United Artists

Main Logo Variations Trailer Variations

This article is about the original iteration of United Artists. For the modern iteration, see United Artists Releasing. For other uses, see United Artists (disambiguation).

Credits

Descriptions by
Jason Jones, Jess Williams, James Fabiano, Andrew Turnbull, Ryan Froula, Supermarty-o, and others

Captures by
Eric S., TVlogos2008, naxo-ole, Bob Fish, Logophile, V of Doom, StephenCezar15, indycar, TrickyMario7654, thestudioghiblifan, Vahan Nisanian, and Logofreak98

Editions by
V of Doom, Logophile, Michael Bass, Shadeed A. Kelly, betamaxtheflyer, shnick1985, MartinVB, D.L. Chandell, KirbyGuy2001, Supermarty-o, Vahan Nisanian, iheartparamount, indycar, GETENT, Unnepad, Jesse Coffey, Michael Kenchington,, Tjdrum2000 and TheLogoFan2004

Video captures courtesy of
Peakpasha, KidCairbreReturns, Sagan Blob Enterprises, LogicSmash, MattTheSaiyan, Jordan Rios, BreadCrustCouncil, DudeThatLogo, Vahan Nisanian, Una mirada hacia la humanidad, BasicMasterReloaded, VCFLRadiofan66, Ryan Holman, Cassavetesforaday, and ENunn

United Artists Corporation
Founded:	February 5, 1919 (105 years ago)
Founder:	Mary Pickford Douglas Fairbanks Charlie Chaplin D. W. Griffith
Defunct:	December 31, 2019 (4 years ago)
Successors:	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Location:	United States
Parent:	Amazon

Background

United Artists was formed in 1919 by four of the leading figures in the early Hollywood era: Mary Pickford, Charles Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and D. W. Griffith. It was largely sold to Arthur Krim and Robert Benjamin in 1951; both Chaplin and Pickford sold the remaining shares to Krim and Benjamin in 1956. United Artists was sold to Transamerica Corporation on April 27, 1967, and later to Kirk Kerkorian's Tracinda, Inc. (the then-current owner of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.) on July 28, 1981. MGM would use both their brand and United Artists as labels during this time under the MGM/UA brand.

In 1986, Turner Broadcasting System purchased MGM/UA Entertainment Co. and renamed it to MGM Entertainment Co. United Artists' assets were purchased back by Kirk Kerkorian who would use them to found a new company under the United Artists name. However, when Turner gained heavy debt over the MGM purchase, he sold the company back to Kirk Kerkorian, with the new United Artists being renamed as MGM/UA Communications Company, with MGM and United Artists being used as distribution labels. This still wasn't enough, as the company gained a loss of $88 million, leading to MGM and United Artists splitting into separate divisions.

By 1990, after the purchase of MGM/UA by Giancarlo Parretti, United Artists became dormant in favor of the MGM label being used instead. In 1993, after Crédit Lyonnais' purchase of MGM, he convinced John Calley to run UA, allowing the Pink Panther and James Bond franchises alongside one of the few NC-17 films released by a major studio, Showgirls (which was distributed internationally by Chargeurs). Kirk Kerkorian later repurchased MGM in 1996, and Calley resigned.

In 1999, MGM folded the existing United Artists company into their own operations (with copyrights for The Pink Panther and Rocky transitioning to MGM, although James Bond kept with a UA copyright for legacy purposes) and rebranded their G2 Films (a renamed portion of the former Samuel Goldwyn Company) division as United Artists International, with the United Artists brand now being used as an art-house theater label.

On April 8, 2005, Sony Corporation of America, Comcast, and four other partners bought MGM and United Artists for $4.8 billion. In November 2006, Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner were made the new heads of this revamped United Artists. However, on August 14, 2008, Wagner left the studio but still remained a stockholder in United Artists. In 2011, it became completely owned by MGM again when the studio purchased the stock formerly owned by Cruise and Wagner. As a result, UA was absorbed but still exists as an in-name-only unit of MGM.

In September 2014, MGM acquired a stake in Mark Burnett's companies One Three Media and Lightworkers Media, merging them into United Artists Media Group; the next year, UAMG was folded into MGM Television.

In 2018, MGM revived the UA brand as United Artists Digital Studios, which was folded into MGM in 2020. The United Artists name would finally return to the big screen in 2019 as United Artists Releasing, a re-branding of MGM and Annapurna Pictures' existing distribution joint-venture Mirror Releasing, distributing movies from fellow MGM subsidiaries Orion Pictures, Orion Classics and American International Pictures. On March 4, 2023, the same day Creed III was released to theaters, it was announced that United Artists Releasing was folded back into MGM due to Amazon (the current owner of MGM)'s optimism of the feasibility of theatrical distribution, putting the United Artists name to rest after 104 years; the UA logo was noticeably missing from marketing materials and posts for MGM's slate of 2023 releases, most notably Creed III.

1st Logo (May 17, 1930-October 23, 1967)

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Visuals: An elongated black hexagon is seen on a varying background, usually some sort of parchment, with a 3-layer white outline inside of it. The stacked text "UNITED ARTISTS" in a fancy serif font, is also seen within. Certain aspects, like if the text is beveled or how wide the hexagon is, differ from film to film.

Variants:

• Sometimes, the black hexagon doesn't appear.
• On films produced by London Productions, this logo would appear as an in-credit version, with the words "Distributed by" above it.
• There were several color variants, including a sepia-toned variant from the mid-1940s-1950, three different black and white variants from 1930-1967, and a color variant from 1950-1967.
• On Topkapi, the logo was small and in-credit at the bottom-right corner of the end credits, with the words "Released by" above it.
• On Of Mice and Men and The Housekeeper, as well as Laurel & Hardy's A Chump at Oxford (filmed and completed in 1939, released in 1940), a 20th anniversary version is used. The hexagon outline is longer and thinner, "UNITED ARTISTS" is in a plainer font, and "TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY" is sandwiched in-between it. The years "1919" and "1939" are flanked on each side of it. A Chump at Oxford has the striped letters "HR" embossed onto the background.

Technique: Usually a printed card. Sometimes superimposed or a painting.

Audio: Silent for most of the time; however, sometimes it uses the opening of the film.

Availability: This logo was occasionally presented on films by the company from the time-period until 1967. It had been plastered by the MGM logo (most notably the 2001 variant of the 1986 MGM logo) and later UA logos.

