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===Background=== |
===Background=== |
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'''King World Productions, Inc.''' was a television company established in 1964 by Charles '''King''' when they gained the distribution rights to the ''Our Gang'' (later re-titled ''The Little Rascals'') shorts. Years later, the company was ran by his children |
'''King World Productions, Inc.''' was a television company established in 1964 by Charles '''King''' when they gained the distribution rights to the ''Our Gang'' (later re-titled ''The Little Rascals'') shorts. Years later, after King's death, the company was ran by his children, Roger, Michael, Robert, Diana, Richard, and Karen King. In 1982, King World joined forces with [[Merv Griffin Enterprises]] to handle all of Griffin's nightly syndicated programming, including a syndicated version of ''Wheel of Fortune'' that premiered on September 19, 1983, acquiring the syndication rights to ''The Merv Griffin Show'' from [[Metromedia Producers Corporation]], and producing two syndicated pilots of ''Jeopardy!'' until the series officially launched on September 10, 1984. King World later formed an ad-sales barter division "[[Camelot Entertainment Sales]]", which would become "King World Media Sales" (and later "CBS Television Distribution Media Sales") in 1997. In 1987, King World and Camelot entered into an ad-sales barter partnership with [[Buena Vista Television]]. In 2000, King World was acquired by CBS and was made part of "[[CBS Enterprises]]" under Viacom, Inc. (now "Paramount Global"). On September 26, 2006, King World merged with [[CBS Paramount Television|CBS Paramount Domestic Television]], [[CBS Paramount International Television]] (later "[[CBS Studios International]]" and "[[ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group]]", now "[[Paramount Global Content Distribution]]"), and [[CBS Home Entertainment]] to form [[CBS Television Distribution]]. Today, King World remains as an in-name-only unit of CBS Television Distribution (now "[[CBS Media Ventures]]") known as "KWP Studios" on ''Rachael Ray'', a unit of CBS Corporation (later "ViacomCBS", now "[[Paramount Global]]"). The name "King World Productions, Inc." is still used on properties such as ''The Little Rascals'' with a co-ownership by CBS Media Ventures. ''Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa'' is now owned by [[WildBrain]], via [[Greengrass Productions]] and [[DIC Entertainment|DiC]]. |
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{{ImageTOC |
{{ImageTOC |
King World Productions, Inc. was a television company established in 1964 by Charles King when they gained the distribution rights to the Our Gang (later re-titled The Little Rascals) shorts. Years later, after King's death, the company was ran by his children, Roger, Michael, Robert, Diana, Richard, and Karen King. In 1982, King World joined forces with Merv Griffin Enterprises to handle all of Griffin's nightly syndicated programming, including a syndicated version of Wheel of Fortune that premiered on September 19, 1983, acquiring the syndication rights to The Merv Griffin Show from Metromedia Producers Corporation, and producing two syndicated pilots of Jeopardy! until the series officially launched on September 10, 1984. King World later formed an ad-sales barter division "Camelot Entertainment Sales", which would become "King World Media Sales" (and later "CBS Television Distribution Media Sales") in 1997. In 1987, King World and Camelot entered into an ad-sales barter partnership with Buena Vista Television. In 2000, King World was acquired by CBS and was made part of "CBS Enterprises" under Viacom, Inc. (now "Paramount Global"). On September 26, 2006, King World merged with CBS Paramount Domestic Television, CBS Paramount International Television (later "CBS Studios International" and "ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group", now "Paramount Global Content Distribution"), and CBS Home Entertainment to form CBS Television Distribution. Today, King World remains as an in-name-only unit of CBS Television Distribution (now "CBS Media Ventures") known as "KWP Studios" on Rachael Ray, a unit of CBS Corporation (later "ViacomCBS", now "Paramount Global"). The name "King World Productions, Inc." is still used on properties such as The Little Rascals with a co-ownership by CBS Media Ventures. Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa is now owned by WildBrain, via Greengrass Productions and DiC.
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1st Logo (1970?-1977) | 2nd Logo (1977-1984) | 3rd Logo (September 10, 1984-1991) | 4th Logo (October 1990-1999) | 5th Logo (1998-2007) | 6th Logo (December 25, 2006-September 2007) |
Visuals: On a black background (or superimposed over the first scene of a short), we see the in-credit text "CHARLES KING Presents", or "A KING-WORLD PRODUCTION" at the end of a short.
Technique: None.
