United Artists Television/Summary

Logo descriptions by Jason Jones, Shadeed A. Kelly, and D.L. Chandell Logo captures by Shadeed A. Kelly, Eric S., V of Doom, Bob Fish, and snelfu Editions by Shadeed A. Kelly and V of Doom Video captures courtesy of Eric S., JohnnyL80, and MattTheSaiyan

Background: United Artists Television was the television production/distribution company of United Artists Corporation that was originally formed in 1949. It distributed its film library, but by the 1950s, it had never been very successful in television. UA acquired Associated Artists Productions (a.a.p.) in 1958, and renamed it to "United Artists Associated, Inc. (u.a.a.)" and acquiring the Warner Bros. pre-1950 theatrical film library. In 1960, UA acquired Ziv Television Programs, forming "Ziv-United Artists" as their television production and primary distribution arm. In 1962, Ziv Television was phased out, changing its name back to UATV. United Artists was later purchased by Transamerica Corporation in 1967. United Artists Associated was reincorporated as "United Artists Television Distribution" the following year. In 1981, MGM merged with UA to create "MGM/UA Entertainment Co.". As a result, their respective television units combined as well, forming "MGM/UA Entertainment Co. Television" (or "MGM/UA Television") in 1982. The "United Artists Television" logo was eventually phased out around 1983 in favor of the "MGM/UA Television" banner, although UA itself continued to produce television shows as an in-name-only unit of MGM/UA Television until 1995. With the exceptions of Gilligan's Island (owned by Warner Bros. Entertainment thru Turner Entertainment Co.), The Fugitive (owned by CBS Corporation thru Spelling Television Inc.), and The Mothers-in-Law (owned by Desilu, Too (not to be confused with the original Desilu Productions, then became Paramount Television, now "CBS Television Studios")), the remaining UA TV library is currently owned by MGM Holdings Inc.

1st Logo (1958-1962)

United Artists Television "TV Tube" -The Dennis O'Keefe Show- (1959)United Artists Television "TV Tube" -The Dennis O'Keefe Show- (1959)United Artists Television (1960)Ziv/United Artists TelevisionZiv-United Artists Television (1961, Opening Variant) Ziv-United Artists Television (1961)ZIV United Artists (Sea Hunt)ZIV/United Artists Television (1960)Ziv-United Artists Television Ziv-UA-Documatic: 1962Ziv-UA-Keyhole Program: 1962

Nickname: "TV Tube"

Logo: A superimposed logo, featuring a block-type UA stacked diagonally with the company name across. The logo is bordered inside a transparent TV Tube-like field.

Ziv-UA Variant: See Ziv Television Programs for description.

FX/SFX: None or the zooming effect.

Music/Sounds: Usually the closing theme of the show.

Availability: The original is extinct. The Ziv-UA variant can be seen on Bat Masterson on ThisTV.

Scare Factor: Low.

2nd Logo (1962-1967)

United Artists Television (1962)United Artists Television (1962, B)United Artists Television (1965, A)United Artists Television (1965, B)United Artists Television "UA Stack" (1966) United Artists Television (1968, Color)United Artists Television "UA Stack" (1966)United Artists Television "UA Stack" (1966)Released by UATV: 1966

Nickname: "UA Stack"

Logo: It starts with the company name outlined against a gray background. There are two odd looking shapes in black on the left and right of the logo, which pan towards each other and go to opposite sides of the name, which changes to black. The two shapes pan towards each other once more, making a stop this time to stick them together. The shapes appear as a vertical UA.

Variants: •The color variant was yellow lettering and the UA logo in white on a blue background; was on with full animation on It's About Time and My Mother the Car. •A still variant with "Released by" on top of this logo was on season one episodes of The Rat Patrol and on the short-lived series Hey, Landlord.

FX/SFX: The panning of the UA.

Music/Sounds: •For the original 1962 version, there was a musical swell and sometimes followed by a "click" sound from the shapes when they intersected and merged. It finishes with a flourish at the end. •Some third season episodes of The Patty Duke Show featured their closing theme over the logo but retaining the "CLICK" sound. •In 1965, the music was replaced with a whimsical theme accompanied by a xylophone. •Other shows would carry the closing theme of the show.

