Another Universal question (its current logo on releases of past series) (1 Viewer)

[bmasters9]

Something that I have not yet understood about a lot of Universal's releases of its older series ("Knight Rider," "The A-Team," etc.): a lot of people have complained about Universal editing off its older logo(s) that were on those series, and putting their newer/current logo at the beginning of every single episode on the DVD releases (I've seen that on #2 of "Vice," and on 2 and 3 of "Knight Rider," among other places). What I do not understand about it is this: I mean, we know that the aforementioned series were Universal productions, but yet Universal, in doing what I described, would seem to act like each episode was a movie. What led them to do that?

 

[DeWilson]

It's a business - marketing decision - today's Universal is not the old Universal.

Same with Sony putting their tags - but at least they've kept the Columbia and Screen Gems logos on most of the older shows/films!

 

[bmasters9]

Originally Posted by DeWilson

It's a business - marketing decision - today's Universal is not the old Universal.

Same with Sony putting their tags - but at least they've kept the Columbia and Screen Gems logos on most of the older shows/films!

That's kind of what I figured it was. It's a crying shame though that Universal has to do that. But you're right-- at least Sony has kept the original Columbia and Screen Gems logos on a lot of the other shows and films. I'll have to look around to see if I can find them.

 

[Professor Echo]

And I don't think there is any logo that is quite as annoying as that inflated, bombastic, pretentious Universal logo and that awful John Williams scored fanfare. Ugh. I have to scan through it everytime. It's particularly grating when it comes on before a vintage Paramount film as if they had anything to do with the production of the film besides just buying the rights to it decades ago. But that's a malady of all corporate labeling and it's only us fussy purists who give a damn, I'm sure. Still, whenever that horrible new Universal logo starts blaring, I can't hit the remote fast enough. Oh how I miss the bi-plane circling the globe. Sigh....

 

[LeoA]

Are you talking about what starts at around 17 seconds in this link?





I kind of like it and don't mind a DVD opening with it. I think it's well done and looks nice, at least as nice as CGI can look. I just don't want it attached to every episode and I don't want the original Universal stuff edited out in favor of this (I believe the colored Universal closing they did with the Earth being zoomed in is intact at the end of each episode on DVD releases of Adam-12, Dragnet, and Emergency, I can't think of any other Universal shows in my collection but assume it's the same for others).


With their movies, even those that were done by another studio that they now own the rights to, they seem to sometimes keep this stuff. I even have a few Universal movies that they didn't originally own that had a B&W version of their current opening to fit the movie with the movie then transitioning the original studio opening that originally owned the movie and released it.


And I have several DVD's with the 30's airplane opening mentioned here. And Universal has taken it "out of retirement" several times over the past 20 years to celebrate anniversarys while using it on current films at the time, so I don't think it's a case of them having lost the rights to their own opening. And they also still use the one with Universal spinning around the globe with a bunch of stars twinkling from the 40's and the Universal International one with a globe in the background that they used in the 50's on movies that originally used them when they do DVD releases, provide transfers of the movies for airing, etc.


I think any that are missing are simply due to a misguided attempt by the DVD producer at conformity and wanting to use Universal's current image, rather than because the original isn't theirs to use any longer.

 

[bmasters9]

Originally Posted by LeoAmes


I kind of like it and don't mind a DVD opening with it. I think it's well done and looks nice, at least as nice as CGI can look. I just don't want it attached to every episode and I don't want the original Universal stuff edited out in favor of this (I believe the colored Universal closing they did with the Earth being zoomed in is intact at the end of each episode on DVD releases of Adam-12, Dragnet, and Emergency, I can't think of any other Universal shows in my collection but assume it's the same for others).

That is exactly what I'm talking about. It's one thing to have it at the top of a Universal movie, but to have it repeated across all episodes of a Universal television release is something else entirely. And by the way, about that Universal end logo you were talking about: both of Shout!'s releases of "Marcus Welby, M.D." have that logo on the end of each episode.

 

[Professor Echo]

I am equally offended by the MGM logo with MGM.com below Leo at the beginning of every United Artists film that they currently own. And that is usually at the expense of the original UA logo, which is no longer on there. One of the very few releases to still have the original Transamerica UA logo of the 60's, so iconic from all the Bond and Leone Man With No Name pictures, is on SAM WHISKEY, probably because the opening music starts on it. It also can be seen at the end of every episode of THE MOTHERS-IN-LAW, but fleetingly, certainly much faster than when the series originally aired.