Audio: Silence, or the opening and closing themes of the short.
Availability: It was seen on older TV prints of The Little Rascals.
Visuals: On a black background, we see a grey abstract crown motif zooming in. Then two grey letters, a "K" and a "P", slide towards the crown from the left and right of the screen and connect to it, after which the bottom part of the crown fades out, turning it into a "W", and the text "A KING WORLD PRODUCTIONS Release" fades in.
Variants:
Technique: 2D motion-controlled animation.
Audio: So far, the logo’s only known to have used the ending theme to The Little Rascals.
Availability:
Visuals: Over a violet space background with lots of stars, we see tons of thin light rays in shades of blue and green coming from a source of light in the center, as an azure star comes out from the source of light and flies up and the words "KING" and "WORLD" (in the same color of the star) in Serpentine Bold Italic, slide in from the left and the right, respectively, as the entire logo begins to zoom out. The star moves to the bottom of the "W" in "WORLD", then a set of 3 blue bars start forming below the star and the "W", eventually extending through the length of "KINGWORLD" and being perfectly positioned with the ends as the stars fade out. The logo shines in the end.
Variants:
Wheel of Fortune Variants: There is an superimposed in-credit logo onto the closing.
Technique: Motion-controlled computer animation that was produced by Calico.
Audio: An orchestral fanfare that starts out with an ascending roll-up, then a 4-note tune ending in an orchestral warbling. Sometimes, the end title theme from the show plays over.
Audio Variants: On the closings of Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, and Headline Chasers, this logo is accompanied by a voice-over saying "(and is) distributed by King World" announced by Jack Clark, M.G. "Machine Gun" Kelly, Don Pardo, Charlie O'Donnell, and Johnny Gilbert. On The Merv Griffin Show, Carol Bilger says "Distributed by King World and Camelot Entertainment Sales".
Availability:
Visuals: On a backdrop of vertical bars that resemble a doorway (with four brown bars on both sides of the screen, one red bar inside each of them, and a blue gradient resembling the open "door") we see "KINGWORLD" in silver and in the same font as the previous logo, on the center of the screen, with 2 sets of 3 silver bars that switch sides below. At the same time, a silver triangle rotates as it moves towards the 2 sets of lines and settles between them, with the negative space between the triangle, lines and "W" forming a star. After the space is formed, a white star briefly flashes inside and fades out.
Variants:
Technique: Simple computer animation.
Audio: A 6-note synth fanfare from Robert Douglas, none, or the closing theme of the show. Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa had a shorter version of this theme on season 2 of the show.
Audio Variants: On the closing of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, the logo is accompanied by a voice-over saying "(and is) distributed by King World" announced by Johnny Gilbert and Charlie O'Donnell until November 1996.
Availability:
Visuals: Over a golden cloudy sunset backdrop, the "KINGWORLD" wordmark, which is in a different font this time, scans through the sky. As it pans backward, a shooting star glides by the logo, revealing a paint streak and a star shape in the center. The sun shines from behind the logo, revealing either "DISTRIBUTED BY", "PRODUCED & DISTRIBUTED BY", or nothing at all above the logo.
Trivia: The logo was designed and animated by Pittard Sullivan, who also did the 1995 Buena Vista Television logo, and the 1998 CTV logo. The logo was animated in 1999 by SIMEX (in association with Pittard Sullivan) on an SGI computer running Alias|Wavefront PowerAnimator (read the press release here).
Variants:
Technique: CGI.
Audio: Various streaking sounds followed by a booming sound of a thunderclap, accompanied by an "airy" musical backdrop. Composed by Timothy Crickard.
Audio Variants: There are 3 music variations:
Availability:
Visuals: Over a blue sky, above the clouds, we see the "KINGWORLD" wordmark in the same font as the previous logo, but tilted up and redone in 3-D with a silver trim. It flies outward and settles itself in the center, and a shooting star flies under the text, leaving the same blue paint streak with a star-shaped gap in it from the previous logo. The text "DISTRIBUTED BY" or "PRODUCED & DISTRIBUTED BY", or nothing at all, appear above the wordmark, in a smaller font this time.
Variants:
Technique: CGI.
Audio: An ominous wind sound followed by a "glittery" sound, accompanied by synth beeps with a helicopter-like sound. A long version also exists.
Audio Variant: On Everybody Loves Raymond on TV Land and seasons 23 & early 24 of Jeopardy!, it uses the 1998 logo themes.
Availability:
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