Universal Television (1963-1998)

Main Logo Variations

Credits

Descriptions by
MatthewLMayfiend, Jason Jones, Jess Williams, bmasters9, Logophile, and Donny Pearson

Captures by
Eric S., Shadeed A. Kelly, mr3urious, JohnnyL80, V of Doom, snelfu, CuriousGeorge60, Subzero917, thehugetvfan, Mr.Logo, Logophile, originalsboy11, ClosingLogosHD, TVB, and TheEriccorpinc

Editions by
Shadeed A. Kelly, V of Doom, Hoa, Bob Fish, mr3urious, Mr. Logo Lord, Lee Cremeans, CuriousGeorge60, thehugetvfan, Kris Starring, KramdenII, Unnepad, Jesse Coffey, Blue2000 and Michael Kenchington

Video captures courtesy of
JohnnyL80, Donny Pearson, mcy919, digitalvideo1982, korranus, Eric S., SCMediaWorks, Broken Saw, Sagan Blob's Logos, ClosingLogosHD, Jordan Rios, Peakpasha, LogicSmash and EDC4

Background

Universal Television traces its roots back to 1947 when they entered the television market via United World Films. But after very little success, they shifted into producing TV commercials under Universal-International Television, with the United World Name being renamed Universal Television by 1956.

In 1962, following the acquisition of Decca Records, who owned Universal-International Pictures at the time, Revue Studios was renamed as Universal Television. They co-produced many shows with Jack Webb's Mark VII Limited such as Adam-12 and a revival of the 1951 series Dragnet in 1967. In 1988, Universal Television and MCA TV formed a sub-division known as MCA Television Entertainment (or "MTE"). In 1990, Uni TV began the Law & Order franchise. The same year, Universal was acquired by the electronics company Mastushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. (now "Panasonic Corporation"). In 1995, Universal was acquired by The Seagram Company and later acquired a 50% stake in Brillstein-Grey Entertainment and Viacom's 50% stake in USA Network and Sci-Fi Channel. In 1996, MCA was reincorporated as "Universal Studios" and acquired Multimedia Entertainment from Gannett, Inc., and Universal Television's distribution arm, MCA TV (alongside its subdivision, MTE) were renamed to Universal Television Enterprises and Universal Television Entertainment respectively. On October 20, 1997, Universal announced that it would sell the USA Network, the Sci-Fi Channel, and Universal Television to HSN Inc. (a company owned by Barry Diller) for $4.075 billion. Diller renamed the television arm to Studios USA Television LLC. The deal was closed in 1998.

Universal Studios

Contents 1st Logo (September 9, 1963-1964) 2nd Logo (February 1964-April 1969) 3rd Logo (January 1969-December 8, 1973)

Unused

Contents   Logo (1960s?)

Universal Television

Contents 1st Logo (October 7, 1973-1980) 2nd Logo (September 14, 1975-October 29, 1991) 3rd Logo (1987-1991) 4th Logo (September 16, 1991-November 2, 1997) 5th Logo (September 7, 1997-July 18, 1998)

Universal Studios

1st Logo (September 9, 1963-1964)

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Visuals: It looks just like the 1962 Revue "Blinking Negatives" logo, without the additional animation. The company name flickers 6 times, during the first 5 bars of the fanfare and then makes a stop during the rest of the jingle. The phrase is "filmed at universal city, MCA-TV EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR" with a small MCA logo bug next to the distributor's byline (which was outside the logo as always). The color version has a wallflower-type background in red with white '60s-type star designs over it. The filmstrip blocks are red and blue, respectively, the background of the tubular border was light blue, and all the block colors revert to black and white over and over. The B&W variation of the logo was the same as the B&W version of the Revue logo, but the only block colors that flicker are the black and white ones.

Variants:

• On some series such as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, the B&W version appears without the MCA byline, and then fades to the co-producer's card.
• Sometimes, a B&W version of the colorized version existed on old TV recordings that were still in the B&W era.

Technique: Cel animation.

Audio: The 1960 Revue logo theme.

Audio Variant: A sped-up version of the short 1960 Revue jingle was heard when Hallmark Channel reran The Virginian due to time compressing.

