20th Century-Fox Television

> *"20th Century Fox Television (1958-1989)" redirects here. This article is about the original incarnation of 20th Century Fox-Television that operated from 1949 to 1993. For the second incarnation, see* 20th Century Fox Television*.*
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*Logo descriptions by
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## 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)

    **Nicknames:** "The Searchlights", "Still Searchlights", "20th Century Fox Structure", "'30s/'40s Structure"

**Visuals:** We see a still picture of the 1935 20th Century Fox logo with the words "**IRVING ASHER Executive Producer**" on it.

**Technique:** None. Like the movie logo, this was also designed by the late Emil Kosa Jr.

**Audio:** The closing theme of the show.

**Availability:** Rare. Seen on the second season of *How to Marry a Millionaire* (TV series) and *Man Without a Gun*.

**Legacy:** None.

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

       **Nicknames:** "Starry Sky", "Floating Structure"

**Visuals:** On a night sky background filled with stars and clouds, we see the text "20TH CENTURY- FOX" fading in with a trail that extends to the bottom-left side.

**Variant:** On *Adventures in Paradise*, an opening variant of this logo was used, followed by the Martin Manulis Productions logo.

**Technique:** Fading effects.

**Audio:** The opening/closing theme of the show.

**Audio Variant:** The variant has an orchestrated fanfare.

**Availability:** Extremely rare. It can be seen on shows, such as *The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis*.

**Legacy:** This logo certainly deviated from the familiar Fox tower structure. However, it's nothing too strange.

## 3rd Logo (September 29, 1959-1966)

The logo before the zoom out of the "**TELEVISION**" textThe finished product   **Nicknames:** "The Searchlights II", "Zoom Out", "20th Television Fox", "The Tower of Doom", "20th Century Fox Structure II", "'30s/'40s Structure II"

**Visuals:** Same as the 1935 20th Century Fox logo, but the logo starts with a close-up of the structure. The camera then zooms out from the structure. After the logo is finished zooming out, the word "**TELEVISION**" zooms out, plastering the word "**CENTURY**".

**Variants:**

* A sepia-tone version exists.
* Sometimes, the zoom out is slower.
* A warp-speed version of the logo also exists.
* The 1935 20th Century Fox logo was seen at the beginning of the pilot episode of *The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis*, "Caper at the Bijou", followed by the Martin Manulis Productions logo.
* Sometimes, after the "**TELEVISION**" text zooms out, the searchlights abruptly cut back to where they were when the logo first started.

**Technique:** Cel animation. Like the movie logo, this was also designed by the late Emil Kosa Jr.

**Audio:**

* September 29, 1959-1964: A rearranged version of the 1935 20th Century Fox fanfare.
* 1961-1966: A short tune played on muted trumpets and strings, which sounds similar to the standard Fox fanfare.
* 1963-1964: A short version of the 1959 fanfare.
* 1965-1966: A sped-up and short version of the 1961 fanfare.

**Audio Variant:** On *Hong Kong*, there is a rearranged version of the 1959 fanfare.

**Availability:** Very rare. It can be seen on shows, such as the pilot episode of *Lost in Space*.

**Legacy:** The finishing product of this logo (or rather, its design concept) would not only be used for the next 2 logos but would also be the inspiration for 20th Television's name (as the finishing product of this logo has "**TELEVISION**" plastered over "**CENTURY**", making the logo read "20th Television Fox"). Also, the fanfares used on this logo, which often sound nothing like the standard TCF fanfare, could startle a few viewers at first.

## 4th Logo (September 16, 1965-1984)

Original versionOriginal widescreen version1966 version1966 widescreen versionVersion with "®" symbol20th Century Fox Television (1965)20th Century Fox Television (1966) -1 -HQ-20th Century Fox Television logo (1976)**Nicknames:** "The Searchlights III", "Zoom Out II", "20th Television Fox II", "The Tower of Doom II", "Slanted Zero", "The Slanted Tower", "20th Century Fox Structure III", "'50s/'60s/'70s Structure"

**Visuals:** Same as the 1953 20th Century Fox logo, but the "**TELEVISION**" text from the previous logo zooms out, plastering the word "**CENTURY**". Also, the camera now does not zoom out from the structure.

**Variants:**

* A B&W version exists on prints of classic color shows with said colors, such as *Batman*.
* The "**TELEVISION**" text would either be gold, orange or yellow.
* In 1966, the logo is shifted to the left, but "**TELEVISION**" remains centered and zooms rapidly onto the structure. A tip of the "**C**" can be seen behind the "**TELEVISION**" text.
* In 1976, a "®" symbol is added next to the structure. Plus, the logo is shifted to the left a little more, but the "**TELEVISION**" text still remains centered, consequently revealing the "**C**" in "**CENTURY**".
* There is a still version of the 1965 variant with "**DISTRIBUTED BY**" on the top-left corner. This can be seen on the 1976 version of *Liars' Club*.
* On *The Starlost*, a short version of the 1953 20th Century Fox logo is used.
* A green-tinted version exists.

**Technique:** Cel animation. Like the movie logo, this was also designed by Rocky Longo.

**Audio:**

* September 16, 1965-1969: The 1961 fanfare from the previous logo.
* 1966-1984: The 1965 fanfare from the previous logo.

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

* The original version can be seen on shows, such as *M\*A\*S\*H*.
* The 1966 version can be seen on shows, such as *Lost in Space*.
* The 1976 version with the "®" symbol can be seen on shows, such as the first two episodes of *The Fall Guy*.

**Legacy:** The 1976 variant with the shifted text certainly doesn't look very professional. Other than that, it's a decent logo for its time, though again the fanfares may startle some.

## 5th Logo (October 19, 1981-1993)

Original versionOriginal widescreen version1984 version   **Nicknames:** "The Searchlights IV", "Zoom Out III", "20th Television Fox III", "The Tower of Doom III", "20th Century Fox Structure IV", "'80s Structure"

**Visuals:** Same as the 1981 20th Century Fox logo, but the "**TELEVISION**" text from the previous two logos zooms out, plastering the word "**CENTURY**".

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

**Variants:**

* There are filmed and videotaped versions of the logo. Originally presented in film throughout its run, the videotaped version started use in 1986.
* The "**TELEVISION**" text would either be gold, yellow, orange or ivory.
* Around 1984, the sky background looks a bit darker.
* On *Working Girl*, the unaired pilot episode of *Revenge of the Nerds* and some third season episodes of *The Simpsons*, the logo is zoomed out a bit further than usual.
* On some older syndicated airings of the first season of *Small Wonder*, there is a freeze-frame after the "**TELEVISION**" text finishes zooming out, before cutting to black.
* A widescreen version exists.
* On a few episodes of *Bobby's World*, the background has a greenish tint.
* On A&E airings of a few second season episodes of *L.A. Law*, the logo is in slow-motion, but the fanfare remains unchanged.
* On a Channel 4 airing of *The Simpsons* episode "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment", the logo cuts to black before the final note plays.
* A variant with "DISTRIBUTED BY" below the logo also exists.
* On *The Tracey Ullman Show Backstage*, a copyright notice appears below, alongside the IATSE and AMPTP logos.

**Technique:** Cel animation. Like the movie logo, this was also designed by Rocky Longo.

**Audio:**

* October 19, 1981-August 22, 1991: The 1965 fanfare from the previous two logos. Even though it stopped regular use in late 1989, some shows still used it until 1991, such as season 1 and early season 2 episodes of *In Living Color*.
* November 1989-1993: A short version of the 1979 20th Century Fox fanfare, which would later be used on earlier variants of the 1992 20th Television logo.

**Availability:** Uncommon, due to plastering with the 20th Television logo. It can be seen on shows, such as *The Tracey Ullman Show*.

**Legacy:** This logo marks the first time that the familiar shortened TCF theme was used for Fox's television logos after approximately three decades of unconventional fanfares. 20th Century Fox Television was supplanted by Twentieth Television Corporation from 1989 to 1994. From September 18, 1992-March 19, 1995, the standard 20th Television logo of these years was used. See 20th Television for details on that logo.

## 6th Logo (1983-1984)

    **Nicknames:** "The Searchlights V", "The Chyron Searchlights", "Print Searchlights", "20th Century Fox Structure V", "Mid '80s Structure"

**Visuals:** On a black background, we see the 1982 20th Century Fox print logo in white with "TELEVISION" underneath. Copyright information is shown below.

**Technique:** None.

**Audio:** The closing theme of *Dance Fever*.

**Availability:** Extinct. Only seen on syndicated airings of the fifth season of *Dance Fever*.

**Legacy:** None.

## 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. (the hyphen was dropped in 1985)

20th Century Studios

20th Television | 20th Century Fox Television | **20th Century-Fox Television** | 20th Century-Fox TV