• Despite being around for a good 37 years, this logo was extremely difficult to find due to scarce use on certain films, as well as rampant plastering by the means of MGM and later UA variants.
  • MGM later sublicensed the films in its library to video labels who are doing new scans and remasters, and usually leave the original studio card idents intact on their film scans.
  • In recent years, this logo has started to become far more common than it was over the last few decades.
  • Internationally it first debuted in Sweden in Stockholmsutställningen 1930.
  • In the United States, this logo is believed to be first seen on The Bat Whispers.
• As most releases only used a text notice, a few films have originally used this logo but were removed or updated with newer ones (or a MGM logo), thus making it an extremely hard find.
  • However, it does appear on the Hopalong Cassidy film False Colors, whenever CoziTV decides to rerun it.
• It is unknown if this logo also appears on Mclintock!, as most VHS copies have no logo while DVD copies of the non-restored version also have no logo and the restored version's DVD uses the 2002 Paramount Pictures logo.
• Noticeably, out of all the pre-1967 James Bond films, the only one where this appeared was Goldfinger (1964) (not fully confirmed).
• Among the other films that originally featured this logo were The Magnificent Seven, West Side Story (at least on general release prints), One, Two, Three, and The Beatles' films A Hard Day's Night and Help!.
• This logo was also seen on international prints of some pre-1948 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts that they owned while plastering the Warner Bros. opening of the era, an example being BBC 1 broadcasts from the 1980s.
• It has also been preserved on Call Me Bwana, Stranger on Horseback, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (preceded by the 10th logo on the 1990 VHS release), Thunderbirds Are Go!, Tomorrow, the World!, Three Sundays to Live, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Happy Thieves, The Fabulous Dorseys, The Horse's Mouth, and How I Won the War (an early Transamerica-era film that was intended to be released six months earlier than it actually was; possibly the last film to feature the hexagon, before Transamerica took over).
• It is also intact on the Scream Factory Blu-ray release of Doctor Blood's Coffin, the Kino Lorber DVD and Blu-ray releases of 10 Seconds to Hell, and the Twilight Time Blu-ray and Vudu prints of Inserts (made in 1976, but it was rated X, so Transamerica didn't want its name nor insignia on the film, and since it was a period piece set in the '30s UA simply decided to use this logo as a stylistic choice in lieu of a textual notice), TCM airings of Tomorrow, the World! and Return from the Ashes, and ThisTV airings of Gentlemen Marry Brunettes.
• This is also seen on international prints of The Man with the Golden Arm, in which it also makes a surprise reappearance on an Australian TV airing and on the German Blu-ray release.
• The MGM/UA VHS release of Marty also preserves this, and it's been suggested that this also even appeared on its original VHS and Betamax release, from CBS/Fox Video.
• The in-credit variant is also seen on all the British-made films from London Productions that were distributed by UA, though it does not appear on the 1942 Jungle Book film.
• The 20th-anniversary variant is seen on some prints of Of Mice and Men (as seen in the above photo), and A Chump at Oxford, both Hal Roach Studios-produced films.
• On the 1990 MGM/UA Home Video Laserdisc release of A Bridge Too Far, this logo plasters over the Transamerica byline variant that is on the film itself.
• It also does not appear on It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), The Miracle Worker, The Barefoot Contessa, The Killing, A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, Tom Jones, The Pink Panther, The Alamo, Birdman of Alcatraz, or How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
• Very rarely, a VHS and Laserdisc release of these will preserve this logo's absence without also showing a later logo.
  • This also happens on the 1990 Laserdisc release of A Fistful of Dollars, the 1981 Magnetic Video release of The Pink Panther (some prints just use the 5th logo), the 2000 Western Classics VHS release of The Alamo, the 1990 VHS release of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and the 1992 VHS release of The Miracle Worker.
• This logo was also recently seen at the start of a January 3, 2023 Film4 airing of The Hound of the Baskervilles, following the 2001 variant of the 1986 MGM logo.

2nd Logo (October 30, 1942-July 17, 1943)

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Visuals: There is a design of a bald eagle with the words "UNITED ARTISTS" in front. Above this "A" is seen, and below it "Release" is seen. The latter two phrases are in cursive.

Variants:

• On some films, the text reads as "Released through" and lacks the eagle. Instead, a single spotlight is seen, emerging from the bottom right corner.
• A color version of this logo exists.

Technique: Printed card.

Audio: The film's opening theme.

Availability: Only two films are known to contain this logo: I Married a Witch and The Crystal Ball.

• This logo is preserved on the 2013 Criterion Collection Blu-ray release and TCM airings of the former.
• It should be noted that both films were produced by Paramount Pictures and were sold to United Artists for distribution.
• The logo may also appear on other films that Paramount produced and sold to United Artists.
• The variant can be seen on Victory Through Air Power.

Legacy: This was one of UA's first attempts to use a consistent logo in the United States.

3rd Logo (June 13, 1967-August 3, 1968)

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Visuals: A large black circle is seen with the words "UNITED ARTISTS" centered within it as cote outs. The "U" and "A" are much larger than the rest of the text, and overlap each other. In the top left, "FROM" is seen in a very small, tall font, and the bottom has "A Transamerica COMPANY", with "Transamerica" within the circle as a cote out and in the company typeface.

The logo is contained inside a yellow circle, focused off-center from the screen, but centered around the logo, which is inside a blue rectangle with rounded corners, encased inside an off-center purple box, surrounded by offset dark red bars.

Variants:

• There were a few color scheme variations used for this logo besides the normal version:
  • A variant of the standard version with the blue rectangle resembling a TV tube, an larger but uneven yellow circles, and a smaller purple section with rounded corners.
  • Centered logo and yellow circle on a blue background.
  • Monochrome print logo on a black background, with a white outline forming the circle. This is used for trailers.
• On trailers, "RELEASED THRU" replaces "FROM". It may be in the same places as "FROM", on top of the logo, or not there. "COMPANY" might also be "CORPORATION".
• Depending on the film, the placement of the logo would vary slightly.

Technique: Cel sheets.

Audio: Usually silent, or the opening theme or audio of the film.

Audio Variants: On American prints of the Italian James Bond spoof Operation Kid Brother (Original Italian title: O.K. Connery), this logo plasters the original Titanus logo that started the picture, but maintains said logo's fanfare. UA likely extended the time this logo was onscreen to match the length of the Titanus fanfare.

Availability: Seen on films from the company, despite only being used for a year due to it being replaced by the next logo in 1968.

• It was allegedly first seen on You Only Live Twice (which used the blue TV tube variant on both sides of the pond).
  • It was also said to be seen on a Retroplex airing of said film.
• Among the other films that originally featured this logo were Billion Dollar Brain, Operation Kid Brother (U.S. prints), Death Rides a Horse (U.S. prints), The Party, Kill a Dragon, Yours, Mine & Ours, Danger Route, Live for Life, and Hang 'Em High.
• The trailer variant is seen on the Clambake! trailer, but on the main feature (Region 2 and 4 DVD releases only), it has an odd United Artists/Ledy-Gardner-Laven productions in-credit logo instead.
• The original U.S. theatrical run of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly also did not originally have this logo, as confirmed by the original 1967 continuity script which described the first reel as going straight to the title sequence from the leader (the absence thereof is preserved on the 1990 MGM/UA VHS and Laserdisc releases).
  • However, it is intact on the 2017 Kino Blu-ray release of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (after the 2012 MGM logo) as well as on the 2021 Blu-ray and 4k UHD releases.
  • It is also intact on Kino's Blu-ray releases of A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More.
• The continuity script for In the Heat of the Night also confirms that the logo didn't originally appear on that film or its camera negative.
  • However, it was attached to most 35mm U.S. prints.
• The blue background variant is only known to appear on the aforementioned Kino Lorber Blu-ray releases of the Dollars Trilogy.
• The black background variant appears on some trailers of films, notably the trailer of The Party (1968).

4th Logo (June 19, 1968-August 4, 1976)

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Visuals: It starts with two sets of blue lines going into place one by one on a black background. One line turns to the left, another turns to the right, and so on. There are six lines altogether, revealing the logo of Transamerica Corporation, United Artists' former owner. The stylized blue "T" design zooms out to the right side to make room for the company name "United Artists" in the Transamerica corporate typeface (a rounded, dotless version of Helvetica Extra Compressed), sliding in from the left. A small byline pops in afterward, reading "Entertainment from Transamerica Corporation", which appears under the UA name.

Trivia:

• This was the result of a branding strategy of the Transamerica Corporation, unifying all their owned companies under the main company's logo. This included, among others: Transamerica Distribution Services, Transamerica Airlines, Liberty Records, Blue Note Records, and of course, United Artists and subsidiary United Artists Television.
• This logo was animated at DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, whose animated shorts (The Pink Panther, The Inspector, etc.) were released by UA.

