20th Century Fox Television (1958-1989)

On-Screen Logos

Logo Variations

Credits

Descriptions by
Jess Williams, James Stanley Barr, Nicholas Aczel, Eric S., and Logophile

Captures by
Bob Fish, V of Doom, Eric S., mr3urious, Mr. Logo Lord, WizardDuck, EnormousRat, Logoboy95, phasicblu, James Stanley Barr, Shadeed A. Kelly, Logophile, Stephen Cezar, Sagan Blob, Pygmalion X, originalsboy11, TrickyMario7654, ClosingLogosHD, TheEriccorpinc, and bdalbor

Editions by
V of Doom, mr3urious, Mr. Logo Lord, Logophile, Shadeed A. Kelly, Donny Pearson, KirbyGuy2001, DaBigLogoCollector, KramdenII, CNViewer2006, Unnepad, Mario9000seven, Michael Kenchington, CrazySpruiker2001, and MJ2003

Video captures courtesy of
Broken Saw, ClosingLogosHD, mcydodge919, Mike Stidham, BenIsRandom, and Eric S.

Background

In 1958, TCF Television Productions itself was renamed to 20th Century Fox Television to better reflect the name of the parent studio, instead of using its initials. The company signed its first client, Martin Manulis as head of television. The company briefly stopped TV production in 1963, but returned a year later, with its big success being Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, as well as Batman. After Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation acquired TCF on March 6, 1986, TCF/News Corp acquired the television holdings of Metromedia (including its TV stations and television production company). This acquisition helped News Corp launch the Fox Broadcasting Company, and TCFTV became the production arm of FBC. As a result, like the movie studio, the hyphen itself was dropped. On July 12, 1989, as part of the restructuring of the film and television units, it was renamed to 20th Television.

1st Logo (October 7, 1958-August 20, 1959)

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Logo: A still image of the standard version of the 1935 movie logo. Over the tower is the following text:IRVING ASHER
Executive Producer

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: The end theme of the show.

Availability: Rare.

• Seen on the second season of How to Marry a Millionaire and Man Without a Gun.
• It is also preserved on the DVD release of the former.

2nd Logo (September 29, 1959-July 5, 1960)

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Logo: We see a backdrop of a night sky covered with stars and clouds. Over this backdrop, we see the following text:

20TH
CENTURY-

FOX

fade in, with a visible trail that leads to the bottom-left side of the screen. The "20TH" seems to be more to the right of the other text, as displayed here.

Variant: On Adventures in Paradise, this appeared as an opening logo with a fanfare, followed by the Martin Manulis Productions logo.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: The opening or closing theme of the show.

Availability: Extremely rare.

• Recently seen on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis on MeTV and the Shout! Factory DVD set.
• It can also be seen on Adventures in Paradise, which is currently available for viewing on the Museum of Broadcast Communications Archives website, as well as the NBC show Five Fingers.

3rd Logo (September 29, 1959-1966)

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  Brighter variant.

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  Sepia variant.

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  Pink variant.

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  Darker variant.

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Logo: We see the usual 1935 film logo animating. We start off with the logo close-up. The camera then zooms out as the word "TELEVISION", slanted at an angle, zooms out to obscure the word "CENTURY".

Variants:

• The logo also appears in sepia-tone.
• Sometimes, the camera would back away slowly.
• Sometimes, a sped-up variant of the logo exists.
• The movie logo of the time opened the pilot to The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, "Caper at the Bijou", with the Martin Manulis Productions logo (the fanfare plays over the Martin Manulis logo).
• On some variants, when the word "Television" zooms out, the searchlights abruptly jump back to where they began when the logo began.

Technique: Traditional animation.

Music/Sounds:

• 1959-1964: A rearrangement of the Alfred Newman fanfare used on the movie variation.
• 1961-1966: A short tune played on muted trumpets and strings, that sounds similar to the Fox theme.
• 1963-1964: A shortened variant of the 1959 theme.
• 1965-1966: A sped-up/shortened version of the 1961 theme.

Music/Sounds Variants:

• On the TV series Hong Kong, there are three different arrangements of the 1959 theme.
• In some cases, it used only the closing theme of the show, or none. This is the case for The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.

