CBS Productions/Summary

Background[]

CBS Productions is the production arm of the CBS Television Network, formed in 1952 to produce shows in-house, instead of relying solely on outside productions. Its first production was CBS Television Workshop, a drama anthology series that featured an early appearance of Audrey Hepburn. From 1978-1995, the name "CBS Entertainment Productions" co-existed. On January 17, 2006, it was merged with Paramount Television to form "CBS Paramount Television", whose main production division, CBS Paramount Network Television, continued to produce the former CBS Productions shows that were still running. Currently, all of the CBS library except certain shows they merely held rights to, is owned by CBS Corporation themselves and is distributed by CBS Television Distribution. However, CBS has certain domestic or international rights on co-produced series. On September 2, 2008, CBS Productions was revived as an in-name-only unit of CBS Paramount Network Television (now known as "CBS Television Studios") by producing non-CBS network produced programs such as 90210 for the CW Television Network. After a 3-year hiatus, CBS Productions was revived again in 2015.

Historical Note[]

The CBS logo was created by Kurt Weiss on October 17, 1951 and was introduced on broadcast three days later.

1st Logo (1952-1965)[]

Notes: This logo was the standard closing card for the CBS network and appeared mostly on filmed series produced for CBS.

Nicknames: "CBS Eyemark", "The Eyemark", "The Zooming Eyemark", "The (Eyemark) Shutter", "Iris Diaphram Shutter", "The Pupil"

Logo: On a white background, we see CBS' huge Eyemark logo. Inside it has yet another Eyemark. As the camera zooms-in, we see the pupil of the eye opening up camera shutter style to reveal, "CBS TELEVISION NETWORK" in its Didot font. The pupil later closes.

Variant: On the TV movie Destination Space, the text "In Association with the" is seen first. Then the text would fade-out and the rest of the animation takes place.

FX/SFX: The zooming-in of the Eyemark, the eye pupil opening. Pretty cool for 1952.

Music/Sounds/Voice-over: None. In other cases, it included a male announcer saying "This is the CBS Television Network", or the closing theme of the show.

Availability: This logo appeared on Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and Rawhide, among other shows. It is intact on every show released on DVD that CBS produced during this period (except for The Honeymooners, as the prints were sourced from ones used for syndication). Starting in early 2009, this logo also made a surprise return on newer local rerun prints (such as Chicago's Me-TV station) of pre-fall 1965 episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, followed by the silent 2003 Paramount Domestic Television logo.

Editor's Note: The logo's animation were quite cool and smooth for 1952, and remains a classic logo by logo enthusiasts and TV fans alike.

2nd Logo (1952-1981?, 1987-88)[]

Nickname: "CBS Eyemark II"

Logo: CBS Productions only used different on-screen versions of the in-credit texts:

A

CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

PRODUCTION

with the CBS Eyemark logo below it, taking place against a blue background. Other series would read "PRODUCED BY THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK", "THIS HAS BEEN A CBS TELEVISION NETWORK PRODUCTION", "(PRODUCED) IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK" or "A CBS TELEVISION NETWORK PRESENTATION".

Variants:

Sometimes, there would be no Eyemark at all.
1959-62: The text would appear on a wallpaper background.
1962-65: The text would appear on a gray background with the N.A.B. "Seal of Good Practice" or "Television Code" logo.
1962-64: On early seasons of Petticoat Junction and The Beverly Hillbillies, the "IAW" variant fades after the 1961 Filmways logo.
1962-66: Appeared in grayscale.
1963-75: The text would appear on a blue background with a black CBS Eyemark at the lower left corner. Additional text "FILMED AT CBS STUDIO CENTER, STUDIO CITY, CALIFORNIA" would be seen alongside the Eyemark.
1964-65: The notice is shown on the lower right-hand corner on the Filmways logo.
1965-69: On The Wild Wild West, there is an additional in-credit name for Michael Garrison on a grayscale (season 1 only) or blue (seasons 2-4) background reading "A MICHAEL GARRISON PRODUCTION" before that logo faded to the "IAW THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK PRODUCTION" logo.
1968-70: On shows from Talent Associates, the Eyemark appears at the center, sandwiched between the respective in-credit text.
1978-84?: The text is referred to as "A CBS Entertainment Production". Apparently, Five-O was a CBS Entertainment Production in its next-to-last season, as well as its last season.
On seasons 8-12 of Hawaii Five-O, after the CBS Television Network/"Filmed Entirely On Location in Hawaii" card, there was an extra card that said "Developed by Leonard Freeman Productions." This was also included with the CBS Entertainment card of the final two seasons.
The Eyemark would either be black or white.
On some episodes of My Three Sons, this logo is sometimes seen in a completely different font.
On the 1978 TV movie Like Mom, Like Me, it read "A CBS Television Production."
On the Dr. Seuss TV specials from 1971-75, such as The Cat in the Hat, the logo is just the following text:

this has been a
CBS
TELEVISION NETWORK
PRODUCTION
in association with

Then, it would cut to the DePatie-Freleng Enterprises logo.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: The end title theme from any show playing. Otherwise on some shows from 1959-1962, it would have a majestic 4 note tune on some shows. Other shows would have either an 8-note tune with a drum roll or a 13 note fanfare.

Availability: Common. It appears on The Twilight Zone, Perry Mason, Rawhide, Gunsmoke, Get Smart, Gilligan's Island, Hawaii Five-O, and Have Gun, Will Travel, among other key shows. The Filmways shared version last appeared on reruns of 1962-65 episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies on WGN America and TV Land. This was also seen on The Wild Wild West as well as the 1965-72 episodes of My Three Sons.

3rd Logo (1963-1967)[]

Note: This logo was the standard closing card for the CBS network and appeared mostly on filmed series produced for CBS.

Nicknames: "CBS Eyemark III", "(Zooming-Out) CBS Eye of Doom"

Logo: We see a black Eyemark zooming-out to the top of the screen on a gray background. "CBS" appears one by one in a dramatic fashion in white.

Color Variant: On color programs, the background is blue.

FX/SFX: The eye zooming-out and the appearance of the letters.

Music/Sounds: A commanding trumpet with a menacing, cacophonous finish.

Availability: Extinct. It was seen on original network airings of Hogan's Heroes, Pistols 'N' Petticoats, Hazel, Lassie, My Favorite Martian, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Lucy Show, The Andy Griffith Show, Captain Kangaroo, Password, Art Linkletter's House Party, The Red Skeleton Hour, The Jackie Gleason Show, To Tell the Truth, What's My Line?, Lost in Space, I've Got a Secret, Mission: Impossible, Gunsmoke, and The Gary Moore Show, among other classic shows.

Editor's Note: This logo is quite infamous to some, due to the sudden, menacing music.

4th Logo (1983-1985)[]

Nicknames: "Booming Stars", "☆☆☆", "Tri-Star (Not the film studio, although CBS was made part of the venture)"

Logo: It's the same as the 1983 CBS Theatrical Films logo, but "THEATRICAL FILMS" was replaced by "PRODUCTIONS".

Closing Variant: Just a still shot with "IN ASSOCIATION WITH" above the logo.

FX/SFX: Same as the 1983 CBS Theatrical Films logo. None for the closing variant.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Extremely rare. It appears on Columbia House releases of I Love Lucy: The Collector's Edition on VHS. Strangely, on some copies, both variants appear at the opposite ends.

Editor's Note: Pretty good animation in 1983, since it's basically the same as the film division's logo of the era.

5th Logo (August 23-November 8, 1985)[]

Logo: Against a black background, we see the text:

CBS

PRODUCTIONS

written in a light blue, 3D Impact font with a white shadow effect.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None or the intro soundbite of a movie.

Availability: Rare. It was only used on Target, Eleni, and Better Off Dead... (the DVD of which plasters it with the 1995 CBS Video logo).

Editor's Note: Even for a still logo, this looks really plain and cheap.

6th Logo (1984?-1992)[]

Nicknames: "CBS Eyemark IV", "Eyemark Filmstrip"

Logo: Against a certain colored background, we see the text:

CBS

ENTERTAINMENT

P R O D U C T I O N S

and with an Eyemark logo to the right of "CBS" with a filmstrip next to it. The filmstrip also has little "comet streaks" on its left side.

