Banned - Hit the Road Jack on Buffalo Bill

At last -- the segment they couldn't show on DVD: a surrealistic segment from the Buffalo Bill show featuring Ray Charles' version of Hit the Road, Jack.

[@shellerboo]

I agree!! This is one of the funniest scenes of all time!! I was a kid when this came out and had it on tape; I watched it over and over (BTW, I didn't really understand the racial aspect back then--I think I was about 12). I have looked for it periodically over the years, with no luck, so was thrilled to finally find it! It's an iconic TV moment!! Thank you so much to pxw13 for posting it!!

[@75aces97]

I was also a kid when it got axed, and that was a disheartening time. Sitcoms I liked kept getting cancelled (police squad, Mork & Mindy, WKRP, this) while garbage like Alice, One day at a time, Jeffersons, Happy days and Threes company just wouldn’t die. I came to appreciate later on though that TV just wasn’t ready for roguish lead characters like Bill. 15 or 20 years later a show like this could have been a solid hit, but in pre 1987 prime time, no dice.

[@beverlydwhatley514]

Thank you so much for posting this. I am one of the performers, and I haven't seen this since it aired. I was not aware that the quasi-music video did not make the cut for the DVD. Thanks, again.

[@charleyit]

Beverly D Whatley I remember seeing this when it originally aired in the 80's and I was in stitches. I purchased the DVD specifically with this episode in mind. They said they couldn't include the musical portion because they were unable to obtain the rights from RCA. But this is one of my favorite television moments.

[@cherylcampbell9369]

Hi if you're seeing this! Which person is you?

[@bigcat3482]

I was a kid when this aired. It's what I remember this show for 😊

[@Avmuhammad64]

Hi, Beverly. I am the tall young lady in the lavender tights!🙋🏾‍♀️

[@MVHS85]

Rest In Peace Dabney! 😢 Thanks for the laughs

[@akampfer]

I remember NBC doing a lot of promos the week before this aired showing parts of this scene.

[@Darvec]

First saw this as a video clip on Night Tracks (a MTV copy show on Superstation TBS) in 1983. I had a Betamax recording of it. It introduced me to the song and Ray Charles!

[@markosborne1969]

Night Tracks!!! Lol...great stuff Remember "Monkey Movies"?

[@dayendsnight]

I remember this show when it was on tv. Couldn't understand why it was so short-lived, b/c it was hilarious. And this scene had my husband and me rolling on the floor. SO funny! I didn't even remember the background of it, just the song. Dabney Coleman was a gem. Underrated comedian.

[@nrnoble]

Yes, the show was well acted, written, and produced. Sadly, it did not was not what TV audiences were looking for in 1983-1984. There are many other TV shows and movies that fail, not because of they were bad, but because the timing was not in alignment with what audience wanted. If the show were be on today, it likely would be a big hit.

[@75aces97]

I thought it was the best sitcom in the air at the time but in hindsight American TV wasn’t ready for an unlikable lead character like Bill. The show was roughly 15 years too early.

[@bobby33x97]

The Late Brandon Tarticoff said before he died, the biggest mistake of his life was canceling BUFFALO BILL. In my opinion, the funniest show that never made it and should have been given more of a chance. Danny Coleman was hilarious - this may have been the most 'politically incorrect' show ever aired on TV. TV execs are among the most gutless people on earth!

[@venosf]

HERE IT IS!!! Man, I never though I'd be able to see this again! THANK YOU!!!!! I haven't seen this since the ORIGINAL airing and have been look for it ever since. Thanks again. Now, people will see I'm not crazy, lol

[@Hateinterior]

How can so few people have seen this? We need to get the word out. I've been looking for this for more years than I care to say. Thanks so much.

[@AvuncularFeldspar]

Thanks so much! I watched this when it was first broadcast and we were told it was almost banned because it was too weird. This episode was the stuff of legend in my family! Fortunately, my Dad had the foresight to record it on VHS.

[@EYE_GOTCHA]

I watched this when it first aired and never forgot it - it is still so funny to me. Thanks for posting it. :)

[@averythecoolcat]

Should have included the end scene when he had Esther Phillips on the show....haha

[@Attmay]

They need to change the laws regarding music licensing in this country. The music industry is out of control.

[@jafafa]

It wasn't "banned" because of being controversial or anything. It was an intellectual property thing. The DVD distributor just couldn't secure the rights to (or was unwilling to pay the royalties for) the use of the song "Hit The Road Jack."

[@VinnieRattolle]

According to a written intro on the DVD by director Tom Patchett, they didn't bother crowdfunding because "the music publisher WOULD NOT LET US USE IT AT ANY PRICE." So clearly it *was* banned by a music company, which perceived the scene as being controversial. Lunacy.

[@thema1998]

@@VinnieRattolle How the hell was this scene "controversial"? I don't see anything wrong with it.

