susanduic

I'm not sure this is the right section for this question but.........

Has anyone got or seen this set of DVD's? I would like to ask a question about the 'extras'. I would be happiest to do this via PM, if that is acceptable, just let me know here and I will contact you.

I don't want to buy or trade as its commercially available!

Modular

Ask away old chap. The answer might be useful to others thinking of buying Network's boxset.

dukdriver

I bought this just before going off on holiday (Virgin was cheapest). As well as the 7 discs there is a 288 page book by Andrew Pixley which I took on holiday, the book goes into every aspect of the conception, writing and making of the series. I am treating myself to an episode a day and have not got round to all the extras yet except for listening to the director's commentary (Pat Jackson) on one episode. According to the box, extras include a feature length documentary of the production, a restored original edit of the 1st episode, the usual trailers, behind the scenes footage, script and production PDFs and `much, much more'. I will know more after Christmas when undoubtedly I shall have watched the whole lot several times over if the TV programming is up to its usual Christmas standard. Let me know if you have any specific questions but for £32 I think it was a bargain.

"He plays with the pixies"

ddock54

Yes the box set is a must ,and a new soundtrack 3 disc cd is on the way..

I SAY THERE BOY!

Moor Larkin

Does the book go into any detail about the American broadcasts? I have been doing a bit of research alongside a fellow in the US recently and we are fast coming to the (possibly erroneous) conclusion that the whole story about 'Living in Harmony' being censored for reasons of 'drugs' or 'anti-Vietnam-ness', over there, is a load of tosh.

[code]http://www.flickr.com/photos/29487363@N02/sets/72157606700675506/code]

dukdriver

In the section on the US screenings he states that CBS did not show `Living in Harmony' in the first screening of the series (June 1968). This was due to the episode being long on violence at a time the networks were trying to reduce violence following the shootings of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. Also `No 6 refusing to wear a gun went against the grain when American troops were still being drafted for the Viet Nam war'. Living in Harmony was first screened in the US in 1971when the series was syndicated in off peak slots.
Hope this helps
Bob

"He plays with the pixies"

Moor Larkin

Does it quote any source for this? The furthest back I've found was going back to the 1988 Prisoner Companion book. My friend in the west has been looking at the original TV schedule magazines at the time and moving forward into the 1970's and there is no indication anywhere about this issue. He's seen a number of articles about violence etc. on television and the various misgivings people were having at the time; and several series are named and discussed, but nowhere has he seen any reference to the prisoner being implicated in this self-censorship by the networks.

It is correct that Harmony was broadcast in neither '68 or '69, I agree but the reason for that seems unclear and I am becoming convinced that an (any) episode had to be dropped for scheduling reasons but there was no particular motive at all, other than that Harmony was evidently a 'disposable' episode.

I'd be happy to be proved wong though.

[code]http://www.flickr.com/photos/29487363@N02/sets/72157606700675506/code]

dukdriver

No, there is no source quoted. Time (21st June1968) is quoted as commenting on the series, that may be worth a look. Before the first showing on ITV in the UK cuts were made to Harmony reducing the violence so if as you surmise an episode had to be cut in the US due to scheduling problems it would seem logical that this would be the one to choose. However CBS had been involved in the series from an early stage so it seems strange that they would not want to screen all the 17 episodes they had paid for. Having said that I am just as in the dark as the next man.
Bob

"He plays with the pixies"

Moor Larkin

There was a 17-week slot put aside in 1968 but due to a national event, the second episode got bumped off the schedule. I first came across this idea in another forum but there was no other evidence offered by the Poster, other than his memory. If this is the case (and it seems to be so, from what my friend has found) the network perforce had to cut the series down to 16 episodes. We are guessing that the 1969 'repeat' was merely lazy network execs who just repeated the list they had from last time (in much the same way as Channel 4 in Britain tried to use a duff order in the 1980's, I believe).

Of course this does not mean the network did not 'censor' the episode at some point after the second week difficulty, but we've found nothing to indicate they did. It's almost like they just chose to ignore the fact it had happened. Some of the contemporary 'papers do refer to '17 episodes' at the beginning of the run. Also, I've noticed that an American 'press release' from 1968 does mention the episode in the blurb, so at that point nobody seems to have noticed the drugs or 'anti-Vietnam' sentiments......

I know McGoohan was very dismissive, in an interview, of the 'Companion' video put out in the early Nineties, which I believe was based on the earlier book.

I can't help but think that the Americans would have been a bit sceptical of a 'Brit Western' and that may have contributed to their choice of an episode to drop.

[code]http://www.flickr.com/photos/29487363@N02/sets/72157606700675506/code]

penfold

When was the second episode due to be shown there ??....just a thought, but Robert Kennedy was shot in June '68....

Bit of a Bay Window, what??

Moor Larkin

Not a shot in the dark......

I think I'm actually ashamed of that joke......

Yes Bobby Kennedy's passage to Arlington from New York was hopelessly late and didn't get there until 8pm or so. I believe networks switched to live coverage of the sad events.

DocRobertPepper

i have the Carlton/Silver Screen 3CD set and it looks like this new one has a lot of new stuff like Episode sound tracks that weren't on this set