Logos[]
1st logo: We see a rounded UA monogram with the company name in the middle on a rock wall.
2nd logo: Over a grainy-looking background, we see the words "UNITED ARTISTS" appearing inside a 3-layer gold/brown hexagon shape. "Presents", in gold script, is sometimes shown below.
Variants[]
- On films produced by London Productions, this logo would appear an in-credit version of this logo, with the words "Distributed by" above it.
- There were several color variants, including a sepia-toned variant from the mid 1940s-1950, three different black and white variants from 1930-1967, and a color variant from 1950-1967.
- A 20th anniversary variant was seen on Of Mice and Men, as well as on Laurel & Hardy's A Chump at Oxford (filmed and completed in 1939, released in 1940). This can also be nicknamed "The Hal Roach Studios Variant".
- There is also a variant that had the hexagon in white on a black background.
3rd logo: We see the words "UNITED ARTISTS" appearing in front of a design of a bald eagle. Above this "A" is seen, and below it "Release" is seen. The latter two phrases are in cursive.
Variant[]
On some films, the text reads as "Released through" and lacks the eagle.
4th logo: We see the words "UNITED ARTISTS" appearing inside a circular field. The words "A Transamerica CORPORATION" (or "A Transamerica COMPANY") is seen in small letters underneath. The "U" and the "A" are somewhat taller than the rest of the company name, and they overlap each other. The word "FROM" appears above the UA circle, in teeny, tiny letters.
Variants[]
There were a few color scheme variations used for this logo:
- A standard version with a blue rectangle with rounded edges and a more even alignment of the yellow and black circles (on pan and scan presentations, it probably looked like the circles were on a solid blue background).
- BG/white circle/black lettering/Transamerica logo byline.
- Print UA-Transamerica Circle (seen on most trailers and B&W films).
- Black circle on a red background, "UNITED ARTISTS" in white.
- Similar to the standard variant, except the blue rectangle looks more like a TV tube, and the circles inside are unevenly aligned.
- Depending on the film, the placement of the logo would vary ever so slightly.
5th logo: It starts with two sets of blue lines going into place, one by one on a black background. One line turns to the left, another turns to the right, and so on. There are six lines altogether, revealing the logo of Transamerica Corporation, United Artists' former owner. The stylized blue "T" design zooms out to the right side to make room for the company name "United Artists", which appears in a Impact font. A small byline pops in afterward, inscribed "Entertainment from Transamerica Corporation", which appears under the UA name.
Variants[]
- There has been a version with the "T" zooming out to the bottom left corner. So far, this has been seen on The Killer Elite, Bugs Bunny Superstar, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Breakheart Pass, Brannigan, and Return of the Pink Panther, among other films from between 1975and 1976.
- A prototype variant exists where the "T" forms at a faster rate, the byline is already present, and everything zooms out farther before jarringly cutting back to the normal spot. This is only known to have appeared on The Thomas Crown Affair.
- On some trailers, the "T" is white.
- On some films, such as most James Bond of this period (with the exception of original theatrical prints of On Her Majesty's Secret Service), the logo would cut to black instead of fading out.
- There is also a B&W variant seen on late 1960's reissues of older black and white United Artists films. This was also seen on two Woody Allen films, Sleeper and Interiors (the latter a 1978 film, strangely).
- On a few films, such as Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) and Midnight Cowboy, the logo faded into a white background to accompany the opening credits.
- There is a variant just like the 6th logo. It starts off with "United Artists" and the Transamerica "T". Then "Entertainment from Transamerica Corporation" fades in, possibly as a way of United Artists bidding "farewell" to Transamerica after 14 years. This was seen on original theatrical prints of For Your Eyes Only. Surprisingly, this variant currently appears in full on an American trailer for the 1980 release of Arabian Nights (a 1974 Italian film).
- On reissue trailers for some films a still version of this logo is used, only it says "Re-released thru" above the logo.
- On some Scope films, such as The World of Hans Christian Andersen,Fellini Satyricon, and Visit to a Chief's Son, the logo is zoomed out further than usual. Other Scope films, including The Bridge at Remagen, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and Fiddler on the Roof, simply used the standard variant cropped heavily.
- On some full screen prints, including the RCA VideoDisc release of Fiddler on the Roof, the logo is squeezed to fit the 4:3 aspect ratio.