[@nrnoble]

@jafafa hots The scene was not banned, it was a music rights issue that prevented it from being released on DVD. Its on YT because the being owner of the music rights to the song gets paid every time this video is watched. :)

[@bryceland23]

What a great surprise...I too have been looking for this for years! Laugh-out-loud funny; thanks for posting it.

[@Chalwa]

I was beginning to think I imagined it!

[@tgallemore]

I loved this scene, but what's odd is that I remember it taking place in his dressing room, and his walking all over his couch.

[@quiettman11]

A BIG THANKS ON POST!!

[@tootallbrown]

What a shame this series was cancelled. We know this segment was literally "banned" because of Black Live Matters concerns.

[@averythecoolcat]

Oh, hell yeah. Been trying to find this for years! Too, too funny!! Thanks so much for posting!!

[@dougertsch]

I was just thinking of this segment and low and behold here it is. Thanks

[@TheMikester307]

OMG! This is hilarious! I'm watching the DVD of the episode right now! Damn shame it can't be included in the episode!

[@AfiScruggsplaysbass]

I loved this episode!!

[@Youngstown529]

Had NBC not been so stupid, this show could have run a decade.

[@darkian007]

Is this the earliest example of cancel culture portrayed (in a dream) on television?

[@arthurwatt4144]

I used to watch this when I was around 21. Followed by st. Elsewhere. I think I was the only one watching.

[@AlbieGray]

ROTFLMFAO! CLASSIC comedy! Absolutely hilarious! Couldn't stop laughing! It was way beyond funny! SIDESPLITTING!

[@MrRezRising]

I haven't seen this since it first aired when I was fourteen, but I remember laughing so hard at it with my friends. This show was a little weird, and the writers took chances. Refreshing for the times. I remember being upset when they canceled it. Dabney Coleman was the best asshole (suck it Will Zabka!) in film and tv in the 80s. He just didn't care what you thought of him, and this show was a slice of that pie. That being said, yeah, seeing spears chucked and being one step away from blackface can be a little raw and challenging, but hey, comedy is rough. Wear a cup. Thanks for posting!

[@MrRezRising]

RIP Dabney. You made me laugh in the worst of times. My kid loves _9 to 5_ and esp _Wargames_ You'll be remembered well.

[@lonewolfattack8071]

The segment they couldn't show on DVD. Yeah, there were a lot of those. To anyone who might have recorded the whole series off NBC (or even the butchered cuts that ran on A&E around '87) can you refresh my memory what song Dabney Coleman and John Fiedler sang in "Church of the Poisoned Mind" (the one with the Catholic priest guest)? It's completely chopped out of the DVD box set. So is Geena Davis dueting "It Had to Be You" with a cat in "The Search High and Low for Miss WBFL," one of the funniest scenes of the entire series. And Jim Carrey singing "Smile" in "Jerry Lewis Week." Obviously, the Ray Charles estate prevented those songs from appearing on DVD too.

[@nivram1952]

This was a scream when I first saw it. Kudos to Coleman, the writers and director.

[@rodmonster61]

THERE IT IS!!!!

[@thema1998]

It's weird watching a sitcom without the laugh track being abused.

[@susantyrellfans]

They do not ban things anymore. If it wasn't used it was most likely due to licensing of the song.

[@charleyit]

susantyrellfans That is the reason they gave. It was not banned. They couldn't secure the rights to the song from RCA

[@14DaveHunter]

Wasn't until watching this now, I understand why Bill was made to wear sunglasses. He was lip syncing Ray Charles.

[@thema1998]

This wasn't "banned". They just couldn't use it due to licensing issues.

[@theresagallemore334]

Why do I remember this scene as taking place in his living room?? And it was just girl singers like Aretha Franklin and a group?!!!!

[@themattk]

me too!

[@chelcie3]

Art imitating life

[@thunderpeel2001]

The only reason this wasn't on the DVD was music licensing costs.

[@dcavalli9]

Right, same with the classic music parodies on "In Living Color," (1990-1994), which were subject of the best things on the show, not on the DVDs.

[@musicisanalog]

didn't know this was on ..dvd..is it stall available, from who'

[@akampfer]

Amazon has both seasons for $9.99.

[@garyrhone1395]

Saw it live and saw it copied by many other shows the next 20 years.

[@doughelms558]

One of the funniest shows of the last century. A little too edgy for the general public though. It's a shame Americans aren't a little more savvy.

[@johncaash7868]

NOT banned....

[@FatalChaz33]

Preachy and not funny. That was a lot of award winning sitcoms in the 80s.

[@BigSCTVfan]

Well that scene was hyped up a lot more than it actually was. No big deal that it was cut from the DVD. Like the producer on the DVD Disclaimer said, the show still works without it being in there, and I agree.

[@averythecoolcat]

Yes, but it was the scene that is most remembered by those who watched the show. I'll bet it was one of the main reason people even bought the DVD set, before they were dissappointed.

[@monday5264897]

I thought his name was Bill, not Jack. This doesn't make sense.

[@arthurwatt4144]

I cant believe they got away with this? Tragic

[@triplec73]

I dont know about controversial, but definitely not funny.