TMS Copyright Notices

[David French]

I managed to catch a couple of episodes of TMS over the weekend on the Disney Channel (we get it in NZ, but you have to have the NZ equivalent of cable to receive it) - Raquel Welch and James Coco - and I noticed that both episodes had the Jim Henson Company Copyright Notice at the end (the Sax & Violence version). This in turn made me think - what have the different copyright notices looked like over the years.

So, going from memory and onscreen evidence, this is what I came up with.

1976 - c.1986- The original copyright notices were for ATV/ITC, depending on which country you lived in. The UK versions have a rectangular copyright notice indicating that this is an ATV production (I have an off-air clip of this) but I also have a funny feeling that they might also have had an ITC Copyright Notice on them that looked a bit like this:

<I>
<T>
<C> An ATV Production [In smaller letters]

Now I have this copyright notice at the end of my off-air version of the Spike Milligan episode; this has the US-style credits but also has the UK Spot "Dog Walk". I have a funny feeling that this copyright notice might also have appeared at the end of episodes that have the UK-style credits, but I could be wrong. Each episode usually ended with Zoot playing the final note, but there are exceptions which I will go into detail later. Suffice to say that in the first two seasons Zoot plays the final note but doesn't wear his hat, whereas in the latter seasons he does wear his hat.

I'm breaking off here because I have to go back to my day job, but I will hopefully finish this off later. In the meantime - comments, questions, corrections?

 

[anathema]

There are two different edits of each show: the domestic (first-run airings in the UK) and the foreign (originally just non-UK broadcasts). The differences between the two are:

Domestic: one commercial break, in the middle; end-credits include the guest-star and run up the left side of the screen; usually include a few seconds' extra material just after the opening titles and between the closing act and the 'goodnights'.

Foreign: three commercial breaks - after the opening titles, in the middle and before the 'goodnights'; end-credits omit the guest-star (exception: the Star Wars cast) and run up the centre of the screen. These shows were subsequently edited down to fit local broadcast requirements (for example, the US copies lost the 'UK skit'; most of the German copies had German-language credit-rolls and opening titles added).


On the original tapes, all domestic edits have a large ATV logo and copyright superimposed over the final shot of the show; the foreign edit ending is slightly different:
- shows 1-7 have a large ATV logo and copyright supered over the final long shot of the orchestra; shows 8-24 have the logo but omit the copyright
- shows 1-24 have a large centred ITC logo and copyright over the final shot
- all other shows have a smaller ITC logo and copyright, accompanied by a very small ATV logo (the last few shows to be completed have a small ACC logo instead as the company name had changed by then)
- the Bob Hope and Leo Sayer shows have this over the orchestra shot as well

The final shot was always of Zoot in the orchestra pit, with the exceptions of:
- Kaye Ballard: Nigel and Rowlf in the orchestra pit
- Loretta Lynn: Zoot is on the railway station platform
- Harry Belafonte: ???
- Roger Miller: ???
- Dudley Moore: ???
- Mac Davis: ???

The same shot was used for the first two seasons; a different shot was used for the other three. There was also at least one bizarre exception: the domestic edit of the Spike Milligan show has an ITC copyright line under the ATV logo for some unknown reason...


In the early 80s, Henson bought the shows from ATV and at some point between 1983 and 1986 the closing shots were replaced to remove the ATV/ITC graphics. This was done by using a new shot of Zoot (origin unknown) blowing the then-current Henson Associates logo out of his sax (this shot - sans graphics - can be seen on the Disney Season One discs).

The early 90s saw the change to the 'Sax & Violence' shot. At some point, either here or in the 80s, some of the orchestra shots were replaced too in order to remove the ATV/ITC graphics described above. In a few cases, this was mucked up: the Leo Sayer, Roger Miller and Mac Davis shows all wound up with the Season 1/2 orchestra shot.

Finally, the shot was removed completely in favour of a black screen with the logo du jour. This had happened by 1998 and remained the norm until Disney acquired the shows.

What's in general circulation today is mostly the foreign edits, modified as noted above. A few shows are more commonly found in their domestic versions: Ruth Buzzi, Rita Moreno, Florence Henderson, Candice Bergen, Avery Schreiber, Phyllis Diller, Vincent Price, Valerie Harper, Ethel Merman, Harry Belafonte and Chris Langham. Disney used the domestic edit of the Connie Stevens show on the DVD set, but the foreign edit is more common in broadcasts.

