Waddaya think I am? Some kind of Jerk or something?

July 11, 2009 1:48 PM

This is easy - I just want the 'TV' version of Steve Martin's 'The Jerk'. So... how do I get it?

IMDB admits that it exists, so I know I'm not crazy. An alternative version to both the original and the 26th anniversary release, known amongst some as the 'TV' version. Besides changing the dog's name from 'Shithead' to 'Stupid', there was a scene where Navin is so heartbroken over the lost of Marie that he 'just had to spin'. The bathroom scene was completely re-cut, and there were two additional scenes where Navin is solicited by people seeking charity, one of whom a wealthy Texan millionaire who he weeps with over the cracks in the leather seats of his airplane.

So all I want to know is... how the heck do I get my hands on a copy of this? It doesn't seem to exist in any format I can buy, there's no torrent that I can download, there's not even clips of the alternative footage on Youtube. In digging around, I learned about a cameo with Bill Murray that had been cut from the film. So now we're up to like, fifteen minutes AT LEAST that is missing from my life. Is there anything I can do? Any place I can go? Help me Askmefites! Pretty please?

posted by Bageena to Media & Arts (4 answers total)

Ha ha ha ha! I love that version! "I just had to spin," the fat guy from Texas who needs new seats for his private jet, the changing of the line"ps is grandma still farting?" to "burping," "my friend Patty promised me a [huge pause for obviously missing word] job", and the immortal "pay to order of Iron BILL McGinty!"

I have seen this on TV dozens of times in my life. It's a little old-school, but I think your best bet is to wait for it come on tv and then record it with a DVR or even a VCR.

Other than that, one of the archives in L.A. might have it, like the museum of TV and film, or the one at UCLA.
posted by drjimmy11 at 2:04 PM on July 11, 2009

This guy says he has the TV version, so try to work something out with him. I'm not sure what you're supposed to trade in return, but it's worth a shot.

He lists a bunch of movies with TV versions. Made me remember how surprised I was by the additional scenes the first time I watched the TV version of Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
posted by necessitas at 2:41 PM on July 11, 2009

When I was a kid, "TV versions" were kind of like the "Director's Cuts" of today. Without adding additional content, there really wasn't a huge draw if you'd already seen it in the theater. In fact, since words/scene were cut, a lot of time you just knew the TV version was going to blow, so absolutely no reason to watch.

They would also sometimes shoot the same scene two different ways to make sure the aspect ratio wasn't going to make it horrible.

I can't help with the request though, and if this is noise I won't be crushed if it's removed.
posted by cjorgensen at 3:30 PM on July 11, 2009

On a similar vein, there is a TV version of Blazing Saddles with at least two additional scenes where Bart tries to capture Mongo. One way was by having Mongo dressed in an old fashioned diving helmet and going down the well... I have only seen this once, and it was not included on any DVD.
posted by Gungho at 5:26 AM on July 12, 2009