Stu

The Hart Dungeon is perhaps the most famous and legendary training area for wrestlers ever.

Chris Benoit once said "going to the Hart family for training was kind of like, if you're a very religious person, going to the Vatican."

Above is a photo of Stu and Bret Hart training in the legendary basement.

The Dungeon was created in the basement of the Hart mansion, and was devolved shortly after Stu Hart founded Stampede Wrestling in 1948. The nickname "The Dungeon" didn't develop until a later time, however.

Aside from professional wrestlers, The Dungeon was used as training grounds for various different athletes, from Strongmen to Football players.

Many of Hart's sons were trained there and went on to become wrestlers, including the legendary Bret and Owen Hart.

Other wrestlers that trained there include, The British Bulldog, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Mark Henry, Abdullah The Butcher, Roddy Piper, The Honky Tonk Man, Steve Blackman, Monty Brown (The Alpha Male), Junkyard Dog, Lance Storm, Edge, 'Superstar' Billy Graham, Brian Pillman, and Jim 'The Anvil' Neidhart.

The list goes on and on, and about half the wrestlers I've named have gone on to become World Champions in one company or another.

In 1990, when Jericho and Storm entered the Dungeon, Stu Hart was no longer taking part in the training of wrestlers; the trainers simply relied on a book of Hart's teachings.

Both reported of having to be taught how to take falls varying from 500-1000 times during some sessions. And Jericho claimed that when he brought this to the attention of Bret Hart, Hart claimed he didn't even know the trainings were still going on.

Jericho later claimed he was upset with the three-month training he and Storm went through, and felt they had been snubbed by the Harts. Claiming that the only Hart they trained with was Keith, and only for the first day.

However, Jericho also noted having trained with Stu Hart later on.

One of the first televised acknowledgements of the nickname 'Dungeon' was by then-WWF commentator Jesse 'The Body' Ventura.

Its first significant exposure was in the documentary Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows, which on a side note also went in depth to the Montreal Screw Job.

In the documentary, The Dungeon is shown on film moderately for one of the first times and shows Stu Hart applying wrestling holds on a pupil in severe pain.

Bret Hart also discusses the brutality his father would inflict on him, and the morbid words Stu uttered as he would torture him.

In some interviews, Bret would also describe the dungeon as having holes in the walls and ceiling from bodies being driven into them. Also saying that practices at times, could be as intense as MMA-style fighting.

In July 1998 during the Fully Loaded PPV, WWE would broadcast a match between Owen Hart and Ken Shamrock in the Dungeon, which Owen won.

On Oct. 18, 2003 Stu Hart died of a stroke, and the remaining Hart brothers were forced to put the mansion up for sale because of various reasons.

In his will, Stu Hart instructed it not to be torn down, and because of its status as a historical site, it cannot.

Stu Hart was finally inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame this year by The Hitman himself, cementing his legacy forever.

The Legacy of the Dungeon lives on today through Tyson Kidd, being the last-ever superstar to be trained in the Dungeon by the Harts.

Natalya, the first ever female to be trained in the Dungeon, and David Hart Smith, son of the legendary British Bulldog.

These three superstars are left to carry on the Hart legacy for the next generation, and only time will tell what success lies for them in the future.

HBK speaks

For the first time in 12 years, you and Bret Hart met face-to-face on the Jan. 4 edition of Raw. What were you feeling throughout the day leading up to that moment?
Nervous excitement. It was one of those situations in which you’re hoping everything goes well, but acknowledging the possibility that it might not. I saw Bret backstage before the show. We talked briefly, and one of the first things we said to each other was, “How did everything go so wrong?” I was really, truly excited to see and talk with him. And it seemed like, ironically, all we talked about were the times when we did get along. Age, wisdom and time give you the opportunity to focus on the good more than the bad, and I think we were both in that mind-set. It was almost like a homecoming, which meant a lot to both of us. We’d both been carrying around some pretty heavy stuff for a long time, and it was really great to see each other, talk and, finally, put it all behind us.

