The Sound of Music Annual Telecast

How do you compress a 3 hour film into a 4 hour time slot and make room for commercials? By completely reediting it. The Sound of Music (1965) has an annual telecast every year, starting in 1976 on NBC. The film was pan and scanned for the first time and starting in 1978, chopped by about 35 minutes, before being mastered to videotape and then being run every Christmas. For almost 20 years, this was the version shown annually. Because of the expensive retail videotape (although available for rental) and the film rarely being seen in theaters, this was a version many people were familiar with. The following is a side-by-side comparison with the 1984 Christmas Day broadcast. The timecodes listed on the 20th Century Fox 5-Star DVD release from 2000 (now out of print).

00:09:00-00:09:50: In the scene following the opening titles, as the nuns are singing during mass, the "Allelujah" portion of the song has been cut. The first line can be heard and then fades out as the image cuts to Sister Bernice running to the Reverend Mother.

00:14:51-00:15:10: After the song "Maria" but before Maria and the Reverend Mother meet about Maria being sent away from the abbey, footage of Maria waiting in the hall to speak with the Reverend Mother has been deleted, as well as one of the sisters coming out and telling her she can go into her office. The telecast fades to after Maria has entered the office and the Reverend Mother says "Come here my child".

00:15:51-00:16:40: As part of Maria and the Reverend Mother's conversation, after Maria says she was brought to the convent by looking over the convent's garden, a section is cut as she goes into detail about remembering the nuns singing on their way to vespers. She then admits that she has a problem singing all the time and saying everything she thinks and feels. The Rev. Mother consoles her, saying this is a good quality to have. They debate whether or not the convent is the best place for her. The telecast cuts to Rev. Mother telling Maria it is the will of God that she leaves.

00:17:42-00:18:25: Maria asking the Rev. Mother why it's difficult for the captain to keep a governess and her response, as well as the shot of Maria leaving the abbey leading to "I have Confidence" have been cut. The telecast fades from the Rev. Mother to Maria saying "When the Lord closes the door, some way he opens a window."

00:19:36-00:19:59: A portion of "I Have Confidence" has been cut. It goes straight from "Then why am I so scared?" to "I am seeking the courage I lack."

00:22:26-00:23:06: After Maria says "Oh, help!" in "I Have Confidence", the last chorus where she runs through the gate is cut. The telecast fades to commercial and fades back in as she catches her breath after ringing the doorbell.

00:25:27-00:25:38 After the captain asks to inspect Maria as a governess and says "It's the dress..." there is a deletion of dialogue between the two of them about how she had given the rest of her belongings to the poor but they didn't want the dress she was wearing, cutting to "I would have made another dress but there wasn't time."



00:28:42-00:28:57: After the captain introduces the children to Maria with their whistles, a portion is missing when he asks her to repeat them back to see if she's learned them. She states that she won't need to because she wants to learn their names, and he expresses discontent as the grounds are large. It cuts to him giving her the whistle.



00:34:59-00:35:01: During the dinner scene, after Maria covers up for the children playing a prank on them, and Marta begins crying, the section where the captain asks her what is wrong and she says "nothing" has been deleted.



00:36:25-00:37:06: After Liesl asks the captain if she can be excused, the telecast cuts the rest of the scene where the captain says he is going to Vienna and the children scowl in protest, and after inquiring find he is going to visit Baroness Schroeder and bringing her back with Uncle Max, which excites the children.



00:38:04-00:38:41: When Rolfe and Liesl meet in the Gazebo, when Liesl delivers her verbal "telegram" to Rolfe, their discussion about the captain's political stance and how Rolfe is worried about her more than him is cut, going directly from "Dear Rolfe, stop" to "Why, you're such a baby" and into "Sixteen Going on Seventeen".



00:44:33-00:45:04: When Frau Schmidt drops off the material for Maria to make dresses and she shows herself out, dialogue of Maria asking a second time about material for clothes for the children and Frau Schmidt confiding in her that the captain will be gone for a long time and is rumored to marry the baroness has been cut, going from her saying "Goodnight now" to Maria saying "Goodnight".



00:51:55-00:52:11 :After "My Favorite Things", when the captain barges into the room angrily, his interrogation of Liesl going missing after dinner, as well as Maria's fib that they were getting to know each other in her room has been removed, cutting to Maria demanding the children go back to bed.



