Rysher Entertainment

Credits

Descriptions by
Jess Williams and Adam Pringle

Captures by
Livin'

Editions by
Logophile and kidinbed

Video captures courtesy of
metrodfclpt and JohnnyL80

Background

Rysher Entertainment was founded by former Warner Bros. syndication executive Keith Samples in 1991 as a television syndication company, expanding into TV and feature film production. Cox Enterprises bought Rysher for $15 million in 1993, and merged Television Program Enterprises into it. Rysher was briefly renamed Rysher-TPE for a time, and that gave them the TPE, Operation Prime Time and Bing Crosby Productions libraries. Rysher was shut down in 1999 by Cox, and the distribution rights to the company's library was acquired by Paramount Television (now CBS Studios and CBS Media Ventures). The ownership of the library was later acquired by 2929 Entertainment in 2001 and by Qualia Capital on March 29, 2006, who merged the library alongside the recently-acquired Pandora Pictures and Gaylord Films to form Qualia Libraries (now owned by Village Roadshow through Vine Alternative Investments).

Most of the company's film library is currently owned by Paramount Pictures, except for The Opposite of Sex, which is still owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment via Sony Pictures Classics. As for the television library, it is currently owned by Paramount Global and distributed by CBS Media Ventures, while the Saved by the Bell franchise and California Dreams are currently owned by NBCUniversal Syndication Studios (MGM International Television holds international television and digital rights to the former).

1st Logo (September 1991-May 22, 1993)

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Visuals: There is a black/dark blue gradient background with dozens of stars. The words "RYSHER ENTERTAINMENT" in a white Belwe font then fade in. "RYSHER" is on top of "ENTERTAINMENT", both words are centered, and two stars fade in on the left and right of "ENTERTAINMENT".

Variants:

• On the first season of Highlander, there is a still shot where it says "Distributed by" on top and "ENTERTAINMENT" is replaced with "DISTRIBUTION".
• On The Making of Highlander: The Series, the "DISTRIBUTION" variant is seen animated and without "Distributed by" above it.

Technique: Early CGI.

Audio: A very low chime sound followed by a saxophone solo. Despite sounding similar to the style of Kenny G, the logo was composed by George B. Flowers.

Availability:

• Seen on early 90s syndicated prints, Saved By the Bell reruns, which are seen on Me-TV and are also intact on DVD box sets.
• Other local syndicated reruns of Saved By the Bell now have the NBCUniversal logo instead of this one.
• New prints of Highlander do not feature the distribution variant.

2nd Logo (1992?-1993)

Visuals: On a purple gradient background is a print version of the Rysher TPE variant of the next logo (albeit the text is separated with a dot).

Technique: A still, computerized graphic.

Audio: Same as the last logo.

Availability:

Seen only on Wavelength. This logo was a placeholder for the "Rysher TPE" variant of the next logo.

3rd Logo (Mid 1993-1996)

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Visuals: On the top half of the screen, there is a silhouette of a city skyline (with hills in the background) at sunset. As it becomes nighttime, the lights in the city buildings are turned on as stars appear, along with the words "RYSHER ENTERTAINMENT". "RYSHER" is in a large, condensed Times New Roman-style font and "ENTERTAINMENT" is seen in a smallish font below it. A comet then flies by.

Variants:

• When Rysher merged with Television Program Enterprises in 1993, the text read "RYSHER TPE", with a line under "YSHE", and the text shrinks as it sets.
• Sometimes, "in association with", "And in Association with", or "Produced in Association with" in the ITC Newtext typeface would be seen above the logo.
• One version of the logo featured the text "RYSHER ENTERTAINMENT" in a smaller font with "and" below.
• Another variant exists where the animation seems to be slowed down.

Technique: 2D computer animation.

Audio: A mellow horn tune with synth drums plays, with what sounds like a bird screeching or a flute at the end of the music. The music was composed by Mike Greene.

Audio Variants:

• An extended version of the jingle exists.
• An even longer variation also exists, which can be found on A Passion to Kill.
• A short version of the music also exists.
• In other cases (usually with the "Cox Company" variant), it either uses the opening/closing theme of the show or TV movie or the logo is silent.

Availability:

• Seen on syndicated reruns of Saved by the Bell: The College Years and season 2-4 (and some early season 5 episodes) of Highlander.
• The Rysher TPE logo is rare, but still remains intact on all four episodes of Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style, a handful of Highlander episodes from 1993-1995, and appears on the pilot of Robocop: The Series entitled "The Future of Law Enforcement", which can be found on VHS.
• The "Rysher Entertainment and" variant is seen on Shattered Image.
• The extended variant is seen on Thunder in Paradise.
• The "slowed-down" variant can be found on the 1994 TV movie Siringo, which sometimes airs on LEGEND in the UK.

4th Logo (April 28, 1995-September 23, 2003)

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Visuals: Modeled on the last logo, this time with more detail; the lights in the buildings flicker on and off, car lights can be seen moving, the hills have been changed to mountains, and the sky is more blueish (it was purple on the last logo). The words are now done in CGI and copper, with "RYSHER" fading in with a zoom-in and "ENTERTAINMENT" just fading in. The byline "A COX COMPANY" (with " COX" being the corporate logo) appears beneath the logo, and shortly afterwards, a comet streaks through the sky.

Variants:

• An early version omits the Cox byline. "ENTERTAINMENT" is also larger.
• A short version exists, which starts before the comet shoots through the sky.
• A longer version also exists, which is primarily seen on some feature films produced by Rysher from 1995-1997, as well as a few TV shows.
• Feature films often feature the text being smaller, depending on what aspect ratio it was shot in.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: None.

Audio Variants:

• CBS airings of Nash Bridges and Four Corners used a generic theme.
• On some shows, the first logo's music can be heard.
• On Three Wishes, a whoosh is heard as the comet streaks.

Availability:

• Seen on the first three seasons of Nash Bridges (except for season 4, which is plastered by the 2007 CBS Television Distribution logo, H&I airings use the DVD prints), seasons 4-6 of Highlander: The Series, all episodes of Highlander: The Raven, and the first season of Judge Mills Lane from 1998-99 which airs on Paramount Global-owned Pluto TV (though this is plastered by the 1995 Paramount Domestic Television logo from episode 125 onward).
• Films that use this logo include Destiny Turns on the Radio, Three Wishes, White Man's Burden, Private Parts, Zeus and Roxanne, It Takes Two, Turbulence, House Arrest, The Eighteenth Angel, and Kingpin.
• It is also preserved on international prints of HBO TV-movies from the time period, such as Rasputin.
• This logo does not appear on Dear God.