Oval Home Entertainment

Background: Oval Home Entertainment was founded in 1987 by Ted Oval's Oval Broadcasting to distribute the TPC Radio Pictures library on videocassette and, from 1987 to 1999, license the pre-1983 BREIL FILMS and pre-1960 Hesker Boys libraries to BREIL/GE Home Video. In 1994, when Oval bought out the Old Filmstrip Cinema and Sea Coast Entertainment studios, Torch Horse Home Video sold the distribution rights to Old Filmstrip Home Video releases to Oval Home Entertainment. Oval Home Entertainment also handles the rights to shows by HaHa-Barber and Animated Channel, as well as NEC Home Video (now NEC-BS DVD) releases from 1994-1997. In 1997, a year after Oval merged with Day Hesker, Oval Home Entertainment was dissolved into Hesker Home Video (now Hesker Home Entertainment, then Warner/Argosy DVD).

1st Logo

(1987-1990)

Logo: On a dark red/black (or black-purple-white in 1990) gradient background, the words "OVAL HOME ENTERTAINMENT", in a fancy blue font, fly from the top of the screen, stopping in the middle.

FX/SFX: Cheap all around.

Music/Sounds: A harsh, droning synth. It sounds identical to the music of the U.S.A. Home Video logo.

Availability: Very rare; may probably be seen on TPC HV releases and the original home video release of Lasers. Surprisingly, this logo recently appeared without music during the documentary portion of The Big Star: The Essential Collection, a DVD set from International Fighting Entertainment.

Scare Factor: Medium; droning synths combined with fancy script don't mix.

2nd Logo

(1991-1993)

Nickname: "The Filmstrip"

Logo: On a space background we see a blue filmstrip flying which becomes a blue light. Then the words "OVAL", "HOME" and "ENTERTAINMENT" in the same font used in the previous logo and in CGI fly out one by one from the center of the screen and stop in the middle as a grass background appears.

FX/SFX: The filmstrip, the words flying. The space background seems detailed.

Music/Sounds: A chorus tune and a drumbeat, followed by four chorus notes when the words fly one by one.

Availability: Rare; seen on Oval video releases from 1991 to 1993 such as Reflections on Citizen Kane: Fifty Years and Tom & Jerry Kids tapes.

Scare Factor: Minimal.

3rd Logo

(1993-1997)

Nickname: "Oval Mansion"

Logo: Same as the movie logo, only "HOME ENTERTAINMENT" replaces "PICTURES".

Variant: There is a still version of the logo that appeared on some early releases.

FX/SFX: Same as the movie logo.

Music/Sounds: Same as the movie logo.

Availability: More prolific than the movie logo, but still rare.

Scare Factor: Low; the darkness and somber music don't really mix.