Logo description by Matt Williams and Kris Starring
Logo captures by wolfie14, V of Doom and indycar
Editions by Shadeed A. Kelly, Logophile, V of Doom and indycar
Video captures courtesy of phasicblu, EnormousRat, Gorb Stromaire, and ThePreviewsGuy VHS Openings
Background: MGM/UA Communications Co. was founded in 1986, five years after the formation of MGM/UA Entertainment Co. when MGM acquired UA from Transamerica Corporation in 1981. Before the name existed; from March 25 to August 26, 1986, Ted Turner owned MGM, and both companies were reincorporated as "MGM Entertainment Co." and "United Artists Corporation" for a short time. After UA purchased MGM's production and distribution assets, as well as its trademark, from Turner, both companies were reincorporated as MGM/UA Communications Co. In 1990, when Giancarlo Parretti under Pathé Communications (not to be confused with the famed French studio) purchased MGM/UA, the company was renamed as "MGM-Pathé Communications Co.". However, the company was reverted back to "Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer" on July 2, 1992.
(July 31, 1987-December 16, 1988)[]
Nicknames: "Zooming/Flashing MGM-UA", "WGBH Rip-Off"
Logo: On a black background, an outline of the MGM-UA logo zooms out, leaving a smoky trail behind it. The trail and "MGM-UA" outline splits into three. The smoky trails get sucked into the logo, which stops in the top center of the screen. The "MGM-UA" logo is a metallic, WGBH-like outline. Then, the letters in the words "MGM/UA COMMUNICATIONS CO." appear on-by-one below "MGM-UA". A red line starts in the center of the company name and splits into two, one line going towards the top of the screen, and one towards the bottom. The lines wipe the screen and bring forth either the MGM "Lion" or the UA "Swoosh". The MGM-UA logo zooms towards the viewer as this happens.
Trivia: This logo was designed by Paul Pascarella, who also created the Lorimar "Line" logo.
Variants:
- There is a variation that only uses this logo alone, as neither the MGM or UA logo will follow. This is seen on Pumpkinhead (even on current prints where the 2001 MGM logo appears before it) and the original VHS release of Illegally Yours.
- A black and white version exists.
- A variant exists on the original VHS release of A Fish Called Wanda, where the MGM logo comes first. Sadly, most current prints just contain the latter logo or the 2001 revision.
- Adapted for widescreen (2.35:1) films, the "MGM-UA" logo does not zoom out further than usual, and it doesn't zoom in during the transition to the next logo.
- On trailers for films on MGM/UA Home Video VHS releases the logo plays as normal, but the logo video zooms out and lands on a film cell and it slides away. Another film cell appears and the trailer begins.
- Depending on the film quality, the silver may appear as light brown.
FX/SFX: Very cool Eighties computer graphics.
Music/Sounds: Starts out with a synth chord, and segues into some whooshing sounds com bined with a drum-beat, followed by a synth trumpet fanfare, and then a metallic hit at the end. Some versions feature an echo effect. Although there is one thing, that "hit" at the end does not sound on the standalone variant. The logo will often segue into either Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Leo roaring or the United Artists logo's music.
Music/Sounds Variants:
- A French dub of Rain Man has a low-pitched version of this jingle with the United Artists logo.
- On the 2017 Arrow Video Blu-ray of A Fish Called Wanda, as well as the 2017 Scream Factory Collector's Edition Blu-ray of Poltergeist III, the 5.1 tracks have the MGM/UA jingle play and when the MGM logo appears, cuts to the 1995 roar due to sloppy reverse plastering. The 2.0 stereo tracks on both films have the original audio and 1986 roar. Also, the 5.1 track for A Fish Called Wanda has the MGM/UA jingle in high-tone.
- On the 2021 Severin Films remastered Blu-ray release of Overboard, the logo is silent until the MGM logo shows up and the 1995 roar is heard. This is likely due to Severin reusing audio from the previous MGM master with the 2001 logo.
- On a Russian dub of Child's Play, the MGM/UA United Artists variation plays audio for the 1994 UA logo due to poor reverse plastering.
- On the 1989 and 1994 VHS releases of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the opening theme of the movie is heard over the MGM/UA United Artists variation.
Availability: Uncommon.
- The MGM/UA Communications-UA Swoosh mixture is seen on old TV, VHS and Laserdisc prints of several James Bond films, and movies from the Pink Panther series (and was used to plaster old UA logos, such as the "Transamerica T").
- The version with the UA logo following it can be seen on Baby Boom, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, Rain Man, Child's Play, the 1998 DVD of The Great Escape, the 1990-91 Laserdiscs of A Bridge Too Far and Lenny, and the Criterion Laserdisc of Raging Bull.
- The version with the MGM logo following can be seen on Fatal Beauty, Moonstruck, and the VHS releases of Overboard (including the 2021 Severin Films Blu-ray), Poltergeist III (including the 2017 Scream Factory Blu-ray), A Fish Called Wanda (including the 2017 Arrow Video Blu-ray), among others.
- Recent prints of some of these films, such as the 2009 Blu-ray and 2021 Kino Lorber Studio Classics UHD of Spaceballs, and the 20th anniversary DVD and Criterion Blu-ray of Moonstruck, will have it replaced with a newer MGM logo.
- The black and white variant can be seen on the 1988 VHS of The Manchurian Candidate and the 1989 Laserdisc of The Apartment.
- The trailer variant can be seen on several MGM/UA Home Video releases, such as the 1988 VHS release of Spaceballs, among others.
- The version with the UA logo following it also appears on the 1989 UK VHS releases of The Pink Panther Cartoon Festival: Pink Suds and The Pink Panther Cartoon Festival: Pink Paradise, among many others from MGM/UA Home Video.
- The version with the UA logo following it also made a surprise appearance on a 2004 late-night ITV1 UK airing of Rain Man, as well as on the 2023 MVD Visual UHD (following the 2012 MGM logo).
Editor's Note: This is a logo that is pretty well liked by the logo community.