Shows that went from film to tape and vice-versa

[Rob Jason]

There have been many shows that changed recording methods -- going from celluloid film to videotape, or vice-versa...OR going from a live audience (maybe straight to film, or "live", of which kinescopes still exist) to being shot on a soundstage w/o an audience, maybe adding in laughtrack...

Those that come to mind:

NewhartThe first season, at least, was shot on tape...Subsequent seasons shot on film.

WKRP in Cincinatti...Weren't a few of the first episodes done on film, in front of an audience? Or no?

Happy Days...Went to a studio audience format in...1975?

Burns and AllenWent from being broadcast live to filmed -- did they retain the studio audience, or was it laugh-tracked?

Odd Couple...Laughtracked the first season, then shot before a studio audience after that...

The Jack Benny Program...Some live, some done on film w/ an audience...

I suppose The Honeymooners would count...Done on film for that one season, 1955-56...And the other Jackie Gleason shows were done (either live or on tape) in front of an audience...

Prime Time Live...Remember, the first season was actually done in front of a studio audience - thus the "live"?

The Twilight Zone...Which season was shot on tape?

What else is out there? Which renditions do you think are better?

 

[Hal Erickson]

Not exactly tape, but the pilot film for THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW was done "one-camera", movie fashion, without a live audience. A preview of this episode exists with the famous "You've got spunk" exchange. Somehow it isn't quite as effective as when it was staged three-camera before a studio audience.

 

[bpatrick]

Burns And Allen had an unusual way of
working. According to the book "Say Goodnight
Gracie," the show would be filmed, then shown to
a live audience, whose reactions would then be
dubbed in. Ozzie and Harriet worked this way (with
the most annoying laugh track I ever heard), as did
Ann Sothern on Private Secretary. I think Phil
Silvers did as well; I've seen a photo of him introducing
the cast to a live audience after filming, but I've also
heard that each episode was shown to a live audience.
I've also often wondered if the early episodes of The
Andy Griffith Show were done in front of a live
audience, since there's applause at the end. Because of
the amount of outdoor filming on that show, an audience
was impractical.

The kids' show The Magic Land Of Allakazam was
on tape its first two seasons on CBS, switching to film
when it moved to ABC for its last three.

One superstar who would not work without a live audience
was Lucille Ball. She always said she needed that instant
feedback. Now if someone had only told her they had
microphones and she didn't have to raise her voice...

 

[Stanislav]

WKRP in Cincinatti...Weren't a few of the first episodes done on film, in front of an audience? Or no?

No.

Happy Days...Went to a studio audience format in...1975?

Officially (permanently) switched to 3-cam with live audience beginning with Season 3 in 1975. (Season 1 was as a mid-season replacement in early '74; Season 2, the first full one, began in Fall '74.) However, one Season 2 episode was shot (on the then-existing set) with 3 cameras and an audience as a sort of test. When they made the change permanent, the set was redesigned to more easily accommodate the cameras and provide clearer line of sight for the audience.

Odd Couple...Laughtracked the first season, then shot before a studio audience after that...

Primarily at the behest of Randall and Klugman, who felt the show would have more energy if shot stage-style with an audience rather than single-camera film style. They were right.

The Twilight Zone...Which season was shot on tape?

Not a full season -- six Season 2 episodes were shot on tape as a cost-cutting move. Serling did not like the look of tape and they never went back to it; however, a few of the best-recalled episodes are among those six (including "Night of the Meek," "Long Distance Call," and "Twenty Two").

 

[gr8oldies]

WKRP was on tape from the get-go, that was one of the compromises made so MTM could clear all of that music that we don't hear in syndicated versions.

 

[Stanislav]

From across the pond, the first 2 series (seasons) of the wonderful Lenny Henry sitcom Chef! were shot (very beautifully) on film, while the third series used tape.

If you've never viewed Chef!, seek it out if your PBS station carries it. Anyone who has worked in the kitchen of high-class restaurants will tell you that they have encountered chefs as arrogant and bombastic as Gareth Blackstock (Henry), though they probably weren't nearly as creative in the quality and variety of their insults and abuse. (Henry obviously had better writers...) <g>

 

[stdjsb25]

There have been many shows that changed recording methods -- going from celluloid film to videotape, or vice-versa...OR going from a live audience (maybe straight to film, or "live", of which kinescopes still exist) to being shot on a soundstage w/o an audience, maybe adding in laughtrack...

