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MTM Enterprises
Logo description by James Fabiano and Jason Wuthrich
Logo captures by wisp2007, EnormousRat, Eric S., and Ben Masters
Editions by Shadeed A. Kelly and Eric S.
Video captures courtesy of Tlogos, MachineryNoise, JimHawkwind03411, JohnnyL80, superpooper180, Eric S., mcydodge919, DrLove0378, and ih8ContentID
Background: MTM Enterprises was an independent production company established in 1969 by actress Mary Tyler Moore (hence the initials of the company) and her then-husband Grant Tinker. The company was formed as a result of an agreement with Moore and the CBS network to produce 22 episodes of a new sitcom, which would become The Mary Tyler Moore Show. In 1986, MTM acquired television distribution company Victory Television, Inc. and became "MTM Television Distribution". MTM was sold to TVS Entertainment (a subsidiary of now-defunct ITV franchise holder TVS) in 1987. In 1992 after TVS lost its ITV franchise to Meridian Broadcasting, it was then sold to International Family Entertainment, Inc. (now "ABC Family Worldwide"), itself bought by News Corporation in 1997 for $1.9 million and folded into 20th Century Fox Television on August 15, 1998, who now handles most of the MTM library.
(September 19, 1970-August 14, 1998)
Nicknames: "The MTM Kitten", "Mimsie the Cat", "MEOW!"
Logo: Over the years, the logo has been tweaked colorwise and according to certain shows, but here's the basic concept: An "M" flies backward from off screen, then splits into two. In the space left between the two letters, two "T"'s come from the top and bottom of the screen and join to form one. This completes the initials of the company, and the letter "T" shrinks when a gold circle appears over it. Under the letters are the words "ENTERPRISES, INC.", "ENTERPRISES", or "PRODUCTIONS, INC.''. Sometimes the finished logo will read out "AN MTM ENTERPRISES (INC.) PRODUCTION" ("AN" appears over the first "M"). Back to the circle, it is ribbon-like and decorated with stars and the letters "MTM" on top. Inside is a live-action orange striped kitten who meows once, obviously as a parody of the MGM lion. All the text (except for the later versions) appears in the Peignot font used for the 1971 Viacom logo.
Trivia:
Variants: First here are the little differences in the logo, along with dates in which they were used:
Custom Variants: Now, one thing that the MTM logo was known for was that often, it would be custom made for whatever show it appeared at the end of. This means Mimsie's appearance would sometimes be different, usually involving her "wearing" a costume or saying something other than "meow". Here are those variants:
FX/SFX: The "M" zooming out and morphing into 2 M's, and the "T" dropping. The rest is shown above.
Music/Sounds/Voice-over: None really, except the end theme of the show. Starting in 1996, a 4-note jingle was added before the "meow". On the game show Shopping Spree, Burton Richardson announces "In association with MTM Enterprises, Inc." on the logo while the theme is playing and Mimsie meowing.
Availability: Fairly common. It can be seen on WKRP in Cincinnati on Antenna TV, St. Elsewhere and Hill Street Blues on ALN and on NuVO TV and The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, Remington Steele, and Newhart on Me-TV and FamNET as MTM (and other production companies now under the News Corp. library) is now followed by 20th Television. The only factors are the rarity of widespread reruns of MTM shows, and Fox's sparse releasing of DVDs from the company's library (and sub-licensing of certain series to Shout! Factory). On Hulu, the logo is intact. The St. Elsewhere finale variation is especially rare, as it was shown on NBC and nowhere else to our knowledge. VHS copies and reruns just use the regular credit sequence and logo (with the exception of the ALN print, which has the normal credits and only the 20th Television logo). You can see it on the Paley Center's copy, however, as is also the case with the Carlton variation, another particular rarity. The logo with the later byline makes infrequent appearences at the end of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman on GMC.
