And there's the case with "Dennis The Menace" when Sony rudely inserted the Sony Pictures Television logo which cuts off slightly "This is a Screen Gems production, a division of Columbia Pictures" (though the lady with the torch is intact).
The "BEWITCHED on DVD" thread has raised the issue of that indelible old Screen Gems logo after the end credits. I was surprised at how much it meant to some of us.
For me, it's a huge part of watching the program. When I grew up watching Jeannie, the Screen Gems logo was something that I really enjoyed and associated with the program. We always watched the end credits to the very finish. When Sony put out the DVDs, I was unhappy with the Sonly logo in place of SG. When I got my hands on some copies of episodes from 16mm film, I was thrilled to see the SG logo at the end again. It immediately took me back to those more carefree times. When I read the Mill Creek Jeannie's had the SG logo reinstated, I rushed rightout and bought the set. It makes all the difference. I don't care that the Sony logo is after the SG logo (Screen Gems is part of Sony anyway, which is probably why they were okay with putting it back), just as long as the so-called "S From Hell" is back where it belongs.
Having the 1960's 20th Century Fox logo at the end of Lost in Space again is exactly the same. On my Columbia House VHS copy of the Star Trek episode "The Omega Glory," they have the 1968 Paramount logo with Desilu music. It's the ONLY time that logo was included on any home video release of any episode (although I believe it may have been on some Sci-Fi Channel airings). I was thrilled to see it. It's only on the second season episodes in 1968.
In the third season, it changed to the Paramount logo seen on the VHS releases.
End credit studio logos are a part of the experience for me. They bring back so many good memories associated with each series, movie or special. Christmastime as a kid meant Rankin-Bass specials and their logos make me EXTREMELY sentimental.
Hell, I wish my Space:1999 episodes still had the original ITC logo on the DVDs and blu-rays...
Nowadays, when you can't even read the end credits, there are no opening themes and logo's are just quick snips, it's hard to appreciate these things if you didn't grow up with them. But for me, I miss elaborate opening credits, "brought to you by" bumpers with musical themes, long end credits and production logs with music and/or animation. When I see a classic show on DVD, I always hope to see those network and production company bits restored. Some have. Most don't. Here are some I pulled off of 16mm copies of a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea episode and put on my You Tube channel:
I'm always shocked how Star Trek, one of the most popular TV series in history, has not had a "network night of broadcast" style release on any medium. It deserves The Twilight Zone treatment.
Zap, ol' buddy, thanks for starting this thread.
Ah yes...the I.T.C. logo. I love that brassy opening composed by Jack Parnell (which was also used without the spinning logo at the beginning of "This Is Tom Jones") which I prefer over that cheesy synth that's on the D.V.D.s. I remember the spinning logo in space background on the "Thunderbirds" episodes too.
What's ironic for me is that, as much as I might enjoy seeing vintage logo's...
...I hate it when a current-day movie is starting, and you keep waiting for that first scene, but there are eight vanity logos to sit through. The worst is when you think the film is starting, but nope, that's another frickin vanity logo.
Jeez, there are an endless series of Logos at the start of Star Trek Beyond. Whatever happened to just the studio distributing it and the rest spelled out in the credits somewhere?
I wonder what was the first film to have more than one musical/animated logo at the beginning?
This can't be the first, but I remember being a little stunned to see TITANIC open with both Fox and Paramount logos. That was 1997.
Of course, that's a far cry from the situation nowadays, when every other actor has their own production company, and getting their vanity logo on the film is (I suspect) just part of the actor's compensation package. I'll bet that's where the current-day logo clutter is coming from.
What's ironic for me is that, as much as I might enjoy seeing vintage logo's...
...I hate it when a current-day movie is starting, and you keep waiting for that first scene, but there are eight vanity logos to sit through. The worst is when you think the film is starting, but nope, that's another frickin vanity logo.
As much as I hate Family Guy...
I once timed out how long it took for the vanity logos to end and the actual MOVIE to begin while watching the Blu-Ray of a recent movie, and it was like EIGHTY-FIVE SECONDS. And then, I had to read the names of the production studios AGAIN printed out on the screen before the actual title came up! "Paramount presents, a Studio Ghibli / Anapurna / Section 8 / Ratpac / Ghost House production..."
I wonder what was the first film to have more than one musical/animated logo at the beginning?
I don't know about specific films, but I'm going to go out on a limb and guess this way:
First dual animated logo instance at beginning of films: WB handling any First Artists release (UP THE SANDBOX, UPTOWN SATURDAY NIGHT)
First dual *musical* animated logo instance at beginning of films: Fox handling any Sherwood Properties production (MR. MOM, BLAME IT ON RIO)
After those initial instances, then you begin to see the practice more commonplace, particularly with the rise of mini-majors like Morgan Creek, Gladden, Simpson/Bruckheimer, etc.
