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On Her Majesty's Secret Service 1976 ABC Version

AgentJamesBond007AgentJamesBond007 Vesper’s grave
edited March 2012 in Bond Movies Posts: 2,634
The most rare version of any Bond film in my opinion.



In its first part.

Comments

  • jolearonjolearon
    Posts: 645
    This is awesome, thanks for posting!
    I wouldn't mind owning this...
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    Well done for digging this out but what a travesty it is. Who came up with such a shite concept and why?
    I understood it was because it was too long to fit the standard 2 hour slot so they chopped it up and replayed bits to make it fit two 2 hour slots on consecutive nights. Has this ever been done to any other film in history?

    I'd also be interested to know what the copyright position is here. I would say re-editing and adding an additional soundtrack to a film rather than just cutting sex and violence scenes has to be a breach somewhere along the line. EON should be suing ABC. Presumably they signed something at the time though.

    And just for the absolute completists does anyone know who the guy voicing Bond is? Just to add to Bob Holness, Barry Nelson and Toby Stephens as people who have 'played' Jaes Bond at some point.
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    Nice job finding this AJB007! I had read about this somewhere online, and I didn't know it was on Youtube, otherwise I would have looked it up sooner! Haha. This is very odd, certainly a different way of showing a Bond movie. I understand that the time slot thing doesn't work well with movies over two hours, like OHMSS, but why "fix" the problem like this? In fact, all this does is add confusion to those who have never seen it before.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,256
    I was fairly curious once to view this version, however I'm also repulsed by it as if it were toxic waste. They messed this film up entirely and though I know why they went this way, it didn't really help the case of OHMSS, a Bond film rather unique in the series in the sense that it was once generally disliked and then, about ten years later, favoured among Bond fans as arguably one of the very best Bond films ever made.
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    Posts: 3,262
    Here's a good article about it:

    http://shatterhand007.com/OHMSSNarration/OHMSS76NarratedVersion.html

    Sounds like ABC was trying to give OHMSS a kind of "miniseries" feel.
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    You can read about it in Charles Helfenstein's making of OHMSS. A book every Bond fan should own.
  • AlexanderWaverlyAlexanderWaverly
    Posts: 2,115
    I watched it. It was a bit of a shock. Also, the ABC ad in TV Guide had the headline: "Telly Savalas in the Biggest Bond Movie of All!" (or something very close to that. Savalas's Kojak series was airing on CBS and he was pretty much at his peak of popularity at the time.
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    @PrinceKamalKhan: Thanks for that link! I read his article about the '76 ABC OHMSS, and then found myself reading his other articles! There was a really interesting one about this fan film of the Moonraker novel he made in 1978 with his friends; it was really cool, I encourage others to read it as well! Also, he has a complete list of all the ABC Bond showings and their crazy edits and cuts.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,385
    Seems like they wanted to put the big action at the beginning, and to get viewers to watch despite Lazenby in the role.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,356
    http://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/articles/ohmss_abc_tv.php3

    MI6 gives this mess a good look though.

    Thanks for the YouTube link. I hope soon someone at ABC tells us what this happened the way it did.
  • bondbat007bondbat007
    Posts: 1,407
    What a disgrace to a fantastic film...but the historical significance of this can't be underestimated
  • VirageVirage
    edited March 2012 Posts: 1,856
    DarthDimi wrote:
    I was fairly curious once to view this version, however I'm also repulsed by it as if it were toxic waste. They messed this film up entirely and though I know why they went this way, it didn't really help the case of OHMSS, a Bond film rather unique in the series in the sense that it was once generally disliked and then, about ten years later, favoured among Bond fans as arguably one of the very best Bond films ever made.

    You took the words right out of my mouth.

    I Love how it says edited by John Glen not Ruined by some fool at ABC!!
    Samuel001 wrote:
    Thanks for the YouTube link. I hope soon someone at ABC tells us what this happened the way it did.

    To promote ABCs coverage of the Winter Olympics!!!!!!!
  • AlexanderWaverlyAlexanderWaverly
    Posts: 2,115
    In a sense, ABC did what YouTube users now do routinely -- re-edit existing trailers and sequences of films and TV shows to put a new spin on it. In terms of Bond examples, there are trailers re-done with 21st Century editing techniques or parts of Never Say Never Again and GoldenEye with John Barry music in place of their original scores, or adding a gunbarrel to the start of Never Say Never Again.

    Of course, the OHMSS showing on ABC was done on a much grander scale and ABC gave no warning it was doing such a revamp. It was billed as the movie you saw in the theater (with the normal TV trims for language, etc.).
  • KanangaKananga
    Posts: 368
    Samuel001 wrote:
    http://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/articles/ohmss_abc_tv.php3

    MI6 gives this mess a good look though.

    Thanks for the YouTube link. I hope soon someone at ABC tells us what this happened the way it did.

    I don't think ABC know what the hell went on back then, It's like it was edited by a child!

    I find it very painful to watch. Such a great movie ruined for TV viewers at the time.

  • Doctor_ShatterhandDoctor_Shatterhand
    edited March 2012 Posts: 14
    00Beast wrote:
    @PrinceKamalKhan: Thanks for that link! I read his article about the '76 ABC OHMSS, and then found myself reading his other articles! There was a really interesting one about this fan film of the Moonraker novel he made in 1978 with his friends; it was really cool, I encourage others to read it as well! Also, he has a complete list of all the ABC Bond showings and their crazy edits and cuts.