Some shows have had further edits:
- most obvious are the Season 1 shows, which have had their opening titles replaced with those from Season 2 shows (usually from the Milton Berle show, although the Bob Hope and Cleo Laine shows have also contributed titles)

- the fade out/in for the third commercial break is missing from current copies of the Steve Martin and Alice Cooper shows

- the Liberace show has had the first half of its opening titles replaced with those from a Season 5 show

 

[David French]

You stole my thunder a bit, Alex.

However, I have some corrections and additions.

With regards to the final shots (I mentioned this in an earlier thread a while back)

Kaye Ballard - There is also an alternate ending with the band backstage and Kermit sitting on top of the upstairs bannister waving. Despite what it says in the episode guide on this web site, this was obviously shot especially for the episode. The shot is not a photo as the Band are moving/reacting and Kermit has not been superimposed.

Julie Andrews - The final note is replaced by a Cow's moo.

Harry Belafonte - The cast sing "Turn the World Around" as the credits roll. The final shot is of one of the masked African characters playing the sax onstage and playing the final note.

Roger Miller - In keeping with the plot of this episode, a new version of the end theme was shot with the band as Chickens; Zoot-Chicken plays the final note.

Dudley Moore - Dudley's damaged Music Machine plays the end theme in a variety of different styles. At the end, Animal starts hitting it and after it plays the final note, Animal falls down.

Mac Davis - In keeping with the gag at the end of Mac's closing number the band is replaced by the Beaker clones, and they play the end theme; even Statler and Waldorf have been replaced.

Also of interest - some of the Season Four episodes are copyright 1978, while the Roy Rogers & Dale Evans episode and the Roger Miller episodes (from Season Three) are copyright 1979.

c.1986 - c.1989 - As Alex points out, the original copyright notices were replaced by some new ones, but he got the company wrong. Between these years, the show is now copyright to Henson International Television (hit!). I'm guessing 1986 as from memory that's about when I first saw those copyright notices.

c.1989 - c.1995 - The copyright notices appear to revert back to the ATV/ITC copyright notices as during these years, it is the original copyright notices that are used on tapes shown in New Zealand.

c.1995 - 2005 - I first saw the Sax and Violence copyright notices back in 1995. These are all copyright Jim Henson Company.

2005 - onwards - Currently, the episodes are copyright to the Muppets Holding Company as per the episodes released on DVD by Disney.

Syndication - This is where it really gets confusing - when CanWest showed the series from 1992 onwards they usually played the US versions BUT most of the Season One episodes were the original UK versions, while some episodes from Seasons Two and Three were also UK versions (from memory this included Rudolf Nureyev and Lesley Ann Warren).

Whew! Any questions/comments/corrections?

 

[minor muppetz]

c.1995 - 2005 - I first saw the Sax and Violence copyright notices back in 1995. These are all copyright Jim Henson Company.

Actually, this ending was used before 1995. This ending was always used on Nickelodeon, which began airing reruns in 1994. This shot was also used in Time-Lifes release of the Harry Belafonte episode. This shot was also included in the "It's the Muppets" compilation videos from 1993.

The compilation video "The Muppet Revue" ended with one of Statler and Waldorf's comments, followed by a shot of the orchestra and then a shot of Zoot blowing his sax. This shot comes from the fifth season opening.

I don't think this edit has been mentioned by anybody on this board, but the first season DVD does not include a fade in/ fade out for where the commercial break would be. Instead, after Ruth Buzzi's opening number it cuts directly to the UK spot (and the first few secodns are edited; On the DVD, and also the Nickelodeon broadcast, it starst with Rowlf nodding his head to the audience before he plays the piano, whereas when the clip was included in "It's the Muppets: More Muppets, Please!", he was seen walking to his piano).

 

[Dil]

Hmm, on the other hand, if only Richenda Carey was still with the Muppets after the Zero Mostel Episode, since she only did the voiceover, I think she may have only perform voices & no puppeteering at all. The truth is: I believe Carey did the voiceover the same way the others did for an animated movie.

