Bosom Buddies: The Complete Series Blu Ray

[stevearino]

Dear Brian Robbins,

I have a proposal for Paramount Home Entertainment: as I'm sure you know, next month, December 7, Paramount Home Entertainment is set to release for the first time EVER on Blu Ray "The Andy Griffith Show: The Complete Series."

That being said, besides "Mayberry" (as I like to refer to the show), I have another series proposal for a near-future Paramount Home Entertainment Blu Ray: "Bosom Buddies: The Complete Series," all 37 half-hour episodes of the hit '80s sitcom "Bosom Buddies" 100% Complete, 100% Uncut, AND 100% Unedited, just the way that each episode originally aired on the ABC Television Network.

Created by Chris Thompson, "Bosom Buddies" originally aired on ABC from November 27, 1980 - March 25, 1982 for 2 seasons of 37 episodes; the show starred Tom Hanks (future Multiplex Success star) and Peter Scolari (futurely of the '80s sitcom "Newhart") as Kip Wilson and Henry Desmond, respectively, 2 young New York City transplants (via Ohio) who, at the start of the series, discovered that their old Cheap Apartment building was being torn down.

At the suggestion of colleague Amy Cassidy (Wendie Jo Sperber, who passed away in 2005 of Breast Cancer at the too-young age of 47), Kip and Henry decided to move into the Apartment Building in which Amy lived in; The Problem? It was The Susan B. Anthony Hotel--A Residence for Women Only.

Upon this discovery, Kip and Henry jointly decided to dress in drag while they lived in the Apartment building while sometimes showing up as themselves (passed off as Kip and Henry's respective sisters Hildegarde and Buffy).

Other principal characters included Sonny Lument (Donna Dixon, the future Mrs. Dan Aykroyd), a Nurse who aspired to be a Dancer; Isabelle Hammond (Telma Hopkins, futurely of the '80s sitcom "Family Matters" and formerly of Tony Orlando and Dawn), an Aspiring Actress and Singer who, like Sonny, lived in the Apartment Building in which Kip and Henry lived; Lilly Sinclair (Lucille Benson, who died in 1984 of Liver Cancer at age 69), the Hotel Manager for The Susan B. Anthony Hotel; and Ruth Dunbar (Holland Taylor), Kip and Henry's employer at the local New York Ad Agency where they worked.

In September 1981, at the start of its 2nd season, Kip and Henry revealed their true identities to the girls at the Hotel; after the Initial Shock wore off, Isabelle (by this time taking over for Lilly as Hotel Manager) decided to allow Kip and Henry to live Openly as Men, so long as nobody else knew it.

Simultaneously, Kip, Henry and Amy quit the Ad Agency and started their own Commercial Business called 60 Seconds Street, with Ruth (who still worked for the unseen Mr. Rabinowitz at the Ad Agency) as a Partner.

Throughout its first season, "Bosom Buddies" was telecast on Thursday nights at 8 P.M. ET on ABC after the '70s sitcom "Mork & Mindy"; at the start of the second season, the series moved to Friday nights at 8 P.M. ET after the '70s sitcom "Benson," with Disastrous Results, leaving "Bosom Buddies" to move back to Thursday nights at 8 P.M. ET after "Mork & Mindy." By then, however, ABC, due to low ratings, cancelled "Bosom Buddies" after 2 seasons.

Its series swan song, the ironically titled "Not The Last Picture Show," was telecast on March 25, 1982 at 8 P.M. ET after the short-lived "Police Squad."

In the years since, in no small part due to Tom Hanks' success as a Movie Star, reruns of "Bosom Buddies" continued to flourish, starting on NBC in Summer 1984, after which the said reruns moved to USA Network; reruns later aired on Nickelodeon UK as part of its Paramount Comedy Channel Programming Block from November 1, 1995 - February 4, 2001 until Paramount Comedy became its own separate UK channel. TV Land (sister network to Nickelodeon) aired reruns from 1997-1998, with reruns last seen in the 2000s on TBS and later MeTV and, for a brief time in 2020, The Decades Channel.

As I'm sure you know, Brian, the DVD releases of "Bosom Buddies" not only contain Missing Musical Numbers from Certain Episodes e.g. "Happy Days Are Here Again," "Yakkity Yak" and "Chances Are." Likewise, the series' Original Theme Song ("My Life," Written by Billy Joel but Performed for the show by Atlanta Studio Musician Gary Bennett) is replaced with the R&B song "Shake Me Loose," Written by Chris Thompson and Performed by Stephanie Mills.