    Thanks for visiting "Dr. Shatterhand's Botanical Garden". My website has been up for nearly 14 years with articles on many things Bond. I was 16 when OHMSS came on American TV for the first time in 1976 and I was 9 when it first was shown at the theaters. Yes, I'm an old fan. I recently uploaded the 're-edited' version to YouTube, so please take full advantage of it before they decide that it should be taken down. It is there only for historical purposes and no money is being made from that account.

    As for the Moonraker fan film, there is a link to watch that film too at the end of the article. It runs approximately 37 minutes.

    www.shatterhand007.com


  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    Posts: 3,262
    Doctor_Shatterhand wrote:
    00Beast wrote:
    @PrinceKamalKhan: Thanks for that link! I read his article about the '76 ABC OHMSS, and then found myself reading his other articles! There was a really interesting one about this fan film of the Moonraker novel he made in 1978 with his friends; it was really cool, I encourage others to read it as well! Also, he has a complete list of all the ABC Bond showings and their crazy edits and cuts.

    Thanks for visiting "Dr. Shatterhand's Botanical Garden". My website has been up for nearly 14 years with articles on many things Bond. I was 16 when OHMSS came on American TV for the first time in 1976 and I was 9 when it first was shown at the theaters. Yes, I'm an old fan. I recently uploaded the 're-edited' version to YouTube, so please take full advantage of it before they decide that it should be taken down. It is there only for historical purposes and no money is being made from that account.

    As for the Moonraker fan film, there is a link to watch that film too at the end of the article. It runs approximately 37 minutes.

    www.shatterhand007.com


    I really enjoyed this article about the first time you saw YOLT:

    http://www.shatterhand007.com/YOLT35/YOLT35.html
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    Doctor_Shatterhand wrote:
    00Beast wrote:
    @PrinceKamalKhan: Thanks for that link! I read his article about the '76 ABC OHMSS, and then found myself reading his other articles! There was a really interesting one about this fan film of the Moonraker novel he made in 1978 with his friends; it was really cool, I encourage others to read it as well! Also, he has a complete list of all the ABC Bond showings and their crazy edits and cuts.

    Thanks for visiting "Dr. Shatterhand's Botanical Garden". My website has been up for nearly 14 years with articles on many things Bond. I was 16 when OHMSS came on American TV for the first time in 1976 and I was 9 when it first was shown at the theaters. Yes, I'm an old fan. I recently uploaded the 're-edited' version to YouTube, so please take full advantage of it before they decide that it should be taken down. It is there only for historical purposes and no money is being made from that account.

    As for the Moonraker fan film, there is a link to watch that film too at the end of the article. It runs approximately 37 minutes.

    www.shatterhand007.com


    Thanks for the information! Your site is great, I was really intrigued by the depth of your 007 knowledge, that was really impressing! I especially enjoyed that article on ABC and their censorship, it was outstanding. Keep up the good work!
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    Posts: 3,262
    AgentJamesBond007 wrote:
    The most rare version of any Bond film in my opinion.



    In its first part.

    Interesting that in the ABC promo they more or less say: "007 is back with Diana Rigg and Telly Savalas!" and no mention of Laz. Good to see the original 1969 UA studio credit with the blue Transamerica corporation trademark.

    Here's a trailer for the 1976 ABC cut:



  • Dr_YesDr_Yes
    Posts: 169
    I actually remember seeing this when I was 12 years old. Fortunately, I had been privileged enough to see all the original Connery films plus OHMSS at a local cinema (shown as 3 double features). So when I saw ABC's re-edit a few years later, I was shocked, wondering why they'd gotten the film reels out of order...
  • delfloriadelfloria
    Posts: 1,870
    I saw this when it first aired on ABC and had gotten together a group of friends to see OHMSS for the first time. I was shocked at the travesty they had made of it and my friends thought I was insane for recommending the film.
  • delfloriadelfloria
    Posts: 1,870
    Boy, the fact that the videos were removed so quickly certainly gives merit to the idea that somebody involved with the Bond franchise watches these boards.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    delfloria wrote:
    Boy, the fact that the videos were removed so quickly certainly gives merit to the idea that somebody involved with the Bond franchise watches these boards.
    delfloria wrote:
    Boy, the fact that the videos were removed so quickly certainly gives merit to the idea that somebody involved with the Bond franchise watches these boards.

    Indeed. Or that MI6 lives in fear of EONs lawyers.

    Anyone remember a certain Nikki Van Der Zyl thread?
  • Sir_James_MoloneySir_James_Moloney
    edited June 2013 Posts: 388
    delfloria wrote:
    Boy, the fact that the videos were removed so quickly certainly gives merit to the idea that somebody involved with the Bond franchise watches these boards.
    Not really. Youtube has an inbuilt algorithm which scans each uploaded clip to detect copyright violation*. Someone from MGM (or any other studio or TV network) can access a copyright-holder's portal and instantly see what videos are infringing their copyright. They can then choose to "claim and monetize" the video (i.e. keep the clip on Youtube and have all advertising revenue generated from that clip paid to them) or have the video removed.

    In a case like this, where a popular film subject to expensive international television deals has been uploaded in its entirety (albeit in a weird version), they would certainly opt to have it removed.

    *that's why, incidentally, you see a lot of older Youtube videos that have their image reversed or that have been re-scored - it was an old trick to bypass the algorithm.
  • OHMSS69OHMSS69
    Posts: 2,341
    It was this kind of disrepect for a fantastic, and highly polished film that has helped this supreb film to attain the cult status it has received over the past years.
    Underappreciated and after 25 plus years it is finally being seen as one of the all time great Bond films.
    Entertainment Weekly ranked it 6th best
    Mi6 magazine survery placed it 4th best
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