All American Television

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum


Background

All American Television (later known as "All American Communications Television") was a television syndication company active from 1981 to 1998. It was founded by the Scotti brothers Anthony J. and Ben (who also started Scotti-Vinnedge Television in association with Syd Vinnedge, and later founded Scotti Bros. Pictures) and Joseph E. Kovacs. All American Television merged with Scotti Bros. Entertainment Industries and formed "All American Communications, Inc." in early 1991. The company was known for producing and distributing television shows such as Baywatch, America's Top 10 hosted by Casey Kasem, and the Mark Goodson Productions library of game shows, including Family Feud and The Price Is Right.

In 1997, AATV was sold to a British-based company Pearson plc. and reincorporated as Pearson Television; however, it continued to operate as Pearson's American division until mid-1998, when it rebranded to reflect Pearson's ownership of the company. Currently, all of AATV's library is owned by Fremantle.



1st Logo (May 9-December 26, 1982)


Visuals: On a black background, a wide rectangular block that's outlined in white fades in. Another outline with a diagonal red/white/blue pattern and the text "ALL AMERICAN" in a bold font and "T E L E V I S I O N" in a smaller Arial font with a star on each side are inside it.

Variant: This logo would sometimes appear as in-credit.

Technique: A still image.

Audio: The end-title theme of the show.

Availability: Seen on season 3 of America's Top 10.

2nd Logo (January 2, 1983-September 22, 1991)


Visuals: On a cloudy sky background, there is a blue star quickly sliding in from the left side, and a segmented blue pentagon with three red lines on the sides sliding in from the right, and they both join together. Under that, there is two lights forming two red lines, with "ALL AMERICAN" between the lines. Once the text is done forming, the word "TELEVISION" and another red line under it drops down from under "ALL AMERICAN".

Early Variant: A still, in-credit variant appeared on America's Top 10 episodes as early as 1983. The star and lines in the logo are red or pink, the "ALL AMERICAN" text and the lines above and below are white, and the word "TELEVISION" is light blue.

Technique: Early computer effects.

Audio: The ending title theme of the show or any music sample from America's Top 10.

Availability:

  • Seen on America's Top 10, season one of The Howard Stern Channel 9 Show, and early Baywatch episodes.
  • It was also seen on the 1990 syndicated TV special Disorder In The Court: A 60th Anniversary Tribute To The Three Stooges, and edited reruns of the ABC sketch comedy show Fridays, which were last seen on USA Network and local syndication in the mid-late '80s.
  • It was also seen on the Stuntmasters, which has streamed on TubiTV, and TNT MonsterVision airings of Howling III: The Marsupials and Ghoulies II.

3rd Logo (September 23, 1991-September 17, 1995)


Visuals: On a black background, there is a stylized "A" with reflections and an orbit around it, which has a star orbiting it. The silver text "An All American Television" is above it, and then "Production" flashes in under it. The entire logo "shines".

Variants:

  • On America's Top 10, the logo appears in-credit with the copyright year stamp below. On the final season, it appears in-credit for a few seconds, then the background from any music video later fades to a black background.
  • Beginning in 1992, the company's name was changed to "All American Communications Television", and sometimes appears with either "Produced By", "Distributed By", or nothing above the logo.
  • A still variant, featuring the logo without any text, exists.
  • A variant with a blue background also exists.
  • A "Presents" variant also exists.

Technique: Computer animation.

Audio: There are three music variations:

  • 1991-1995: A spaceship sound and an orchestral synth-string note.
  • 1992-1995: A synth tune with a brief humming sound at the beginning, a piano playing throughout, and a brief synth-piano note. A longer version of it also exists.
  • 1993-1995: A quiet five-note synth tune.
  • For the "Presents" variant, a ping accompanied by a soft synth tune when "presents" appears, followed by a 7-note walking bass tune.
  • There is also a silent variation.
  • Some shows would have the end-title theme over it.

Availability:

  • Seen on the original U.S. airings of 1991-1995 episodes of Baywatch.
  • This logo was also seen on the first season of Acapulco H.E.A.T.
  • As for the still shot variant, it was seen on the second season of The Howard Stern Channel 9 Show.
  • The distributor version was also seen on the 1994 version of Family Feud hosted by Richard Dawson. All American bought most of LBS' rights when the logo debuted. It is also retained on Hallmark Movies Now's print of Can You Feel Me Dancing? (1986).
  • However, you will not be able to find this on reruns of Baywatch (except the Universal HD Brazil airings), as all new prints have it replaced with either the 2001 FremantleMedia or 2018 Fremantle logos.
  • This logo was also seen on the final two seasons of America's Top 10.
  • The "Presents" variant was seen on Madonna: Exposed, (and might also be intact on the U.S. VHS release), syndicated prints of some '90s TV movies and also on a USA Network print of Killer Klowns From Outer Space.
  • The version with the blue background was seen on the 1992 special The Kennedy Assassinations.
  • It was also seen on early 1995 episodes of The Richard Bey Show, when the show went into national syndication.

4th Logo (September 11, 1995-June 12, 1998)


Visuals: On a CGI blue background with the "A" (in the font seen in the "A" in this and the previous logo) in the background, there is an "A" zooming out, with a star forming the orbit and orbiting. After the "A" stops zooming, reflections of the "A" are formed, making the "A" logo the same as the in the previous logo. The text "ALL AMERICAN TELEVISION PRODUCTIONS" fades in under the "A".

Variants: There are three variations of this logo:

  • 1995-1998: An alternate variation that doesn't have the word "PRODUCTIONS" below.
  • 1996-1998: The byline "A Subsidiary of All American Communications" was added under the company's name.
  • 1997-1998: Another alternate variant is almost the same as the All American-Fremantle International logo, but with "ALL AMERICAN" blacked out over "FREMANTLE". Also, the byline "A Pearson Television Company" is seen below.
  • This logo was also used for Talbot Television, Ltd. and Fremantle UK Productions, Ltd.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A nine-note synth tune, with the ninth note longer and being orchestral.

Audio Variants:

  • On The Price Is Right from 1996-1998, the 1991 theme is played.
  • On "Weird" Al Yankovic: There's No Going Home, the sound of applause is heard.

Availability:

  • Seen on The Adventures of Sinbad, Baywatch episodes (U.S. prints) starting from season 6, as well as The Price Is Right episodes from 1996-fall 1998.
  • This logo was also seen on 3-2-1 Contact and 1995-96 episodes of The Richard Bey Show.
  • It was also seen at the end of the 1996 Disney Channel concert special "Weird" Al Yankovic: There's No Going Home (Al was associated with Scotti Bros. Records, which was owned and run by All-American).
  • The 1997 variant was seen on some Baywatch episodes of the time and a sizzle reel for the 1998 version of Match Game (the actual show itself would use the 1997 Pearson Television logo).
  • This logo can also be found on both DVD releases of The Adventures of Sinbad in Canada.
  • It also used to be seen on syndicated prints of Live/Artisan Entertainment titles, and was also seen on a Charge! airing of Pentathlon (1994), ThisTV airings of Kickboxer III: The Art of War (1992) and Kickboxer IV: The Aggressor (1994), an old AMC airing of The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell, and a 2005 Sci-Fi (now Syfy) airing of Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings, among others.
  • This logo is also preserved intact on the DVD release of The Seven Little Foys.
  • The 1996 variant of this logo is also seen at the end of an Amazon streaming print of Baywatch: White Thunder at Glacier Bay (1998), following the 1991 Tower 12 Productions logo.
All American Television
Pearson Television
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