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Columbia Pictures Television
1st Logo
(1974-1976)
Nicknames: "CTP," "The Pretzel," "Three-Note"
Logo: Against a red background, the letters "C-P-T" appear one by one. They are all yellow, and as the picture moves outward, each initial appears on screen. The "T" is in the middle of and on a higher plane than the "C" and "P," which slide upwards diagonally to merge with the "T" to form a stylized logo, which looks like a pretzel. On either side of the logo's stem are the words "COLUMBIA" and "PICTURES," and below that "TELEVISION." Under all that is the message, "A DIVISION OF COLUMBIA PICTURES INDUSTRIES INC."
SFX: The letters appearing, screen backing away, the letters "combining."
Cheesy Factor: Animation that looks about as rough as its predecessor, the S From Hell. The design also looks somewhat rushed, leading many to believe that this may be a placeholder logo.
Music: An abridged version of the Screen Gems '65-'74 theme. The three opening notes bring forth the three initials in the logo, and appear to be played faster than on the SG version.
Availability: Extremely Rare, the only recent sighting of this logo was on an airing of "Police Story" on Black Starz!
Scare Factor: If it was as well known as SG '65-'74, it would probably not be well liked because of the presence of that music.
2nd Logo
(1976-1982)
Nicknames: "The Abstract Torch," "The Sunburst," "The Starburst," "The TorchBurst"
Logo: We see a bright torch light, as if in sunburst, appear against a black screen and as it shrinks, it changes into a more "abstract" torch light: an orange half circle, or a semicircle, with thirteen white rays in the center and the words "Columbia Pictures Television" under it. The entire logo then slowly backs away as it fades out. This logo is actually the second half of the Columbia Pictures movie logo, and aside from a different color for the abstract torch, the footage also seems to be played faster than it is in the movies.
Urban Legend: It is rumored that "A Unit of the Coca-Cola Company" was seen at some point on the Sunburst logo. Many members of CLG have thought they saw the Coca-Cola info at some point, but no video evidence has been found yet. The dates are quite questionable, and Coca-Cola may have used the Sunburst for distribution only. It is said that this was used on What's Happening reruns during the mid 80s and spring 1982 episodes of "The Young and the Restless."
SFX: The sunburst shrinking and turning into the abstract torch. Nice effects, but are even better when combined with the Torch Lady in the movies.
Music: The television theme is a variation of the theatrical inspirational music. Was also written by Susanne Ciani. In an interesting note, some people find it appropriate for the company that would be owned by Coca-Cola, as the effects in the song resemble the sound of pouring and fizzing soda.
Music Variation: Some syndicated showings of this logo have a shorter version of the music, only playing the second half.
Availability: As with other Columbia logos, it will be hard to find because of the editing habits of Sony. However, it still turns up every so often: at least one episode of Witt-Thomas' "Soap" on Comedy Central kept the logo, and local stations may have older prints of programs such as Spelling-Goldberg's "Charlie's Angels" with it intact. It has also been spotted on UK prints of "Fantasy Island," followed by the Columbia TriStar International Television logo.
Scare Factor: Low, this was/is a favorite of many.
3rd Logo
(1982-1992)
Nickname: "80s Torch Lady"
Logo: We see the standard Columbia Pictures logo, the lady holding a light torch on top of a pedestal, in her 1980s incarnation, resembling Da Vinci's Mona Lisa. The words "Columbia Pictures" appear on either side of the torch lady, the word "Television" underneath, and underneath that, either "A Unit of The Coca-Cola Company" (with Coca-Cola in their logo font) or sometimes nothing at all. The woman's torch "shines" after the music ends.
Variations: There are several versions of this logo, namely in bylines, company name, and animation:
Bylines:
SFX: The Lady's torch "shining"
Music: From 1982-1987, a shortened version of the Sunburst music was used. In late 1987, when the byline changed from Coca-Cola to CPE, the music was changed to a 6-note horn-driven jingle. Also consider that Columbia's logo editing habits were so sloppy during this era that sometimes this logo was plastered over with the original logo's music still intact.
Availability: The Sony logo has plastered itself to all old Columbia logos, but it just might pop up on some older prints of shows. However, this could be easier to find. When USA reran "My Two Dads" recently, this logo was intact on most episodes. Comedy Central's print of the movie "Hairspray" used the 7th variation listed in the opening (w/the 1987 jingle).
Scare Factor: It depended on the music used:
4th Logo
(1992-1999)
Nickname: "'90s Torch Lady"
Logo: We see a static picture of the standard Columbia Pictures logo, a woman (Columbia, a representation of the USA, also rumored to be resembling actress Annette Benning) holding a light torch on top of a pedestal, giving more detail to the drawing. The word "Columbia" appears in large, silver letters behind her at the very top, similar to the classic Columbia Pictures logo of the 1930s-1970s. Underneath the woman are the words "Columbia Pictures Television," and underneath that, the words "A Sony Pictures Entertainment Company."