Availability: The B&W version is seen on season 2 of McHale's Navy, Suspense Theatre, and The Jack Benny Program, as well as season 7 of Wagon Train and season 2 of The Virginian.

2nd Logo (February 1964-April 1969)

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Visuals: Like its then-current movie logo, the rotating globe zooms in, along with the two Van Allen radiation belts. The text:

FILMED AT THE STUDIOS OF
UNIVERSAL
CITY
MCA-TV EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR

is superimposed simultaneously. The text, in the same font (named Mini Futura No.8/Neo-Mini Futura No.8/Futura Agency No.8 or Futura Agency Mite No.8) as the then-current movie logo (albeit the texture is not as visible), will usually appear in the normal near-yellow/gold/brass font with a shadow effect, but a bronze/rose-gold/copper/brown/chocolate/silver/gray/platinum or white color appears sometimes. The MCA union bug appears with the byline.

Trivia: The logo was designed and animated by Universal Title, who also designed and animated all of the logos by Universal until 1990 and handled all title and optical effects for all films and Universal Television series.

Variants:

• The logo would either appear in color or B&W.
• On some shows, the MCA byline is not present below the Universal City name. This happens on most co-productions. This is seen on The Munsters from the Kayro-Vue logo. On the short-lived series Pistols 'n' Petticoats, this was seen before the Kayro-UTV in-credit. On The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, this logo is always seen before the Shamley Productions logo.
• Some shows (mainly those produced by Jack Webb's Mark VII Limited, like Dragnet) would have a shot over the globe saying "In Association With (UNIVERSAL TELEVISION)" centered in the same font (and sometimes color) used in the closing credits. This text would then fade out, the globe would zoom and appear as usual. This text may or may not be written in all caps.
• On early Dragnet episodes in '67, the "Universal Television" text was not shown.
• Some shows would feature this logo after a Revue logo (as seen on McHale's Navy) or a Kayro-Vue logo (as seen on The Munsters). The theme would start on the Kayro-Vue logo and finish on the Universal logo.
• There is a variant that says "A UNIVERSAL PRODUCTION" or "A UNIVERSAL PRESENTATION", in the same style (but not in the same font) as the then-current movie logo. This was usually only seen on made-for-TV movies and TV pilots and was seen from 1966-1969.
• On the short-lived show Court Martial, the text reads "FROM THE STUDIOS OF UNIVERSAL CITY".
• On Wild and Wonderful, the text says

FILMED AT
UNIVERSAL CITY

instead.

Technique: Fading effects and model work.

Audio:

• 1964-1965: The Revue fanfare.
• 1965-1967: A re-arranged version of the two previous jingles, done by Jack Marshall.
• September 14, 1967-1969: Another long version by Marshall.

Audio Variants:

• From September 17, 1966-1967, a short version of the first Marshall theme was sometimes used. Played on some made-for-TV movies through the 1967-68 season, including the first Columbo movie Prescription: Murder.
• A short version of the 1967 theme was used in 1967-1968.
• From 1968-1969, another re-arranged short version was done by Marshall. There is a warped version of this theme that was heard on The Virginian due to time compressing when it was aired on Hallmark Channel years ago.
• The opening variant uses the opening theme of the TV movie or it's silent.

Availability: It's seen on seasons 2-4 of McHale's Navy, It Takes a Thief, and Adam-12, Dragnet, season 1 and first half of season 2 of Ironside, and season 3 and beyond of The Virginian, as unlike other companies, Universal's past logos are kept quite well.

3rd Logo (January 1969-December 8, 1973)

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Visuals:

• • 1969-1973: Same as above, but the phrase now appears as:

FILMED IN UNIVERSAL CITY, CALIF. AT
UNIVERSAL
STUDIOS
MCA-TV EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTORThe entire text is in a different font (Eurostile Bold), and in yellow. The MCA union bug appears with the byline.

