MGM Showcase

Background

MGM Showcase is the banner used for recent syndicated film packages distributed by MGM Television, featuring an assortment of Amazon MGM Studios-owned titles. It also uses the banner Showcase Theatre mainly for non-Amazon MGM titles.

Logo (2009?-)

Visuals: Over a maroon background, two sets of three lines (colored red, light blue and beige) come from each side of the screen and begin to rapidly form curved shapes; as the camera zooms through, the maroon background splits horizontally to reveal the MGM logo's golden film ribbons forming, a lens-flare briefly visible. As the colorful lines return in the center of the screen to form more curved shapes, the filmstrip in the background disappears and the central ribbon forms, while the rest of the MGM logo rapidly forms; the curved lines vanish again as Leo roars, only for the entire MGM logo to zoom back into the maroon backdrop, which rapidly shrinks into a rectangle; as the outline of the MGM logo disappears, the text "MGM SHOWCASE" in a wide, futuristic font appears (with another lens-flare) as the colored lines shift and curve around the rectangle, eventually forming an abstract theater marquee.

Variants: A version of the animation without any MGM references exists, with the MGM ribbons replaced by the word "SHOWCASE" traveling from right to left behind the curved lines; the end result has the text "SHOWCASE THEATRE" in the maroon box.

Technique: CGI, combined with the live-action Leo for the MGM variant.

Audio: A generic-sounding orchestral bit with beeping noises overlaid.

Audio Variants: The non-MGM variant has an announcer saying "This week on Showcase Theatre" over the music.

Availability:

• Seen on syndicated prints of MGM-owned films, including Legally Blonde, Overboard, The Terminator, Blown Away, Speechless, and other MGM titles.
• The "SHOWCASE THEATRE" variant was used on some non-MGM films they acquired the syndication rights to, such as The Eye (a Lionsgate/Paramount Vantage film) and on some assorted MGM-owned movies, like I'm Gonna Get You, Sucka!
• Some prints of films seen on ThisTV and even on YouTube Movies retain this. Examples are RoboCop, The Rage: Carrie 2, and The Usual Suspects.