Video compilation of television logo signoffs
Mark says: "It's a collection of retro television logos, mainly from the 70's and 80's. Includes a bevy of PBS and other Public Television flashbacks that are certain to make anyone that grew up during that period think that they were kids again. Plus, the heavy synthesizer produced tunes with that crazy animation simply rocks!" (Via OK Future)
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latest episodes
Until this moment, I didn't quite realize how much of my childhood was spent/waisted in front of the television. Darn, I nearly teared up when Stephen J Cannell pulled the piece of paper from the typewriter! (on a side note, some one once told me that his type writer from this clip is now in the Smithsonian. Truth, or urban legend? I've never taken the time to find out for myself.)
~Longboxes
Welcome to the Altered State of Drugachusetts! I always got excited as a wee lad at the "special presentation" graphic; at least it meant I didn't have to sit through two hours of Falcon Crest or something.
That first logo isn't retro, it was designed by the contemporary motion design firm MK12 as a spoof
Ahhhh, Paramount.
Funny coincidence, I just posted my favorite test patterns. Damn you 24 hour television.
What? Where's the MTM Productions kitten? Where's "Goodnight, Mr. Walters." "grumble."
Did the Children's Television Workshop (CTW) theme remind anyone else of Golbin's soundtrack to Dawn of the Dead?
For the accreditation-minded this great vid was assembled by Jeff Crouse, currently a fellow at Eyebeam: http://www.jeffcrouse.info/
why do designers like tiny type with large line spacing? grow up (literally) it's meant to be read not admired from afar.
BennyB
Boulder, CO
Funny how CBS, then the network for old people, has the coolest logo and music in their CBS Special Presentation.
"CBS Special Presentation" will forever mean "Charlie Brown Special". I didn't realize just how strong that association was until now.
> "CBS Special Presentation" will forever mean "Charlie Brown Special".
Indeed. And WGBH always means Nova. :)
Oh God... that first LBS signoff triggered serious nostalgia from my Saturday morning cartoon-watching days. That and the DiC one.
Just think: in 2025, all the young dudes and dudettes will be reminiscing about "...stupid monkey!" from Robot Chicken, or at least the metal clanging on the Williams Street outro.
Man, that ITC one with the trumpets just screams "Muppet Show" to me. Also, I had the CBS Special music as a ringtone for a while, and almost always got Charlie Brown-related comments from strangers on it.
The MK12 logo that starts this clip off is from a kick ass design firm in Kansas City. It's worth watching their film Man of Action: The Terrible Cosmic Death.
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URL/URL:
http://www.jeffcrouse.info/
Whats up with that?
yes the omission of "Goodnight Mr. Walters" (grumblegrumble) is unforgivable here - fantastic montage tho... also missing Avco, NBC peacock, "This has been a Filmways presentation dahling"... etc
"CBS Special Presentation" will forever mean "Charlie Brown Special". I didn't realize just how strong that association was until now."
"Indeed. And WGBH always means Nova. :)"
Oh man, I'm in the same boat as you two.
A bunch of the Saturday Movie ones with the "7" I think are for the Detroit ABC affiliate WXYZ.
I sure remember those promos from when I was a kid, and the 7 is their logo (although I've seen other channel 7's use the 7 in a circle too).
Ah, I should have known they'd sneak a Screen Gems 'S from Hell' in there. I am still terrified of that thing.
I'm not alone. See link:
http://www.milanofamily.org/scrngems/scrngems.htm
Man, one of the more pleasant memories of the '80s, all that proto computer animation and synth for little things like that. The CBS Special Presentation one is a classic beyond classics.
Here's one that should be familliar to those from Toronto:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=_kREsS3aEa0
I ran a post not to long ago covering a lot of the independent and b-movie video production and distribution company idents from the late 70s and early-mid 80s. Sure to take many of you back in time:
http://bitter_defeat.blogspot.com/2007/05/nostalgia-files-vhs-b-movie-company.htm
God bless you, YouTube!
Search on "Eric Siday" and "Identitones" if you want to learn more about the history of that evil synth tune on the Screen Gems logo. He did a TON of this type of work in the late 60s early 70s and you'd recognize a lot of them.
More 70's scanimate goodness:
Dolphin Productions demo reel 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPaxf483fXs
Enjoy!
Speaking of Scanimate (the method by which a lot of those logos were animated back in the day), check out this guy's website:
http://scanimate.zfx.com/
Great piece of not only animation history, but computing history as well.
> Indeed. And WGBH always means Nova. :)
No, it means ZOOM!
...The most glaring omission in this compilation is, of course, any one of the first three NBC "Peacock" opens, as well as either the "Camera" or "Snake" NBC closings.