Embassy Communications: Difference between revisions

Background: Embassy Television was formed in January 1982, reincorporating the former [[T.A.T. Communications Company]] (formed in 1974) founded by Norman Lear and Jerry Perenchio after the duo acquired [[Embassy Films Associates|Avco Embassy Pictures Corporation]] and merged it with T.A.T. by becoming "Embassy Communications, Inc.". Embassy also introduced Embassy Telecommunications (reincorporating the distribution division of T.A.T. Communications Co. and also folding the former [[PITS Films]]) as the television distribution arm. In 1985, Lear and Perenchio sold Embassy Communications, Inc. (which included [[Tandem Productions]] and Embassy Television) to the Coca-Cola Company (former parent of Columbia Pictures Industries). When Diff'rent Strokes was canceled in 1986, Coca-Cola merged Embassy Television, Embassy Telecommunications, and Tandem Productions into the holding company and Embassy Communications ceased to exist as a holding company to become a full serviced television studio, who later merged with Columbia Pictures Television on November 24, 1986 and became "Columbia/Embassy Television", however Tandem remained as an in-named-only division of Embassy Communications. On December 21, 1987, Coke spun-off its entertainment business and sold it to Tri-Star Pictures. Tri-Star Pictures, Inc. was renamed to "Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc." and merging the Columbia and Tri-Star Pictures theatrical banners. By January 4, 1988, the Embassy Communications logo was phased out and was replaced by the [[Columbia Pictures Television]] logo, but the series by Embassy Communications retained the copyright for its series until March 19, 1988 (the last production to use an Embassy copyright was the final season ''Facts of Life'' episode "Big Apple Blues" while others began using the ELP copyright by February 1988), when Embassy Communications was renamed to "ELP Communications", but was under the production banner of Columbia Pictures Television from 1988-1994, and [[Columbia TriStar Television]] from 1994-1997 (both studios however, still produced their series individually). ELP Communications is a joint venture between LEP Holdings and PEP Communications that was formed on December 21, 1987. In 1998, after ''Beakman's World'' was canceled, Sony Pictures Entertainment retired Embassy Television. However, Embassy currently remains as an in-name-only unit of [[Sony Pictures Television]].

(November 13, 1982-January 2, 1988)

* Embassy Communications: Rare for the 1986 version and it's seen on the TV movie ''Firefighter'', retained on season 8 of ''The Facts of Life'' on Me-TV and the Shout! Factory DVD release, all season 2 episodes of ''227'', and all season 3 episodes of ''Who's the Boss?'' both on Sony Crackle. The gray "☆E" dark variant is extremely rare and can be seen on ''Guilty of Innocence'' on Sony Movie Channel. The 1987 version is ultra rare and was originally seen on season 1 and early season 2 episodes of ''Married... With Children'' (the last being "You Better Watch Out"), the short-lived sitcom ''The Charmings'', 1987 episodes of ''Who's the Boss?'', ''227'', ''The Facts of Life'', and the short-lived sitcom ''Women in Prison'' before January 4, 1988. This was also used to plaster older Embassy Television logos as sighted in a rerun of a season 1 episode of Double Trouble and some season 5 episodes of ''Silver Spoons''. But most reruns and the DVDs of ''Married... With Children'' have it plastered over with the SPT logo, However, it is retained on The ''Facts of Life'' S9 episode "Adventures in Baileysitting" and the first episode of ''The Jeffersons'' on TV One called "A Friend in Need". It was surprisingly retained on a few S8 episodes of ''One Day at a Time'' on Antenna TV reruns, but are obscured due to split-screen credit crunching.