RKO General Productions

Background
In 1955, Howard Hughes sold RKO Radio Pictures to General Teleradio, the media unit of the General Tire and Rubber Company. The studio was renamed to "RKO Teleradio Pictures". The company would shut down in January 1957 and the television rights to the entire RKO Radio Pictures library were sold to C&C Television Corporation (although RKO does maintain the copyrights).

(1956)


Logo: On a black background, a white line draws in below as the background fades into a blend of forest green, salmon, and pale yellow. The line below ruptures a wavelength, revealing "A". This follows with "YANKEE" and "DIVISION" wiping as well as the line producing a wave length. "RKO" appears one by one, with a shorter burst of waves appearing. "TELERADIO" and "PICTURES" then follow the same wiping/wave length animation, and "INC." appears like the "RKO" letters. The line then ruptures into a wavelength, and morphs into the text "FILM PRODUCTION". All the text is in white.

Technique: 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: Three long radar noises with echoing, followed by three short beeps, two more radar noises, another beep, and then a held-out radar noise.

Availability: Can be seen on The Yankee Story. This logo may have been seen on other promotional films for the General Tire and Rubber Company.

Background
After RKO Teleradio Pictures was shut down in January 1957, RKO Teleradio was renamed as "RKO General" under the General Tire and Rubber Company. This incarnation of RKO Pictures did not produce films, instead they handled the distribution of RKO Radio Pictures films to RKO General television stations (as mentioned above, C&C Television Corporation purchased the television distribution rights, but only for markets that had no RKO General station).

1st Logo (1959-1962)


Logo: It is the radio tower from the 1929 RKO Radio Pictures opening inside of a circle that looks like a television tube from a 1950s television. "RKO GENERAL" appears in the tube, "AN" appears above it and "PRESENTATION" under it.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: It was presumably silent or had the opening theme to the film.

Availability: Ultra rare. May have been seen on early 1960s television prints of RKO Radio Pictures films. It turned up on a Video Collection VHS release of The Smallest Show on Earth, which was released in the US under the title Big Time Operators.

2nd Logo (September 30, 1966-1981)
Logo: On a white background, we see a square outlined by the letters "RKO", each with different shades of. Underneath is the phrase "GENERAL PRODUCTIONS" and below "IN ASSOCIATION WITH".

Variants:
 * A superimposed variant was used on television series produced for RKO General television stations.
 * Depending on the film quality, the background may appear as pink.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Was seen on Target For Killing and Password: Kill Agent Gordon. Most current prints of these films will likely remove the logo. The superimposed variant was seen on RKO General television series.

3rd Logo (1970-1978)


Logo: On a background, we see a cartoon rainbow arch. Under it, is the stacked text "AN RKO GENERAL PRESENTATION".

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: A calm short guitar tune.

Availability: Extinct. Was only seen on The Land of Frooze (also known as The Froozles), which aired on KHJ (now known as KCAL-TV) channel 9 in Los Angeles from 1970 to 1978.