Some pilots for classic television series, such as "I Love Lucy", have vanished, or have been rediscovered decades later.
Unlike most film classics, throughout the years, much of classic television has either been lost or destroyed. Before the advent of VHS and DVD, television was a disposable medium much like newspapers. As a result, significant chunks of television history have vanished, such as the pilot episode of “I Love Lucy”, and the local Detroit years of Soupy Sales’ masterpiece children’s show. In Soupy’s case, as in others, the tapes were erased and reused as a matter of economics. This process was known as “wiping.”
“I Love Lucy”
The pilot for “I Love Lucy” was assumed to be lost until it was discovered forty years later by the widow of a Spanish clown who had appeared in the episode. Desi Arnaz had given the only copy of the pilot to Pepito the Clown as a thank-you for being a guest star. Because Desi and Lucy had owned and financed the pilot itself, he was able to give it away. In 1990, the pilot, which had never made it to air, was broadcast for the first time. It’s currently available as an extra on an “I Love Lucy” DVD collection.
Other classic television series with lost and unseen pilots include “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and “All in the Family.”
“The Dick Van Dyke Show”
Actually, the pilot for “The Dick Van Dyke Show” didn’t star Dick Van Dyke. It was called “Head of the Family” and starred series creator Carl Reiner as comedy writer Rob Petrie and Barbara Britton as Laura Petrie. While the pilot didn’t sell, producers Danny Thomas and Sheldon Leonard loved the concept and recast it with Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. In the meantime, the Carl Reiner pilot vanished.
“All in the Family”
There were actually three pilots for “All in the Family.” The first was called “Justice for All”, and starred Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton as Archie and Edith Justice. The second also starred O’Connor and Stapleton, and was called “Those Were the Days.” A third pilot was shot, this time with Sally Struthers and Rob Reiner as Mike and Gloria Stivic. It was the third pilot that sold the show to CBS; and it was this third pilot that’s been lost.
Super Bowl I
In 1967, the first Super Bowl was broadcast on both CBS and NBC. Both networks “wiped” the tapes of the broadcasts of this historic sports event. Only small highlight segments exist of Super Bowl I.
“The Tonight Show”
Johnny Carson’s 1962 debut as host of “The Tonight Show” was another historic television event that was lost. Only an audio version of this first show has been found.
Sources:
- "MIC Remembrance Wall", Library of Congress Moving Image Collection
- Museum of Television and Radio "Lost" Programs List
- "You'll love the lost "I Love Lucy" pilot", Craig Shapiro, The Virginian-Pilot
- "Wiping", Wikipedia
