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Background. In 1982, 20th Century Fox entered into a joint venture with CBS to form CBS/Fox Video (legally known as The CBS/Fox Company ); with its launch came two sub-labels; "Key Video" (later reactivated as Key DVD by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment), and "Playhouse Video", which both became inactive in 1991.
- Overview
- Magnetic Video Corporation
- 20th Century-Fox Video
- CBS/Fox Video
- CBS/Fox Video All Time Greats
- Fox Video
- 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
- Fox DVD Video
- 20th Century Fox Blu-ray Disc
- 20th Century Home Entertainment
Background: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment was the home entertainment division of 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight Pictures (now 20th Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures), a division of The Walt Disney Company. It was initially formed as "Magnetic Video Corporation" in 1968 by Andre Blay and based in Farmington Hills, Michigan, was th...
1st Logo (North America Only) (November 1977-September 1982)
Nickname: "Mirrored M-Circle" Logo: Two semicircles with lines protruding down their midsections, the top a very-light grey shade and the bottom a beige color, are drawn into view, resembling "M"s. Then a bunch of circle M's appear in back of it, one gray and the other green, sort of like a continuous mirrored effect or video feedback. The text "MAGNETIC VIDEO CORPORATION" in a yellow computer-generated font begins to scroll upward while repeats appear under it, and like the M, have copies appearing behind the logo. All the copies behind it also appear to have a blue filter layered over them. Trivia: •Some later prints of Magnetic Video releases (e.g. Von Ryan's Express, Notorious, Young Frankenstein, and High Anxiety) may have CBS/Fox Video labels, but those are usually in the original Magnetic Video packaging, with a video release year of 1980 on the slipcover. •Occasionally, as seen on a 1985 pressing of Von Ryan's Express and a 1984 pressing of Take the Money and Run, an earlier Magnetic Video voiceover may be plastered with its post-1980 (i.e. "...special video presentation") counterpart on later prints; also, most films featuring Elvis Presley were reprinted starting in early 1979 with the old Viacom International voiceover plastered with the "...major motion picture on videocassette" variant thereof, which would make its first new-release appearance a few months later on The African Queen. •When 20th Century-Fox purchased Magnetic Video, they aimed to recapture audiences that no longer go to the movies, had market strategies which supposed to help eliminate video pirates, and intended to launch new productions aimed specifically at the video market. •The original 1977 pressings of the first 50 from Fox did not have an FBI warning; just the Magnetic Video logo, followed by the film itself. •Several titles, such as Homebodies (1974), Jury of One (1974), Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964), The Ski Bum (1971), Village of the Giants (1965), and Walk Into Hell (1956), were all at one point listed in the Magnetic Video catalog in 1979, but no evidence has come up of them ever being released in 1979, or any other year during Magnetic Video's history. It is doubtful that they ever were. All of these titles were distributed by Avco-Embassy Pictures Corporation, and at least some of them would eventually see a home video release during the 1980's, particularly on Embassy's Home Entertainment division, including their Charter Entertainment label. Variants: •On black-and-white films, a B&W variant is used. •Some releases have the logo partially play on a grey screen, before it quickly fades to black. FX/SFX: The circle M being drawn in and the scrolling words repeating. Music/Sounds/Voice-over: A mellow piece of music; not very easy to hear due to the studio spiel, but has a bossa-nova/mex influenced, easy listening melody, also known as elevator music (with five known lengths and four known tempos), accompanied by one of six male voiceovers (herein referred to as Voiceovers A, B, C, D, E, and F) indicating the studio: •On most pre-1981 Fox releases, Voiceover A (a deep baritone announcer, presumably the late, great Leonard Nimoy per voice recognition) said "By special arrangement with 20th Century-Fox, Magnetic Video Corporation is proud to offer the following major motion picture on videocassette". The music's tempo is approximately 108.7 BPM with 26 beats. •On most early Viacom releases, as well as all their Terrytoon compilations, Voiceover B (an announcer with a more feeble, partially muffled voice than Voiceover A) said "By special arrangement with Viacom International, Magnetic Video Corporation is proud to offer the following motion picture entertainment on videocassette". The music's tempo is approximately 113.3 BPM with 26 beats. •On the films of Charles Chaplin, Voiceover C (an announcer with a bass voice deeper than Voiceover A) said "By special arrangement with the estate of Charles Chaplin, Magnetic Video Corporation is proud to offer the following classic motion picture on videocassette". The music's tempo is approximately 116.3 BPM with 28 beats. This version was in black-and-white, to fit with the films. •On videocassettes of the Greatest Sports Legends series, Voiceover D (a more gravelly announcer) said "By special arrangement with Viacom International, Magnetic Video Corporation is proud to offer the Greatest Sports Legends on videocassette". The music's tempo is approximately 116.3 BPM with 26 beats. •On other early Betamax and VHS releases (including later prints of Viacom theatrical releases), Voiceover E (a more normal-sounding announcer, more or less likely Casey Kasem) said "By special arrangement with [Viacom International/Avco Embassy Pictures Corporation/Brut (pronounced "brute") Productions/ABC Video Enterprises], Magnetic Video Corporation is proud to offer the following major motion picture on videocassette". The music's tempo is approximately 111.4 BPM with 28 beats on most such releases and approximately 116.3 BPM with 30 beats on ABC releases. Strangely