Availability: Very rare.

• It can be seen on season 1 reruns of Daniel Boone on World Harvest Television (also available on the Liberation/Goldhil DVD release) and on reruns of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and 12 O'Clock High on MeTV, as well as the Season 1 Blu-ray of Lost In Space.
• Fox updated this with a newer logo (most likely 20th Television) on most prints and DVD releases of shows from this era, but can still be seen on older prints.
• It also appeared on the Rod Serling western The Loner, and appeared before the Martin Manulis logo on later episodes of Adventures in Paradise.

4th Logo (September 16, 1965-1984)

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  Original version

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  Widescreen variant.

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  Black and white variant

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  1966 version

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  1976 version

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  /w copyright notice

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  Green variant

Logo: We see the 1953 theatrical logo, but this time, the camera doesn't back away from the tower structure. The word "TELEVISION" zooms out to cover the word "CENTURY".

Variants:

• A "gray scaled" variant appeared on B&W prints of classic color shows from the era, such as Batman.
• The word "TELEVISION" would appear in either gold, orange, or yellow.
• In 1966, the logo is shifted over to the left and the word "TELEVISION" zooms out rapidly onto the structure. A tip of the letter "C" in "CENTURY" is seen.
• In 1976, the registered trademark "®" symbol was added to the 1965 logo. Plus, the logo is shifted to the left a little more from the 1966 version, but "TELEVISION" remains centered and zooms out again slowly, consequently revealing the "C" in "CENTURY".
• There is a still version of the 1965 variant with the text "DISTRIBUTED BY" on the top left corner of the logo (this was seen at the close of the 1976-78 version of Liars' Club).
• On the TV series The Starlost, a shortened version of the 1953 movie logo is used.
• A green-tinted variant exists.
• On Paul McCartney: The Man, His Music, His Films, a copyright notice appears below the logo.

Technique: Same as the last logo.

Music/Sounds:

• 1965-1969: The same 1961 theme from the last logo.
• 1966-1984: The same 1965 theme from the last logo.

Music/Sounds Variants:

• Same as before, it used only the closing theme of the show or none.
• Post-1986 prints of the 1974 television movie Hurricane use the Metromedia Producers Corporation jingle instead of the standard jingle.
• On the DVD and Blu-ray print of the S1 Batman episode "Hi Diddle Riddle", it uses the 1989 theme from the next logo, due to the HD master on this episode using a different source for the audio (in this case, the 1990s video masters). The Brazilian Portuguese track from this episode, however, uses the 1994 theme from the last logo instead.
• Hulu prints of M*A*S*H from the first two seasons have this logo with the 1989 TCFTV jingle, due to a reverse plaster error.
• A version of the TCFTV fanfare is incorporated into and appears at the end of, the theme for the 1976-1982 syndicated documentary series That's Hollywood, which TCFTV produced and distributed. At the end of that show's closing credits, the TCFTV logo is timed to appear as the That's Hollywood theme segues into the logo fanfare as the song ends.

Availability: Rare, due to frequent plastering by later Fox logos.

• The 1965 version is retained on the 2nd through the final season of Daniel Boone last aired on Retro TV and World Harvest Television, as well as the DVD sets of these seasons from Liberation/Goldhill and streaming and DVD/Blu-ray releases of the 1960s Batman series from Warner Home Video.
• The 1976 version is available on the first two episodes of The Fall Guy on the season 1 DVD set, while the next logo is intact on the remainder of the season.
• The Magnetic Video print of The Making of Star Wars from 1979 also has this logo (it was omitted from its 1981 reissue as a double feature with SPFX: The Empire Strikes Back, and replaced by the 20th Television logo on the 1995 reissue and bonus disc 3 of the Star Wars saga Blu-ray set).
• It is also seen on the Star Wars Holiday Special from 1978. Copies of the special have been circulating for decades.
• It also appears on the VHS release of Tomorrow's Child.
• It's Good to Be Alive (1974), aired on Atlanta's WATC 57, June 27, 2009, preserved the 1976 version at the beginning.
• It is also seen on the Season 2 Blu-ray of Lost in Space as well.
• After the next logo's introduction, it was seen at the end of the TV special The Facts in 1982; the short-lived series AfterMASH and a print of the Canadian TV movie Pygmalion in 1983; W*A*L*T*E*R, the TV movie When She Says No and the special Paul McCartney: The Man, His Music, His Movies in 1984.
• Beginning in 2017, this logo has been restored on Hulu prints of the first two seasons of M*A*S*H, marking the first time since 1992 that this logo has been restored to that series.
  • It was also spotted on FOX Classics’ broadcasts of the episodes "The Price of Tomato Juice", "In Love and War", "Hepatitis", "C*A*V*E", "Tell It to the Marines", "Bottle Fatigue" and "Bless You, Hawkeye" in Australia, as well as GREAT! TV's print of "Fade Out, Fade In (Part 2)" in the United Kingdom.
• It has also recently began appearing on Season Three episodes of Lost in Space on MeTV as well, replacing previous prints of those episodes which had the 1995 20th Television logo with the News Corporation byline.

