MGM/CBS/UA Home Video

Compiled by Matt Williams and Matthew Anscher

MGM/CBS Home Video
(1979-1983)

Logo: On a black background, a diagonal metallic silver bar zooms out. In unison, a silver "MGM" and a silver "CBS" slide in on opposite sides of the slash. After the logo stops zooming out, a green "HOME VIDEO" zooms out underneath the logo.

Cheesy Factor/SFX: The "glowing" of the letters, the zoom-out effect.

Music: A quick orchestral jingle.

Availability: Can be found on most MGM/CBS Home Video releases (including the original releases of "S.O.B." and "That's Entertainment! Part II")

Scare Factor: Medium, the zoom-out effects and music may scare a few people.

CBS Video
(1979-1983)

Background: CBS Video Distributed MGM's movies from 1979-1983. Their logo appears at the end of most MGM/CBS Releases.

Nickname: </

Logo: On the top-right corner of a black screen, five lines are drawn in rays of light, to form a shape resembling the letters CV, shaped like this: </. When that is fully formed, a bar of light forms "CBS" to the left of the logo, then "VIDEO" is formed below the "CBS" and the </ in a similar fashion.

Cheesy Factor/SFX: The "drawing" of the lines, the "bars of light"

Music: A longer, slower variation of the MGM/CBS fanfare.

Availability: At the end of most MGM/CBS releases, look at old mom-and-pop video stores. This was also on early CBS-FOX releases, with the CBS-Fox music.

Scare Factor: Minimal, the music may unnerve some but is much tamer than MGM/CBS.

MGM/UA Home Video
1st Logo
(1983-1995)

Nicknames: "MGM/UA", "MGM Lion"

Logo: On a black screen, the letters "MGM" and "UA" come from the top-left and bottom-right of the screen respectively and meet, as a slash is drawn between them. Meanwhile, a still picture of the MGM lion in the ribboned circle zooms out from the top. Suddenly, in rays of light, the "ribbons" on either side of the logo are formed. Then, when the logo is mostly formed in the middle, "HOME VIDEO" zooms out from the bottom of the screen and two lines "flash in", one above and one below.

Cheesy Factor/SFX: Pretty much the entire formation of the logo, the shine

Music: The longer variation of the MGM/CBS logo heard in the </ CBS Video logo.

Availability: Seen on most pre-1995 MGM/UA logos but this logo appeared in print until recently.

Scare Factor: The cheesy formation of the logo and the fanfare might scare some but the logo is very popular.

2nd Logo
(1995-1999)

Nickname: "Rollercoaster Filmstrip"

Logo: In a flash of light, a ribbon of film suddenly zooms towards the screen and the camera travels along it in a rollercoaster fashion. Looking down, in the black spaces, we see the 1930s MGM logo. The camera then suddenly pans out and zooms away and suddenly we see the current MGM movie logo, complete with roaring lion and in 3D. It then settles itself at the top of the screen, with the "Metro Goldwyn Mayer" and "TRADE" "MARK" texts fading out in flashes of light. Suddenly, the lion and black space in the circle turn gold. In blue, the words "MGM/UA" revolves and, below a blue line, "HOME VIDEO" fades in.

Ending: After the movies, a shorter variation was played. This one had the MGM Lion and ribbons zooming in at an angle, and then tilting towards the screen as the "MGM/UA HOME VIDEO" logo simply fades in. The lion roars throughout and does not turn gold.

SFX: Zooming ribbon, pan outs

Music: Very dramatic brass music changing to very triumphant at the end; the whole thing sounds extremely majestic, adding to the "very well done" feeling.

Availability: Can be seen on most MGM/UA videos from 1995 to 1999, although the previous logo remained on the packaging.

Scare Factor: Low, only those who don't like roaring lions should find this unnerving, but this is a well-done, well put-together logo, probably one of the best Home Video logos ever.

MGM DVD
(1997-)

Logo: On a red oval, a miniature MGM logo comes up, roaring loudly, and the letters "MGM DVD" come up one by one from the front of the screen. Then the lion zooms out and disappears with a bright flash, and MGM DVD centers on the screen as the red oval fades out.

Music: Six notes as the letters come in, then an orchestral hit at the end.

SFX: The lion roars once. As the logo fades out, the lion's growling can be heard.

Availability: Available on most MGM Home Entertainment DVDs.

Scare Factor: High, as this logo is extremely loud and comes out all of a sudden.