Spelling Television: Difference between revisions

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Background

The film and television producer Aaron Spelling established his own television production company initially known as "Aaron Spelling Productions, Inc." in 1969. In 1986, Spelling took his company public after raising $80 million. On March 11, 1989, Aaron Spelling Productions was reincorporated as "Spelling Entertainment Inc." after acquiring Laurel Entertainment, Inc. and Worldvision Enterprises Inc. The same year, Spelling launched a sub-division named "Torand Productions, Inc.", which was named after Spelling's two children: Tori and Randy Spelling. On April 6, 1991, Spelling Entertainment Inc. was acquired by The Charter Company, who then merged with Spelling Entertainment Inc., and The Charter Company was renamed as "Spelling Entertainment Group" on October 5, 1992. In 1992, Spelling Entertainment was renamed again as "Spelling Television". In 1993, Blockbuster Entertainment Corporation acquired a 67% stake in Spelling Entertainment Group and established "Big Ticket Television" (a.k.a. "Big Ticket Entertainment" and "Big Ticket Pictures") in 1994. The same year in 1994, Blockbuster merged with Viacom, Inc. (later renamed "CBS Corporation" in 2006, and later "ViacomCBS" in 2019). In 1999, Viacom acquired the rest of the Spelling Entertainment Group, making it a division of the Paramount Television Group, but Spelling continued producing shows until his death on June 23, 2006, at the age of 83. On April 4, 2007, it was announced that 7th Heaven's series finale on May 13, 2007 would be dedicated to Aaron Spelling. Every single episode of season 11 read these words at the beginning of the closing credits: "In Memory of Aaron Spelling." Today, most of the Spelling Television library is owned by ViacomCBS through CBS Media Ventures, while the company still survives as an in-name-only unit of CBS Studios (formerly "CBS Paramount Network Television" and "CBS Television Studios").

1st Logo (September 21, 1970-February 26, 1972, January 21, 1977-October 22, 1991)

Logo: In the ending credits of shows such as Dynasty and Hotel and TV movies, the text in the series type font would appear superimposed at the end:

AN

AARON SPELLING PRODUCTION

or

AARON SPELLING

PRODUCTIONS

Variants:

On shows like The Love Boat and others, the company name was in a serif typeface with swashes (decorative touches to letters that were popular in the '70s):

[COMPANY NAME]

In Association With

AARON SPELLING PRODUCTIONS

Some series or TV movies would use a different copyright stamp mention instead of "Aaron Spelling Productions, Inc.", saying either "Spelling Ventures Organization", "The Oil Company" (another one of Spelling's in-credit companies), or for the final season of The Love Boat, "The Love Boat Company".
On Matt Houston, the text reads as "AARON SPELLING PRODUCTIONS, INC." and would follow the text, "A LARGO PRODUCTION".
Some early TV movies at the beginning would have the text "AARON SPELLING PRODUCTIONS, INC. presents".
Nightingales has the logo with "AARON SPELLING PRODUCTIONS, INC." with a copyright stamp below.
On Dynasty: The Reunion in 1991, the Richard and Esther Shapiro IAW Aaron Spelling card was in gold on a black screen.

FX/SFX: Seen on closing sequences with cut screens.

Music/Sounds: The closing theme of the show.

Availability: Uncommon.

This was originally seen on Dynasty.
It's currently on the DVD releases of Dynasty including the first two seasons of The Love Boat and Vega$ and the first seasons of Matt Houston and Hotel (it is also on the 2015 VEI complete-series DVD release of Hotel).

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Logo (April 8, 1990-January 9, 1992, October 25, 1994, August 18, 1998-March 10, 2002)

Nicknames: "Abstract S", "Spiral S"

Logo: Just a black screen with "SPELLING ENTERTAINMENT INC." in a white Elephant font, and a stylized "S" that somewhat resembles the "S From Hell" Screen Gems logo. This "S", however, has three lines going upward, three lines going down, and a rounded rectangular structure behind it. "SPELLING" has the largest typeface, and "ENTERTAINMENT INC." is progressively smaller, and appear below the Spelling name.

Variants:

On Twin Peaks, the logo is shown on a blue background. Plus, the words are in a different font (though some episodes have the normal font).
On seasons 2-onward of Any Day Now, the logo is much bigger than usual, and now says "ENTERTAINMENT GROUP INC."

FX/SFX: None really, except for the zoom in effect seen on 2nd season episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210 and the TV movie Back to the Streets of San Francisco.

Music/Sounds: Once again, the ending theme would usually play over, but a 1995 CBS re-airing of Fatal Vows: The Alexandra O'Hara Story used the network's generic theme.