5th Logo (October 19, 1981-1993)

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  Filmed variant

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  Telecine variant

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  Rare variant.

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  Early variant of the logo.

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  Color variant.

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  Watermarked version

Logo: Same as the 1981 theatrical logo, but with one of the searchlights removed. The word "TELEVISION" once again zooms out to obscure the word "CENTURY".

Variants:

• This exists as both a filmed and a videotaped/telecine version. Originally presented on film throughout its whole run, it also appeared in telecine format starting in 1986.
• The word "TELEVISION" would appear in either gold, yellow, orange, or ivory.
• Starting around 1984, the sky background looks a bit darker.
• On the series Working Girl, the unaired TV pilot of Revenge of the Nerds, and The Simpsons S3 episodes: "Bart the Murderer", "Homer Defined", "Treehouse of Horror II", "Lisa's Pony", "Flaming Moe's", "I Married Marge", "Radio Bart", "Separate Vocations", "Colonel Homer", "Black Widower", and "Bart's Friend Falls in Love", you can see more structure on the logo as it appears further out.
• On some old syndie prints of S1 Small Wonder episodes, the logo freezes after "TELEVISION" plasters "CENTURY" before cutting to black.
• There exists a "matted" 1.78:1 widescreen version.
• On a few episodes of Bobby's World, it has a greenish background.
• On A&E airings of a few season 2 episodes of L.A. Law, the logo animation was in slow motion, but the jingle remained unaffected.
• On a Channel 4 airing of The Simpsons episode "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment", the logo cuts out before the final note ends.
• A variant with "DISTRIBUTED BY" at the bottom of the logo also exists.
• On The Tracey Ullman Show Backstage, the copyright stamp of the company is seen below next to the IATSE and AMPTP logos.

Trivia: If you look closely, you can see that there are two searchlights behind the logo instead of three like the movie logo. There is, however, a rare variant with three searchlights.

Technique: Same as the last logo.

Music/Sounds:

• October 19, 1981-August 22, 1991: The same 1965 theme from the previous two logos. Even though it mainly stopped being used in late 1989, some shows have used it into the 1990-1991 season, such as S1 and early S2 episodes of In Living Color, the first two S5 episodes of L.A. Law (pretty odd, considering said show used the next theme on November 1989-May 1990 episodes of the fourth season), the L.A. Law 100th Episode Celebration, a few international prints of S1 Bobby's World episodes, and most of season 1 episodes and the first season 2 episode of True Colors.
• November 1989-1993: A short version of the 1979 Fox jingle, which was later used for the early variant of the standard 20th Television logo from 1992-1994.

Music/Sounds Variants:

• There are abridged variants of the 1965 theme, such as the case for Hooperman that the closing theme ends abruptly with the last note of the 1965 theme, and Charlie & Co., which used the last 5 notes of the fanfare.
• Two versions of the 1989 theme exist: one where the last note echoes for a bit after fading out and another without the echo. The latter version was seen on In Living Color, the unaired Revenge of the Nerds pilot, and the 1991 M*A*S*H retrospective Memories of M*A*S*H.
• On some episodes of Mr. Belvedere and Sister Kate, the first note is cut-off (via fade transition).

