# Worst dubbing ie butchering of a movie for TV to cut out foul language or adult stuff **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 30, 2002, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-dubbing-ie-butchering-of-a-movie-for-tv-to-cut-out-foul-language-or-adult-stuff/116683 "2002-06-30T08:15:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![NutWrench](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nutwrench/32/20193_2.png) [@NutWrench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutWrench)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2002, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-dubbing-ie-butchering-of-a-movie-for-tv-to-cut-out-foul-language-or-adult-stuff/116683/21 "2002-06-30T18:33:56Z")
I remember seeing _ScarFace_ on network TV and I wondered why they even went through the trouble . . . . ---
**Author:** ![QueenAl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/d26b3c/32.png) [@QueenAl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QueenAl)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2002, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-dubbing-ie-butchering-of-a-movie-for-tv-to-cut-out-foul-language-or-adult-stuff/116683/22 "2002-06-30T18:44:05Z")
Oh, and another Danny Devito movie: **Twins**. Devito makes a comment about Arnie being a ‘240lb virgin,’ and that got cut for TV. The ensuing conversation made no sense at all! **Four Weddings and a Funeral** had to film several scenes twice, once for general release and once for American Network TV. I’ve often wondered what the Network version would be like - so much of the humour in that movie depends on well-used swearwords! At the beginning, Hugh Grant was originally supposed to say fuck 17 times (or however many times it is; a lot, anyway), but the American PR people wouldn’t countenance that. In the end they settled on ‘bugger’, on the grounds that most Americans wouldn’t realise it was a swearword anyway, and if they did, they wouldn’t know what it actually _means_. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2002, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-dubbing-ie-butchering-of-a-movie-for-tv-to-cut-out-foul-language-or-adult-stuff/116683/23 "2002-06-30T21:16:40Z")
**Terminator** ’s scene where he yells at the landlord “Fuck you, asshole” was changed to “You’re a punk.” Don’t know why the guy was offended, if I remember the scene correctly, he did have a mohawk… And **ResIpsaLoquitor** got my other one. Jay’s voice in **Mallrats** was utterly rediculous. My personal favorite is in **Ferris Buller’s Day Off** , when he’s talking about Cameron: “He’s so uptight, if you took a piece of coal and stuck it up his (real deep not-even-close-to-Mathew Broderick’s voice) \*fist[/s], in two weeks, you’d have a piece of coal.” And don’t even get me started on the edited for television version of **Caligula**. Talk about butchery… ---
**Author:** ![QueenAl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/d26b3c/32.png) [@QueenAl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QueenAl)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2002, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-dubbing-ie-butchering-of-a-movie-for-tv-to-cut-out-foul-language-or-adult-stuff/116683/24 "2002-06-30T21:26:12Z")
Edited TV version of Caligula? Guess they need to fill those five-minute show gaps… I wonder if the terrible, obvious dubbing is some kind of protest at having to do it at all. After all, it wouldn’t be difficult to get an approximate voice, would it? ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2002, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-dubbing-ie-butchering-of-a-movie-for-tv-to-cut-out-foul-language-or-adult-stuff/116683/25 "2002-06-30T21:46:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ResIpsaLoquitor \* > **Ever see the TV-edit of Mallrats? On the plus side, they added some CUT scene…but on the heavy, heavy downside, half of the language was edited out. The worst part was that Jay was dubbed by some California-type surfer dude which sounded nothing like him.** The funniest thing is the fact that they had to edit out the drug references. This led to lines like “All it took was a phat chronic blunt!” becoming “All it took was a phat karate punch!” ---
