Embassy Home Entertainment

Credits

Descriptions by
James Fabiano, Sean Beard, Jess Williams, Matthew Anscher, Mark Edward Heuek, and DogeDestroyer

Captures by
V of Doom and Wisp2007

Editions by
V of Doom, Bob Fish and DaBigLogoCollector

Video captures courtesy of
Vidosdatabase, DudeThatLogo, TheLogoholder, and LogicSmash

Background

Embassy Pictures formed their own home video unit as Embassy Home Entertainment as early as 1982 after Embassy Communications acquired Andre Blay Corporation (also known as "Blay Video"). Prior to this, Avco Embassy films were licensed/distributed by Magnetic/20th Century-Fox Video and on the SelectaVision VideoDisc format by RCA Corporation. Embassy also released some genre films under the Charter Entertainment brand.

Embassy Home Entertainment was purchased by Nelson Holdings International from Coca-Cola in 1986 and was renamed to "Nelson Entertainment" on August 15, 1987; Nelson was bought out by New Line Cinema on December 9, 1991. Some Embassy/Charter videos were still in print by the early 1990s with a New Line Home Video logo on the tape label.

1st Logo (September 1982-1983)

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Visuals: A black screen with the words "EMBASSY HOME ENTERTAINMENT" in a simple white script-like text with a trailing "shadow" effect, stacked word upon word.

Technique: A still, computerized graphic.

Audio: None.

Availability:

• Can be seen at the beginning of the Raccoons on Ice/The Christmas Raccoons video along with the first VHS releases of Summer Lovers, Humongous, An Eye for An Eye, Swamp Thing, Zapped, and Nightkill.
• The logo can also be retained on re-prints of Embassy's 1982-1983 video catalog.
• This logo remained intact on the 1983 VHS of The Soldier after the next logo.
• Its earliest known appearances are on Elton John: Visions, Ill Met by Moonlight, Malta Story, and Operation Amsterdam.

2nd Logo (October 1982-1987)

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Visuals: Same as the Embassy Television logo, but "EMBASSY HOME ENTERTAINMENT" appears underneath the "☆E" instead of "EMBASSY TELEVISION".

Later Variant: Starting in 1984, the Registered trademark symbol "®" fades in. The logo also originally appears to be filmed, and cuts in and out; the "®" version fades in and out smoothly and is videotaped.

Variants:

• Sometimes, the background is purple or dark blue.
• A still version of this was used for international releases in 1985. The logo appears to have a lighter (or darker) blue background, "EMBASSY" is in a much larger Futura MD BT font, and "Home Entertainment" is written below in a Futura LT BT font. One version has the word "Home Entertainment" in a Helvetica font. This variant was only seen at the end of European and Australian releases (a different logo would be at the beginning on Aussie tapes).
• A promo variant has the logo without any text zooming out, and when the announcer finishes, it zooms back in.

Technique: Motion-controlled animation, done by R/Greenberg Associates.

Audio: Same as the Embassy Television logo, but the fifth note is a higher note than usual and after the sixth note in the theme, a 10-note synth-flute section is heard instead. This was composed by Ray Colcord, who also scored the main Embassy Television logo.

Audio Variants:

• International releases have the logo silent, except for a jazzy '80s-like synth tune on German releases.
• The promo variant has an extended version of the 3rd logo's music while Brian Cummings says "Ladies and gentlemen, Embassy Home Entertainment welcomes you to experience the best in high-quality film entertainment."

Availability: It can be found on various Embassy Home Entertainment releases like The Emerald Forest and The Graduate (many of which were kept in print by Nelson Entertainment and even New Line Home Video, albeit in some cases with altered packaging/tape labels), as well as international releases.

