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Paramount Pictures
Logo descriptions by Jason Jones, Matt Williams and Argus Sventon
Logo captures by Eric S and others.
Editions by Eric S., V of Doom, Bob Fish and others
Famous Players Film Company
Background: This company was founded originally in 1912 by the Hungarian-born Adolph Zukor, who had been an early investor in nickelodeons (film theaters that cost 5 cents admission), saw that movies appealed mainly to working-class immigrants. With partners Daniel Frohman and Charles Frohman he planned to offer feature-length films that would appeal to the middle class by featuring the leading theatrical players of the time (leading to the slogan "famous players in famous plays"). By mid-1913, Famous Players had completed five films, and Zukor was on his way to success. That same year, another aspiring producer, Jesse L. Lasky, opened his Lasky Feature Play Company with money borrowed from his brother-in-law, Samuel Goldfish, later known as Samuel Goldwyn. The Lasky company hired as their first employee a stage director with no virtually film experience, Cecil B. DeMille, who would find a suitable location site in Hollywood, near Los Angeles, for his first film, The Squaw Man.
_______________________________________________________________
Paramount Pictures Corporation
Background: Beginning in 1914, the former company was renamed Paramount Pictures Corporation, being the oldest running movie studio in Hollywood, beating Universal Studios by a month. Currently, the company is owned by media conglomerate Viacom, a subsidiary of National Amusements, Inc.
1st Logo
(1914-1952)
Nicknames: "The Majestic Mountain", "Dark Mountain", "Paramountain" "Mount Everest"
Logo: We see a snowcapped mountain against a dark sky. There are clouds that look like smoke over the mountain. Sometimes foggy, though. Encircling the mountain are 24 white stars, accompanied by this text in a majestic script font overlapping the mountain, reading:
At the end of the movie, we see "The End", in script, overlapping the company name.
Variant: Though the same general design of the logo has remained the same, there have been subtle changes to it over the years.
FX: Nothing cheesy; just the gliding clouds.
Music/Sounds: The beginning/end of a movie's theme.
Availability: Still retained on Turner Classic Movies and black & white Popeye shorts on The Popeye Show on Boomerang. Expect a recent Universal logo to preceed as they own most of the films from this era.
Scare Factor: Low to medium, due to the somewhat scary mountain drawing and clouds.
2nd Logo
(1952-1954)
Nicknames: "Majestic Mountain '52", "Twisted Mountain"
Logo: The same as above, only this variation looks more marble in appearance. The sky background is a bit lighter as well.
Variant: Sometimes, the mountain appears closer up.
FX: Nothing cheesy again; just the gliding clouds.
Cheesy Factor: The mountain looks ugly.
Music/Sounds: Usually the beginning/end of a movie's theme.
Availability: Uncommon. The beginning part is replaced with logo 6 on Shane (1952) as this logo is kept at the end of Shane. Still seen on Paramount releases of the period on Turner Classic Movies and American Movie Classics.
Scare Factor: Low to medium; the mountain looks ugly and could be an eyesore to look at.
3rd Logo
(1954-1967)
Nicknames: "Majestic Mountain", "VistaVision Mountain"
Logo: Created especially for widescreen, this logo appears more realistic and features a canyon scenery around it. The sky is more distant in depth and is very contrast. Everything is pretty much the same as before here.
Variants:
FX: Nothing cheesy again, just the gliding clouds.
Music/Sounds: None, although it plays through the beginning/end of the movie's theme. For films shown in VistaVision, the logo has a majestic fanfare composed by Nathan Van Cleave, except on Gunfight at the O.K. Corral where it used the movie's theme.
Availability: Again, preserved on Paramount releases of the period. The VistaVision version is mostly seen on western films. All are still retained on Turner Classic Movies and American Movie Classics.
Scare Factor: None.
4th Logo
(1968-1975)
Nickname: "Majestic Mountain"
Logo: Much like the previous logo, but this time, only the word "Paramount" is seen on the mountain's peak, with the stars encircling the mountain. "A Gulf+Western Company" appears on the bottom.
