T.A.T. Communications Company: Difference between revisions

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{{PageCredits|description=Matt Anscher, Jeffrey Gray, Shadeed A. Kelly and Logophile|capture=Eric S., Shadeed A. Kelly, V of Doom, megamanj2004, snelfu, Sagan Blob, Fabeza, Pygmalion X, and LARDLOGO|edits=Eric S., Shadeed A. Kelly, V of Doom, Unnepad, Mario9000seven|video=Pepsi9072}}
{{PageCredits|description=Matt Anscher, Jeffrey Gray, Shadeed A. Kelly and Logophile|capture=Michael Pannoni|edits=Eric S., Shadeed A. Kelly, V of Doom, Unnepad and Mario9000seven|video=The AVID Channel via Logo Central and SamBonzi}}


=== Background ===
===Background===
'''T.A.T. Communications Company''' (often shortened to "'''T.A.T.'''") was formed in 1974 by Norman Lear and comedian Jerry Perenchio, a year before Bud Yorkin ended his partnership with Lear. T.A.T. produced ''The Jeffersons'' and ''One Day at a Time'', among others. In 1976, T.A.T. formed its own distribution division.


The T.A.T. Communications Company (also spelled simply as "TAT") was formed in 1974 by Norman Lear and comedian Jerry Perenchio, a year before Bud Yorkin ended his partnership with Lear, which produced ''The Jeffersons'' and ''One Day at a Time'' among others. In 1976, T.A.T. formed its own distribution division. On January 6, 1982, T.A.T. Communications Company was reincorporated as "Embassy Communications, Inc." and renamed the T.A.T. production division as "[[Embassy Communications|Embassy Television]]" (now ELP Communications) with the acquisition of [[Embassy Films Associates|Avco Embassy Pictures Corporation]] by Lear and Perenchio, while the distribution division of this company was renamed "Embassy Telecommunications". T.A.T. stood for a Yiddish phrase pronounced "Tuchus Affen Tisch", which meant "Putting one's butt on the line". Currently, T.A.T. Communications Company is now known as ELP Communications and serves as an in-name only unit of [[Sony Pictures Television]].
On January 6, 1982, T.A.T. Communications Company was reincorporated as "Embassy Communications, Inc." and renamed the T.A.T. production division as "[[Embassy Communications|Embassy Television]]" (now ELP Communications) with the acquisition of [[Avco Embassy Pictures|Avco Embassy Pictures Corporation]] by Lear and Perenchio, while the distribution division of this company was renamed "Embassy Telecommunications". T.A.T. Communications Company is currently known as "ELP Communications", and serves as an in-name-only unit of [[Sony Pictures Television]].


"T.A.T." stood for a Yiddish phrase pronounced "'''T'''uchus '''A'''ffen '''T'''isch", which roughly meant "Enough talk- put your ass on the table".<ref>''Even This I Get to Experience'' written by Norman Lear. p 260 https://archive.org/details/eventhisigettoex0000lear/page/260/mode/2up</ref>
=== 1st Logo (January 19, 1975-December 12, 1982) ===
<gallery mode=packed heights=200>


===Logo (1979?-1982?)===
File:KFmfIlZqIT4w8wHjeFs0sA143989.jpeg
<!-- Unless confirmed to be real, please do not add any other captures of the TAT logo. Only the capture we have now is confirmed to be legitimate. -->
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{{MIA}}
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</gallery>

'''Logo:''' Depending on the show, it would say either:

<center>A</center>
<center>T.A.T. COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY</center>
<center>PRODUCTION</center>

or

<center>A</center>
<center>T.A.T. COMMUNICATIONS CO.</center>
<center>PRODUCTION</center>

But on certain shows like ''The Jeffersons'', ''One Day at a Time'', and ''Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'', it would read:

<center>A</center>
<center>(NORMAN LEAR)</center>
<center>T.A.T.</center>
<center>COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY</center>
<center>(PRODUCTION)</center>
<center>(AND) or (IN ASSOCIATION WITH)</center>
<center>[NAME OF THE COMPANY]</center>

'''Variants:'''
*Some series would feature a copyright stamp below the text, such as on later S1 episodes of ''Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman''.
*Some in-credit notices would appear in shadow mode in 1979.
*On ''The Facts of Life'' episode "The Affair", the text is centered at the bottom.
*On some shows like ''Fernwood 2-nite'' and the final season of ''Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'' (a.k.a. ''Forever Fernwood''), this text was also used following the "standard" T.A.T. text:


<center>WORLD WIDE DISTRIBUTION</center>
<center>BY</center>
<center>T.A.T. COMMUNICATIONS CO.</center>

*On early syndicated broadcasts of ''Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'', this text over a {{Color|blue}} background was used to plaster the "standard" text:


<center>A</center>
<center>T.A.T.</center>
<center>COMMUNICATIONS</center>
<center>PRODUCTION</center>

<center>WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTION</center>
<center>BY</center>

*On early season 2 episodes of ''Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'', the text says:


<center>PRODUCED BY</center>
<center>T.A.T. COMMUNICATIONS CO.</center>
<center>AND PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH</center>
<center>FILMWAYS, INC.</center>

'''FX/SFX:''' The scrolling of the credits or superimposed. On Fernwood 2Nite, the text fades.

'''Music/Sounds:''' The closing theme from any specific shows.

'''Availability:''' Uncommon.
*It was retained on two episodes of ''The Jeffersons'' on TV One and Me-TV since the remaining has been plastered by the SPT logo (which makes it bad editing after the T.A.T. copyright stamp), seasons 1-3 of ''The Facts of Life'' on Me-TV, and ''One Day at a Time'' on FETV. It also appears on ''The Jeffersons'' on Starz In Black.
*It's also seen on DVD releases of ''One Day at a Time'', ''The Jeffersons'', ''The Facts of Life'', and ''Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman''.
*TV One prints of ''The Jeffersons'' omit this logo, cutting straight to the SPT logo after either the "Videotaped at Television City", "Videotaped at Metromedia Square", or T.A.T. copyright notice.
*This also can be seen at the beginning of the 1978 film ''Blue Collar'', after the 1975 Universal Pictures logo.
*Despite T.A.T. being replaced with Embassy in September 1982, this made a surprise appearance on ''The Jeffersons'' season 9 episode, "Appointment in 8-B".

'''Editor's''' '''Note:''' None.

=== 2nd Logo (1979?-1982?) ===
<!-- !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! READ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!! IF YOU CAME HERE TO ADD ANY VIDEO OF THE COMPLETE ANIMATION, STOP RIGHT HERE AND READ THIS FIRST. !!!!
!!!!!!!!!! We have received many fake submissions of this logo over the years, which has annoyed us to no end. !!
!!!!!!!!!! BEFORE adding such a video, please vet with admins on either the Discord or the forums to VERIFY. !!!!
!!!!!!!!!! If we verify that your capture is legitimate, this notice will be removed. Otherwise, DON'T ADD IT. !!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -->
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
TAT1979.png|The final frame of the logo, as sourced from a partial recording of the logo before it was cut out by a CBS ident

</gallery>|-|Video=
TAT1979.png
{{YouTube|id=_5GyV3DA7Nw}}|-|Audio=
<gallery mode="packed" widths="400">
T.A.T. Communications Company - full music (1979-1982).mp3|The jingle in full, as described below.
</gallery>
</gallery>
</tabber>


'''Visuals:''' The logo starts with an {{color|orange}} screen. The screen then starts to zoom out to reveal that it's a star, as it reveals a black background with the text "'''TAT'''" in lined letters and "{{Big|C}}OMMUNICATIONS {{Big|C}}OMPANY" in white. It's currently unknown what the rest of the logo is. A freeze-frame analysis shows the final frame after, which is slightly covered by the CBS logo, shows the first "C" in "{{Big|C}}OMMUNICATIONS" and the "C" in "{{Big|C}}OMPANY" are slightly larger than the rest of the text.
<center>{{YouTube|id=sVdmu4Y6FZI|width2=240|height2=185}}</center>

''The above capture is from a partial recording of the logo before it was cut out by a CBS ID. A recording of the logo's jingle, as described below, can be heard [https://archive.org/details/T.A.T.CommunicationsCompany19801982 here].''

'''Nicknames:''' "The T.A.T. Star", "Cheesy Star", "The Infamous Star", "The Lost Star"


'''Technique:''' Analog switcher effects.
'''Logo:''' An {{Color|orange}} screen first appears. The screen then starts to zoom out to reveal that it's a Scanimated star, as it reveals a black background with the text "TAT" in lined letters and "COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY" in white. It's currently unknown what the rest of the logo is, as the video gets cut off near the end, though given the [[PITS Films]] logo had similar animation (the big difference being the stars zoomed ''in'' in the PITS logo), it's possible that it's just the first star and a second star similarly appeared between the A and the second T.


