Listen, Darling (1938) - muted sound / censorship on Warner Archive DVD

[c.n.-tonfilm]

I've found that the WAC DVD has been censored by muting the sound in some scenes, I suspect for reasons of "obscene" language. Eg. watch 51'16 here: https://ok.ru/video/657424321119

Even in the trailer a passage has been muted and the sound has been replaced with some crickets chirping, see 1'25 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxkxdLEqlRc&t=1m23s

Does anybody have a different source than the WAC, e.g. a recording from British TV, the MGM Laserdisc/VHS or else to check if the sound is unmuted there?

[oldposterho]

A 1938 Judy Garland film seems like a real long shot for "obscene language," although I suppose there's always the possibility of Alan Hale launching into a Tarantino-esque "Nice m****f***** shot" in there somewhere.

More likely just a technical glitch that nobody noticed.

[Jim Roots]

Do you suppose it might be intended as ironic that this "muted sound" bit should appear in a film titled Listen, Darling?

Jim

[boblipton]

A 1938 Judy Garland film seems like a real long shot for "obscene language," although I suppose there's always the possibility of Alan Hale launching into a Tarantino-esque "Nice m****f***** shot" in there somewhere.

More likely just a technical glitch that nobody noticed.

Different days, different standards. There's one MGM movie.... I think it's For Me And My Gal, where Vaseline has been strategically applied to areas of the print shown on TCM to blur a lady's decolletage.

Bob

[R Michael Pyle]

Different days, different standards. There's one MGM movie.... I think it's For Me And My Gal, where Vaseline has been strategically applied to areas of the print shown on TCM to blur a lady's decolletage.

Bob

Oh, we've become SO-O proper, haven't we. Frankly, I can think of a better strategic use for Vaseline.

[silentmovies742]

I've found that the WAC DVD has been censored by muting the sound in some scenes, I suspect for reasons of "obscene" language. Eg. watch 51'16 here: https://ok.ru/video/657424321119

Even in the trailer a passage has been muted and the sound has been replaced with some crickets chirping, see 1'25 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxkxdLEqlRc&t=1m23s

Does anybody have a different source than the WAC, e.g. a recording from British TV, the MGM Laserdisc/VHS or else to check if the sound is unmuted there?

Those strange sound moments have always been present in the film, as far as I'm aware. Seems to me like a shot of the animal trophies was inserted at some point after shooting and there was no audio to go with it. I agree it's odd, but not unknown for a few seconds of film to be silent in this way.

[earlytalkiebuffRob]

Different days, different standards. There's one MGM movie.... I think it's For Me And My Gal, where Vaseline has been strategically applied to areas of the print shown on TCM to blur a lady's decolletage.

Bob

Oh, we've become SO-O proper, haven't we. Frankly, I can think of a better strategic use for Vaseline.

Yes, it's very useful for chapped lips....

[Wm. Charles Morrow]

Reminds me of that awkward cut at the beginning of Grand Slam Opera (1936), when Buster and his fellow townsfolk sing "So Long, Elmer." One line of the song has been clumsily removed, and I've never found a print that has the complete song. What on earth could those guys have sung that was so objectionable?

[s.w.a.c.]

Reminds me of the Tex Avery cartoon The Blitz Wolf, where the Three Little Pigs take on a Nazi wolf, and at one point sing:

"You're in the army now,
You're not behind the plow,
You're diggin' a ditch"
<pause for a line>
"You're in the army now!"

The gap is entirely on purpose, but I'm sure the audiences who saw it (especially those in the military) filled in the blank readily enough.