6th logo: The text "UNITED ARTISTS" starts appearing on a black screen in five segments, outlined by a blue light. After "UNITED ARTISTS" completely revealed, the Transamerica "T" and the byline "A Transamerica Company" (which is sometimes tinted gold) fade in below as "UNITED ARTISTS" turns orange. Then, little sparkles appear and disappear in various spots on the word "UNITED ARTISTS" for a few seconds before stopping.
Variants[]
- There is a variant without the Transamerica byline.
- A short version seen on trailers starts with the logo already revealed and the sparkles on the "UNITED ARTISTS" text.
7th logo: We see the text "United Artists" in the same Impact font on a black background. A few seconds later, the blue "T" design fades in on the left side of the company name. Like the previous logo variant, the "T" is made up of 6 blue lines, with three stacked on top of each other on both sides. At the same time, a blue text that says "A Transamerica Company" appears underneath the United Artists name.
Variants[]
- On trailers for some films (mostly when distributing Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films), the "T" and Transamerica Corporation byline are in white and the words "Released thru" are seen above the logo. On trailers for the films from about 1977 to 1981, the 1966 MGM logo is seen above the standard logo (with "Released thru" above it). "An MGM Presentation" is seen next to the MGM logo.
- A similar variant appears on black and white films, including Manhattan, Stardust Memories (both Woody Allen films), and Raging Bull, only the full animation is used, and "Released thru" doesn't appear at all.
- On some films such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Being There, and a full screen print of Moonraker, the''T'' and the text are bigger and the Transamerica byline is smaller. It was known as a print logo, and was seen on movie posters.
- On trailers for films, the logo is still and the Transamerica byline is in white. However, the original theatrical trailer for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest has the still version of the regular version, though the film itself has the variant from a full screen version print of Moonraker.
- On Moonraker, the logo was in freeze-frame.
- Depending on the film, the placement and colors of the logo would vary ever so slightly.
- On European releases, such as the Italian release of Cannibal Holocaust, it would say "United Artists Europa Inc." This can be seen on the Shameless UK DVD & Blu-ray release. This logo is not on American releases, as early VHS copies edited it out, while on the Grindhouse DVD it is replaced with the Grindhouse Releasing logo. This logo was also seen on Primo Amore.
8th logo: It's just the on-screen text of the 6th logo without the Transamerica "T" logo and byline.
Variant[]
The logo appears in a videotaped version when plastering older logos. It's also several seconds longer.
9th logo: It starts with a whitish line against a black screen. The line then rotates at an extremely slow pace and reveals itself to be a silvery blue stylized "UA". The logo is in the shape of a "U" with a bigger left side, and a diagonal line protruding from the shorter right side to form the "A." When the symbol finishes turning around, the words "United Artists" appear under it in the same font that was used during the "Transamerica" era.
Variants[]
- There is a rare variant which has the logo in white. It just zooms out from the left.
- There was also a variant with larger "United Artists" text underneath the UA paperclip. This was mainly seen on reissue prints and films shot in 2.35:1 such as Trail of The Pink Panther and Death Rides a Horse. It was also seen (after the 2012 MGM logo and intermission) on a TubiTV viewing of Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate, which was of the director's second 1982 edit running 149 minutes.
- A black & white version was used on old UA & pre-1948 WB films in the said colors.
- A still version appears on the CBS/Fox release of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
10th logo: Over a black background, we see a giant pattern of blue crystallized "UAs", styled like the 9th logo. The pattern smoothly merges together to form one minimum-sized "UA" as it zooms out. A streak of light glides by to slash the "A", leaving spikes on the "A". Then "United Artists", in ITC Avant Garde Gothic, fades in underneath and the logo shines.
Variants[]
- In its early years, the MGM/UA Communications logo preceded this logo. In its later years, the logo would be by itself, starting from the point where the UA logo has already merged from the giant pattern, and the byline "An MGM/UA Communications Company" appears underneath.
- A prototype version can be seen on The Living Daylights, one of the first films to use this logo. The print logo in blue zooms in, and then "United Artists" fades in below.
- A black & white version was used on reissues of UA films in the said colors.
- Occasionally, only the "swoosh" part of the animation is shown (with the MGM/UA Communications logo). This is seen on License to Kill, All Dogs Go to Heaven, and Rocky V, among others.
- On the 1988 Rhythm & Hues showreel (which can be viewed here), the logo animates at a smoother rate.
- There is a still version appears at the end of Pink Panther: A Pink Christmas.