• • 1971–1973: This time, the globe is just a still picture. The shortened text fades in, in the same yellow bold font from the logo above:

FROM UNIVERSAL CITY, CALIFORNIA
UNIVERSAL
STUDIOS
MCA-TV EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR

Variants:

• 1969–1973:
  • Just like the last logo, co-productions like those by Mark VII Limited would have the phrase "IN ASSOCIATION WITH UNIVERSAL TELEVISION" in a yellow Compacta BT font.
  • There is also an opening variant that says "A UNIVERSAL STUDIOS PRODUCTION" or for TV movies (especially pilots of TV series) "A UNIVERSAL STUDIOS PRESENTATION", in the same style (but not in the same font) as the then-current movie logo. This was seen only on made-for-TV movies from 1969-1973, such as the pilot movie of Marcus Welby, M.D., entitled "A Matter of Humanities," originally broadcast on ABC March 26, 1969, but filmed in December of 1968. This is saved on the recent DVD release of Welby.
  • An enhanced version of the logo was used during the fall 1970 season.
  • Later on, the text says "FROM UNIVERSAL CITY, CALIFORNIA, UNIVERSAL STUDIOS".
• The 1971 version has five other variations, all sporting the MCA union bug alongside the said company byline. Was only referred to as "IN ASSOCIATION WITH UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. MCA-TV EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR" during the 1971-72 season (the logo's first).
  • "IN ASSOCIATION WITH UNIVERSAL STUDIOS"
  • "AND UNIVERSAL STUDIOS"
  • January 31, 1973?: The text "UNIVERSAL CITY, CALIF." was added below the "UNIVERSAL STUDIOS" text.
  • Like the 3rd logo, there is also an opening variant that says "A UNIVERSAL STUDIOS PRODUCTION" or for TV movies (especially pilots of TV series) "A UNIVERSAL STUDIOS PRESENTATION", in the same style (but not in the same font) as the then-current movie logo. Also, the rotating globe zooms in, along with the two Van Allen radiation belts.
  • On season 4 of Emergency (which they co-produced with Mark VII Limited), there is in-credit text that reads:

MARK VII LIMITED
And
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
UNIVERSAL CITY, CALIF.
MCA-TV EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR

Technique: Fading effects and model work.

Audio:

• Originally, the 1967 Jack Marshall arrangement was used.
• Later on, it was replaced by a re-arranged and shortened ten-note jingle by Pete Rugolo.
• The 1971 version features different arrangements by Quincy Jones.
  • 1971-1972: Composed on strings, doesn't lean on Wilson/Esquivel, Marshall, or Rugolo's versions.
  • 1972-1973: A bit slower than the first, composed on horns.
  • September 26, 1973: Another slow theme using horns.
  • The opening variant uses either silence or the TV movie's opening theme.

Availability:

• The 1969 version should be saved on any Universal show of the era such as It Takes a Thief, S2 of Adam-12, and the final season of Dragnet '67, as well as the second half of season 2 and seasons 3 and 4 of Ironside among others, as well as the first season of Marcus Welby, M.D.
• The later 1970 version was only used for eight months, but it's still saved on any Universal series during this era, such as Marcus Welby, M.D., Adam-12, Columbo, and Night Gallery, as well as the final season of The Virginian and the first season of Alias Smith and Jones.
• The 1969 version is also seen on the final season of It Takes a Thief.
• The 1971 version is seen on Adam-12 starting from the fourth season and season one of Kojak, as well as early Columbo episodes. It also plastered the 1969 logo on a 1968 episode of Ironside on a Me-TV rerun.
• The "Universal City" variant was used during the last three months of this logo, but should be reserved on a few season 3 episodes of Emergency.
• The opening 1971 variant can be seen at the beginning of the pilot film San Francisco International Airport, featured in a 1994 episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, which shows the logo as Mike, Crow and Tom enter the theater.

Unused

Logo (1960s?)

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Visuals: A redrawn version of the backdrop from the second and third logos, with the following text in yellow:

A
UNIVERSAL TELEVISION
PRESENTATION
MCA-TV EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR

Part of the "V" in "MCA-TV" is noticeably displaced.

Technique: Fading effects and cel animation.

Availability: The only known source of this logo is from a cel that was sold at Heritage Auctions. The video footage is currently unknown at this time.

