Columbia Pictures/Logo Variations/Summary

Logo descriptions by Sean Beard, Matt Williams, Nicholas Aczel, Internet Movie Database and others.

Images, up-to-date and design by Eric S. among others

These are the logo variations seen throughout the years by Columbia Pictures.

The Criminal Code and Ten Cents a Dance (1931)
The 1928 logo is shown without the company name. The practice of showing the Columbia logo sans company name predates the variations seen on Cowboy, Under the Yum Yum Tree, Good Neighbor Sam, and Flight of the Doves.

Gun Fury (1953)
The logo is shown in a greenish-brown tint. Also, the Torch Lady's pedestal doesn't extend to the bottom of the screen, making it look like she's floating!

Cowboy (1958)
The logo has no company name at the beginning of the film. The standard version appears at the end.

The Mouse That Roared (1959)
The Torch Lady looks down and sees a mouse at her feet on the pedestal. The Torch Lady leaves her pedestal, leaving her torch behind. At the end of the film, you can see her rushing up the stairs of the pedestal, grabbing her torch again.

The Three Stooges Meets Hercules (1962)
The 1936 Torch Lady is on the left side on a black background. The text "COLUMBIA PICTURES PRESENTS" is on the right side. The logo cross-fades to a statue of Norman Maurer, the son-in-law of Moe Howard of The Three Stooges as he holds a stick of dynamite. The text "A NORMANDY PRODUCTION" is on the left side. The sparks are flowing from the dynamite and the dynamite later explodes, leaving the lower legs and the pedestal on the statue. The text "FILMED IN GLORIOUS BLACK AND WHITE" fades in above.

Zotz! (1962)
We start with a black & white version of the 1950s logo with William Castle sitting on a director's chair in the bottom-right corner of the screen. William gets out of his chair and says "Zotz!" The Torch Lady replies by asking "Zotz? What's Zotz?" After that, we fade to the opening credits of the movie. At the end of the movie, the black & white version of the 1950s logo is shown, but the Torch Lady says "Zotz all!"

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
The logo is merely a still painting. The light from the torch doesn't flicker and the clouds aren't as billowy. This was created especially for the film because there was no 70mm version of the logo in existence, and this variation was, at one point, plastered with the standard version for years until the film was restored in 1989.

Bye Bye Birdie (1963)
The Columbia Torch Lady's flame leaps from the torch to form the title of the film.

Under the Yum Yum Tree (1963)
The Torch Lady is on an orange background. Like the Cowboy variant, the company name does not appear over the logo, but does appear on a title card that fades in a few seconds later as part of the main titles.

Strait-Jacket (1964)
The Torch Lady reappears at the end of the film for the closing variant, only her head has been chopped off and is sitting at her feet.

Good Neighbor Sam (1964)
Similar to the Under the Yum Yum Tree variant, except the Torch Lady is on a light blue background. Incidentally, both films starred Jack Lemmon and used the same director, so this was no coincidence.

Cat Ballou (1965)
The Columbia Torch Lady transforms into an animated version of Jane Fonda as a cowgirl who is holding two guns and firing them.

The Trouble with Angels (1966)
A halo appears above the "A" in COLUMBIA, and wings sprout behind it. This reveals to be an animated angel hiding behind it, who flies around the Torch Lady and blows out the torch. 

The Man Called Flintstone (1966)
Wilma Flintstone replaces the Torch Lady and the logo is made in a prehistoric style. Great American Communications edited out this variation when they owned Hanna-Barbera.

Torture Garden (1967)
The 1953 logo has the company name appearing darker than usual, and "PICTURES CORPORATION PRESENTS" fades in below in yellow.

Head (1968)
After the end of the credits, we see a psychedelic, almost Art Nouveau looking Torch Lady; slowly the film disintegrates.

Oliver! (1968)
The logo is in sepia tone, and after the giant "COLUMBIA" text fades in, the words "PICTURES CORPORATION PRESENTS" fade in below.

The Looking Glass War (1969)
The 1968 logo has the words "PICTURES" and "PRESENTS" appear below the "COLUMBIA" name and on either side of the Torch Lady.

There's a Girl in My Soup (1970)
Same as on The Looking Glass War, though "PICTURES PRESENTS" is in a different font.

Flight of the Doves (1971)
Almost the same as the Cowboy variant, but the clouds appear to be more blue.

The Last Picture Show (1971)
The 1968 logo is shown in black and white.

Thank God It's Friday (1978)
We see the Torch Lady posed as in the start of "The Sunburst/Abstract Torch" logo. Suddenly disco music starts playing and the Torch Lady turns animated and gets into a few seconds of dancing. Then she resumes in torch pose and the rest of the logo plays as normal.

The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking (1988)
When viewed in fullscreen, the 1981 logo is seen at a much farther distance than any other 4:3 version of the logo. Here, the pedestal is cut off at the very bottom of the frame (made more apparent when the sunburst appears). The logo then fades into a picture of Pippi Longstocking (only showing her eyes, and her hair) on a white background.

Little Nikita (1988)
The 1981 logo fades into the sky.

City Slickers (1991)
The 1981 logo is a still picture. Only on The Hub's print of the movie.

A League of Their Own (1992)
At the end of the newsreel within the film, it has the words "COLUMBIA MOVIESCOPE NEWS" with the 80s Columbia print logo on top of the marquee styling between the words. Odd the 80s logo was used, considering the newsreel is supposed to be from 1943.