• Its first appearance was on Escape from New York, which had previously been announced for release by 20th Century-Fox Video only to be cancelled.
• This logo appeared on TV airings of A Chorus Line (the MGM DVD & Blu-ray releases of said film show its print logo on the back cover, but not on the disc contents) and TCM airings of Bittersweet Love and The Man Who Had Power Over Women.
• It's also preserved on the Nelson VHS release of The Red Balloon, despite Embassy being mentioned nowhere on the packaging.
• The still version appears on the UK pre-cert release of The Howling. It also made an appearance on a September 1987 Movie Channel broadcast of Kiss of the Spider Woman.
• The logo was retained on MGM's 1998 VHS of Sid and Nancy and a 1992 reprint of Blade Runner from New Line Home Video.
• The logo was retained at the beginning of the official YouTube upload of The Raccoons: Let's Dance! on the Run With Us Productions channel.

3rd Logo (1984?-1988?)

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Visuals: A sky blue background eases out revealing a large "E" like the previous two logos. As it zooms out, a white tilted star zooms into the big space of the "E". When it runs out of room, the animation stops for a full second, showing the Embassy logo as of 1982. Next, the "E" zooms in and the star zooms out, basically the beginning in reverse. Then the following fades in:

EMBASSY Home Entertainment

Finally, when the text fades out, "Presents" fades in.

Technique: Scanimation.

Audio: None.

Availability: It was probably seen on Castilian Spanish prints of their tapes, as it appeared on a 1987 tape of A Chorus Line from Spain.

4th Logo (1985?-1988?)

Visuals: On a white background is the starred "E" logo with the word Embassy below, as it flips around to reveal what appears to be a print version of the Nelson Entertainment logo that is small, the background then turns black as the print logo zooms out.

Variant: Similar to the standard variant, but it's on a black background, Embassy is removed, and the starred E Logo flips faster to the Nelson Entertainment print logo, with it as the same size as the "E", it repeats flipping a few times until a few seconds later, it fades to black.

Technique: Scanimation.

Audio: A odd theme plays as an announcer is heard saying, "Embassy Home Entertainment, a division of Nelson Entertainment." The announcer is omitted for the variant.

Availability: So far, seen on Mussolini and I.

5th Logo (1986?-1988)

Visuals: On a space background, there is a theater marquee (similar to the Bohbot Entertainment logo) with a gray backing and red, green and blue strips along the top and bottom edges, ringed by twinkling lights; the words "EMBASSY HOME ENTERTAINMENT" (written in the front from the logo, colored gold with a red outline) are displayed against the backing. 2 spotlights are seen waving back and forth behind the marquee; the sign then disappears as the words "ONLY $24.95" appear with a trailing CGI "dust" effect, initially emerging from the center of the screen before coming to rest along the bottom.

Technique: A combination of CGI and live-action.

Audio: A funky theme plays as an announcer (Bill Ratner) says, "After the feature attraction, stay with us, because we have several not-to-be-missed video values now at only $24.95." A whoosh is heard as "ONLY $24.95" shows up.

Availability: So far, seen on Summer Camp Nightmare. This was used in tandem with the 6th logo until 1988.

6th Logo (1986-1988, 1998)

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Visuals: On a black background with a dark blue graident stripe in the middle, a three-dimensional, gold version of the starred "E" logo comes in from the left of the screen turned diagonally. As it turns face forward, a similarly colored star outline floats as if coming down an invisible slope and comes through the star-shaped hole in the "E" and becomes its border. Below the "E" appear the words "EMBASSY HOME ENTERTAINMENT®". "HOME ENTERTAINMENT" just cuts in while "EMBASSY" fades in sync with the music.

Variant: The logo where the "E" is far out plays and dissolves over the 1982 logo. Then a star trailing CGI dust showing the Nelson logo within spins around until it's in the center. Then it fades into the Nelson logo and it proceeds from there. This appeared on later German prints of some of their releases from Taurus Video.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A fast paced, dramatic synth tune, which sounds almost like Japanese strings, with a rising synth note when the star comes flying in. The variant has a calmer synth fanfare that continues through the Nelson logo.

Availability: Seen on video releases of The Producers, Defense of the Realm, The Stepfather, The Video Dead, and River's Edge, among (presumably) others. MGM Home Entertainment preserved this logo when they released Eddie and the Cruisers in 1998.

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Embassy Home Entertainment

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