Availability: Uncommon.

This was seen on Twin Peaks, but the CBS DVD releases, Cloo, Crime & Investigation airings and Netflix viewings remove this logo (though it is seen intact on the Season 1 R2 DVD released by Universal/Playback/Republic, save for the pilot which is plastered by the Worldvision logo. Might be on the Warner Home Video releases too).
It's also seen on the first season of Beverly Hills, 90210 on Pop (not the UK one), Hulu, and the season 1 DVD, season 2 plasters it with the 4th logo with the 2006 CBS byline, Pop airings use the DVD prints.
This logo was revived in 1994 for the TV movie Fatal Vows: The Alexandra O'Hara Story and in 1998 for the Lifetime series Any Day Now, which can be currently seen on Start TV.

Editor's Note: None.

3rd Logo (January 23-May 7, 1992)

Nicknames: "Abstract S II", "Spiral S II", "Sliding/Sparkling Name"

Logo: Against a teal blue/white gradient background, we see the same "S" from the previous logo, but without the rounded rectangular structure drawing. The name "SPELLING ENTERTAINMENT INC." in the same font as before sliding in. A registered trademark symbol fades in. The name sparkles.

FX/SFX: The drawing of the "S", the sliding of the name, and the sparkling of the name.

Music/Sounds: The finishing of the ending theme from any show, or it is silent.

Availability: Extinct.

It was seen on Beverly Hills, 90210 episodes of the time.
On Pop rebroadcasts, DVD releases and Paramount+ prints of the said show, it's plastered by the next logo with the CBS byline.
It was last seen when SoapNet aired it until their demise in 2013.

Editor's Note: None.

4th Logo (July 8, 1992-May 13, 2007)

Logo: Against a teal background, two lines (one with streaks; the other with a filmstrip) roll out parallel to one another, then they connect with an arch at the right side, resembling the shape of a magnet. The word "SPELLING" in Century Schoolbook font, slides-in from that direction, with the word "TELEVISION" inside the lower line. The "S" in Spelling is a bit larger than the rest of the logo, which shines in with "pings". From 1994 onward, the respective company byline fades in below the logo.

Bylines: Under it would read one of the following (as they appeared on screen):

1994-1995: "A UNIT OF BLOCKBUSTER ENTERTAINMENT" (accompanied by the Blockbuster Video logo, a blue and yellow ticket stub)
1994-1995: "A SUBSIDIARY OF BLOCKBUSTER ENTERTAINMENT" (accompanied by the Blockbuster Entertainment logo, like above)
1995-1999: "a subsidiary of SPELLING ENTERTAINMENT GROUP, INC."
September 1999-2000: "A Paramount/Viacom Company" (in Helvetica font)
October 1999-May 21, 2006: "A PARAMOUNT/VIACOM COMPANY" (set in Viacom's "Wigga-Wigga" font, the text appears in a laser inscription effect under the logo)
September 25, 2006-May 13, 2007: "A CBS COMPANY" (appears in a laser inscription effect right under the Spelling logo; the text is in Viacom's "Wigga-Wigga" font, but thinner)

Variants:

This was referred to as "SPELLING TELEVISION INC." starting in 1999.
This was referred to as "SPELLING DAYTIME TELEVISION" on Sunset Beach from 1997-1999.
On a few episodes of the short-lived series Robin's Hoods, after the main logo is formed, the Blockbuster Video logo slides in from the left to its spot, making the byline appear as it moves.

FX/SFX: The sliding in of the "SPELLING" name, and the "S" in the name shining.

Music/Sounds: The finishing of the ending theme from any show, generic themes on ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, The WB and UPN (and later The CW), or silence (like when ABC Family reran 7th Heaven).

Availability: Common.

It can be seen on Beverly Hills, 90210, 7th Heaven, Melrose Place, and Charmed, among others.
The "Daytime Television" variant is long gone, as Sunset Beach (the only show it was on) has not seen the light of day in over a decade.
The 2006 variant is currently seen on Pop and DVD releases of Beverly Hills, 90210 as it plasters the older logos, and appeared on the final season of 7th Heaven.

Editor's Note: The animation is a bit simple, but worked well to maintain with the changing bylines. </translate>

@@ Line 139: / Line 139: @@
 '''Availability:''' Extinct.
 *It was seen on ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' episodes of the time.
-*On Pop rebroadcasts and DVD releases of ''Beverly Hills, 90210'', it's plastered by the next logo with the CBS byline.
+*On Pop rebroadcasts, DVD releases and Paramount+ prints of the said show, it's plastered by the next logo with the CBS byline.
 *It was last seen when SoapNet aired it until their demise in 2013.