|
|
Post by Greg H on Aug 29, 2008 16:19:41 GMT
I may have asked this before, but here goes.
Does anyone have a complete list, or as near to complete as is possible, of the countries that A for andromeda (the English version, 1960s) was sold to? Does anyone know what sort of bycycling occured? I have heard before it was sold quite far afield to places like Pakistan, but I have never managed to find any proof positive of this.
Anyone in the know here who can help me with my research?
Cheers,
G
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Andrews on Aug 31, 2008 15:02:46 GMT
Shortly after one of the early 'Missing, Belived Wiped' s at the NFT (around 1990) (when they showed the last 15 mins of Ep.7) I wrote to a number of foreign TV companies to ask if they knew anything.
From memory I wrote to:
ABC (Oz)
TVNZ
CBC
ABC (US)
CBS
and (I think) RTE
Not all replied, but those that did said that they hadn't shown it, or had no record of it - except
I had a reply from TVNZ saying that according to their records they had shown it in 1964 or 5, and had sent it on (about six months to a year later) 'to a TV station in Pakistan', but the record didn't include a name or address for that station. ('Pakistan' then incuded what is now Bangladesh, of course).
I wrote to the NF&TVA, and to the BBC about this 'snippet'; the NF&TVA said they would make enquiries, but weren't hopeful; the BBC did not even acknowledge my letter.
That is as much as I know.
|
|
|
|
Post by Greg H on Sept 4, 2008 9:01:15 GMT
Cheers for the info there. I havent personally come across much hard data about the movements of Andromeda. Its very interesting that you got that info from TVNZ. I have been trying to find out some info on the possible Pakistan sale for a while.
Its a pity the BBC didnt reply to you. You would think they would be greatful for info like that!
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Andrews on Sept 5, 2008 9:34:17 GMT
Fine biz.
But do remember that any enquiries should also include TV stations in Bangladesh as that was East Pakistan in the 1960s.
The TVNZ info just said 'Pakistan' so it could have bee 'East' or 'West'.
And East or West - I guess that it could have gone on to India after that ?
|
|
|
|
Post by Jon Preddle on Sept 5, 2008 23:17:48 GMT
The NZBC sent the seven films to Pakistan on 2 September 1965.
Andromeda Breakthrough is marked as being "Destroyed".
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Andrews on Sept 6, 2008 10:42:25 GMT
You've made me dig the letter out !
Apparently they wrote back to me in Feb '91.
"After some searching we found that indeed we had screeened the series A FOR ANDROMEDA (7 episodes) back in January/February 1965. But on the 2 September 1965 these episodes were sent off to Pakistan, unfortunately we have no name or address of the television station to which they were dispatched, nor do we hold any material here in New Zealand."
The signature looks like 'V.Winter' (for PROGRAMME PLANNING)
After I received that letter I wrote to all the TV stations listed for Pakistan, and for Bangladesh (in a book that listed foreign broadcasters as of some time in the 1980s); not too surprisingly (being an individual unknown to them) I didn't get a reply from any of them.
At the same time I wrote to the NFTVA and had a reply from Veronica Taylor saying she'd passed my letter on to Steve Bryant and that they would try to follow it up, but, " ... (he) does not hold out too many hopes, particularly as neither Pakistan nor Bangladesh are members of the International Federation of Television Archives."
|
|
|
|
Post by Jon Preddle on Sept 8, 2008 21:06:58 GMT
The signature looks like 'V.Winter' (for PROGRAMME PLANNING) Ah, yes, "V Winters". I think this was a 'pen-name' for letters sent by TVNZ. All the correspondence I have from TVNZ over the years - going back to 1983 - has been signed by this person. Jon |
|
|
|
Post by Paul Ryan on Sept 9, 2008 1:11:15 GMT
Did you get a response from the ABC?
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Andrews on Sept 9, 2008 9:42:56 GMT
If memory serves I did get a reply from ABC(Oz), but it was only that they had no record of it, or something like that.
|
|
|
|
Post by Frederick Thompson on Sept 14, 2008 18:50:13 GMT
What makes it so sad is that A for Andromeda only survived as just one whole part and teasing fragments whereas all of The Andromeda Breakthrough did. It's as if Marilyn Monroe's first film had been destroyed. Surely whoever kept The Andromeda Breakthrough must have realised the importance of Julie Christie's first really major role but knowing that A for Andromeda still existed in 1965 makes it sadder.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Andrews on Sept 15, 2008 10:30:31 GMT
I believe it was still in the BBC archives in the late '60s, but it was gone by the early/mid '70s (there was a prog about Hoyle around then (?), and they had to reshoot a brief scene (Fleming and Judy Adamson in a sailing boat) for it).
|
|
|
|
Post by Daniel O'Brien on Sept 15, 2008 16:42:11 GMT
Perhaps the question is not so much why 'A for Andromeda' was junked - standard BBC procedure, alas - as how did the sequel survive intact? Was a copy returned from overseas relatively late in the day?
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Andrews on Sept 16, 2008 10:12:31 GMT
What's even curiouser is that only one episode should have found it way into private hands - where are / what happened to the other six of the set ?
|
|
|
|
Post by Daniel O'Brien on Sept 16, 2008 13:15:14 GMT
What's even curiouser is that only one episode should have found it way into private hands - where are / what happened to the other six of the set ? It's likely that the other five-and-a-bit episodes were junked before anyone thought of 'liberating' them or had the opportunity. Think of all the 'Doctor Who' oddments that were held by private collectors, including the guy who had 'A for Andromeda: Face of the Tiger': 'Faceless Ones' 3, 'Evil of the Daleks' 2, 'Abominable Snowman' 2, 'Wheel in Space' 3 and more. |
|
|
|
Post by LanceM on Sept 17, 2008 8:38:08 GMT
I do agree with Dave Andrews on this issue, it is rather odd that Face of The Tiger would re-appear in private hands, does make you ponder what happened to the rest of the episodes ? Would guess most likely scenario here is someone on the right place and time nicked a film reel at work destined for the tip, or film buffs may of been tipped onto a BBC dump location ? Anything really could of happened there, will most likely never know for sure there am afraid. Private collections have yielded returns in the past, that is a granted, some of my favorite Troughton episodes that exist were returned from private collections, would never of seen them otherwise. However not all are willing to loan material, just the way it goes at times there. Would hope that more material may be located in private collections. Would hope that the rest of the episodes survived, and still exist out there. More than likely would probably be in private film collection as Face Of The Tiger was rumored to be for years, or disused TV stations in nations such as Dubai, or Pakistan as the NZBC episodes were sent there in the mid 1960's. Makes you wonder of RAI had access to telesnaps or off air video recording possibly, as looks like NZBC screened A for Andromeda later than in the UK, leaves slight chance for a home video recording ( Long Shot I know, still a shot though )? Would hope there are still places to look for these lost installments, after seeing all existing material for A For Andromeda only makes it harder knowing will not be able to tune in next week  Cheers, Lance. |
|