Variants:
FX: Nothing cheesy again, except for the gliding clouds and byline sliding in.
Music/Sounds: Usually had no music, unlike some other studios at the time, although "Charlotte's Web" had a 13-note horn fanfare. Other than that, the movie's beginning theme plays there.
Availability: Is rare, but can still be seen. Among the movies released in this era were The Godfather, Catch 22, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (with Barbara Streisand), Charlotte's Web, Paint Your Wagon, Harold and Maude, and Chinatown (with Jack Nicholson). Some current prints of The Godfather may plaster this with the 1987 Paramount logo, though.
Scare Factor: None to low, but some people would get edgy about the "Split" lettering version seen on Catch 22.
5th Logo
(1975-1987)
Nicknames: "Blue Mountain", "Abstract Mountain" "80s Mountain"
Logo: We see a mountain with canyon-style scenery. 22 white stars fade in, encircling the mountain. "Paramount" fades in on the mountain's peak. The byline at the bottom fading in is:
The logo fades to a light blue mountain surrounded by a circular navy blue border on a light blue screen. This one is similar to the Paramount Television ID of the period and has darker colors compared to the TV ID.
Variants:
FX: Fading in of the company name, bit by bit.
Cheesy Factor: Nothing cheesy; just gliding clouds and fading parts in this logo.
Music/Sounds: Often had no music, although the original version of Grease had a theme. In some cases, an orchestrated fanfare played throughout, especially on variants of this logo that were used for trailers. In other cases, it uses the opening/closing theme.
Availability: Can be found on most TV broadcasts of late '70s-mid '80s movies. Plenty of films released on DVD have this logo intact or restored, as well.
Scare Factor: Low; a lack of elements found on the TV version (the "Paramount" sliding in and the music) make this logo much less scary than its television counterpart. However, the realistic mountain fading to blue may seem a bit jarring.
6th Logo
(1987-2002)
Nicknames: "CGI Mountain", "90s Mountain", "Majestic Mountain", "Mountain of Monatomy"
Logo: We see a computer generated mountain, with a lake and a light blue/yellow gradient sky behind it. The camera begins to zoom closer to the mountain, as 22 silver stars come from the bottom left and encircle the mountain, forming the familiar logo. The word Paramount, in its familiar script logo font and redone in a shiny silver color, fades in on the peak of the mountain. This logo was designed by Apogee, Inc.
Bylines:
Variants: While there have been some variations of the logo depending on the movie, and of course the three byline variants, there are two main logo variations of this logo:
FX: The stars circling the mountain, zoom in, text fading in
Cheesy Factor: Early computer animation. The scenery looks like it's a model and looks kind of fake as a result.
Music/Sounds: Usually silent, but occasionally has the 1975 fanfare (albeit remixed, to sound more "powerful") playing throughout the logo. An abridged version can be heard on various home video releases.
Music/Sound Variants: Nickelodeon/Paramount films use chimes for the stars to circle the mountain.
Availability: Plastered on most broadcast and basic cable telecasts of Paramount movies as well as some of Paramount's "marquee" titles that have been remastered or restored. However, most pay cable showings and video releases still have their original logos. The 1999 revision is more rare, only appearing on movies which were released in theaters from 1999 to early 2002; Paramount has used the 1994 Viacom variation in all logo plasterings and TV movies such as those made for Showtime. Still easy to catch, even though the logo has not been in use for more than five years now. The 75th Anniversary logo appeared on 1987 video releases of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Crocodile Dundee, and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, and was plastered with the Paramount Communications logo for many years. Paramount nicely unplastered the logo off, and the 75th Anniversary variation appears on the DVD releases of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles and The Untouchables. This logo usually plasters the 1968 Paramount logo on The Godfather, and it may also plaster the Ladd Company logo without byline on A Very Brady Sequel.
Scare Factor: None.