Variants:

• Starting in 1975, the "T" would zoom out to the bottom left corner, the name (which is larger) slides in from the right, and the byline is placed to the right side.
• A prototype variant also exists, where the "T" forms at a faster rate, the byline is already present, and everything zooms out farther before jarringly cutting back to the normal spot. This is only known to have appeared on The Thomas Crown Affair.
• On some trailers, the "T" is white.
• On some films, such as most James Bond films of this period (with the confirmed exceptions of On Her Majesty's Secret Service and a 1971 reissue print of Dr. No), the logo would cut to black instead of fading out.
• A B&W variant also exists, which was seen on late 1960s reissues of older black and white United Artists films. This was also seen on Woody Allen's Sleeper.
• On a few films, such as Midnight Cowboy, the logo fades into a white background to accompany the opening credits.
• On reissue trailers for some films a still version of this logo is used, only it says "Re-released thru" above the logo.
• On some Scope films, such as The Secret of Santa Vittoria, The Organization, The World of Hans Christian Andersen, Fellini Satyricon, The Long Goodbye, Visit to a Chief's Son, and Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, the logo is zoomed out further than usual. Other Scope films, including The Bridge at Remagen, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Diamonds Are Forever, and Fiddler on the Roof, simply used the standard variant cropped heavily, and on Scope films that use the 1975 variant, the logo zooms out similar to the Scope variant of the 1984 Tri-Star Pictures logo.
• On some full screen prints, including the RCA VideoDisc release of Fiddler on the Roof, the logo is squeezed to fit the 4:3 aspect ratio. On the cancelled VHD print of the film, the logo is cropped/zoomed in so that the "United Artists" text appears to be in the center of the screen, resulting in the "T" being cut off at the right side.

Technique: Cel animation by DePatie-Freleng.

Audio: An ascending musical scale of six groovy bass guitar notes accompanying each of the six blue lines, followed by a sharp drum roll, and concluded by a fanfare of horns and drums composed by Doug Goodwin, a staff composer at DePatie-Freleng also known for writing the theme song for The Pink Panther Show.

Audio Variants:

• On Fiddler on the Roof, it uses a timpani drum piece. This variant only appears on original prints as well as the RCA VideoDisc release.
• Most releases had the logo silent or with the opening theme/audio of the film.
• On the current print of The Adventures of Gerard, it uses the last half of the 1982 fanfare, due to a sloppy reverse plaster, but it actually fits this logo quite nicely.
• On the Arrow Video Blu-ray release of Pulp (1972), the standard 1968 version is accompanied with the 1994 fanfare from the 12th logo. This oddity was due to a sloppy reverse plaster job that likely resulted from Arrow reusing the audio source from MGM's previous SD master (being the MGM DVD releases had the 1994 logo) with the new 2K scan featuring this logo intact (as well as the vintage BBFC card).
• On the 2021 Kino Lorber Blu-ray release of Bring me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (second pressing only, which uses Arrow's 2017 4k remaster), this logo uses the 2000 music from the 13th and 14th logos, respectively, due to a sloppy reverse plastering error (Arrow's 2017 UK Blu-ray release is silent as it should be). Oddly enough, the first pressing of the 2021 Kino Lorber Blu-ray releases uses the older MGM HD master with the 2001 MGM URL variant and the 14th UA logo.

Availability: Seen on films and animated shorts by the company from the time-period until 1976.

• Until recently, this logo was very hard to find due to rampant plastering by the means of MGM and later UA variants.
  • This was presumably done for legal reasons, as Transamerica Corporation still exists as a company (and were still using the "T-Flower" logo in the 1980s).
  • Nowadays, MGM licenses its films to various video labels that perform new scans and remasters and are more likely to leave studio logos intact on the film than MGM themselves; as a result, this logo has started to become much more common than it was during the last ten years.
• The logo was allegedly first seen on The Thomas Crown Affair.
  • The original variant's last regular appearance was on Rosebud, released in 1975; its last appearance on a feature film was That's the Way of the World. It continued to appear on DePatie-Freleng cartoons until at least Medicur, The Dogfather's final theatrical cartoon.
  • The 1975 variant first appeared on Brannigan and made its last regular appearance on The Killer Elite, subsequently appearing on Breakheart Pass and The Return of a Man Called Horse.
• Most adult offerings (either X or a hard R, or in one case a hard PG) from United Artists instead opened with a textual notice due to Transamerica wanting nothing to do with them.
  • The only X-rated film to use this, or any other Transamerica T logo, was Midnight Cowboy, which temporarily had a self-applied X rating because of internal concerns that the MPAA was too lenient in rating it R; the original R rating would finally be accepted soon after its commercial success saw it win the Best Picture Oscar in 1970.
• However, this logo (mainly the first variation) is currently intact on the DVD releases and TCM's prints of Cotton Comes to Harlem (original MGM DVD release only), Alice's Restaurant, Cops and Robbers, Sam Whiskey, Jennifer on My Mind, The Honkers, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (Region 2 DVD releases only), and Jeremy, all after either the 2001 MGM logo or 1994 logos.
• It is also seen on Magnetic Video releases of United Artists films from the early 1980's, such as the pre-Transamerica films The Barefoot Contessa, West Side Story, and Tom Jones, the American print of Last Tango in Paris (plastering the textual notice at the start), and the release of Let It Be.
• The version with the fanfare was mainly seen on original prints of Pink Panther shorts and various DePatie-Freleng Enterprises cartoons of the time, co-produced with Mirisch/UA.
• It has also recently resurfaced on the first episodes of Sheriff Hoot Kloot and Blue Racer, as well as all episodes of The Dogfather on the Kino Lorber DVD and Blu-ray releases.
  • It also makes a surprise appearance on the Magnetic Video Corporation Laserdisc release of Carrie (oddly enough, plastering the 7th logo).
• It also makes appearances on the 1998 VHS release of Mr. Majestyk (after the 1994 logo), an Australian airing of The Last Escape (after the 1987 logo), and the Digiview DVD release of The World of Hans Christian Andersen.
• The Fiddler on the Roof variant was seen on early television broadcasts, and is also intact on the 1981 RCA CED release (Magnetic Video Corporation's version was released later that same year, and by that time, Transamerica no longer owned United Artists; early copies thereof may retain this variant, though).
• The second version is much harder to find, but is still kept intact on the 1993 Republic Pictures Home Video VHS release of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and on the MGM DVD release and ThisTV airings of The Killer Elite.
  • It is also currently seen on the Fun City Editions Blu-ray release of Smile, the Scorpion Releasing 2021 Blu-ray releases of The Killer Elite (1975), Shark's Treasure, and Rollerball (1975), as well as 2020 German Capelight 4K UHD and remastered Blu-ray of the latter.
    • The second version appeared on original prints of The Return of the Pink Panther (including one used in 1984 by then-independent station WNEW-TV in New York); that film's rights later reverted to its production company, ITC Entertainment, which frequently removed this logo (MGM regained US theatrical, and global digital distribution and television rights to the film during the 2010s).
• On James Bond films of this period, it originally appeared on On Her Majesty's Secret Service (appears on a 16mm print), Diamonds Are Forever (appears on the RCA CED version), Live and Let Die, and The Man with the Golden Gun.
  • For home media releases including the 2000 MGM DVDs and subsequent Blu-Rays, this is generally plastered on the films proper, though occasionally preserved on extra material. For example, From Russia With Love releases feature the logo for a split second at the end of a double billing trailer for said film and Thunderball, while releases of Thunderball preserve the "re-released" variant on a reissue trailer for a double feature of said film and You Only Live Twice. Additionally, the standard still variant is preserved on the main theatrical trailers included on the Blu-Rays of Diamonds Are Forever (as well as making a brief appearance on the making-of documentary for said film) and *Man With The Golden Gun*.
  • The black & white version has been spotted on the 1989 VHS and current prints of Sleeper (it's blacked out on the 1983 VHS release, however) and surprisingly, current releases of Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia.
  • It is currently unknown if any other full screen versions of Woody Allen titles on DVD releases retain their original United Artists titles.
• This logo is also preserved on some trailers on DVD and Blu-ray releases, and trailers on the iTunes store.
  • It is also unknown if this logo was originally seen on original U.S. prints of 1973 to 1975 MGM films.
• This logo may appear on some United Artists films on VHS and Betamax releases from VidAmerica in the United States, or from Intervision Video in the UK (some notable releases from both the companies include Coming Home, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask), The Fountainhead, The Great Escape, Hair, Lenny, Some Like it Hot, and White Heat).
• On reissued UA trailers, the MGM/UA Distribution Co. print logo would often plaster the still UA logo.
• It also makes Blu-ray reappearances on the MGM release of Sleeper, the Kino Lorber releases of Cops and Robbers and Busting, the Arrow Video releases of Pulp and Bring me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (including the second pressing of the 2021 Kino Lorber Blu-ray release), the Criterion Collection Blu-ray release of Midnight Cowboy, the Scream Factory release of What's the Matter With Helen?, and the UK BFI Blu-ray release of Women in Love (the Criterion Collection release of the latter, oddly enough, has the current UA logo in its place after the 2012 MGM logo).
• It may also appear on Cartrivision releases of UA and AAP features, including The Jazz Singer.
• This logo was also seen on the U.S. theatrical version of That’s the Way of the World (a Bryanston Pictures production they later got distribution rights back to).
  • Some releases, like the U.S.A. Home Video/International Video Entertainment release and Lorimar's television prints, also retain this logo, while others remove it or have the Bryanston Pictures logo in its place instead.
• This logo was also seen at the start of a January 15, 2024 UK airing of The Last Escape (1970) on Talking Pictures TV, following the 10th logo, due to it being from a late 1980s print.

