Seven Arts Television

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum


Background

Seven Arts Associated was founded in 1960 by Eliot Hyman and Bob Rich for global television distribution of post-1948 motion pictures and animated features from the studios of Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, Universal, Monogram Pictures, and Allied Artists. The company entered original television production under the Seven Arts Television label in 1965.

Seven Arts Associated Corp.

Logo (1960-1964)


Visuals: Over a cloudy sky backdrop, there is a segmented rectangle with the text "SEVEN ARTS ASSOCIATED CORP." inside the right half and the initials "SAA" inside a circle formed by items that represent the seven art forms (clockwise: the drama/comedy masks, ballet slippers, a bust sculpture, a triangle ruler, a paintbrush and easel, a harp and a book) in the left side. A header above the logo reads "DISTRIBUTED FOR TV BY".

Variants:

  • On Warner Bros. cartoons, there is a smaller version of the logo surrounded by several Looney Tunes characters (clockwise: Bosko, Buddy, Sniffles, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd and Porky Pig).
  • The logo in general was upgraded by late 1961. The "SAA" in the Wreath portion of the logo was replaced with a modernized "7A".

Technique: A painting filmed by a cameraman.

Audio: On some films, the opening/closing theme is heard. The Looney Tunes variant uses the 1936-37 "Porky Signature" ending theme. On 20th Century Fox films on which this appeared, the second half of the Fox fanfare is used.

Availability:

  • It was seen on Seven Arts syndication packages of various Fox, Warner, and Allied Artists films throughout the '60s and '70s, with the most notable being Return of the Fly and the Bowery Boys movies.
  • The Looney Tunes variant was on various black-and-white Looney Tunes shorts in syndication during this period.
  • This variant currently appears on a few Bosko cartoons on the Image Entertainment "Uncensored Bosko" DVD sets.
  • A full-color version additionally plasters the CinemaScope credit on the original 1977 Magnetic Video release of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.

Seven Arts Television

1st Logo (1964-1967)


Visuals: Superimposed over the opening theme, there is a stylized "7A" inside a sun-shaped circle spinning towards the screen. The "7A" spins counterclockwise and quicker than the sun, which spins clockwise. As the initials and sun approach the camera, they gradually stop spinning to form the logo. After that, a colorful explosion occurs in the center of the screen, revealing the words "SEVEN ARTS TELEVISION Presents" over the screen.

Technique: Cel animation.

Audio: The opening theme of the film.

Availability: It's seen on some post-1948 feature films in syndication, and also on the cartoon Johnny Cypher in Dimension Zero.

2nd Logo (April 19, 1965-1967)


Visuals: Over the series' credits is the text "A SEVEN ARTS TELEVISION PRESENTATION" with the Seven Arts emblem from the previous logo on the upper-right hand corner.

Technique: A still graphic.

Audio: The ending theme.

Availability: It's seen on Marine Boy, the U.S. English-dubbed version of the anime Kaitei Shônen Marine. It may have also appeared on the 1965 talk show Gypsy.