00:54:48-00:55:21: During the children's tour through Salzburg, the section in the market place where Maria juggles tomatoes, Greta drops one, and Maria stops her from crying is cut.



00:55:57-00:56:17: In the picnic scene, preceeding "Do-Re-Mi", after Brigitta asks Maria if they can have a picnic every day, their exchange about how she might get tired of it and of different pranks they've played on the other governesses has been removed, going directly from Brigitta's question to Maria saying, "Well, we'll have to think about that one."




01:02:38-01:02:52: Following "Do-Re-Mi", the extended shot of the car before it cuts to the captain, baroness, and Max discussing the mountains has been removed.



01:02:58-01:03:34: After the baroness tells the captain the mountains are magnificent, the entire conversation about Max inviting himself along as the baroness' chaperone and expressing an interest in being a sponge of the captain's hospitality is deleted, cutting to him intrigued about the music of the Clockman monastery choir.



01:06:54-01:07:03: On the patio, the exchange between the servant and Max where she offers him more strudel and he accepts is deleted, starting the scene with the captain directly saying "Still eating Max?"



01:08:53-01:09:05: The sequence of Rolfe throwing pebbles at Liesl's window and the captain catching him is shortened, going from the first time he throws a pebble directly to the captain asking "What are you doing there?"



01:16:00-01:16:08: There are three shots of the captain and the children looking at each other after the "Sound of Music" reprise deleted before they embrace.



01:25:15-01:25:51: During "Edelweiss", the section of Liesl singing along with the captain has been removed, cutting to the final coda in the telecast (an awkward sound phasing occurs from the 1" master edit when this happens in the telecast).



01:26:09-01:26:14: The captain and Maria exchanging looks as he shrugs after his performance of "Edelweiss" has been removed.



01:26:20-01:27:01: After Max says the captain can be a part of his new act "The Von Trapp Family Singers", the telecast fades out to commercial, removing the baroness requesting the captain throw a party for her and the children's excitement as Maria takes them to bed, and fades back in at the party.



01:27:19-01:27:40: The opening of the party scene has been shortened in the telecast, removing the cars arriving and guests gathering in the main hall.



01:28:22-01:29:03: The children making comments about the couples at the party and Liesl pretending to dance before Frederick asks her to is cut from the telecast-- it goes from the ballroom directly to the two of them dancing together.



01:32:09-01:32:19: After the baroness (catching the captain and Maria dancing) makes a comment about him not being able to find a friend at the party, the captain remarking it's rather chilly and the baroness saying it seems rather warm to her is trimmed before Maria makes an announcement about the children's performance, as well as the opening "Ladies and gentlemen," of her announcement.

01:32:28-01:33:13: The opening of "So Long, Farewell" is cut, opening with the main verse.



01:35:37-01:35:42: A shot of the crowd after the song ends (with the crowd waving) is removed.



01:37:12-01:37:33: After their heated exchange, Herr Dettweiler saying "You flatter me captain," and the captain responding he meant to insult him has been deleted, as well as the opening of the baroness and Maria's conversation, cutting to the baroness asking Maria where a specific outfit is.





01:39:27-01:39:43: More footage of Maria packing after the baroness leaves, as well as the baroness walking through the main hallway is cut from the telecast.





01:40:32-01:40:47: After Max and the baroness discuss how she can influence the captain into having the children sing in his festival, the telecast cuts her walking over to the captain and waltzing with him, going directly to Maria leaving the house with her luggage.



01:41:37-01:43:18: Intermission and Entr'acte are removed from telecast.



01:43:18-01:44:00: The opening of the second act, with the baroness and the children playing their counting ball game is trimmed. While the opening shot of the house is the same, the telecast opens with the audio of Frederick saying "I'm number five," and lasts about 10 seconds before cutting to the actual footage of the scene to match the audio being heard.



01:47:00-01:47:15: After Brigitta asks the captain if it's true Maria is not coming back, the telecast cuts him asking what the drink on the table is and the baroness replying "pink lemonade," and Brigitta pushing the matter about Maria.



01:47:28-01:47:32: The captain claiming he is brave enough to try the lemonade is cut.