Was it as surreal for you as it was for the WWE Universe?
It was. I hadn’t communicated with Bret since Montréal, 12 years ago. That was the last time we interacted. I saw him when he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, but only from a distance. I would have loved to talk then, but it wasn’t something he was ready to do at the time.

Is it fair to say that the moment was a milestone in WWE history?
Sometimes, you have to do your best to say, “Oh, this is only entertainment.” But there’s another part of you that knows you’re creating a significant piece of history. WWE means a lot to many people, and the division between Bret and me is a piece of its history. We knew that we were creating closure, not just for us, but for everyone.

If Bret hadn’t accepted the invitation to host Raw, do you think you two ever would have reconciled?
Yes, I believe we would have. Backstage at Raw, we did talk, but we kept it brief. We wanted to preserve the spontaneity and the purity of emotion we were both feeling. I knew that there were plans to get Bret to come back, and I hoped he would. I’m glad we got to do it face-to-face. Texting or talking on the phone doesn’t compare to a face-to-face conversation, especially considering the magnitude of the differences between us.

When you hugged in the ring, you clearly whispered something in Bret’s ear. What did you say?
That’s something I’ll keep between Bret and myself. There are things better left private, and that’s one of them. If Bret feels comfortable explaining what I said, I’m OK with that. But, from my point of view, I just wanted to tell him something from the heart, and that’s what I did.

Still, there must be some animosity left between you and Bret?
Montréal was huge. But it was more monumental to people watching from the outside. It was far more uncomfortable for the viewers than everybody else. Right after it happened, I talked with Davey and Owen. Whenever I see Davey’s wife, Diana, we get along. I’ve always had a good relationship with the Hart family, and I think that’s one thing that threw Bret off. How could I go so quickly from being a nice guy to this petty, bloodthirsty son of a gun? That’s something I struggled with for a long time. I didn’t understand it, so it’s perfectly understandable that Bret didn’t either.

You’re one of the few Superstars from your generation never to set foot in WCW. Was your decision to stick with WWE during The Monday Night War among your greatest contributions to the business?
Yes – maybe not to the business itself, but definitely to this company. I’m very proud of the fact that I stuck around. People can talk about low ratings when I was Champion and stuff like that, but from a company standpoint, my boss can say, “I put you through a lot, but you stuck here. You stuck with me.” I’ve spent more time with Vince McMahon than I have with my own father. Right or wrong, people can make their judgments about him, but there’s a side of him I see that not many people do. And that allows me to be loyal to him.

How difficult was it to resist the temptation of the big WCW money and the imploring of your pals to join them there?
It was very hard. Technically, I was under contract, though, so it would’ve been a huge undertaking. It wouldn’t have been worth it. The one thing that people kept telling me was that I wouldn’t be able to “create” in WCW. I would’ve been handcuffed, and boxed in. In WWE, I was given an unbelievable amount of freedom – probably more than anyone else – to go against the grain, and do things that might’ve been risky. If I had been in WCW, making 10 times more money, but not doing what I wanted in that ring, I would’ve been miserable. To not be able to express my creativity in the ring – that is something I could never put a dollar sign on. A bunch of guys I know went down there. Maybe they had great experiences, maybe they didn’t. But they weren’t nearly as into being creative and expressive in that ring as I was.

Did concerns about your legacy play into your decision at all?
My legacy is my two beautiful children, and that has nothing to do with wrestling. I realize that now, because I’m older. Back in those days, though, there was nothing more important to me than my time in that ring. That was the only place I felt totally free and able to express myself. I was a guy with a lot of stuff on his mind and, when I was in the ring, I could just let everything out. It was the one place I had complete control of my life. I say that, and people think I’m some sort of freak – which, I’ll admit, is a bit true – but, honestly, being in the ring meant everything to me.

