Studio Logos (1 Viewer)

[Douglas R]

Originally Posted by Douglas Monce

I wonder if any of it has anything to do with rights issues of a trademark image such as Leo the Lion or the Warner Shield? Obviously it doesn't for a studio replacing their own older logo...but for instance I wonder if Warner has to pay a licensing fee to MGM, every time they release one of their old films? After all the MGM lion and logo are a registered trade mark.

Doug

I'm sure if Warner Bros had to pay MGM for the use of Leo the Lion they would have scrapped the logo from the films long ago! I suspect that when Ted Turner bought the MGM library from Kirk Kerkorian, it included the right to keep the original logos on the films - having "MGM" films was a status symbol for Turner. Kerkorian retained the right to use the logo but he was only really interested in having it for his hotel.

 

[JohnMor]

Originally Posted by Jeff Adkins


When I watched the "Barry Lyndon" Blu-Ray last night, it didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the film but it was definitely jarring at first to not have the Saul Bass logo. .

Synching music is often done to a logo, but I would argue that Kubrick would have synched it to ANY logo Warner was choosing to use at the time. I bet if WB was using the current shield then, he'd have synched the music over it and not given the logo a second thought. That same SB logo opened Streisand's A Star is Born and The Main Event with dialogue over it, so it's not like Kubrick directed that logo as part of the opening of his film in particular. I absolutely LOVE that SB logo and would love to see it restored to the 70's films it preceded, but it's presence or lack thereof does not change the films themselves.

 

[Garysb]

Originally Posted by Douglas R , this logo would appear in an in-credit version of this logo, with the words "Distributed by" above it. [*] There are 2 more color variants: A sepia-toned variant from the mid 1940s-1950, a black and white variant from 1934-1941, and a color variant from 1950-1967. [*] On A Bridge Too Far, the byline "A Transamerica Company" fades in below. [/list]
FX/SFX: The logo zooming-out.

Music/Sounds: Probably the intro of any UA movie playing throughout. Other times, it's silent.

Availability: Rare; as most UA releases of this period only used a text notice; the easiest place to find this logo is on Heaven's Gate and it has been preserved on the VHS release and TV airings of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and the VHS release of Thunderbirds are Go. It can also be seen on older VHS releases of Marty. This logo can occasionally be seen on TCM, and the logo (or lack thereof) is preserved on very early Magnetic Video releases, including The Pink Panther (where the latter situation occurs).

 

[Garysb]

Originally Posted by JohnMor




Synching music is often done to a logo, but I would argue that Kubrick would have synched it to ANY logo Warner was choosing to use at the time. I bet if WB was using the current shield then, he'd have synched the music over it and not given the logo a second thought. That same SB logo opened Streisand's A Star is Born and The Main Event with dialogue over it, so it's not like Kubrick directed that logo as part of the opening of his film in particular. I absolutely LOVE that SB logo and would love to see it restored to the 70's films it preceded, but it's presence or lack thereof does not change the films themselves.

I guess the Saul Bass logo is the one I called the ugly W. Sorry about that.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_carl/5148723953/


Warner Bros never changed the logos of the pre 48 Warner pictures it now owns since it bought Turner. Is it only the Warner Bros pictures that they always owned that they update the logo?

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I think the rationale behind which logos change and don't (in regards to the pre-48, etc.) has to do with how the logo is positioned on the film. For instance, in the earlier Warner pictures where they've kept the old logo, the logo itself was actually part of the film, where it faded directly into the titles, sometimes even on the same background that the titles were on - so there's really no smooth way to change that without affecting the start of the film. But in any event where the logo appeared as a separate entity, that is, with a fade to black before the official picture start, I think that's their cue to change it.

 

[Gary Nash]

I was pleased to see the original '70's Warner Bros logo (black on red with a double zoom effect) reinstated when they released the special edition of Enter the Dragon DVD.

I always associated that logo with the musical drum cue and it never looked right with the shield logo.


When I upgraded my USA Gladiator DVD to a UK version of the Blu-ray, I was surprised to see the logos for Dreamworks and Universal had swapped positions - no doubt due to the distribution rights changing from USA to UK. I'd got so used to seeing the spining globe disolve to the strains of Hans Zimmer, that having the sequence change was very strange.

Same thing for Minority Report.


Finally, on Twister, the US DVD had the Warner logo exploding, but my UK BD has been replaced with a Universal logo being destroyed.


It's amazing how ingrained these idents become in our memories of film presentations.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

One of my favorite logos was the United Artists

Transamerica logo with the set of lines reaching up

towards the sky and then expanding outward.


I believe that logo was used in the early 70s.


MGM has completely removed those old logos.


Of course, Warner has been a big offender of

changing old logos to new.

For me, using original logos has always been a big

deal. It immediately takes you back to the era the

film was from. Those logos are a burned-in memory

that one never forgets, and unfortunately, hardly sees

anymore.

 

[Dick]

Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein

One of my favorite logos was the United Artists

Transamerica logo with the set of lines reaching up

towards the sky and then expanding outward.


I believe that logo was used in the early 70s.


MGM has completely removed those old logos.



There is one DVD that actually has this animated

Transamerica logo - I have it, but I can't remember

which movie it's on. Anyone...? One of the Woody

Allen's, maybe?


My favorite logo for many years was the David Geffen

revolving ball with the engraved line - the way it is slowly

revealed until your mind interprets it as a big "G."

Incredible clever, I think. It's on all of the DVD's and

Blu-rays it should be on.


Now my favorite logo - and I'd love to know who designed

it - is the latest from Criterion with the the varying shades of

gray revolving within a circle until it resolves itself as the

tilted "C," but not before "The Criterion Collection" runs

through it, only long enough for the brain to register what it

says. Another amazing piece of work.

