Lorimar-Telepictures
Matt A., James Fabiano, and Adam P.
Captures by
Bob Fish, Mr. Logo Lord, V of Doom, megamanj2004, and Pygmalion X
Editions by
Shadeed A. Kelly and V of Doom
Video captures courtesy of
pannoni 8, Broken Saw, DrClaw77, JohnnyL80, and TrickyMario7654
Background
Lorimar-Telepictures Corporation (or simply "Lorimar-Telepictures") was officially formed on April 21, 1986 by the merger of Lorimar Productions and Telepictures Corporation, after it was announced on October 7, 1985 by Lorimar chairman Merv Adelson. In 1987, Lorimar-Telepictures' TV production and distribution units were rebranded as "Lorimar Television" and "Lorimar Distribution", respectively, though the latter business had no onscreen logo. On January 12, 1989, L-T was bought by Warner Communications (later "Time Warner" and "WarnerMedia", now "Warner Bros. Discovery") and was folded into Warner Bros. Television Distribution and became "Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution".
1st Logo (placeholder logo) (January 6-September 18, 1986)
Visuals: There is the 1978 Lorimar logo in red-orange drawing itself in over the animation of the 1983 version of the 1980 Telepictures "Flying Parallelograms" logo (which is shifted down on the screen and played slower).
Variants:
- For the logo's first few months, the Telepictures logo would play first, then shift down to make room for the Lorimar logo's animation.
- The logo is superimposed on the credits on The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime, where the Lorimar logo plays first, then the Telepictures logo plays.
- On shows with the Rankin/Bass logo, both logos are in mid-formation and play at the same time.
Technique: Slit scan combined with cel animation.
Audio: The Telepictures (Bernard Hoffer's theme) and Lorimar themes playing for their respective animations.
Audio Variants:
- On the early version instead, the Telepictures "Rollercoaster" logo theme plays first (albeit with the first note extended), then the Lorimar theme.
- On The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime, the Lorimar theme plays first, then the Telepictures "Rollercoaster" logo theme.
- The Telepictures theme always plays by itself on shows with the Rankin/Bass logo.
Availability: This is a placeholder logo.
- It was seen on early syndicated airings of The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime, as well as early-mid 1986 episodes of Dallas and Knots Landing, all of which have fallen to plastering to the later L-T and WBTV logos.
- However, it is still intact on early episodes of SilverHawks, as well as the early S1 episodes of ThunderCats, all of which are intact on DVD and when last aired on RTV.
2nd Logo (September 13, 1986-Spring 1989)
Visuals: There are two comet-like streaks with a bluish glow swerve toward each other. As the lines get closer, their ends start to gain a red glow. When the lines connect, a red firework-like effect flashes/explodes in the background, and the name "LORIMΛR-Telepictures" (which has both company names in their usual fonts in white 3D lettering, with a hyphen between them) zooms in rapidly in the center. When it has finished zooming in, the red "fireworks" fade into a black background, which then starts to fade to blue. Sparkles appear, making parts of the logo shine.
Variants:
- The logo appears in-credit on some episodes of The People's Court and Love Connection.
- Starting in 1987 on some shows, the background would remain black after the logo zooms in.
- Some episodes of The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime have the background fade to red.
- Sometimes, the trademark symbol "TM" appears on the 1987 version, being bigger or smaller depending on the show.
- On some shows such as later S1 and S2 episodes of ThunderCats, the short version of the logo minus the twinkles is used.
- A warp-speed version also exists.
- On the Full House S1 episode "Sea Cruise," the logo theme begins during the last second of the closing credits and then it cuts to the logo midway though the comet streaks' animation.
- On the 1988 TV movie Jack the Ripper, the word "and" is superimposed onto the logo until the lines connect with each other.
Technique: Cel animated, combined with simple computer effects. The animation was produced by Calico.
Audio: A four-note royal-sounding synth horn fanfare combined with a tympani drum, with the last note being held. Three short chimes are also played along the sparkles appearing. The fanfare was arranged and composed by Score Productions, and is in the key of C major. This logo was also played with the then-current Rankin/Bass logo at that time for animated shows.
Audio Trivia: The short variant of the logo music appears at the end of track 7 of Neil Cicierega's Mouth Sounds mixtape, "Alanis".
Audio Variants:
- Very rarely, the original 1971 Lorimar music (and even some special variations of it) would play over this logo (most likely a plastering error). This was spotted on a rerun of the first season of Perfect Strangers, and various episodes of Knots Landing on CBS Drama and the French FOX Life channels.
