Columbia Showcase Theatre
supersamshmelee
Captures by
V of Doom
Editions by
Silversword55, wisp2007, TheMisterFree, Trogga, and thehugetvfan
Video captures courtesy of
LogicSmash and Pei Pei Music
Background
On May 29, 2000, Columbia TriStar Television Distribution launched a film-on-television syndication programming block called the Columbia Showcase Theatre. With the rebranding of Columbia TriStar Domestic Television as Sony Pictures Television (named after Columbia and TriStar's parent owner) in 2002, the block went dormant before it returned to syndicated television in 2004, coinciding with Sony's music division merging with the Bertelsmann Music Group the same year.
Logo (May 29, 2000-2010s)
Visuals: A realistically rendered body of water that appears to be bubbling, complete with a sky, fades in. A large yellow pedestal then rises out of the water, with a hole in the center that lights up, and the 1993 Torch Lady rises out from the middle of the pedestal while a blue robe flows around. The blue robe causes a scene transition to occur, as the camera views the spinning Torch Lady from upperhead. Then, the camera fades to a shot of the giant gold chiseled text "COLUMBIA", in its usual font, flying across, before the camera fades to a profile shot of the Torch Lady, with the blue robe covering her eyes. Then, the camera fades to a shot of "SHOWCASE THEATRE", in the Trajan Pro font, flying around, before fading yet again to a back shot of the Torch Lady. As the text flies around, a flash results in a full-panel view of the standard Torch Lady, with the text in its completed positions. The text and lady move a bit as her torch shines.
Technique: CGI combined with live-action footage.
Audio: A rising, majestic orchestral fanfare, composed by Pei Pei Chung.
Audio Variant: Shortened versions were used on the bumpers with Jonathan Cook providing the voiceover.
Availability: It can be found on syndicated airings of Sony Pictures-owned films and Castle Rock Entertainment films such as Stuart Little, Stuart Little 2, The Craft, Wild Things, Under Suspicion, Sleepless in Seattle, Spider-Man, A Few Good Men, Needful Things, Bewitched, Resident Evil, In the Line of Fire, Immortal Beloved, The Company, The Glass House, Higher Learning, Wolf, Starship Troopers, Hitch, Taxi Driver, The Juror and Something's Gotta Give among others. These prints often show up on the Spanish channel TeleXitos; examples are their prints of Snatch and Gloria.
Legacy: Some prefer this logo over the standard movie logo, thanks to its CGI and music.