Scare Factor: Low to medium. The silence, the "meow", the fading out of the music, and the kitten coming out of nowhere might catch some people by surprise. Plus, there's the factor of not knowing what Mimsie will look or sound like per program. The St. Elsewhere finale variation may be extremely upsetting. Other than that, it's mostly a cute logo.
Logo captures by wisp2007, EnormousRat, Eric S., and Ben Masters
Editions by Shadeed A. Kelly and Eric S.
Video captures courtesy of Tlogos, MachineryNoise, JimHawkwind03411, JohnnyL80, superpooper180, Eric S., mcydodge919, DrLove0378, and ih8ContentID
Background: MTM Enterprises was an independent production company established in 1969 by actress Mary Tyler Moore (hence the initials of the company) and her then-husband Grant Tinker. The company was formed as a result of an agreement with Moore and the CBS network to produce 22 episodes of a new sitcom, which would become The Mary Tyler Moore Show. In 1986, MTM acquired television distribution company Victory Television, Inc. and became "MTM Television Distribution". MTM was sold to TVS Entertainment (a subsidiary of now-defunct ITV franchise holder TVS) in 1987. In 1992 after TVS lost its ITV franchise to Meridian Broadcasting, it was then sold to International Family Entertainment, Inc. (now "ABC Family Worldwide"), itself bought by News Corporation in 1997 for $1.9 million and folded into 20th Century Fox Television on August 15, 1998, who now handles most of the MTM library.
(September 19, 1970-August 14, 1998)
Nicknames: "The MTM Kitten", "Mimsie the Cat", "MEOW!"
Logo: Over the years, the logo has been tweaked colorwise and according to certain shows, but here's the basic concept: An "M" flies backward from off screen, then splits into two. In the space left between the two letters, two "T"'s come from the top and bottom of the screen and join to form one. This completes the initials of the company, and the letter "T" shrinks when a gold circle appears over it. Under the letters are the words "ENTERPRISES, INC.", "ENTERPRISES", or "PRODUCTIONS, INC.''. Sometimes the finished logo will read out "AN MTM ENTERPRISES (INC.) PRODUCTION" ("AN" appears over the first "M"). Back to the circle, it is ribbon-like and decorated with stars and the letters "MTM" on top. Inside is a live-action orange striped kitten who meows once, obviously as a parody of the MGM lion. All the text (except for the later versions) appears in the Peignot font used for the 1971 Viacom logo.
Trivia:
- The cat's name was "Mimsie", though nicknames such as "Dick Turpin" and "Dick Marino" have also been used in naming the cat.
- The logo (with just the cat meowing) recently made an appearance within the Family Guy S7 episode "420".
- On recent Me-TV promos of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Bob Newhart Show, Ed Asner and Bob Newhart uttered the word "Meow!" on the MTM logo at the end of the promos from their respective shows.
Variants: First here are the little differences in the logo, along with dates in which they were used:
- September 19, 1970-March 2, 1974: One "M" is red-orange, the other is red, and the "T" is blue and is formed by the merging of a light blue "T" and a green one.
- September 18, 1971-1978: The M's are both red-orange, and the "T" is light blue.
- 1978-1982: Company now identified as "MTM Productions Inc.". The M's are now orange.
- 1982-1990: Company identified as "MTM Enterprises, Inc.". The M's are now red.
- September 17, 1990-1993: Same as above, but "ENTERPRISES, INC." is smaller than usual, and below it is a byline that says "A TVS ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY". In early 1993, the byline was removed.
- 1992-1995, 1996-August 14, 1998: All letters are orange, the words "AN INTERNATIONAL FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY" appear with an orange line above it, after MTM was bought by the Family Channel.
- 1995-1996: 25th Anniversary logo; on a white background is a black "25," with a similarly colored MTM under that. The kitten appears in the rounded part of the "5". Evidence needed for this variation; likely only a print logo.
- A still version of this logo did turn up in the movies, notably the Orion Pictures release of Just Between Friends and possibly more. This is a still of the "Red/Blue Letters" version of the logo, and is shrunk to a considerably small size. No music, animation, or "meow" is present.