Legacy: This logo is a favorite among many due to its unique animation and fanfare. It's also one of the earliest examples of brand unification, as Transamerica used the same font and logo throughout all of its divisions.

5th Logo (February 7, 1973-May 14, 1982)

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Visuals: Just the on-screen text of the 6th logo without the Transamerica "T" logo and byline.

Trivia: This was later used during the time of MGM/UA Entertainment Co.'s formation after MGM merged with United Artists.

Variants:

• A "videotaped" (completely still without film effects) version exists when plastering older logos. It is also several seconds longer.
• A variant has the font the same as in the 4th logo.
• On European releases, it would say "United Artists Europa Inc."

Technique: Cel sheet.

Audio: Usually silent.

Availability: Seen on select films from the company, and was sometimes used to plaster over older logos.

• Seen on the original American prints of Last Tango in Paris (however, the original Magnetic Video Corporation VHS and Betamax releases use the contemporary "Transamerica T"), Rancho Deluxe, 92 in the Shade, Undercovers Hero, Trackdown, Drum, and other sleaze films Transamerica wanted nothing to do with.
  • While Vigilante Force is rated PG in the United States and even bears the T on print advertising, the final product uses this logo because Transamerica found it to be just as sleazy as the R-rated films with this logo (censors in the UK and West Germany felt the same way, which caused them to issue adults-only ratings to the picture).
• It is also seen on later Magnetic Video Corporation and most 20th Century-Fox Video VHS, Betamax and Laserdisc prints of The Adventures of Robin Hood, Rocky, Dr. No, Goldfinger, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, For Your Eyes Only, White Lightning, Now, Voyager, The Return of a Man Called Horse, and Rollerball, among others.
  • It is also seen on the odd reprint from CBS/Fox Video and Key Video, such as For Your Eyes Only and The Missouri Breaks.
• Currently appears on the 2002 MGM DVD and the Criterion DVD and Blu-ray releases of The French Lieutenant's Woman; however, streaming prints and overseas Blu-ray releases have the 2001 logo in its place instead.
• It is also currently seen on Vigilante Force, Safari 3000, Rancho Deluxe, Drum, and The House Where Evil Dwells.
• It is also seen on some public domain DVD releases of The Magic Sword.
• It first appeared as the standard logo on The French Lieutenant's Woman and made its last appearance on The House Where Evil Dwells.
• It is also seen at the start of National Lampoon's Movie Madness (1982) on the Code Red Blu-ray release thereof, following the 2012 MGM logo.

6th Logo (April 23, 1976-August 14, 1981)

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Visuals: Merely a simplified version of the 4th logo. The text "United Artists" is seen in the center of the screen, in the same font as the previous 2 logos. A few seconds later, the blue "T" design fades in on the left side of the company name, and at the same time, blue text that says "A Transamerica Company" appears underneath the United Artists name.

Variants:

• On trailers for some films (mostly when distributing Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films), the "T" and Transamerica Corporation byline are in white and the words "Released thru" are seen above the logo. On trailers for the films from about 1977 to 1981, the 1966 MGM logo appears above the standard logo (with "Released thru" above it). "An MGM Presentation" is seen next to the MGM logo.
• A similar variant appears on some films such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, a full screen print of Moonraker, and the Lorimar-produced Being There, Cruising, Carny, and The Big Red One. The "T" and the text are bigger and the Transamerica byline is smaller. It was also used as a print logo throughout this logo's lifetime, and was seen on movie posters.
• The print variant also appears on black and white films, including Manhattan, Stardust Memories (both Woody Allen films), Raging Bull, and Eye of the Needle (which was mostly in color), only the full animation is used, and unlike the trailers, "Released thru" does not appear at all.
• On trailers for films, the logo is still and the Transamerica byline is in white. However, the original theatrical trailer for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest has the still version of the regular version, though the film itself has the variant from a full screen version print of Moonraker.
• On Moonraker, the logo is still.
• Depending on the film, the placement and colors of the logo vary ever so slightly.
• On European releases, such as the Italian release of Cannibal Holocaust, it would say "United Artists Europa Inc.". This can be seen on the Shameless UK DVD & Blu-ray release. This logo is not on American releases, as the Grindhouse DVD plasters it with the Grindhouse Releasing logo, and even if the cancelled Mogul Video release were to turn up it might not have had any logo. This logo was also seen on Primo Amore.

Technique: Cel sheets with fade effects.

Audio: None or the film's opening cue/theme.

Audio Variants:

• On a TCM print of Return of the Pink Panther and a Russian print of Audrey Rose, it uses the 1994 music due to sloppy reverse plastering.
• On late 1970s reissue prints of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (plastering over the 4th logo), this logo has the sound of race cars (leading into the opening scene of the film) playing over this logo.

Availability: Seen on films from the company (mainly older prints that retain it) from the time-period until 1981.