What’s the best piece of advice you can give to rising talent?
The risk of failing now is much more prominent. We have so many guys who get lost in the shuffle if they “mess up.” That fear makes everyone much, much more careful. They start walking on eggshells. You can’t do that. You have to go out there, free and easy, knowing that whatever you do is OK. I’ll never say I’m the best at anything – wrestling, talking or whatever – but I will say that I always went out to that ring with zero inhibitions. If I could sum it up in one word for them, it would be “relax.”

As one half of The Rockers, does it bother you that Marty Jannetty has become the “example” for how a Superstar’s career can go wrong?
Yes, it does. I’m not always aware of what’s going on in WWE, so I had no idea that Morrison and Miz had broken up, and were bringing Marty into the situation. I saw Marty, and I was genuinely shocked. Marty was so, so good in the ring, and he’ll never get the proper credit for being the incredible Superstar he was. It hurts me because I’ve no doubt that it probably hurts him. That’s one of the things I don’t like about this business. I realize we live in a big, tough world, but I don’t think it’s necessary to make people distinctly aware of their mistakes. As a person who’s had mercy and compassion extended to him, I cringe a bit when it’s not extended to other people.

Did you voice your disapproval?
No, I didn’t know what was going on until the day Marty was there and he had a match. I don’t really watch SmackDown and I don’t really watch Raw. I haven’t seen a full pay per view in about 10 years. It’s not because of lack of interest, it’s just because I don’t have the time. All of my energy is focused on going out and doing what I do.

This week marks the 20th anniversary of the tragic death of the legendary Juventus and Italy libero Gaetano Scirea

[This week marks the 20th anniversary of the tragic death of the legendary Juventus and Italy libero Gaetano Scirea. Goal.com's Gil Gillespie celebrates the life and achievements of arguably the greatest defender the game has ever seen...Sep 1, 2009 8:00:07 AM]



Even in a land famous for producing the most complete defenders in the history of world football, Gaetano Scirea stands almost alone.

The Juventus and Italy libero is one of only five players who have won every single club trophy dreamt up by FIFA and UEFA, as well as the World Cup.

Usually positioned behind the defence in a sweeper role that has sadly become extinct in the modern age, Scirea was the ultimate reader of the game - Franz Beckenbauer, Daniel Passarella and Franco Baresi are the only other central defenders who even come close in terms of greatness.

Grace, elegance, composure, intelligence, pace, the almost Zen-like Juve man had all of these in spades.

Both on and off the pitch, he was a quiet, thoughtful leader who marshalled the back line for his club and his country with a colossal, yet almost silent, authority throughout a record-breaking career. As a defender, he always relied on subtlety rather than muscle, but he was equally adept at venturing forward and had the passing ability and drive of a pure midfielder, as well as an eye for goal that saw him find the back of the net 24 times during his 377-game club career with the Bianconeri.

It is truly amazing to think that in all that time, Scirea never received a red card, not a bad disciplinary record for someone who operated as the penultimate bolt in the team.

Upon his retirement from the international game in 1986, France Football magazine described him as "better than Pele, [Johan] Cruyff and [Alfredo] Di Stefano".

Gaetano Scirea was born in Cernusco sul Naviglio in the province of Milan on May 25, 1953. After coming through the celebrated youth academy at Atalanta, he made his Serie A debut for the Bergamo club against Cagliari on September 24, 1972. He remained with Atalanta for two seasons, before transferring to Juventus, the club he would stay with until the end of his playing career.

He spent 14 years with La Vecchia Signora, and during that time he scaled the pinnacle of domestic and European glory with Juve, playing alongside the decidedly more rugged, but still unreasonably talented Claudio Gentile.

Scirea was first called up to the Italian national team in 1974 and quickly established himself as one of the first names on Enzo Bearzot’s team-sheet. He remained there for the next decade, keeping a young upstart who went by the name of Franco Baresi out of the team. He eventually went on to compete in no less than three World Cups and one European Championship, but it was as part of Italy’s triumphant 1982 World Cup winning side when Scirea left mere mortals behind and joined the arena of the Gods.

