Hello Belvision enthusiasts,
In two Belvision-related threads (
here and
here), I posted about the earliest Belvision cartoons from the Fifties. To keep all the information together, I thought that the topic deserves its own thread (so if you've already read those, expect some repeated infomation!).
In 1957, Mr. Leblanc (the founder of
Tintin Magazine) recieved the permission from Hergé to use his characters in advertising, promotions, and so on. He then secured a deal with Belvision and the television channel R.T.F. to make some Tintin epsiodes. In the end, by 1960(?), R.T.F. had given up the venture, leaving Belvision to make more the more well-known cartoons with Tele-Hachette.
The two produced were:
Broken Ear - original title
L'Oreille Cassee d'apres Hergé; produced in 1959; extra pictures drawn by Bob de Moor (for example, the Mexicans in somberos used for the credits), but Hergé is credited for it, as well as for the scenario. Cut-out animation form, featuring a symphony orchestra for background music, arranged, or recorded, by M. Saulnier. Technical collaboration (or animated, I'm assuming) by Anne-Marie Ullmann and J. de Brabander.
In the original French, everybody was voiced by Jean Nohain; when broadcast in English, it was narrated by Peter Hawkins. It had 7 13-minute episodes in total, and when it was on the BBC in 1962 it aired on Mondays from January 1 1962 to February 12 at 5.40 PM. Unlike the later productions, it was extremely faithful to the books.
King Ottokar's Sceptre - original title
Le Sceptre d'Ottokar d'Hergé; produced in 1957; extra pictures drawn by Bob de Moor. Cut-out animation form, featuring a symphony orchestra. Technical collaboration (or animated, I assume) by Anne-Marie Ullmann and Karel Van Millegham.
It was once broadcast on the BBC in 1959, where Tintin was narrated by Gerald Campion, and everybody else as Deryck Guyler. Eight episodes in total, broadcast between April 12 to May 31, all on Sunday afternoons at 5 PM (though the last episode was on at 4.45 PM). Most of it is faithful to the books, but has a few extra scenes (such as the Syldavian battles against Borduria(?) being described with more detail and pictures).
Fortunately, some footage of these episodes still exist: the first episode of
Broken Ear certainly does (albeit as a silent "movie"), and perhaps all of
King Ottokar's Sceptre.
What I want to accomplish is, is there anybody who knows:
1. Was
Broken Ear broadcast in English?
2. How many episodes and stories were made of
King Ottokar's Sceptre?
3. Are there any VHS tapes of these?
Hopefully these are manageable requests!
snowybella