Last Action Hero (1993)
The 1981 logo is integrated into the film-within-a-film, Jack Slater IV. The logo is briefly shown, then disintegrates like an old film would do, into the main titles. Last Action Hero itself is the first movie to use the 1993 logo.

The Age of Innocence (1993)
When the music is almost over, the logo changes to a sepia tint and turns into a still picture and the company name fades out.

Wolf (1994)
The already-formed 1993 logo is seen, but the clouds are navy blue. Then, navy blue clouds move from left to right, covering the logo.

The Cable Guy (1996)
The logo goes static, just like a television would do.

Men in Black (1997)
The 1993 logo fades into a black starry sky, segueing into the opening credits.

Go (1999)
The logo sequence at the end is abruptly interrupted by jarring clips from a rave scene that segues into the opening credits.

Charlie's Angels (2000)
The logo pans to the right, as the movie starts off in the sky on a plane.

Finding Forrester (2000)
The logo's music is played on a guitar.

What Planet Are You From? (2000)
The Torch Lady's normal face is replaced with that of star Annette Bening, in a nod to the oft-noted resemblance between Bening and Jenny Joseph, the Torch Lady. The logo then fades into the night sky.

Ali (2001) and Big Fish (2003)
The logo animates in reverse.

Thir13en Ghosts (Non U.S. version, 2001)
The logo is in black & white, just like the Warner Bros. variant.

Men in Black II (2002)
The Torch Lady's torch flashes at the end of the logo, much like a neuralyzer.

Eight Crazy Nights (2002)
The Torch Lady is replaced with Eleanore Duvall, who later melts into the Torch Lady.

Trapped (2002)
The logo is in a shade of cerulean.

Peter Pan (2003, Non-US version)
The logo fades into the sky.

Gothika (2003, Non-US version)
The logo is tinted in Tiffany blue.

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003)
After the logo is done, it goes back to the start point where the movie begins.

Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003)
The 1993 logo zooms out further than usual.

Hellboy Director's Cut (2004)
There's a fire in the torch and the logo plays backwards to start the movie.

Stealth (2005)
The logo zooms backward through the clouds.

Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
At the end of the movie, the logo fades in just after the zoom out and proceeds as usual. The following logos (DreamWorks, Spyglass Entertainment, Amblin Entertainment, Red Wagon Entertainment) are cut short likewise.

The Da Vinci Code (2006)
A blue searchlight appears on the logo and the camera pans right.

Casino Royale (2006)
The logo is in black & white.

The Grudge 2 (2006)
The logo starts as usual, but the torch flickers, briefly causing the Torch Lady to turn into Kayako and the word "COLUMBIA" to turn into "GRUDGE 2".

All the King's Men (2006)
The logo is slightly in the shade of black & white.

The Holiday (2006)
The Columbia Pictures and Universal Pictures logos are shortened and are cut to the last few seconds.

Open Season (2006), Surf's Up (2007), The Smurfs (2011), Arthur Christmas (2011), and The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012)
The Torch Lady's torch flashes to proceed into the Sony Pictures Animation logo.

Superbad (2007)
A rather neat variation of the 1976 "Sunburst" logo. The byline "a SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT company" is seen at the bottom in the beginning. As the camera slowly zooms into the torch, it disappears. As the "sunburst" is forming, a clock-style transition occurs behind it, turning the background from black to yellow, and after the sunburst forms, several human silhouettes are seen. (The recognizable music wasn't present, however; it just used the movie's opening theme.)

The Messengers (2007)
The logo turns black & white.

30 Days of Night (2007)
The logo turns dark blue after six seconds.

Pineapple Express (2008)
The 1950s Columbia logo is featured and the Sony Pictures Entertainment byline fades in below.

Angels & Demons (2009)
The logo fades out, leaving a blurry transition to the next one.

The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)
The logo zooms into a box and fades into the city.

Terminator Salvation (2009 non-USA)
The logo is gray and has been static shocked.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
A banana suddenly knocks the Torch Lady out. The music is also at a high pitch. Also, the "COLUMBIA" text is slightly smaller.

2012 (2009)
The logo glows with a tangerine lens flare.

The Bounty Hunter (2010)
The logo is bylineless. Only on the Starz Saturday Premiere.

The Green Hornet (2011)
The light beaming from the torch turns jungle green.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
The logo is shown in a gray-green tint. Also, it's shortened, beginning when "COLUMBIA" fades in.

Men in Black: Alien Crisis (2012, video game)
On the game for Wii, the Torch Lady quickly zooms in with the neuralyzer, which flashes at the first second of the play.

Hotel Transylvania (2012)
At the end of the logo, the Torch Lady turns into a bat and flies off.

Hope Springs (2012)
The logo is shortened, beginning when "COLUMBIA" fades in.

Django Unchained (2012)
The 1968 logo is used with the SPE byline in the same font as the 1974 "A DIVISION OF COLUMBIA PICTURES INDUSTRIES, INC." byline.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013)
Same as the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs variant, but the size of "COLUMBIA" is back to normal, the byline fading out before the banana, this time in the computer-generated version, hits the Torch Lady, which transforms into a Bananostrich, then a Strawberry, who carries the torch, that the Torch Lady is holding, mounts a Bananostrich and posing by lifting the torch, beaming the light from it, then they rush toward the camera, and as the torch gets closer, the screen to turns white, transitioning into the Sony Pictures Animation logo.

American Hustle (2013)
The 1976 logo is used with the "a Sony Company" byline in the same font as the logo.

The Interview (2014)
The 1953 logo is used and the 1928 theme is heard.