National Recovery Administration

Background

The National Recovery Administration (or NRA for short) was a prime agency established by U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt and formed through the National Industrial Recovery Act to regulate prices and create codes of "fair practices". Formed in 1933, the agency received support from multiple businesses, including major Hollywood studios such as Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures. However, two years later, the NRA law was ruled unconstitutional for infringing on the separation of powers doctrine and thus, the NRA ceased operations.

Logo (September 8, 1933-December 9, 1935)

Paramount Pictures custom logo
RKO Radio Pictures custom logo
Fox Film Corporation custom logo
1933-34 Universal Pictures custom logo
1933-34 MGM custom logo
1933-34 Columbia Pictures logo
1934-35 Columbia Pictures custom logo
MPPDA opening bumper
Warner Bros. Pictures logo
Warner Bros. Pictures closing logo
1934-35 MGM logo
First National Pictures logo
First National Pictures logo (NRA seal with shadow)
Monogram Pictures closing logo
Lone Star Productions closing logo
6 Day Bike Rider opening credits

Visuals: Superimposed onto the background is a stylized eagle holding a gear and three lightning bolts with the bolded, stacked text "NRA MEMBER" with the former word larger and the latter in between the eagle's wings. "U.S." can be seen next to the eagle's right leg and the text "WE DO OUR PART" is completely underneath the bird.

Variants:

Depending on the film studio, the background may change and sometimes the logo as well.
- On films produced by Paramount Pictures, RKO Radio Pictures, and Fox Film Corporation, the logo is superimposed onto a moving cloudy background. The former has realistic clouds (which fades out into the Paramountain of the time), the middle consists of less-detailed ones, and the latter is a wider shot of them. Additionally, the latter company has the logo in black and the bottom text removed.
- On films produced by Universal Pictures, the logo is inside a blurry circles and a parachute canopy-like background with multiple copies of the logo. Plus, "NRA" consists of several pieces.
- 1933-34 MGM logos has the bottom text removed and the logo printed in black, closer to the screen, and is on a white background.
- 1933-34 films produced by Columbia Pictures has the logo engraved on a ball and against a gray background with the bottom text sitting outside of the sphere.
  - Starting 1934, the logo in a marble-like texture against a dimly lit background seemingly consisting of the same texture.
An in-credit variant exists where the logo is inside a white box and often placed on the lower half of the screen.
- On the closing of Monogram Pictures-produced films, the box is simply a border and the logo is in white.
- Warner Bros. Pictures-produced films adds a thin border within the box that wraps around the NRA seal.
Sometimes, within the MPPDA sequence, said organization's logo would crossfade to the NRA's but with "U.S." removed.

Technique: Either none or the background sliding.

Audio: Usually none. The closing variants has the ending theme of the movie play over.

Availability:

Seen on many films from major film studios from 1933 to 1935 with its earliest known appearance being on Torch Singer and its last being The Great Impersonation, two months after the agency dissolved.
This logo is preserved on Blu-ray releases of Duck Soup as well as the Indicator Blu-ray of The Devil is a Woman. It is also preserved on the early Three Stooges short Woman Haters.
The in-credit variant was usually used on films produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, First National Pictures, Monogram Pictures, Lone Star Productions, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer starting 1934. These include the 1934 re-release of Disraeli, within the opening credits of 6 Day Bike Rider, the ending of Tomorrow's Youth, among others.
The MPPDA card variant was seen on Universal Pictures-produced films in 1935 such as Bride of Frankenstein, which was kept on Criterion Channel's print, Gift of Gab, and The Great Impersonation.