The libero’s unflappable, almost transcendental, performances during the Azzurri’s games against Argentina, Brazil, Poland and West Germany were as vital as Marco Tardelli’s destructive midfield bursts or Paolo Rossi’s sudden outbreak of goalscoring greed.

Dino Zoff may have lifted the trophy, but no-one played a more definitive role than Scirea.

Four years later, Italy travelled to Mexico to defend their title but were knocked out in the second round by Michel Platini’s France. It was to be Scirea’s last tournament, as he drew the curtains on his international career aged 33.

In 1988, following one of the worst seasons in Juventus’ illustrious history, Scirea announced he was hanging up his boots completely after 14 seasons of faithful service with the club.

However, soon afterwards he was appointed assistant coach at Juve, working under his life-long friend Dino Zoff.

Then, in September 1989 he was sent on a scouting mission to watch the clubs’ UEFA Cup opponents, Polish side Gornik Zabrze. Scirea was being driven along the Warsaw-Katowice Superhighway when the Fiat 125 he was travelling in crashed head-on with a fully-laden petrol tanker. The tanker and the car exploded, instantly killing everyone involved. Scirea was just 36-years-old.

Since that terrible day, his name has lived on as a beacon of sportsmanship, and every year Italian journalists vote for the player who they believe has been the ideal role model, both on and off the field of play throughout the season. Last year's Gaetano Scirea Award was given to another Juve legend, Alessandro Del Piero. In 2005, ex-Italy national team coach Enzo Bearzot also proposed the retirement of the No.6 jersey of the national team and Juventus in recognition of the great man and all he achieved.

Not that anyone on the peninsula is about to forget someone of Scirea's stature. 'Il Capitano' will even have a stand at the soon-to-be-rebuilt Stadio delle Alpi named in his honour.

And, 20 years after the premature death of this most cerebral of Calcio’s all-time legends, Juve fans still chant his name and still remember his unforgettable contribution to the legacy of their club and their country.

Quite simply, Scirea redefined what it means to be a defender and what it means to be a sportsman. Without him, the likes of Alessandro Nesta would probably be playing in midfield.

Gil Gillespie, Goal.com

'Crucifix-less' Gennaro Gattuso: I Used To Kick Balls At A Photo Of The Queen With Gazza

Gattuso and Gazza got up to no good behind the scenes when at Ibrox after the Italian was deprived of his religious neckwear...

01-May-2009 7:56:04 PM



Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso is unlikely to make any friends at Buckingham Palace as the former Glasgow Rangers man reveals his antics alongside Paul Gascoigne at Ibrox.

The Italian international played for the SPL side during the 1997/98 season alongside the former England international. Gattuso admits he used to kick footballs at pictures of the Queen during training sessions.

"Everyone used to tell me to take off my crucifix in the dressing room," he began by saying. (Rangers are a club identified with Scotland's Protestant community, whereas Celtic are viewed as a more Catholic club.)

"So I used to kick balls at the photo of the Queen: my tutor there was Paul Gascoigne," Gattuso told L'Era Glaciale.

That wasn't the only bit of horseplay from Rino, who had a run-in by proxy with a certain Sean Connery, erstwhile James Bond actor and well-known Rangers convert.

"When I decided to leave the club Sean Connery tried to oppose it, but I told him to mind his own bloody business," he was quoted as saying. (Gattuso was quoted as saying that Connery was the 'vice president' at Ibrox. In fact Connery was not on the board.)

After leaving Rangers, the midfield ace joined Salernitana, before moving to Milan in 1999. He is currently recovering from a knee injury.

Salvatore Landolina, Goal.com

English Angle: Darren Fletcher & John O'Shea - The Story Of The Extra Special Squaddies

The unfancied duo came through again last night, and Goal.com's Mike Maguire explains what makes them different from the average, average player...
30 Apr 2009 11:18:13

When you watch any Manchester United game, big or small, there are certain names you expect to hear spewing forth from the commentators' microphones with predictable regularity and emphasis.

'Rooney, Ronaldo, Tevez' becomes a mesmerising chant when the Red Devils are in full flow, and while all three starred throughout the course of Wednesday's Champions League win over Arsenal, it was the far less glamorous pair of Darren Fletcher and John O'Shea who provided the substance behind their more gifted team-mates' style - and, in truth, that is the way it has been for much of the season.

Fletcher, often written off as a sentimental favourite of his fellow Scot, Sir Alex Ferguson, put in a typically dogged shift in midfield alongside the eye-catching Anderson and Michael Carrick to nullify the threat of Cesc Fabregas & co. He's had better showings this season, sure; but this is the sort of display we've come to view as stock from the 25-year-old, which is a testament to his reliability.

Indeed, perhaps the biggest compliment you can pay him is that United have hardly missed the ultra-crocked Owen Hargreaves at all this term, because Fletcher has proven every bit as hard-tackling, committed, energetic, versatile and switched-on as his English-Canadian-German club-mate - and probably a tad tidier on the ball, to boot.

But while Paul Scholes' sidekick worked largely behind-the-scenes against the Gunners, O'Shea strolled unblinkingly into the limelight as he gave his side a precious 1-0 lead heading into the return leg at the Emirates.

That winning goal came just moments after the Irish utility had put in a perfectly measured daisy-cutter from the right flank that Tevez failed to convert from point-blank range (due to some heroic goalkeeping from Manuel Almunia, it must be said). It was just the icing on a cake made up of disciplined defending, neat distribution and very solid decision-making.

Of course, neither of these two would get a sniff if United's injury list read like their goals-against column did from November to March. Hargreaves, Anderson, Carrick and Scholes are all, when fully fit and able, ahead of Fletcher for the midfield roles, whilst the constant knocks and niggles to Gary Neville, Rafael da Silva and the long forgotten Wes Brown have allowed O'Shea a regular run at right-back.

What other team in European football can rely so surely on fourth- or fifth-choice players to step up when it matters? Imagine if Liverpool were forced to play Damien Plessis and Nabil El-Zhar week in, week out, or if Real Madrid needed Javi Garcia to do Lassana Diarra's work for an entire season? One can only shudder at the thought (although I hasten to add that I do rate Plessis quite highly)...

One might criticise the fact that I've picked on youngsters, but that's the thing: the most of the fourth-in-line players at even the biggest clubs are inexperienced up-and-comers. And that makes it even more remarkable that Old Trafford boasts a pair who are nearing their prime years but are quite satisfied to sit on the pine and play understudy.

So what is the secret to garnering such blind loyalty from squad fodder? Perhaps it is down to the fact that both Fletcher and O'Shea came through the youth ranks and thus feel a strong emotion attachment to the only professional club they've ever known. It is not a wholly uncommon situation.

But then you look at a player like Park Ji-sung - who operates under similar circumstances and plays with the same sort of devotion and selflessness despite having earned his stripes a million miles away and come to England via PSV Eindhoven - you can't help but think that there's a Fergie factor lurking in there somewhere.

There is one common trait (aside from their modest abilities) that binds these players: none of them are leaders in any way, shape or form. They are soldiers who do what they are told to a tee, and who have no noticeable ambition to transcend their current station. And that might be the very reason they were chosen by the wily old Knight of the Realm and his scouts.

The fact is, not everybody can be a superstar, especially within a functional football team - Florentino Perez and his Galacticos found that out the hard way. You need players who put themselves about and do a job purely because that is what they've been programmed to do. People say Dirk Kuyt is just that sort for Liverpool, but you have to ask: would he keep his yap shut if Rafa Benitez left him out of the squad for a few weeks?