'''Audio:''' A 12-note synthesized theme composed by producer John Maxwell Anderson.<ref>'' "T A T Logo" by John Maxwell Anderson, listed on ASCAP Repertory. https://www.ascap.com/repertory#/ace/search/workID/500296022</ref>
'''FX/SFX:''' The Scanimated star descending onto the background.


'''Audio Variant:''' One airing of ''The Jeffersons'' has the jingle slightly low-pitched, as heard [https://archive.org/details/JeffersonsRareLogo here].
'''Music/Sounds:''' A poorly done 12-note synth theme that was composed by associate producer John Maxwell Anderson.


'''Availability:''' Long extinct. 15 years of searching have yielded only a partial recording.
'''Availability:''' Nearly 20 years of searching have yielded only a partial recording, as well as two audio files. It is currently documented as "lost media" since the full logo is not preserved anywhere online and it is unclear if it will ever surface.
*It was only seen on original daytime CBS reruns of ''One Day at a Time'' and ''The Jeffersons'' and CBS Late Movie airings of ''Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'', as well as original NBC reruns of ''The Facts of Life''. It has been said that it appeared on a few broadcasts of ''Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'' on TV Land in 2002 during the Norman Lear Marathon and in 1994 on reruns of ''The Jeffersons'' on WGN-TV.
* It was only seen on original CBS daytime reruns of ''One Day at a Time'' and ''The Jeffersons'' and CBS Late Movie airings of ''Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'', as well as original NBC reruns of ''The Facts of Life''. This logo was quickly replaced in syndication with the Embassy Telecommunications logo once it was introduced, though it has been said to be seen after it was replaced.
*VHS releases of ''Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'' were rumored to have it, but it has been confirmed it's not on them.
* VHS releases of ''Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'' were rumored to have it, but it has been confirmed it's not on them.
* It has been said that it appeared on a few broadcasts of ''Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'' on TV Land in 2002 during the Norman Lear Marathon and in the mid-1990s on reruns of ''The Jeffersons'' on WGN.
*A partial clip of the logo before it was cut out by a CBS ID was finally spotted on the October 21, 1980 rerun of a 1975 episode of ''One Day at a Time''.
* [[Re-TV Video Library]]'s tapes of ''One Day at a Time'', and ''The Jeffersons'' have not yet been confirmed to have the logo, but it is unlikely.
*A very faint segment of the tune before it was cut out by the [[Columbia TriStar Television|Columbia TriStar Television Distribution]] "Boxes of Boredom" logo had also been spotted on another episode of ''One Day at a Time'' that originally aired on December 9, 1979.
* A partial clip of the logo before it was cut out by a [[CBS]] ident was finally spotted on the October 21, 1980 rerun of a 1976 episode of ''One Day at a Time''.
*This logo was quickly replaced in syndication with the Embassy Telecommunications logo once it was introduced. As of now, it is unknown if the full logo will ever surface.
* A very faint segment of the tune before it was cut out by the [[Columbia TriStar Television|Columbia TriStar Television Distribution]] logo had also been spotted on three episodes of ''One Day at a Time''.
* It is also said that the logo itself was seen as late as the early to mid-1990s before the Columbia TriStar Television Distribution logo came into full effect plastering it.
* It was also speculated that it was seen on reruns of pre-1982 episodes of ''The Facts of Life'' as late as 1985.
* This logo may be only used for syndication and reruns, as original airings only use an in-credit text mentioning the company.


'''Editor's Note:''' This is perhaps the rarest logo on this wiki. As a result of its rarity, it is one of the most popular/infamous logos on here. It is also infamous for the widespread amount of parodies, remakes, and fake "findings" of it that have spread as a result.
'''Legacy:''' It has been documented as one of the rarest logos on this wiki. As a result of its rarity, it is also one of the most popular/infamous logos in the community, spawning a widespread amount of parodies, remakes, and fake "findings".
<center>


==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External Links==
*[https://lostmediawiki.com/T.A.T._Communications_Company_(partially_lost_TV_production_logo;_1979-1982) The Lost Media Wiki article on the logo]


{{Chronology||[[Embassy Communications|Embassy Television]]}}
{{TV-Navbox}}
{{TV-Navbox}}{{Navbox-Sony}}
[[Category:Extremely Rare Logos]]
[[Category:Television Logos]]
[[Category:American television logos]]
[[Category:American Television Logos]]
[[Category:Television logos]]
[[Category:American Logos]]
[[Category:United States]]
[[Category:Sony Corporation (Japan)]]
[[Category:Sony Pictures Television]]
[[Category:Sony Pictures Entertainment]]
[[Category:Sony Corporation]]
[[Category:Norman Lear]]
[[Category:Animations on Scanimate]]

