Turner Home Entertainment

Logo descriptions by wisp2007 Logo captures by wisp2007 and V of Doom Video captures courtesy of Joseph Sobora (TheRedBaron1985)

Background: Turner Home Entertainment, Inc. was founded on July 29, 1986 by Ted Turner's Turner Broadcasting System to distribute the RKO Radio Pictures library on videocassette and, from 1987 to 1999, license the pre-1986 MGM and pre-1950 Warner Bros. libraries to MGM/UA Home Video. In 1994, when Turner bought out the New Line Cinema and Castle Rock Entertainment studios, Columbia TriStar Home Video sold the distribution rights of New Line Home Video releases to Turner Home Entertainment. Turner Home Entertainment also handles the rights to shows by Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network, as well as PBS Home Video releases from 1994-1997. In 1997, a year after Turner merged with Time Warner, Turner Home Entertainment was dissolved into Warner Home Video, although it remained until 1999.

1st Logo (1987-1990)

Turner Home Entertainment (1987)Logo: On a dark red/black gradient background, the words "TURNER HOME ENTERTAINMENT", in a fancy blue font, fly from the top of the screen, stopping in the middle.

FX/SFX: Cheap all around.

Music/Sounds: A harsh, droning synth. It sounds identical to the music of the U.S.A. Home Video logo.

Availability: Very rare. May probably be seen on RKO HV releases and the original home video release of Laser Mission. Surprisingly, this logo recently appeared without music during the documentary portion of Starrcade: The Essential Collection, a DVD set from World Wrestling Entertainment.

Scare Factor: Medium to high. Droning synths combined with fancy script don't mix, especially on a red background. Low for the one without music.

2nd Logo (1991-1993)

Nickname: "The Filmstrip"

Logo: On a space background we see a blue filmstrip flying which becomes a blue light. Then the words "TURNER", "HOME" and "ENTERTAINMENT" Turner Home Entertainmentin the same font used in the previous logo and in CGI fly out one by one from the center of the screen and stop in the middle as a grass background appears.

FX/SFX: The filmstrip, the words flying. The space background seems detailed.

Music/Sounds: A chorus tune and a drumbeat, followed by four chorus notes when the words fly one by one.

Music/Sounds Variant: There's also a silent version.

Availability: Rare. Seen on Turner video releases from 1991 to 1993 such as Reflections on Citizen Kane: Fifty Years and Tom & Jerry Kids tapes.

Scare Factor: Minimal.

3rd Logo (1993-1999) Turner Home Entertainiment (1993)Turner Home Entertainment (mansion in oval)

Nickname: "Turner Mansion"

Logo: Same as the movie logo, only "HOME ENTERTAINMENT" replaces "PICTURES".

Variants: • There is a still version of the logo that appeared on some early releases. •Some promos would have the mansion in an oval, just like the print logo.

FX/SFX: Same as the movie logo.

Music/Sounds: Same as the movie logo.

Availability: More prolific than the movie logo, but still rare. It can be seen on several early-mid '90s Cartoon Network tapes (look at a mom-and-pop video shop, a thrift/second-hand store or eBay for those), which are your best bet as several were released in the channel's early years. New Line Home Video releases from this period, such as Mortal Kombat and The Mask had this as well. Also seen on 1994-1997 PBS Home Video releases such as Adventures from the Book of Virtues and the Ken Burns documentary Baseball, and on The Swan Princess (an animated film theatrically released by New Line Cinema). The still version is seen on most RKO Video Collection releases from this period, as well as In Search of Dr. Seuss.

Scare Factor: Low. The darkness and somber music don't really mix.