01:47:36-01:47:44: The baroness and Max commenting on the lemonade being good but too pink is deleted, as well as Gretl saying "Father?", cutting to her asking who their new governess is going to be.



01:47:46-01:47:50: The shot of the captain, pausing before he answers Gretl, is trimmed.



01:48:47-01:49:06: As the children are one by one kissing the baroness, Kurt's kiss and the captain stopping them and telling them to go away is cut. The telecast also adds the music cue transitioning the two scenes to the children kissing the baroness to make the editing easier.



01:49:42-01:49:50: As the nun greets the children at the gate, she is confused about who Fraulein Maria is, and then as it strikes her who they are asking about she lets them in.



01:49:57-01:50:03: The nun telling them to wait while she speaks to the Rev. Mother is cut.



01:50:34-01:50:46: After another sister, conversing with the children, says Maria is in seclusion, her telling them that she isn't seeing anyone and Frederick and Gretl insisting is cut.



01:51:49-01:52:09: Rev. Mother intaking the new postulant for the convent is cut; the telecast begins with Maria entering the room and the Rev. Mother saying "Yes, bring her in."



01:53:07-01:53:27 : After Maria says "I can't face him again", the Rev. Mother excuses Sister Margaretta before asking if Maria is in love with him.



01:53:39-01:54:16: Maria admitting that she had an attraction to the captain and felt guilt because she was there on God's errand, as well as the Rev. Mother explaining her love for the captain is okay is cut.



01:55:53-01:55:58: As the telecast has to cut back and forth between Maria and the Rev. Mother to get both of their reactions to "Climb Every Mountain", due to the 2.35:1 aspect ratio, the telecast reuses a closeup shot of Maria during this period for continuity purposes.

01:56:28-01:59:40: Following "Climb Every Mountain", the captain questioning the children about where they were and them fibbing and saying they were picking blueberries is cut, fading from the song to Gretl saying "I feel awful".



02:03:54-02:04:31: After Maria says she is only staying until arrangements can be made for another governess, the shot of the captain's reaction is trimmed, as well as Maria walking down the steps of the gazebo that same night fading directly to her by the pond.




































02:04:47-02:05:40: The baroness joking that the wiener schnitzel is too delicious for her figure, before the captain breaks up with her and her discussing their wedding plans is removed.



02:06:33-02:06:35: When the Baroness says that somewhere out there is a lady that will never be a nun, the telecast uses the deleted footage from before of Maria at the pond instead of the theatrical version's shot.





02:08:40-02:08:43 -When the captain is trying to get Maria to stay and speaks of his separation, the telecast deletes him saying "Maria...." before he says "There isn't going to be any baroness."

02:23:12-02:23:35:After Max brings the children home to greet Maria and the captain after their honeymoon, and the captain expresses frustration about telling Max how he feels about his children singing in public, Max telling the captain that it's for Austria and that the overtaking was peaceful, and the captain should be greatful for this, to which the captain gets angry. has been deleted The telecast comes back in at "You know Max, sometimes I don't think I know you."



02:27:51-02:28:37: After the captain receives his telegram asking to join the German navy, and Maria said she knew it would happen but didn't expect it so soon, the rest of their conversation about needing to leave has been removed, cutting to the evening scene when the family is pushing the car out of the gate.



02:29:58-02:30:10 :As the family push the car out of the house, footage of them pushing it through the front gates and the servant seeing them is cut.



02:32:34-02:33:05: After the family is caught escaping by Herr Zeller, and Maria says their travel clothes are their costumes for the singing festival that night and that the cold air isn't good for the children's voices, Herr Zeller instructing that the family will sing for the sake of Austrian and German relations has been removed, going directly to him saying his men will escort them to the festival.4



02:33:17-02:33:28: When the captain says an escort won't be necessary, Herr Zeller saying he would not want them for them to get lost in the crowds is deleted.



02:46:21-02:48:15 When the children talk about being scared while hiding in the convent, the Rev. mother giving the captain the key to the gate and saying a blessing for him and his family has been cut, as well as Gretl asking if they should sing about their favorite things and Maria responding to be very quiet as they hide. The Nazis entering the graveyard and starting to look for them is also removed, going directly to the Nazis checking the gates for them.




















