Why Does Classic Scooby-Doo Look So Bad on Cartoon Network? - a Sam Valentino Mystery

Summary

Sam Valentino, a private tune detective, delves into the peculiar history of *Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?* reruns, exploring how its broadcasts evolved over time. He investigates the quirks of older prints, PAL speed-up issues, and the impact of restored versions on the series' presentation. Sam highlights anomalies, such as a specific episode reverting to an older, faded print, sparking questions about missing master tapes. The narrative blends personal anecdotes, technical insights, and curiosity about why networks like Cartoon Network and Boomerang still air these inconsistent versions, despite advancements in media restoration.

Takeaways

• 😀 Cartoon Network and Boomerang have aired the original 'Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?' using different versions of the show, including older, faded PAL prints from the 1990s.
• 😀 The USA Cartoon Express block (1982-1996) used PAL-encoded versions of 'Scooby-Doo,' which caused issues with pitch and speed, making the characters' voices sound higher-pitched.
• 😀 When 'Scooby-Doo' was initially syndicated, the laugh track was removed from most episodes, which was a trend during the 1980s as Hanna-Barbera phased out laugh tracks in their cartoons.
• 😀 The original instrumental theme by Ted Nichols was retained in the first two episodes of 'Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?' in the 1990s reruns, a rarity compared to the usual vocal version.
• 😀 The first two episodes had a unique combination of both laugh tracks and instrumental themes, which made them stand out from the rest of the series during syndication.
• 😀 'Scooby-Doo' reruns from the '90s often included the Hanna-Barbera box logo and sometimes the 1979 swirling star logo, which caused inconsistencies in the show’s presentation.
• 😀 The 1996 Turner remaster of 'Scooby-Doo' introduced some improvements, but the picture quality was still less than stellar in some instances, particularly in international and home video releases.
• 😀 The 1998 Turner remaster replaced older prints but still carried over issues like the PAL speed-up, and the show’s music and audio were often affected by these conversions.
• 😀 The 'Go Away Ghost Ship' episode became a mystery in 2004 when it reverted to the older PAL speed-up print with no laugh track, despite the show being restored for high-definition broadcasts.
• 😀 A theory is proposed that the 1996 Turner master of 'Scooby-Doo' may have been lost or damaged, causing the use of older prints like the PAL speed-up version for certain reruns and broadcasts.
• 😀 The 2004 HD restoration of 'Scooby-Doo' was promoted through Boomerang's streaming app, but some older prints still persisted on the channel, which led to fan confusion and backlash.

Q & A

Why does the narrator, Sam Valentino, find the reruns of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? on Cartoon Network and Boomerang strange?

Sam Valentino finds the reruns strange because they still use the old 1990s Turner Masters, which are dated in appearance, and some episodes air with a sped-up PAL version from older prints, leading to pitch-shifted audio and a lack of the laugh track.

How did Scooby-Doo first enter the Cartoon Network lineup, and why was it not part of the initial programming?

Scooby-Doo wasn't initially part of Cartoon Network's lineup when it launched in 1992. It was a part of the USA Network's Cartoon Express block from 1990 to 1994. Scooby-Doo shows joined Cartoon Network in 1994 after the network's launch.

What was the issue with the original prints prepared for the USA Cartoon Express block in the 1990s?

The prints prepared for the USA Cartoon Express were of low quality, often faded and washed out, and sourced from panel prints. These prints were then converted from NTSC to PAL format, which sped up the video and caused the soundtrack to sound higher-pitched.

Why did the removal of the laugh track occur during reruns of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? starting in 1980?

Hanna-Barbera removed the laugh track because they felt it made the cartoons feel silly. As part of the syndication process, World Vision removed the laugh track from many episodes, which became standard for reruns.

What is the significance of the instrumental opening theme by Ted Nichols in the first two episodes of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?

The first two episodes of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? originally had an instrumental opening theme by Ted Nichols, which was later replaced with a vocal version in most reruns. However, some of the 1990s reruns restored the instrumental version for these two episodes.

How did the opening and closing logos of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? vary in the syndicated reruns?

In syndicated reruns, the opening logos sometimes showed the original 1969 Hanna-Barbera box logo, while other episodes used the 1979 Hanna-Barbera swirling star logo. The music and versions of these logos also varied depending on the print.

What was the issue with the Turner remasters of Scooby-Doo in the 1990s?

The Turner remasters from the 1990s had a poor picture quality and were still based on the old PAL prints. These versions replaced the original instrumental opening with the vocal theme and used a newer, less fitting 1994 Hanna-Barbera Allstars logo.

Why did the episode 'Go Away Ghost Ship' revert to an older, sped-up print in 2004?

It’s speculated that the 1996 Turner remaster of 'Go Away Ghost Ship' might have been lost or damaged, so the older, faded PAL version was used instead. This is a mystery as no official explanation was provided.

What does Sam Valentino's theory suggest about the 1996 Turner remasters of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?

Sam Valentino theorizes that the 1996 Turner remasters were replaced with older, faded prints due to a possible loss or damage to the master tapes. He also suggests that Turner kept the older prints as backup copies.

What impact did the 1998 update to the Scooby-Doo prints have on the show's airing on Cartoon Network?

In 1998, Cartoon Network switched to using the 1996 Turner remasters after realizing that previous prints were sped up due to PAL conversion. The new prints restored the show to its correct speed and pitch, but a few episodes, such as 'Go Away Ghost Ship,' continued using the older prints.