Universal Television (first era)

1st Logo (October 7, 1973-1980)

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Visuals: Same backdrop as the previous logo, but the phrase was shortened again to...

FROM
UNIVERSAL
AN MCA COMPANY

This time, "UNIVERSAL" is in the same font as used in that era's movie logo and also appears textured (in fact, this looks like a still of the 1963-1990 movie logo, with MCA information added in afterwards). The MCA byline is also the same, although the position is a bit shifted to the right due to the MCA union bug's appearance with the byline, and the byline may be shifted closer up in some appearances. The MCA globe bug is bigger than the recent and is seen to the left of its respective byline. The top text line sometimes reads "AND" or "IN ASSOCIATION WITH".

Technique: Fading effects and model work.

Audio:

• 1973-1980: The September 1973 arrangement by Quincy Jones.
• 1974-1975: Two more re-arranged jingles done by Quincy Jones. These arrangements vary upon years.
• 1974: A rearranged theme, almost the same as the 1973 version.

Audio Variants:

• Series like Switch and Ironside among others would have different variants.
• 2-part syndication edits of double-length season 1 episodes of The Rockford Files use the 1978-1980 Universal jingle. This is the case with "Backlash of the Hunter" (the original pilot movie) and "This Case Is Closed."

Availability:

• Appears on UFO.
• It also appears on Kolchak: The Night Stalker and Marcus Welby, M.D.
• It also appears on late season 1 and season 2 of Kojak, late season 6 and the final season of Adam-12, late season 3 to season 4 of Columbo, and season 1 of The Rockford Files, as well as season 1 of Baretta.
• This also appears on season 4 episodes of Emergency! (though newer print reruns of season 3 plaster it with the 5th logo), as well the final season and a half of Ironside and the first two seasons of The Six Million Dollar Man.
• The logo (with the 1973 fanfare) was also still used on syndicated programs distributed by MCA TV, like the unsold 1976 pilot of 20 Questions, until 1980.

2nd Logo (September 14, 1975-October 29, 1991)

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Visuals: Same as the previous logo, but with a few differences:

• The font color seems to be mainly white, ivory, pink, or yellow (though this may be due to film deterioration), while still a bit planetary.
• The "UNIVERSAL" font is different from the movie version, and is much skinnier and stretched out.
• The MCA globe bug common with previous logos is no longer included with the logo (as it was moved to the copyright notice on the ending credits).
• On the "AN MCA COMPANY" byline, "MCA" seems to be taller the rest of the other letters.

The top text line had the same "FROM", "AND" and "IN ASSOCIATION WITH" lines centered in from previous logos.

• On The A-Team, it used the "FROM" top line and added the word "AND" (which later turned green starting in the 1984-1985 season) below the MCA byline. This was done to present the Stephen J. Cannell logo that followed it.

Variants:

• An opening variant also exists, where the globe is animated like in the movie logo, but before the globe finishes zooming, the word "UNIVERSAL" fades in over the globe. A second later, the byline,"AN MCA COMPANY" appears under "UNIVERSAL". This is seen at the beginning of few TV movies from that time such as the 1980 TV movie The Seekers and The Rebels (1979).
• On the 1991 TV movie Keeping Secrets, the logo fades out instead of cutting out.
• On the first two seasons of The A-Team, starting with the season 1 episode "A Small and Deadly War", there is a "wipe" effect that brings forth the Cannell logo. However, the later seasons replaced it with a straight fade.
• On Still the Beaver, the entire logo just fades in as it's just a still image.

Technique: Fading effects and model work.

Audio: A new five-note fanfare that retains the first four elements of the classic Revue theme but does not feature the nine-note trademark fanfare used since the Revue days. There are many versions of this jingle, with the orchestration changing with each rendition. All were arranged by Robert Prince.

