Mark VII Limited
Mark VII Limited was the production company of actor, producer, and director Jack Webb, and was active from 1951 to Webb's death in 1982. Many of its series were produced in association with Universal Television; most of them aired on the NBC television network in the U.S.
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.).
However, Webb's three seminal series, Dragnet (the 1967-1970 incarnation), Emergency!, and Adam-12, are now available on DVD from either Universal or Shout! Factory, the first two under license from the Webb estate, the latter in-house since Universal was reassigned the Adam-12 series copyright. The Me-TV and Antenna TV Television Networks also air episodes of the Mark VII Limited shows.
Programs produced by Mark VII
All series aired on NBC except as noted.
- Dragnet, 1951-1959
- Noah's Ark, 1956-1957
- The D.A.'s Man, 1959
- Pete Kelly's Blues, 1959
- GE True (1962-1963) (CBS)
- Dragnet, 1967-1970
- Adam-12, 1968-1975
- The D.A., 1971-1972
- O'Hara, U.S. Treasury, 1971-1972 (CBS)
- Emergency!, 1972-1977
- Hec Ramsey, 1972-1974
- Escape, 1973
- Chase, 1973-1974
- Sierra, 1974
- Mobile One, 1975 (ABC)
- Little Mo, 1978
- Project U.F.O., 1978-1979
- Sam, 1978 (CBS)
Mark VII's final production was The 25th Man, an unsold television pilot that aired on NBC in 1982.
Production logo
The best-known version of the Mark VII production logo consisted of an overhead shot of a man's hand holding a stamp against a sheet of metal. Accompanied by a timpani roll, he delivered two blows to the stamp with a hammer, then removed the tools to expose a fresh "VII" stamped onto the surface. "Mark" appeared above and "Limited" below to complete the company name. The hands in the logo belong to the founder of Mark VII Limited, Jack Webb.
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 notably Williams Street Productions of Adult Swim/Cartoon Network programming, whose logo utilizes the same drumroll/hammer clinks soundtrack seen on the 1967 Mark VII logo. The Mark VII Limited logo was also spoofed at the end the 1954 Woody Woodpecker cartoon Under 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 by Daws Butler.