Universal Newsreel

Compiled by VPJHuk

Background: Universal Newsreels was the news division of Universal Studios, created in 1929. The subsidiary was closed in 1967, after producing at least 40 volumes. The majority of the 7-10 minute reels were shot in black and white. In 1976, MCA, Universal's owner at the time, unusually turned over ownership of all their newsreels to The National Archives. This decision effectively ended Universal's copyright claim, releasing the films into the public domain. Many of Universal's newsreels can be found online, and have since become a popular source of file footage in recent years.

1st logo (1929?-1939?)

Nicknames: "The Globe VII", "International Globe"

Logo: In a starry background, we see the Universal globe from the time spinning from left to right. We also see text "Universal International NEWSREEL" and a copyright notice on the bottom.

Variant: A closing version exists where we see "THE END" in the middle and "Universal International NEWSREEL" in the bottom right corner.

FX/SFX: Just the globe moving.

Music/Sounds: Typical 40's music.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * Later newsreels have a more bombastic theme.
 * On the closing variants, a shorter version of the music is used. This applies to the later variants.

Availability: Extinct. It can be seen on newsreels from the 1940 all the way until 1954.

Editor's Note: None.

9th Logo (August 29th,1955 - January 27th,1964)

Nicknames: "Globes", "The Ring of Globes", "Spinning Globes"

Logo: In a starry background, we see globes spinning counterclockwise in a ring. We also see the text "Universal International NEWS" along with a copyright notice.

Variants:
 * A closing version exists where we see a bold "THE END" in the middle and "Universal International NEWSREEL" in the bottom right corner.
 * A variant with bigger letters exist.

FX/SFX: The globes moving.

Music/Sounds: A bombastic theme.

Music/Sounds Variant: The closing version has a shortened version of the opening theme.

Availability: Ultra rare. It can be seen from every newsreel from Volumes 28 up to early issues Volume 37. The later issues of Volume 37 plaster the big letter variant with the next logo.

Editor's Note: This is the only logo to omit "REEL" from "NEWS" in the opening version.

10th Logo (September 3rd,1964 - October 24th,1967)

Nicknames: "The Globe VIII", "Zooming Globe", "60's Globe"

Logo: Just the 1963 Universal Pictures logo, but when the camera is zooming in the globe, the text "UNIVERSAL" pops up while glowing. The glow dims as we reach the globe. The text "NEWSREEL" and a copyright notice pop up when the camera has stopped zooming.

Variants:
 * A closing version exists, where we see the globe zooming in and "THE END" in the center of the screen, and "UNIVERSAL NEWSREEL" on the bottom right of the screen.
 * A later variant was made in 1965, where we see "Universal Pictures" coupled with their print logo at the time appearing from the glow, and "NEWSREEL" popping up before the camera has stopped zooming. The copyright notice appears when the camera has stopped zooming. The closing version exists has the globe zooming in and "THE END" in the center of the screen. This later closing version used a different font for "THE END" and the "UNIVERSAL NEWSREEL" text was removed.

FX/SFX: The camera zooming, the globe and rings moving and the letters popping up.

Music/Sounds: A bombastic theme.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * The closing version has a shortened version of the opening theme.
 * An alternate variant can be heard on Volume 40.

Availability: Ultra rare. It can be seen on newsreels from the later issues of Volume 37 until Volume 40, the last known volume. The later version was in use from Volume 39 onward.

Editor's Note: None.