• As with the 4th logo, this was very hard to find outside of old TV airings and select prints, due to rampant—and possibly legally-required—plastering by the means of MGM and later UA variants; like the 4th logo, it has begun to resurface in recent years thanks to these films being re-released by boutique companies who use original film prints.
• The original version is believed to have first appeared on Stay Hungry, becoming UA's regular logo beginning with The Missouri Breaks, and last appeared on Head Over Heels (the original version, titled Chilly Scenes of Winter, would be reissued in 1982 under the United Artists Classics banner), while the variant with the smaller byline first appeared on the 1978 re-release of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, taking over as the regular logo beginning with The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, and last appeared on Deadly Blessing.
• It is also preserved on the 1990 MGM/UA Home Video VHS releases of The Black Stallion and Thunderbird 6, as well as the 1980 MGM/CBS Home Video releases of the United Artists-distributed Lorimar Motion Pictures films Being There (same for the Criterion Collection Blu-ray release), Cruising (same for the CBS/Fox Video and Warner Home Video re-releases of the latter), and Carny.
  • In the case of Carny, it is removed on recent releases.
• It is also preserved on the 1997 Warner Home Video VHS and DVD releases of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, plastering over the later variant of the 1968 logo.
  • It also makes an appearance on the trailer for The Last Wave on The Criterion Collection DVD release.
• This also makes a surprise reappearance on the 2010 Warner Home Video DVD and Blu-ray releases of Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings (1978), though it is absent on all older releases.
  • It is also intact on the MGM MOD DVD-R and Kino Lorber Blu-ray releases of Valentino, Burnt Offerings, and the Scream Factory Blu-ray and Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray releases of the 1978 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (the 2007 MGM DVD and Blu-ray releases and Arrow Video UK Blu-ray release have both the 2001 variant of the 1986 MGM logo and UA logo in its place).
• It was also presented intact on a June 15, 1995 Movie Channel (UK) airing of Roadie; however the 1989 Wood Knapp Video VHS release of the film has a black screen in its place, and the 2003 DVD release and a non-US broadcast of the film plaster it with the 14th logo while keeping the opening sound effects and music intact.
• The U.S. print of the ITC Entertainment Group-produced The Big Sleep also has this logo.
  • Early U.S. television airings of Apocalypse Now should also preserve this logo, although the 1990s Paramount Home Video Laserdisc release uses the 1990 version of the 1986 Paramount Pictures logo, and neither the early videocassette releases nor the DVD releases contain a logo at all.
• A shortened version is preserved on the original VHS release of Manhattan, cutting any frame where Transamerica references are visible.
• It is also preserved on trailers on the iTunes movie store.
• It is also preserved on the original Magnetic Video Corporation release of The Jazz Singer, followed by the 1923 Warner Bros. Pictures logo.
  • The black and white variant is also preserved on the RCA CED and Magnetic Video Corporation VHS, Betamax and Laserdisc releases of Raging Bull, as well as the Blu-ray release and Netflix viewings of Stardust Memories (oddly after the 2001 variant of the 1986 MGM logo and 2001 UA "Swoosh" logo).
• It is also preserved on the Magnetic releases of The Black Stallion, Annie Hall, and La Cage Aux Folles.
  • It is also preserved on the international prints of Piranha, which is preserved on the Region 2 DVD release after the 1994 logo.
  • It is also preserved on pre-1981 prints of Rocky II, including HBO broadcasts (the best place to look for that, and previous versions of the Transamerica logos in general, would be through commercial-free cable TV broadcasts, and old network TV broadcasts from before 1981).
• It is also intact on the Region 2 and Region 4 DVD releases of Rocky II, the Warner Archive Instant print of Americathon, and the Shout! Factory DVD and Blu-ray releases of Deadly Blessing (a film Universal Studios owns because they control some of the pre-1996 PolyGram Filmed Entertainment library, in addition to being the very last film released in the Transamerica era), and Jaws of Satan (a.k.a. King Cobra).
• This logo also makes a very strange appearance on the U.S. Scorpion Releasing Blu-ray release of Terror Train (1980), whereas other prints have the 1953 20th Century Fox logo.
• On James Bond films of this period, it originally appeared on The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, and For Your Eyes Only.
• This logo is seen on U.S. trailers for the 1976 to 1981 MGM films That's Entertainment Part II, Logan's Run, Fame, and He Knows Where You Sleep (on the latter two films, this logo appears below the 1966 MGM logo).
  • However, it does not appear on the actual release prints of MGM films from the era with MGM's logo at that time being used to start the films.
• This logo may also appear on U.S. VidAmerica and U.K. Intervision Video VHS and Betamax releases of United Artists films.
• It is also seen on reissue prints of Return of the Pink Panther (reissued alongside The Pink Panther Strikes Again and then Revenge of the Pink Panther), A Shot in the Dark (reissued in late 1977; a print from this reissue appeared on WNEW on July 17, 1984), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (reissued in the late summer of 1978), and Some Like It Hot (reissued in the spring of 1980).
  • This logo was also recently seen on Grit network's airings of The Big Red One, though it is absent on all other releases.
• It was also seen on a late 1980s Cinemax airing of The End and an Italian Sky Cinema broadcast of The Missouri Breaks.
• It is also intact on international prints of Buffalo Bill and the Indians (or, Sitting Bull's History Lesson), as StudioCanal owns overseas distribution rights as part of the catalog of producer Dino de Laurentiis.
• In the case of modern prints, it is also intact on the 1978 film Convoy, preceded by the 2011 StudioCanal logo on international prints (it is unknown, however, whether the 1984 Thorn EMI Video release retains this).
• It is also preserved at the start of the Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray release of Motel Hell (1980), following the 2012 MGM logo.

7th Logo (November 3-December 5, 1976)

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Visuals: 5 blue lights start appearing on a black screen one-by-one, slowly revealing the bold text "UNITED ARTISTS". The lights appear in the following order: middle right, middle left, middle, far left, and then far right. After the text is completely revealed, it turns copper and various spots on the word "UNITED ARTISTS" sparkle for a few seconds. The Transamerica "T" and the byline "A Transamerica Company" (which is sometimes tinted gold) fade in below near the right.

Variants:

• A variant without the Transamerica byline exists.
• A short version also exists, which is seen on trailers starts with the logo already revealed and the sparkles on the "UNITED ARTISTS" text.

Technique: Practical effects by Edstan Studio.

Audio: None or the film's opening theme.

Audio Variant: On the 2001 Special Edition DVD release of Rocky, it uses the 1994 music, due to a reverse plastering error (the previous 1998 DVD release had the 1994 logo).

Availability: Seen on films from the company only for a year, such as original prints of Rocky along with being retained on the film's 2001 DVD release.

• The bylineless version can be found on the original 1976 film Carrie and is also intact on modern releases of the film (which has no logical reason to be plastered).
• The rendition with the Transamerica byline is much harder to find due to plastering, and was seen during the rest of its short run. Its only original appearances in this form are on Champion of Death (AKA Karate Bullfighter), Network (international prints only), Rocky, and Bound for Glory.
• It is also preserved on the 2001 DVD release of Rocky (with the 1994 music tacked on, due to sloppy editing), but then replaced with the current logo on the 2006 DVD release.
  • However, the 1990 VHS release has this logo plastered with the 1987 logo and the MGM/UA Communications logo, while the 1996 VHS release, 1998 DVD release, and current releases have it plastered with the 1994 logo.
  • However, it is still kept on the RCA CED release, which was released months before Transamerica sold UA to MGM.
• Occasionally, it did some plastering of its own, usually over the later variant of the 1968 logo. This is believed to have happened with Rollerball and The Return of a Man Called Horse.
• Also seen on current TV airings of Champion of Death, after the 2008 MGM logo.
  • This logo was last seen on Bound for Glory, in which the Region 2 DVD releases and ThisTV airings (following the 10th logo) retain it, while the Region 1 DVD releases have it plastered with the 1987 logo.
• It also appears on some trailers of films of the time period like Carrie and even The Pink Panther Strikes Again (the film itself would use the previous logo).

