Fraggle Rock Region 2 DVD to be released in April

[anathema]

I just want the Fraggle episodes that featured Ned Schimmelfinny as an 8 foot flamboyant cactus.

Ok...Beaker, whatever it is you're smoking, it's time to share!

:-P

 

[King Prawn]

Does anyone know/remember which Doc was used in those Fraggle Video's that were out a long time ago in the UK?

 

[anathema]

Does anyone know/remember which Doc was used in those Fraggle Video's that were out a long time ago in the UK?

There were releases from four different labels.

The RCA set, which ran to 13 tapes, featured Fulton Mackay as 'the Captain'; these were the UK edits of the shows, and several of them featured UK versions of the 'Travelling Matt' segments. A total of 20 shows, plus "Fraggle Rock Songbook", were released. The first six of these tapes are listed in the MC collectibles guide. These turned up in 1984/5; tapes 7-12 are the harder ones to find.

Virgin Video released two tapes in the mid-80s. Each tape had two shows, and were the US ones with Gerry Parkes.

Palace Video released a single tape in 1989, with two shows on it. I don't know whether they were the US or UK versions.

Finally, Jim Henson Video released three tapes in the early 90s. These were PAL conversions of the first three tapes released in the US around the same time, and feature Gerry again.

 

[BlueFrackle]

Palace videos released 'Gobo's School For Explorers' and 'Wembley And The Mean Genie' on one tape and it was with Gerry Parkes as Doc.

The only reason I know of Fulton MacKay was because of the RCA videos. Its only the first generation that remember him from the TV episodes.

 

[Luke]

The RCA set, which ran to 13 tapes, featured Fulton Mackay as 'the Captain'; these were the UK edits of the shows, and several of them featured UK versions of the 'Travelling Matt' segments. A total of 20 shows, plus "Fraggle Rock Songbook", were released. The first six of these tapes are listed in the MC collectibles guide. These turned up in 1984/5; tapes 7-12 are the harder ones to find.

Just to point out to others as it probably wasn't clear - Columbia Pictures were part of this RCA release so it makes it easy for Columbia Tristar to access them very easily again for DVD without having to do very much. Thats why I have a feeling we'll see these versions again but we'll see.

I have to say i really hope that it is the English (UK) version we get released over here. The first generation are the ones the show was produced for and were the episodes shown on terrestrial TV when the show had its biggest audience. Fans of cult TV in the UK are the target for these and they are going to be the ones who remember Fulton McKay as being in it. Even though younger viewers might have seen Gerry Parkes over here at some point in re-runs I think it makes sense to put the original United Kingdom productions on the UK DVD's. I'm sure the Americans wouldn't like it if they got their DVD's and Fulton McKay had taken the place of Gerry Parkes so I don't see why we should have that done to us. I think if UK people want to see the American version then they'd have that opportunity when the Region 1 releases come out in the future. Fulton brought a more British atmospheric kinda dark side to the show which made it very different to the more overly happy and mushy American stuff - if R2 has Fulton and R1 has Gerry it means people will get to see both if they want.

 

[Whatever]

I just want the Fraggle episodes that featured Ned Schimmelfinny as an 8 foot flamboyant cactus.

That sounds like quite an episode! Did he also double as the carrot in the Gilda Radner episode?

 

[muppet_dk]

Luke

That means that colombia should release a specific version for each country in Europe.
I'am used to the US version, as the rest of scandinavia. And I know that I would be a bit disapointed if it was the UK version that comes out.

 

[BlueFrackle]

Im not sure who i'd prefer. I love Gerry Parkes as Doc, I can pass on Fulton MacKay. I grew up with Doc, So thats the reason.

Plus the Captain seems unreal, Whereas Doc I could actually imagine being real.

 

[Whataday]

I'm not sure whether it will be the UK or US version on DVD. I suppose it depends on who owns the rights to the UK specific bits.

The now defunct ITV company "TVS" was the British commissioner of Fraggle Rock, and if they owned the rights to the captain scenes, in a bizarre twist of fate, they're now owned by Disney!

 

[Luke]

That means that colombia should release a specific version for each country in Europe.

Maybe they should, I guess it would make sense to use the U.S version if that Region 2 disc was going to retail in Europe as a whole, i'm not sure whether this is just for UK release even though it'll work on other European DVD players. The French version already came out so selling it there will clash with that - did they use Gerry Parkes for that or the original French presentations ?

The rights on it are interesting. I always assumed that Henson as the production company owned the foriegn 'Doc' scenes but yeah maybe there is some conflict as to whether the original TV companies have some ownership and possibly that could be another reason why they go with the USA stuff for this.

It'd be good if Columbia wanted some contact with fans over the extras and which versions are put on DVD etc. The He-Man DVD's actually had fans doing the commentaries which could work with 'Fraggle' and be cheap or if they wanted to do some interviews with production people Jocelyn Stevenson who wrote (i think) for Fraggle and then went onto be an executive on Hoobs is at Hit Entertainment now so they could get her. It's not like they'd have to bring people in from the states.