Latest revision as of 00:56, 16 June 2024

Credits
Descriptions by
Matt Anscher, Jeffrey Gray, Shadeed A. Kelly and Logophile

Captures by
Michael Pannoni

Editions by
Eric S., Shadeed A. Kelly, V of Doom, Unnepad and Mario9000seven

Video captures courtesy of
The AVID Channel via Logo Central and SamBonzi

Background

T.A.T. Communications Company (often shortened to "T.A.T.") was formed in 1974 by Norman Lear and comedian Jerry Perenchio, a year before Bud Yorkin ended his partnership with Lear. T.A.T. produced The Jeffersons and One Day at a Time, among others. In 1976, T.A.T. formed its own distribution division.

On January 6, 1982, T.A.T. Communications Company was reincorporated as "Embassy Communications, Inc." and renamed the T.A.T. production division as "Embassy Television" (now ELP Communications) with the acquisition of Avco Embassy Pictures Corporation by Lear and Perenchio, while the distribution division of this company was renamed "Embassy Telecommunications". T.A.T. Communications Company is currently known as "ELP Communications", and serves as an in-name-only unit of Sony Pictures Television.

"T.A.T." stood for a Yiddish phrase pronounced "Tuchus Affen Tisch", which roughly meant "Enough talk- put your ass on the table".[1]

Logo (1979?-1982?)


  • The final frame of the logo, as sourced from a partial recording of the logo before it was cut out by a CBS ident

    The final frame of the logo, as sourced from a partial recording of the logo before it was cut out by a CBS ident

Visuals: The logo starts with an orange screen. The screen then starts to zoom out to reveal that it's a star, as it reveals a black background with the text "TAT" in lined letters and "COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY" in white. It's currently unknown what the rest of the logo is. A freeze-frame analysis shows the final frame after, which is slightly covered by the CBS logo, shows the first "C" in "COMMUNICATIONS" and the "C" in "COMPANY" are slightly larger than the rest of the text.

Technique: Analog switcher effects.

Audio: A 12-note synthesized theme composed by producer John Maxwell Anderson.[2]

Audio Variant: One airing of The Jeffersons has the jingle slightly low-pitched, as heard here.

Availability: Nearly 20 years of searching have yielded only a partial recording, as well as two audio files. It is currently documented as "lost media" since the full logo is not preserved anywhere online and it is unclear if it will ever surface.

  • It was only seen on original CBS daytime reruns of One Day at a Time and The Jeffersons and CBS Late Movie airings of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, as well as original NBC reruns of The Facts of Life. This logo was quickly replaced in syndication with the Embassy Telecommunications logo once it was introduced, though it has been said to be seen after it was replaced.
  • VHS releases of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman were rumored to have it, but it has been confirmed it's not on them.
  • It has been said that it appeared on a few broadcasts of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman on TV Land in 2002 during the Norman Lear Marathon and in the mid-1990s on reruns of The Jeffersons on WGN.
  • Re-TV Video Library's tapes of One Day at a Time, and The Jeffersons have not yet been confirmed to have the logo, but it is unlikely.
  • A partial clip of the logo before it was cut out by a CBS ident was finally spotted on the October 21, 1980 rerun of a 1976 episode of One Day at a Time.
  • A very faint segment of the tune before it was cut out by the Columbia TriStar Television Distribution logo had also been spotted on three episodes of One Day at a Time.
  • It is also said that the logo itself was seen as late as the early to mid-1990s before the Columbia TriStar Television Distribution logo came into full effect plastering it.
  • It was also speculated that it was seen on reruns of pre-1982 episodes of The Facts of Life as late as 1985.
  • This logo may be only used for syndication and reruns, as original airings only use an in-credit text mentioning the company.

Legacy: It has been documented as one of the rarest logos on this wiki. As a result of its rarity, it is also one of the most popular/infamous logos in the community, spawning a widespread amount of parodies, remakes, and fake "findings".

References

  1. ↑ Even This I Get to Experience written by Norman Lear. p 260 https://archive.org/details/eventhisigettoex0000lear/page/260/mode/2up
  2. ↑ "T A T Logo" by John Maxwell Anderson, listed on ASCAP Repertory. https://www.ascap.com/repertory#/ace/search/workID/500296022

External Links

 T.A.T. Communications Company
Embassy Television ►
Retrieved from "https://www.avid.wiki/T.A.T._Communications_Company?oldid=884482"
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