8th Logo (May 28, 1982-October 8, 1987)

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Visuals: On a black screen, a metal line slowly fades in. It then rotates clockwise at an extremely slow pace and reveals itself to be a silvery blue stylized "UA". The logo is in the shape of a "U" with a bigger left side, and a diagonal line protruding from the shorter right side to form the "A". When the symbol finishes turning around, the words "United Artists" appear under it in the same font that was used in 1968-1976.

Trivia: This logo was created and designed by Sandy Dvore, who also created the 1971 Lorimar "LP" logo.

Variants:

• A variant with the larger "United Artists" text underneath the logo exists, which is mainly seen on reissue prints and films shot in 2.35:1, such as Trail of the Pink Panther and Death Rides a Horse. It also appears (after the 2012 MGM logo and Overture) on an Amazon Prime viewing of Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate, which was of the director's second 1981 edit running 149 minutes.
• A B&W variant exists, which was seen on old UA and pre-1948 WB films in the said colors.
• A still version also exists, which is seen on the CBS/Fox release of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
• A variant is seen on Colombian VHS releases from Kyron Home Video. The logo is in white and zooms out from the left.

Technique: Live-action footage. The "UA" was a wood model sprayed with chrome-like paint and suspended with a black rod covered in a velvet cloth to avoid reflection. The background was simply a black piece of paper. The model was then rotated on a small stage.

Audio: A descending "whoosh" is heard when the line fades in, followed by a slow, somewhat somber five-note piano tune with a low synthesizer in the background when the line begins rotating. A longer "whoosh" is also heard throughout this section. When the "UA" is revealed and the "United Artists" texts appears, a short, swelling progression of violins is heard, immediately leading to an uplifting, dramatic five-note orchestral conclusion. This was composed by Joe Harnell.

Audio Trivia: An alternate take exists. It's a re-arranged version of the theme with an emotional piano theme and a more dramatic finish. It made its only appearance on disc two of The Film Music of Joe Harnell CD. You may listen to it here.

Audio Variants:

• A higher-pitched version is heard on the 1987 U.S. MGM/UA release of Yellow Submarine.
• A variation without the long "whoosh" and "ping" exists, leaving only the music. This was spotted on a 1988 Disney Channel airing of Fiddler on the Roof.
• On a few films, such as Attack on the Iron Coast and The Thomas Crown Affair, the logo is silent.
• On rare occasions, such as on Jinxed and older releases (including the 2001 DVD, Blu-ray and Hulu prints) of They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!, the logo is accompanied by the films' respective opening themes (in the case of the latter, the logo is silent in the beginning, but when the "UA" is revealed, the film's opening cue plays; this plasters the original 1968 logo).
• A lower-pitched version exists, which is found on AMC prints of Rocky III.
• The still version uses only the second half of the fanfare.

Availability: Though this logo appears on theatrical releases, it was more prolific on video releases and cable during the 1980s.

• • This logo was used primarily to update UA's catalog and provide a visual branding presence in the process, especially considering that most pre-Transamerica UA films did not have a logo at the beginning.
• As examples, this appears plastering older logos on the CBS/Fox releases of The Spy Who Loved Me, The Black Stallion, Rocky, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Goldfinger, Witness for the Prosecution (in B/W), and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, the Playhouse Video release of Apache, the 1983 MGM/UA Home Video release of The Last Waltz, the 1983 Warner Home Video rental-only VHS and Betamax releases of A Fistful of Dollars (it also appears on the 1985 CBS/Fox Laserdisc release), the RCA SelectaVision CED release of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and Amazon Prime Video's print of Heaven's Gate (the shorter theatrical cut).
• It is also preserved on some VHS releases of older Warner Bros. films, preceding the aforementioned company's old logo.
• This logo is preserved on most modern prints of 1982 UA films such as Rocky III (including the 2020 rerelease), The Secret Of NIMH and Trail Of The Pink Panther, all of which are preceded by the 2001 version of the 1986 MGM logo.
• Most 1983-1986 UA films such as WarGames, Yentl, A View To A Kill and Rocky IV were released with the MGM/UA Entertainment Co. logo (which still survives on some current prints), with the text “UNITED ARTISTS PRESENTS” preceding it on some films.
  • 1984 UA films such as Red Dawn used the “Diamond Jubilee” variant of the MGM/UA logo.
• It is also preserved on some '90s MGM/UA Home Video releases such as the 1990 and 1994 releases of The Secret of NIMH, along with the 1991 VHS release of West Side Story.
• It is also preserved on UK prints of The Plague Dogs (the shorter U.S. version was distributed by Embassy Pictures and had their logo in place), and is also intact on Optimum Releasing's DVD release and Shout! Factory's Blu-ray release of the movie.
• It is also strangely seen on an VHS trailer for Teachers (on a 1986 Australian VHS release of American Flyers).
• It is also currently preserved on The Wilby Conspiracy, preceded by the 2008 MGM lion.
  • It can also seen on TCM airings of The Horse Soldiers.
• This logo is also intact on the 2004 MGM DVD and 2010 Blu-ray releases of The Thomas Crown Affair, as well as on the 2018 Kino Lorber 4K remastered Blu-ray release.
• It is also preserved on 1980s prints of older 007 films, mainly on VHS and Laserdisc (it is also seen on the 1983 double feature of Moonraker and From Russia with Love, reissued for one week to promote Octopussy and compete with Never Say Never Again).
• The variant is also seen on a VHS release from Kyron Home Video in Colombia. (NOTE: In terms of packaging, this logo only appeared on British, European, Latin, African, Australian, Asian, and Japanese 1980's video releases of UA films from Warner Home Video. CBS/Fox video releases simply had the MGM/UA logo on the packaging. This was perhaps due to branding rights that were different overseas, especially since this logo only actually appeared on film on occasion).
• It is also preserved on the original MGM/UA VHS and Laserdisc releases of Rock and Rule; however, the DVD and Blu-ray releases of the movie edit out the logo.
• It is also preserved at the start of The Outer Limits on VHS.
• It is also preserved on the 1986 UK VHS release of Bugs Bunny: Hold the Lion, Please, and the 1989 UK VHS release of The Pink Panther Cartoon Festival: Pink at First Sight.

Legacy: This is a very popular logo, thanks to the effective model work, its uplifting fanfare, and its prevalence on VHS releases in the golden age of the format.

9th Logo (10th logo prototype) (June 29, 1987)

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Visuals: On a black background, a blue "UA", which looks similar to the previous logo but is more uniformed in structure and has three cross-indentations on the "A", zooms toward the camera. The "UA" stops in the center of the screen, and the white text "United Artists" (in ITC Avant Garde Gothic) fades in below it.

Technique: Camera-controlled animation.

Audio: None.

Audio Variant: On current prints of The Living Daylights (1987), the next logo's audio is used, possibly due to botched reverse plastering.

Availability: Seen on initial UK theatrical prints of the James Bond movie The Living Daylights (1987).

• When the movie was released in the U.S. and most other countries later on, it was replaced with the next logo instead.
• It is, however, intact on all modern releases of the aforementioned film.

10th Logo (July 31, 1987-August 27, 1993)

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Visuals: On a black background, a giant pattern of blue crystallized "UAs" in the same design from the previous logo is shown. The pattern smoothly merges together to form one medium-sized "UA" as it zooms out (a la the 1989 PBS "Glass P-Head" logo). A streak of light passes over the logo, leaving spikes on the "A". Then the text "United Artists" (in ITC Avant Garde Gothic) fades in underneath as the logo shines.

