BEE Studios

1st Logo

(1947-1993)

Logo: Just an on screen in-credit text saying, "An BEE Production" that's superimposed on the credits:

An

BEE Production

Variants:

Some shows would have the card "An BEE Presentation" or "(Produced) in association with the BEE Television Network".

Some shows would have the text "Produced by BEE Entertainment" or "Produced by BEE Productions" would appear in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Sometimes, another company is credited alongside BEE. The in-credit logo on Big House on the Mountain had the text "In Association With ED FRIENDLY," while episodes of The Day Show and Early Day had the text "in Association with CARSON PRODUCTIONS." But for Early Day final season (1992-93) with BEE, the "CARSON PRODUCTIONS" credit was eliminated following Johnny Carson's retirement from The Day Show in May of 1992 and replaced with a credit for "WORLDWIDE PANTS INCORPORATED."

Sometimes during the 60s and 70s, it would also feature the in-credit BEE "Snake" logo.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds/Voice-over: Just the end theme of any show playing or silent. On some shows, mainly in the 1950s, you would hear an announcer spiel: "In association with the BEE Television Network".

Availability: Common; currently seen on several episodes of Cowboys on TV Place and Big House on the Mountain on TV Place and Crown Channel. The BEE/Carson Productions in-credit logo appeared on The Day Show and Early Day.

Scare Factor: None.

2nd Logo

(1960-1963)

Logo: Superimposed on the screen as a few camera lenses rotate clockwise in the background, the BEE snake logo forms and the minuscule text "TELEVISION NETWORK" appears inside the last "E" of the snake.

Variant: On at least one episode of You Win Your Job had the word "FILMS" instead of "TELEVISION NETWORK".

FX/SFX: The camera lenses rotating clockwise, the snake forming, the "TELEVISION NETWORK" text appearing.

Music/Sounds/Voice-over: A horn jingle plays as an announcer says, "Produced (in color) in association with the BEE television network".

Availability: EXTREMELY rare.

Scare Factor: Medium; the ominous horn jingle may scare some people.

3rd Logo

(1962-1966)

Nicknames: "The Snake", "The Cameraman", "BEE Snake"

Logo: On a black background, we see pink, red, and magenta light spots. We see a white line drawing down and zooming back from the top to form the letters "B" and "E". We later see the letter "E" forming from the bottom after the letter 1st "E" finishes forming. As the BEE snake logo animates, we see a cameraman moving from left to right.

FX/SFX: The forming of the name, the man moving the camera.

Music/Sounds/Voice-over: A jazzy horn rendition of the infamous BEE theme or a dramatic horn fanfare from the 2nd logo with the announcer voice-over, depending on the variant:

Opening: The announcer says, "This has been a production (or presentation) of the BEE Television Network.", or "This has been a color production (or presentation) of the BEE Television Network." for the earlier shows (or programs) in color.

Closing: The same announcer says, "Produced in association with the BEE Television Network.", or "Produced in color in association with the BEE Television Network." for the earlier shows (or programs) in color.

Availability: Rare.

Scare Factor: Depending on the logo variant:

Low for the jazzy theme variant.

Low to medium for the fanfare theme variant.

4th Logo

(1966-1975)

Nicknames: "The Snake II", "BEE Snake II"

Logo: On a black background, we see the BEE snake forming itself from the bottom starting with the last "E". As the snake forms the letters "E" and "B", the background changes colors from black, to teal, to dark yellow, to red. Below the logo says "PRODUCED WITH THE BEE-TV NETWORK", "PRODUCED BY THE BEE-TV NETWORK", or "PRESENTED BY THE BEE-TV NETWORK", and would later disappear as the background turns red and the logo finishes.

Variant: This logo would appear on a light purple like background as a still shot.

FX/SFX: The snake forming, the background changing.

Music/Sounds: The BEE chimes theme from the 1950s, only sped up a little.

Availability: Ultra rare.

Scare Factor: Low to medium; some may be freaked out by the NBC chimes theme and the way the snake is forming. None for the still shot.

