Ralph Edwards/Stu Billett Productions

Credits

Descriptions by
mr3urious, Michael Bass, and Shadeed A. Kelly

Background

Ralph Edwards Productions is a production company originally formed in 1940 by Ralph Edwards that began with the radio production game show, Truth or Consequences first on CBS Radio, then later NBC Radio. Ten years later, the series would make its television debut on NBC while the radio broadcast lasted until 1957. In 1981, Edwards joined forces with Stewart C. Billett (a.k.a. "Stu Billett") and created the court talk series, The People's Court, which is still running today since its revival in 1997. The company is also known as "Ralph Edwards-Stu Billett Productions" since 1986. Ralph Edwards Productions has been running independently for 78 years today, as the company holds surviving tapes of game shows and the copyright holder of The People's Court.

1st Logo (September 7, 1950-1981)

Logo: On the end credits, we see the text "A RALPH EDWARDS PRODUCTION" superimposed.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: The end-title theme from any show.

Availability: Ultra rare. Seen on the original Truth or Consequences, the original This Is Your Life, About Faces, the '70s version of The Cross-Wits, the 1974 version of Name That Tune, and It Could Be You. Currently seen on This Is Your Life: The Ultimate Collection on DVD.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Logo (September 14, 1981-1987)

Logo: We see the following words stacked on top of one another as in-credit text is seen over the set:

THE
PEOPLE'S
COURT

Ralph Edwards Productions
in association with
Stu Billett Productions
© [YEAR] Ralph Edwards Productions

FX/SFX: None. But for the 1986-87 season episodes, this logo was played over stills from the day's episodes of that period.

Music/Sounds: Just the closing theme of The People's Court playing over this logo.

Availability: Seen on the 1st 6 seasons of the Joe Wapner-era of The People's Court, followed by the 1978 variation of the Telepictures logo (1981-86 episodes) or Lorimar-Telepictures (1986-87 episodes), which like this version of the Edwards-Billett Production logo, also plays over the set.

Editor's Note: None.

3rd Logo (1986-May 17, 1993)

Nickname: "EB"

Logo: Superimposed over a cloudy sky at sunset with palm trees, we see a segmented orange "EB" in a futuristic font. Below that is the orange text "RALPH EDWARDS STU BILLETT PRODUCTIONS" all separated by lines. The logo is arranged like this:

EB
R A L P H___E D W A R D S
___S T U___B I L L E T T___
P--R--O--D--U--C--T--I--O--N--S

A Ralph Edwards Productions (or Ralph Edwards/Stu Billett Productions) copyright date is below that. The logo then fades to Lorimar-Telepictures or the WB Television logo of the time.

Variants:

• On Superior Court, there is an additional Lorimar-Telepictures notice.
• On some episodes of Superior Court, the logo appears more stretched out, and a different sky background is used.
• On the 1987-88 revival of Truth or Consequences, the logo and text are in white.

FX/SFX: Just a still logo against a live-action BG.

Music/Sounds: The ending theme to The People's Court with an announcer saying "(show name) is produced by Ralph Edwards-Stu Billett Productions and is distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television ("in association with" (later changed to "in association with and distributed by") Lorimar-Telepictures" on Superior Court and "is distributed by" Lorimar-Telepictures on the fall 1987-89 episodes on The People's Court with the Lorimar-Telepictures logo playing with this logo's background).". No announcer is used on Truth or Consequences.

Availability: Seen at the end of Joseph Wapner-hosted episodes of The People's Court, as well as Superior Court and the 1987-88 revival of Truth or Consequences. It also would have presumably been seen on the unsold 1990 pilot for a revival of Monty Hall's Split Second, which was produced by them (Billett had been a producer on the original 1970s version); however, those pilots are only known to be held by the UCLA video archive.

Editor's Note: None.

4th Logo (January 22-March 8, 1996)

Nicknames: "EB II", "Marble EB"

Logo: On a white marble background (similar to Lorimar's 1988 logo), we see a red stylized "E" and a red stylized "B" along with a red border missing a left vertical line move in from the top left and top bottom corners. Yellow text fades in below. The logo is arranged like so:

EB
ralph edwards/stu billett
productions

FX/SFX: The E, B, and border moving in from the corners, the text fading in below.

Music/Sounds: The end theme plays as we hear host/announcer Annie Wood say, "This show was created and produced by Ralph Edwards-Stu Billett Productions.".

Availability: Seen on the first season of the short-lived game show Bzzz!

Editor's Note: None.

5th Logo (September 9, 1996-March 9, 2001)

Nickname: "EB III"

Logo: On a blurry, black background with two stylized EB's from the first two logos, we see this blurry gold-colored logo:

RALPH EDWARDS/
STU BILLETT/
PRODUCTIONS

On top, a logo that can be seen more clearly fades in, and it is arranged as follows:

RALPH EDWARDS
STU BILLETT
PRODUCTIONS

FX/SFX: The fading in of the clearly-seen logo.

Music/Sounds: The end theme plays. On Bzzz!, we also hear host/announcer Annie Wood say, "This show was created and produced by Ralph Edwards-Stu Billett Productions. And boy, did we have fun!", on The People's Court, Curt Chaplin says: "The People's Court is a Ralph Edwards-Stu Billett Production, Distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution."

Availability: Seen at the end of Ed Koch presided episodes of The People's Court, if ever reran. Also seen on the 2nd (and final season) of the short-lived game show Bzzz!

Editor's Note: None.

6th Logo (1999-2001)

Nicknames: "EB IV", "Outside of the Courtroom"

Logo: On a blue background, we see the facade of the courtroom in the background. As light shines upon the background, the "EB" lettering slowly fades in. It is followed by the text "RALPH EDWARDS STU BILLETT PRODUCTIONS" in three lines fading in.

FX/SFX: Too much to mention.

Music/Sounds: The ending theme of the show with Curt Chaplin saying: "The People's Court is a Ralph Edwards-Stu Billett Production, distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution."

Availability: Seen on Jerry Scheindlin-presided episodes of The People's Court.

Editor's Note: None.

7th Logo (March 12, 2001- )

Nicknames: "EB V", "The Gavel", "The Courtroom"

Logo: Against a blurry shot of a courtroom, including a shot of the judge's gavel, some faint segmented lines with "EB" written in them in script fade-in. The words "RALPH EDWARDS / STU BILLETT PRODUCTIONS" in Copperplate Gothic Bold, fade in over them, along with the letters "EB" in the same font as the previous logos.

Variants:

• Beginning in fall 2012, the logo is stretched and cropped to fill a 16:9 TV.
• Many recent episodes of The People's Court use an in-credit logo (which appears while host Harvey Levin is speaking) showing the "EB" logo with "RALPH EDWARDS / STU BILLETT PRODUCTIONS" on top and the copyright year in Roman numerals and "ALL RIGHTS RESERVED" below in a black Impact font.

FX/SFX: The courtroom BG, the appearance of the blurry "EB", the appearance of the company name.

Music/Sounds: The ending theme to The People's Court with Curt Chaplin saying "The People's Court is a Ralph Edwards-Stu Billett Production.".

Availability: It's only seen at the end of Marilyn Milian-presided episodes of The People's Court in syndication.

Editor's Note: None.