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darren2514
Reviews
Challenge of the GoBots (1984)
Licencing from Japan to USA
Gobots was licenced to Tonka from Bandai who were doing the line as Machine Robo/Robo Machines/Machine Men in UK/Ireland/Europe/Japan/SE Asia/Australia/NZ. While Tonka had the North America rights. While Hasbro Licenced Transformers from Takara but Hasbro had the rights for the whole world except Japan. For GoBots which was the American branding for the Bandai Machine Robo/Robo Machine. Tonka just had the North American rights to the Bandai Machine Robo/Robo Machine line while Bandai dealt with the rest of the world Europe/Asia/Australasia. It is 2 different toy lines by 2 different companies.
Captain America (1979)
Released theatrically outside the US
Like the live action Spiderman TV films and the Buck Rogers pilot both the 2 films were released in cinemas outside the USA on the back of the Superman The Movie success which meant that on UK TV these could not be shown until 1983.
The Two of Us (1981)
Shown regionally in the UK
Between 1981 and 1984 ITV showed this on a regional basis either late before closedowns or Teatimes between 5:15, 6:00 or 6:30pm depending on which region showed their regional news bulletin if it was a 6:00pm bulletin it would either be 5:15 or 6:30 if it was a 6:30 bulletin it would be 5:15 or 6:00pm usually on Mondays or Fridays as these 2 days were non Crossroads nights.
Dear John.... (1986)
Ran only 2 series with a Christmas Special
It went out on Mondays at 8:30 where it got 15 million viewers usually thanks to the main ITV competition being World In Action the original episodes were 30 minutes the 1987 Christmas Special which ran for 45 minutes with Kate returning and Kevin Lloyd as a faded 60s pop star coming in for the final 2 episodes this with a eye to a 3rd series in the background plans for a 3rd series were being made with scripts being prepared and the BBC preparing a move to post-watershed 9:30pm slot after The 9'0 Clock News which would have given John Sullivan more freedom bring in more adult language and sexual situations but the lead actor Ralph Bates pulled out having developed pancreatic cancer in 1988 before that 3rd series could be made from which he eventually died in 1991. But the BBC bought the USA version and showed it late Sunday nights .
Guyana: Crime of the Century (1979)
Late 70s Hollywood mercenary low budget
Stuart Whitman got the part of Reverend James Johnson/Jim Jones the first choice for this type of film Richard Burton who in 1978-79 was regularly doing tax haven made films may have been offered the role of the reverend or maybe one of the US Justice officials looking to bring the reverend to justice but most likely turned it down or the producer couldn't afford him (Richard Burton was along with Sean Connery, Roger Moore and Michael Caine in the late 1970s were the big 4 bankable British actors who would sell cinema tickets all over the world so producers around the world would be sending scripts to their managers/agents for them to look at) this was a Tax Haven funded project shot in the US, Mexico and the West Indies financed in Spain with American stars doing this film to pay off their tax bills.
The Greatest American Hero (1981)
HELD BACK IN THE UK FOR FOUR OR FIVE YEARS DUE TO PILOT FILM IN CINEMAS.
In the UK the show was held back for five years us in the UK DID NOT GET TO SEE IT ON TV until 1985-1986 and even then only on Saturday Mornings at 11am, Sunday Lunchtimes at 1pm or Weekday Mornings in the School Holidays depending on where in the UK you lived this was likely due to the pilot film being released in cinemas outside the USA and Canada around 1982 as a Superman cash in and with the comedy was ideal in UK cinemas through the distributor UIP was double-billed with one of the Pink Panther films though would also show as a single feature.
The Jigsaw Man (1983)
First announced in 1976 it took 7 years to make with money running out on the way
Originally the film version was announced in 1976 just before the novel's 1977 publication (for a 1977 shoot for release in 1978) with a bigger budget and Caine cast in the title role, Oliver cast in the role of the head of British Intelligence, Susan George cast as the daughter and Robert Shaw originally cast to play the role (which was played eventually by Robert Powell) with Mike Hodges directing and was planned but the August 1978 death of Robert Shaw postponed the project and 6 years later in 1982 the project was picked up by Pakistani businessman Mahmud Sipra and Michael Caine, Sir Laurence Olivier, Susan George and Robert Powell were cast in the leads the first 3 were as cast in 1976 but as a result of Robert Shaw's death in 1978 the Robert Shaw role was re-cast and was replaced by another Salford born actor called Robert (this time Robert Powell) and was ultimately made on a low budget with filming being suspended after the money ran out and did not get a cinema release in the UK and suffered the humiliation of being the first Michael Caine film to not get a cinema release in the UK and ended up not being released until 1985 as a direct to video release through Thorn EMI.
Diagnosis: Murder (1974)
Originally made for TV
This film was basically meant for TV with the quality of the cast and a largely well known in the US British cast and a script by Ivan Goff, Ben Roberts and Philip Levene and was originally intended for showing on TV in the US and a theatrical release in the UK but it only got the latter.
The Holcroft Covenant (1985)
In the 1970s/80s there were only 2 bankable British stars
Summer 1984 Originally James Caan was due to play the title role of Noel Holcroft but either quit or possibly more likely fired/sacked. But who could the producers get very quickly but for a major British film being made for Worldwide release and the need for a big name/profitable/bankable British actor playing the lead in a British film especially a big budget one. And in the late 1970s/early 1980s there were only 3 really bankable/profitable British actors which were Michael Caine. Sean Connery and Roger Moore and Dennis Sellinger who was the agent for 2 of them namely Roger Moore and Michael Caine who happened to end up with a script for a film version of a Robert Ludlum novel on his desk as a result of the American lead actor either quitting or being fired/sacked to offer to his 2 biggest clients Michael Caine and Roger Moore. Roger Moore would not have been able to do it as he was doing the James Bond film A View To A Kill which was being filmed at the same time but ended up going to Michael Caine who was available to accept the role as he had no work lined up