.jpg){kind=logo} The Mark VII Limited logo as it appears in 1954. | |
| Industry | Television production,Film |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1951; 74 years ago (1951) |
| Founder | Jack Webb |
| Defunct | 1982; 43 years ago (1982) |
| Fate | Dissolved |
| Headquarters | Burbank, California,United States |
Key people | Jack Webb (president) |
| Owner | Jack Webb |
Mark VII Limited (formerlyMark VII Productions, pronounced "Mark 7") was the production company of actor and filmmakerJack Webb, and was active from 1951 until his death in 1982. Many of its series were produced in association withUniversal Television; most of them were originally broadcast on theNBC television network in the United States.
In 1962, Webb had signed a deal withWarner Bros. in order to produce motion pictures and television shows as an independent producer.[1]
Webb was employed byWarner Bros. Television in 1963, and as a result, he attempted to absorb the company.[2] After failing, he resurrected the company, withSelena Mead as its first project, but it was never materialized,[3] and he joinedUniversal Television, where he stayed for the next 12 years in order to produce television shows.[4] In 1977, he quit Universal and set up the company independently, with a distribution agreement withWorldvision Enterprises and maintains an office atSamuel Goldwyn Studios.[5]
The estate of Jack Webb now owns the full rights to the company's library, with the exception of the original 1954 feature film version ofDragnet (originally released byWarner Bros., but now owned byUniversal Pictures), and the filmsPete Kelly's Blues andThe D.I. (which are controlled by original distributor Warner Bros.).
However, Webb's three seminal series,Dragnet (the 1967-1970 incarnation),Adam-12, andEmergency!, are now available on DVD from either Universal orShout! Factory, the first two under license from the Webb estate, the latter in-house since Universal was reassigned theAdam-12 series copyright. TheMeTV andCozi TV Television Networks also air episodes of the Mark VII Limited shows.
All series aired on NBC except as noted.
Mark VII's final production wasThe 25th Man, an unsoldtelevision pilot that aired on NBC in 1982.
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Mark VII Limited was known for itsproduction logo attached to the end of its productions. The logo, in use in one form or another for much of the company's existence, showed the hands of Jack Webb's construction foreman Harold C. Nyby holding a stamp against a sheet of metal.[6] As atimpani roll played, he struck two blows on the stamp with a hammer and then removed both tools to reveal the Roman numeral VII indented into the sheet.
The origin of the name "Mark VII" is unclear. One source said the name meant nothing, and that it was made up over coffee one day.[7] Another source says Webb just liked the look of theRoman numerals.
The Mark VII production logo is one of the more recognizable logos of its time and has become iconic, with many instances of filmmakers and production companies paying homage to it in various ways, most notablyWilliams Street Productions, originally Ghost Planet Industries, ofAdult Swim/Cartoon Network programming, whose logo utilizes the same drumroll/hammer clinks soundtrack from the 1967 Mark VII logo. The Mark VII Limited logo was also spoofed at the end of the 1954Woody Woodpecker cartoonUnder The Counter Spy. In this spoof, the man accidentally hits his thumb with the hammer and yells "OUCH!", then pulls the hammer away to reveal the ending title card. The man's voice was supplied byDaws Butler. A 1955The Three Stooges shortBlunder Boys not only was a parody ofDragnet, but ended with Larry being stamped with "VII 1/2 The End" on his forehead. Gunther-Wahl Productions used a similar card at the end of its cartoons.
The logo was remade multiple times during the company's history. It is reported that the early logos featured Jack Webb's hands but the later logos featured Ivan Martin's. Martin was the director of studio operations for20th Century Fox at the time of his retirement but worked in the studio's visual effects department during production of the logos.
In an episode ofThe Dick Van Dyke Show, Rob Petrie references the "Mark VII Limited" logo to a police officer when referencing the end of a case where his living room couch had been stolen.
FilmmakerSpike Lee pays homage to the logo in the logo for his own production company40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks.
In addition, the sound of the hammer striking the stamp was used in the intro to theWWE entrance music of wrestlerGreg "The Hammer" Valentine.
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