Columbia Night at the Movies

Logo description by bmasters9 Photos byJoeCool85 Video capture by Pepsi9072

(1988-1993?)

Background: Columbia Night at the Movies is the renamed television movie package program (originally called Embassy Night at the Movies) that aired movies from Columbia Pictures and Embassy Films Associates.

Columbia Night at the Movies (1986)Columbia Night at the Movies (1986) #2

Logo: The opening starts with the 1981 Columbia Pictures logo. A bright flash then emits from the torch, and gives the Torch Lady a neon blue aura, complete with neon gold Sunburst (this neon Torch Lady is set up in front of a city skyscraper on top of what appears to be the roof of a theater). We then zoom out from the Torch Lady, and there is a marquee with neon red edging lights on top, bottom and sides (the lights on the sides are pulsating), and flowing lights below the neon on top, and above the neon on bottom. As we move down from the Torch Lady, six gold stars scroll by on the marquee from right to left, and then "Columbia" (in its trademark Souvenir font) scrolls in from the right and stops in the middle of the marquee.

Below, as we move further down, "Night at the" appears on a lined whiteboard that lights up ("Night at the" appears in red on this whiteboard, also in Souvenir font). "Movies" is in neon blue-green in an unknown font, in letters that light up one-by-one. Those two parts are bracketed by two tall neon red lights on the sides, with a thin gold neon squiggly line above.

Still further down, the word "Presents" is in another unknown font, this one being neon green; pulsating arrow-shaped lights come from each side of it; it has a thick gold neon squiggly line below.

Finally, below all the lights is a moving filmstrip bracketed by a neon red line and flowing lights above, and a blue triangular neon light setup below, bracketed by more neon and flowing lights. The filmstrip has in one of its frames the name of the film in a generic font on a dark blue, and what would appear to be scenes from the feature (this could also be scenes from other films from Columbia Pictures). The filmstrip then zooms out to the top of the screen (with the name of the film on another whiteboard below).

FX/SFX: Plenty of neon and moving lights, as well as the moving filmstrip; in fact, all the motion in this opening.

Music/Sounds: An energetic rock tune that was used before on another syndie movie series, Embassy Night at the Movies from 1983-1988, but with another announcer, John Leader. His opening announcement is...:

"Tonight, Columbia Night at the Movies presents the world television premiere of [name of the film being presented, as well the stars, and a short description of plot]."

...when the filmstrip zooms out, Leader says:

"Our presentation of [name of the film] will begin in a moment."

Availability: Extinct.

Editor's Note: This was the successor of Embassy Night at the Movies.