11th logo: It starts with a couple dozen bright stars showering over. The backdrop is a dark-colored marble wall, which appears a few seconds later. The glittering stars glide over the screen causing the words, "UNITED ARTISTS" with "U" and "A" bigger than the rest of the letters, wiping in from the left. After this progression, two stars criss-cross each other's paths and fade away left and right underneath to reveal, in smaller text, the words, "PICTURES INC.", in spaced-out letters. As the logo completes, one big star goes against the "U" and flashes. Then it shines, a la the Torch Lady's torch shining.
Variants[]
- Starting in 1997, the words, "PICTURES INC." were changed into the byline, "AN MGM COMPANY", again in spaced-out letters.
- A black & white version can be seen on B&W UA films.
- There is a print closing version where the words "UNITED ARTISTS" are stacked and the shine is intact.
12th logo: On a black screen, white streaks appear, streaking to form a new UA logo that looks similar to the 1982 and 1987 logos, except the logo is a little narrower and there are no streaks. The words "UNITED ARTISTS" come from both sides of the lower part of the screen and converge. The words "AN MGM COMPANY" soon fade in afterwards, where we later see a shining wipe effect on the UA logo.
Variant[]
There is a variant where the logo is zooming out from 1.78:1 to 2.35:1 scope. This was because the film was in scope but the MGM lion preceding was in "flat" aspect.
13th logo: Essentially the same as the previous logo, except this one includes a metallic version of the "UA Swoosh" logo from 1987. Instead of the cross-indentations of the "A" being swooshed in this time around, they are "sliced" in by a light effect from left to right, one by one. There is also a URL for "www.unitedartists.com" underneath the company byline.
Variants[]
- From 2007-2010 and 2012, Sony and several other companies each took a stake in MGM. As a result, the logo was rendered bylineless from that point forward, even when MGM took back UA. There is also no URL.
- At the end of Fame (2009) and Red Dawn (2012), a still version is used.
- On Hot Tub Time Machine, the logo is darker and different light effect of the word "United Artists" along given more enhanced. There is a lighter version of this logo, this was seen on 2008 Blu-ray & DVD of The Spy Who Loved Me.
- On newer prints of Heaven's Gate on Starz Encore Westerns, the logo has a slightly enhanced look. The streaks are brighter, the logo is formed a little faster. The words "UNITED" and "ARTISTS" show their streaks a little more before they converge, the "UA" logo shines a little more, and the logo fades out a little faster instead of slowly.
Music/Sounds[]
1st logo: Possibly none.
2nd logo: Most of the time it is silent, though some films have their intro music playing.
3rd logo: The opening theme to the film.
4th logo: Usually is silent. or has the opening theme or audio to the film playing over it.
Music/Sounds Variants[]
On the American prints of the Italian James Bond spoof Operation Kid Brother (Original Italian title: O.K. Connery), this logo plastered the original Titanus logo that started the picture, but maintained Titanus' fanfare: A ten-note fanfare that had the first seven notes sound like a solo cornet, and the final three being a brass trio. UA likely extended the animation of their logo at the time to match the length of the Titanus' fanfare.
5th logo: An ascending musical scale of 6 groovy bass guitar notes accompanying each of the 6 blue lines, followed by a sharp drum roll, and concluded by a fanfare of horns and drums composed by Doug Goodwin, who also composed "From Head to Toes", the theme used at the intro and closing of Pink Panther Show.
Music/Sounds Variants[]
- On Fiddler on the Roof, it used a timpani drum piece. This variant can be only seen on original prints as well as the RCA VideoDisc release.
- Most releases had it silent or with the opening theme/audio of the film.=
- On the current print of The Adventures of Gerard, it uses the last half of the 1982 fanfare, due to a sloppy reverse plaster, but it actually fits this logo quite nicely.
- On the Arrow Video Blu-ray release of Pulp (1972), the standard 1968 version is accompanied with the fanfare from the 11th logo. This oddity was due to a sloppy reverse plaster job that likely resulted from Arrow reusing the audio source from MGM's previous SD master (being the MGM DVDs had the 1994 logo) with the new 2k scan featuring this logo intact (as well as the vintage BBFC card). This oddity also appears on the 1999 MGM DVD Special Edition of On Her Majesty's Secret Service by making a stream of the disc's VTS file, and separating both branches.
