PolyGram Pictures: Difference between revisions

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Background

In October 1976, Casablanca Record & FilmWorks was formed from the merger of Peter Guber's FilmWorks and PolyGram's Casablanca Records. In 1977, PolyGram acquired a 50% stake in the studio, before buying it outright and renaming it PolyGram Pictures in 1980. Universal Pictures handled U.S. distribution for the majority of PolyGram's films through the pact it signed with Casablanca in 1979 (with the exceptions of Deadly Blessing, Split Image and Flashdance, which were released by United Artists, Orion Pictures and Paramount Pictures, respectively), while Producers Sales Organization would handle international distribution. In 1982, Guber and his business partner Jon Peters left PolyGram to form The Guber-Peters Entertainment Company, which would lead to the deactivation of PolyGram Pictures a year later. In 1985, MCA Inc. (then the parent of Universal) sold the video distribution rights to the PolyGram Pictures library to Vestron Video as a way of cutting losses, due to most of these films losing money at the box office. However, the home video rights to Deadly Blessing would go to Embassy Home Entertainment, while the rights to Flashdance remain with Paramount.

Universal would eventually regain the distribution rights to some of the PolyGram Pictures films they distributed, including Endless Love, An American Werewolf in London, King of the Mountain, and Missing. Lionsgate Films holds streaming and TV rights to the PolyGram Pictures library (except Flashdance), such as The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper, King of the Mountain and Six Weeks, under license from Hearst Entertainment (which previously had the TV rights to these films via King Features).

Contents

1st Logo (May 18-30, 1980)	2nd Logo (May 1, 1981-December 17, 1982)	3rd Logo (November 13, 1981)

1st Logo (May 18-30, 1980)

Visuals: There is the text "PolyGram Pictures" in gold. A line of red stars pop up underneath the name.

Variant: A print version exists, which appears at the end of The Hollywood Knights.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: The closing theme of the movie.

Availability:

It was only known to be seen on the 1980 ABC TV movie Mysteries of the Sea, which is very hard to come by as it seems to not have been reran in years.
The print version remains intact at the end of The Hollywood Knights.

2nd Logo (May 1, 1981-December 17, 1982)

Visuals: Over a black background, a row of 29 glowing red stars rise up from the bottom of the screen, zooming back in an arc while leaving a trail. When the stars settle into place, the following text wipes in as the trails retract back into the stars:

PolyGram Pictures

The name is aligned to the left of the stars. Once the trail fully retracts, the stars stop glowing.

Variants:

A later variant has the stars wiping in instead.
On An American Werewolf in London, the logo cuts to black instead of fading to black at the end.

Technique: Motion-controlled animation.

Audio: Usually none or the opening theme of the film.

Availability:

Seen on An American Werewolf in London, Endless Love, King of the Mountain, and Deadly Blessing (preceded by the 1976 United Artists logo on the latter).
It is also intact on the 2013 Shout! Factory DVD and Blu-ray releases of the latter.
The later variant can be seen on Split Image and Six Weeks.

3rd Logo (November 13, 1981)

Visuals: On a background of red, orange and yellow stripes, there are the words "POLYGRAM" in a Prisma-like font near the middle of the screen.

Variant: An open-matte version exists on VHS prints of the film.

Technique: A still, printed image.

Audio: None.

Availability: The only known film to use this logo is The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper, and it is also preserved on current prints and the 1982 MCA Videocassette VHS release of said movie.

