44 replies to this topic

[hoagy]

You would not want to see the OHMSS that ABC presented over two nights the first time they broadcast the film.  It was outrageous that the producers, studio and anyone else allowed them to do it !  They started the film in the middle, added voiceover, and the first portion was presented as a flashback.  It was an outright abomination.  Very offensive, very disrespectful, not to mention just plain dumb.

[Hockey Mask]

Yep. Heard it was horrible.

[FlemingBond]

i don't think Cubby knew what they were going to do. He complained after it aired.

[AMC Hornet]

So did I.

[Simon]

Thankfully, TV seems now not to edit the crap out of movies.

 

I do remember a Christmas showing of Goldfinger that ITV (UK) had managed to slim down to just 1hr 30mins - Including adverts.  And this was in the day and age when one had to wait five years for the next showing with no Video or DVD things having been invented at that time.

 

To say I was aghast would be to do an injustice to that word's definition.

[AMC Hornet]

Was that the time they just lopped off the PTS and started with the titles?

 

Another time I saw OHMSS in a 2 1/2 hr time-slot. They didn't try to do anything fancy - they just let the film run during the adverts, so you'd miss three minutes of narrative here and there.

 

These networks' assumption seemed to be 'this movie is supposed to be sh*t anyway, so why even give anyone an opportunity to get to like it?'

[Major Tallon]

Ah, the dear old ABC edits.  Of course, OHMSS is the most notorious, but they began edits from their very first broadcast of a Bond film.  The first one they showed was "Goldfinger," sponsored by an auto manufacturer, and they cut the line "American motorists kill that many every two years."  Later, in a showing of FRWL, they were to delete the entire gypsy camp sequence, forcing them to trim the words "at the Gypsy camp" from Grant's comment that he had saved Bond's life.  That latter trim may have left viewers wondering when this life-saving had taken place, but ABC wasn't worried about it.

[AMC Hornet]

ABC = Always Butchers Cinema.

[FlemingBond]

i stopped on the Universal HD channel a couple months ago. they were playing YOLT, no commercials on that channel. yet they were made edits ! no commercials, doesn't matter what time you start the movie, but they cut it up anyway ! ugh

[AMC Hornet]

Probably got the copy 2nd hand from one of the networks.

[Turn]

Yeah, those ABC edits sucked, but we always looked on the bright side that we could watch a Bond film in the comfort of our own homes. It was a big event back then.

 

Somebody mentioned the GF showing that skipped the entire gun barrel and precredits and went straight to the credits. It kind of spoiled it for me. Another time-saving edit was the scene at the airport where they are loading the Aston Martin onto the plane.

 

Another case I recall they cut the gun barrel from TB and just went straight to the funeral. Another weird edit from TB was Bond's line, "Wait til you get to my teeth" following Domino's "What sharp little eyes you've got." Did I miss something there? Is that an innuendo I know nothing about?

[Hockey Mask]

Mmmmmmmm...teeeeeeth.

[Major Tallon]

I made audio recordings of the first ABC showings of the Bond films, and I know they included both gun barrel and PTS on their first showing of "Goldfinger."  I can't vouch for what they might have done with subsequent showings.  My recollection about the trimmed gypsy camp scene from FRWL was from a subsequent showing of that film.  My recollection is that they always trimmed "Wait 'til you get to my teeth" from "Thunderball," likely as too suggestive.  In the same way, they always trimmed Bond's line "You've no idea how it's piling up" from OHMSS and trimmed Bond's line to Q "and I know how to use them" from the Bond-Tracy wedding scene.  Among the other changes that ABC made to the films, they invariably dimmed the brightness of Binder's credits to reduce the visibility of the nudes.

[Turn]

Oh yeah, I used to make audio recordings too in those pre-VCR days. It's fun to think about that. I even took a boom box to a drive-in theater to tape OP when it came out. Does that make me an audio pirate?

 

The cuts to GF and FRWL in audio recordings I had were indeed from early '80s showings, probably when more commercial time necessitated more trimming.

 

Other line cuts I recall are Holly telling Bond to take her around the world one more time in MR, and obvious ones from DAF including Wint and Kidd holding hands, Kidd telling Wint he finds Miss Case attractive for a lady and Bond commenting to Tiffany he's on top of the situation in the fish waterbed. 

[dtuba]

The first time I ever saw OHMSS was the infamous ABC edit. I had no idea (until years later)  that it didn't actually start with a flashback! I also naturally assumed that it was Lazenby doing the voice over instead of some anonymous actor.