Variants:

• In its early years, the MGM/UA Communications Co. logo preceded this logo. In its later years, the logo would be by itself, starting from the point where the UA logo has already merged from the giant pattern, and the byline "An MGM/UA Communications Company" appears underneath. This later variant is seen on Licence to Kill, All Dogs Go to Heaven, and Rocky V, among others.
• A black & white version exists, which is seen on reissues of UA films in the said colors.
• On the 1988 Rhythm & Hues showreel, the logo animates at a smoother rate, and starts as a brief still image before continuing its normal animation.
• A still version (which in turn plasters the 6th United Artists Television logo) is seen at the end of current prints of Pink Panther: A Pink Christmas.
• A variant of the 1989 version also exists, which has the logo zoomed further back than usual, which is preserved on the 1993 UK VHS release of The Pink Panther's Greatest Hits, and the 1994 UK VHS release of The Pink Panther's Zaniest Adventures, respectively, among others.
• Some reissues in the early-to-mid-'90s had the 1989 version without the byline.

Technique: CGI by Rhythm & Hues, animated on a Silicon Graphics 4D/60G.

Audio: A low synthesizer sound, followed by a jet engine-like "swoosh" when the light streak passes, and a quiet synthesizer chord when the logo shines.

Audio Variants:

• On an early DVD print of Rocky, it uses the last half of the 1982 fanfare due to a plastering error.
• A lower-pitched variant exists.
• On a TCM UK airing of an unknown movie, the 1995 MGM lion roar is heard due to sloppy plastering.
• In Rhythm & Hues' 1988 showreel, "Where's the Walrus?" by The Alan Parsons Project plays underneath.
• Other times, the logo is silent or the opening soundtrack to the film plays.
• On the production featurette for Licence to Kill, included on said film's Blu'Ray as an extra, the logo is silent except for a different "swoosh" sound.

Availability: Despite being subject to plastering with the 1994 and 2001 logos, it still appears on UA-released films of the period, such as Baby Boom, Rain Man, and Rocky V to name a few. This logo was often paired off with the popular MGM/UA Communications logo (which is sometimes cut off like on current prints of The Living Daylights and a 1993 MGM/UA Home Video VHS print of Rocky), and both logos are thus regarded as favorites; however, the short version seems slightly easier to find than the normal variant.

• This logo first appeared on the U.S. release of The Living Daylights, released on July 31, 1987, and made its final appearance on Son of the Pink Panther, released on August 27, 1993.
• It is also preserved on the 1997 DVD release of The Black Stallion, the MGM MOD DVD-R release of Tomorrow Is Forever, the 2001 MGM DVD releases of All Dogs Go to Heaven, Licence to Kill, and Child's Play, TCM airings of Malta Story and Valdez Is Coming, ThisTV airings of The World of Henry Orient, Call Me Bwana, The Barefoot Contessa, Bound for Glory (with the 7th logo following it), Ten Seconds of Hell, Support Your Local Sheriff!, Trail of the Pink Panther, True Love, The Aviator, and Heaven's Gate (the shorter general release cut) and Comet airings of The Man from Planet X and Minotaur, the Wild Beast of Crete.
• This logo is also intact on the 2005 U.S. DVD release of Fatal Beauty (which was a 1987 MGM film, so this was most likely an editing error).
  • It is also intact on the 2005 Australian Special Edition DVD release of Rain Main (1988).
• The scope variant is seen on older letterboxed video releases of The Living Daylights and was also used to plaster older logos on certain older DVD releases.
• The 1989 variant of the short version with the MGM/UA Communications byline is also preserved at the beginning of the 1993 UK VHS release of The Pink Panther's Greatest Hits, and the 1994 UK VHS release of The Pink Panther's Zaniest Adventures from MGM/UA Home Video, respectively.
• The low tone version is preserved on the Blu-ray release of Rain Man (1988), with the French audio track selected, with the MGM/UA logo.
• It is also preserved at the start of the Marquee Collection 4k Blu-ray release of Rain Man (1988).
• The version without the MGM/UA Communications byline was also seen at the start of a both a Paramount Network airing and a January 28, 2023 UK airing of a colorized print of Ten Seconds to Hell (1959) on 5Action.
• It was also seen at the start of a January 15, 2024 UK airing of The Last Escape (1970) on Talking Pictures TV (where it is followed by the 4th logo), due to it being from a late 1980s print.

11th Logo (October 26, 1994-March 24, 2000)

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Visuals: It starts with a couple dozen bright stars showering over. The backdrop is a dark-colored marble wall, which appears a few seconds later. The glittering stars glide over the screen causing the words, "UNITED ARTISTS" with "U" and "A" bigger than the rest of the letters, wiping in from the left. After this progression, two stars criss-cross each other's paths and fade away left and right underneath to reveal, in smaller text, the words "PICTURES INC.", in spaced-out letters. As the logo completes, one big star goes against the "U" and flashes. Then it shines, a la the Columbia Torch Lady's torch shining.

Trivia: This logo was used during and after United Artists' 75th anniversary.

Variants:

• Starting with the release of It's My Party on March 22, 1996, the words "PICTURES INC." are replaced with the byline "AN MGM COMPANY", again in spaced-out letters.
• On 4:3 full screen prints of films, the logo is shown in open matte, revealing more of the dark-colored marble wall.
• A B&W variant exists, which is seen on B&W UA films (though some, such as Some Like it Hot, feature the color version instead).
• A shorter version exists on most trailers as well a few TV spots. It begins with the "UNITED ARTISTS" text and the words either "PICTURES INC." or "AN MGM COMPANY" are already formed while it shines.
• A still version of this logo also exists on most TV spots as well as some trailers. The "UNITED ARTISTS" text and the words either "PICTURES INC." or "AN MGM COMPANY" are already formed, like the shorter version.
• A print closing version also exists, where the words "UNITED ARTISTS" are stacked and the shine is intact. A full-color version of this logo is also known to exist.

Technique: CGI. None for the still version.

Audio: Some twinkling sounds followed by an orchestral tune with a dramatic, trip hop-esque backbeat, ending with a rhythmic twinkling sound, sometimes extended. Composed by Starr Parodi and Jeff Eden Fair.

Audio Variants:

• On some films such as The Birdcage, and Man in the Iron Mask (1998), it has the opening theme instead. On Ronin, the opening theme is synchronized to the logo's animation.
• On the Starz and ThisTV prints of Leaving Las Vegas, it uses the 2000 music, due to a reverse plastering error.
• On the TCM print of More Money for Django, it uses the last half of the 1982 fanfare.
• The trailer's opening theme is heard for the shorter and still versions.
• On the 2000 Special Edition DVD release of Diamonds are Forever, the 1994 fanfare is low-pitched.

Availability: Seen on films from the company from the time-period until 2000, and was also used as the chief means of logo plastering during most of the 1990s and some of the 2000s. Ironically, it is mainly plastered over these days by the 2001 UA logo (with it sometimes retaining this logo's music).

