• Most new users don't bother reading our rules. Here's the one that is ignored almost immediately upon signup: DO NOT ASK FOR FANEDIT LINKS PUBLICLY. First, read the FAQ. Seriously. What you want is there. You can also send a message to the editor. If that doesn't work THEN post in the Trade & Request forum. Anywhere else and it will be deleted and an infraction will be issued.
  • If this is your first time here please read our FAQ and Rules pages. They have some useful information that will get us all off on the right foot, especially our Own the Source rule. If you do not understand any of these rules send a private message to one of our staff for further details.
  • Please read our Rules & Guidelines

Babes in Toyland (1986): Original Broadcast Version

AvP

Well-known member
Faneditor
Cover Artist
Messages
3,199
Reaction score
3
Trophy Points
53
by Philfrog
What is it about? The notorious Keanu Reeves/Drew Barrymore bastardization of Victor Herbert’s 1903 operetta, sourced from the original, uncut NBC broadcast .

original film name: Babes in Toyland
film studio name: Orion
Faneditor: Dasjr
Date Original Film Was Released: Fall 1991 (original telecast: 12/19/86)
Original Runtime: 96 min
New Runtime: 143 min
Amount of time Cut/Added: 47 min (+3min of special features)

Cuts added/extended: restores 80 cuts’ worth of “lost footage” including….

* * little brother Joey’s single scene is longer and whinier than ever
* * longer scene at the toy store with the sleazy shop manager Barney
* * all of Humpty Dumpty’s scenes/lines
* * longer wedding ceremony scene
* * entire song about breaking Jack out of jail
* * entire love song/dance number between Jack and Mary
* * entire sub-plot of Barnaby forcing Jack to write an un-love letter to Mary
* * entire scene between Mother Hubbard and Barnaby
* * entire song from Lisa before entering the dark forest
* * longer sequences involving the dark forest and escape from Barnaby’s
* * extra dialogue in all of the Toymaster’s scenes
* * longer March of the Wooden Soldiers theme at Toymaster’s shop
* * post-battle dialogue between judge, Jack, and Mary
* * both reprises of Toymaster’s song and Toyland song
* * and numerous shots edited from about every scene for the VHS release

(full list of cuts coming…eventually….)

Conceptual improvements/advancements of edit over original:

Some think it was charming; others say it eats your soul. I say both. This is the “Babes in Toyland” of my generation (though I more often watched the original Laurel & Hardy adaptation), which has made it a must-watch every holiday season amongst me and some (more enthusiastic) friends. However, those friends never got to see this movie like I did, when it was originally aired on NBC. Thankfully, someone in my family decided to run a tape (missing the beginning and end credits), which was left recording while our family went shopping, so most of the commercial breaks (all but three) were taped as well. I’d always though that the Orion release of five years later simply cut out the fades to each ad break. But when an Amazon site review told me there was a missing song, I dug out my parents’ 21 year-old VHS and decided to do a composite edit, adding the missing material to the better-quality Orion footage. Lo and behold, one song became two, then three, then five, and nearly every scene was longer in one way or another. It was a lot of work for some painfully silly TV movie, but it was fascinating to discover the 80-plus cuts that were made to create the official, shorter version. As I finished the composite, a fellow editor sent me their wife’s tape of the original broadcast, which is far superior to mine. I decided to make an entirely new edit using the newly received tape as the main source.


Technical info:

Video and audio were captured straight from three different VHS tapes. The sunday256 tape is the main source, with my own tape of the broadcast used to replace a damaged part of the other cassette. The official OOP Orion VHS was used for the end credits segment. Video was left as-is, but audio was boosted, with 50 percent hiss removal. All commercials were edited out, but all the unique bumpers (plus trailers and alternate end credit audio) appear as bonus clips. Due to my limitations of my software (Ulead), this is a 2-DVD set, at 72 minutes per disc (Luckily, a TV movie allows itself to be split up like that). Menus are simple but decent.


Notes on the main source:

The picture has some minor ghosting, making it slightly less sharp than the official version. In darker shots, you will see a transparent black rectangle. There will also be some rare and tiny, singular jitters here and there in the picture. These are all minor issues since this tape is still the best source for the full broadcast in brightness, color, audio, tape speed (LP vs my EP/SLP), etc.
 

AvP

Well-known member
Faneditor
Cover Artist
Messages
3,199
Reaction score
3
Trophy Points
53
**unavailable**
 

darthtron

Active member
Messages
34
Reaction score
0
Trophy Points
6
I really hope this becomes available again, because I would love to obtain a copy....

I have fond memories of watching the cut-down vhs tape @ my grandparents house, during the summers, when I was yonger.
 

AvP

Well-known member
Faneditor
Cover Artist
Messages
3,199
Reaction score
3
Trophy Points
53
I dont think Philfrog is a member here.
 

Faneditlover

Well-known member
Messages
116
Reaction score
3
Trophy Points
18
Bumping this thread because Kino Lorber/MGM is finally brining this to home video at long last...and on Blu-ray!!!

No word what cut(s) it will contain but keep an eye out.

EDIT: Their Facebook post lists the runtime as 96 minutes, so it'll be the shorter International Theatrical Version. I would recommend you get in touch with Kino ASAP and ask them to include BOTH cuts while there's time.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom