MGM Home Entertainment Warning Screens

These warning screens are from MGM/CBS Home Video, CBS Video, MGM/UA Home Video, MGM Home Entertainment, and MGM DVD.

1979-1981, 1984
The MGM/CBS Home Video warning scroll has the word WARNING in cream color and in bold sans-serif... and also has the details in most caps, except the word "and" in lowercase letters. This warning scroll has been used for CBS/Fox Video (now 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment), especially for CBS and Lorimar eras, including S.O.B. (1981) from 1984.

As seen on VHS and Betamax, such as, The Wizard of Oz (1939), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Westworld (1973), The Streetfighter (1974), That's Entertainment! (1974), Demon Seed (1977), The Goodbye Girl (1977), Coma (1978), Carny (1980), Fame (1980), Clash of the Titans (1981), S.O.B. (1981) and others.

1981-1990, 1991, 1992
The MGM/CBS Home Video/MGM/UA Home Video warning scroll has the word "WARNING" in red color and white outline parets between two white lines. The warning scroll details are in white color by left alignment. The warning scroll sequence fades from bottom to top. This warning screen has been used for Nova Home Video, Junior Home Video, and Wood Knapp Video.

As seen on VHS, Betamax, CED and LaserDisc, such as the 1982 MGM/CBS print of The Adventures of K-9 and Company (1981, 1982) (co-released by BBC Video), The Wizard of Oz (1939), Adam's Rib (1949), North By Northwest (1959), West Side Story (1961), Jack the Giant Killer (1961/1962), Stellaluna (1984), The Pink Panther (1963/1964), A Shot In the Dark (1964), A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966), In the Heat of the Night (1967), The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (1966/1967), Dr. No (1962), From Russia With Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), Inspector Clouseau (1968), Hang 'Em High (1968), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), H*** Boats (1970), Diamonds are Forever (1971), Live and Let Die (1973), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), Bugs Bunny Superstar (1975), ''That's Entertainment! -- Part II (1976), The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976), Carrie (1976), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978), Moonraker (1979), He Knows You're Alone (1980), Raging Bull (1980), True Confessions (1981), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Clash of the Titans (1981), Trail of the Pink Panther (1982), Victor/Victoria (1982), Poltergeist (1982), The Secret of N.I.M.H. (1982), Octopussy (1983), Curse of the Pink Panther (1983), A Christmas Story (1983), WarGames (1983), 2010: The Year We Made Contact (1984), Misunderstood (1984), Red Dawn (1984), Hercules II: The Adventures of Hercules (1985), Year of the Dragon (1985), 9 1/2 Weeks (1986), Youngblood (1986), Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986), Running Scared (1986), Fatal Beauty (1987), Moonstruck (1987), Real Men (1987), Spaceballs (1987), Betrayed (1988), Child's Play (1988), Poltergeist III (1988), Pumpkinhead (1988), Rain Man (1988), Leviathan (1989), License to Kill (1989), Little Monsters (1989) and Road House'' (1989).

1990-2006
The MGM/UA Home Video/MGM Home Entertainment warning screen is the same as the Lionsgate warning screen, through the warning text is in capitals and not in italics. This warning screen has been used for New Line Home Entertainment, HBO Home Entertainment, WarnerVision Entertainment and Madacy Entertainment.

As seen on VHS, Laserdisc and DVD (with the exception of the 2002 NBC.com exclusive VHS of It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, which had no warning at all; however, the 2003 MGM reissue had this warning), such as The Train (1964), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967), Hang Em' High (1968), Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974), Rollerball (1975), The Black Stallion (1979), Force 10 from Navarone (1979), Rich and Famous (1981), The Secret of NIMH (1982), The Black Stallion Returns (1983), Masquerade (1988), All Dogs Go To Heaven (1989), UHF (1989), City Slickers (1991), Blown Away (1994), Leaving Las Vegas (1995), Napoleon (1995), Mulholland Falls (1996), Ronin (1998), Heartbreakers (2001), 24 Hour Party People (2002), Hotel Rwanda (2004), and others.

Final Note: When Sony Pictures acquired MGM's home entertainment rights in 2005, it went to use the warnings from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. This is also the case for when 20th Century Fox acquired MGM in 2006 until 2020. When Comcast acquired MGM's home entertainment rights in 2020, it went to use the warnings from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

1980-1986
Warning: On a black background is white text fading in:

This video cassette is a genuine first generation copy produced on behalf of and with the approval of

 MGM/UA HOME VIDEO

Then it fades out and goes to a warning scroll. On the same black background, we start with the word " WARNING " appearing in yellow, followed up by white generic text using the same font. Finally, at the end, a yellow message appears on the bottom, saying:

This prohibition may be enforced by legal action.

Variant: There is an early version of the warning where the "Genuine first generation copy" notice is omitted, no underline on "WARNING", and the yellow message is in white. This can be seen on the MGM/CBS pre-cert release of Clash of the Titans.

FX/SFX: The scroll up of the warning on the second screen.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Scarce. The easiest find is on the pre-cert VHS of The Ice Pirates and the 1985 UK VHS of The Wizard of Oz.

Scare Factor: None.

1986-1991
Nickname: "World's Longest Copyright Warning Screen"

Warning: On a blue background, the following yellow text is typed in:

'''This video cassette is a genuine first generation copy produced on behalf of and with the approval of'''

MGM/UA HOME VIDEO

It then scrolls up very slowly. The same is repeated for the next four blocks of text, however when the last block finishes typing in the warning fades out.

FX/SFX: The typing in and scrolling up of each block of text.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Rare. Seen on the UK rental release of Cry for the Strangers, Munchies, and the Dirty Dozen: The Deadly Mission.

Scare Factor: None.

1986-2001
Warning: There is yellow text on a blue background. On the first screen, it reads:

'''This video cassette is a genuine first generation copy produced on behalf of and with the approval of'''

MGM/UA HOME VIDEO

Then it transitions via flip effect to the next screen with the same blue background. We see "WARNING" at the top with warning text (which has a quote at the beginning) underneath it, also in yellow. Then it flips to another screen with the second portion of the text, and to another with the third and last portion of it. Finally, it flips to the fifth screen, which reads:

'''Any such unauthorised action could give rise to civil or criminal proceeding."'''

Variants:


 * Sometimes all the screens were stacked on one another and they scroll up on a blue background.
 * On later tapes, the warning was in an Arial font and it looks enhanced.

FX/SFX: The flipping of each screen. The scroll up of the text in said variant.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Seen on British MGM/UA tapes of the era. Examples include Spaceballs, Terror Train, Thelma and Louise, Red Corner, The Man in the Iron Mask, Red Corner, Get Shorty, Goldeneye, Of Mice and Men and Tomorrow Never Dies. The scrolling variant appears on 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Scare Factor: None.

2000-2006
See 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Warning Screens for details.

1980-1990
See PBV/CEL Warning Screen for details.

1990-2000
See WCI/Warner Home Video Warning Screens for details.

2000-2006
See 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Warning Screens for details.