Mark VII Limited
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Mark VII Limited was the production company of actor, producer, and director Jack Webb, and was active from 1951 to 1979. Many of their series were produced in association with Universal Television. Although Mark VII closed down in 1979, the Jack Webb Estate now owns the rights to the library, with the exception of the original 1954 feature film version of Dragnet (originally released by Warner Bros. but now owned by Universal Pictures), and the films Pete Kelly's Blues and The D.I. (which are controlled by original distributor Warner Bros.)—this explains why most of Webb's series are rarely seen on television today. Webb's three seminal series, Dragnet (the 1967 incarnation), Emergency!, and Adam 12, are now available on DVD from Universal under license from the Webb Estate.
[edit] Programs produced by Mark VII
- Dragnet 1951-1959
- Noah's Ark 1956-1957
- The D.A.s Man 1959
- Pete Kelly's Blues 1959
- General Electric 'TRUE' 1962-1963
- Dragnet 1967-1970
- Adam-12 1968-1975
- The D.A. 1970-1972
- O'Hara U.S. Treasury 1971-1972
- Hec Ramsey 1972-1974
- Chase 1973-1974
- Emergency! 1972-1979
- Project: U.F.O. 1978-1979
[edit] The logo
The Mark VII production logo depicted two hands working on a silver sheet of metal, holding a stamp in place and hitting it twice with a hammer while a drum roll played. When the hands and tools pull away, a "VII" is seen imprinted on the metal. Above the Roman numeral in white is the word "MARK," and below "LIMITED." (The hands were later revealed to be those of Jack Webb.)
The tag has been widely parodied and imitated:
- Director Spike Lee's 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks is similar, replacing the "VII" with the 40 Acres logo.
- The soundtrack (the drum roll and the two clinks of the hammer) is used today in the logo for productions of Cartoon Network's Williams Street.
- In the Pinky and the Brain episode "Welcome to the Jungle," a similar logo appears at the end of Brain's student film.
- The soundtrack was also used at the beginning of the entrance theme of WWE wrestler Greg "The Hammer" Valentine