Availability: Uncommon, due to plastering with the 20th Television logo.

• The Simpsons episodes "There's No Disgrace Like Home", "Krusty Gets Busted", "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington", "Treehouse of Horror II", "Saturdays of Thunder", "Colonel Homer", and "Black Widower" preserve this logo on their respective season DVD releases.
• It has been spotted on Comedy Central's prints of Office Space and French Kiss, but has been plastered over with the 20th Television logo in recent airings due to split screen credits. A similar situation happened on a few episodes of The Pretender when reran on TNT, but has now been plastered by the 2013 20th Television logo on H&I (Heroes and Icons).
• On VHS, it can be seen on The Simpsons Christmas special, L.A. Law, and, in the UK, on The Simpsons episode "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment". It was also spotted at the end of a Simpsons short titled "Family Therapy" that was included on the UK rental VHS of The War of the Roses. The Australian rental VHS release thereof also includes this short, though the TCFTV logo is absent from this release.
• More recently, the logo has been sighted on several 1970s-'80s TV movies on Fox Movie Channel. It can also be seen on some early season one and most season two and three episodes of In Living Color on DVD.
• The 1981-1991 and 1989-1993 variants can be found on the Alien Nation series DVD set, along with original airings of Capitol Critters on ABC.
• The 1981-1991 version of this logo can be seen on Fox Movie Channel's prints of The Hurricane.
• The 1980s variants are also seen on the Shout! Factory DVDs of Mr. Belvedere, although FamNET reruns thereof plaster it with the 2008 20th Television logo on almost all episodes, and the 1995 20th Television logo on several episodes while Antenna TV reruns plaster it with the bylineless 2013 20th Television logo on all episodes.
• The 1981 version appeared on the 1985-1988 syndicated run of The $100,000 Pyramid and was preserved on USA reruns. Since 1997 reruns, the logo was plastered by the 1997 Columbia TriStar Television logo.
• This can also be found on the unaired TV pilot of Revenge of the Nerds, which can be found on the "Panty Raid Edition" DVD release of Revenge of the Nerds (the movie).
• On Netflix, it can be found on several episodes of the first two seasons of Bobby's World (while others have either the 20th Television or 1996 Saban International logos).
• Made an appearance on the 10th episode of S4 of In Living Color (that episode being produced during season 3 (1991-92), but not airing until the fourth season).
• The 1989 version can be seen on a handful of early Simpsons episodes on FXNOW, FX's streaming service, in 4:3 mode only.
• The 1981 version appeared on the first few episodes of the Fox TV series The Adventures of Beans Baxter before Fox Square Productions took over (which never used a proper logo; just a copyright notice).
• Despite general use stopping around 1992, the news series Not Just News (co-produced with Fox Television Stations) used this into 1993.
• The widescreen logo is available on M*A*S*H reruns on Hulu starting in 2017, with the 1989 jingle. Additionally, the 1981 version was seen plastering the previous logo on FOX Classics' prints of “Carry On, Hawkeye", "The Late Cpt. Pierce", "The Bus" and "Dear Ma", and True Entertainment's print of "Fade Out, Fade In (Part 1)". However, the previous logo is restored on Disney+ prints of these episodes.
• Turned up on MeTV's print of the M*A*S*H series finale "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen".
• It makes a surprise appearance on Sony Movie Channel's prints of the TV movies Hijack! and The Death Squad (all before the SPT logo), both being Spelling-Goldberg Productions.
• Even though the company was renamed to 20th Television in 1989, it continued to be used until a proper logo was introduced in 1992.

6th Logo (1983-1984)

Logo: On a black background, we see the '80s TCF print logo. Under it is the word "TELEVISION" and a copyright stamp.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: The theme song of Dance Fever.

Availability: Extinct. Only seen on season 5 episodes of Dance Fever on local syndication.

Copyright Stamps

Here is some information about the copyright stamps on TCFTV series:

• 1960-1985: Copyright © [YEAR] Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
• 1985-1989: Copyright © [YEAR] Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

◄ TCF Television Productions

20th Century Fox Television (1958-1989)

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