I have some old episodes of B&A (that I bought from an individual (on iofferdotcom) six or seven years ago. It seems the episode where Fred Clark is replaced by Larry Keating is Season 4, Episode 1: "The Iron Deer".
The episode I have shows the scene where Larry Keating is bopped over the haed by Bea, but it does not include the prior explanation by George Burns about the switch, though there is a "cut" feeling to the beginning of the first Larry/Bea scene like something was cut out.
Right now, Antenna TV is showing both Season 6 and Season 3 episodes. Oftentimes it is S3 during the week and S6 on weekends, other weeks it may not follow this pattern exactly.
Back in April, they were doing something similar with S8 and S5 episodes. I hope they will continue to run G&G at least until fall 2012 or later so I can see all the episodes they have from Season 3 through Season 8.
I do have the first season episode where the first Harry Norton (Hal March) was replaced by the second Harry (John Brown). George Burns gives a brief explanation here as well at the beginning of the scene, that John is replacing Hal. This was in early 1951.
It's interesting that our local Fox staion is streaming the G&G episodes over digital TV at what would be a typical "DVD" resolution and bit rate: video 704x480 interlaced and audio at 128 kbps, 48khz, 2.0 channel Dolby Digital. The video bit rate is quite low (under 3 megs) but the quality does not seem to be affected. If the series was ever released on DVD it would likely use very similar if not identical bit rates. In other words, the specifications appear to be "DVD ready".
At these bit rates and resolutions they could probably fit 8 or 9 episodes per disc, depending if the series was edited or unedited.
I'm not saying ANYTHING about the series possibly coming out on DVD (Sony seemds to have no interest whatsoever in anything from the 1950's black and white era) but it is interesting to speculate.
Of course I would be first in line to buy the series if it was released on DVD. (If it ever was released on DVD it would certainly be on "burn on demand" disks.)
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thextguy
12 years ago
Today (June 6, 2012), Antenna TV showed Larry Keating's first episode (S4 Ep. 1-unoffically titled "The Iron Deer" -among other names). It did have the part where George walks into the scene, stops the action, mentions Fred's leaving and introduces Larry to the audience and Bea. Then the episode continues! Pretty cool to actually see this happen after hearing about it.
As Larry and Bea are introduced, they start paying each other compliments regarding the others' past work, smiling at each other and George interrupts the conversation; saying if they're so nice to each other, nobody will believe they are married!
Larry was by far the best Harry Morton. Fred Clark was adequate, but just that-adequate and no more.
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robert4770
12 years ago
I don't think Antenna TV has the first few seasons. Were they filmed or kinescopes from live shows? The more I watch this show the more I realize it is a true classic up there with the Honeymooners and I love Lucy.
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thextguy
12 years ago
I have not seen any of the episodes from the first two years broadcast on Antenna TV. These were kinescopes from live broadcasts, most or all are in the public domain I am told.
These first two seasons look different. The house is different, with a different (smaller, plainer) living room. The living room has a large picture window along the back with a scene of a swimming pool. No scenes outside on the patio or by the pool. No stairs going up to the bedrooms. No den over the garage. The kitchen is different, without the dutch door of later years. The kitchen windows have a wodden, diamond shaped framing laid over them. It's a smaller, more modest set.
I've got 17 episodes of the first two years, there only seem to be about 18 episodes from these years released on VHS/DVD. The rest...who knows where they are.
Yes the show is a true classic, right up there with ILL and The Honeymooners.
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Qanqor
12 years ago
What everyone is forgetting is that Larry Keating was the *fourth* Harry Morton. The previous two were in the first two seasons, which aren't shown in syndication, because they weren't filmed. But you can see some kinescopes of at least some of them (I have a couple VHS tapes I bought years ago with some episodes, and I think you can find them on-line). So they had done the old George-Introduces-The-New-Actor-Switcheroo previously. The guy who played the first Harry Morton I believe later showed up as Fred Clark-Harry Morton's partner Casey. I think he had followed the show onto TV from the radio days. The second Harry Morton lasted a *very* short time, and I think he got canned because of the anti-communist blacklisting brouhaha.
I always thought they missed a great opportunity for an episode on that show. I think it would've been great if they did an episode where Blanche and Larry Keating-Harry Morton were interested in buying a new house and so they went to a real estate agent, and they brought back Fred Clark in a guest spot to play the real estate agent. And they could have just had Blanche looking at the Fred Clark character puzzled and saying "You look *very* familiar, have we ever met?" (And, of course, the Fred Clark character should be named "Casey" :)
When I first watched the show when I was younger, I always like the Larry Keating Harry Morton better. But now I think I actually prefer the Fred Clark.
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mwmtampa
10 years ago
That would have been a clever (and funny) episode to have Fred Clark come back to reprise his role as a real estate salesman in a guest spot! LoL.
Antenna TV showed a number of Burns and Allen episodes this New Years Eve, including Larry Keating's debut episode, And yes, they did show the part with George introducing Larry to the audience. It was not cut out.
I did like Fred Clark on the show, but my personal fave as Harry Morton was Larry Keating. I liked the way they modified the Morton character midstream like that. Great job by George Burns and the management of the show!
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