First triple animated logo instance: I am guessing ARMAGEDDON, which was Touchstone, then Bruckheimer, then Valhalla (which was I think Gale Anne Hurd's short-lived company)
What's ironic for me is that, as much as I might enjoy seeing vintage logo's...
...I hate it when a current-day movie is starting, and you keep waiting for that first scene, but there are eight vanity logos to sit through. The worst is when you think the film is starting, but nope, that's another frickin vanity logo.
This is one of my favorites. It opens "The Secret of NIMH" and I could've sworn it was made for that film. It transitions perfectly into Goldsmith's opening score.
A lot of the Disney films were released through RKO, up until the mid-50's. Disney created the RKO introductory logo themselves, with different artwork. After Disney started releasing through his own company, Buena Vista, however, all those RKO logos were removed, to be replaced, sometimes with the accompanying original background music, and sometimes not. (I can vaguely remember the Disney RKO logo with music for the original release of PETER PAN in 1953.) Now, for many of the video releases, the RKO logos have been restored. (Even though many of the films themselves have been edited, removing race-or-behavior sensitive elements.) At least, we got something restored to what it was.
So many films are now not owned by the studio that made them, I have some United Artists films on Blu-ray that start off with the 20th Century Fox logo, followed by the MGM logo, followed by the United Artists logo. I read a (very positive) review on the new Universal restoration of One-Eyed Jacks, & it seems the opening Paramount logo has been replaced by the Universal logo.
It's possible the ONE EYED JACKS Paramount logo might have been replaced with the Universal logo so that the entire public domain film could be re-copyrighted (as a major creative change) and thus "rebuild" the copyright period of this public domain film for many, many more years.
When the old 28+28=56 years copyright laws were winding down in the '70s, soon to be replaced with much stronger copyright laws, one of the key elements in the new laws indirectly allowed that a near public domain film could be extended if some sort of "approved" change was made to the film. (Though the re-newed copyright would only apply to the "changed" negative.)
There are a number of "gimmicks" studios have used to enable this copyright extension on old films including very slight editing or shot replacement. "Colorization" is another perfect example, as the colorized versions of films were cleared for re-copyrighting.
One wonders, legally, which version of RAINTREE COUNTY is the copyrighted one---the roadshow version, or the general release version with some scenes cut. And, FANTASIA (or some of the other Disney films with some scenes or shots changed). Or GONE WITH THE WIND, with the orchestral overture (first introduced into the 70mm version) in the late 60s.
Some companies are claiming new copyrights on video transfers and restorations of the same old film under these "creative" issues.
I'm sure we'll find out what the studios' legal departments will argue when many more old films come to the end of their original (and theoretically non-renewable) copyright periods in the coming years.
One of the interesting changes I've come across (not for copyright reasons) is in David O. Selznick's 1940 production of REBECCA. Selznick reissued the film nationally in 1956 through 20th Century-Fox, and while it didn't have a new Fox logo, it DID have a new Selznick logo. The film was originally part of Selznick's company relationship with the Whitney family, and so the trademark (the familiar hanging sign in front of the RKO Pathe studio in Culver City) bore the "SELZNICK-INTERNATIONAL" monicker. In the later dissolution of Selznick-International, DOS adopted "THE SELZNICK STUDIO" name and applied that to his releases (and re-releases). THE 1956 REBECCA has this "SELZNICK STUDIO" trademark. It also has all-new title cards (opticalled over the original title backgrounds) and a new, very different type-face for the "Rebecca" title card tied in to the newly developed ad campaign. And all of these title cards have been re-set for 1.85:1 widescreen so nothing will be cut off. (Incidentally, you can see both versions of REBECCA today via the Criterion and MGM/UA video versions as I recall.)
(The NOTORIOUS RKO logo and credit line were changed to "The Selznick Studio" when that film reverted back to Selznick and was also reissued in the 1950s. Selznick was a busy man, but at least he attempted to personally bring his productions into the modern era.)
MGM tinkered with a few of their early sound films when they reissued them in the 1940s. One of these was, I believe, RED DUST, where its trademark was the newer late '30s version (without the offensive "hair-in-the-camera-aperture-plate") and a more modernized title unit. I also have the suspicion that the sparse music track of the original release was supplemented with a newer stocked-music mix for the 1940s release. What else was done to these pre-code films for reissue? Some simply had butchered edits but some were likely "finessed" and we don't actually know what was in them originally because the original elements were long-ago destroyed along with prints. Fortunately some, like DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE and KING KONG, have been put back.