Background[]
Colex Enterprises was formed on January 30, 1984 as a joint venture between Columbia Pictures Television (now "Sony Pictures Television") and Lexington Broadcast Services Company, Inc. (later known as "LBS Communications, Inc.", now "FremantleMedia North America") to distribute classic Screen Gems/CPT shows and TV movies. All distribution went through LBS. When Coca-Cola Telecommunications was created on November 24, 1986, CCT represented Colex and took distribution of some programs by Colex. The venture ended in January 1988 after the establishment of Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc. (now "Sony Pictures Entertainment"), and most of the library was later transferred into the reorganized Columbia Pictures Television Distribution. Currently, the name is part of Sony Pictures Television.
(1984-January 1988)[]
Nicknames: "Colex Game Music", "Merging Bars", "Star Writer"
Logo: On a black and blue gradient background two sets of three red lines come from either side and merge into one set of three. A blue "Colex" written in cursive in a white and blue gradient color, drops down onto the lines and at the bottom a four-pointed star passes, leaving behind the word "ENTERPRISES" in white.
Variant: A B&W variant of this logo was used on prints of classic SG shows in B&W.
FX/SFX: The lines merging, "Colex" dropping, and the star passing.
Music/Sounds: A over-synthesized 9-note tune, two pairs of four ascending notes (second higher than the last) ends with one last high note and a "ping" when the star finishes writing out "Enterprises". Sounds like MIDI music, or something out of an 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System game.
Availability: Uncommon, bordering on rare. Currently seen on several episodes of Father Knows Best and occasionally on other shows on Antenna TV, such as The Burns and Allen Show, Hazel, and The Monkees, with the former also appearing on Hulu. It previously appeared on Dennis the Menace as well, but Antenna TV's prints have it plastered with SPT. On a print of The Canterville Ghost (1986) last seen on Encore Mystery (now Starz Encore Suspense), this was retained, even after the '92 Columbia logo (and more recently, the SPTI "Cylinder" logo). This is however not intact on the film's DVD release from Sony Pictures' Choice Collection. What's Happening Now!! also had this logo, but replaced it with the 1989 LBS logo and the Sony Pictures Television logo, but some local reruns of a few S1 episodes had this logo plastered with the 1982 CPT Torch Lady. This is also seen on a handful of Hardcastle and McCormick episodes as well, which was last seen on getTV and recently on a Decades binge, and on an episode of The Monkees on IFC (followed by the 1996 CTTD and 2014 Sony/SPT logos). This has also appeared on '80s syndicated airings of films owned by Hope Enterprises like Road to Rio; it might also appear on VHS prints of Hope Enterprises films, but it doesn't appear on the DVDs. Additionally, this logo (color version) appears on some episodes of The Donna Reed Show on Me-TV. This was seen after the SPT logo on a print of the TV movie Miracle of the Heart: A Boys' Town Story as seen on Gospel Music Channel (now UP). An Amazon Prime print of Three Wishes for Jamie had this intact as well. Was seen on old USA Network airings of the TV series adaptation of Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice, and is also seen on Crackle's prints of said show, plastering the Screen Gems Television logo.