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'''Logo''': On a black background, we see the
'''Technique''': Stop motion.
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'''Availability''': Extinct.
*It was seen on original [[NBC National IDs|NBC]] airings and film prints of ''The Pogo Special Birthday Special''.
*However, it was removed from
'''Legacy:''' This logo was lost media for years and very sought after, enough so that it was written off as a myth by some. It finally resurfaced in 2023 when Twitter user Marc Acrylic [https://twitter.com/marc_acrylic/status/1658208443419730084 uncovered the logo]. A common nickname for the logo was "Cold Cream Jar", due to the cylinder's thickness.
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MGM Television was established on June 30, 1956 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer under Loews, Inc. It was initiated to have MGM to distribute 770 of its films, 900 shorts, produce network series, and acquire TV stations after its first program, The M-G-M Parade, was canceled by ABC in the spring. The M-G-M Parade first used the 1953 version of Jackie at the beginning rather than the end of the program. Most of the pre-1986 library is owned by Warner Bros. Entertainment through Turner Entertainment Co., while MGM Holdings Inc. owns the rest of the library.
Logo: On a dark (or gray) background, we see a brown (or drawn) statue of the MGM logo, as seen on movies from 1924-1983, sitting on a pedestal. There is text seen over the statue saying "AN MGM-TV PRODUCTION" (or "AN MGM-TV PRESENTATION"). The name of the executive producer is seen below.
Variants:
Technique: None.
Music/Sounds: The closing theme of the show.
Music/Sounds Variant: On The Islanders, a voice-over says "A MGM television production".
Availability: This appeared only on three series: Northwest Passage, The Islanders, and The Thin Man. This logo was retained on recent airings of the latter on GetTV.
Logo: We see Leo the lion (from the 1957 movie logo) inside a black circle border, which reads "METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER TELEVISION". The lion roars once. The background either has wallpapered images of a lion's face or a live action background.
Trivia: The same image was used as the print logo of MGM Records until 1966. Like the film logo, the original footage of Leo without the border is currently lost due to the vault fire.
Variants: These are the main color/B&W variations of this logo:
Technique: Live action.
Music/Sounds:
Music/Sounds/Voice-over Variant: On a re-run of The Asphalt Jungle, a voice-over said: "The Asphalt Jungle, A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television Production".
Availability: Uncommon.
Legacy: A visually distinct logo from other MGM logos of the time, this is a favorite of many.
Logo: On a black background, we see the 1966 MGM print logo, which has some shiny marks inside of it. It then flips over, revealing it is on top of a crystallized cylinder, to reveal the large, blocky text "MgM", with "TELEVISION" in smaller writing underneath it, and the stylized lion inside the "g" of "MGM" (which is "cut out" in the middle of the two "M"s).
Technique: Stop motion.
Music/Sounds: Tanner's first roar.
Availability: Extinct.
Legacy: This logo was lost media for years and very sought after, enough so that it was written off as a myth by some. It finally resurfaced in 2023 when Twitter user Marc Acrylic uncovered the logo. A common nickname for the logo was "Cold Cream Jar", due to the cylinder's thickness.
Logo: Same as the 1957 film logo, but the word "TELEVISION" is added under the logo.
Variants:
Technique: Live-action.
Music/Sounds: The lion's roar.
Music/Sounds Variants:
Availability: Uncommon.
Logo: Just a scrolling in-credit variant with the then-current MGM print logo (the "modernized Leo") in yellow, the name "MGM" in an Optima Medium font below said logo, and "TELEVISION" in Melior italic font directly below that.
Technique: None.
Music/Sounds: The closing theme, with the audience applauding (most likely canned) as the theme plays.
Availability: Extinct.
Logo: A still picture of MGM/UA's then-corporate logo. Below "Entertainment Co.", which is separated from the MGM/UA text by two lines, is "Television Distribution": it's in the same font and uses the same style as the "Entertainment Co." text, and it's spaced below the aforementioned text.
Variant: Sometimes, "FROM" can be seen above the logo.
Technique: None.
Music/Sounds: A re-arranged version of the 1982 United Artists Television theme, followed by the 1957 roar. Otherwise, it has the show's closing music or it's silent.
Availability: Extremely rare.
Logo: Same as the 1973 logo, but this time, the ribboning is gold and Leo is in a golden color.
Variants:
Technique: Live-action.
Music/Sounds: There are different sound bites of the lion's roar:
Availability: Very common.
Logo: It's only the short version of the 2008 closing theatrical logo with either of these texts below: "MGM Worldwide Television Distribution" for the United States, "MGM International Television Distribution" for overseas distribution, the MGM URL, or none, just like the last logo except the company name below the logo is in a different font. Again, Leo roars once, sometimes twice.
Later Variant: In 2010, it's the November 2008 MGM logo with the name "MGM WORLDWIDE TELEVISION DISTRIBUTION" or "DISTRIBUTED BY MGM DISTRIBUTION CO." in all capital letters.
Technique: Live-action, adapted from the theatrical logo designed by Pacific Title.
Music/Sounds:
Availability: Uncommon.
Logo: We start with the MGM logo fully revealed and zooming out, but with the words "MGM TELEVISION" in Trajan Pro zooming out below along with the logo. The whole animation zooms out fast. Sometimes, the words below are exempt.
Technique: CGI animation mixed with live-action. This logo was designed by Shine.
Music/Sounds: The same first half of the 1995 lion roar.
Music/Sounds Variants:
Availability: Common.
Logo: A shortened version of MGM's 2021 logo, starting when Leo the Lion appears, and with the golden text "TELEVISION" in a font similar to the third logo appearing below the logo. Leo roars once.
Variants:
Technique: CGI by Baked Studios.
Music/Sounds: Same as the previous logo.
Availability: Current.
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