• September 14, 1975-1976: The first theme uses a timpani roll mixed underneath the fanfare. The first notes are on horns with orchestration on the final note, maintained on all other themes.
• 1976-1978: A second version of the fanfare, using a bass drum roll on the final note.
• 1977-1981: A third version of the fanfare.
• 1980-1982: A much slower version that has an elevator-like sound on the first note, possibly produced by a vibraphone. Simon & Simon used this until 1982.
• 1981-1982, October 6, 1985, 1987-1990: Another slower version. Charles In Charge used it from 1987-1990, albeit abridged.
• 1982-July 27, 1989: Another version, using an ascending/descending electronic tune played on a keyboard (almost sounds like a flute) accompanied by a trombone ensemble. Though most shows dropped it by 1986, it was used sometimes on Magnum P.I. in 1988, Simon & Simon, and Coming of Age until 1989.
• Late 1986-October 29, 1991: Final versions of the theme with a different keyboard sounder, accompanied by a much powerful french horn ensemble. Miami Vice first used it in late 1986, other shows didn't use it until 1987.

Audio Variants:

• Sometimes, there's also a variant of the 1975 theme where the drum roll finishes abruptly.
• Low-tone variants of the 1980, 1982, and 1986 themes were used. Starting on season 2 of Charles in Charge in 1987, an abridged 1981 theme was used.
• On parts 2-4 of the 4-part miniseries Masada, it uses one final Universal variant based on the end-title theme. Composed and conducted by Mort Stevens.
• An abridged, low tone version of the 1982 theme was used starting on season 1, episode 3 of Charles in Charge.
• On the series Still the Beaver, a quicker version of the theme was used, composed on what sounds like an organ.
• Some shows used abridged and warp-speed versions of the 1986 theme. In exceptional cases, mainly on TV movies, it used only the closing theme of the show. Although this also happened on at a final season episode of Marcus Welby, M.D. called "The Covenant."
• On HD releases of season 4 episodes of Airwolf, this oddly plasters the MCA Television logo, while retaining the latter's theme.
• On the DVD print of both the Murder, She Wrote TV movie South by Southwest and also on the Murder, She Wrote season 8 episode "Danse Diabolique", it uses the 1991 logo music from the 4th logo. It's probably because of an editing mistake. This also happens on overseas airings of the former.
• On the opening variant and on the 1977 TV movie It Happened One Christmas, the logo is silent.

Availability:

• Seen on The A-Team, Miami Vice, season 1 to early season 8 of Murder, She Wrote, season 5-early season 10 of Columbo, seasons 2-6 of The Rockford Files, seasons 3-5 of Kojak, and season 1 to early season 4 of Quantum Leap, and on the 7th and final season of Marcus Welby, M.D.
• It is also seen on Knight Rider, Airwolf and season 1 to early season 4 of Coach.
• It is also preserved on DVD releases such as Charles in Charge (starting with season 3), The A-Team, Knight Rider, seasons 3-5 of Kojak, Miami Vice (international Universal DVD prints, as well as Mill Creek releases - U.S. DVD releases of season 1 instead cut this out in favor of the theatrical logo at the beginning), and the first three seasons of Coach, among others.
• It is not seen on local reruns of season 1 episodes of Law & Order because it's been replaced by the 2011 NBCUniversal Television Distribution logo.
  • However, the Netflix, Amazon Prime and On Demand prints plaster it with the 2004 NBC Universal Television Studio logo instead, except on the episode "Out of the Half-Light", where the logo is retained in widescreen.
  • However, it is still preserved on the DVD release of the 1st season of said show.
• It is also not seen on the complete series of Baa Baa Black Sheep (a.k.a. Black Sheep Squadron) because it's been plastered by the 1998 Universal Worldwide Television logo instead.
• One of its last appearances was on the Murder, She Wrote S8 episode "Thicker Than Water".
• Season 1 episodes of The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (The Hardy Boys in its 3rd and final season) when the show was on Netflix have this logo inexplicably cut off while seasons 2-3 retain this logo.
• Due to an editing mistake, the DVD print and overseas airings of the Murder, She Wrote 1997 TV movie South by Southwest also uses this logo.
  • Other prints including the original CBS airings use the 4th Universal TV logo instead.
• It was also seen on Gideon Oliver, Over My Dead Body, the failed pilot of The Alan King Show on affiliate WCBS, The Four Seasons, and at the end of an original airing of S3E05 of Switch on affiliate WNAC, among others.