7th Logo
(2002-)
Nicknames: "2000s Mountain", "Ultra Majestic Mountain"
Logo: We see a majestic shot of a large amount of clouds, high over the earth, in space. In the distance, comet-like objects descend from the sky and as they zoom towards us, we see that they are the trademark Paramount stars, shooting towards us. The shot appears to "shimmer" a bit and then we see that we've been watching a reflection all along; the stars have been reflected through the familiar "Paramount" script. It too descends through the clouds, until we see a familiar mountain coming into view, now on a majestic sunrise-like background and surrounded by clouds. The stars zoom in below the script logo, which is now a silver color with a golden border, twisting and encircling the mountain. The script logo assumes its position above the mountain peak as the logo is completely formed. The Viacom byline fades in below the logo.
Variants:
FX: INCREDIBLE CGI; very reminiscent of the more majestic and stylized 1940's and '50s Mountains.
Music/Sounds: Silent for the most part, like the last logo, although on Mean Girls, the 1987 fanfare played over this logo. On the 2005 remake of The Longest Yard, however, a completely different fanfare is heard. On one rare occasion, distant wind can be heard when the stars pass by. Other times, it would have music from any movie's intro playing over the logo.
Availability: Seen on all current Paramount releases since 2002.
Scare Factor: None. The animation is mind-blowing, and it is a suitable successor to Paramount's original CGI mountain.
Logo captures by Eric S and others.
Editions by Eric S., V of Doom, Bob Fish and others
Famous Players Film Company
Background: This company was founded originally in 1912 by the Hungarian-born Adolph Zukor, who had been an early investor in nickelodeons (film theaters that cost 5 cents admission), saw that movies appealed mainly to working-class immigrants. With partners Daniel Frohman and Charles Frohman he planned to offer feature-length films that would appeal to the middle class by featuring the leading theatrical players of the time (leading to the slogan "famous players in famous plays"). By mid-1913, Famous Players had completed five films, and Zukor was on his way to success. That same year, another aspiring producer, Jesse L. Lasky, opened his Lasky Feature Play Company with money borrowed from his brother-in-law, Samuel Goldfish, later known as Samuel Goldwyn. The Lasky company hired as their first employee a stage director with no virtually film experience, Cecil B. DeMille, who would find a suitable location site in Hollywood, near Los Angeles, for his first film, The Squaw Man.
_______________________________________________________________
Paramount Pictures Corporation
Background: Beginning in 1914, the former company was renamed Paramount Pictures Corporation, being the oldest running movie studio in Hollywood, beating Universal Studios by a month. Currently, the company is owned by media conglomerate Viacom, a subsidiary of National Amusements, Inc.
1st Logo
(1914-1952)
Nicknames: "The Majestic Mountain", "Dark Mountain", "Paramountain" "Mount Everest"
Logo: We see a snowcapped mountain against a dark sky. There are clouds that look like smoke over the mountain. Sometimes foggy, though. Encircling the mountain are 24 white stars, accompanied by this text in a majestic script font overlapping the mountain, reading:
A
Paramount
Picture
Paramount
Picture
At the end of the movie, we see "The End", in script, overlapping the company name.
Variant: Though the same general design of the logo has remained the same, there have been subtle changes to it over the years.
FX: Nothing cheesy; just the gliding clouds.
Music/Sounds: The beginning/end of a movie's theme.
Availability: Still retained on Turner Classic Movies and black & white Popeye shorts on The Popeye Show on Boomerang. Expect a recent Universal logo to preceed as they own most of the films from this era.
Scare Factor: Low to medium, due to the somewhat scary mountain drawing and clouds.
2nd Logo
(1952-1954)
Nicknames: "Majestic Mountain '52", "Twisted Mountain"
Logo: The same as above, only this variation looks more marble in appearance. The sky background is a bit lighter as well.
Variant: Sometimes, the mountain appears closer up.
FX: Nothing cheesy again; just the gliding clouds.
Cheesy Factor: The mountain looks ugly.
Music/Sounds: Usually the beginning/end of a movie's theme.
Availability: Uncommon. The beginning part is replaced with logo 6 on Shane (1952) as this logo is kept at the end of Shane. Still seen on Paramount releases of the period on Turner Classic Movies and American Movie Classics.
