Formed when Filmways, Inc. purchased Samuel Z. Arkoff's American International Pictures (AIP) in 1979, Filmways Pictures released several films of note before it went into bankruptcy and was absorbed by Orion Pictures in 1981.
This rare first Filmways logo comes from the beginning of the Dressed to Kill letterboxed laserdisc issued in '93 by Image. The DVD and Blu-ray replace this logo with MGM and Orion logos. Dressed to Kill was probably the company's most successful film in terms of box office and critical reception, in addition to the controversy and word-of-mouth that it generated. De Palma's expensive follow-up, Blow Out, while recognized now as one of his finest achievements, was a big money loser in the Summer of '81 and a crushing blow to the company's survival. Based on the unscientific IMDb numbers, Death Wish II, released in early '82, was likely the company's only other box office winner. Other worthwhile titles in the Filmways stable included Arthur Penn's Four Friends, the cult classic post-punk concert film Urgh! A Music War, The First Deadly Sin (Sinatra's last starring role), and the final film to go out with the Filmways imprimatur, Summer Lovers. Most of these films appear on DVD with newer Orion logos rather than the Filmways logos that were originally attached.
I have not seen the above logo on a DVD or Blu-ray, but if someone has I would be interested to hear about it.