That's what separates the Fletchers and O'Sheas of this world from the rest of the cut-rate talents on the books of the powerhouse clubs. And, hence, it could also be argued that Sir Alex's loyal lapdogs are just as important as the Rooneys and Ronaldos in keeping Man United a step ahead in the English game.

Mike Maguire, Goal.com

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Ferguson, meanwhile, chose to single out goalscorer O'Shea, whose only other goal this season was in the Carling Cup semi-final against Derby.

"He is a great professional. The boy never complains. He is happy to play anywhere," said the United manager.

"He has not always been a number one choice but he produces 30 performances a season and it is a contribution we are grateful for.

"At the present moment in time, he would be in the team if we got to the final."

The Real Inspiration for The Joker

Heath Ledger recently won an Oscar for his portrayal of The Joker in "The Dark Knight," but we have yet to find out who is responsible for creating the character to begin with.

Comic book artist Bob Kane, writer Bill Finger and artist Jerry Robinson have all claimed that they are the brains behind the evil villain. But very few dispute that the visual inspiration came from German actor Conrad Veidt's role in the 1928 film "The Man Who Laughs."

In the movie, Gwynplaine (Veidt), whose father offends King James II, is sentenced to have a permanent smile carved on his face. The idea is to condemn Gwynplaine "to laugh forever at his fool of a father."

Based on rumors, Bill Finger (co-creator of Batman) brought a picture to Bob Kane showing Veidt's creepy grin along with a Joker playing card. That meeting is said to be the creation of The Joker. [via LaughingSquid, Cinematical]

Veidt died of a heart attack in 1943 while playing golf in Los Angeles.

- http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=12735

The Stories Behind Hollywood Studio Logos

(SOMETHING INTERESTING I FOUND)
You see these opening logos every time you go to the movies, but have you ever wondered who is the boy on the moon in the DreamWorks logo? Or which mountain inspired the Paramount logo? Or who was the Columbia Torch Lady? Let's find out:

1. DreamWorks SKG: Boy on the Moon


In 1994, director Steven Spielberg, Disney studio chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg, and record producer David Geffen (yes, they make the initial SKG on the bottom of the logo) got together to found a new studio called DreamWorks.

Spielberg wanted the logo for DreamWorks to be reminiscent of Hollywood's golden age. The logo was to be a computer generated image of a man on the moon, fishing, but Visual Effects Supervisor Dennis Muren of Industrial Light and Magic, who has worked on many of Spielberg's films, suggested that a hand-painted logo might look better. Muren asked his friend, artist Robert Hunt to paint it.

Hunt also sent along an alternative version of the logo, which included a young boy on a crescent moon, fishing. Spielberg liked this version better, and the rest is history. Oh, and that boy? It was Hunt's son, William.

The DreamWorks logo that you see in the movies was made at ILM from paintings by Robert Hunt, in collaboration with Kaleidoscope Films (designers of the original storyboards), Dave Carson (director), and Clint Goldman (producer) at ILM.


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2. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM): Leo The Lion
In 1924, studio publicist Howard Dietz designed the "Leo The Lion" logo for Samuel Goldwyn's Goldwyn Picture Corporation. He based it on the athletic team of his alma mater Columbia University, the Lions. When Goldwyn Pictures merged with Metro Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer Pictures, the newly formed MGM retained the logo.

Since then, there have been five lions playing the role of "Leo The Lion". The first was Slats, who graced the openings of MGM's silent films from 1924 to 1928. The next lion, Jackie, was the first MGM lion whose roar was heard by the audience. Though the movies were silent, Jackie's famous growl-roar-growl sequence was played over the phonograph as the logo appeared on screen. He was also the first lion to appear in Technicolor in 1932.

