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| Type | Pay television network |
|---|---|
| Availability | United States |
| Key people | Jerry Harvey |
| Launch date | 1974 |
The Z Channel was one of the first pay cable stations in the United States. Launched in 1974 from Los Angeles, California, this station was known for its devotion to the art of cinema due to the eclectic choice of films[1] by the programming chief, Jerry Harvey. It also popularized the use of letterboxing on television, as well as showing 'director's cut' versions of films (which is a term popularized after Z Channel's showing of Heaven's Gate). Z Channel's devotion to cinema and choice of rare and important films had an important influence on such directors as Robert Altman, Quentin Tarantino, and Jim Jarmusch. In 1989, Z Channel faded to black[2] and was replaced by SportsChannel Los Angeles.[3]
The channel was the subject of the 2004 documentary Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession, which was directed by Alexandra Cassavetes, daughter of John Cassavetes.
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Live wrestling events
In the late 1980s, Z Channel broadcast a number of the World Wrestling Federation's live events from the Los Angeles Sports Arena, but nowhere near as many as Madison Square Garden (MSG Network), Boston Garden (New England Sports Network) or the Philadelphia Spectrum (PRISM).
Connections with other subscription services and channels
Although it is widely believed that, in the late 1970s, Z Channel created two subscription services (SelecTV & ON TV) and a sports channel (Prime Ticket), the reality was that SelecTV and ON TV were separate entities, using the facilities of local television stations KWHY and KBSC to broadcast scrambled programming to reach households without cable. Prime Ticket was actually a later name for the Z Channel's successor, SportsChannel Los Angeles, which was a result of later owners gradually replacing the movie programming with local sports.
Prime Ticket
Prime Ticket eventually was sold to the Fox Television Stations Group, parent company of KTTV, which had lost Los Angeles Dodgers rights after the 1992 baseball season. An affiliate of the Prime Sports network, Prime Ticket became "Fox Sports West" when Prime Sports became Fox Sports Net in 1997. The Prime Ticket name was revived on April 3, 2006, when the network's additional outlet, then known as FSN West 2, changed its name to FSN Prime Ticket, and in a 2008 re-branding, back to simply PrimeTicket.
Some notable films shown on Z Channel
- 8½ (1963), Federico Fellini
- The 400 Blows (1959), François Truffaut
- 1900 (1976), shown in its 5-hour form for the first time in the U.S. on this station; the 5-hour cut wasn't released on video in the U.S. until 1992, Bernardo Bertolucci
- A Safe Place (1971), Henry Jaglom
- Andrei Rublev (1969), Andrei Tarkovsky
- Attilas '74 (1975), Michael Cacoyannis
- Bad Timing (1980), in its uncut form
- Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980), Rainer Werner Fassbinder
- Black Orpheus (1959), Marcel Camus
- Das Boot (1981), in its theatrical, director's cut, and mini-series versions, Wolfgang Petersen
- The Blue Angel (1930)
- Children of Paradise (1945), Marcel Carné
- China 9, Liberty 37 (1978), Monte Hellman / Tony Brandt
- College (1927), James W. Horne
- The Divine Nymph (1975), Giuseppe Patroni Griffi
- The Decline of Western Civilization (1981), Penelope Spheeris
- Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), Stanley Kubrick
- Eraserhead (1977)
- Fingers (1978 film) (1978), James Toback
- Fitzcarraldo (1982), Werner Herzog
- Heaven's Gate (1980), in its 219-minute cut, Michael Cimino
- Images (film) (1972), Robert Altman
- In a Lonely Place (1950), Nicholas Ray
- Juliet of the Spirits (1965), Federico Fellini
- La Cicala (1980), Alberto Lattuada
- La Notte (1961), Michelangelo Antonioni
- La Strada (1954), Federico Fellini
- Lady on the Bus (1978), Neville De Almedia
- L'Avventura (1960), Michelangelo Antonioni
- Le Magnifique (1973), Philippe de Broca
- The Leopard (1963), in its longer Italian-language version unreleased on video in the U.S. until 2003, Luchino Visconti
- L'important c'est d'aimer (1975), Andrzej Zulawski
- Mädchen in Uniform (1931), Leontine Sagan
- Malizia, (1973), Salvatore Samperi
- McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1973), Robert Altman
- The Moon's Our Home (1936), William Seiter
- My Darling Clementine (1946), John Ford
- Once Upon a Time in America (1984), shown back to back in its severely cut two-hour version, and Leone's 229-minute director's cut, Sergio Leone
- One Deadly Summer (1983), Jean Becker
- Overlord (1975)
- Pandora's Box (1929), G.W. Pabst
- The Passenger (1975), Michelangelo Antonioni
- Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid (1973), Sam Peckinpah
- Paths of Glory (1957), Stanley Kubrick
- The Red Desert (1964), Michelangelo Antonioni
- Ride the High Country (1962), Sam Peckinpah
- Salvador (1986), Oliver Stone
- The Sicilian (1987), shown in its extended form, which didn't come out on video until the early 1990s, Michael Cimino
- Silver Streak (1976), Arthur Hiller
- Something of Value (1957), Richard Brooks
- Spetters (1980), Paul Verhoeven
- Turkish Delight (1973), Paul Verhoeven
- Welcome to L.A. (1976), Alan Rudolph
- Wifemistress, (1978), Marco Vicario
- The Wild Bunch (1969), Sam Peckinpah
References
- ^ "Film-News and Notes." Daily News of Los Angeles October 3, 1986
- ^ "Z Channel Fading To Black Amid Film Industry Tributes." The Hollywood Reporter April 27, 1989
- ^ "Hollywood Freeway." Daily News of Los Angeles June 26, 1989
External links
- Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession at the IMDB
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