02:48:26-02:48:43: After the Nazis miss the gravestones where Maria and the children are hiding, they do a second check in the theatrical version, missing from the telecast.



02:49:06-02:49:18 Footage of Rolfe waiting for the family on the roof has been trimmed.

 

What do all these edits mean? A completely different portrayal of characters. The Captain's humor has been heavily excised, even when he is supposed to be 'strict'. His relationship with his children, with his fiancee, and with Max in the theatrical cut give him a more genteel personality. He still smiles, enjoys his children being excited that their Uncle Max will be joining them, and takes pleasure in the baroness' company. His nationalism is also more heavily portrayed. The conversation between Rolfe and Liesl before they sing early in the film removes the tense atmosphere of the Nazis in Austria for the first section of the film, which does not come again until he delivers another telegram after the captain returns from Vienna. More than this, it just wasn't Robert Wise's film. It was a cheap imitation of the original, and only gave viewers a taste of the masterpiece he had created.

I'm sure this irked people who were so familiar with the theatrical version, which hadn't been seen in many years at this point, but it has to be remembered that few people had a VCR when this was first released on home video, and even if they did, the choices were to either rent it or purchase it for $80! There are people from Generation X who also grew up with the telecast edit as their home video version as a result. Today, the film is still run annually on Christmas, but the edits made are different. As newer TV masters were made on other video formats than 1" and widescreen TVs became more prominent, the 1" TV master was retired from broadcast. Its whereabouts are unknown.

Barbara Bush's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here is a how-to video on Barbara Bush's Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. You can get the link to the recipe here:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/10636/barbara-bushs-chocolate-chips/

Enjoy!

Blue bombs everywhere!!!

I've got a bone to pick with the restoration team at 20th Century Fox. Well, not just me, but a lot of people do. And it's validated. Let's begin with this. Take a look at these two screenshots of DESK SET: one from an SD DVD released in 2004 and one from a Blu-ray released 9 years later. How in Sam's Hell does one go from this:

to this:

Clearly something went wrong here. And what's funny is that NO ONE will speak up about it because everyone is afraid to. There are defenders, however. On www.dvdbeaver.com, an outside source told the website that the blue-ray (excuse the pun) was more accurate than the above shot, based on an IB technicolor print they had seen years ago. Ummmmmmmm? Can I just point out that being a DESK SET nerd, I have seen a 35mm print, two VHS, a laserdisc and a DVD transfer of this film and not once did I ever see the messy atrocity featured in that screenshot?

The paper Tracy is holding in this shot is blue. The posters are blue. His hair is blue. The walls are blue. Even the brown chairs are starting to look blue. And it's not just this one shot either!

Look! Even the damn title card's blue now! What in the world is going on? How is what is seen here any different than the Ted Turner colorizations of the early 1990s?

This isn't the first time this has happened with a Fox Home Video release. It's a recurring thing people have been noticing and pointing out regarding transfers but no one is really standing up and saying 'this is a problem'. Check out this screen shot from the Blu-ray of THE KING & I:

People did actually criticize this one, and 20th Century Fox made no effort to pull the release and fix the problem or address it, which makes me wonder if they acknowledge that this film was timed wrong. I will say this about THE KING & I though: a very intense restoration was done in the 1990s of the film for laserdisc, and the colors resembled the ones that people are most familiar with. In 2004, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences premiered a new restoration from the original Cinemascope 55 negative which toured the world and the color fading of the original negative was addressed. Anyone who has seen this 2004 restoration can also tell you that the film did not have this blue hue to it. So how can 20th Century Fox, for a minute, allow the slop in the screenshot above to get onto store shelves without so much as doing quality control of their product? By the way, for more information on that article that makes a big deal on the color correction of the 2004 restoration (which has the proper colors of the film), see this link: 

http://articles.latimes.com/2004/aug/15/entertainment/ca-cinefile15.

So why does this bug so much? Isn't the content enough, lest some color timing issues? Nay, says this writer. People have been color timing film since day one, and everyone's interpretation of color is going to be a little different, but back in the day when filmmakers actually made films and didn't just have a shaky camera with special effects for two and a half hours, details that engage the viewer on a subconscious level (a foreign concept for most directors today) were minded. This balance of objects in a frame, the overall color palate of the frame, and even where certain colors are in the frame all equaled the great mise-en-scene formula of the film. When one starts to monkey with that to the extent of what you see above, the film as an art piece has been tainted.