Scare Factor: Low to medium; the mountain looks ugly and could be an eyesore to look at.
3rd Logo
(1954-1967)
Nicknames: "Majestic Mountain", "VistaVision Mountain"
Logo: Created especially for widescreen, this logo appears more realistic and features a canyon scenery around it. The sky is more distant in depth and is very contrast. Everything is pretty much the same as before here.
Variants:
- There is a variation in which "A Paramount Picture" would be replaced by "A Paramount Release" on some features. At the end of the movie, the "The End" byline appears by itself, right in front of the mountain. It then fades to the company name a few moments later.
- On films with VistaVision, the stars and text would fade out, and "in" would fade in. Then it fades out and a big "V" zooming in a la the Viacom "V of Doom" logo, and "VISTA" left of the V and "ISION" right of the V appear in a wiping effect. Then, "MOTION PICTURE" appears under "VISTA" and "HIGH-FIDELITY" under "ISION" fade in.
- The logo has appeared in Spanish, with the text reading "Esta es una pelicula Paramount" (this is a Paramount film).
FX: Nothing cheesy again, just the gliding clouds.
Music/Sounds: None, although it plays through the beginning/end of the movie's theme. For films shown in VistaVision, the logo has a majestic fanfare composed by Nathan Van Cleave, except on Gunfight at the O.K. Corral where it used the movie's theme.
Availability: Again, preserved on Paramount releases of the period. The VistaVision version is mostly seen on western films. All are still retained on Turner Classic Movies and American Movie Classics.
Scare Factor: None.
4th Logo
(1968-1975)
Nickname: "Majestic Mountain"
Logo: Much like the previous logo, but this time, only the word "Paramount" is seen on the mountain's peak, with the stars encircling the mountain. "A Gulf+Western Company" appears on the bottom.
Variants:
- There is a variation that in 1974, two of the stars are clipped away. The mountain looks the same as logo 2's version, but the stars are bigger. "A Gulf+" slides in from the left and "+Western Company" from the right and they're in a different typeface. The script name also had a few variations of its own. At least two movies featured the then-current TV logo version, and the 1974 logo features the print logo variation, which remains from this day forward.
- A variation on this logo, reading "A Paramount Picture" like before, was created for the first three Indiana Jones films several years after this logo ended. Also, the latest Indiana Jones film had this logo with the Viacom byline and simply reading "Paramount" instead of "A Paramount Picture".
FX: Nothing cheesy again, except for the gliding clouds and byline sliding in.
Music/Sounds: Usually had no music, unlike some other studios at the time, although "Charlotte's Web" had a 13-note horn fanfare. Other than that, the movie's beginning theme plays there.
Availability: Is rare, but can still be seen. Among the movies released in this era were The Godfather, Catch 22, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (with Barbara Streisand), Charlotte's Web, Paint Your Wagon, Harold and Maude, and Chinatown (with Jack Nicholson). Some current prints of The Godfather may plaster this with the 1987 Paramount logo, though.
Scare Factor: None to low, but some people would get edgy about the "Split" lettering version seen on Catch 22.
5th Logo
(1975-1987)
Nicknames: "Blue Mountain", "Abstract Mountain" "80s Mountain"
Logo: We see a mountain with canyon-style scenery. 22 white stars fade in, encircling the mountain. "Paramount" fades in on the mountain's peak. The byline at the bottom fading in is:
A
Gulf+Western
Company
Gulf+Western
Company
The logo fades to a light blue mountain surrounded by a circular navy blue border on a light blue screen. This one is similar to the Paramount Television ID of the period and has darker colors compared to the TV ID.
Variants:
- The distance between the words and the mountain tip sometimes varies.
- One variation (presumably the original) has a smaller blue circle around a smaller mountain, both kind of receded. The text for "Paramount" is smaller than usual and the text for "A Gulf+Western Company" is drastically larger, along with the stars. This rather ugly variation was seen on Looking for Mr. Goodbar, among others.