Those that come to mind:

NewhartThe first season, at least, was shot on tape...Subsequent seasons shot on film.

WKRP in Cincinatti...Weren't a few of the first episodes done on film, in front of an audience? Or no?

Happy Days...Went to a studio audience format in...1975?

Burns and AllenWent from being broadcast live to filmed -- did they retain the studio audience, or was it laugh-tracked?

Odd Couple...Laughtracked the first season, then shot before a studio audience after that...

The Jack Benny Program...Some live, some done on film w/ an audience...

I suppose The Honeymooners would count...Done on film for that one season, 1955-56...And the other Jackie Gleason shows were done (either live or on tape) in front of an audience...

Prime Time Live...Remember, the first season was actually done in front of a studio audience - thus the "live"?

The Twilight Zone...Which season was shot on tape?

What else is out there? Which renditions do you think are better?

Bosom Buddies is one such example of this....the series pilot was originally done on film, while the remainder of the series was done on tape.

 

[mleach]

For some reason I seem to recall seeing at least two episodes of the Facts of Life on film. One of them was about Tootie being asked to pose in the nude while the other was when the girls were out crusing for guys.

 

[71dude]

All in the Family - Studio audience through 1978; laugh track from 1978-83

The Jeffersons - Laugh track for the last 3 seasons, possibly earlier.

The "cruising" episode of Facts of Life had no laugh track at all, as well as a couple of WKRP episodes (like "Real Families").

 

[azumanga]

WKRP was on tape from the get-go, that was one of the compromises made so MTM could clear all of that music that we don't hear in syndicated versions.

...anymore. When the series first went into syndication in the 1980s, it had most of its music intact.

All in the Family - Studio audience through 1978; laugh track from 1978-83

For 1978 to 1983, it is kind of a gray area -- these episodes were not taped in front of a studio audience; however, the final product, sans laughter, was played at a taping of another Norman Lear sitcom (according to Wikipedia, it was "One Day at a Time"), with their reactions recorded and dubbed into the episode, hence the disclaimer during this era, "All in the Family was played to a studio audience for live responses."

 

[easttxtv]

From across the pond, the first 2 series (seasons) of the wonderful Lenny Henry sitcom Chef! were shot (very beautifully) on film, while the third series used tape.

If you've never viewed Chef!, seek it out if your PBS station carries it. Anyone who has worked in the kitchen of high-class restaurants will tell you that they have encountered chefs as arrogant and bombastic as Gareth Blackstock (Henry), though they probably weren't nearly as creative in the quality and variety of their insults and abuse. (Henry obviously had better writers...) <g>

Haven't seen it in a while, but a great show. Wish there had been more eps, but oh well.

 

[Stanislav]

From across the pond, the first 2 series (seasons) of the wonderful Lenny Henry sitcom Chef! were shot (very beautifully) on film, while the third series used tape.

If you've never viewed Chef!, seek it out if your PBS station carries it. Anyone who has worked in the kitchen of high-class restaurants will tell you that they have encountered chefs as arrogant and bombastic as Gareth Blackstock (Henry), though they probably weren't nearly as creative in the quality and variety of their insults and abuse. (Henry obviously had better writers...) <g>

Haven't seen it in a while, but a great show. Wish there had been more eps, but oh well.

Well, those short seasons are the British way. They do just 6-12 eps at a time instead of 22+, which means they spend more time and care on each episode and usually maintain the same writers all the way through. That accounts for both the quality and consistency/continuity of U.K. shows.

 

[LKellerIII]

Burns And Allen had an unusual way of
working. According to the book "Say Goodnight
Gracie," the show would be filmed, then shown to
a live audience, whose reactions would then be
dubbed in. Ozzie and Harriet worked this way (with
the most annoying laugh track I ever heard), as did
Ann Sothern on Private Secretary. I think Phil
Silvers did as well; I've seen a photo of him introducing
the cast to a live audience after filming, but I've also
heard that each episode was shown to a live audience.
I've also often wondered if the early episodes of The
Andy Griffith Show were done in front of a live
audience, since there's applause at the end. Because of
the amount of outdoor filming on that show, an audience
was impractical.

