Thorn EMI Video

Logo descriptions by James Fabiano, Matt Williams, and indycar Logo captures by Eric S. and LogoFan111898 Editions by V of Doom and indycar Video capture courtesy of Eric S.

Background: Thorn EMI Video was the home video division of Thorn EMI, a multimedia and electronics company. In 1984, the parent company formed a joint venture with HBO that was known as Thorn EMI/HBO Video, later known as HBO/Cannon Video (when Cannon bought Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment) and the U.S. unit was absorbed into the new partnership.

1st Logo (November 15, 1981-March 1982)
Thorn EMI Video (1981)

Nickname: "The Thorn"

Logo: On a blue (or dark blue) background, we see the 1979 Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment logo, only it is in black and white and there is now a black box under "THORN EMI" that says "VIDEO".

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Extremely rare. You can find this on the earliest Thorn EMI Video releases, including their first fourteen releases (The Tubes Video, April Wine Live in London, I Am a Dancer, Can't Stop the Music, Times Square, Death on the Nile, The Cruel Sea, The Day the Earth Caught Fire, The Best of Benny Hill, Scars of Dracula, Sophia Loren: Her Own Story, S.O.S. Titanic, The Royal Wedding, and Queen: Greatest Flix), Heartland, and The Mirror Crack'd.

Editor's Note: This might be very boring to some; it was most likely intended as a placeholder logo.

2nd Logo (June 1982-June 1985 [USA]/1986 [international])
Nickname: "The Thorn II", "Thornimated"

Logo: Against a black background, a blue circle of light zooms up into the screen, spins around, and turns rainbow, then splits into two light circles which spin and shrink into a shape that looks like an upside down "T" with pointed ends, most likely representing a thorn. A white box with a blue aura is drawn around the shape, and it backs away. As this happens, a white box with the words "THORN EMI" appears under that box, which has since turned blue, and when that backs away a white box surrounds that, the bottom of which contains the word "VIDEO".

FX/SFX: The Scanimated circles of light spinning and splitting, then turning into the logo. Also, the "drawing" effects and boxes being added on.

Music/Sounds: A light, synthesized tune that ends in the beating of a drum.

Availability: Rare. Appears on Ready, Steady, Go!: Volume One, the first few collections of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, and Danger Mouse. Thorn EMI also distributed releases from Thames Video, Orion Pictures, Hemdale Film Corporation, The Saul Zaentz Company and Carolco Pictures. Several releases that had this logo were Xtro, The Evil Dead, The Terminator and First Blood. One of the first was The Burning. This logo is also found on various pre-cert releases in the United Kingdom, including First Blood, A Passage to India, certain copies of The Wicker Man and the later pre-cert release of Watership Down (the very first release, from 1982, has no logo at all). At least in the United Kingdom, this was used until Cannon purchased the Thorn EMI library.

Editor's Note: It's a nice logo, and the music is light and catchy.