- On original NBC broadcasts and as well as some reruns (namely on TV Land's 2005 50-hour marathon of Warner Bros. Television shows for their 50th anniversary) of The Hogan Family (2nd & 3rd season, when it was originally titled Valerie and Valerie's Family respectively), this logo's jingle is an odd-sounding high-tone variation in D♭ major, but in other reruns (namely the 2006 ABC Family reruns), it's usually plastered over with the 1992 version of the 1988 Lorimar Television logo with the end-title theme playing.
- Over the end-title theme from any show or the respective logo theme, the announcer from any series would announce over the logo.
- On the twinkle-less variant, the logo theme lacks the twinkle sound.
- Some series would have the last half of the logo theme.
- Sometimes, the logo is silent.
- On the Full House S1 episode "The Big Three-O" (DVD only), once the blue starry background comes up, the music fades out as it normally would on the short version, and the logo is silent for the rest of the duration.
- On the Warner Archive DVD release of The Stranger Within and on an 1986 episode of It's a Living, the music is played in a low-tone, in B major.
- On a few episodes of It's a Living, the last few seconds of the end title theme would play over this logo before the final few seconds of the L-T jingle played.
- On Jack The Ripper, it's the closing theme.
- On some HD prints of season 5 of Perfect Strangers, this logo plays the 1988 Lorimar Television theme which continues into the 2003 Warner Bros. Television logo.
Availability:
- Seen on shows from the time-period, such as the 1980s Alvin and the Chipmunks starting with S4, Dallas (including most episodes from late S9-S11 on DVD), Knots Landing, Falcon Crest, the late 1980s version of Gumby titled Gumby Adventures (including the 2001 Rhino DVD releases), Superior Court, The People's Court (Joseph Wapner-era), Love Connection, season 1 of Full House (including the Season 1 DVD issued by Warner Home Video, followed by the 2003 WBTD logo), as well as Perfect Strangers and the first season of Fun House.
- Some episodes of Mama's Family also had this logo, but currently plaster it with either the Telepictures Distribution and/or the 1994 or 2003 Warner Bros. Television Distribution logos (with the music intact surprisingly, MeTV airings fix this error however), except on the episodes "Cellmates" and "Mama's Boyfriend" as featured on the 2013 S1 DVD release.
- Later S1 ThunderCats episodes also had this logo (was rerun on Toonami years ago; two volumes of the show on DVD also have it intact), as well as the short-lived game show Perfect Match and later airings of The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime, respectively.
- It was also seen on Freddy's Nightmares; some current airings plaster this with the Warner Bros. Television logo, however it is still available on VHS releases and was also seen on some episodes of the said show on the now-defunct Chiller.
- It was also seen on two episodes of Tales from the Darkside when they last aired on SyFy (including the one with the potato bug); the 1984 LBS Communications and Tribune logos are seen on most episodes, however this and the later two logos are plastered on the CBS DVD release by the 2007 CBS Television Distribution logo.
- This was also seen on some international reruns of the first two seasons of ALF as well, along with ALF: The Animated Series.
- On the short-lived Max Headroom, most episodes on the now-defunct TechTV plastered it with the 2001 WBTD logo, yet retain it on most episodes on the newest DVD set from Shout! Factory (preceding the 1990 WBTD logo).
- Strangely, this logo was also seen after the Filmways and MGM logos on the Mister Ed episode "Love Thy New Neighbor" on ThisTV.
- It is also preserved on the 1987 Family Home Entertainment VHS release of Gumby's Supporting Cast, a 2004 Telemundo broadcast of Return of the Living Dead Part II, at the end of the original VHS releases of The Boy Who Could Fly and The Morning After, current international, Starz Encore, Paramount+, Light TV reruns and most modern releases of Heathcliff and the Cadillac Cats (only at the beginning of the show), and seasons 4-5 of It's a Living as well, following the Witt/Thomas Productions logo.
- It was also seen at the end of a Disney Channel airing of The Boy Who Could Fly, TCM airings of the 1954 film Tonight's the Night (aka Happy Ever After) and the 1958 film Snowfire, and a TCM UK airing of Bad Men from Tombstone (1949) (in which the Warner Archive DVD release does not retain it).
- On current prints of Full House, this logo is plastered by the 2003 WBTVD logo.
- It is also preserved on the French print of the 1980 TV movie Rape and Marriage: The Rideout Case, and was also seen as the end of the original 1987 airing of Eight Is Enough: A Family Reunion and on TV Land airings of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (following the 1968 Romart logo).
- It is also intact on the 1987 UK VHS release of ThunderCats Ho! The Movie, the 1988 UK VHS releases of ALF: For Your Eyes Only and Looking for Lucky and ALF: Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue, and the 1989 UK VHS release of ALF: He Ain't Seafood, He's My Brother from The Video Collection, respectively.
Legacy: This logo is highly regarded among the logo community due to its animation and music.
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