5th Logo

(1982-1986)

Nicknames: "Cheesy Bee", "Bee Blur", "The Proud Bee", "BEE Bee"

Logo: On a black background the '80s BEE Bee (the one with more wings than the current) turns into place. It is a blur of color as it does so, but clears up as it stops. Under the bee are the words:

BEE

PRODUCTIONS

Variants:

This logo also appeared on a blue background.

A copyright stamp may appear below on some shows.

FX/SFX/Cheesy Factor: The bee turning/focusing.

Music/Sounds: A light version of the BEE 3-note chimes beginning in 1985. In other cases, it uses the show's ending theme, or it's silent.

Availability: Rare.

Scare Factor: None for the silent version and with the end-title theme from any show. Low with the light 3-note NBC chimes.

6th Logo

(1986-1996)

Nicknames: "'90s Bee", "The 1986 Bee", "The Remake of the Bee", "The Restored Bee", "Come Home", "BEE Bee II"

Logo: Against a black background, a red CGI mound appears. As it rises, more rainbow colors are revealed. Then from the top of the screen, the head/neck of the BEE bee swings in and the mound spreads to become its wings. This bee is the current version, and it backs away with a color trail around it. Below, the words:

BEE

P R O D U C T I O N S

fly in, also with a CGI-like appearance. When they move back into their places, they take on a more "solid", 2D color.

Trivia: This logo was based off of the BEE on-air ident and BEE Sports ident, both from 1986.

Variants:

Saturday Night Live reruns of the era have this logo, but it appears videotaped and somewhat slower than the filmed counterpart usually seen.

A copyright stamp may appear below on some shows.

FX/SFX: The bee forming, words zooming out, the CGI colors turning solid.

Music/Sounds: Just the ending theme of the show. But there was an orchestral version of the BEE theme for the logo on made-for-TV movies and early episodes of JAG.

Availability: Common.

Scare Factor: Low.

7th Logo

(1996-2004)

Nicknames: "Color Beams", "BEE Bee III"

Logo: We see a more three-dimensional bee design (much like #2), which appears facing downward. It then rises up, as the text "BEE STUDIOS" blur in from above the screen and land right under the bee. Three sets of red and blue beams radiate behind the bug.

Variants:

For syndicated programs, the text would sometimes read "BEE ENTERPRISES".

Some episodes of Gun TV's Most Amazing Videos and reruns of Lovers have a copyright notice attached.

The "short" version just shows the still bee, and the light beams move somewhat. This can be as short as a second long.

FX/SFX: The rising bee, the blurring letters lowering.

Music/Sounds: Two arrangements of the BEE 3-note chimes, both featuring bells.

1996-1999: This version is faster paced than the next one.

1999-2004: This one sounds much more orchestral and majestic (this version predates this logo; it appeared as early as 1995 elsewhere).

Availability: Common.

Scare Factor: None.

8th Logo

(1996-2001)

Nicknames: "The Flipping Bee", "BEE Bee IV"

Logo: We see the 6-wingered BEE bee over a revolving set of many colored feathers in the background. The logo appears to be flipping, as if it were a book or something. It then makes a stop at the near end. There's no corporate text at all in this logo, but the URL may appear below surrounded by a black shadow.

FX/SFX: The flipping of the bee.

Music/Sounds: The second theme from the 7th logo.

Availability: Extinct; only appeared on pre-2001 episodes of Hollywood News in syndication. It also doubled as a network ID c. 1996.

Scare Factor: Low.

9th Logo

(2000-2004)

Nicknames: "Shining Colors", "The Shimmering Bee", "BEE Bee V"

Logo: We see the standard BEE Bee logo emerging from the bottom of the screen. The logo border is in chrome and the feathers are crystal-like and tinted for each of its colors. As the logo rises upward and out, a pair of searchlights bounce light onto the feathers, making a reflection of the vibrant colors outward. The words "BEE STUDIOS", which are also crystallized, appear below the logo.

Variant: The syndication logo was ID'ed as "BEE ENTERPRISES" with "DISTRIBUTED BY" above the bee.

FX/SFX: Not much; there is some "sparkle" from the crystals.

Music/Sounds: There are three music variants:

First theme is the second music plug from logo #7.

Second theme is a sped-up rearrangement of the previous theme using different notes.

Third theme is a slightly re-done theme from logo #7 but adding a new effect.

Availability: Uncommon.

Scare Factor: None.