Variants:

Sometimes, the logo is shown on an all-white, gray, or blue background, with the letters smaller and on the bottom of the screen.
The logo is sometimes superimposed or scrolling in the end credits.
The text "A Production of" would sometimes appear above.
Sometimes there is a copyright stamp underneath the logo.
Sometimes the text "IN ASSOCIATION WITH" appears below the logo.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: The closing theme of the show.

Availability: Rare. It was left intact on the first two seasons of The (New) Twilight Zone on Chiller and the 1987 TV movie Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge on Starz Encore Westerns (DVDs of both might retain this, or be plastered). It was also seen on several television specials like I Love Lucy: The Very First Show!, and seasons 1 and 2 episodes of Rescue 911, and the short-lived 1989-90 talk show The Pat Sajak Show. The in-credit version appeared on the pilot of the short-lived game show The Hollywood Game. The logo premiered on TV movies probably during the 1984-85 season.

Editor's Note: The design of the logo is neat, but not much to say beyond that.

7th Logo (1991-March 5, 1996)[]

Nicknames: "CBS Eyemark V", "CGI CBS Eyemark"

Logo: Against a blue/purple gradient background, we see the text:

C B S

E N T E R T A I N M E N T

P R O D U C T I O N S

zoom out over the background with "CBS" in the turquoise-blue gradient color. "ENTERTAINMENT" is in a red rectangle. A sky blue CBS Eye zooms out and places itself below the text.

Variants:

There is a superimposed variant of this logo that has appeared on some shows.
A short version where it starts at where the CBS eye moves up is also seen.
On the 1992 Guiding Light Primetime Special, the logo is a still-shot image against a black background.

FX/SFX: CGI.

Music/Sounds:

A 3-note re-orchestration of the 1959 CBS Television fanfare, the end theme, or, most commonly, silence. The short version uses the last note being longer. In 1994, it used generic network music when CBS began using split-screen credits. Original airings of very early episodes of Caroline in the City run NBC promos over the logo.
There is also a longer version, where we hear a synth harp at the beginning, then it leads to the normal version.

Availability: Fairly common. It's seen on Evening Shade, the first three seasons of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, CBS Soap Break, and Rescue 911, among others. It appeared on seasons 1 and 2 of Walker, Texas Ranger when reran and on DVD, the first season of Touched by an Angel on DVD and Paramount+ (the latter having the CBS Television Distribution logo afterward), and the last four Gunsmoke TV movies (The Last Apache through One Man's Justice) on Starz Encore Westerns. The in-credit version appeared on the short-lived game show The Hollywood Game. It was also seen at the end of the Golden Books Family Entertainment VHS of Frosty Returns. It might also have appeared on very early episodes of Caroline in the City, Central Park West, Bonnie and Can't Hurry Love.

Editor's Note: The logo features some nice CGI from the period.

8th Logo (September 23, 1995-1999)[]

Nicknames: "CBS Eyemark VI", "Turning Eyemark", "We are CBS", "CBS Eyemark on Hands"

Logo: Over a textured yellow or gold CBS Eyemark background, we see a pair of ghostly gray hands holding up a gray CBS eye logo. We then fade to a closer shot of the hands holding the logo, with "CBS PRODUCTIONS" in a Century Gothic font in front with "CBS" bigger, along with a CBS Eyemark below, all in black.

Trivia: This logo was based on the CBS 1995-96 on air look, "You're on CBS".

Variants:

On the 1998 TV movie Several Safe, the text "In Association With" is below the logo, and in Arial Black.
There is a warp speed version of the logo.
Sometimes the logo is stretched upward.
Some TV movies have a filmed variant. This also appears on the Touched by an Angel episodes "Promised Land," "A Joyful Noise," and "Groundrush."
The text "A PRODUCTION OF CBS WORLDWIDE ENTERTAINMENT, INC.", or "IN ASSOCIATION WITH" would sometimes appear above.
On the 1999 TV movie Check Up, the background is black.
There is a long version of the logo.
The length of the fade-out varies by program.
On the Touched by an Angel episodes "Unidentified Female," "The Feather," "Sins of the Father," "The Sky Is Falling," "Smokescreen," and "Full Moon," the logo has a reddish tint to it.
On the season 3 Touched by an Angel episodes "Written In Dust," "Something Blue," "Last Call," "At Risk," and "An Angel by Any Other Name," the logo starts already formed.

FX/SFX: The hands, the fade.

