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ABC Cut details
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The ABC Cut of OHMSS was the creation of US television network, ABC, as a solution to the problem of OHMSS being far too long to fit within a standard two-hour broadcast timeslot (90 minutes of programme + 30 minutes of advertising). Rather than cut scenes from the film, it was decided to maximise ratings potential by screening OHMSS in two parts over two nights during the 'sweeps' or 'ratings' period. However the two-night solution was problematic inasmuch as OHMSS duration of approx 140mins would not sustain two 2-hour timeslots (i.e. two x 90-minute sections); there was also the fear that the relatively slow pace of OHMSS' first half would not provide enough of a hook to draw audiences for Part 2 a week later. Because there is little information about the circumstances surrounding the ABC version, no one knows who came up with the idea to recut the first half of OHMSS but it had to have the blessing of senior ABC executives because it required that money be expended on the project. The recut was not a hasty dice and splice effort edited on a Steenbeck by a junior ABC staffer left to his own devices. The project was a carefully, and quite cleverly, produced reworking of the original OHMSS narrative which featured custom optical effects at points of transition. Nor did the infamous voice-over track, which played a vital role in smoothing the breaks in visual continuity, magically appear out of the rectum of a passer-by. The narration had to be written, performed, recorded and, finally, mixed with the original soundtrack. The end-result was a new first half that bore no relation whatsover to what had been screened in cinema's seven years previously. The ABC version began with 007's midnight ski-escape from Piz Gloria and was underscored by a disembodied voice - claiming to be that of James Bond, agent 007, on her Majesty's secret service - explaining what he was doing 'midnight choofing' down a mountain in the Swiss Alps with several heavily armed 'orange-suited bully boys' in hot pursuit. For the ninety or so minutes of 'Part 1', the ABC version then went back and forth interspersing scenes from the latter half with those from the front-end, all disruptions to continuity being explained away by the ersatz 007 via voice-over. As Part 1 ended with Bond discovering the number 8 lipsticked to his inner leg, a promotion for Part 2 was shown. Part 2 began with a recap of Part 1 and was voiced, once more, by the Bond pretender. After the recap, however, the film continued without any further altering of the original scene order (censor cuts and other cut scenes notwithstanding) or any further voice-over contributions from the bogus Bond. While the ABC Cut is widely regarded as an abomination, it remains a curio for the OHMSS afficianado and an oddity for the general (or lower-ranked) Bond fan. Had ABC employed George Lazenby to record the narration the ABC Cut would have been lent just a little more style.
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