PolyGram Pictures

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

►

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{PageButtons|Availability=1}}
-{{PageCredits|description=codyfinke, Eric S., Supermarty-o, V of Doom, UniversalFlorida1990, and Shadeed A. Kelly|capture=V of Doom and Eric S.|edits=thehugetvfan, indycar, UniversalFlorida1990 and Michael Kenchington|video=EnormousRat, LogicSmash, Logo Archive, CraigS1996Entertainment, SpikeyTheDog188, TheRedBaron1985, and Jamster}}
+{{PageCredits|description=codyfinke, Eric S., Supermarty-o, V of Doom, UniversalFlorida1990, and Shadeed A. Kelly|capture=V of Doom and Eric S.|edits=thehugetvfan, indycar, UniversalFlorida1990 and Michael Kenchington|video=EnormousRat, LogicSmash, Logo Archive, CraigS1996Entertainment, SpikeyTheDog188, TheRedBaron1985, Jamster, and Tjdrum2000}}
+{{Infobox company
+|name=PolyGram Pictures Inc.
+|image=
+|founded=October 1976 ({{age|1976|10|1}} years ago)
+|predecessors=FilmWorks
+|formerly=Casablanca Record & FilmWorks (1976-1980)
+|defunct=1983 ({{age|1983|1|1}} years ago)
+|fate=Folded into PolyGram
+|successors=[[PolyGram Filmed Entertainment]]
+|country=[[:Category:United States|United States]]
+|parent=PolyGram (1980-1983)
+}}
 ===Background===
-'''PolyGram Pictures''' was originally formed in 1975 by producer Peter Guber after he left [[Columbia Pictures]] as '''Filmworks''', which was eventually merged with Casablanca Records during the production of ''The Deep'' and renamed it to '''Casablanca Records & Filmworks'''. During that time, the production company was affiliated with [[Columbia Pictures]]. In 1977, PolyGram bought out 50% of Casablanca Records & Filmworks, and it was renamed in 1980 to '''PolyGram Pictures''' after the PolyGram Records label bought out 50% of the company. [[Universal Pictures]] would handle U.S. distribution for a majority of their films through the pact it signed in 1979 (with the exceptions of ''Wes Craven's Deadly Blessing'', ''Split Image'' and ''Flashdance'', which were distributed by [[United Artists]], [[Orion Pictures]] and [[Paramount Pictures]] respectively) while [[Producers Sales Organization]] would handle distribution outside the US. In 1982, Peters and Guber left PolyGram to form [[The Guber-Peters Entertainment Company|The Guber-Peters Company]] which would lead to the deactivation of PolyGram Pictures a year later in 1983. Two years later in 1985, MCA Inc. (Universal’s then-parent company) sold the video distribution rights to the PolyGram Pictures library to [[Vestron Video]] as a way of cutting losses due to most of these films losing money at the box office. However, the home video rights to ''Deadly Blessing'' would go to [[Embassy Home Entertainment]] while the rights to ''Flashdance'' would remain with [[Paramount Home Media Distribution|Paramount]]. Universal would eventually regain the distribution rights to some of the PolyGram films they distributed, which included ''Endless Love'', ''An American Werewolf in London'', ''King of the Mountain'' and ''Missing'', among others. [[Lionsgate Film|Lionsgate]] holds streaming and TV rights to the PolyGram Pictures-era films (except ''Flashdance'') such as ''The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper'', ''King of the Mountain'' and ''Six Weeks'', under license from [[Hearst Entertainment]], which previously had the TV rights to these films via King Features, Lionsgate eventually gained the TV/streaming rights to Hearst's library in 2015.
+In October 1976, '''Casablanca Record & FilmWorks''' was formed from the merger of Peter Guber's '''FilmWorks''' and PolyGram's '''Casablanca Records'''. In 1977, PolyGram acquired a 50% stake in the studio, before buying it outright and renaming it '''PolyGram Pictures''' in 1980. [[Universal Pictures]] handled U.S. distribution for the majority of PolyGram's films through the pact it signed with Casablanca in 1979 (with the exceptions of ''Deadly Blessing'', ''Split Image'' and ''Flashdance'', which were released by [[United Artists]], [[Orion Pictures]] and [[Paramount Pictures]], respectively), while [[Producers Sales Organization]] would handle international distribution. In 1982, Guber and his business partner Jon Peters left PolyGram to form [[The Guber-Peters Entertainment Company]], which would lead to the deactivation of PolyGram Pictures a year later. In 1985, MCA Inc. (then the parent of Universal) sold the video distribution rights to the PolyGram Pictures library to [[Vestron Video]] as a way of cutting losses, due to most of these films losing money at the box office. However, the home video rights to ''Deadly Blessing'' would go to [[Embassy Home Entertainment]], while the rights to ''Flashdance'' remain with Paramount.
+Universal would eventually regain the distribution rights to some of the PolyGram Pictures films they distributed, including ''Endless Love'', ''An American Werewolf in London'', ''King of the Mountain'', and ''Missing''. [[Lionsgate Films]] holds streaming and TV rights to the PolyGram Pictures library (except ''Flashdance''), such as ''The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper'', ''King of the Mountain'' and ''Six Weeks'', under license from [[Hearst Entertainment]] (which previously had the TV rights to these films via King Features).
