Beginning in September 1985, affiliated Debut Network stations could program 24 features from the
Universal Pictures library on an
advertiser supported basis. One feature would debut each month over the course of at least two years, and each month, the stations would be allowed to air the movie twice; usually once in prime time and a rerun in late night hours. At the end of their
barter run, these features would revert to the Debut Network stations for additional cash runs with no interim
pay cable window. Frequently, the versions prepared for broadcast would contain alternate takes and scenes originally cut from the theatrical edits, usually to replace footage deemed unsuitable for television. These new edits were prepared on standard definition video, and sent to TV stations via satellite. However, when the films were resent to the affiliated stations for their cash runs, in most instances, the original theatrical versions were provided instead of the Debut Network recuts, in 16mm prints or on 1 inch videotape, and the stations would edit the films as they chose for the individual standards of their markets. In
1988, the movie network broadcast a special edition of
Dune as a two-night event, with additional footage not included in the film's original release. •
Amazon Women on the Moon •
Batteries Not Included •
The Best of Times •
Born in East L.A. •
Brazil •
The Breakfast Club • ''
Brewster's Millions'' •
Cat People •
Cloak & Dagger •
Conan the Destroyer •
The Conqueror •
Crackers •
Cry Freedom •
D.C. Cab •
Doctor Detroit •
Dune • ''
Eddie Macon's Run'' •
Firestarter •
Fletch •
Ghost Story •
Going Berserk •
Gotcha! •
The Great Outdoors •
Halloween II •
Halloween III: Season of the Witch •
Hard to Hold •
Harry and the Hendersons •
Howard the Duck •
Iceman •
Legend •
A Little Sex •
The Lonely Guy •
The Man Who Knew Too Much •
The Serpent and the Rainbow •
Mask •
Prince of Darkness •
Private School •
Raggedy Man •
Rear Window •
The River •
Scarface •
Sixteen Candles •
The Sword and the Sorcerer •
Tank •
They Live • ''
Three O'Clock High'' •
Vertigo •
Weird Science •
Where the Buffalo Roam 1985 television edit of Halloween II (1981) An alternate version of
Halloween II (sometimes referred to as 'The Television Cut') has aired on network television since the early 1980s, with most of the graphic violence and blood edited out and many minor additional scenes added, while others are removed. This cut of the film was released in 2012 by
Scream Factory on their Collector's Edition
Blu-ray disc, and again in 2014 as a standalone
DVD accompanying the "Complete Collection" Deluxe Edition Blu-ray set, which features entire series. The television cut runs approximately 92 minutes, roughly one minute less than the theatrical version.
1988 television edit of Dune (1984) The rough cut of
Dune, without
post-production effects, ran over four hours long but director
David Lynch's intended cut of the film (as reflected in the seventh and final draft of the script) was almost three hours long. Universal and the film's financiers expected a standard, two-hour cut of the film.
Dino De Laurentiis, his daughter Raffaella and Lynch excised numerous scenes, filmed new scenes that simplified or concentrated plot elements and added
voice-over narrations, plus a new introduction by
Virginia Madsen. Contrary to rumor, Lynch made no other version besides the theatrical cut. As previously mentioned, a television version was aired in 1988 in two parts totaling 186 minutes including a "What happened last night" recap and second credit roll. Lynch disavowed this version and had his name removed from the credits,
Alan Smithee being credited instead. This version (without recap and second credit roll) has occasionally been released on DVD as
Dune: Extended Edition. Several longer versions have been spliced together. Although Universal has approached Lynch for a possible
director's cut, Lynch has declined every offer and prefers not to discuss
Dune in interviews. In
1992,
KTVU, pieced together a hybrid edit of the two previous versions for broadcast in the
San Francisco Bay Area. It is essentially the television version with all the violence of the theatrical version reincorporated into the film, along with many of the "fabricated" shots objected to by Lynch removed.
1989 syndication version of Brazil (1985) In 1985, a much-publicized war emerged between director
Terry Gilliam and Universal's then-COO
Sid Sheinberg over the final cut of
Brazil for the film's North American release
. Against Gilliam's wishes, Sheinberg wanted to cut the film from Gilliam's preferred 142 minute cut to 93 minutes and modify the dark sci-fi satire into an uplifting romance, complete with a happy ending. After Gilliam created an ambitious campaign to wrestle the film away from Sheinberg, including clandestine screenings of his preferred cut, which led to the Los Angeles Film Critics Association awarding the film Best Picture and Best Director, Sheinberg backed down and Universal released a "compromised" cut running 131 minutes and featuring a few of the changes suggested by Sheinberg while remaining faithful to Gilliam's vision. In January 1989, Universal released a cut of
Brazil for airing on the Debut Network. Running 93 minutes, it was a heavily modified version that remained true to Sheinberg's preferred cut of the film, and was subsequently given the nickname "The Love Conquers All Cut." How this version managed to get released remains a mystery; Gilliam said that Universal asked him to make an edited-for-television cut of the film and he refused. In an interview with the
Los Angeles Times, Gilliam sarcastically complimented Sheinberg for "[getting] a chance to break into TV," but was angry that Universal didn't take his name off the TV cut and also criticized advertisements for the Debut Network premiere of
Brazil which used the same critical praise that was given to his version. In an interview with Jack Matthews in an updated version of his book
The Battle of Brazil, Sheinberg claimed he had no idea how his cut leaked out, and said that he wasn't the one who ordered that cut to be released. In 1996,
The Criterion Collection released a box set of Brazil that included Gilliam's preferred 142-minute version of the film as well as the "Love Conquers All" cut of the movie. ==List of stations==