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.

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
Chase 1973-1974
Emergency! 1972-1979
1978-1979

The logo

The Mark VII production logo depicted two hands (reportedly Webb's) 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 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.
Ghost Planet Industries, producers of the Cartoon Network show "Space Ghost: Coast to Coast", used the Mark VII logo's sound effects in their vanity card.
Williams Street, producers of Aqua Teen Hunger Force and other adult swim shows, used the sound bite also.

External links

[A black-and-white videoclip of the Mark VII Limited logo from around the mid-1950s, nicknamed "The Hammer"]

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