The third lion and probably most famous was Tanner (though at the time Jackie was still used concurrently for MGM's black and white films). After a brief use of an unnamed (and very mane-y) fourth lion, MGM settled on Leo, which the studio has used since 1957.

The company motto "Ars Gratia Artis" means "Art for Art's Sake."



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3. 20th Century Fox: The Searchlight Logo


In 1935, Twentieth Century Pictures and Fox Film Company (back then mainly a theater-chain company) merged to create Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (they later dropped the hyphen).

The original Twentieth Century Pictures logo was created in 1933 by famed landscape artist Emil Kosa, Jr. After the merger, Kosa simply replaced "Pictures, Inc." with "Fox" to make the current logo. Besides this logo, Kosa was also famous for his matte painting of the Statue of Liberty ruin at the end of the Planet of the Apes (1968) movie, and others.

Perhaps just as famous as the logo is the "20th Century Fanfare", composed by Alfred Newman, then musical director for United Artists.

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4. Paramount: The Majestic Mountain


Paramount Pictures Corporation was founded in 1912 as Famous Players Film Company by Adolph Zukor, and the theater moguls the Frohman brothers, Daniel and Charles.

The Paramount "Majestic Mountain" logo was first drawn as a doodle by W.W. Hodkinson during a meeting with Zukor, based on the Ben Lomond Mountain from his childhood in Utah (the live action logo made later is probably Peru's Artesonraju). It is the oldest surviving Hollywood film logo.

The original logo has 24 stars, which symbolized Paramount's then 24 contracted movie stars (it's now 22 stars, though no one could tell me why they reduced the number of stars). The original matte painting has also been replaced with a computer generated mountain and stars.


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5. Warner Bros.: The WB Shield
Warner Bros. (yes, that's legally "Bros." not "Brothers") was founded by four Jewish brothers who emigrated from Poland: Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack Warner. Actually, those aren't the names that they were born with. Harry was born "Hirsz," Albert was "Aaron," Sam was "Szmul," and Jack was "Itzhak." Their original surname is also unknown - some people said that it is "Wonsal," "Wonskolaser" or even Eichelbaum, before it was changed to "Warner." (Sources: Doug Sinclair | Tody Nudo's Hollywood Legends)

In the beginning, Warner Bros. had trouble attracting top talents. In 1925, at the urging of Sam, Warner Bros. made the first feature-length "talking pictures" (When he heard of Sam's idea, Harry famously said "Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?"). That got the ball rolling for the studio and made Warner Bros. famous.

The Warner Bros. logo, the WB Shield, has actually gone many revisions.

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6. Columbia Pictures: The Torch Lady


Columbia Pictures was founded in 1919 by the brothers Harry and Jack Cohn, and Joe Brandt as Cohn-Brandt-Cohn Film Sales. Many of the studio's early productions were low-budget affairs, so it got nicknamed "Corned Beef and Cabbage." In 1924, the brothers Cohn bought out Brandt and renamed their studio Columbia Pictures Corporation in effort to improve its image.

The studio's logo is Columbia, the female personification of America. It was designed in 1924 and the identity of the "Torch Lady" model was never conclusively determined (though more than a dozen women had claimed to be "it.")

In her 1962 autobiography, Bette Davis claimed that Claudia Dell was the model, whereas in 1987 People Magazine named model and Columbia bit-actress Amelia Batchler as the girl. In 2001, the Chicago Sun-Times named a local woman who worked as an extra at Columbia named Jane Bartholomew as the model. Given how the logo has changed over the years, it may just be that all three were right! (Source)

The current Torch Lady logo was designed in 1993 by Michael J. Deas, who was commissioned by Sony Pictures Entertainment to return the lady to her "classic" look.

Though people thought that actress Annette Bening was the model, it was actually a Louisiana homemaker and muralist named Jenny Joseph that modeled the Torch Lady for Deas. Rather than use her face, however, Deas drew a composite face made from several computer-generated features (Source: Roger Ebert, Photo: Kathy Anderson)