The Guber-Peters Entertainment Company

Credits

Descriptions by
Shadeed A. Kelly and Thisisanswer

Captures by
Eric S., Shadeed A. Kelly, Pygmalion X, and Gilblitz112

Background

The Guber-Peters Entertainment Company was founded in 1983 by Peter Guber and Jon Peters, who were founders of PolyGram Pictures (later revived in 1986 as "PolyGram Filmed Entertainment") as a film production company known as "The Guber-Peters Company". They entered television production in 1984. In January 1988, the Guber-Peters Company merged with Barris Industries, Inc. and became Barris/Guber-Peters, which was later renamed to "The Guber-Peters Entertainment Company" on September 7, 1989. On September 29, 1989, Sony Corporation approached Guber and Peters to become the heads of Columbia Pictures Entertainment. However, Warner Bros.' boss, Steve Ross threatened to sue Sony for for $1 billion for breach of contract, because Guber and Peters were under contract with Warner Bros. GPEC was acquired on November 9, 1989 by Sony for $200 million, a day after Sony acquired Columbia Pictures Entertainment for $3.4 billion. The suit was dismissed when Sony sold half of its interest in Columbia House as well as distribution rights to films by Weintraub Entertainment Group to WB and Sony acquiring the historic MGM lot from Time Warner in 1990. On November 5, 1990, Guber-Peters Television was folded into Columbia Pictures Television Distribution (now "Sony Pictures Television"). Guber-Peters Television acted as a in-name partner for the TV movie Switched At Birth. The final TV movie was Christmas On Division Street and was aired on December 15, 1991 on CBS. The Guber-Peters Entertainment Company however, remained as a production company of Sony Pictures Entertainment. As of September 21, 1993, the Guber-Peters Entertainment Company is now known as "GPEC Inc." as an in-name-only unit of Columbia Pictures.

1st Logo (November 7, 1984-December 15, 1991)

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Logo: On a black background, we have the 3-D outlined word "GUBER" flying from the left and the 3-D outlined word "PETERS" flying in from the right, both at the same time and in sky blue with a bright, shiny backface almost similar to the 1986 Procter & Gamble Productions logo. As soon as both words meet in the center, the rays start to pull back and both words become solid sky blue as we see a hyphen appear in between "GUBER" and "PETERS". We later see the word "THE" in white fade in above and "ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY", also in white, fade in below.

Variants:

• Starting in 1986, the animation is changed as a filmed version where the name "GUBER-PETERS" flashes in.
• On the TV movie Bay Coven, the text "in association with" fades in below.
• On the TV movie Christmas On Division Street, the logo is superimposed with the word "AND" below.

FX/SFX: The names flying, and the rays panning back. Simple '80s effects. None for the still version.

Music/Sounds: The end-title theme from any show, TV movie, or none.

Availability: Extremely rare. These movies aren't aired that often.

• The animated version is retained on TV movies The Toughest Man in the World, Bay Coven, and The Brotherhood of Justice on DVD.
• The still version is seen on Christmas On Division Street on DVD.
• It also appears on the short-lived series Oceanquest.

2nd Logo (December 13, 1989-December 28, 1990)

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Nickname: "Guber-Peters Marble"

Logo: At the end of the credits, the gold words "THE GUBER-PETERS COMPANY" swing down while green and white marble plates close the end credits.

Variant: On Christmas in America: A Love Story, the logo is still.

FX/SFX: The words and the plates.

Music/Sounds: The closing theme.

Availability: Extinct. It was only seen on the short-lived game show Quiz Kids Challenge and the TV special Christmas in America: A Love Story.