NOTE: This is a significantly higher-resolution version of the video that I cobbled together and posted on YouTube. This version also includes a stereo soundtrack and the much-discussed (and much-missed) intro and outro text that accompanied the original 1968 video.

The video can be downloaded by clicking the link at the bottom right of this page. (You will have to open an account with Vimeo in order to do so. Sorry, their rules, not mine. Don't sweat it, it's free.) Unfortunately, Vimeo converts the original source file to a Flash file and, in so doing, the sync is less than perfect. If you're interested in receiving the original source file, email me at bandit41@verizon.net.


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The story of the original Classical Gas Video and its re-creation:

The "Classical Gas Video," as it has come to be known, started out as a student film in 1963 entitled "God is Dog Spelled Backwards." The film was created by UCLA film student, Dan McLaughlin, who used Beethoven's 5th Symphony as the original soundtrack. McLaughlin's idea was to bring together the world's greatest art and the world's greatest music to create the world's greatest film. He came damn close.

After seeing the film in early 1968, Mason Williams, writer for the Smothers Brothers and composer of Classical Gas, approached McLaughlin about replacing the music with his (Williams') composition, a successful Top 40 record at the time. The revamped music video was shown on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, first during the summer of 1968 and several times more throughout the year. The video has since passed into legend (some call it one of the very first music videos), while Classical Gas, due in part to the impact of the video, became one of the largest selling instrumental recordings of all time.

As with many others who saw the video at the time, I was just a kid (10 years and 9 months, to be exact) and I was in awe. The video made an enormous impression on me, so much so that it's one of the seminal moments that drew me to video editing. When I’d gotten a bit older, I set out trying to find a copy of the original. I contacted CBS and the Museum of Broadcasting in NYC and libraries around the country in the hopes of one of them having it. Unfortunately, it was not to be found anywhere. (CBS obviously had/has it in their vaults, but they weren't going to dub a copy for a guy-off-the-street like myself.)

When the internet got up to speed, I was hopeful that the video would eventually show up online. Again, snake eyes. Finally I looked into the story of the video's creation and those involved and it became clear that with all the copyright issues, it seemed unlikely that all of the parties would ever come to an agreement necessary to release it. Realizing this, and finally out of patience after almost 40 years of waiting, I assigned myself the task of re-creating it. I found a copy of the original student film, re-edited it for timing to Classical Gas, and the Classical Gas Video was reborn. Give or take a few frames here and there, it is nearly identical to the actual video that aired on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1968.

Even though I re-created the video for my own selfish satisfaction, I soon realized that if I had such fond memories of it, others might as well. Before being yanked from YouTube for copyright infringement in September, the video had been viewed more than 500,000 times. Not bad for a video that in its original form aired only three times...40 years ago!

Enjoy!