MGM Home Entertainment (Copyright Bumpers)

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum


1st Bumper (October 1980-October 17?, 1989; 1991; 1992; 1994)

Visuals: On a black background, there is a copyright notice for the preceding feature.

Variants:

  • On the 1980 UK pre-cert VHS release of Fame, the text is in a Clarendon Bold font.
  • On some later releases, the text became bolder.
  • On The Horse That Played Centerfield and The Greatest Fights of the 70's, licensing information is mentioned.
  • On Carny, Buddy, Buddy, My Favorite Year, Strike Up the Band, and Yolanda and the Thief, the copyright is in the middle of the screen.
  • On Jailhouse Rock, Kismet, Electric Dreams, and The Sunshine Boys, the text is italicized.
  • On the 1982 MGM First Run Theater VHS release of Rich and Famous, the end credits crossfade to the copyright.
  • On the 1983 VHS release of 10 to Midnight, the text is in a narrower font and all caps.
  • On the 1984 VHS release of A Christmas Story, the movie title isn't underlined.
  • On Tarzan, the Ape Man (1932), Ziegfeld Follies and The Naked Face, the text is centered.
  • On Anchors Aweigh, Hero at Large, Invasion U.S.A., Summer Stock, Shadow of the Thin Man, and The Shoes of the Fisherman, the text is in all-caps and in a computerized font. In some cases, the title also isn't underlined.
  • On the 1987 VHS release of The Philadelphia Story, the text cuts in and out.
  • On the 1988 VHS release of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the text is italicized and the title isn't underlined.
  • On both Tom & Jerry and The Pink Panther UK and U.S. VHS releases, Bugs & Daffy: The Wartime Cartoons and the 1986 UK VHS release of Bugs Bunny: Hold the Lion, Please, respectively, among many others, since each individual cartoon has its own copyright date, all of the text scrolls up to show all of them. It also contains a copyright renewal year for the cartoons.
  • Two different arrangements of the Westworld copyright exist.

Technique: A still, computerized graphic.

Audio: None usually.

Audio Variants:

  • On The Goodbye Girl and Rich and Famous, the closing music finishes over it.
  • On the 1981 release (and its reissues) of A Musical Adventure: Raggedy-Ann and Andy, the instrumental of one of the original songs finishes over it.

Availability:

  • This can be seen at the end of all MGM/CBS releases as well as on MGM/UA releases before the "scrolling rainbow" logo was introduced (except for Fatal Beauty, which only shows a Partnership for a Drug-Free America PSA and the MGM/UA logo after the movie).
  • The copyright for Cruising is also intact on its 1984 CBS/Fox reissue, just before the closing FBI warning.
  • The copyright for A Musical Adventure: Raggedy-Ann and Andy is also preserved on its Playhouse Video/FoxVideo reissues, along with the following CBS Video logo.

2nd Bumper (February 3, 1998-August 23, 2005; January 31, 2006; November 7-December 12, 2006)

Visuals: On a specific background customized for the movie, this text is seen:

[NAME OF MOVIE] (C) [YEAR] [STUDIO OF PRODUCTION]. All rights reserved.
Design (C) [YEAR] MGM Home Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved.

Variants:

  • In some cases, the name of the movie isn't mentioned on the first copyright line, as its logo is instead shown.
  • From 1998-99, "& Content" was added after "Design." Titles with this version include The Pebble and the Penguin, the first release of A Bridge Too Far, Run Silent, Run Deep, The Mod Squad, and Last Tango in Paris.
    • At First Sight also features this wording, except with the "&" changed to an "and."
  • Starting in 2000, "Menu" was added to "Design & Content."
    • Rollerball (2002) also features this wording, except like with At First Sight, "and" replaces "&."
  • On Red Dawn (1984), Rollerball (1975), WarGames, and Annie Hall, an additional copyright is mentioned for the terms "Academy Award" and "Oscar."
  • On the James Bond films, an additional copyright is mentioned for the 007 "gun" logo.
  • On The Great Escape and Red Corner, an additional copyright is mentioned for Dolby Digital.
  • On This is Spinal Tap, an additional copyright is mentioned for the group's logo.
  • On The Thomas Crown Affair (1999), "LEGAL" is shown above the copyright.
  • On When Harry Met Sally..., "legal" is seen at the top, there's no movie title, and "Menu Design & Content" has the ampersand just after "Menu."
  • On The Care Bears Movie, a "The" appears before "Menu Design & Content." On the European release, the screen looks different and says "Non-Character" at the beginning.
  • On Kill Me Again, the title and year are separated from the remainder of the copyright text.
  • On Time Kid and Groove Squad, an "and" appears between the title and copyright symbol. In addition, on the former title, only "Menu Design" is shown, and the full "Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment" name is used.
  • On RoboCop 2, no year is mentioned.
  • On Pumpkin, "Content" is in lowercase.

Technique: A still, digital graphic.

Audio: None usually, but on Bubba Ho-Tep, Elvis Presley (Bruce Campbell) says over the screen "Listen here, why don't you rewind, be kind? That's right, I guess you don't have to do that with a DVD no more."

Availability:

  • These can be seen at the end of most MGM DVD releases prior to Sony Pictures Home Entertainment taking control of the studio, right before the warning screen (and on DVD releases with either the 1998 or 2002 online bumpers, in-between it and the warning; though some 1998 releases, such as Leaving Las Vegas, Rollerball, and The Great Escape, have it before the online bumper), as well as The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection: Volumes 1-3 and the James Bond Ultimate Editions, which were released after MGM had respectively been acquired by Sony and Fox.
  • Examples of these copyright screens can be seen in the above image gallery.
  • Some early discs, such as the first release of A Christmas Story, do not have a copyright screen at all.
  • Surprisingly, the copyright screen for UHF is also retained on its 2015 Shout! Factory DVD reissue, which is actually a modified reprint of the original 2002 release.
  • The copyright for Mademoiselle also makes a surprise appearance on its 2010 Australian DVD release from Shock Entertainment.
  • International DVD releases also feature these screens, except right after the warning (mostly different from the North American ones, though the U.S. and international DVD releases of Supernova feature the exact same screen).

See Also

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