Joe Hamilton Productions

Background

This is Joe Hamilton's vanity card.

Logo (October 25, 1978-November 26, 2001)

Visuals: On a black background, there is a red "J". Then, a short, red line comes out of the middle of the "J" from the right, and then a vertical line appears with the end of the "short line" as the midpoint, forming an "H". A red "P" then forms on the "H" with only the "hump" of the "P" being drawn out. Then, "A JOE HAMILTON PRODUCTION" appears below.

Variant: On Carol Burnett: Show Stoppers, the logo is still and now in 3D, with the "JHP" having a reflective texture and a silver outline and the text now reading "JOE HAMILTON PRODUCTIONS INC.", all now in Times New Roman.

Technique: 2D computer animation.

Audio: An uplifting brass/woodwind fanfare.

Audio Variants:

On The Tenth Month, a more dramatic version of the theme above is heard, with a Moog synth accompaniment.
On the NBC run of Mama's Family, the theme is rearranged to feature a small trumpet ensemble. This was replaced on syndicated reruns of the show with the variant below.
On the syndicated run of Mama's Family, there is the final notes of the closing theme, which happen to sync up with the letters appearing in the logo.
Carol Burnett: Show Stoppers has the end theme of the special with an announcer saying "This has been a Joe Hamilton production."

Availability: Seen at the end of Mama's Family. In the show's original network run on NBC (1983-84), the availability of the logo varied, especially throughout the second season where some episodes featured the logo, and others did not. Beginning with its third season, which premiered in first-run syndication in 1986, the logo appeared at the end of all episodes. Upon the entry of the original network episodes in syndication at the same time, new closing credit sequences were created to replace the original credits and to match the new syndicated episodes which featured a different house exterior than on the network run. These episodes are the ones presently seen in broadcast syndication and on the Warner Home Video DVD release of the first season, which uses those syndicated versions. In 2013, Time/Life and StarVista Entertainment reissued the first season along with the rest of the series on DVD. The new releases restore the original closing credit sequences on the NBC episodes. The early variants with the theme was spotted in the TV movies The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank and The Tenth Month.