Cinerama Releasing Corporation

Background: Cinerama Releasing Corporation was founded in 1967 as a subsidiary of Cinerama Inc., creator of the titular wide-screen format (invented by Fred Waller). It distributed its own films (some of which were actually not filmed in Cinerama, but in Super Panavision, Ultra Panavision and Todd-AO, and converted to be played on the curved Cinerama screen), foreign films and films produced by ABC Pictures Corporation. The company closed down in 1975.

Nicknames: "The Spinning C", "Rainbow C"

Logo: In the center of a black screen, we see some multicolored layers in an arc wiping onto the screen and spinning around. As this happens, a thick blue arc fitted with the layers wipes on forming a "C" shaped logo. The logo zooms out to the left and stops spinning. Finally, the words "CINERAMA RELEASING CORPORATION" zoom up within the opening of the "C", and spread outside towards the right. The word "FROM" fades in to the left of the "C".

Variants:

A black and white variant exists.

In later years, the word "CORPORATION" is omitted from the company name.

There's a variation of this logo where the words in a thicker font and are italicized.

Another one has the word FROM or "DISTRIBUTED BY" placed above the company name.

An airing of the movie Terror at the Wax Museum has part of the "C" and the company name out of frame.

FX/SFX: The forming of the "C" is cel animation.

Cheesy Factor: The colors are gawdy and the animation of the words are very tacky.

Music/Sounds: Usually silent. In other cases, it uses a bombastic brass fanfare. The fanfare is also used in the Derann Video logo, which most likely means that it is stock music.

Availability: Near extinction. ABC Pictures films such as Charly were seen with this logo, but are likely to be plastered with one of the current MGM logos as seen on the 2005 MGM DVD release of the former. It is intact on the 2005 Criterion DVD and MGM Home Entertainment Blu-ray releases of Straw Dogs, the 2003 and 2015 Criterion DVD and Blu-ray releases of The Honeymoon Killers, and the 1980 Magnetic VHS of Take The Money And Run (although some printings have the logo removed). It also has been found on an Australian airing of Hell In The Pacific. The variant can be seen on Ben.

Scare Factor:

None to minimal. The black background combined with the gaudy colors makes this quite dark.

Medium to high with the bombastic fanfare. The loudness and sudden appearance of it may make some people uncomfortable.