 {{ImageTOC
 |PolyGram_Pictures_(1980;_Mysteries_of_the_Sea)_(EXTREMELY_RARE).png|1st Logo (May 18-30, 1980)
-|Polygram1.png|2nd Logo (April 4, 1981-April 14, 1982)
+|Polygram1.png|2nd Logo (May 1, 1981-December 17, 1982)
 |Polygram4.jpg|3rd Logo (November 13, 1981)
 }}
 ===1st Logo (May 18-30, 1980)===
+<tabber>
+Images=
 <gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
 File:PolyGram_Pictures_(1980;_Mysteries_of_the_Sea)_(EXTREMELY_RARE).png
 PolyGram Pictures (1980) (Taken from the end of The Hollywood Knights).png
 </gallery>
+|-|
+Video=
 {{YouTube|id=je1Xa5yXuEw}}
+</tabber>
-'''Logo:''' We see the text "PolyGram Pictures" in {{color|gold}}. There are {{color|red}} stars lined up underneath the name.
+'''Visuals:''' There is the text "PolyGram Pictures" in gold. A line of red stars pop up underneath the name.
-'''Variant:''' A print version exists at the <u>end of ''The Hollywood Knights''</u>.
+'''Variant:''' A print version exists, which appears at the <u>end of ''The Hollywood Knights''</u>.
-'''Technique:''' None.
+'''Technique:''' 2D animation.
-'''Music/Sounds:''' The closing theme of the movie.
+'''Audio:''' The closing theme of the movie.
-'''Availability:''' Extremely rare.
-* It was only known to be seen on the 1980 ABC TV movie ''Mysteries of the Sea'', which is very hard to come by as it seems to not have been reran in years and the recording that's available may be from the only airing the film had.
+'''Availability:'''
+* It was only known to be seen on the 1980 ABC TV movie ''Mysteries of the Sea'', which is very hard to come by as it seems to not have been reran in years.
 * The print version remains intact at the end of ''The Hollywood Knights''.
-===2nd Logo (April 4, 1981-April 14, 1982)===
+===2nd Logo (May 1, 1981-December 17, 1982)===
+<tabber>
+Images=
 <gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
 File:Polygram1.png
@@ Line 33: / Line 57: @@
 File:Polygram3.jpg
 </gallery>
+|-|
+Videos=
 {{YouTube|id=3IhU9jfPT6Q|id2=bKRUaezbMDE}}
+</tabber>
-'''Logo:''' On a black background, we see {{color|red}} stars going up, then down in a curve (like the 1980 [[Telepictures Corporation]] logo), revealing the text:
+'''Visuals:''' Over a black background, a row of 29 glowing red stars rise up from the bottom of the screen, zooming back in an arc while leaving a trail. When the stars settle into place, the following text wipes in as the trails retract back into the stars:
 <center>'''P'''oly'''G'''ram Pictures</center>
+The name is aligned to the left of the stars. Once the trail fully retracts, the stars stop glowing.
-The stars are in a line under the name.
 '''Variants:'''
-* An <u>early variant</u> features the stars and name wiping, without any animation at all.
+* A <u>later variant</u> has the stars wiping in instead.
 * On ''<u>An American Werewolf in London</u>'', the logo cuts to black instead of fading to black at the end.
-'''Technique:''' Scanimate effects.
+'''Technique:''' Motion-controlled animation.
-'''Music/Sounds:''' Usually none or the opening theme of the film.
+'''Audio:''' Usually none or the opening theme of the film.
 '''Availability:'''
-* Appears on ''An American Werewolf in London'', ''Endless Love'', ''King of the Mountain'' and ''Deadly Blessing'' (preceded by the 1976 United Artists Pictures logo).
+* Seen on ''An American Werewolf in London'', ''Endless Love'', ''King of the Mountain'', and ''Deadly Blessing'' (preceded by the 1976 [[United Artists]] logo on the latter).
-* It also appears on the 2013 Shout! Factory DVD and Blu-Ray release of the latter.
+* It is also intact on the 2013 Shout! Factory DVD and Blu-ray releases of the latter.
+* The later variant can be seen on ''Split Image'' and ''Six Weeks''.
 ===3rd Logo (November 13, 1981)===
@@ Line 57: / Line 85: @@
 </gallery>
 {{YouTube|id=JCor64C7gFM}}
-'''Logo:''' On a background of {{color|red}}, {{color|orange}} and {{color|gold|yellow}} stripes, we see the words "POLYGRAM" in a Prisma-like font near the middle of the screen.
+'''Visuals:''' On a background of red, orange and yellow stripes, there are the words "POLYGRAM" in a Prisma-like font near the middle of the screen.
 '''Variant:''' An open-matte version exists on <u>VHS prints of the film</u>.
-'''Technique:''' None.
+'''Technique:''' A still, printed image.
-'''Music/Sounds:''' None.
+'''Audio:''' None.
+'''Availability:''' The only known film to use this logo is ''The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper'', and it is also preserved on current prints and the 1982 MCA Videocassette VHS release of said movie.
-'''Availability:''' Very rare.
-* The only known film to use this logo is ''The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper''.
-* It is preserved on current prints (including the future Kino Lorber Blu-Ray release) and the 1982 MCA Videocassette VHS release of said movie.
 {{chronology||[[PolyGram Filmed Entertainment]]}}
 {{Movie-Navbox}}
 {{Navbox-Comcast}}
-{{Navbox-Amazon}}
 [[Category:British film logos]]
 [[Category:United Kingdom]]
@@ Line 80: / Line 106: @@
 [[Category:NBCUniversal]]
 [[Category:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]
+[[Category:Amazon MGM Studios]]
 [[Category:Amazon Inc.]]