- Another still version of this logo appeared at the beginning of a FamNET rerun of a season 8 episode of Newhart from 1989 "Don't Worry, Be Pregnant," the logo is the same as the later International version, except the letters "MTM" appear to be slightly smaller, the circle with Mimsie appears to be slightly larger and the logo just reads "MTM INTERNATIONAL".
Custom Variants: Now, one thing that the MTM logo was known for was that often, it would be custom made for whatever show it appeared at the end of. This means Mimsie's appearance would sometimes be different, usually involving her "wearing" a costume or saying something other than "meow". Here are those variants:
- The Duck Factory: As the logo forms, an off-screen voice states, "Where's the cat?". Instead of meowing, Mimsie says, "Quack!".
- Graham Kerr: Mimsie wears a chef's hat.
- Hill Street Blues: Mimsie wears a policeman's cap.
- Lou Grant, Paris, and Just Between Friends: There is a still picture of the logo.
- The Mary Tyler Moore Show: Same as usual, but on the 2nd episode, Mimsie's meow is higher-pitched, rather shrill. On episode 71, the cat is replaced by the image of Miss Moore herself, saying "Th-th-th-that's all folks!", a line spoken by Mary Richards during that episode.
- The Bob Newhart Show: The 1972 Christmas episode features a wreath in place of the MTM ribbon. On the season 4 episode "No Sale", a cat from the episode named Abogast appears in the circle instead. He jumps down, disappearing from the circle's view, and as he does, you hear the usual meow. On the season 5 1976 Christmas episode "Making Up Is the Thing To Do," another Christmas Wreath is also used. This was also used on the season 1 finale Rhoda episode: Guess What I Got You For the Holidays. On the season 3 episode of The Bob Newhart Show "Big Brother is Watching," a loud lion's roar is heard in place of the usual meow-sound.
- The New WKRP in Cincinnati: Dubbed with Les Nesman Jr. exclaiming "Ooh!".
- Newhart: Each episode (except the pilot) featured Mimsie meowing... in Bob Newhart's voice. On the final episode, the cat yells "QUIET!" (the two Darryls' first and only word).
- Remington Steele: Mimsie wears a Sherlock Holmes deerstalker cap and meerschaum pipe. As she begins to meow, the pipe drops out of her mouth and falls in front of "PRODUCTIONS" or "ENTERPRISES, INC."
- St. Elsewhere: Mimsie is wearing a scrub suit and a surgical mask, which is animated to look like a mouth is moving underneath when she meows. On the final episode, she (possibly portrayed by another cat) is hooked on life support on a hospital bed throughout the last credit roll. The credits run as usual over a picture of the MTM circle, with life support equipment attached on either side. You can hear the beeps of the heart monitor over the end theme, too. After the credits complete, the company name fades in and Mimsie flatlines and dies, with a long, high-pitched beep heard. This variation is especially rare, as reruns of the series finale plastered it over with the typical credits (As a sidenote, the actual cat, Mimsie, died in 1988, the same year St. Elsewhere ended).
- The Steve Allen Show: Mimsie (who also wears Allen's famous eyeglasses) lip-syncs Allen's "Schmock!".
- The White Shadow: Mimsie is replaced by a black and white cat bouncing a basketball. There is a shorter version with the company name already there and the cat footage looped (and thus the cat is continually bouncing the ball). The other (seen only at the end of the series pilot) has the letters animating as usual and at the end, the ball falls off-screen and the cat appears to be looking down at it.
- Xuxa: Another dub job; instead of "meow", Mimsie says "ciao".
- A Little Sex: The MTM logo forms as usual... but Mimsie is a cartoon! She is also more to the side of the circle, which now has a black background. She meows as always, and then another cat enters the circle! The two felines rub against each other and start purring.
