Color Systems Technology, Inc.

Credits

Descriptions by
Logophile

Video captures courtesy of
Eric S., Joe Davis, and Bill Schaeffer

Background

CST Entertainment, Inc. (formerly Color Systems Technology, Inc.) was formed in 1983 to convert black-and-white films and television shows into color; among them, the MGM library for Ted Turner's Turner Entertainment Co. For a time, its biggest competitor was Colorization Inc. in Toronto and American Film Technologies in San Diego, which also worked for Turner (CST was based in Marina del Rey, California). In 1986, CST purchased the film and television library from Alan Enterprises; they sold the library on to Broadway Video in 1989 following a crash in the colorization market. A 1994 restructuring led to the creation of four divisions (CST Coloring, CST Color F/X, CST Featurization, and CST Computoons). In 2007, CST merged with Legacy Systems, Inc., a wet-processing company, and is now known as Legacy Holdings, Inc.

1st Logo (November 24, 1985-1991)

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Logo: On a black background, two silver and gray (the colors animate) triangles with black grids protruding towards the screen zoom away and turn around where the bottoms protruding towards the screen face the top and bottom of the screen respectively. Just before they rest, an orange comet flies by the camera and goes into the middle of the triangles and goes around in two loops repetitively, leaving rainbow streaks as it does this. The silver and gray turns into animated rainbow colors inside the triangles and the top and bottom of the background turns blue. Then "COLOR CONVERSION BY" in white zooms away from the lower right and goes to the middle in front of the streaking comet. The logo then flashes and on top "COLOR SYSTEMS" appears and on bottom "TECHNOLOGY Inc." appear. A blue glow flashes in and out of the "COLOR CONVERSION BY". After a second "COLOR CONVERSIONS BY" fades away and the top and bottom words fly towards the screen and the background turns completely black again. The comet goes away and the triangles turn back to their gray and silver colors and turn around and zoom into the screen.

Variants:

• When the comet appears and flies around the middle, the company name flies in to the top and bottoms of their respective places as the top and bottoms of the background turn blue. After a moment, the comet flashes into "PRESENTS" and flashes the blue glow in and out. The logo ends the same as the regular version.
  • There is a similar variation, except the "COLOR SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY Inc." text is replaced with "CST ENTERTAINMENT" (it also distributed some of the films they colorized, a few of them public domain and others acquired from Alan Enterprises). The logo fades out early and does not end in a reverse.

Technique: Early computer animation.

Music/Sounds: A synth tune with jingles and twinkling. A whoosh is heard when the comet flies by. A flashing sound is heard when "COLOR CONVERSION BY" (or "PRESENTS") flashes its glow.

Availability: Extremely rare. Should be seen on tapes of colorized versions of black and white movies from the 1980s. Also appeared with the closing theme of the 1990 TV special Disorder in the Court: A 60th Anniversary Tribute to the Three Stooges as the special showed a colorized version of the Stooges' short Malice in the Palace that was done by the company. Its first known appearance was on the color-converted version of Miracle on 34th Street. Also appears on the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment PAL DVD releases of some Shirley Temple films like Stowaway and Poor Little Rich Girl (and a Movies! airing of the latter before the 20th Television logo).

2nd Logo (1991-1993)

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Logo: On a black background, we see a row of four spinning multicolored rings with white dots in the center of each, pan from the right and position themselves to the center of the screen. As this happens, the orange words "ENTERTAINMENT IMAGING" slide in from the back of the row to the front. Rectangles shoot out towards the screen. Sliding in from above is a orange box with the words "CST" with a roll of film sticking out. The box places itself below the "ENTERTAINMENT IMAGING" text.

Variant: A black and white variant exists. Odd, as this is supposed to be a colorizing company.

Technique: CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: Same as the first logo.

Availability: Ultra rare, bordering on extinct. Appeared on colorized episodes of Peter Gunn, and has been spotted in black and white on a Me-TV rerun of the episode "Wings of an Angel". Also found on their 1992 demo reel.

3rd Logo (1993-1995)

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Logo: On a black background, we see a blue filmstrip zooming out. Then the metallic text "CST" zooms out. Then the word "Entertainment, Inc." fades in on the bottom right.

Variants:

• Sometimes, the text "FEATURIZATION, INC." replaces "Entertainment, Inc.".
• Another version of the Featurization version took place on a red gradient background, with only the CST text zooming out, and the text "FEATURIZATION, INC." fades in on the bottom right.
• An early version of the logo exists where the logo takes place on a shot of the Moon, and the text "Entertainment Imagining, Inc." fades in below the logo.

Technique: Computer animation.

Music/Sounds: None, the end theme of the show, or a NBC generic theme on original airings of Attack of the Killer B Movies.

Availability: Rare. The normal version is seen on Wyatt Earp: Return to Tombstone, which also used the Featurization version. It is also seen on Attack of the Killer 'B' Movies and Young Duke. The earlier version was seen on a colorized VHS of The Longest Day.

4th Logo (1994-1996)

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Logo: On a black background, at the bottom of the screen, we see the text

DIGITAL COLOR
by

CST
ENTERTAINMENT, INC.

with "CST" in a bold, futuristic font.

Variant: Sometimes, a copyright stamp is shown below the logo.

Technique: None

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Appeared on colorized episodes of The Little Rascals, Tubi's print of Sweet Smell of Success, and a Paramount Network UK airing of 10 Seconds to Hell.