Byline: For TV distribution, the text above appears, "COLUMBIA PICTURES TELEVISION DISTRIBUTION"
The "Making Of" the 90s Torch Lady: The logo's most recent overhaul was undertaken during this era when Sony Pictures Entertainment (which bought Columbia in 1989) commissioned illustrator Michael J. Deas to redesign the lady and return her to her "classic" look. The result, based on Deas' sessions with Mandeville, Louisiana homemaker Jenny Joseph who posed for him with a makeshift robe and torch, was a taller, slimmer Columbia Torch Lady with lighter, curlier hair and a dimmer torch. Rather than use Joseph's face however, Deas constructed a composite face made up of several computer-generated features.
SFX: None, its a still logo
Music: From 1992-1993, the 1988 music for logo 3 was used. Starting in 1993, a 6-note majestic tune is heard; full of brass instruments.
Availability: This was used by itself on "Days of Our Lives", even during the Columbia Tristar era, but the Sony logo is now used in other current shows and reruns. Can be seen occasionally on older prints on Columbia reruns like "Designing Women" on Lifetime. But chances are you'll see the Columbia TriStar or Sony logo.
Scare Factor: None, It's a very unpopular logo, but there's nothing scary about it.
Colex
Enterprises
(1980s)
Background: Colex was a partnership between COLumbia Pictures Television and LEXington Broadcast Services Company to distribute classic Screen Gems/Columbia shows
Logo: On a blue background two sets of three red lines come from either side and merge into one set of three. A blue "Colex" written in cursive drops down onto the lines and at the bottom a four-pointed star passes, leaving behind the word "ENTERPRISES."
SFX/Cheesy Factor: Logo seems to be totally made of '80s computer effects. The star has a "shadow" effect.
Music: A oversynthesized 9-note tune, two pairs of four
ascending notes (second higher than the last) ends with one last high
note and a "ping" when the star finishes writing out "Enterprises."
Sounds like MIDI music, or something out of an 8-bit Nintendo
Entertainment System game.
Availability: Is extinct as it would most likely be
replaced by other syndicators or later Columbia logos. However, on
Encore's Mystery Channel's print of "The Canterville Ghost" (80s)
this was retained, even after the '92 Columbia logo! It was also
recently found on a repeat of "Father Knows Best" on TV Land.
Scare Factor: Non-fans of oversynthesized jingles (like
the people who dislike the Screen Gems logo of 1965-74) may not like
this much.
Coca-Cola
Telecommunications
(1987-1988)
Logo: On a black background is a red box with the
Coca-Cola "wave" in it outlined in black (the space under it is
decorated with horizontal black lines). Under that is:
Coca-Cola (in the Coca-Cola
font)
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
_____________________
A UNIT OF Coca-Cola (again in the font) TELEVISION
Exclusive Distributor
The "Exclusive Distributor" line is not exclusive at all, there has
been a version seen without it.
SFX: None
Music: A light, synthesized 6-note tune.
Availability: Seen on Punky Brewster and Dinosaucers,
among other shows. However, since Columbia reportedly put their '80s
Torch Lady at the end of Punky reruns when they were more common, it
would stand to reason that this logo would be replaced today by the
Boxes of Boredom.
Scare Factor: Low
Columbia TriStar Television
1st Logo
(1994-1996)
Nickname: "Early Boxes of Boredom"
Logo: On a blue background, we see two boxes-- the left one contains the Columbia Torch Lady (90s version), and the left contains the TriStar Pegasus (again, 90s version over Columbia cloud BG). Above the logo, "COLUMBIA TRISTAR" is seen, with the words positioned over their respective logos, and on the bottom is the word "TELEVISION" and the standard Sony Pictures Entertainment byline.
In A Hurry?: This is basically Columbia TriStar's home video logo, but "HOME VIDEO" is edited out to put "TELEVISION" in, and a Sony disclaimer is added.
SFX: No animation used for this logo.
Music: The infamous CPT '93 theme.
Availability: Actually quite rare-- appeared on GSN up until their infamous "Dark Period", then was replaced with the current logo. Also could have been spotted on Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, and some network shows. Generally during this time, however, whatever logos the shows were always using were used; C-Tmania did not start until 1997.
Scare Factor: Not scary at all.
2nd Logo
(1996-2002)
Nicknames: "The Sliding Boxes," "C-T," "That Friggin' C-T Logo," "(I Hate) the C-T Logo" and "The Boxes of Boredom"
Logo: We start out with a background of clouds, and a blank square is shown. The square divides into 2 where the current Columbia Torch Lady appears in the left square and the TriStar Pegasus in the right. The words "COLUMBIA TRISTAR" appear above the boxes and "TELEVISION" or "TELEVISION DISTRIBUTION" on the bottom with "a SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT company" below everything else.
Variations:
SFX: The box spliting
Music: Usually the same music as Columbia logo #4. However, on some TriStar produced shows (especially "Mad About You" and "Early Edition") the ending of the original TriStar movie theme or even TriStar's 1992-1999 television theme was played.
Music Variation: Sometimes a shorter version of the jingle is used, only about the second half the standard version. This version of the music sounds like a reorchestration and not a truncation of the regular logo. This is mostly seen on the "TELEVISION DISTRIBUTION" variation of the logo.
