Republic Pictures (1935-1967)

This article is about the original incarnation of Republic Pictures, a merger of six Poverty Row film studios. For the newer iteration, see Republic Pictures (1985-2010). For other uses, see Republic Pictures (disambiguation).

Credits

Descriptions by
Logoboy95, Eric S. and Logohub

Editions by
mr3urious, Shadeed A. Kelly, V of Doom, Eric S., and Bob Fish

Background

Republic Pictures Corporation (first known as "Republic Pictures Productions") was a movie production/distribution corporation with studio facilities, best known for its specialization in quality B pictures, westerns and movie serials, that was established in 1934 by Herbert J. Yates, a longtime investor in film and music properties and founder and president of Consolidated Film Industries, result of a union of six smaller Poverty Row studios (Monogram, Mascot, Liberty, Majestic, Chesterfield, and Invincible).

The company operated for many years, until eventually closing its production and distribution capabilities in 1959. Republic continued operating in a limited capacity, including studio lot rentals, until 1967, when the lot was sold to CBS. The film library was sold to National Telefilm Associates (NTA, now "CBS Media Ventures").

In 1984, NTA purchased the "Republic Pictures" name and on December 28 of that year, they rebranded as Republic Pictures Corporation.

1st Logo (1935-1938)

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Nickname: "The Shield"

Logo: We see a black WB-like shield on a white background with a black stripe. The words: "REPUBLIC PICTURES" with the stem of the "P" extended appears on a gray stripe behind the shield. Sometimes, "PRESENT" appears below. At the end of the movie, we see the words "The End", in script, over the shield.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: The opening and closing themes of the movie.

Availability: Extremely rare. Can be seen on John Wayne movies produced by this company on Turner Classic Movies.

2nd Logo (March 18?, 1938-1947)

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Nickname: "The City Tower"

Logo: A city tower with a bell ringing fades in the middle of the screen behind a sunburst. Then the words "A REPUBLIC PRODUCTION" with "REPUBLIC" in an arc, fade in on the bottom as the opening credits begin.

Variants:

• In later years, a different version with a different tower design and font was sometimes used. The logo was still, and only had the text "A REPUBLIC PRODUCTION" on romantic lettering fading in.
• There is also a variation, where instead of "A REPUBLIC PRODUCTION" it says "A REPUBLIC RELEASE". This version appeared on Hell's Outpost (1954).

FX/SFX: The zooming effects. The fade-in for the later variant.

Music/Sounds: A bell chiming followed by a fanfare. In other cases, it uses the opening theme.

Availability: Quite common. Preserved on their movies from the time period. It can be seen on King of the Newsboys, Heroes of the Hills, South of the Border, among many others.

3rd Logo (September 15, 1944-1947)

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Nickname: "The City Tower II"

Logo: We see a steeple (presumably that of Independence Hall in Philadelphia) positioned towards the left of the screen, and "A REPUBLIC PRODUCTION", in a white serif font, is moved to the middle-right, slightly slanted. Meanwhile, the sunburst is replaced with clouds and a different sunburst.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: The beginning of the movie's theme song.

Availability: Rare, as it had a shorter lifespan. Seen on some movies by the company from the time like Atlantic City, Tell It To A Star and Affairs of Geraldine.

4th Logo (1947-1950)

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Nickname: "The Bald Eagle"

Logo: On a cloudy background, three rows of words, "A", "REPUBLIC", and "PRODUCTION", are written on a wall at the bottom of the screen in a blocky font. Above is a bald eagle with its wings spread out, facing right, standing on it. A bright glare is shown at the top-right of the screen.

Variants:

• A color version is also available as well.
• If serials are shown, the text "A REPUBLIC SERIAL" was used instead.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: The opening theme of the movie.

Availability: Uncommon. Appears on their movies from the era, including Angel and the Badman (which is colorized when seen on the Hallmark Channel).

5th Logo (1948-1959)

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Nicknames: "The Bald Eagle II" , "Murica!"

Logo: On a background with dark red clouds, we see a bald eagle standing on what appears to be a mountain, facing the right. The words "A REPUBLIC PRODUCTION" in a blocky font with small "grooves" cut across them, are seen underneath.

Variants:

• If serials are shown, the text "A REPUBLIC SERIAL" was used instead.
• "(A) REPUBLIC PRESENTATION" and "A REPUBLIC PICTURE" were used as well.
• Later films used the text "REPUBLIC PICTURES PRESENTS"
• Later closing logos had a still of the eagle swooping over a blue sash with golden edges on a cloud background. Inside the sash read "THE END" with the text "(A) REPUBLIC PRODUCTION" or "REPUBLIC PRESENTATION" dissolving in a few seconds later. This appeared most notably on Johnny Guitar.
• At least one British film (Zanzabuku, 1955) had the text "REPUBLIC PRODUCTIONS (GREAT BRITAIN) LTD. PRESENT" below the eagle.
• One British export print featured the standard logo, but the text below the eagle fades out and is replaced by "DISTRIBUTED BY REPUBLIC PICTURES INTERNATIONAL, INC. (GREAT BRITAIN) BRITISH FILM DIVISION."

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: There are two versions; one is a very patriotic, drum driven fanfare. Another one is a triumphant horn sounder. On exceptional cases, it used the opening theme of the movie.

Availability: Very common. Is still retained on Republic movies from this period, including The Quiet Man, Rio Grande, and Johnny Guitar. The serial variant can be seen on the various serials the company produced, such as Zombies of the Stratosphere, King of the Rocket Men, Flying Disc Man from Mars, and Radar Men from the Moon.

Editor's Note: Nice concept for an identity. The eagle perched on the mountain encompasses the romantic masculinity of United States imagery.