Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (and other pre-1980 S-D shows) - Syndicated Laugh Track-Free Audio Preservation (a WIP)

When Hanna-Barbera put all the Scooby-Doo television shows produced from 1969 to 1979 up for broadcast syndication through Worldvision Enterprises in 1980, they removed the artificial laugh tracks from all the episodes that were present in the network versions.

These laugh-free versions became the dominant version on television for almost two decades, until the Warner/Turner merger in 1996. After Cartoon Network became the primary dumping ground for H-B’s back catalog, they had all the episodes remastered with the laugh track reinstated, thus restoring and presenting only the original network versions for the foreseeable future.

Josie and the Pussycats, the first of many H-B shows cast from the same mold as Scooby, has the opposite dilemma, with the current home video releases lacking the original network laugh tracks.

I’m undertaking a project to preserve the syndicated laughless versions and the experience of Scooby-Doo on television for almost two decades, with a high priority for the original Where Are You!, as the franchise’s 50th anniversary approaches.

I’m syncing whatever broadcast audio I can find to the 2004 HD masters of the show via the Amazon 1080p releases.

Current project status (10/24/20):

SDWAY S01E01: What a Knight for a Knight - 17 minutes from 1983 local syndication airing. Recording begins abruptly with Velma’s “Very funny…” I’ve restored the original Ted Nichols opening and closing to this episode.
SDWAY S01E02: A Clue for Scooby Doo - Nothing yet. A tricky episode. When Turner started airing the show on its cable networks, episodes 1 and 2 did air with the network laugh track intact, for some reason, so the copy will have to come from an '80s syndication airing.
SDWAY S01E03: Hassle in the Castle - Whole episode from 1995 TNT airing. I’ve restored the original Ted Nichols closing to this episode.
SDWAY S01E04: Mine Your Own Business - Whole episode from 1995 TBS airing.
SDWAY S01E05: Decoy For a Dognapper - Whole episode from 2000 UK “Volume 1” VHS.
SDWAY S01E06: What the Hex Going On? - Whole episode from 1995 Cartoon Network airing.
SDWAY S01E07: Never Ape an Ape Man - Whole episode from 1995 Cartoon Network airing.
SDWAY S01E08: Foul Play in Funland - Whole episode from 1996 UK “Bumper Edition” VHS.
SDWAY S01E09: The Backstage Rage - Nothing yet.
SDWAY S01E10: Bedlam in the Big Top - Whole episode from 1996 Cartoon Network airing.
SDWAY S01E11: A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts - Whole episode from 1996 Cartoon Network airing.
SDWAY S01E12: Scooby Doo and a Mummy, Too - Whole episode from 1997 Cartoon Network airing.
SDWAY S01E13: Which Witch is Which? - Whole episode from 1995 Cartoon Network airing.
SDWAY S01E14: Go Away Ghost Ship - Whole episode from 1996 TNT airing. (Boomerang still used the laugh track-free Turner master for some reason in the mid-2000s)
SDWAY S01E15: Spooky Space Kook - Whole episode from 1997 Cartoon Network airing.
SDWAY S01E16: A Night of Fright is No Delight - Whole episode from 1997 Cartoon Network airing.
SDWAY S01E17: That’s Snow Ghost - Whole episode from 1997 Cartoon Network airing.

SDWAY S02E01: Nowhere to Hyde - Whole episode from 1995 TBS airing.
SDWAY S02E02: Mystery Mask Mix-Up - Whole episode from 1996 Cartoon Network airing.
SDWAY S02E03: Scooby’s Night with a Frozen Fright - Whole episode from 2000 UK “Nutcracker Scoob” VHS.
SDWAY S02E04: Jeepers, It’s the Creeper - Whole episode from 1996 Cartoon Network airing.
SDWAY S02E05: Haunted House Hang-Up - Nothing yet.
SDWAY S02E06: A Tiki Scare is No Fair - Whole episode from 1997 Cartoon Network airing.
SDWAY S02E07: Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Werewolf - Whole episode from 1983 syndication airing.
SDWAY S02E08: Don’t Fool with a Phantom - Whole episode from 1997 Cartoon Network airing.

I also have a handful of The New Scooby-Doo Movies episodes and a good deal of The Scooby-Doo Show season 2. Any help in hunting down more cable and syndication airings is deeply appreciated.

Moviescope said:

Any updates so far? You’re doing an amazing job BTW. It’s not often that someone would go beyond for a classic show like this. And it’s more fitting that’s it coinciding with the 50th anniversary as well.

Thanks.

I’ve since acquired What the Hex Going on?, Which Witch is Which?, Scooby’s Night with a Frozen Fright, and Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Werewolf?.

1996 Bumper Edition UK VHS would fill following gaps:

Season 1:
5. Decoy for a Dognapper
8. Foul Play in Funland
10. Bedlam in the Big Top
12. Scooby Doo and a Mummy Too
15. Spooky Space Kook

And quality upgrades for:
3. Hassle in the Castle
13. Which Witch is Witch?

If anybody could rip this tape, it would be much appreciated.

Space Hunter M said:

Moviescope said:

Any updates so far? You’re doing an amazing job BTW. It’s not often that someone would go beyond for a classic show like this. And it’s more fitting that’s it coinciding with the 50th anniversary as well.

Thanks.

I’ve since acquired What the Hex Going on?, Which Witch is Which?, Scooby’s Night with a Frozen Fright, and Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Werewolf?.

1996 Bumper Edition UK VHS would fill following gaps:

Season 1:
5. Decoy for a Dognapper
8. Foul Play in Funland
10. Bedlam in the Big Top
12. Scooby Doo and a Mummy Too
15. Spooky Space Kook

And quality upgrades for:
3. Hassle in the Castle
13. Which Witch is Witch?

If anybody could rip this tape, it would be much appreciated.

Found it on Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/SDWAYBumperEditionVA3067812

Moviescope said:

That’s the 1997 Bumper Edition. They’re looking for the 1996 Bumper Edition UK VHS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTLhuuwjMKc

Yes. The 1997 tape already uses the restored network versions.

The 1996 tape was still the syndicated versions.

Audio for Decoy for a Dognapper, Bedlam in the Big Top, and Jeepers, it’s the Creeper has surfaced.

Audio for Scooby Doo and a Mummy Too, Go Away Ghost Ship, Spooky Space Kook, That’s Snow Ghost, Mystery Mask Mix-Up, and Don’t Fool With a Phantom has surfaced.

Audio for A Night of Fright is No Delight and A Tiki Scare is No Fair has surfaced.