Take for example the film REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE. The presence of bright red in that film is so intricate to the story line due to its presence on Natalie Wood's lips, James Dean's jacket, the blood from Sal Mineo's flesh...all the same shade of bright red. Now imagine that someone with heavy influence in the restoration department had decided to improperly time the film's colors and that shade of red, which was a main theme of the film, was no longer visible....the relation of the three main characters might no longer subconsciously be reached by the viewer!

It's the same deal with THE KING & I. The presence of gold in the frame is so important. Gold represents the clash between the king and Anna. She is trying to teach her students that there is more to life than objects of monetary value. The king makes it a point, while surrounded by gold, to always talk about how expensive it is to have her there as a teacher. It is also intricate to their characters. In the screenshot shown above, he wears a gold vest, a symbol that he is about monetary value. She wears a white dress, symbolizing her pure heart. In a properly timed screenshot, this message comes across stronger. In the screenshot above, taken from the Blu-ray, it is completely lost.

We as an industry of film archivists, restorers, film theorists, and just as film enthusiasts who want to share these memories with future generations need to stand up and say enough is enough. These films need to be taken care of and ensured that in the transition from film to digital, we are doing our best to replicate a color experience similar to that of when the films were first shown-- if not identical, as close as we can get. So Fox Home Entertainment, please stop peeing on my childhood memories and hire a proper color timer.

The New Beaches Will Bomb Like Normandie

There's a new BEACHES coming out next month and it's bound to suck. Here's why.

 BEACHES is a great story, for those of you who haven't seen the 1988 original. It follows the story of two women, C.C. Bloom and Hillary Whitney who meet on the boardwalk as young girls, and follows their journey into adulthood. C.C. is a poor child star who blossoms into a successful actress while Hillary is an aristocrat who marries the wrong guy and is forced to raise a child by herself. Through their 30 year relationship, we see them struggle with adulting, have a falling out, reconcile, and eventually deal with Hillary's fatal diagnosis of viral cardiomyopathy. One might think "Hey, there's not a lot of plot here" which critics initially did, but there is more to the 28 year old gem that is now a home video and cable TV classic.

BEACHES was released under the fairly new Touchstone Pictures, a little side project designed by the Disney studio to bring in a more adult themed demographic. The films the studio was turning out were generally comedies and very successful. In 1987, Touchstone released STAKEOUT and THREE MEN AND A BABY. Both films cost roughly $15 million. STAKEOUT tripled its production cost in revenue while THREE MEN AND A BABY racked in $168 million, making it the most financially successful picture of the year. The line of films also gave Oscar nominated Bette Midler a contract for a series of films after she had been out of work for roughly seven years. She was rising to the top with hit Touchstone comedies like DOWN AND OUT IN BEVERLY HILLS, RUTHLESS PEOPLE, OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE and BIG BUSINESS, all of which were very successful. BEACHES would be her return to drama after many years.

So how does a film that is panned by critics, with a very thin plot line, triple its budget of $20 million to $60 million in its initial release? It had to be more than just a hit soundtrack. What were all the critics missing? To be honest, they missed what the people behind this remake are missing: the beautiful way that director Garry Marshall and editor Richard Hasley put it all together. The key to a successful drama is to enter the viewer's subconscious through subtle editing. Only when the subconscious is entered can a heart string really be tugged. If the viewer can see what the editor is doing without analyzing it, then the emotional effect is lost. BEACHES has many touching moments through its editing.

Consider the scene in which the film's hit song "Wind Beneath My Wings" is featured. Hillary is about to die and her death could have been a drawn out process. Instead, Hasley chose to edit it in a sequence that took 11 shots and less than two minutes. Here's a brief analysis. Shot one: Hillary on her bed, in focus as C.C., out of focus, is talking to a nurse about getting her released so she can die at home.

Cut to a melancholy C.C. looking out from a porch. What is she witnessing that is so sad and difficult in her face?

Cut to Hillary and her daughter saying their goodbyes on the beach as C.C. walks towards them.

Cut back to C.C. as her expression changes from sad and difficult to sad and accepting of Hillary starting to fade away.

