Embassy Home Entertainment

Logo descriptions by James Fabiano, Sean Beard, Matt Williams, Matthew Anscher, and Mark Edward Heuek Logo captures by V of Doom and Wisp2007 Editions by V of Doom, Bob Fish, and DaBigLogoCollector Video captures courtesy of osdatabase and DudeThatLogo

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 short-lived 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 and 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 (Mid-1982-1983) Embassy Home Entertainment

Nicknames: "Chyron", "Chyron Text"

Logo: Just a black screen with "EMBASSY HOME ENTERTAINMENT" in extremely cheap computer graphics, colored white. The words all have a "shadow" effect.

FX/SFX: None.

Cheesy Factor: The logo is too plain, and the text is very primitive chyron with a "shadow" effect.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Rare. Can be seen at the beginning of the Raccoons on Ice/The Christmas Raccoons video along with the very first VHS releases of Summer Lovers, Humongous, An Eye for An Eye, Swamp Thing, Escape from New York, and Zapped. The logo can also be retained on re-prints of Embassy's 1982-1983 video catalog. Strangely, this logo remained intact on the 1983 VHS of The Soldier after the next logo.

Scare Factor: Low.

2nd Logo (December 1982-1987) Embassy Home EntertainmentEmbassy Home Entertainment (1985)Embassy Home Entertainment (1982-1987)Embassy Home Entertainment ( UK )

Nicknames: "Rotating ☆E" (USA), "Still (Rotating) ☆E" (Worldwide)

Logo: Same as the Embassy Television ID, but "EMBASSY HOME ENTERTAINMENT" appears for the text.

Trivia: This logo was designed by Chermayeff & Geismar Associates of New York.

Variants: • In 1984, the Registered trademark symbol "®" fades in. • A still version of this was used for international videos in 1985. The logo appears to have a lighter (or darker) blue background, the words "EMBASSY" are in a much larger font, and "Home Entertainment" is written below in a Helvetica font. This variant was only seen at the end of European and Australian releases (the next logo below would be at the beginning on Aussie tapes).

FX/SFX: Again, same as the Television logo. The international version is still.

Music/Sounds: An extended version of the synth instrument jingle heard in the TV version. In worldwide releases, it is silent or contains a jazzy '80s-like synth tune in Germany.

Availability: Rare. It can be found on various Nelson video releases as well as Embassy Home Entertainment releases like The Emerald Forest. Could be in worldwide releases. Surprisingly, this logo appeared on TV airings of A Chorus Line (the MGM DVD release of the said film shows the print Embassy Home Entertainment logo on the cover, though the logo doesn't appear on the DVD) and the TCM airings of Bittersweet Love. One example it could be found on is the Embassy release of The Graduate on VHS. The still version appears on the UK pre-cert release of The Howling.

Scare Factor: Minimal. The dated synthesizer sounds and simple animation may surprise a few, but at least the long music is relatively tamer. None for the worldwide variant.

3rd Logo (international only) (1985-1986)

Nicknames: "Neon ☆E Sign", "The Big E in Video", "Flashing ☆E"

Logo: On a black background, a yellow, neon outline version of the Embassy logo zooms out. Flashes then add color to the logo, making the "E" dark blue and the star dark Embassy Home Entertainmentred. "THE BIG" and "IN VIDEO" also flash in, above and below the logo, respectively, and the logo shines over, and the logo zooms out.

FX/SFX: The zooming and flashing.

Cheesy Factor: The animation reeks of '80s computer animation and early CGI effects, but at least it's a much better effort than the previous 2 logos!

Music/Sounds: A four-note synthesizer tune, followed by two drumbeats, and then another set of five synth notes.

Availability: Extremely rare. The best place to find it is on old PBV tapes in Australia.

Scare Factor: Minimal for the music.

4th Logo (1986-1988) Embassy Home Entertainment (1986)

Nicknames: "Golden ☆E", "CGI ☆E"

Logo: 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, also in gold, the words:

EMBASSY-(in bolder font) HOME ENTERTAINMENT (which just appear instead of quickly "fade" like the Embassy Pictures logo)

FX/SFX: The moving "E", the words appearing in sync with the music.

Music/Sounds: A fast paced, dramatic synth tune.

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

Scare Factor: Minimal.