- There is a version of this logo in which the background is pink instead of blue and the mountain is dark blue instead of light blue. This pink version was seen only on Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown.
- A variation of this logo was used as a bumper for trailers to upcoming films with the phrase "Coming From" above the logo.
FX: Fading in of the company name, bit by bit.
Cheesy Factor: Nothing cheesy; just gliding clouds and fading parts in this logo.
Music/Sounds: Often had no music, although the original version of Grease had a theme. In some cases, an orchestrated fanfare played throughout, especially on variants of this logo that were used for trailers. In other cases, it uses the opening/closing theme.
Availability: Can be found on most TV broadcasts of late '70s-mid '80s movies. Plenty of films released on DVD have this logo intact or restored, as well.
Scare Factor: Low; a lack of elements found on the TV version (the "Paramount" sliding in and the music) make this logo much less scary than its television counterpart. However, the realistic mountain fading to blue may seem a bit jarring.
6th Logo
(1987-2002)
Nicknames: "CGI Mountain", "90s Mountain", "Majestic Mountain", "Mountain of Monatomy"
Logo: We see a computer generated mountain, with a lake and a light blue/yellow gradient sky behind it. The camera begins to zoom closer to the mountain, as 22 silver stars come from the bottom left and encircle the mountain, forming the familiar logo. The word Paramount, in its familiar script logo font and redone in a shiny silver color, fades in on the peak of the mountain. This logo was designed by Apogee, Inc.
Bylines:
- 1987-1989: "A Gulf+Western Company" (it fades in together with the Paramount script logo and looks the same as it did in the previous logo).
- 1989-1995: "A Paramount Communications Company" with a line above the byline (an early variant of such appeared in their first year, as it fades in together with the Paramount logo and appears in gold rather than white).
- 1995-2002: "A Viacom Company" (in the \/|/\CO/\/\ "Wigga-Wigga" font), with a line above the byline.
- One variant, used for international releases, has no byline whatsoever. This version features the stars and the word "Paramount" already there at the beginning, with the camera starting at the back of the mountain and works it's way to the front.
Variants: While there have been some variations of the logo depending on the movie, and of course the three byline variants, there are two main logo variations of this logo:
- Version 1: For this logo's first year, the words "75th Anniversary" appear over the mountain, between the Paramount script logo and the Gulf + Western byline. "75th" was in silver and "Anniversary" in gold.
- Version 2: Starting in about 1999, Paramount redid their logo slightly. The same basic concept is here, but is reanimated to look nicer. The stars are thicker (with golden sides), shinier, and have a nice motion blur effect, the star's reflection can now be seen in the lake in front of the mountain, and the Paramount script logo now shines. These additions are subtle, but they make the logo seem much less dated.
FX: The stars circling the mountain, zoom in, text fading in
Cheesy Factor: Early computer animation. The scenery looks like it's a model and looks kind of fake as a result.
Music/Sounds: Usually silent, but occasionally has the 1975 fanfare (albeit remixed, to sound more "powerful") playing throughout the logo. An abridged version can be heard on various home video releases.
Music/Sound Variants: Nickelodeon/Paramount films use chimes for the stars to circle the mountain.
Availability: Plastered on most broadcast and basic cable telecasts of Paramount movies as well as some of Paramount's "marquee" titles that have been remastered or restored. However, most pay cable showings and video releases still have their original logos. The 1999 revision is more rare, only appearing on movies which were released in theaters from 1999 to early 2002; Paramount has used the 1994 Viacom variation in all logo plasterings and TV movies such as those made for Showtime. Still easy to catch, even though the logo has not been in use for more than five years now. The 75th Anniversary logo appeared on 1987 video releases of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Crocodile Dundee, and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, and was plastered with the Paramount Communications logo for many years. Paramount nicely unplastered the logo off, and the 75th Anniversary variation appears on the DVD releases of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles and The Untouchables. This logo usually plasters the 1968 Paramount logo on The Godfather, and it may also plaster the Ladd Company logo without byline on A Very Brady Sequel.