Legacy: This logo is notorious among some viewers for its dramatic logo themes and the less friendly-looking typeface on the logo contributing to it.

3rd Logo (1987-1991)

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Visuals: Just the end of the 1973 Universal Pictures logo used in place of the TV logo.

Technique: Live-action model work.

Audio: None.

Availability: It was seen on the '80s syndicated series The Woody Woodpecker Show, which was co-produced and distributed by The Program Exchange.

4th Logo (September 16, 1991-November 2, 1997)

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  Videotaped variant

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  Videotaped "In Association With" variant

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  Stretched starfield variant

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Visuals: It's nearly the same as its 1990 motion picture counterpart, but with a few differences:

• This logo is animated entirely in CGI.
• There is no flash at the beginning.
• The starfield is slightly less detailed than the movie counterpart.
• The word "UNIVERSAL" is in a gold-brown gradient, with the word "TELEVISION" below in spaced-out letters to fit the width of "UNIVERSAL".
• "IN ASSOCIATION WITH" usually appears in white centered above all other text.
• The MCA byline is white.

The logo also starts at a slightly different angle. The text is already rotating over the globe, and the camera moves faster in this version. Once the logo settles, the MCA byline fades in at the bottom.

Trivia: This logo is based on the print movie artwork logo designed by Glen Wexler.

Variants:

• Most of the time, "IN ASSOCIATION WITH" appears above the logo.
• This logo was made in two versions: a filmed version, and a videotaped version. The filmed version was more prominent at first, as most of Universal's shows were still shot primarily on film, but changed to the videotaped version as time progressed. The filmed version isn't as crisp as the videotaped version and features that unfortunate effect known as "Film-O-Vision" and the MCA byline is shifted up a little.
• On some shows, one of the two alternate variations of the company's phrase fades in above the Universal name, followed by the MCA byline.
• Since then, during the 1996-1997 season, the logo became bylineless, in observance to the studio's acquisition by Seagram and Sons and MCA, Inc. was reincorporated into Universal Studios during that time. Also, the "®" symbol has shifted up on the top right end of "UNIVERSAL", though Spy Game kept the byline through July on the first 9 episodes.
• Original CBS airings of Murder, She Wrote: South by Southwest used the bylineless version, but had the "®" symbol below "UNIVERSAL".
• From 1994-1997 on some shows, like Murder, She Wrote, Law & Order and New York Undercover, the starfield background is stretched.
• On some shows such as Sliders, American Gothic, and M.A.N.T.I.S. (excluding the pilot episode), there was a still version of the 1994 variant of this logo, but "IN ASSOCIATION WITH" has been replaced by a small black rectangular box with "DISTRIBUTED THROUGH" in it at the top of the globe.
• A French version of the variant above with "DISTRIBUE PAR" appears on the French dubbing of American Gothic.
• This logo was shown on the left alongside with the 1992 Warner Bros. Television logo on the right, as seen on Family Dog.
• On The Rockford Files TV movie "Friends and Foul Play", the logo is slowed down, but the music still plays normally.
• For shows by Action Pack, this logo has "PRESENTS" replacing "TELEVISION". Plus, it fades in after the logo forms instead of sliding in with "UNIVERSAL".
• On S8 and some S9 episodes of Murder, She Wrote, as well as the unaired TV pilot of Darkman: The Series and some S9 episodes of Coach, the text "IN ASSOCIATION WITH" isn't displayed above the logo.
• On some French-dubbed shows such as New York Undercover, "EN ASSOCIATION AVEC" appears on a blue bar.
• Open matte and widescreen versions of the logo exists.
  • The widescreen version of the original 1991 and bylineless 1997 variants can be seen on at least 3 episodes of Columbo on Blu-ray.
  • The widescreen version of the 1994 stretched starfield variant was spotted on an overseas airing of a 1994 Law & Order episode.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A majestic seven-note French horn fanfare, based on Universal's long version of its 1990 jingle. Composed and conducted by James Horner.