Availability: Rare. It's seen on The Patty Duke Show on Antenna TV. Also available on VHS and DVD releases of the original Outer Limits and on the DVD release of the unaired pilot episode of Gilligan's Island. The version with the 2nd theme was used on O.K. Crackerby and My Mother the Car.

Scare Factor: Low.

3rd Logo (1962-1967)

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Nickname: "UA"

Logo: This is an in-credit logo for some of United Artists' co-productions. It is a simplified UA ident; both letters are the same shape, going upside down.

FX/SFX: None. On The Fugitive, it's the usual effects from the credits.

Music/Sounds: The closing theme of the show.

Availability: Can be found intact on all episodes of Gilligan's Island and The Fugitive on DVD, as well on The New Phil Silvers Show.

Scare Factor: None to minimal.

4th Logo (1967-1968)

United Artists Television (1967)United Artists Television (1967)UATV: 1967-b

Nicknames: "The UA-Transamerica Circle", "The UA Circle"

Logo: On a light blue background, we have a yellow circle and inside it has a black circle. We see the words "UNITED ARTISTS TELEVISION" in yellow lettering (appears to be in a cote-out) appearing inside a circular field. The word "TELEVISION" is under the word "RTISTS" in small lettering. The byline "A Transamerica COMPANY" is seen in small letters underneath. The word "Transamerica" is seen in a yellow Impact font. The letters "U" and the "A" are somewhat taller than the rest of the company name, and they overlap each other.

Variant: The background is sky blue and the circle and lettering is orange. The text "RELEASED BY" is seen in place of "FROM" on the upper left-hand corner.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: The closing theme of the show.

Availability: Ultra rare. It was originally seen on S2 episodes of The Rat Patrol and S1 episodes of The Mothers-in-Law (the last UATV production to use this logo), as well on off-net syndicated reruns of classic UATV programs such as Gilligan's Island back in the late '60s. This was one of the first television syndication companies to follow that practice. Currently seen on season one of The Mothers-in-Law: The Complete Series on DVD and Me-TV.

Scare Factor: Low.

5th Logo (1968-1975)

UATV: 1968-1975

Nickname: "The Transamerica T"

Logo: It starts with two sets of blue lines going into place, all together at the same time, against a black background. One set of three lines turns to the left, the other set turns to the right. There are six lines altogether, revealing the logo of Transamerica Corporation, United Artists' former owner. The logo zooms out to the side to make room for the company name.

Byline: The name was referred to as "United Artists Television, Entertainment from Transamerica Corporation" during this time.

Opening Variant: On this variant, the animation is the same as its movie counterpart, except for the UATV text instead.

FX/SFX/Cheesy Factor: The stacking of the lines.

Music/Sounds: The closing theme of the show. In other cases, it used the ending part of the movie logo theme from 1968.

Availability: Ultra rare. It was last seen on Gilligan's Island off-net repeats decades ago. Currently seen on season two of The Mothers-in-Law: The Complete Series on DVD and on Me-TV.

Scare Factor: Low.

6th Logo (1975-1981)

United Artists Television "Transamerica T '75" (1975-1981)United Artists Pictures "Transamerica T '75" (1975-1981)

Nickname: "The Transamerica T '75"

Logo: This one is similar to its previous logo. The re-modified name "United Artists Television" fades in, and the "Transamerica T" fades in along with the shortened phrase "A Transamerica Company".

Variant: On syndie prints of classic UA TV shows of the era, a still shot variant of the 1975 movie logo was used.

FX/SFX: The fade-in or none.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Extinct.

Scare Factor: None.

7th Logo (1981-1982)

United Artists Pictures (1981-1982)Logo: This is a shortened variant of the 1981 movie logo.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Extinct.

Scare Factor: None.

8th Logo (1982-1983)

United Artists - CLG Wiki

Nicknames: "UA Paperclip", "Turning UA (Stationary)"

Logo: Basically, it's a still shot variant of the 1982 movie logo and close up.

FX/SFX: The simple fade-in and fade-out.

Music/Sounds: An abridged four-note version of the movie logo. Sometimes, the end title music carrying over the logo or none.

Availability: Near extinction. It appeared only on three television movies: Witness for the Prosecution, I Take These Men, and I Want to Live.

Scare Factor: Minimal. It could be off-putting considering its extreme rarity and immediate contrast to its film counterpart.

Final Note: In 2013, United Artists Media Group was formed, hence the relaunch of United Artists Television.