Music/Sounds: Usually none or just the end title theme playing over the logo.

Availability: Uncommon. It appeared on such shows like Walker, Texas Ranger, Caroline in the City, the final season of Rescue 911, Early Edition, Dave's World, Moloney, and even the first season of Kids Say the Darndest Things. This logo is retained on seasons 3 and 4 of Walker, Texas Ranger, Caroline in the City, seasons 4 and 5 of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, and the first season of Promised Land and Early Edition when reran (DVDs of all shows likely retain these logos). However, this logo was plastered by the CBS Television Distribution logo on Early Edition reruns on GMC.

Editor's Note: Another fine logo from CBS, especially a treat for those who remember CBS's 1995-96 promotion.

9th Logo (September 1997-2006, September 2, 2008-2012, March 4, 2015-March 13, 2016)[]

Nicknames: "CBS Eyemark VII", "CGI CBS Eyemark II", "The Stage", "CGI Stage", "CBS Stage", "CBS Eyemark on Stage"

Logo: We see a flash of light, which dies down to reveal the CBS Eyemark logo (the light is coming from the center of it) with "CBS PRODUCTIONS" around it, floating above a floor in a blue and white studio whose walls have a CBS logo pattern on them. The text is in the familiar CBS Didot font and the entire logo is brown. We zoom away from the logo.

Variants:

Around 1999 or so, the logo was redesigned. The light is gone, the Eyemark is in a lighter shade of reddish-brown, and the font is smaller. Now and Again used the first version until 2000, while Walker, Texas Ranger continued to use it until 2001. However, the first version made a surprise appearance on the Touched by an Angel episode "The Lord Moves in Mysterious Ways."
On Touched by an Angel, the logo is usually cut down to its second half. However, on the episode "The Road Home: Part 2," the first half is played instead.
On the show's next episode, "Great Expectations," the logo cuts out rather than fading out.
Later that season, on the episode "Flights of Angels," the logo fades out early, and the fade is slower.

FX/SFX: The CGI, which despite first appearing in the late 1990s, holds up very well today.

Music/Sounds: None or the outro of the end title theme from any show playing over the logo.

Music/Sounds Variants:

On The Gregory Hines Show, Kids Say the Darnedest Things, Now and Again, and L.A. Doctors, it uses a mysterious synth sounder.
On Listen Up!, it plastered over the 20th Century Fox Television logo, but keeps its music (the abridged version) intact.
Season 1 episodes of A Beautiful Life used the 2006-09 CBS Paramount Television logo. When the CBS Paramount logo was retired in 2009, this logo was used starting with Season 2, but retaining the CPTV jingle.
Since 2008, we hear a light orchestral sounder, played by low strings, low horns and a piano with a bang of a timpani and a clash of cymbals. It sounds like the old CBS jingle a bit.
A short version of the 2008 theme exists, where we begin a split-second before the cymbals end.
On the short-lived Brooklyn South, the Steven Bochco Productions logo's music ends over this logo.

Availability: Common.

It appears on seasons 5-8 of Walker, Texas Ranger, The Gregory Hines Show, The District, The King of Queens, the final season of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (and the two TV movies that followed it), Promised Land, Kids Say the Darnedest Things, and the CSI franchise, among others.
It was initially retired in the summer of 2006, when this logo was replaced by the CBS Paramount Network Television logo. This logo was used again when the CBS Paramount logo was retired in 2009.
Early Edition and Touched by an Angel are the only shows that plaster this logo with a later one on more recent prints. In the case of the latter, the plastering is with CBS Television Distribution on the DVDs of seasons 5, 6, 8 and 9, except on the episodes "Psalm 151," "An Angel on the Roof," "Black Like Monica," "Fighting the Good Fight," "Such a Time as This," and "Famous Last Words."
This logo was also spotted on the second season of The Cleaner on A&E, and 90210 and Melrose Place on the CW (although on their airing of the Melrose pilot, the CBS Television Studios logo appears instead). This logo was also seen on the first two seasons of Hawaii Five-O and Blue Bloods. Beginning with the third season, the CBS Television Studios logo appears on both shows. In March 2015, the logo was brought back on CSI: Cyber.

Editor's Note: CBS has once again outdone themselves, and this is perhaps one of their nicest logos.