Missing scenes from US Simpsons?

[on:]

While watching "A Star Is Burns" from the DVD The Simpsons Film Festival (yet another disc seemingly unavailable in North America) I saw two scenes I don't remember seeing, on Fox or in syndication.  One has Bart selling maps to movie stars' homes to an Asian family who end up at Moe's house.




A second scene is of Bart (of course) at the town meeting with what he says is a slide of Springfield as seen from space.



Can anyone confirm my suspicions that we've been shortchanged by Fox, or is my ageing memory playing tricks on me again?

[Reply #1 on:]

I do remember seeing the Moe part for sure, though that was probably in syndication, where they don't care as much. Not sure about the second bit, though.

[Reply #2 on:]

I remember seeing both parts they wern't cut as far as I know. Mabye your just crazy Unca Dave.

[Reply #3 on:]

I've definately seen those 2 scenes on tv.
Although, I live in Australia so don't get FOX.

[Reply #4 on:]

I remember seeing both bits, maybe you watched censored versions of the show, if other words, yeah, shortchanged.

[Reply #5 on:]

I rember that first scene, but I don't rember seeing the second.

[Reply #6 on:]

I distinctly remember both those eps.
They were always hilarious but short and dont really add anything to the story.
Scenes like that are easy targets for the scisors when they are trying to save time.

[Reply #7 on:]

No, I'm not crazy.  Nuts, maybe, but not crazy.  However my memory really isn't what it used to be many decades ago, and I really don't recall having seen those two scenes here.  Perhaps it'll come up in syndication one of these days.  Who knows?  Besides, I was wrong once before...on October 13, 1955.  I thought I was wrong about something, but it turned out I was actually right.  However, thinking I was wrong when I was right made me wrong.  And Who's on first!  Either way, I'll just wait and see what folks have to say.

One other thing:  I try never to question in public the mental capacity or stability of someone I don't know, even in jest.   I'd appreciate having the same courtesy extended to me in return.  (Now I'll probably get flamed.  Oh, well.  C'est la guerre!)

[Reply #8 on:]

ok I'm sorry you're not crazy,


you're just senile 

[Reply #9 on:]

I've seen those two.

[Reply #10 on:]

Here's the deal: usually, when a show (such as The Simpsons) goes into syndication, the stations can't have ratings as high as network broadcasts for many obvious reasons.  That means they can't make as much money.  Hence, they demand that shows be shortened so they can add more commercial time.  The current stanard seems to be 21 minutes.  The Simpsons, at least in its earlier years (the newer shows now are about a minute shorter then the earliest ones because networks have also gradually been shortening actual show time over the years) runs for 23 minutes.  You do the math.

What that means is that the difference has to be made somehow.  Most shows, when they go into syndication, have various lines and scenes sliced out.  The theme songs are usually shortened (notice you almost never seen the complete main theme in syndication Simpsons reruns, which also often means the loss of whatever chalkboard gag there might have been there originally), and to avoid cutting too much they also compress certain scenes, literally making them go by faster.  Despite this compression ability and main theme shortening, most episodes do have at least SOMETHING cut and many of them have substantial cuts.  Major scenes and plot points are even cut out of episodes like "Lisa's Substitute" and "Who Shot Mr. Burns". Plus, there is a peculiar habit of syndicators to actually change the couch gag at the beginning of episodes.  Changes don't occur as much in later seasons, but when the first five seasons were syndicated they often replaced many of the couch gags with the "double Simpsons" one, hence why that one shows up so much.

Snpp.com has a guide to all the cuts, so they are preserved in some way.  Just go to "episode capsules", and then somewhere near the top of the page you'll find the link.  The dvds (such as the one pointed out here, and the season sets) also restore everything.  Heck, the season one set is pretty much the only way you can see the original main theme in the US.

But anyway, the conclusion: those scenes were cut out to add more commercial time in syndication, and unless you live outside of the US you can't see them without either having a taping of the original broadcast, buying that dvd, or downloading a copy on the net and hoping it happens to be of the original broadcast.

[Reply #11 on:]

"Excuse me, are you Drew Barrymore?"