Scare Factor: None.
7th Logo
(2002-)
Nicknames: "2000s Mountain", "Ultra Majestic Mountain"
Logo: We see a majestic shot of a large amount of clouds, high over the earth, in space. In the distance, comet-like objects descend from the sky and as they zoom towards us, we see that they are the trademark Paramount stars, shooting towards us. The shot appears to "shimmer" a bit and then we see that we've been watching a reflection all along; the stars have been reflected through the familiar "Paramount" script. It too descends through the clouds, until we see a familiar mountain coming into view, now on a majestic sunrise-like background and surrounded by clouds. The stars zoom in below the script logo, which is now a silver color with a golden border, twisting and encircling the mountain. The script logo assumes its position above the mountain peak as the logo is completely formed. The Viacom byline fades in below the logo.
Variants:
- During its first year of use, the words "90TH ANNIVERSARY" fade in over the logo with the Viacom byline.
- A still logo was spotted on Sleuth.
- 2006-: On some rare occasions, "DISTRIBUTED BY" appears above. Mainly seen on after movies by DreamWorks Pictures.
FX: INCREDIBLE CGI; very reminiscent of the more majestic and stylized 1940's and '50s Mountains.
Music/Sounds: Silent for the most part, like the last logo, although on Mean Girls, the 1987 fanfare played over this logo. On the 2005 remake of The Longest Yard, however, a completely different fanfare is heard. On one rare occasion, distant wind can be heard when the stars pass by. Other times, it would have music from any movie's intro playing over the logo.
Availability: Seen on all current Paramount releases since 2002.
Scare Factor: None. The animation is mind-blowing, and it is a suitable successor to Paramount's original CGI mountain.
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(Showing the last 5 of 7 - view all)
| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PF9ThePikachuLover | 100th Anniversary? | 3 | Today, 1:34 PM EDT by Shadeed329 | |
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Thread started: Mar 3 2008, 10:53 PM EST
Watch
Paramount's 100th anniversary is coming in a few years (2012 to be exact), so what do you think Paramount will do that year?
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| ferrariGTBPR1 | Paramount Pictures Logos #4 | 0 | May 14 2008, 4:09 PM EDT by ferrariGTBPR1 | |
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Thread started: May 14 2008, 4:09 PM EDT
Watch
For the 1956 movie "The Ten Commandments" they used a customized opening sequence.
here,we start with the infamous "Majestic Mountain"-presumably Israel's Mount Sinai,as the movie's final segment takes place there-,shown under a red-hued sky.then,Paramount's completed logo fades in ,with the following credit appearing a few seconds later: a Cecil B. DeMille Production then, we are presented with the custom credits,shown in a levithian/jewish cloth motif,which ends with the following (additional) disclaimers: "All of those who see this movie,produced and directed by CECIL B. DEMILLE, will make a pilgrimage to the very grounds that moses trod more than 3000 years ago,in accordance to the ancient texts of Philus,Josephus,Eusebius,The Midrash,and THE HOLY SCRIPTURES." ....and then we proceed to the movie itself.
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Keyword tags:
Ten Commandments custom logo
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| Spidey016 | Who added this? | 0 | May 11 2008, 1:48 PM EDT by Spidey016 | |
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Thread started: May 11 2008, 1:48 PM EDT
Watch
Who added the "The End" variant of the 1968 logo?
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| Silversword55 | PAramount, MGM, and Lionsgate to launch TV movie channel | 3 | Apr 24 2008, 4:07 PM EDT by PF9ThePikachuLover | |
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Thread started: Apr 22 2008, 5:38 PM EDT
Watch
Paramount, Lionsgate, and MGM will launch a TV movie channel that will rival with HBO, and Showtime
Let's hope their logo isn't a stove that wants to kill you :( like a certain production company that's a subsidary of HBO. |
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| Hoa | Vistavision logos | 0 | Mar 8 2008, 11:07 AM EST by Hoa | |
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(Showing the last 5 of 7 - view all)