enough, the original video release of The Paper Chase (1973) uses the Avco Embassy Pictures variant (despite it being a Fox film alone at the time), most likely as a result of a video processing error. •On Bill Burrud's wildlife documentaries, Voiceover E said "By special arrangement with Bill Burrud Productions, Magnetic Video Corporation is proud to offer the following wildlife program on videocassette". The music's tempo is approximately 111.4 BPM with 28 beats. •On Milestones of the Century and Men of Destiny, Voiceover F (an announcer who sounds similar to Voiceover E, only a bit deeper and more authoritative; presumably Bill St. James) said "By special arrangement with Pathé News, Magnetic Video Corporation is proud to offer the following documentary on videocassette". The music's tempo is approximately 116.3 BPM with 29 beats. •On Magnetic's first ITC Entertainment releases, Voiceover E said "By special arrangement with ITC Entertainment, Magnetic Video Corporation is proud to offer the following motion picture on videocassette." The music's tempo is approximately 116.3 BPM with 30 beats. •Starting in late 1980/early 1981, especially on early LaserDisc releases, Voiceover F said "By special arrangement with [20th Century-Fox/Viacom Enterprises/Avco Embassy Pictures Corporation/ITC Entertainment/ABC Video Enterprises/United Artists Corporation], Magnetic Video Corporation is proud to offer the following special video presentation". The music's tempo is approximately 116.3 BPM with 30 beats; LaserDiscs use an extended version of the music with 60 beats. •Videocassette reprints of The African Queen and Blue Hawaii had Voiceover F's announcement worded as "By special arrangement with Viacom, Magnetic Video Corporation is proud to offer the following special video presentation." The music's tempo is approximately 116.3 BPM with 30 beats. •On The Miracle of Lake Placid, Voiceover F's announcement is worded as "Magnetic Video, in cooperation with ABC Video Enterprises, is proud to offer the following feature on videocassette". The music's tempo is approximately 116.3 BPM with 30 beats. •On Jack Nicklaus: Sports Clinic, Voiceover D said "By special arrangement with Sports Concepts, Incorporated, Magnetic Video Corporation is proud to offer the following special program on videocassette". The music's tempo is approximately 116.3 BPM with 30 beats. •On some later sports-related video releases, Voiceover F said "Magnetic Video Sports is proud to offer the following special video presentation". The music's tempo is approximately 116.3 BPM with 30 beats; again, LaserDisc releases use an extension of the music with 60 beats. •On Odyssey, Black Emmanuelle, Dot and the Kangaroo, and the Laserdisc release of SP/FX: The Empire Strikes Back, Voiceover F said "Magnetic Video Corporation is proud to offer the following special video presentation". The music's tempo is approximately 116.3 BPM with 30 beats. •An additional Laserdisc-only voiceover was used on The Moon Is Blue, spoken by Voiceover F: "By special arrangement with Otto Preminger and Carlyle Productions, Magnetic Video Corporation is proud to offer the following special video presentation". The music's tempo is approximately 116.3 BPM with 60 beats. •Sometimes, there's no voiceover. This variant can be seen on the films of Otto Preminger, The Sensuous Nurse, Avco Embassy's Promise at Dawn, and the VHS of ITC's Autumn Sonata (the Laserdisc equivalent has the normal laserdisc ITC variant). The music's tempo is approximately 116.3 BPM with 30 beats. Availability: Ultra rare. Magnetic Video's releases have been out of print since the mid-1980s. However, if you're lucky, you can find them at used video stores, pawn shops, flea markets, thrift stores and/or eBay listings. •Titles with this logo include M*A*S*H, The Longest Day, Last Tango in Paris, Escape to Athena, The Magnificent Seven, The Muppet Movie, Kotch, Patton, Let It Be, All Quiet on the Western Front (1979 television version), The Making of Star Wars, The Cassandra Crossing, The Seduction of Mimi, Conversation Piece, All Screwed Up, Sympathy for the Devil, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, They Call Me Trinity, King Creole, Last Train from Gun Hill, Carnal Knowledge, Deadly Hero, The Graduate, the Greatest Sports Legends series, City Lights, The Great Dictator, The Gold Rush, A Woman of Paris, Dot and the Kangaroo, Mad Monster Party, A Touch of Class, The Jazz Singer, Casablanca, The Boston Strangler, Hello Dolly!, Alien, and At Long Last Love. •The last tapes to use this logo were the earliest 20th Century-Fox Video releases, including Bedazzled, Caveman, Chu Chu and the Philly Flash, Dr. No, Eyewitness, A Fistful of Dollars, The Great Muppet Caper, History of the World Part I, Sergeant York and Stardust Memories. This logo continued to be used on laser videodiscs, mainly using old masters prepared around the previous November, until September 1982. •In order to fit the whole feature on a single tape, this does not appear on their release of Monsieur Verdoux (a portion of the opening credits is also missing on the same release). This is also missing from a 1981 reprint of The Day the Earth Stood Still, which begins on the MPAA rating screen, and the 1978 tape of Leon Spinks vs. Muhammad Ali: WBA Heavyweight Title Fight New Orleans--September 15, 1978, which begins with the program itself. •Some later prints of releases with the Magnetic Video logo, such as Von Ryan's Express, Notorious, Young Frankenstein and High Anxiety, may have CBS/Fox Video labels, but those are usually in the original Magnetic Video packaging, with a video release year of 1980 on the slipcover. •Occasionally, as seen on a 1985 pressing of Von Ryan's Express and a 1984 pressing of Take the Money and Run, an earlier Magnetic Video voiceover may be plastered with its post-1980 ("...special video presentation") counterpart on later prints; also, most films featuring Elvis Presley were reprinted starting in early 1979 with the old Viacom voiceover plastered with the "...major motion picture on videocassette" variant thereof, which would make its first new-release appearance a few months later on The African Queen.
2nd Logo (International)\r (1977-1980)
Nicknames: "The (Still) M-Circle", "(Still) Mirrored M-Circle" Logo: On a buff background, we see the "Mirrored M" (in two shades of brown) from the American Magnetic Video logo behind the words "MAGNETIC VIDEO" in a white Microgramma Bold font, set in the center of the screen. FX/SFX: None. Music/Sounds: None. Availability: Very scarce. It might be spotted on eBay UK (or any country's website where PAL tapes are sold, like Australia and Germany). It was seen on the PAL releases of The Making of Star Wars and 100 Rifles, as well as the Australian Betamax of The Blue Max.
3rd Logo (Australia Only)\r (1979?-1981)
Nickname: "Mirrored M-Circle III" Logo: We see the Magnetic Video logo with white text below it reading "Magnetic Video (South Pacific)". All of this is on a green, kaleidoscopic, out of focus background (possibly live-action). FX/SFX: Just the background moving in and out of focus. Music/Sounds: The Cinemascope extension of the 20th Century Fox fanfare from 1954. Availability: Ultra rare. Seen on a Betamax copy of The Young Lions and VHS copies of Butch and Sundance: The Early Years and The Eagle Has Landed.
1st Logo (January 1982-January 1983; 1984)
Nicknames: "Searchlights", "Fox Structure", "Majestic Tower" Logo: It's basically the 1953 20th Century-Fox logo with no video indicator whatsoever. Variants: •On The Missouri Breaks and the original rental-only version of A Fistful of Dollars, the 1981 20th Century-Fox logo is used instead. •There also exists a black and white version of this logo, which has been spotted on The Apartment, Sergeant York, A Streetcar Named Desire, Arsenic and Old Lace, and The Public Enemy. FX/SFX: Same as the 1953/1981 20th Century-Fox logo. Music/Sounds/Voice-over: The 1979 20th Century-Fox fanfare, accompanied by a male announcer (presumably Bill St. James), different from the Magnetic Video announcer, on non-Fox releases, indicating the studio: •On United Artists releases, the voice-over said "The following United Artists feature is brought to you by 20th Century-Fox Video". •On ABC, ITC, Avco Embassy, Viacom, and other non-Fox releases (including concert videos, Bruce Lee films, and The Amazing Spider-Man episodes), the voice-over said "The following feature is brought to you by 20th Century-Fox Video". •On the double-feature release of The Making of Star Wars/SP FX: The Empire Strikes Back, the voice-over says "The following special presentation is brought to you by 20th Century-Fox Video." •On UK tapes with this logo, a British announcer says "20th Century Fox Video presents." •Sometimes, this would plaster the film's original Fox logo (or if no logo is shown at the start, be added to the start) on a few Fox titles such as the 1982 reissues of Silver Streak, The Omen, and The Turning Point. Here, there is no voiceover. Availability: Ultra rare. It's actually harder to find than most Magnetic titles, but your best bet is non-Fox releases, •The regular variant can be seen on The Howling, Scanners, On Golden Pond, Griffin and Phoenix, The Grissom Gang, Capricorn One, The Return of the Pink Panther, and Moses. The United Artists variant is seen on United Artists releases such as A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Goldfinger, La Cage Aux Folles II, the first two Rocky films, The Pink Panther Strikes Again, For Your Eyes Only (both the original 1982 release and the 1984 reissue), The French Lieutenant's Woman, The Return of a Man Called Horse, Thunderbirds Are Go!, and Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, among others. •Most releases are in over-sized drawer-like boxes, colloquially known as the "Fox Box" due to its association with the company. •Strangely, most if not all Fox releases, such as Quest for Fire and a 1982 reissue of Silver Streak, do not have this logo, instead skipping straight to the standard 20th Century-Fox logo of the era or a custom variation there of created for the film. •This was also seen rarely on re-prints of post-1981 Magnetic titles, such as The Boys from Brazil and Carrie. The very first releases in this incarnation, such as the Video Rental Library releases of Caveman, Dr. No and The Great Muppet Caper, tend to use the Magnetic logo instead. Later releases, such as Revenge of the Pink Panther (despite showing the print logo on the box and labels), use the first CBS/Fox Video logo. Conversely, its 1984 CBS/Fox reissue has the CBS/Fox labeling, but this logo is featured on the tape itself! •In addition, sometimes the reverse is true -- the 1984 CBS/Fox Video release of The Pink Panther Strikes Again has the CBS/Fox labeling, but has the old 20th Century Fox Video logo on the tape itself! The logo remained in use on laserdiscs until January 1983. •On the 2001 UK VHS release of The Blue Max, the "20th Century Fox Video presents" voice-over variation is surprisingly retained, appearing right after the 1995 international TCFHE logo.
2nd Logo (Australian Variant)\r (1982)
Nickname: "Print Searchlights" Logo: One by one, four squares zoom in by flipping. These have a white background with the print logo for 20th Century Fox in blue with the word "VIDEO" underneath. After the fourth square finishes moving into place, the logos are moved downwards by a cube effect and are replaced by a full screen version of the 20th Century Fox Video logo. Variant: A still variant also exists. FX/SFX: The four squares flipping and then the final cube effect. Music/Sounds/Voice-over: The PAL version of the original 1954 CinemaScope extension of the TCF fanfare. Sometimes during the second half of the fanfare, a male voice-over says: "The following feature is brought to you by 20th Century-Fox Video". Music/Sounds/Voice-over Variant: On Russian Roulette, the audio is pitched down, and finishes over the film's opening AVCO Embassy Pictures logo. Availability: Ultra rare. This logo was only used in Australia. Some of the tapes that have this are High Anxiety on Betamax and Norma Rae on VHS. One tape that had the still variant was Star Wars. These videos are easy to spot as the cover sports a big blue or orange label on the top of the front and back of the video case. Editor's Note: While this is a rather simple logo, you can at least give credit to TCFV's Australian division for making a proper logo.
3rd Logo (German Variant)\r (1982)
Nicknames: "No Searchlights," "Boring Fox" Logo: Just the following white text in Arial Black, set upon a black background: Twentieth Century-Fox Video zeigt FX/SFX: A fade in and fade out. Music/Sounds: The 1935 20th Century Fox fanfare. Availability: This was found on a German Laserdisc of Alien, plastering the film's TCF logo. Editor's Note: This has even less effort than the American and Australian logos, but at least the Fox searchlights were present on both of those logos.
1st Logo\r (November 1982-July 1983; 1984)
Nickname: "Stacking Lines", "The Lines" Logo: Over a white background, we see before us a dual set of violet lines stacking upward and downward. Then, six long objects pop in at the top and bottom of the segmented lines, revealing the words: then each letter of the word "VIDEO" pops in one by one below "FOX". Variants: •A still version appears on the original release of Sophie's Choice. •A special animated version was used on PAL releases. On a blue gradient background, two segmented white curved squares and one segmented red square zoom in and out from the screen. The words "CBS FOX", letter by letter, zoom in to the left side of the screen as another segmented white parallelogram zooms in. As it curves, it fills the screen to white, and the segments of the CBS/Fox logo zoom out from the top and bottom of the screen, while the word "VIDEO" zooms out from the bottom. •There is also an alternate variant for educational releases. On a blue-red gradient background, a light blue star flashes, and the text "A CBS/FOX VIDEO LEARNING EXPERIENCE" fades in. The words stay for several seconds, and then zoom away inward. While this happens, sets of white lines stack upon each other and form the CBS/Fox logo. A white flash below this forms the word "VIDEO". This variant is nicknamed "Inexperienced". •There is a black and white variant. Tapes that have this include The Diary of Anne Frank, Modern Times, The Maltese Falcon, and Captain Blood. •There is an Australian variant where the logo appears in the corner and Australian television and radio announcer Pete Smith introduces the film. Smith says, "Hello there, congratulations on your choice of a great CBS/Fox film. Before settling back, here are scenes from two films available from the vast CBS/Fox Video library." FX/SFX: The lines stacking up and down. On the Learning Experience variant, one of the segments disappears while the logo is forming and suddenly reappears when the logo is complete. Music/Sounds: None. Music/Sounds/Voice-over Variants: •On PAL releases, a high-pitched variant of the original 1954 CinemaScope extension of the TCF fanfare was used. •On the "Learning Experience" variant, a female voice-over says: "This has been a CBS/FOX Video Learning Experience". Availability: Extremely rare. •It's been spotted on the original VHS releases of Cabaret, Knife in the Water (The Young Lover), Grand Illusion, Still of the Night, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, Thunderbird 6, and the M*A*S*H series finale, as well as the original Laserdiscs of For a Few Dollars More and Love and Death. •The first tape to feature this is The End, which was printed with 20th Century-Fox Video labels. Other tapes that have it include Rocky III, Barbarosa, and reissues of The Boys in the Band, The Billion Dollar Hobo, and Cruising, among others. •The "Learning Experience" variant can be found on The CBS/Fox Guide to... tapes, which have been out of print for decades, such as The CBS/Fox Guide to Home Videography and The CBS/Fox Guide to Complete Dog Care among others. •The PAL variant was seen on PAL releases from the era, such as Chariots of Fire. •It also appears on reissues of Modern Times and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang that are packaged in Magnetic Video boxes (and sometimes even have Magnetic labels). •The Pete Smith variant was presumably seen on select Australian releases from this era by the company. •One of the last releases to use this logo was a 1983 reissue of Rude Boy. Surprisingly, this logo was also seen on a 1998 reprint of The Pirate Movie.
2nd Logo\r (1982)
Logo: Nearly the same as the German version of the 20th Century-Fox Video logo, except the text instead reads: CBS/FOX Video presents FX/SFX: None. Music/Sounds: None. Availability: Extremely rare. This was discovered on the UK Laserdisc of Star Wars. Editor's Note: This is the most boring of all CBS/Fox logos.
3rd Logo (July 1983-November 13, 1984 [Most countries]; Mid-1980s [UK], September 26, 1991 [US & Canada])
Nicknames: "The Cutting Lines", "The Lines II", "The Grids" Logo: On a blue background, two grids are moving from the top and bottom of the screen converging in the center of the screen. "CBS" comes from the top at an angle, with "FOX" coming from the bottom at an angle. The background has an orange flash, in which "CBS" and "FOX" are cut in a segmented line font as it moves toward the flash, and "CBS" and "FOX" right themselves in the center of the screen. The letters of the word "VIDEO" fly in from the bottom center of the screen one at a time. Then the trademark symbol fades in on the lower-right corner of the logo. Variants: •At the end of some UK promos, a still version appears. •There is a black and white variant. This can be seen on the 1983 video releases of The Pride of the Yankees and Judgment at Nuremberg. FX/SFX: The converging of the two grids and the logo, the Scanimate orange flash (a la the WGBH logo), and the flying of the "VIDEO" letters. Music/Sounds: A triumphant 25-note horn march fanfare, sampled from the Bruton Music library track "National Trust" composed by Keith Mansfield. Music/Sounds Trivia: When Bruton reissued the track on CD, they removed the prologue section from which the CBS/Fox music came. Perhaps it was because it became so associated with the CBS/Fox logo? Music/Sounds/Voice-over Variant: At the end of some Australian PAL tapes, a voiceover says "Don't forget to rewind this video tape before returning it to your video library." over the logo. Availability: Rare. Most videos that may have used this logo were issued in the same oversized boxes that were used by 20th Century-Fox Video. •Its first appearances are on the July 1983 Betamax/VHS releases of You Only Live Twice, The Black Stallion Returns, and A Boy Named Charlie Brown (the 1984 and 1991 FoxVideo reissues of which retain this, and which surprisingly retained this as late as 1996 on Stereo VHS prints). •Other videos that feature this logo include the 1983 re-release of the aforementioned Star Wars, Romancing the Stone, Eating Raoul, Romantic Comedy, Yentl, Porky's II: The Next Day, WarGames, Scrooge, Heart Like a Wheel, Table for Five, Dot and the Bunny, Alphabet City, Oh! Heavenly Dog and Max Dugan Returns. •It also appears on reissues of Inside Moves, All About Eve, Young Frankenstein, and The Charlie Daniels Band: The Saratoga Concert, in a similar fashion to what was described in the first logo. (The 1983 reissue of Rollerball, however, has both this and the 20th Century-Fox Video logos!) Tapes of Samuel Goldwyn material, such as Guys and Dolls and Sayonara, also have this at the end of the tape. •One of the last releases to use this logo was the 1984 VHS/Betamax/Laserdisc release of The Empire Strikes Back, though this continued to be used on UK rental tapes until 1987, such as Enemy Mine and Subway. •The "THE HIT LIST" variant can be seen on a promo/trailer tape from the era.
(1989?-Early 1990s?)
Logo: •Opening: The CBS/Fox Video logo in silver is inside of a black box with a white outline zooms up and has three black lines (each one getting larger further down) come up with it. "ALL TIME GREATS" then zooms and it has a larger line with an upside down triangle on it. This all happens against a blue background. •Closing: The same as the opening version, only "YOURS TO KEEP FOREVER" appears under it. Variants: •An alternate version was found on the UK sell-through of Cocoon: The Return, which featured a metallic logo and a starry night background which turns dark red on the bottom. •On early 1990s tapes from Spain, such as The Desert Rats and the original Star Wars trilogy, the FoxVideo logo replaces the CBS/Fox one, "YOURS TO KEEP FOREVER" isn't shown, "ALL TIME GREATS" is replaced with "GRANDES DEL CINE" in a different font, and the FoxVideo logo shines. FX/SFX: The box, lines and text sliding up. Music/Sounds/Voice-over: •The CBS/Fox Video theme from the previous logos. •On the closing version, a male British announcer says, "All Time Greats from CBS/Fox Video, favorite films to keep and enjoy, forever."
1st Logo\r (June 27, 1991-May 26, 1993, 1991-1995 (Australia))
Nicknames: "The Shining", "The CGI Shining Searchlights", "Gold Tower", "Fox Structure", "Golden Fox Structure", "Searchlights" Logo: A still shot of the famous 20th Century Fox structure, from a slightly different angle, gold color against a simple blue background. The wording on the structure now says "FOX VIDEO", with an extra gap where "FOX" would be in the movie logo. The logo "shimmers" as bars of light move through a la the Touchstone logo. Variants: •There is a letterboxed "Scope" version on widescreen releases. The logo was the same, but was matted (or cropped) to widescreen. •A black and white variant exists. This can be seen on some black and white films released on home video, such as the 1991-92 VHS releases of Miracle on 34th Street, Sink the Bismarck!, The Desert Fox, Notorious, and My Darling Clementine. The B&W version in widescreen can also be seen on the Laserdisc version of Bismarck!. •On the 1991 VHS of A Yank in the R.A.F., the logo's colors are retimed to brown and teal. This might be due to a processing mistake. •On some Media Home Entertainment releases, such as Scanners 2: The New Order, the words "DISTRIBUTED BY" appear above the logo. In this case, no announcer spiel was used. •On the demo VHS of Alien 3, after a preview for The Beverly Hillbillies tapes, a darker-tinted version appears, cutting in from black (the standard logo appears at the start of the tape). •For the 1993 UK rental VHS of Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, the animation was slowed down, to fit the full extended TCF fanfare mentioned below. •For the 1991 Australian "Uncut Version" VHS of Marked for Death, the logo animates at normal speed, but to again fit the extended TCF fanfare mentioned below, a still frame of the final product is used for the remainder of the logo's runtime. •A special version was seen on UK widescreen VHS releases. The logo plays as normal, then it zooms out towards the middle of the screen and turns 3-D and it expands with movie scenes appearing behind the background (all resembling the letterbox format). The word "WIDESCREEN" (arched upwards and downwards with blue shadow effects underneath) pan past the screen vertically, then turns horizontal and rests in front of the Fox Video logo. •On the Fox Video Sentimental promo, which can be found on the 1992 demo VHS of My Cousin Vinny, the logo is still and zoomed out on a black background with the text "Available from Fox Video" that's shown on the bottom. FX/SFX: The "shimmer." Music/Sounds: None. Music/Sounds/Voiceover Variants: •The 1979 TCF fanfare can be heard on PAL and French SÉCAM releases, as well as a few NTSC releases, such as the widescreen Laserdisc of Die Hard and the rental version of Point Break. •The UK rental VHS of Home Alone 2: Lost in New York uses the extended TCF fanfare. •The Australian "Uncut Version" VHS of Marked for Death also uses the extended fanfare, but without the opening drumrolls. •The UK Widescreen version has an abridged version of the extended TCF theme that starts when the logo zooms out and an energetic whoosh sound when the logo expands. •On some tapes, only the drums from the opening of the fanfare are heard. •On Media Home Entertainment releases, the announcer for the Media and Fox Video logos says "Distributed by Fox Video." •There was a closing variant seen on some Australian PAL tapes (mainly rental tapes) which had the same voice-over from the CBS/Fox PAL closing variant, sometimes with the 1979 TCF fanfare preceding it. Availability: Rare. It's seen on all Fox videos from that period. The best way to find this is to look for a Fox Video print logo that is a simple 2D drawing with no color. Again, this will be easy to find in second-hand video shops, charity shops and on eBay. •This logo first appeared on the original release of John Irvin's Robin Hood, and was seen on such releases as Sleeping with the Enemy, Home Alone, Class Action, Only the Lonely, Point Break, Hot Shots!, For the Boys, White Men Can't Jump, FernGully: The Last Rainforest, My Cousin Vinny, Alien 3, The Last of the Mohicans, The Simpsons Christmas Special, and A Garfield Thanksgiving, as well as the UK VHS of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze. •The scope version appears on the special letterbox collector's edition of the Star Wars trilogy. •It can also be found on BBC Video tapes from 1991-93, but those aren't as easy to find. •It also makes surprise appearances on a 1998 UK rental reprint of the original 1991 release of Edward Scissorhands, 2001 VHS reprints of Demetrius and the Gladiators and The Five Heartbeats, and the 2000 VHS and 2003 DVD of Simon and Garfunkel: The Concert in Central Park, which use the 1991 video master made for the Laserdisc and VHS reissues. •It appears at both ends of the previews on the 1991 demo VHS of Dying Young as well. •Also seen on tapes from Media Home Entertainment released from mid-to-late 1991 until 1993, such as Paris Trout, Nails, and Prospero's Books. •Among the last tapes to use this were the original video release of Love Potion #9 and the 1993 Studio Classics VHS of A Letter to Three Wives. •The Widescreen version is seen on the UK Special Edition VHS of The Abyss (which also uses the next logo). •It strangely appeared on some early '90s reprints of earlier CBS/Fox titles with CBS/Fox packaging and labels, including My Bodyguard and Short Circuit. •This was seen on the demo VHS and Laserdisc versions of Used People, Hoffa, and Toys, while the retail VHS versions instead contained the next logo. •The black and white version surprisingly appears on a 2004 VHS reissue of The Desert Rats.
2nd Logo\r (May 26, 1993-January 17, 1996)
Nicknames: "Rotating Tower", "The Ugly Tower", "Fox Structure II", "Ugly Fox Structure", "CGI Searchlights", "Searchlights II" Logo: On a purple background, we see a Fox structure, from an extreme upper-left angle. We move down and pan around the structure (and a light shines through it as we do that), saying "FOX VIDEO" like in the 1st logo, before settling into the familiar angle we usually see Fox logos from. Variants: •An extremely rare variant exists where the Fox Video logo is already formed. •On a few widescreen releases, such as the 1994 letterbox Laserdisc of The Omen, the logo is matted (or cropped) to 1:85.1 widescreen. •There is a black and white variant. This can be found on the 1993 VHS releases of Young Frankenstein and The Three Faces of Eve. •On some international releases, the logo fades in a few seconds into the animation, and also fades out earlier than usual. •On the 1995 Selections VHS reissue of Vital Signs, the logo fades in at the same point as on the international variant, but fades out at the usual point. •On the 1994 demo VHS of The Wedding Banquet, after it forms, the logo cuts to the film's trailer. FX/SFX: The computer animation, which is a variation of the 20th Century Fox animation. Music/Sounds: None. Music/Sounds Variants: •Occasionally, the 1979 TCF fanfare was used, mainly on PAL releases including the UK rental releases of Used People, Jack the Bear, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, and The Vanishing. •On the international variant, a deep synth score is heard. •On Media Home Entertainment releases, the announcer for the Media and Fox Video logos says "Distributed by Fox Video". •On the 1994 VHS of Ghost in the Machine, a upbeat pop tune was heard. •On the 1995 UK rental VHS of Alien Nation: Dark Horizon, the opening drumbeats from the TCF fanfare are heard. Availability: Uncommon. It first appeared on the retail VHS versions of Used People, Toys, and Hoffa, with the same 2D print logo. •This can be seen on all 1993-95 Fox Video releases such as My Neighbor Totoro (although later versions have the Walt Disney Home Entertainment logo or the 1995 domestic TCFHE logo), Doctor Dolittle, Frozen Assets, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Once Upon a Forest, The Sandlot (including a 2000 reissue, in print as late as 2004), Mrs. Doubtfire, The Chase, True Lies, Speed, Baby's Day Out, The Pagemaster, Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog, The Scout, Nell, all 1995 20th Century Fox Selections VHS releases such as Big, Pacific Heights, Shining Through and Only the Lonely, and some BBC Video releases from that era, including Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers and Wallace and Gromit: A Grand Day Out. Tapes from 1994-95 have it after the previews rather than before them. •It was also seen on some of Media Home Entertainment's final releases from 1993, including Scam and Taking the Heat. •This also appears on the Star Wars Trilogy: The Definitive Collection Laserdisc box set from 1993. •The last tapes to use this were Miracle on 34th Street (1994) and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie. •Strangely, this logo doesn't appear on the 1995 Star Wars trilogy VHS box set, despite showing the 1994 full color print logo on the cover. However, on its Laserdisc counterpart, Star Wars: A New Hope actually uses this, while The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi use the 1984 CBS/Fox Video logo instead. •The international variant can be seen on the Hong Kong Laserdisc of Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi and the French VHS of Highlander III: The Sorcerer. •This was retained on a 1997 reprint of Nell (coming after the 1995 TCFHE logo), a 2000 reissue of Desk Set, a 2000 Mexican VHS of The Abyss, and a 2002 reissue of Stowaway. •It also appears at the end of the 1993 Columbia House VHS M*A*S*H: The Collector's Edition - Spoils of War, after the Columbia House contact screen. •On the 1995 VHS of To Play a King, this appears in-between the 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and CBS/Fox Video logos.
3rd Logo\r (1994-95)
Nicknames: "Print Logo", "Fox Structure III", "Print Fox Structure", "Searchlights III" Logo: It's basically the full color Fox Video print logo of the time, which is the golden structure 20th Century Fox logo from 1953 with "FOX VIDEO" replacing the text. It begins by taking up the whole screen, but zooms out until it is in a box in the center of the screen. Variant: On the Rodgers & Hammerstein Golden Anniversary Collection trailer, the words "from Fox Video" are seen below the logo. FX/SFX: The zooming out of the logo. Music/Sounds: The end theme of the trailer. On the Rodgers & Hammerstein Golden Anniversary Collection trailer, it's silent. Availability: Rare. It's seen on the trailer for the Shirley Temple Collection VHS box set, which can be found on the VHS releases of Mrs. Doubtfire, The Little Princess, The Blue Bird, and Miracle on 34th Street (1994). It was also seen at the end of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Golden Anniversary Collection trailer, which can be found on the 1994 VHS of The Sound of Music. This logo can also be seen on posters and VHS covers of 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight Pictures films.
