Starry Night Productions

Background
This is the vanity logo of Night Court creator/producer Reinhold Weege.

Logo (January 4, 1984-May 3, 1989)


Visuals: There is the skyline of Chicago at night, with no stars in the sky. A shooting star flies into the sky and explodes, then disappears. After that, a starfield appears in the sky as the text "serif" appears at the bottom of the screen in a white serif font. The text "IN ASSOCIATION WITH" appears below it in a smaller, plainer font.

Trivia: The name "Starry Night Productions" may have came from the Barney Miller episode "Movie: Part 2", where Sgt. Harris produces a pornographic film to infiltrate the underground pornographic industry for the NYPD. In the episode, Harris uses the name "Starry Night Productions". However, considering the episode was produced in 1981 and Weege left Barney Miller in 1979, it's unknown if the name was meant to be a shout-out or if it was just coincidental.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: A clap-like sound, followed by an electric piano chord. Starting in March 1984 with "Harry and the Rock Star", the 11th episode of Night Court, a man breaking into laughter is heard after the piano chord first started up that goes over to the Warner Bros. Television logo of the time period (either the 1973 logo on earlier episodes or the '84 "Shield" logo; on recent prints, it's the 2003 logo).

Audio Trivia: The laugh was rumored to have been either the voice of Mel Blanc or Harry Anderson. However, in a comment on an article about Reinhold Weege's death, show writer Tom Reeder states the laugh was Weege's father Chuck, who attended the tapings of the first several seasons of Night Court, where his distinct laugh was often heard.

Availability: Seen on the first six seasons of Night Court (original series only; the reboot doesn't use this logo) and the 1984 TV pilot Earthlings.

Legacy: A number of viewers found this logo to be scary, while others found it amusing.