**Author:** ![Dragonblink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Dragonblink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragonblink)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2002, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-dubbing-ie-butchering-of-a-movie-for-tv-to-cut-out-foul-language-or-adult-stuff/116683/26 "2002-06-30T22:44:57Z")
I forget what movie it was, but I recall someone being referred to as “one bad motorscooter”. I’m half tempted to use that one in real life. The worst butchery I’ve seen, though, was a showing of _Robin Hood: Men In Tights_ on TNT or TBS or one of those. It was awful. Even in the title song, where the merry men are singing the line “We may look like sissies …” “sissies” was edited out. No overdub, just blank silence. Sissies? That’s so offensive it has to be hacked from the movie? Yeesh. It’s kinda like when they showed “Blazing Saddles” with the N-word edited out all the way through. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2002, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-dubbing-ie-butchering-of-a-movie-for-tv-to-cut-out-foul-language-or-adult-stuff/116683/27 "2002-06-30T22:57:53Z")
I think that the most ridiculous one was JFK. I can’t remember what it was, but when David Ferry was calling Clay Shaw a CS Faggot it was something totally ludicrous, like Claim Jumping Joker or something even more stupid. It would be worth rewatching the whole thing over again just to hear that. ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Scene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Bob\_Scene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Scene)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2002, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-dubbing-ie-butchering-of-a-movie-for-tv-to-cut-out-foul-language-or-adult-stuff/116683/28 "2002-06-30T23:52:23Z")
“Heineken? Freak that crap! Pabst Blue Ribbon!” ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-dubbing-ie-butchering-of-a-movie-for-tv-to-cut-out-foul-language-or-adult-stuff/116683/29 "2002-07-01T01:07:43Z")
I think it’s got to be **The Big Lebowski**. It takes guts to change “Do you see what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass” to “Do you see what happens when you meet a stranger in the grass” For any true Lebowski-phile, the TV version is a vision to behold. ---
**Author:** ![Alphagene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Alphagene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alphagene)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-dubbing-ie-butchering-of-a-movie-for-tv-to-cut-out-foul-language-or-adult-stuff/116683/30 "2002-07-01T01:20:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NutWrench \* > \*\*I remember seeing _ScarFace_ on network TV and I wondered why they even went through the trouble . . . . \*\* For a while, Bravo kept showing an edited _Glengarry Glen Ross_. That’s 138 fuck-related words and 50 shit-related words that needed to be substituted. Utterly pointless. A lot of “kiss my act” and “forget you, John.” Thankfully, I saw an unedited _GGGR_ on IFC the other day. Hopefully, it will contiue to be shown on fuck-friendly networks. ---
**Author:** ![Tenebras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@Tenebras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenebras)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-dubbing-ie-butchering-of-a-movie-for-tv-to-cut-out-foul-language-or-adult-stuff/116683/31 "2002-07-01T01:40:49Z")
Looked like a made for VH1 movie today while I was doing laundry. At one point this guy is says “f_bleep_k f_bleep_k F _bleep_ C K!” Those damned vowels. Also, the edited version of the Bobby Knight story was pretty funny. Tenebras ---
**Author:** ![Lucki\_Chaarms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lucki\_Chaarms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucki_Chaarms)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-dubbing-ie-butchering-of-a-movie-for-tv-to-cut-out-foul-language-or-adult-stuff/116683/32 "2002-07-01T02:16:02Z")
The airplane versions of movies tend to be even worse offenders than the American network versions. I’m struggling to remember specifics here, and failing rather miserably except to say that I know the airplane versions of “_I Am Sam_” and "_The Story of Us_ were significantly marred by the dreaded dubbing. LC ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-dubbing-ie-butchering-of-a-movie-for-tv-to-cut-out-foul-language-or-adult-stuff/116683/33 "2002-07-01T02:22:10Z")
In the TNT broadcast of _Fargo_, we got to hear, “I got shot in the floozin’ face!” ---
**Author:** ![MIKE\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@MIKE\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MIKE_P)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-dubbing-ie-butchering-of-a-movie-for-tv-to-cut-out-foul-language-or-adult-stuff/116683/34 "2002-07-01T03:34:12Z")
“Yippie cay ay,Mr. Falcon” Classic :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-dubbing-ie-butchering-of-a-movie-for-tv-to-cut-out-foul-language-or-adult-stuff/116683/35 "2002-07-01T03:46:18Z")