Availability: Starting to become more uncommon than in years past. With this outfit being changed to the Sony name, it will no longer appear on new prints of classic Sony-owned shows or those in production. However, this logo is still not hard to spot, although it's mainly on near-recent prints of shows reran on cable, like "All In The Family" on Nick At Nite or "The Critic" on Comedy Central, to name a few. But this logo should gradually disappear from view.
Scare Factor: None, you'll only be annoyed about how many times you've seen this logo.
Sony Pictures
Television
(2002-)
Nickname: "The Shining Bars"
What Is This?: In late 2002, Sony Pictures Entertainment decided to retire the Columbia name and logo from its television division-- renaming it Sony Pictures Television. For the first time since 1975, the Torch Lady or anything resembling Columbia's symbol is nowhere to be seen; instead, the corporate logo for Sony Pictures Entertainment was introduced to television viewers for the first time. It is widely expected that the Sony Pictures logo will spread to Movies and Home Entertainment in the next few years, retiring the Lady for good. Let's see how it turns out.
Logo: Against a lined background, the words "SONY PICTURES TELEVISION" (all in the Sony "font" and stacked word by word with "SONY" being largest) emerge and downwardly zoom away from the screen. The three words aren't directly stacked at first, but as the animation progresses, they slide into place. A horizontal line is drawn below 'PICTURES' and above 'TELEVISION'. While this happens, a flash of light appears on the left side of the screen, and the lines in the background themselves back away as well, eventually moving back to the upper part of the screen and into a diagonal pattern to form the logo. The flash dissipates and we see an oblong orange-white glare surrounding the logo and words, which shrinks into the bars to give it a shine. The finished logo appears against a shaded blue background.
Variation: There are two distinct versions of this logo, a short version and a long version. Both are generally the same, except the longer version features an extreme close-up of the ?stacked? letters at the beginning of the animation, and a longer shot of the finished logo. A very short version of the logo has been seen where the animation starts from where the third-to-last note of the theme plays.
SFX: Words flying down, bars zooming back and "tilting," the white flash and glare shrinking into the bars. Nice CGI effects.
Music: A majestic, five-note theme that is fully orchestrated and sounds sort of like a combination between the TriStar Television theme of 1993 and the Universal Television theme of 1975-1991. The long version has a ?twittering? noise before the main fanfare, and the last note is held much longer, but both versions have essentially the same music. A very short version of the theme, where only the last three notes are played, has also been heard.
Availability: Is quickly becoming more and more common. The short one is seen on most shows, the longer version shows up on some first-run syndication shows, and still another version-- with the Boxes of Boredom music-- shows up from time to time, but is considered very rare. Unlike its hated predecessor, this is not being used for logo plastering in many cases; on older shows, it follows the original logo!
Scare Factor: Not scary, and is generally a very nice logo. So far, it has avoided the disdain of its predecessor, chiefly because of the better animation and because this actually signals logo preservation of Sony logos.
Sony Pictures
Television International
(2002-)
Nickname: "Swirling Bars," "The Sony Cylinder"
Background: Shortly after the new Sony Pictures Television logo was finally released domestically in the U.S., a slightly similar but very different presentation was unleashed strictly for the international market until the very late part of 2003, in which, unlike the beautiful Columbia TriStar Television International logo, the Sony Pictures Television International made its dramatic debut to American television on the cable release of "Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights".
Logo: Against a dark "misty-looking" navy-blue background slightly lit in the center by a hidden spotlight from below, a snake-like diagonal pattern cylinder of lines coils away from us around words "SONY PICTURES TELEVISION INTERNATIONAL" fading in immediately and zooming toward us (all in the Sony "font", stacked word by word, "SONY" being largest and gradually decreasing in point size due to word length; there is a line in between the words "PICTURES" and "TELEVISION). The cylinder contours into its upward Sony Bars position and the remaining trail of lines fade as the Bars and the words lock into place. Shortly afterwards, the spotlight brightens the background more. The presentation exits cold.
Note: Unlike the Sony Pictures Television logo, the resulting slanted International logo doesn't shine as bright.
SFX: The cylinder of lines flying in a circle, the words zooming out. Beautiful CGI effects, surpassing the creativity and imagination of the SPT presentation.
Music: An ascending, zoom-like synthesizer effect, which opens abruptly and accentuates the cylinder's movement until it's locked into position, and holds until a second after the screen suddenly turns to black, concluding the logo.
Availability: Common, but only available on movies aired on premium movie cable networks. Can be found on approximately half of all post-1980s period Sony-related movies; scarce on pre-1980 Columbia releases, as they have still yet to be plastered; extremely rare on pre-1993 TriStar releases, but never found on those co-produced by HBO, one of the original founding entities of TriStar.
Scare Factor: None/Low - This is perhaps the best logo presentation Sony Pictures has devised in their generic name transition (and well-expected of the kind of presentation featured outside of America). However, considering the abrupt sound effect music, it may bother only a chosen few, particularly those who are not looking at the screen at the time the music begins?even more so with the volume on high.