 

[minor muppetz]

I often wonder why a new shot of Zoot was used for the closing logos after the distribution rights to the show were sold. I mean, couldn't Henson have just replaced the ending shot with the Henson Associates logo used in various 1980s productions instead (then again, I do not know if the animated logos existed yet when Henson bought the rights to this show)? The Jim Henson Television logo later replaced the Zoot ednings.

Of course, Henson could have used shots of Zoot from the openings for consistency purposes; For seasons one and two, the opening shot of Zoot could have been used, and for the other seasosn, the openings shots of Zoot from the second, third/ fourth, or fifth seasons could have been used. That way it wouldn't seem like Zoot's hat suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

 

[anathema]

I often wonder why a new shot of Zoot was used for the closing logos after the distribution rights to the show were sold. I mean, couldn't Henson have just replaced the ending shot with the Henson Associates logo used in various 1980s productions instead (then again, I do not know if the animated logos existed yet when Henson bought the rights to this show)? The Jim Henson Television logo later replaced the Zoot ednings.

Of course, Henson could have used shots of Zoot from the openings for consistency purposes; For seasons one and two, the opening shot of Zoot could have been used, and for the other seasosn, the openings shots of Zoot from the second, third/ fourth, or fifth seasons could have been used. That way it wouldn't seem like Zoot's hat suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Probably has a lot to do with them not having access to a 'clean' copy of the original shot.

 

[anathema]

You stole my thunder a bit, Alex.

However, I have some corrections and additions.

With regards to the final shots (I mentioned this in an earlier thread a while back)

Cheers, I figured you'd add these

Kaye Ballard - There is also an alternate ending with the band backstage and Kermit sitting on top of the upstairs bannister waving. Despite what it says in the episode guide on this web site, this was obviously shot especially for the episode. The shot is not a photo as the Band are moving/reacting and Kermit has not been superimposed.

Yeah, this one's something of a mystery! AFAIK it first showed up in the early 90s, although it's possible that it was used for the mid-80s changes as well.

Also of interest - some of the Season Four episodes are copyright 1978, while the Roy Rogers & Dale Evans episode and the Roger Miller episodes (from Season Three) are copyright 1979.

Probably just down to when the show was completed. Season Four includes '78, '79 and '80 copyright dates (and the original date on the Andy Williams show is not the same as the one it carries today...)

c.1986 - c.1989 - As Alex points out, the original copyright notices were replaced by some new ones, but he got the company wrong. Between these years, the show is now copyright to Henson International Television (hit!). I'm guessing 1986 as from memory that's about when I first saw those copyright notices.

I believe both "ha!" and "HIT!" were used, although my only evidence for the former is my (admittedly suspect) memory of seeing it on the BBC airings in the late 80s.

c.1989 - c.1995 - The copyright notices appear to revert back to the ATV/ITC copyright notices as during these years, it is the original copyright notices that are used on tapes shown in New Zealand.

Nah, that's just a case of your broadcaster having old tapes kicking about. A number of fairly recent German broadcasts have ATV/ITC branding (the majority just omit the closing shots entirely); the French DVD releases from a few years ago still have the S&V endings; and the Disney Channel were airing shows with the S&V endings up until fairly recently.

Syndication - This is where it really gets confusing - when CanWest showed the series from 1992 onwards they usually played the US versions BUT most of the Season One episodes were the original UK versions, while some episodes from Seasons Two and Three were also UK versions (from memory this included Rudolf Nureyev and Lesley Ann Warren).

Interesting! I don't suppose you made recordings? :-D

 

[minor muppetz]

Probably has a lot to do with them not having access to a 'clean' copy of the original shot.

I figured that. What I was wondering was why Henson didn't just use one of the animated logo sequences from the 1980s (though I'm not sure when those were created, and I don't know when Henson bought the rights to the show).

 

[anathema]

I figured that. What I was wondering was why Henson didn't just use one of the animated logo sequences from the 1980s (though I'm not sure when those were created, and I don't know when Henson bought the rights to the show).

Well, if the company's name has changed, then it's no longer "(C) Henson Associates", is it? Simply put, the closing shot has changed each time the name of the rights-holder needed to be updated.