One of the worst language edits I recently heard was when CBS showed “L. A. Confidential.” They couldn’t get Russell Crowe to redub so periodically Bud White (Crowe’s character) would start speaking in a completely different voice. Needless to say, the effect was rather jarring but it did add an unexpected bit of surrealism to the movie. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-dubbing-ie-butchering-of-a-movie-for-tv-to-cut-out-foul-language-or-adult-stuff/116683/36 "2002-07-01T03:58:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dragonblink \* > \*\*I forget what movie it was, but I recall someone being referred to as “one bad motorscooter”. I’m half tempted to use that one in real life. > > The worst butchery I’ve seen, though, was a showing of _Robin Hood: Men In Tights_ on TNT or TBS or one of those. It was awful. Even in the title song, where the merry men are singing the line “We may look like sissies …” “sissies” was edited out. No overdub, just blank silence. > > Sissies? That’s so offensive it has to be hacked from the movie? Yeesh. It’s kinda like when they showed “Blazing Saddles” with the N-word edited out all the way through. \*\* * * * ``` **Blazing Saddles** was also severely damaged in its TV version by the removal of all the gaseous sounds around the campfire during the notorious bean-eating scene. For shame! ``` ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-dubbing-ie-butchering-of-a-movie-for-tv-to-cut-out-foul-language-or-adult-stuff/116683/37 "2002-07-01T04:21:54Z")
_Slapshot_ - The scene where Newman taunts the opposing goalie (Hanrahan) about his wife being a lesbian cracks me up with all the bad dubbing and cutting when it’s on basic cable. _Die Hard With A Vengence_ - I read an article in _Entertainment Weekly_ when the film came out that said when they originally filmed the sandwich board scene, it was blank, with the “I hate niggers” and “I hate everybody” messages added digitally in post-production. The article said it was done to prevent people from getting upset since they were filming on location around real crowds. Probably also to prevent _paparazti_ (sp) from selling photos of Willis wearing the sandwich board with such an offensive message before the film came out as well. _The Longest Yard_ - It always seemed a pretty foul-mouthed movie to begin with, but when I finally saw it on pay cable…wow. The scene in the cafeteria is completely different on regular TV; a lot shorter and less funny. But the ultimate, IMO, is _Midnight Run_. The dubbing is so extreme and badly done, it might as well be a different movie. Totally ruined by the changes. BTW, I always liked “melon farmer”. ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-dubbing-ie-butchering-of-a-movie-for-tv-to-cut-out-foul-language-or-adult-stuff/116683/38 "2002-07-01T04:42:19Z")
_Blazing Saddles_ without the fart noises during the bean-eating scene is goofy. Horse whinnies? Silent But Deadlies all around? Sheesh. Taking out all of the uses of “nigger” in that movie is even worse. I realize the word is very polarizing, but it is used to skewer the racists and bigots in the movie. They are the principle users of the word in the film; editing it blunts the satire of the film. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-dubbing-ie-butchering-of-a-movie-for-tv-to-cut-out-foul-language-or-adult-stuff/116683/39 "2002-07-01T04:58:10Z")
Jack Nicholson in _The Last Detail_. I had missed this when it was in the theaters, so when it finally made it to TV (this was in the days before cable and VCRs) I was looking forward to watching it. Almost all of Nicholson’s dialog was unintelligible, since after they silenced the obscenities not much was left. > [@](#): > > Tagline: No _#@!!_ Navy’s going to give some poor _!!@ kid eight years in the #@!_ brig without me taking him out for the time of his _#@!!_ life. ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-dubbing-ie-butchering-of-a-movie-for-tv-to-cut-out-foul-language-or-adult-stuff/116683/40 "2002-07-01T05:05:45Z")
**LurkMeister** , have you seen _Cinderella Liberty_ with James Caan? Another Navy movie from the early 70s, they’re both based on novels by the same author. The version they show on AMC isn’t as bad as the dubbing in _The Last Detail_, but a few scenes come close. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-dubbing-ie-butchering-of-a-movie-for-tv-to-cut-out-foul-language-or-adult-stuff/116683.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-dubbing-ie-butchering-of-a-movie-for-tv-to-cut-out-foul-language-or-adult-stuff/116683.md?page=3)