There have been many discussions in these forums about logos and replacements thereof, mostly in the SD Film forum. Of course, the consensus is usually in favor of retaining the original logos as released. I find most new ones to be like the Universal one, needlessly full of pomp and self glorification and certainly louder than they need to be, especially the 5.1 Universal. But if the original logo is retained in addition to the new one, then the new one can always be dispensed with in a quick scan.


The funny thing is that today's logos will be looked upon just as nostalgically one day by those who are growing up with them now.

 

[Rob_Ray]

Originally Posted by Professor Echo


The funny thing is that today's logos will be looked upon just as nostalgically one day by those who are growing up with them now.

Back in the sixties, I hated the three-note groaning MCA logo that was in front of Duck Soup, Horse Feathers and every 30's Paramount feature that ran on television. Now, while I'm sure it would still be as asthetically annoying as ever, I look back on it much more nostagically, as it was always part of the film when I first saw all those wonderful Fields, West and Marx Bros. comedies. That horrible wail meant that 65 minutes of bliss was soon to follow.

 

[Professor Echo]

Agreed, Rob.


In Chicago, where I grew up, the local ABC affiliate, first WBKB and later WLS, Channel 7, bought the RKO library in the late 50's and apparently in perpetuity as they are STILL showing vintage RKO movies on the Late Show every Friday and Saturday night. Old worn 16mm prints that are probably the same versions they have been showing for 50 years. No purist cinephile would EVER deign to watch these in such an incarnation, but whenever I travel back to Chi to see my family, I always check them out and even record them onto DVD-R, used car commercials and all. It's because it's such a throwback to the way I originally saw movies like KING KONG and CITIZEN KANE when I was a little kid.


And, of course, nearly every film they show has the shaky superimposed C&C logo pasted over the RKO Presents on the title card. Usually, the title card is a weird freeze frame and then there is an abrupt cut/splice as the rest of the original credits roll. Good times....

 

[Powell&Pressburger]

I agree about the MGM.com under all those MGM logos. It is even more disheartening that Criterion can't even secure the old United Artist logos on some of their recent titles. One Exception from the MGM UA catalog that was NEVER their film to begin with had the FilmWays Logo inserted back into BLOW OUT. I was in heaven!

Originally Posted by Professor Echo

I am equally offended by the MGM logo with MGM.com below Leo at the beginning of every United Artists film that they currently own. And that is usually at the expense of the original UA logo, which is no longer on there. One of the very few releases to still have the original Transamerica UA logo of the 60's, so iconic from all the Bond and Leone Man With No Name pictures, is on SAM WHISKEY, probably because the opening music starts on it. It also can be seen at the end of every episode of THE MOTHERS-IN-LAW, but fleetingly, certainly much faster than when the series originally aired.


There have been many discussions in these forums about logos and replacements thereof, mostly in the SD Film forum. Of course, the consensus is usually in favor of retaining the original logos as released. I find most new ones to be like the Universal one, needlessly full of pomp and self glorification and certainly louder than they need to be, especially the 5.1 Universal. But if the original logo is retained in addition to the new one, then the new one can always be dispensed with in a quick scan.


The funny thing is that today's logos will be looked upon just as nostalgically one day by those who are growing up with them now.

 

[DeWilson]

Originally Posted by Powell&Pressburger


I agree about the MGM.com under all those MGM logos. It is even more disheartening that Criterion can't even secure the old United Artist logos on some of their recent titles. One Exception from the MGM UA catalog that was NEVER their film to begin with had the FilmWays Logo inserted back into BLOW OUT. I was in heaven!

How about the Orion Logo on the AIP films?

 

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by DeWilson

How about the Orion Logo on the AIP films?

Blasphemy!

 

[Todd Erwin]

Actually, the late, great Jerry Goldsmith composed that score. Personally, I prefer the 75th anniversary logo scored by James Horner that debuted on Back To The Future Part III.

Originally Posted by Professor Echo

And I don't think there is any logo that is quite as annoying as that inflated, bombastic, pretentious Universal logo and that awful John Williams scored fanfare.

 

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by Toddwrtr Oh well, we all have our off days.