.  Jane Morgan (Mrs. Davis) did 114 of the 130 but there may have been episodes with both of them.  For those who don't know, Jesslyn was a well-known face in both TV and movies..  She appeared in "Loving Cup" as a woman at the subway stop.   She has a couple lines but I can't remember what they are.   I think 'taking care of sick relative' was  the way Alice Pearce's absence was explained.  She was replaced by Mary Grace Canfield as Abner's sister "Miss" Kravitz.  I prefer her to Sandra Gould.  Bewitched saved at least one Alice Pearce episode that ran after Mary Grace's appearances.   Alice died the very same day Bill Frawley did. 

"Brooks" initially did very well in the ratings.  Its first 2 seasons were #22 and #14 with a less than stellar time slot: Friday at 9:30.  I don't know what happened that 3rd season because there was no strong new competition.  The ratings drop led to a format change (different school), an earlier time on Friday 8:30 in the fall of 1955 against NBC's Life of Riley which managed #21 for the season.  Miss Brooks was cancelled at the end of the 55-56 season, yet a full-length movie version was produced and released that year, an odd end to the series to say the least.

[LittleRickyII]

 Miss Brooks was cancelled at the end of the 55-56 season, yet a full-length movie version was produced and released that year, an odd end to the series to say the least.

 

Similar to 1966 when The Munsters was cancelled, and after filming wrapped on the series, a feature-length movie was then made:  Munster, Go Home!

[upperco]

There are indeed episodes with both Morgan and Fax ahead. Morgan was out during a portion of the second year recovering from a stroke. The best episodes are already behind the series as its third TV season approaches, but the previously skipped Thanksgiving offering this week is great, as is Monday's "Second Hand First Aid" -- due in large part to another appearance by Mary Jane Croft as Ms. Daisy Enright. 

[Mot Morenzi]

There are indeed episodes with both Morgan and Fax ahead. Morgan was out during a portion of the second year recovering from a stroke. The best episodes are already behind the series as its third TV season approaches, but the previously skipped Thanksgiving offering this week is great, as is Monday's "Second Hand First Aid" -- due in large part to another appearance by Mary Jane Croft as Ms. Daisy Enright.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Daisy Enright appeared far fewer times on the TV version than she did on radio, yes?

 

The only time Mary Jane Croft played a character other than Daisy on the radio show was, to my knowledge, in "The Model School Teacher," where she instead voiced Stephanie Forrest.

[upperco]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Daisy Enright appeared far fewer times on the TV version than she did on radio, yes?

 

 

Yes, she appears in more extant radio episodes than those produced for television, but remember that the radio show ran for eight years, while the TV show ran -- under the Madison format -- for three.

 

Regarding whether or not the character was more prominently featured on the radio series, the absence of several whole years (save an episode or two) makes comparing her seasonal appearance rates difficult. But if the trend from the early (almost intact) seasons was maintained, we'd conclude that Ms. Enright appeared a few more times per radio year than she did in the TV iteration (i.e. four episodes as opposed to two). So I'd estimate that the character was a slightly larger presence on radio than she was on television. 

[HarryCarter]

I recorded yesterday's episode, "Home Cooked Meal," because it was a Daisy Enright show. This contains my favorite exchange from the entire series:

Daisy: When I was in my teens, there weren't many stars on television.

Connie: When you were in your teens, there weren't many stars on the flag.

 

This was used in the CBS at 75 special and was the highlight of the clip reels for me.

[LittleRickyII]

I recorded yesterday's episode, "Home Cooked Meal," because it was a Daisy Enright show. This contains my favorite exchange from the entire series:

Daisy: When I was in my teens, there weren't many stars on television.

Connie: When you were in your teens, there weren't many stars on the flag.

 

This was used in the CBS at 75 special and was the highlight of the clip reels for me.

 

I record the show every day, but I very rarely ever watch.  Ironically, I did watch yesterday and I loved that line!      What I didn't love was the moment Mr. Conklin came out of the freezer.  I always thought Lucy's freezer experience was too over the top, but this moment on Our Miss Brooks really takes the cake!

 

Here's the episode if anybody's interested: