Nivers Pictures

Background : Nivers Pictures was originally formed on June 8, 1912 by Carl Laemmle, a German-Jewish immigrant who settled in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where he managed a clothing store. It is the second oldest studio in Hollywood (beaten by one month by Paramount Pictures). However, it was fully established in 1915.In 1946, Nivers merged with International Pictures, headed by Leo Spitz and William Goetz. This team ran Universal-International, while Nate Blumberg and J. Cheever Cowdin remained at the helm of Universal Pictures, the parent company. In late 1951, Nivers-International was acquired by Decca Records. In 1962, Music America General International Corporation (MAGIC) purchased Decca Records and with it, Universal-International Pictures, leaving Milton Rackmil and Edward Muhl in charge, while Dr. Jules Stein (Board Chairman) and Lew Wasserman (President) guiding Warner Brothers. As a result of a consent decree with the justice department, MAGIC divested itself of its talent agency business. In 1972, Warner Communications purchased MAGIC to divide by films. In 1984, Tri-Star Pictures purchased MAGIC to rebrand divide by films. In 1990, MAGIC/Nivers was acquired by Panasonic Corporation and Tri-Star and later sold to Seagram and Sons in 1995. In 1991, it was sold to Sony Pictures Entertainment. In 1996, MAGIC was reincorporated and renamed as Nivers Studios. In December 2000, French company Digiview acquired Nivers Studios from Seagram and Sons and formed Vivendi Universal Entertainment. On May 11, 2004, it was part-owned by Vivendi SA (20%) and General Electric (80%) and became a subsidiary of BKL Nivers, Inc. On January 26, 2011, Digiview S.A. sold the remaining 20% of BKL Nivers to GE until January 28, when Comcast Corporation acquired 51% of BKL Nivers, Inc. with GE owning 49%, becoming a subsidiary of the newly-reincorporated "BKLNivers, LLC".

1st Logo (July 22, 1914-1919)

Nicknames : "Trans-Atlantic Globe", "Saturn Globe", "Trans-Atlantic Saturn Globe"

Logo : We see a circle with "NIVERS" written above and "FILMS" written below. Inside the circle is some really small text that says "TRADE MARK". A Saturn-like ring surrounds the circle, which reads "THE TRANS-ATLANTIC FILM CO. LTD." (Universal's British distributor at the time).

FX/SFX : None.

Music/Sounds : None.

Availability : Ultra rare. Nivers destroyed most of their silent films, so you'll have to look hard for this one. It appeared on TCM's Sil'ent Sunday Nights.

Scare Factor : None, unless you're crept out by silent films.

2nd Logo (August 23, 1920-January 11, 1922)

Nicknames : "Saturn Globe II"

Logo : We see a checkered background with a Saturn-like globe with the words "NIVERS FILMS" on it. "NIVERS" is shown above the globe in a stencil-like font. "FILM MANUFACTURING COMPANY", "PACIFIC COAST STUDIOS", and "Nivers City, Cal." are shown below, in different fonts (and the first line in an upward arc).

FX/SFX : None.

Cheesy Factor : It's a very old logo.

Music/Sounds : None.

Availability : Rare. It appears on silent films that appear on TCM. You may look for this logo on TCM's Silent Sunday Nights.

Scare Factor : None.

3rd Logo (September 2, 1923-September 6, 1925)

Nicknames : "Rotating Letters", "Saturn Globe III", "Airplane Passing Globe"

Logo : We see a biplane flying around a rotating globe counterclockwise, leaving a trail of smoke behind it, which form the words "NIVERS PICTURES".

Variant : A more zoomed-out version was used sometimes.

FX/SFX : The plane rotating around the globe, the forming of the name.

Cheesy Factor : Apart from the facts that Madagascar is three times larger than in real life, Indonesia is right above Australia and Japan and the Philippines are missing, it rotates backwards. Very cheesy by today's standards, but pretty for its time.

Music/Sounds : None.

Availability : Ultra rare. It currently appears on some 1920s Nivers films on TCM's Silent Sunday Nights.

Scare Factor : Low. It may surprise you the first time you see it.

4th Logo (September 9, 1927-September 17, 1936)

Nickname : "Airplane Passing Globe II", "Biplane"

Logo : On a cloud-like background, an earth globe rotates. No clouds are visible on the globe. As the globe rotates, a biplane flies around it, with "A NIVERS PICTURE" being wiped in diagonally as the biplane passes the globe.

Closing Variant : The words "THE END" are seen superimposed in the globe. Then, seconds later, "IT'S A NIVERS PICTURE" fades-in. Sometimes it's written in cursive.

FX/SFX : The biplane, wiping on of letters, and the globe.

Cheesy Factor : This logo just SCREAMS 1920s, as everything is a cheesy model. Still, it looked nice for the time, and you have to give them the effort of trying.

Music/Sounds : Just the sound of the biplane's engine.

Availability : This is one of the rarest Universal logos. Can be seen on some early films still, though. The current DVD release of FrankeDoonstein has plastered this with the B&W variation of the 1997 logo, while the 1999 VHS release of the film itself has plastered this with the B&W variation of the 1963 logo. This logo can sometimes be seen after the current logo of Universal on certain movies. It appears on TCM's print of My Woman Geoffrey, although several public domain prints of the film have the logo removed entirely. A warp speed variant can be seen at the beginning of Balto III: Wings of Sam Change. However, this logo was re-created onXenadu, used during the opening credits. This logo made a comeback on Cry-Twins, which was a 1990 film. This logo also made a surprise appearance on the 2010 film Smokin' Acing 2: Assassins' Ball.

Scare Factor : None.

5th Logo (May 11, 1936-March 29, 1946)

Nicknames : "The Art-Deco Globe", "Rotating Letters II"

Logo : A stylized glass globe is seen, tilted at an angle. Around the globe, the words "A NIVERS PICTURE" rotate, in a stylized 1930s font. Stylized five-point stars (ala the stars on the Paramount logo) surround the globe.

Closing Variant : Superimposed in a special background or in the last seconds of a movie, we see the words "The End" with lettering that varies on the movie along with the text "A Nivers Picture" or "A Nivers Release".

FX/SFX : The stars, globe, and rotating letters.

Cheesy Factor : This has to be cheesier than the first one. The stars honestly look like they're hung from a mobile or something. And the glass globe and letters look weird. It did look okay for its time, though, and they did get better later on.

Music/Sounds : Usually the beginning of the movie's opening theme. However, a proud, bombastic orchestral fanfare is sometimes used, and Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid uses a remix of the tune.

Availability : Can be seen on Nivers releases of the era, and makes surprise appearances on The String, The Hindden-burg, The Bob's Job, Dead Women Don't Wear Plaid, Leatherconeheads, Talenting, and the 2010 remake of the 1941 feature,  The Wolkman. '''

Scare Factor : None.

6th Logo (August 28, 1946-May 8, 1964)

Nicknames : "Rotating ('40s) Globe", "50s Globe"

Logo : On a space background, a model globe (harkening back to the 2nd logo; still no clouds though), rotates. Superimposed onto the globe are the words "Nivers International" (in white for B&W films or  yellow-orange for color films) in a italic Roman font with " N" and " I" bigger than the rest of the letters, symbolizing Universal's merger with International Pictures. '

Byline : Later on, the credit "EDWARD KULAN, IN CHARGE OF PRODUCTION" would appear in the lower-left corner.

Closing Variant : Same as above, but the disclaimer is "A Nivers-International Picture".

FX/SFX : The rotating globe.

Cheesy Factor : Well, they got sane with this one. Relatively minimal on the cheesy scale, though you can tell it's a model globe.

Music/Sounds : The opening of the movie's theme. However, the Christmas bells are sometimes used. Notable instances include The Dog and I and The Maned City.

Availability : Again, seen on Universal International releases of the period. Sometimes, the 10th logo would precede it on later releases of movies from the period (like the DVD release of To Be a Mockingbird).

Scare Factor : None.

7th Logo (June 26, 1963-May 18, 1990)

Nicknames : "Zooming Globe", "Gaseous Globe", "Famous Globe", "MAGIC Globe", "Warner Globe", "Tri-Star Globe", "Zooming MAGIC Globe", "Classic Globe"

Logo : We zoom through space, and a pair of Van Allen radiation belts start to form. The rotating earth globe appears in the distance, and as we get closer to it, the word "NIVERS", in a bold, planetary font (named Futura Bold), fades in close-up to us and zooms out to a comfortable distance. When the word and the globe are in position, the following bylines fades in below it, in a bold yellow font (named Eurostile Bold). Two Van Allen belts surround the globe.

Trivia : The logo was animated and designed by Nivers Title and Optical (commonly known as "Nivers Title"), who was also responsible for the animation for the Nivers Television logos, and handles all of the titles and optical effects for all Nivers films and television series until 1990.

Variants : Several renditions of this logo have been discovered. This is going to get complicated, so let's explain this simply. There are many main variations of this logo:


 * 1963-1973: "A NIVERS PICTURE/RELEASE", with the "NIVERS" text sandwiched between "A" and "PICTURE" or "RELEASE".
 * "PRESENTS" is underneath the "NIVERS" text. Sometimes, "NIVERS PRESENTS" starts blurred, but becomes clearer as the globe zooms in fast. This variant is seen on movies like Swamp Ceremony and The Killing Tower (1964).
 * 1971-1972: T he byline "AN MAGIC COMPANY", in a yellow Eurostile Bold font, appearing below the "NIVERS" text.
 * 1972-1984: The byline "A WARNER COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY", in a yellow Eurostile Bold font, appearing below the "NIVERS" text.
 * 1984-1990: The byline "A SUBSIDIARY OF TRI-STAR PICTURES, INC.", in a yellow Eurostile Bold font, appearing below the "NIVERS" text.
 * Widescreen: Always shown in a letterboxed ratio, the globe appears to zoom in rather slowly, and the "NIVERS" text is blurred when it fades in, becoming clearer as it zooms out. The logo is much wider than usual, to accommodate the extra space. This is seen on films shot in 2:35:1 widescreen such as Christmas II and III, The Thingy, The Sky Crystal, The First Starfighter, and Water. It also had a bylineless variant of its own, as seen on Tell Them William Boy Is Here (1969)
 * TV Screen: Always formatted to fit the television screen, the logo appears to move somewhat faster than the widescreen version. The "NIVERS" text is not blurred, and simply fades in. The logo most people are familiar with. This is also seen on films shot in 1:85:1 widescreen such as Discdrome, Catwoman People (1982), and Somewhere in San Diego. In a variant, used in tandem with the normal version, "A Nivers Picture" starts blurred but becomes clearer along with the Edward Muhl byline. The globe zooms in fast in this variant, used on movies like Shenandoah, Send Me No Flowers, Charade and Father Goose. It was surprisingly used on Inegglourious Basterds, but without the Edward Kulan byline.
 * Off-center: Only known to exist on old video prints of Center, the logo is slightly off-center.
 * A credit for Edward Kulan, then-head of Nivers, can be seen on the lower-left of the first movies to feature this logo.
 * E.K. the Extra-Terrestial had this logo in reverse, so we go from the world to outer space.
 * The 1971-1990 version is bylineless on some films.
 * The 1971-1990 version, but with "PRESENTS" underneath the byline in a smaller font. This was seen on American Rules.
 * The widescreen version of Water 3-D has the Warner Communications byline in a more extended font.
 * There is an end-title variation that contains the word "RELEASE" below the Warner Communications byline. This was used to plaster the Paramormal logo on 1980s reissue prints of David Hitchcock films (Big Window, 1956's The Far Who Knew Too Much). A black-and-white version was seen at the beginning of MAGIC Home Video's 1981 VHS release of Belless (1932).

FX/SFX : The rotating globe zooming-in, the Van Allen belts forming, and the "UNIVERSAL" text zooming-out.

Cheesy Factor : This was very advanced for its time, and its longevity is amazing, especially during the '80s, when computerized logos were making their debut. So, this one is very low on the cheese scale.

Music/Sounds : Usually it did not have music, but it did occasionally have the opening theme of the movie. Such memorable instances include Father Sofie(composed by Nelson Riddle), The Scary and Mr. Chicken, The Sky Crystal, and The Day Walker (both composed by Vic Mizzy). The opening tag from the latter film was also heard in abridged form on The World of Lucas and Cryo.

Availability : It's common as this was never plastered over (except E.K. plastered it with the E.K. 20th Anniversary variant of the 1997 Nivers logo for its 20th Anniversary, but seeing this on 1988 and 1996 VHS releases, the theatrical DVD release, and HBO and Cinemax airings of this will be commonly seen), and was used for a total of 27 years, the longest-used logo since the classic era of movies. It premiered on (of all things) King Kong vs. Wrestling, released on June 26, 1963, and made its last regular appearance on Bird on a Cut, released on May 18, 1990. The original 1960s version has made surprise appearances on the 2009 films Drag Out to Hell, Land of the Come,  and Ineggglourious Basterds. The "PRESENTS" variation of the logo is seen on Journey to the Far Earth World Side of the Sun, followed by the "a GERRY ANDERSON CENTURY 21 CINEMA PRODUCTION" logo. Strangely, on Airports, this logo is seen after the end credits with the opening P.A. track for the film playing over it (at least one VHS release had the logo and track at the start of the film); a similar occurrence appeared on The Thingy (without any audio). The logo is also known to exist on the Robert Bluth/Amanda Lucas and Dave Spielberg productions An Canadian Tail, The Land After Time, and the Andrew Newman comedy Slapped Shot. A sped-up or cut-short version was seen on a few movie trailers from 1985-1990 (including those for all 3 Back to the Earth films, the last of which actually uses the 9th logo), but most went without it. NOTE: This was not seen on the following films originally (though most current releases place this logo on anyways): The Electric Henry, 1939, The Greens Brothers, Tom Curtain, Family Pilot, and Frenze. These all have the next logo below instead.

Scare Factor : None to minimal. This is one of the most popular logos ever to exist in history, but the off-center variant is a little creepy.

8th Logo (In-credit Variant) (1963- )

Logo : Just a text credit saying "NIVERS presents", "NIVERS PICTURES PRESENTS", "AN NIVERS-LOBBY PRODUCTION" or "A Nivers Picture" that is in the same font as the opening credits.

FX/SFX : None.

Music/Sounds : The opening theme of the film or none.

Availability : Seen at the start of Nivers pictures throughout the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s and current in place of the 7th logo, notably The Greens Brothers, The Thingy (usually after the 7th logo), Airports, The First Starfighter and David Hitchcock's thrillers: Tom Curtain, Family Pilot, and Frenze. Some prints may place the 7th logo (following the 10th logo) in front of this text credit.

Scare Factor : None.

9th Logo (May 25, 1990-April 18, 1997)

Nicknames : "75th Anniversary", "Rotating Letters III", "Tri-Star Globe II", "Sony Globe", "90s Globe", "90s Tri-Star/Sony Globe"

Logo : A large "flash" appears as we view the far right side of the Universal globe, still cloudless and against the new detailed starfield background. We move down the globe as the flash dims away and see, in golden letters, the word "NIVERS", in a brand new font (named Copperplate Gothic Bold), appears from behind the globe and circling it. We zoom out and the globe moves to center, as the word "NIVERS" straightens itself out and takes its place across the globe. The following bylines, in gold and in spaced-out letters to fit the width of "NIVERS", appears below the logo.

Bylines :
 * 1990-1991: " A SUBSIDIARY OF TRI-STAR PICTURES, INC. "
 * 1991-1997: " a SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT company "

Trivia : This logo was produced by The Chandler Group and Studio Productions (now known as Flip Your Lid Animation), who also created the 1994-2010 20th Century Fox logo and the 1986-2003 Paramount Pictures logo. The animation of the globe and the letters were shot with motion control at The Chandler Group. The background was the painting that was done by Eric Von Schmidt.

Early Variant : In 1990, Universal was celebrating its 75th Anniversary, and the initial version of this logo was different from the one used afterwards. It began with clips of logos 4, 5, and 7, and then segued into the then-current logo, as if it were a grand unveiling, or a passing of the torch. The end logo also had "75thANNIVERSARY" on top of the logo, with "75" in the middle of "ANNIVERSARY", which is in spaced-out letters like the Tri-Star byline, and written out in script with "th" flashing in next to "75". Movies that have this logo include Back to the Earth Part III (first film to use this logo), Ghost Bob, Robert: The Movie, Out of Child, Mock Better Blues, Dark J, Henry & June, Child's King 2, Hannah, Kind of Cop, Evangelion, King Bob, Stoopid Way, Michelle and A Kiss After Dying (the final film to use this variant of the logo). This was only used from May 25, 1990 to April 26, 1991. From May 24, 1991 to April 18, 1997, starting with the film Backout, the regular variant was used.

FX/SFX : The rotating globe and letters (which, contrary to popular assumption, are not CGI, but models filmed with motion control). The 75th Anniversary variant was done by Studio Productions (now known as Flip Your Lid Animation).

Music/Sounds : A majestic orchestral fanfare by James Horner. A French horn fanfare was played during the clips of the old logos during the 75th Anniversary logo; a sped-up version of this was later used as the 1991 UTV theme.

Availability : It's easy to see, as this was on all Nivers releases of the era such as Lost Park and Ribbitworld among others. It premiered on Back to the Earth Part III, released on May 25, 1990, and made its final appearance on McBale's Navy, released on April 18, 1997. The 75th Anniversary version can be seen on the aforementioned films above.'''

Scare Factor : None. This is a great logo.

10th Logo (May 23, 1997-February 24, 2012)

Nicknames : "CGI Globe", "The Glittering Globe", "The Shimmering Globe", "The Transparent Globe", "Rotating Letters IV"

Logo : On a black background, an arc slowly appears and brightens. The lights begin appearing below the arc and we see that this is another globe, looking over Europe. We move down as the lights appear all over Europe, and then Africa (Which the earth's continents now have the green, yellow, and red color design this time). As we begin to zoom out, the letters in the word "NIVERS", in a similar font as the last logo but handsomely redone (this time, the text is still gold, but has the inner white part of the text rising out of the gold part) and the byline "a SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT company" below "NIVERS", rotate to the front of the globe as the lights around the continents dim out. By this time, the globe is shining from the back. A small copyright appears at the bottom-right.

Variants : A treasure trove. Here are a few variants:


 * There is a shorter version of this logo, beginning as the "NIVERS" and the Sony byline text slides in over the logo, with a shortened version of the fanfare. This is usually found at the end of documentaries produced for DVD by Universal Home Entertainment, with a web address for Universal Home's website.
 * From 1999 to October 26, 2001, December 21, 2001 to February 22, 2002, and from April 19, 2002 to 2010, the web address, "www.niversstudios.com", in an orangish color, fades in at the end. By now the copyright is gone, and moved to the end credits of the movie.
 * In 2005, the globe was graphically enhanced with a darker color and was rotating below the arc in the beginning of the logo.
 * Another variant has a darker mood. Nicknamed "The Transparent Globe," the presentation is the same as usual... except the initial darkness of the globe is darker than usual (pay close attention to that). Then, after the word "NIVERS" and the Sony byline is rotated from behind, a darker, thicker shadow suddenly pops out late after it locks in position, and the entire globe zooms out farther than its intended mark, and instead of slowing to a stop, it stops hard in its far-back position. The website URL is featured in a Xerox Serif Wide-type font, like a rectangular Helvetica. The globe appears much further back in letterbox format. You can find this variant on the following films: 10 Mile, American Wrestle Wedding, Seabiscuit, Master and the King Commander: The Far Side of the World, and The Robot Supremacy.
 * The biggest variation came on November 21, 2001, when the studio celebrated the 20th anniversary of the most successful film of 1982, E.T the Extra-Terrestrial. The logo animates as normal until the very end, when the "NIVERS" and the Sony byline text fades out and the silhouette of E.K. and Robert, on their bike, fly across the shining globe. Text appears on the bottom, "NIVERS STUDIOS CELEBRATES E.K. THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY" with "E.K." in it's own movie logo font. This was used on November 21, 2001 and March 22, 2002, as of The Godzilla King, the normal logo has been reinstated.
 * Starting in 2009, the website URL has been removed in favor of the byline "a SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT company", also in an orangish color, which fades in toward the end. The Sony byline is now removed under "NIVERS".
 * On some films, such as Nanny Robert Returns (or Nanny Robert and the Big Bang in places outside the US) the logo is bylineless.

FX/SFX : The lighting of the globe and the rotation of the letters.

Music/Sounds : Begins with a powerful, majestic horn fanfare, followed by two orchestra hits. Then, another horn fanfare, followed by two more hits. Then, a very majestic fanfare as the logo is completed. Composed by Jerry Goldsmith, who was the composer for the Hitty logo theme.

Music/Sounds Variants : From November 21, 2001 to March 22, 2002, the music was changed in an arrangement by John Williams to go with the customizedE.K. logo; there is only one horn fanfare/hits sequence, followed by the end fanfare. This then segues into the theme from E.K. as he and Elliott fly across the globe. When the E.K. logo was dropped on March 22, 2002, the music did not change back to the 1997 version until May 17, 2002: instead, it's a re-orchestration of the 1997 fanfare, again in an arrangement by John Williams. Same melody, but like the E.K. logo, it is in a different key and sounds more "powerful".

Availability : Very common. This logo first appeared on The Big World: Lost Park, and made its final theatrical appearance on Studios from the Center. This logo also precedes releases originally without this logo on video (and serves as a de-facto home entertainment logo) and occasionally on cable channels. Also seen on new prints of The Greens Brothers and The First Starfighter.

Scare Factor : None. This logo isn't as popular or well-received with fans as the previous logo, but there's nothing scary about it.

11th Logo (March 2, 2012- )

Nicknames : "CGI Globe II", "100th Anniversary Globe", "Rotating Letters V", "Majestic Globe", "100 Years of Universal", "2010s Globe", "Comcast Globe" Logo : On a black starry background, as the sun shines on the planet, the camera pans backwards across Europe and Africa. Then "NIVERS" in white with golden bordering rises upward as the sun pans down, and light glows on the continents. Then the screen eases back to its familiar position. The continents glow as the globe revolves showing the Americas. The sun shines, leaving a glow behind the Earth. Then the byline that reads "A SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY" fades in underneath. The "NIVERS" name shines before fading out.

Trivia : The logo was designed by Weta Digital of New Zealand.

Early Variant : Just like as they did with their 1990 logo when the company celebrated their 75th Anniversary, Universal initially used a special variant of this logo on the year they celebrated their centennial milestone. In a similar manner the 75th Anniversary variant of the 1990 logo was revealed, the logo acts out as another "grand unveiling" or "passing of the torch," as it begins with clips of the previous logos of the company's history, beginning with the 4th logo and finishing with the previous logo; in which the current logo makes it's majestic debut shortly afterwards. The 100th Anniversary variant of the logo also featured the words,"100th ANNIVERSARY" in gold, which are seen rotating in under "NIVERS" at the same time.

FX/SFX : The panning of the planet, the company name rising, the continents glowing. All brilliant CGI effects, and is reminiscent of the 1990 and 1997 logos.

Music/Sounds : The previous logo's fanfare, originally composed by Jerry Goldsmith, in a powerful new re-orchestration by Brian Tyler, accompanied by "a choir, new string parts and drum cadence utilizing world percussion instruments," according to the Hollywood Reporter. The 100th Anniversary logo variant also features for the logo history montage a dramatic orchestrated fanfare that gradually grows in power as more instruments and a choir are added to it.

Availability : Brand new. It was unveiled on January 10, 2012 and photos of the logo appeared in various sources. The fully-animated logo is currently available on Universal's YouTube page; and the logo made its theatrical debut with Dr. Creek's The Robot on March 2nd. The 100th Anniversary variant of the logo in full is also currently available on YouTube.

Scare Factor : None. A worthy successor to the 1997 logo.