Selznick International Pictures

Credits

Descriptions by
mr3urious

Captures by
Eric S., mr3urious, meesterfonnyboy and iLoveClassicTV

Editions by
indycar

Video captures courtesy of
Film Talk, Peakpasha, LogicSmash and LogosForTheWin

For the earlier company, see Selznick Pictures.

Background

Selznick International Pictures was the studio of David O. Selznick, producer of the highest-grossing film of all time (when adjusted for inflation), Gone with the Wind. The first Selznick studio of Lewis J. Selznick was known as Selznick Pictures, founded in 1916. While the studio had success, it was dissolved and reconstituted as Vanguard Films in 1943 as a tax shelter. Most of the studio's films were released by United Artists Pictures, while Gone with the Wind was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, who later acquired the former company. Films produced by Vanguard Films were mostly released by RKO Radio Pictures. Currently, the rights to the library are split. Selznick's partner in the early films, Jock Whitney, sold some of the library off as part of the 1943 dissolution; this included A Star is Born, Nothing Sacred, Little Lord Fauntleroy, Made for Each Other and The Young in Heart. All but the latter of these films are now in the public domain. Whitney also sold Gone with the Wind completely to MGM and is now owned by Warner Bros. Pictures through Turner Entertainment Co. via their 1986 acquisition of MGM's pre-1986 library. After Selznick's death in 1965, the rest of his library was sold to the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) and later integrated into the ABC Motion Pictures/ABC Circle Films library, which is currently owned by The Walt Disney Company via their 1996 acquisition of ABC.

Logo (November 19, 1936-December 14, 1957)

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Visuals: There is an ivory sign against a mostly cloudy sky that reads:

A
SELZNICK INTERNATIONAL
PICTURE

There are also shadows of trees rustling in the wind that are cast onto the sign. A few seconds later, the camera pans downward to reveal the exterior shot of a mansion, which was the Selznick Studio (now the "Culver Studios").

Variants:

• There is a black and white variant of this logo in which the sign reads "THE SELZNICK STUDIO" or "A SELZNICK RELEASE" instead.
• Made for Each Other and Portrait of Jennie had this logo in reverse. However, it begins with "IN A TRADITION OF QUALITY" over the mansion.
• There is an early version of the logo seen on The Prisoner of Zenda and A Star is Born in which the sign reads "SELZNICK INTERNATIONAL PICTURES INCORPORATED" instead. There's also a flag on the exterior shot of the Selznick Studio.
• On the 1985 VHS of Gone with the Wind (probably sourced from a reissue print), the logo begins as a still picture, then the footage starts moving when it comes time to pan down toward the mansion.
• The logo was seemingly reshot at some point in the 1940s. This version can be distinguished by a tighter shot of the mansion which is now lacking the "SELZNICK INTERNATIONAL STUDIOS" signage on the facade. Also of note, the hedge "columns" seen along the front staircase in earlier versions are now gone and, in the full-length edit, a bird can be seen flying across the shot at one point, although the logo would often fade slighty before the bird's appearance. This version appeared on films such as Duel in the Sun (In which the full-length version including the bird was seen) and A farewell to Arms. On the latter film the logo is cropped for widescreen.

Technique: Live action.

Audio: A fanfare composed by Alfred Newman (best known for composing the 20th Century Fox fanfare). It starts off with an eight-note church bell tune, which is followed by a triumphant seven-note brass fanfare.

Audio Variants:

• On A Farewell to Arms, it was rearranged by Mario Nascimbene.
• On Gone with the Wind, the theme is preceded by a long drumroll that plays over a black screen. During the original roadshow engagement, this was the cue after the overture to open the theater curtains before the logo faded in.
• One a few movies, like A Star is Born and Notorious, the opening theme plays over the logo.

Availability: The color variant can be found on Gone With the Wind, A Star is Born, Nothing Sacred and Duel in the Sun, while the more common black and white variant was seen on Rebecca, Spellbound and The Prisoner of Zenda, among others. This logo did not appear on Little Lord Fauntleroy, but was edited onto later prints (sloppily cutting out part of the main credits in the process). On some prints of Notorious, the logo is replaced by the RKO Radio Pictures logo. The last film with this logo was A Farewell to Arms, David O. Selznick's last film produced.