The Lost Media Thread

Thanks to the Internet and YouTube, I’ve been reading up on lost media.

Lost media refers to film, television broadcasts, radio broadcasts, animation, video games and so on that are completely or partially lost; copies of any kind are very hard to find if not impossible. Some have taken on legendary status on the Internet, some turned out to be hoaxes and the search continues for other lost media.

So what lost media fascinates you? What do you wish would be found? What do you think should be lost forever?

I’ll start with one - CBS Storybreak was a series that ran on CBS from 1985-1989 hosted by Robert Keeshan and again in 1993-1994 by Malcolm Jamal-Warner. This anthology series featured animated adaptations of contemporary children’s books such as Chocolate Fever, the Great Ringtail Garbage Caper, Harry the Fat Bear Spy and many more.

Cbsstorybreaklogo

Sadly, one episode is missing and that’s the adaptation of What Happened in Hamelin from 1987. A good number of episodes can be found online but this episode has yet to be found.

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Probably the most famous example of lost media.

Personally, I’d like to see El Apóstol, the first full-length animated film ever made, now lost.

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Ninty-eight episodes of Doctor Who are still missing.

There are rumors constantly floating around that this or that episode/story has been found. One of the most popular is the story that someone has all seven missing episodes of the William Harnell story Marco Polo, but is holding them hostage.

Shrug.

With the show’s 60th anniversary coming up later this year, fans are really hoping for some good news on the episode recovery front. Which isn’t unheard of. Only a few years ago that missing episode count stood at 108. :slight_smile:

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There are soooooo many lost silent films I’d die to see, sadly, too many to number.

I’d like to see the 9 lost Oscar noms (some from the talky era).

I’d love to see the 8 hr cut of “Greed” (or whatever length it was)

I’d like to see Fritz Lang’s intended (and apparently filmed, but destroyed) ending for “Cloak and Dagger”

Too much lost/wiped out TV too. One of them I’d love to see is Dick Powell’s return to playing Philip Marlowe in “The Long Goodbye” (1954)

MST3K’s holy grail lost media is the “Mylar: What’s It To You” short slated for the CD-ROM project they also did Assignment: Venezuela for. The story has been that the tape has long since been misplaced and is considered lost, but is this true? Was it ever filmed? Did they write it? Does a riff script still exist for it? What else would have been on the CD-ROM? Was any work for that completed?

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Not to mention the third KTMA episode.

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Oh, and how can I forget K03, the KTMA version of Star Force: Fugitive Alien 2! That master was not found when the assets of BBI were acquired by Alternaversal and Shout.

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Jinx!

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An uncompleted movie with Brando and Depp.

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I remember that one - I was interested in it, then… nope. Another from Brando that was never released was Big Bug Man, an animated film he did voicework for, before his death.

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Even though Groucho claimed it stunk, I’d like to see Humor Risk, the film debut short of the Marx Brothers.

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The old divorce episode from Sesame Street with Snuffy’s an infamous example.

Back then, the producers weren’t too sure about teaching the kiddies about divorce. But as of a decade ago, they made a new divorce episode… I guess, but with Abby.

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Has the Margaret Hamilton (as the Wicked Witch) episode of Sesame Street ever seen the light of day after it was originally aired?

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The BBC made a TV movie version of The Time Machine in 1949, which I would love to see.

Great news.

I have no idea what the producers were talkin’ about. This don’t look so scary!

I think it’s the parents who were freaked out more than the kids…

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Or it could be both. But that was a long time ago, and I’m glad it ain’t lost no more!

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mylar

All I know for certain is that this imagery of the short (sans silhouettes) appeared during Turkey Day '95, with Trace Beaulieu talking about what would be the ill-fated MST3K CD-ROM.

How far they actually got, I have no idea, but with the short being from the Jam Handy people, you know it was gonna be -awesome.-

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Rifftrax, The Mads are Back or Season 14 of MST3K needs to tackle the short.

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Wholeheartedly agreed. They couldn’t do anything BUT get something fantastic outta that!

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