 

[MatthewA]

Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein

One of my favorite logos was the United Artists

Transamerica logo with the set of lines reaching up

towards the sky and then expanding outward.


I believe that logo was used in the early 70s.


MGM has completely removed those old logos.


Of course, Warner has been a big offender of

changing old logos to new.

For me, using original logos has always been a big

deal. It immediately takes you back to the era the

film was from. Those logos are a burned-in memory

that one never forgets, and unfortunately, hardly sees

anymore.

I agree with that wholeheartedly. They're part of the film, it makes no one angry to leave them in, why waste time removing them?

 

[David Wilkins]

Originally Posted by JohnMor

I know I'm in the minority here, but aside from the love of them from a historical perspective, I can't really say I care about the logos. I never viewed them as part of the film, except in the rare case where they're customized for a particular piece, such as Cat Ballou. To me, the owner can put whatever they like on there; I'm more interested in the film. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for having them, but I don't care if they're not included. Anymore than if I buy a book, do I care if the original publisher's info and logo is included. Does it really change "To Kill A Mockingbird" if the publisher is now HarperCollins instead of J.B. Lippincott & Co.?

Amen. I wish I could understand why anybody gives a shite, aside from some tiny, perfect-world preference. But that's just me.

 

I guess, to look on the bright side, the first two Harry Potter films will now have 8 logos have that TimeWarner instead of the first two having AOL and the other ones TimeWarner.

 

[Douglas Monce]

I'm sure if Warner Bros had to pay MGM for the use of Leo the Lion they would have scrapped the logo from the films long ago! I suspect that when Ted Turner bought the MGM library from Kirk Kerkorian, it included the right to keep the original logos on the films - having "MGM" films was a status symbol for Turner. Kerkorian retained the right to use the logo but he was only really interested in having it for his hotel.  

 

You're probably right about Warner and MGM, but I wonder if it is the case for other studios that own films that were previously made by other studios. The RKO logo and name are owned by a small production company that obtained the rights in the 80's. Maybe they just allow them to use the logos because its good advertising for their company even now. Doug

 

[Dick]

I'm sure if Warner Bros had to pay MGM for the use of Leo the Lion they would have scrapped the logo from the films long ago! I suspect that when Ted Turner bought the MGM library from Kirk Kerkorian, it included the right to keep the original logos on the films - having "MGM" films was a status symbol for Turner.


And, having mentioned his name, let me submit that the world's worst film logo was that horrible, amateurish Turner Entertainment one which, fortunately, is all but gone from DVDs and Blu-rays.

 

[JohnMor]

Warner doesn't seem to replace any logo but their own as a rule. If they wanted to replace the RKO or MGM logos, they would have by now. I doubt they ever will (or would.) I firmly believe they have some in-house policy regarding their own logos that leads to the constant replacement (short of the one built into the film).

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Originally Posted by MatthewA

I agree with that wholeheartedly. They're part of the film, it makes no one angry to leave them in, why waste time removing them?

I think it may have to do with the lawyers and up-top corporate policy rather than the home video people - I'm sure if you were to ask the people in the home video department about these things, most would probably say they were in favor of preserving the film as it was. If the logo being replaced had the name of a company that's no longer connected to the studio, there can be legal issues about including their name (even if to you and me that seems ridiculous, because, well, it is ridiculous). My educated guess says its 50% not wanting to give credit to an entity that no longer owns the studio or not legally being able to do so, and 50% current ownership wanting their name on everything. If a company were to change hands, the new owner often feels that its their right to have their name on everything that comes out, even if they weren't around when those things were originally made.

 

[Douglas R]

Originally Posted by Dick
And, having mentioned his name, let me submit that the world's worst film logo was that horrible, amateurish Turner Entertainment one which, fortunately, is all but gone from DVDs and Blu-rays.

Agreed! Unfortunately it still lingers on - I saw it recently on one of the Warner Archive DVD titles.

 

[Garysb]

Originally Posted by JohnMor

Warner doesn't seem to replace any logo but their own as a rule. If they wanted to replace the RKO or MGM logos, they would have by now. I doubt they ever will (or would.) I firmly believe they have some in-house policy regarding their own logos that leads to the constant replacement (short of the one built into the film).

Turner Entertainment or Warner Bros actual restored the RKO logo on many films where it had been removed when the films were sold to TV in the 1950's. This includes the title card where RKO presents was removed. Sometimes the title card is just a still and the film jumps to the rest of the credits instead of a fade. Warner also restored the Paramount logo to most the Popeye cartoons it released on DVD.


Its a shame the Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers serials with Buster Crabbe are missing the original Universal logo. Buck Rogers is showing on TCM and the logo is not there.

 

[Cinescott]

I still like the old Columbia Pictures intro from the late 70s/80s.

 

[Garysb]

Q

Originally Posted by Douglas R





I'm sure if Warner Bros had to pay MGM for the use of Leo the Lion they would have scrapped the logo from the films long ago! I suspect that when Ted Turner bought the MGM library from Kirk Kerkorian, it included the right to keep the original logos on the films - having "MGM" films was a status symbol for Turner. Kerkorian retained the right to use the logo but he was only really interested in having it for his hotel.

Actually Ted Turner bought all of MGM/UA and then sold off everything but the MGM/RKO / pre 48 films Warner back to Kerkorian and others, the actual MGM studio was sold to Lorimar.. Since Turner was the owner of everything he probably could negoatiate the use of the logos as part of the sale.

 

[Jon Hertzberg]

Yes, there are a few, rare MGM DVDs that have retained the 70s-era UA logo. Off the top of my head, JEREMY contains the UA Transamerica logo.

As for the Saul Bass-designed Warner Communications logo, on Blu-ray, it is also retained on the DIRTY HARRY films that it originally appeared in front of.

Originally Posted by Dick