"Behind the Green Door" Is this the First Release on VHS tape? - 1978

[sbhathena]

Close to one of the first ones anyway. Magnetic Video Corporation released the first set of consumer VHS tapes with a handful of 20th Century Fox films, including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The transfers were really bad though

[jw900199]

Why is there a picture of Catherine Deneuve in the movie Belle du Jour included on this video?

[kstarpictures]

Just curious... was there an on screen logo for MBVC?

[HorrorHarry100]

Blue Underground's release of Midnight Blue had commercials for video tapes from 1978, so it must be the 1st ever release

[AussieRoadshow]

That one is looking pretty original to me! It COULD be a re-issue because of the Made in USA on the back though.

I got one 1978 title released on the MEDA label and it is one of those ultra high quality tapes with original labelling etc. It was made in Japan, as many were back in the late 70s.

Those tapes were made tough back then. You could run a car over them and I'm sure they'd be fine!

[ThriftyVintages]

@AussieRoadshow

Hello,

The "Made in USA" got me curious. So I did some checking around with VHS tapes I have and found that only my Oldest tapes (early 80's) had made in the USA on them.

What else is curious is the Blue Box. Porn films were referred to as Blue Films. I wonder if this was the box this tape was distributed in?

[AussieRoadshow]

@ThriftyVintages

I would say that the box is original. Some of my early adult films came in blue boxes too.

My early 80s tapes were a mix of USA and Japan made, but since I only have one from the 70s I can't be sure if this was the same back then.

[ThriftyVintages]

@AussieRoadshow

Below is a interesting bit of trivia regarding the Mitchell Brothers contribution

to all videos...

In the mid-1970s, low-level organized crime began making unauthorized copies of the Mitchells' movies, and the brothers retaliated in the courts. When one judge ruled that obscene material could not receive copyright protection, the brothers eventually prevailed in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals,[3] leading to the FBI copyright warnings now found at the start of videotapes.[4]