Domestic (American) VariantsInternational Variants(July 25, 2000-May 21, 2002)
Nickname: "Metallic Fox Structure" Logo: •Opening: A metallic structure that says "FOX DVD VIDEO" (with "FOX" on top of the DVD logo) zooms in. A light then highlights the logo and moves from right to left (also getting the background). The structure is gradually turning and zooms toward the screen, with the viewer going through the "O" in "FOX" , revealing a trailer or promo. •Closing: The same logo as before, only the background is moving around and is blue. FX/SFX: The zooming in and out and turning of the structure. Music/Sounds/Voice-over: •On the opening version, a big beat style tune with a male announcer asking, "Are you ready for Fox DVD Video?". •The closing version has a static noise. Both versions have a "whoosh" noise when the logo moves.
(March 13, 2007-November 9, 2010; March 22, 2011; February 28, 2012)
Nickname: "CGI Searchlights" Logo: We see the 20th Century Fox logo zooming in slowly, with the words "HOME ENTERTAINMENT" in gold at the bottom, shining. Then a blue streak changes the text to the "Blu-ray Disc" logo, leaving behind a "swoosh" shape as it does this. Variant: On The Day After Tomorrow, the blue streak didn't appear, though its sound effect is still heard. This version was later used on DVDs from 2009-10 (as described above). FX/SFX: The zooming in, the shining, and the words changing. Music/Sounds: A calming, majestic fanfare, followed by a slight laser sound for the blue flash. Music/Sounds Trivia: The title screen of Netflix for Wii uses a theme sound extremely similar to this logo's theme. Availability: Common. It can be seen on every TCF release on Blu-ray Disc from March 2007 until the fall of 2010. It appeared on releases such as the original release of Hoosiers, Die Hard, Fight Club, Ice Age, Australia, and The Day the Earth Stood Still. It can be also seen on MGM Home Entertainment releases on Blu-ray Disc, including Valkyrie and Hot Tub Time Machine, among others. This strangely appears on the 2011 Blu-ray of Robots (which was prepped up in early 2010, according to the files on the disc, and carries a 2010 copyright) and the 2012 Blu-ray of Runaway Jury (which carries a 2011 copyright) instead of the 2010 logo. Along with the eras' respective DVD logos, it made a surprise re-appearance on the 2013 re-releases of the first four Die Hard films, and the 2015 re-releases of The Sound of Music, the first two Home Alone movies, and some of the James Bond movies (the others use the 2010 logo). The Simpsons seasons 13 and 20 on Blu-ray use this logo as well.
Logo (May 12, 2020-)
Logo: •20th Century Studios' home media release: Same as the short version of the 20th Century Studios logo, with no video indicator whatsoever and without "HOME ENTERTAINMENT". •Searchlight Pictures' home media releases: Same as the theatrical logo, with no video indicator whatsoever. FX/SFX: CGI. Music/Sounds: •20th Century Studios' home media releases: Same as the shortened version of the final 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment logo. •Searchlight Pictures' home media releases: The 1997 fanfare conducted by David Newman.
The company was renamed 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on March 16, 1995, after Fox Entertainment Group acquired CBS's interest in CBS/Fox. The reorganization also created additional distribution operations ( Fox Kids Video , CBS Video , and CBS/Fox Video) and two new media units, Fox Interactive and Magnet Interactive Studios.
- 1982; 41 years ago
- Home video
- 20th Century Home Entertainment
- Magnetic Video (1968–1982)
Contents. 1Magnetic Video Corporation. 1.11977-1982. 220th Century Fox Video. 2.11982. 2.21982 (Australian Variant) 3CBS/Fox Video. 3.11982–1983. 3.21983–1984. 3.31984–2000 (USA), 1984-2009 (Canada) 4Fox Video. 4.11991–1993, 1991–1995 (Australia) 4.21993–1995. 4.31994–1996. 51995–1998. 620th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
In 1982, Fox entered into a joint venture with CBS to form "CBS/Fox Video", also launching two sub-labels; "Key Video" (later reactivated as "Key DVD" by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment), and "Playhouse Video", which both became inactive in 1991.
CBS Home Entertainment (formerly CBS Video Enterprises, Inc., MGM/CBS Home Video, CBS/Fox Video and CBS Video, currently branded as CBS DVD for DVD releases and CBS Blu-ray for Blu-ray releases) distributes films and television shows produced by the CBS Entertainment Group and is a division label of Paramount Home Entertainment that releases ...