6th logo: Silent or the films opening theme. On the 2001 Special Edition DVD release of Rocky however, it uses the 1995 music, due to a reverse plastering error (the previous 1998 DVD had the 1995 logo).
7th logo: Silent, or the film's opening cue/theme.
Music/Sounds Variant[]
On a recent TCM print of Return of the Pink Panther and a Russian print of Audrey Rose, it uses the 1995 music due to sloppy reverse plastering.
8th logo: Usually silent.
9th logo: A low sonic tone plays in the background, and as the logo turns around, a slow, somewhat somber five-note piano tune plays. When the "UA" is revealed and the words "United Artists" appear, they are accompanied by a short, swelling progression of violins immediately leading to an uplifting, dramatic 5-note orchestral conclusion. This theme was composed by Joe Harnell.
Music/Sounds Variants[]
- A rare rearranged version of the music was heard on an unknown film.
- A higher pitched version is used on many PAL releases, as well as on the 1987 American MGM/UA release of Yellow Submarine. This said variant had popped up on a late '80s TV broadcast of the film.
- On a few films, such as Attack on the Iron Coast and The Thomas Crown Affair, it is silent.
- On rare occasions, such as on Jinxed and older releases (including the 2001 DVD, Blu-Ray, and Hulu prints) of They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!, the logo is accompanied by the films' respective opening theme (in the case of the latter, the logo is silent in the beginning. But when the "UA" is revealed, the film's opening cue plays; this plasters the original 1968 logo).
- A lower pitched version is found on AMC's prints of Rocky III.
- The still version uses the second half of the regular music, beginning with the short, swelling progression of violins.
10th logo: A low bass sound, followed by a jet engine-like "swoosh" and a single note timed with the logo shining. Other times, it's silent.
Music/Sounds Variant[]
On one early DVD print of Rocky, it uses the last half fanfare from the 9th logo, due to a plastering error.
11th logo: Some tingling sounds followed by an orchestral tune, and ending with a rhythmic twinkling sound. On some movies such as The Birdcage and Man in the Iron Mask (the 1998 movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio), it has the opening theme.
Music/Sounds Variant[]
On the Starz print of Leaving Las Vegas, it uses the 2001 music.
12th logo: A short instrumental bed consisting of a drum beat, a synth harmony, and sounds of wind, with a short 4-note piano stinger at the end. On some films, it is silent or has the film's opening music playing over it.
13th logo: Same as above. On some films such as Valkyrie and Hot Tub Time Machine, it's silent or has the movie's opening theme playing over it.
Music/Sounds Variant[]
- In an unusual variation that is likely an editing foul-up, the 2002 UK film 24 Hour Party People accompanies this logo with the theme music of Pathé, which had European distribution rights to the movie. This actually suits the logo well.
- TCM's print of The Magic Sword has the second half of the 1982 logo fanfare playing over it. Quite possibly an editing error as well.
- On some films, such as Fiddler on the Roof, Bananas, and local airings of Leaving Las Vegas, it uses the 1995 fanfare due to a plaster error.
Scare Factor[]
1st logo: None to low, the scratchy prints may get to some.
2nd logo: None.
3rd logo: None.
4th logo: None to low. Although this logo is very colorful, some B&W and heavily film deteriorated versions one should come across may increase the scare factor by a small amount.
5th logo: Low. Even with the theme, it doesn't seem harmful. It's a favorite of many.
6th logo: Minimal to low. It may frighten a few with the dark background, but the music on the 2001 DVD release of Rocky slightly lowers the scare factor a bit.
7th logo: None; it's very simple.
8th logo: None. It's boring.
9th logo: Low to medium. This logo's nature and the surprising orchestra at the end may get to some, but it's mainly harmless. Same goes for the rearranged music. Despite that, this is an amazing logo and it is a favorite of a lot of people.
10th logo: Depending on the variant:
- Most variants: None to minimal, because of the music. The logo was liked by many people.
- Prototype variant: Low to medium, because of the V of Doom-like zooming on a black background and retained music.
Regardless, this is a fan favourite among a lot of people.
11th logo: None to minimal. This is a good logo, and a fan favorite among a lot of people.
12th logo: None. It's an OK logo, but not as good as the logo below.
13th logo: None. It's a good logo, and another favourite among a lot of people.
Video[]
United Artists (1994)
The 9th logo.
United Artists (1968) Logo reconstructed
The 5th logo.