It’s always interesting to me to find out about U.S. TV movies and multi-episode shows that have been converted into theatrical features abroad. I suspect that there are many more of these than are commonly known. Among the best known are the final five “Man From U.N.C.L.E.” features, which were only released overseas (the first three were released in the U.S. as well). There was a “Rat Patrol” foreign feature (“Massacre Harbor”) that aired as a three-episode story in the U.S. And now, I’ve come across this conversion: the TV movie “Melvin Purvis: G-Man,” that aired on ABC in 1974, was released overseas as “The Legend of Machine Gun Kelly.” Do any others come to mind?
Steven Spielberg's Duel was released in theaters overseas (I believe they even shot some additional scenes in order to bump up the running time?), and I think The Ewok Adventure was as well, under the title Caravan of Courage if I'm not mistaken.
The Mission: Impossible two-part story "The Council" was released as Mission: Impossible Vs. The Mob; the pilots for Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers In The 25th Century were released to cinemas (even in the US); a movie of The Incredible Hulk was put together from the pilot episode and "747"; and this even happened in the 1980s (when I was living in Barbados I saw a film of Tour Of Duty made up of the pilot and another episode).
There were several features made from the old MGM TV color series from 1958-59, NORTHWEST PASSAGE, starring Keith Larsen and Buddy Ebsen. Since the original shows were half-hours, 3 episodes made up the features, with running times of around 75 minutes.
One of these is FURY RIVER, from 1961, which now occasionally runs on TCM.
Curiously IMDB doesn't seem to be aware and hasn't picked these up in its listings individually under Ebsen's or Larsen's name, but they HAVE included FURY RIVER in the title listings.
Steven Spielberg's Duel was released in theaters overseas (I believe they even shot some additional scenes in order to bump up the running time?)
How could I forget about "Duel," broadcast in the U.S. in late 1971 and released overseas as a theatrical feature in 1972-74. The foreign version, with the augmented footage, seems to be the only available video version in the U.S., although many consider the original TV version (74 minutes vs. the augmented 90 minutes) a tauter, more exciting experience.
Interestingly, Universal later released the film theatrically in the U.S. as well, although not until 1983.
There were several features made from the old MGM TV color series from 1958-59, NORTHWEST PASSAGE, starring Keith Larsen and Buddy Ebsen. Since the original shows were half-hours, 3 episodes made up the features, with running times of around 75 minutes.
One of these is FURY RIVER, from 1961, which now occasionally runs on TCM.
Curiously IMDB doesn't seem to be aware and hasn't picked these up in its listings individually under Ebsen's or Larsen's name, but they HAVE included FURY RIVER in the title listings.
The other "Northwest Passage" features were "Frontier Rangers" and "Mission of Danger."
MGM also turned some episodes of the TV series “The Travels of Jamie McPheeters” into a 1964 feature called "Guns of Diablo."
How could I forget about "Duel," broadcast in the U.S. in late 1971 and released overseas as a theatrical feature in 1972-74. The foreign version, with the augmented footage, seems to be the only available video version in the U.S., although many consider the original TV version (74 minutes vs. the augmented 90 minutes) a tauter, more exciting experience.
Yeah, I've never seen the original made-for-TV version. The extended version was released on DVD several years ago, and whenever I see the film on TV it's always the extended version, even going back to the mid-90s or so when I saw it for the first time.
"NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN". What a bunch of crap. Why wasn't it suitable? Unless they added a bunch of nudity, gore and sex scenes....which they didn't. I watched MISSION IMPOSSIBLE all the time when I was a kid...starting at 4 years of age up to when the show was cancelled, when I was 9.
MGM Television seems to have been quite active in this endeavor.
Weren't episodes of the Peter Mark Richman 1961-62 MGM series, CAIN'S HUNDRED, made into the feature film, THE CRIMEBUSTERS in 1962? (Were there more?)
I also believe that several 45-minute episodes (complete in themselves) of the 20th Century-Fox Hour in 1955, were re-titled and released as short 2nd features in international markets. I believe I've seen a poster for the MacDonald Carey-Teresa Wright-Thomas Mitchell MIRACLE ON 34th STREET sometime over the years.
Weren't several of Robert Stack's THE UNTOUCHABLES series cut into features?
Were several of Fox's TIME TUNNEL series episodes cut into a European feature?
I also think some of the 90 minute FAME IS THE NAME OF THE GAME and THE VIRGINIAN episodes turned up as features in Europe.