As I'm requesting right now, the Missing Musical Numbers above and the original "My Life" theme shall be Lovingly Restored for Blu Ray purposes.

Each episode shall be Lovingly Restored from the original ABC network prints.

The Pilot for "Bosom Buddies" was the lone episode shot on Film, after which the other 36 half-hour Episodes were Permanently shot on Videotape.

Proceeds to the "Bosom Buddies: The Complete Series" Blu Ray shall go to the American Cancer Society in Loving Memory of Peter Scolari, who died on October 22, 2021 at age 67 in New York of Cancer after a 2-year private battle with Leukemia, having been born on September 12, 1954.

Sincerely,
Steve Arino

[WonkaBedknobs83]

The show was on tape (except the pilot) so it will require upconversion similar to the process used on Fraggle Rock and Monty Python's Flying Circus. It will never look as good as film but it will be an improvement on the DVDs if done right. And in this case, right means preserving the original 4x3 ratio and 30i frame rate. DVD has never gotten analog interlaced content 100% right.

Webster and Family Ties, the other major videotaped sitcoms from Paramount in this decade, would also have to go through this process if they ever want to see life beyond DVD.

[buck135]

I can't see Paramount releasing this, but it doesn't hurt to ask. If it ever gets released, there is zero chance the music gets restored. It was a fun show.

[Blu-Dre]

My Life has to remain the main title theme. It is a must.

[Torgon]

Originally Posted by Blu-Dre

My Life has to remain the main title theme. It is a must.

Unfortunately, I have to skip the opening credits when I watch the DVDs because it is so awful without it.

[WonkaBedknobs83]

They must have thought, "why should we pay out the nose for a Billy Joel impersonator when we can have the real Stephanie Mills?" Even so, when Tom Hanks appeared on 30 Rock, he still sang "My Life," hence the association with the show still being strong. Was it just money or were there other reasons?

Yeah, CBS's systematic cutting of music is reprehensible, and they probably pocketed the savings. I would have gladly bought The Odd Couple and Gomer Pyle, USMC had they not been subjected to such cuts.

[Network23]

Id be day one all over this if it happens. To me this is was Tom hanks at his best before oscars and praise. I still have a few vhs tapes of BB episodes from syndication that was uncut. Id trade the opening theme cut for UNCUT episodes on Bluray anyday of the week.

[WonkaBedknobs83]

Yeah, I miss the funny Tom Hanks, too.

[Blu-Dre]

Originally Posted by WonkaBedknobs83

They must have thought, "why should we pay out the nose for a Billy Joel impersonator when we can have the real Stephanie Mills?" Even so, when Tom Hanks appeared on 30 Rock, he still sang "My Life," hence the association with the show still being strong. Was it just money or were there other reasons?

Yeah, CBS's systematic cutting of music is reprehensible, and they probably pocketed the savings. I would have gladly bought The Odd Couple and Gomer Pyle, USMC had they not been subjected to such cuts.

It's simply the money. No other reason. I love Stephanie Mills, but that song only works as the instrumental end credits theme. My Life is the only tune that works for that title sequence. And to be honest, I think the Billy Joel impersonator sings the song better in some parts than Joel does himself.

[Luke Dodge748]

Did the DVDs have Billy Joel theme song removed??

[Luke Dodge748]

I bought the DVDs a year or so ago, but was just waiting for the right time to binge them. But that Joel theme song was such a memory for me personally, that I'm kinda pissed it's been removed for the DVD. I understand the song was removed during syndication, but I remember the show mostly because of that iconic theme.

Shame. I still can't wait to watch the show again, esp. since we've lost Scolari recently.

[batman2000]

Originally Posted by WonkaBedknobs83

They must have thought, "why should we pay out the nose for a Billy Joel impersonator when we can have the real Stephanie Mills?" Even so, when Tom Hanks appeared on 30 Rock, he still sang "My Life," hence the association with the show still being strong. Was it just money or were there other reasons?

Yeah, CBS's systematic cutting of music is reprehensible, and they probably pocketed the savings. I would have gladly bought The Odd Couple and Gomer Pyle, USMC had they not been subjected to such cuts.

Money in politics makes most of the classic shows I grew up with unable to be unaltered baywatch happy days Pete and Pete to name a few it saddens me.