In the 70s, over the end credits there would often be an announcement "taped in front of a live studio audience."

But others would say something along the lines of (parapharsing): "played back to a studio audience for live responses."

So I guess this was common practice.

 

[mleach]

But others would say something along the lines of (parapharsing): "played back to a studio audience for live responses."

So I guess this was common practice.

Lucille Ball sometimes did this to the "Lucy Show" and later "Here's Lucy". When there was a joke where she felt was funny and the studio audience didn't laugh..she would either get another studio audience or she would pretty much erase their laughter and put in a different laugh track all together including her mom's voice "uh oh".

My wife swears that there were some episodes of Maude that were done on film and/or without a laughtrack. I would imagine the latter would include the famous abortion episode, the one where Walter files for bankruptcy and later tries to commit suicide and where their maid Mrs. Naugatuck suffers a stroke.

 

[trusty]

The first few years of The Avengers (before Diana Rigg) were B&W straight to tape.

 

[anotherguyTN]

Lucille Ball sometimes did this to the "Lucy Show" and later "Here's Lucy". When there was a joke where she felt was funny and the studio audience didn't laugh..she would either get another studio audience or she would pretty much erase their laughter and put in a different laugh track all together including her mom's voice "uh oh".

Didn't some shows do what was called "sweetening" the audience response, in that the show was done before a live audience, but laugh tracks were added in some places? This sounds like what was being done on Lucy's shows.

 

[mleach]

Didn't some shows do what was called "sweetening" the audience response, in that the show was done before a live audience, but laugh tracks were added in some places? This sounds like what was being done on Lucy's shows.

Thats what it was. "Sweetening"

There are actually two films that exist taken on the set of Here's Lucy AND of the studio audience prior to the filming. One was with the Sammy Davis. Jr. episode while the other was of Ann Margaret. The Sammy one is available as an extra on the Here'e Lucy DVDs, the Ann Margaret one was shot by her husband Roger Smith who had this "idea" that Ann and Desi Arnaz Jr. were having an affair and he wanted "proof". That film re-surfaced some years ago. I saw it at the Lucy-Desi Museum in 2003 not sure if its still there though.

Anyway, both films showed the studio audence, the three cameras that did the filming, Gary Morton telling jokes ( bad jokes actually ) as part of the warm-up and so forth. Looked like the number of the studio audience was well over 100 but of course I don't know for sure but with that many people in the audience I can see why Lucy would use "sweetening".

 

[onairb]

The Twilight Zone...Which season was shot on tape?

Not a full season -- six Season 2 episodes were shot on tape as a cost-cutting move. Serling did not like the look of tape and they never went back to it; however, a few of the best-recalled episodes are among those six (including "Night of the Meek," "Long Distance Call," and "Twenty Two").

Weren't some of the hourlong episodes(season 4, early '63), and a few in season 5, also done on tape?

 

[onairb]

All in the Family - Studio audience through 1978; laugh track from 1978-83

For 1978 to 1983, it is kind of a gray area -- these episodes were not taped in front of a studio audience; however, the final product, sans laughter, was played at a taping of another Norman Lear sitcom (according to Wikipedia, it was "One Day at a Time"), with their reactions recorded and dubbed into the episode, hence the disclaimer during this era, "All in the Family was played to a studio audience for live responses."

Until I learned about that practice, elsewhere on this board, I used to think that disclaimer was simply O'Connor reading it in 'typical Archie-speak', and that it was still 'taped before a live studio audience', as Rob Reiner had read the line for years.

 

[Stanislav]

The Twilight Zone...Which season was shot on tape?

Not a full season -- six Season 2 episodes were shot on tape as a cost-cutting move. Serling did not like the look of tape and they never went back to it; however, a few of the best-recalled episodes are among those six (including "Night of the Meek," "Long Distance Call," and "Twenty Two").

Weren't some of the hourlong episodes(season 4, early '63), and a few in season 5, also done on tape?

Nope.