Audio Variants:

• A low tone variant was also included starting in 1991 on the Quantum Leap season 4 episode "Justice".
• In other cases, the ending theme of the show or generic network music (as on NBC and CBS starting in 1994) is used.
• On the first four season 2 episodes of Law & Order, it uses the late 1986 logo theme from the previous logo.
• On the un-aired TV pilot of Darkman: The Series, it's mostly silent.
• On The Hub airings of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, the first couple seconds of the opening theme from Action Pack by Velton Ray Bunch is heard on the "PRESENTS" variant of the logo.
• On some airings of the short-lived show Johnny Bago, the music is quadruple pitched and sped-up a bit.

Availability:

• With most Universal logos, they are usually retained on any repeat broadcasts.
• Mid-2010s local reruns of a few season 3 episodes of Law & Order have this logo plastered with the 2011 NBCUniversal Television Distribution logo.
  • However, it was used in tandem with the 2nd logo until a month later after it debuted.
• It was seen on seasons 2-7 of Law & Order years ago and currently seen seasons 8-12 of Murder, She Wrote beginning with the episode "Lines of Excellence", mid season 4-season 9 of Coach, and was some seasons 2-3 episodes of New York Undercover (sometimes plastered by the next logo below or the Studios USA logo), among others.
• It is also preserved on Universal shows of the period on Hulu and Peacock.
• The "PRESENTS" variant of the logo is intact on early seasons of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.
• The "Distributed Through" variant can be found at the end of Doctor Who: The Movie (1996), following the early '90s BBC Worldwide logo, and on some episodes of Sliders and M.A.N.T.I.S.
• Despite the logo ending in 1997, it also appears on current HD widescreen prints of the 2000 TV movie Murder She Wrote: A Story to Die For.
  • However, the original CBS airing does not have it, while older SD/fullscreen prints have the next logo instead.

5th Logo (September 7, 1997-July 18, 1998)

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  Filmed variant

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  Filmed widescreen variant

Visuals: It's the final few seconds of the 1997 Universal Pictures logo, with the globe still rotating and the glow shining. Like the movie logo, a small copyright: "©1997 Universal City Studios, Inc." appears at the bottom-right in the Gill Sans typeface.

Variants:

• On season 4 of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and season 3 of Xena: Warrior Princess, the word "PRESENTS" in spaced-out letters, fades in under the "UNIVERSAL" text. The copyright is intact.
• A filmed version of the logo exists.
• For co-produced shows, the name reads "IN ASSOCIATION WITH UNIVERSAL TELEVISION", which fades in underneath the logo.
• Sometimes, the logo fades in and out.
• On some TV movies from 1997-1998 such as The Rockford Files TV movie Murder and Misdemeanors, there is a filmed version of the Universal Television version. Plus, the name is also already there and is a bit bigger.

Technique: CGI by Picturemill.

Audio: A short version of the movie counterpart's theme composed and conducted by Jerry Goldsmith, only this time, the French horn theme plays alone, and the two percussion hits are played by the orchestra.

Audio Variants:

• An odd short version of the theme was only heard on Roar, New York Undercover and Sliders.
• In rare cases, the ending theme of the show/movie plays over it or none.
• On season 4 of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and season 3 of Xena: Warrior Princess, the first couple seconds of the opening theme from Action Pack by Velton Ray Bunch is heard on the "PRESENTS" variant of the logo.
• NBC, CBS and Fox airings used a generic theme.

Availability:

• It was seen on several Universal shows from the era, like 1997-1998 episodes of Law & Order, the ABC run of Something So Right, the fourth season of Sliders, and Timecop, among others.
• It was also seen on several Rockford Files and Columbo TV movies from the era.

Copyright Stamps

Here is some information about the copyright stamps on the Universal Television series and TV movies:

• 1964-1966: Copyright © [YEAR] by Universal Television. All Rights Reserved.
• 1966-1967: Copyright © [YEAR] by Universal Television - A division of Universal City Studios, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
• 1967-1998: Copyright © [YEAR] by Universal City Studios, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
• 1998: Copyright © [YEAR] New-U Television LLC. All Rights Reserved.
• 1998: Copyright © [YEAR] Studios USA Television LLC. All Rights Reserved.

◄ Revue Studios

Universal Television (1963-1998)

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