- Carlton Your Doorman: Carlton's cat is seen in the MTM logo instead of Mimsie. Carlton says to his cat, "C'mon, 'Meow!'". When the cat doesn't meow, Carlton mutters "D**n cat...".
- Bay City Blues: An animated Mimsie wears a baseball cap and baseball glove in her right paw; she catches a baseball and meows.
- Vampire: The MTM text is all in dark red, and Mimsie is nowhere to be seen.
- The Mary Tyler Moore Show 20th Anniversary: At the end, Mimsie says "Bye!" (in Mary Tyler Moore's voice).
- Einsenhower and Lutz: The "meow" is sung in the style of the closing credits music.
- The Bob Newhart 19th Anniversary Special: Bob Newhart himself says "Meow!" much like he does from Newhart.
- The Trials of Rosie O'Neill: The logo appears in a still shot against a pink background.
FX/SFX: The "M" zooming out and morphing into 2 M's, and the "T" dropping. The rest is shown above.
Music/Sounds/Voice-over: None really, except the end theme of the show. Starting in 1996, a 4-note jingle was added before the "meow". On the game show Shopping Spree, Burton Richardson announces "In association with MTM Enterprises, Inc." on the logo while the theme is playing and Mimsie meowing.
Availability: Fairly common. It can be seen on WKRP in Cincinnati on Antenna TV, St. Elsewhere and Hill Street Blues on ALN and on NuVO TV and The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, Remington Steele, and Newhart on Me-TV and FamNET as MTM (and other production companies now under the News Corp. library) is now followed by 20th Television. The only factors are the rarity of widespread reruns of MTM shows, and Fox's sparse releasing of DVDs from the company's library (and sub-licensing of certain series to Shout! Factory). On Hulu, the logo is intact. The St. Elsewhere finale variation is especially rare, as it was shown on NBC and nowhere else to our knowledge. VHS copies and reruns just use the regular credit sequence and logo (with the exception of the ALN print, which has the normal credits and only the 20th Television logo). You can see it on the Paley Center's copy, however, as is also the case with the Carlton variation, another particular rarity. The logo with the later byline makes infrequent appearences at the end of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman on GMC.
Scare Factor: Low to medium. The silence, the "meow", the fading out of the music, and the kitten coming out of nowhere might catch some people by surprise. Plus, there's the factor of not knowing what Mimsie will look or sound like per program. The St. Elsewhere finale variation may be extremely upsetting. Other than that, it's mostly a cute logo.
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Livin' |
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, Apr 2 2013, 10:25 AM EDT
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Keyword tags:
20th Century Fox Television
Mary Tyler Moore
Mimsie
MTM Enterprises Inc.
MTM Productions
News Corporation
More Info: links to this page
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
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| LemonyLogos | A very rare version with Johnny Fever from 1999 | 0 | Apr 8 2013, 1:32 PM EDT by LemonyLogos | ||
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Thread started: Apr 8 2013, 1:32 PM EDT
Watch
During the late 90's,1999 if I remember correctly,"Nick At Nite" ran a marathon of"WKRP"hosted by Howard Hesseman playing Dr.Johnny Fever.At the end of a few episodes Hesseman,instead of Mimsie,appeared in the logo and said"Meow".Anybody else remember this,I had it on tape at one time.
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| Shadeed329 | About the 2nd MTM variant | 0 | Aug 16 2012, 2:46 AM EDT by Shadeed329 | ||
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Thread started: Aug 16 2012, 2:46 AM EDT
Watch
With the light blue "T" with red-orange M's are you sure it came out in 1971? Because so far on season 5 of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" it used that since and that's the 1974-1975 season. Now, what was the FIRST show to use that since it came out in 1971??
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| Lurkerbunny | Oh no... | 0 | May 17 2011, 12:17 AM EDT by Lurkerbunny | ||
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Thread started: May 17 2011, 12:17 AM EDT
Watch
I accidentally killed all the widgets in my last update and I don't know how I did it or how to get them back! ;_; Sorry! Help!
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