The Honeymooners "Classic 39" On Blu-ray October 15th

I went to add this to my Amazon wish list so I can easily keep track of the price. I noticed the first season of I Love Lucy on blu is available for pre-order at $75, yikes!

I can get the entire Star Trek TOS on blu for $70-80, and that has the enhanced special effects. I'm thinking $35 for the mooners, tops.

 

It's been noted in several sources that the "lost episodes" were performed live but the "Classic 39" were filmed before an audience at the Adelphi Theater. In her book Audrey Meadows talks about how they filmed 2 shows a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays until they were so far ahead in shows that Gleason called a vacation break before filming the remaining episodes of the season.

 

I need the price to drop, too. I look for Amazon Lightening Deals at the holidays this year!

 

Maybe we're misunderstanding each other, the "Classic 39" were not telecast live, several of the episodes even contain obvious edits...and if Gleason used it for his live shows before or after this season, then those would exist in 35mm film rather than kinescopes.

 

Then why use the gigantic image orthicon cameras? Everything I know says they were originally telecast live, then all the replays were done from film. If there are edits, there's always the chance Gleason just had the cast and crew stay after the live show ended and do pickups. I've worked on more than 50 sitcoms in my life, and it's rare any of those were shot in less than 4 hours... with a live audience.

 

You need to bone up on your Honeymooners history Vid, it's well documented that those eps were not broadcast live...

 

I've never heard such a thing. They'd even leave in mistakes that otherwise wouldn't be there if those shows weren't live, nor would they have needed a device like the Electronicam. I've understood that a video feed from the three cameras would be sent to the control room while the show was being done, where the camera used at whatever moment was chosen, with a kinescope made of a monitor which reflected the live choices of camera made. Then afterwards, they'd cut together the 35mm reels that were shot directly within the Electronicams to match the content on that kinescope/broadcast live.

 

Everything you say is true, except that it wasn't broadcast live...I thought this was common knowledge. Gleason wanted it to feel like a live show, so mistakes were left in...

 

Even the end credits of the Classic 39 say "filmed for t-v" on them. Art Carney even stated on the TV Land documentary on The Honeymooners that filmed stopped for nothing unless someone was hurt or a camera needed reloaded. Until today I always thought that it was common knowledge that the 1955 - 1956 season was filmed, while all DuMont and CBS "lost episodes" from 1951 - 1955, 1956 - 1957 were performed live.

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=w8...page&q=Honeymooners electronicam 1955&f=false


http://books.google.com/books?id=JMTnTBmt7F0C&pg=PA66&lpg=PA66&dq=Honeymooners electronicam 1955&source=bl&ots=T70FcIihx1&sig=OlcasZj0x5c_Pva1MX9Udq1TLlY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ARNXU_GxI-bEsAT0yoCYBQ&ved=0CGsQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=Honeymooners electronicam 1955&f=false

http://books.google.com/books?id=BKbPlzC4ufUC&pg=PT66&lpg=PT66&dq=Honeymooners electronicam 1955&source=bl&ots=bjbaUQFsfV&sig=-omJElnPZbMSGNmhmsuwRew4In0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ARNXU_GxI-bEsAT0yoCYBQ&ved=0CG4Q6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=Honeymooners electronicam 1955&f=false

 

Audrey Meadows states on page 207 of Love, Alice that they filmed 39 weeks of episodes in 20 weeks. Off on Monday, Tuesday was script and filming day. Off on Wednesdays and Thursdays, Friday was script then filming day. Imagine a series doing that today, much less one that will still hold up 60 years later. That just amazes me.

 

If that's true, then I gotta wonder why have the TV cameras there at all. I Love Lucy just did it all with film cameras and no video, all the way through the end of the 1950s.

That's a big surprise to me that Dumont would give Gleason these cameras and not have a live broadcast! My mistake -- I appreciate the correction.

 

Well, thanks! I'm surprised though. Like Marc noted above, why would they have used cameras that had the video function though? Maybe to help with the "live" feel of the production, by making decisions on the spot?

 

I've always wondered, since we know that Gleason was meticulous in archiving, if those "rough cut" kinescopes or unused original camera footage survive from the Classic 39. As I mentioned earlier, a number of eps do contain noticeable content edits (for timing purposes I'm guessing)...

 

The episode "The Sleepwalker" has the last few minutes that look like it switched from film to kinescope. I have always wondered if the film was damaged at some point and replaced with kinescope or if it was on the original prints. The VHS and DVD releases were like this, I am curious to see if the Blu will be that way as well.

 

Hadn't noticed that before....looks like the final scene (starting at 22:46) came from some other film source, perhaps even 16mm, but it doesn't look like a kinescope.

 

This Youtube clip looks so much better than the VHS/DVD does, though far from perfect. On those releases (especially VHS) it looked like a kinescope. Here it looks like a 16mm print, almost like a 16mm print found on the old "tv collectors market" traded down generation to generation! Thank you for linking to this!

 

A couple of reviews are out now.

http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/63675/honeymooners-classic-39-episodes/

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/9720/honeymooners_classic_39.html

 

I'm going to wait for a nice sale down the road.

 

yes like those big Amazon sales...I'm set with the DVD box...after all the years of watching them on antenna TV I was thrilled to own them uncut on DVD...what's really spectacular is the LOST EPISODES DVD box! just fabulous.

 

I'm on the edge about this one. Even the DVD set is far superior to what I saw on TV. If it drops for under $40, I'm in (again).

 

when I go blu the price should be about right! under $40.00 does sound perfect! do you have the LOST BOX?

 

I just cant see a BR version of this looking much better than the DVDs. The DVDs are fine. These are only going to look so good.

 

maybe one can count more beads of sweat and stray hairs, fuzz on a sweater???...hey it's all about the clarity...forget the comedy! I find too much clarity a distraction...BUT, for those inclined that's fabulous...

 

My understanding is that the "Classic 39" were produced as if they were live and kinescopes from the "live broadcast" were used as a guide to edit the film for broadcast. In other words, Electronicam was a sort of early video-assist system not unlike what Jerry Lewis used in the 60s.