• This logo first appeared in print form as early as the 1994 LaserDisc release of Midnight Cowboy; the logo itself debuted on the 1994 LaserDisc release of The Black Stallion.
• In regards to theatrical releases, this logo first appeared on Tank Girl (released on March 31, 1995) and made its last regular appearance on Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her (released on January 22, 2000), with the print closing variant making its last appearance at the end of Mr. Accident (released on March 24, 2000).
• This logo also plasters the MGM/UA Communications variant of the 10th logo on the original MGM DVD releases (as well as on select mid-1990s VHS reissues) of Child's Play and Rain Man (1988).
• It is also seen on the 007 films GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies and even appeared on trailers for The World Is Not Enough and the 1999 remake of The Thomas Crown Affair (though both films used the MGM 75th anniversary logo).
• It is also preserved on older MGM VHS and DVD releases (an example being the Australian DVD release of 12 Angry Men).
• On Blu-ray releases, this is preserved on the Scream Factory release of The Rage: Carrie 2, MGM's releases of The Birdcage, Rob Roy, the 2014 remastered release of Rocky (even appearing on the 2020 theatrical re-release), and Ronin (as well as on the 2017 Arrow Video remastered Blu-ray release).
• Strangely, this logo is also preserved on late 1990s VHS releases of MGM produced titles from the MGM-Pathè era such as Death Warrant, Thelma and Louise, Delirious, Shattered (1991), and others.
• It also made surprise appearances on ThisTV broadcasts of Separate Tables and Buffalo Bill and the Indians (the latter of which plasters over a Transamerica logo).
• It is also preserved on the original 1998/99 DVD releases of The Secret of NIMH, plastering the 1982 "Turning UA" logo; and on the 1999 VHS and DVD releases of Yellow Submarine.
• The 1996 Laserdisc of The Great Train Robbery also plasters the 6th logo that was originally on the movie with this one.
• This logo is also strangely seen at the beginning of Epix's print of Son Rise: A Miracle of Love, which was a Filmways production.
• The "AN MGM COMPANY" variant of the logo is also preserved at the start of the pilot episode of The Super 6 on the 2013 TGG Direct DVD release of The Super 6: The Complete Series.

Legacy: This is seen as one of UA's "black sheep" logos due to the lack of the "UA" design; some don't like this logo for this reason and for its plastering, but this logo still has its fans thanks to its CGI and musical score.

12th Logo (13th logo placeholder) (September 15, 2000-April 20, 2001)

Visuals: On a black screen, white lines trace across the screen, slowly zooming out as they do. The lines move back into the center via a fading trail effect as large silver bars wipe in and converge into forming a revised version of the UA "Swoosh" logo that is a mix between the 1982 and 1987 designs, shrinking into the background via cross-fading. The text "UNITED" and "ARTISTS" then slide in and zoom out from opposite sides of the screen and converge into becoming "UNITED ARTISTS", and light trails suddenly appear as they shuffle into the text. The logo shines with a "echo" of itself as the byline "AN MGM COMPANY" fades in below and zooms in slowly.

Trivia: This on-screen rendition was ultimately a placeholder for the reintroduction and revitalization of the "UA Swoosh", which the revised print logo was already using during this time.

Variant: A variant where the logo is zooming out from 1.78:1 to 2.35:1 scope exists. This was because the film was in scope but the MGM lion preceding was in "flat" aspect.

Technique: CGI by R. Paul Seymour.

Audio: A short, instrumental electronica tune with low drums and sounds of wind, followed by whooshing sound effects and a four-note piano stinger with a trip-hop beat at the end. Composed by Jeehun Hwang.

Audio Variant: On some films, the logo is silent or has the film's opening music playing over it.

Availability: Seen on United Artists' limited output of this time before it became an in-name only subsidiary of MGM.

• The only known theatrical releases to feature this logo are Crime and Punishment in Suburbia (which also appears on the MGM Made on Demand Blu-ray release), Born Romantic (except for UK and Europe), and The Claim.
• This logo is also intact on DVD releases of The Black Stallion Returns, Juggernaut, as well as the Twilight Time Blu-ray releases of The Dogs of War, and Play Dirty.
• This logo is usually preceded by the current MGM lion on older United Artists releases.
• It was also seen at the start of a December 17, 2023 UK airing of Lost Lagoon (1958) on Talking Pictures TV, following the 2001 version of the 1986 MGM logo.

13th Logo (July 20, 2001-November 21, 2012)

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Visuals: An enhanced version of the 12th logo, but with an metallic version of the 1987 logo instead. The cross streaks are "sliced" into the logo via sweeping lights, and the logo is enhanced in its animation with additional shining on the white areas, and a cleaner shine on the logo. An URL for "www.unitedartists.com" also appears below, zooming in with the byline.

Variants:

• On R. Paul Seymour's website and CQ, there is no URL.
• From 2007-2010 and 2012, Sony and several other companies each took a stake in MGM. As a result, the logo was rendered bylineless from that point forward, even when MGM took back UA. There is also no URL as well.
• At the end of Fame (2009) and Red Dawn (2012), a still version is used.
• On Hot Tub Time Machine, the logo is darker and the light effect of the "United Artists" text is more enhanced. There is a lighter version of this logo, seen on the 2008 Blu-ray and DVD releases of The Spy Who Loved Me.
• On newer prints of Heaven's Gate on Starz Encore Westerns, the logo has a slightly enhanced look. The streaks are brighter, the logo is formed a little faster, the words "UNITED" and "ARTISTS" show their streaks a little more before they converge, the "UA" logo shines a little more, and the logo also fades out a little faster instead of slowly.

Technique: Same as the previous logo, with further enhanced CGI effects. Done by R. Paul Seymour.

Audio: Same as the previous logo.

Audio Variants:

• On some films such as Valkyrie and Hot Tub Time Machine, the logo is silent or has the movie's opening theme playing over it.
• An unused theme exists for this logo, having extra build-up, a faster main part, and a different, deeper piano orchestration at the end. This was seen on R. Paul Seymour's website.
• In an unusual variation that is likely an editing foul-up, the 2002 UK film 24 Hour Party People accompanies this logo with the theme music of Pathé, which had European distribution rights to the movie. This actually suits the logo well.
• TCM's print of The Magic Sword (1962) has the second half of the 1982 logo fanfare playing over it. Quite possibly an editing error as well.
• On some films, such as Fiddler on the Roof, Bananas, local airings of Leaving Las Vegas, the HD print of GoldenEye (1995), and a September 30, 2023 UK airing of Pulp (1972) on Talking Pictures TV, the 1994 fanfare is heard due to a plaster error. This also actually suits this logo well, compared to the Pathé one.
• On a Amazon Prime France print of Rocky II, the theme is low pitched.

Availability: Seen on most films released by UA in their final years, including Jeepers Creepers, Ghost World, and Hot Tub Time Machine (the last MGM release with this logo).

• This logo has now become the standard for plastering the Transamerica and later logos on notable films such as the James Bond and Rocky franchises.
• It is also seen on PBS's print of The Last Waltz.
• On the 2020 re-releases of the Rocky movies, this appears (after the 2001 version of the 1986 MGM logo) on Rocky II.
• This logo hasn't been used since the release of 2012's Red Dawn (and even then, only as a legacy credit as the film had been sold to FilmDistrict due to MGM's financial situation at that time), as United Artists now operates in-name-only.
• This logo also appears preceded by the current MGM lion on new prints of older United Artists releases.
• This logo with both the MGM byline and United Artists URL was also seen at the start of a November 10, 2022 UK airing of Countess Dracula (1971), after the 2001 version of the 1986 MGM logo and before The Rank Organisation logo on LEGEND.
• This logo with both the MGM byline and United Artists URL is also preserved at the start of the Capelight Pictures Blu-ray release of Red River (1948), following the 2001 version of the 1986 MGM logo.
• This logo is also preserved on Max prints of Leaving Las Vegas (1995), preceded by the 2008 Metro Goldwyn Mayer logo.

Legacy: It is seen as a refinement of the previous logo, thanks in large part to the use of the 1987 design.

United Artists

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios ►