Colex Enterprises

Credits

Descriptions by
Jason Jones, James Fabiano, Jeffrey Gray, Matt Williams, Ryan Mead and Michael Bode

Captures by
Eric S. and V of Doom

Editions by
V of Doom and CrazySpruiker2001

Video captures courtesy of
mcydodge919

Background

Colex Enterprises was formed on January 30, 1984 as a joint venture between Columbia Pictures Television (now "Sony Pictures Television") and Lexington Broadcast Services (later known as "LBS Communications", now "Fremantle") to distribute classic Screen Gems/CPT shows and TV movies. All distribution went through LBS. When Coca-Cola Telecommunications was created on November 24, 1986, CCT represented Colex and took distribution of the Screen Gems programs distributed by Colex, thus closing the company. CCT closed its doors on December 31, 1987, ten days after the establishment of Columbia Pictures Entertainment (now "Sony Pictures Entertainment"), and most of the library was later transferred into the reorganized Columbia Pictures Television Distribution. Currently, the name is part of Sony Pictures Television.

(1984-1986)

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Nicknames: "Colex Game Music", "Merging Bars", "Star Writer"

Logo: On a blue background, two sets of three red lines come from either side and merge into one set of three. "Colex" written in a cursive font based on the Coca-Cola logo in a white and blue gradient color, drops down onto the lines and at the bottom, a four-pointed star passes, leaving the word "ENTERPRISES" in white. You can also see the shadow of the logo's formation and the finished product on the background's "floor".

Variant: A B&W variant of this logo was used on prints of classic SG shows in said colors.

FX/SFX: The red lines merging, "Colex" dropping down, and the star.

Music/Sounds: An over-synthesized 9-note tune: two pairs of four ascending notes (the second pair is higher than the first) ending with one last high note and a "ping" when the star finishes writing out "Enterprises". Appears to have been composed with the "Celesta" preset on a Casio MT-40 keyboard.

Availability: Uncommon, bordering on rare.

• Currently seen on several episodes of Father Knows Best and occasionally on other shows on Antenna TV, such as The Burns and Allen Show, Hazel, and The Monkees, with the former also appearing on Hulu. It previously appeared on Dennis the Menace as well, but Antenna TV's prints have it plastered with SPT.
• On a print of The Canterville Ghost (1986) last seen on Encore Mystery (now Starz Encore Suspense), this was retained, even after the '92 Columbia logo (and more recently, the SPTI "Cylinder" logo). This is however not intact on the film's DVD release from Sony Pictures' Choice Collection.
• What's Happening Now!! also had this logo, but replaced it with the 1989 LBS logo and the Sony Pictures Television logo, but some local reruns of a few S1 episodes had this logo plastered with the 1982 CPT Torch Lady.
• This is also seen on a handful of Hardcastle and McCormick episodes as well, which was last seen on getTV.
• Surprisingly, this logo recently appeared twice (before and after the 1966 NBC Productions logo) after The Monkees episode "Son of a Gypsy" when it aired on Antenna TV. This was also seen on an episode of The Monkees on IFC (followed by the 1996 CTTD and 2014 Sony/SPT logos).
• This has also appeared on '80s syndicated airings of films owned by Hope Enterprises like Road to Rio; it might also appear on VHS prints of Hope Enterprises films, but don't expect to see this on the DVDs.
• Additionally, this logo (strangely, the color version) appears on some episodes of The Donna Reed Show on Me-TV.
• This was seen after the SPT logo on a print of the TV movie Miracle of the Heart: A Boys' Town Story as seen on Gospel Music Channel (now UP).
• An Amazon Prime print of Three Wishes for Jamie had this intact as well.

Editor's Note: It's a pretty obvious product of the '80s, but a charming one nonetheless that's a favorite of many.