Cut back to Hillary on the beach. The camera zooms in on the beach chairs as C.C. sits next to her.

Cut to C.C. as she turns and smiles at Hillary, in an attempt to lift her spirits.

Cut to the beach sunset. The beach has the potential to symbolize so much but for this writer, it symbolizes where life begins and ends, and also where C.C. and Hillary's relationship begins and ends (they met on the Atlantic City boardwalk toward the beginning of the film when Hillary got lost).

Cut back to C.C. as a look of fear hits her face.

Cut back to the beach sunset as the camera follows a horse trotting on the sand, and the sun has now mostly set, two symbols of Hillary's soul leaving.

Cut to the funeral. Hillary's coffin is revealed under two symbolic curtains. A group of bodies in black suits in front of the camera peel away to reveal a Hearst, which drives off to finally reveal a coffin. We see a figure in black in front of it.

The camera cuts to reveal the figure as C.C., and we know that Whitney has in fact passed.

So simple, and yet so poignant. There is no dialogue after that first shot-- just music and sound effects. How did the critics miss this? How did the people who decided to remake the film miss this? Unless Lifetime plans on doing a shot-for-shot remake, there's no way their film will even compare. It's debatable whether or not viewers pay attention and notice the editing details of the sequence outlined in this post, but the fluidity is what triggers each level of emotion within them and keeps them returning to this film for repeated viewing. It's flattering that Idina Menzel and Nia Long want to star in a remake, but it's bound to fail, plain and simple. Why? Because the potential of artistic merit in the direction and editing that the original had is lacking.

How the Rosie O'Donnell show saved my life

Growing up gay in a small conservative town in Wisconsin, school was a nightmare. I was picked on, called names, and just felt...different. I was different. I was a gay overweight Indian. This was a town where it was expected for teen boys to fall into the conforming net of society. One was supposed to dress a certain way, gel their hair a certain way, listen to a certain kind of music, even watch specific TV shows. To extend a toe off of this path was to declare the right to be humiliated.

I didn't know it was okay to be gay because I didn't know any gay men. I didn't know anything other than the word "gay" associated with "sin" "Hell" "pervert" "child molester" "weird" "wrong" or "troubled". The connotation of "gay" was never a positive thing. I felt like I was doomed. More than that, I was blossoming into a young man with ideas and opinions, as one does at that age, and my homosexual identity was beginning to become more present. It was becoming harder to disguise myself, which meant that I was starting to expose myself to more bullying on a regular basis. Every day, the bullying got worse and worse. The name calling turned more vile. It then turned into threats. I was living in a constant state of fear, isolation, and disgust of who I was and where I was headed in life.

There was a daily savior to all of this, thankfully. Every day I would get a ride home from school, and to wind down from the hassles, I would throw off my sneakers, plop down, and from 3pm-4pm tune in to my FOX affiliate for The Rosie O'Donnell show. Rosie O'Donnell, with her energy, kush balls, live Broadway performances, interviews with legendary performers, and a heart of charity and love lifted me out of a dark depression I faced.

I was learning about what my hobbies were, and began to take an interest in pop history. This was at a time when there was no Youtube, music videos couldn't be downloaded, and the internet gave you one picture every 10 minutes. Rosie's show would dig through old archives, however, and show clips of rare television shows, live concerts, vintage Tony Award performances (her show displayed a large array of Broadway legends) and I was soon learning that I had a large passion for retro film and television clips, and wanted to veer in that direction professionally when I grew up. I was beginning to find my purpose in life-- my motivation. This helped me come out of my shell and begin to gain the self confidence I needed to not be afraid of the world or myself.

But this show was more than just a distraction to me, it was also a lifesaver. Because episodes featured prominent musicians and Broadway actors, among other popular Hollywood folk, a number of LGBT guests, openly gay at a time when this was rarely discussed, came on screen and suddenly I began to see that there was a light at the end of the tunnel for me. Not only was I not all of those terrible things that people associate with the word "gay" just because I was gay, but here were positive role models that I could look up to and know that one could still be LGBT and be very successful in life. Rosie O'Donnell, years before she came out of the closet herself, taught me through her guests that to be LGBT was nothing to be ashamed of and that it would all be alright.

So, from the bottom of my heart, I would like to say thank you, both to her and her show, for giving me that lesson.


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