Gracie Films

The Gracie Films logo as it looked from 1987 to 2009.

Gracie Films is an American film and television production company, created by James L. Brooks in 1986. The company has produced many award-winning films and television series, some of which include Broadcast News and Jerry Maguire, but most notably, The Simpsons. The company is primarily associated with film studio, and distributor Sony Pictures Entertainment, but it still has an office at the 20th Century Studios lot due to the indefinite contract Gracie Films has with Fox for 31 years of The Simpsons (and counting).

We start off in a movie theater with dimmed lights and a screen in front. The people are animated and we can't see their faces. As the movie patrons are talking, a woman says "Shh!". Then, the audience becomes silent, and the projector comes on, where "GRACIE FILMS" is seen on a blue background.

The jingle was composed by Jeffrey Townsend, and the "Shh!" was done by Tracey Ullman. The people talking were Jeffrey Townsend and then-CEO of Fox Garth Ancier, double-tracked to sound like more people. The Halloween jingle was composed by Alf Clausen back when he did work on the show.

Some standard and special versions of the company's logo and jingle were made to fit television shows, most notably The Simpsons, which has lots of unique variants, as described below.

Gracie Films also were involved in the making of the majority of the video games, such as The Simpsons Road Rage and Tapped Out.

Variants

The Simpsons:
- In most Treehouse of Horror episodes, there is usually a pipe organ that plays the jingle in a minor key after a female scream.
  - I and Halloween of Horror have the normal logo.
    - In addition, "Thanksgiving of Horror" replaces the shush with Homer gobbling like a turkey.
  - In II and III, it was the organ only.
  - In IV and V, the scream was added in with a heavy reverb.
  - In VI, the jingle plays in a Myst/Philip Glass style as constantly heard during the "Homer³" segment.
  - Some Horror variants differ on what kind of sound effects are being heard.
    - VII, XI and XIV were never reused.
      - VII has the scream in a higher pitch, making it sound like a little girl screaming instead of a woman. This one is more intimidating than the rest.
      - XI has the organ at a more dramatic outburst.
      - XIV has the organ in a deeper tone.
    - XVI, XXV, XXVII, XXVIII, XXIX and XXX reuse the same variant from XIII.
      - This one has the same scream. Only this time, the organ resembles that of being played on an electric keyboard. The Roland D-50 PN-D50-01 patch "Pipe Organ" was used for this one.
    - XVII, XVIII and XX reuse the same variant from VIII.
      - This one has the scream and the organ simultaneously being heard at the 'shush' gesture. The organ is much more dramatic sounding and has more reverb.
  - In IX, before the organ plays, the scream was replaced with Regis Philbin screaming, "My eyes, my beautiful eyes!" as heard in the "Terror of Tiny Toon" segment during the Itchy & Scratchy episode "Candle in the Wound".
  - In X, the logo is a reuse of the logo from IV, except that the scream has a small reverb and not a heavy reverb.
    - The organ in IX and X both share the same organ as originally heard in II.
  - In XII, the organ plays first and then the scream gets heard.
  - In XV, the scream was replaced with Homer screaming throughout this logo and the 20th Century Fox Television logo, similar to that of "The Blunder Years". This variant was reused in XXII and XXIII with the newer organ, although Homer only screamed once in the logo and the TCFT has the normal logo as usual. Also, the only TCFT logo to use the Halloween SFX.
    - The organ in XV is the same as VIII.
  - In XIX, the jingle plays in a Peanuts-style theme as heard in the "It's the Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse" segment, which was later reused in "Gone Abie Gone".
  - In XXI, the organ plays, but the scream was replaced by the famous Wilhelm scream heard in the segment "War and Pieces".
  - In XXIV, the scream was replaced with a small crowd shouting the phrase, "One of us!" as heard in the "Freaks, No Geeks" segment.
  - In XXVI, the organ plays, but the scream was replaced with Homerzilla roaring.
  - Interestingly, the organ jingle can be heard in The Complete Eleventh Season set when navigated to certain Scene Selections where Moe is riding a ghost train before reverting to normal from his plastic surgery from Pygmoelian.
- In some episodes that feature songs during the ending credits, the closing song continues playing over the logo.
  - "Capital City" (The very first Gracie Films variant ever in the Simpsons)
  - "Maybe I'm Amazed" (by Paul McCartney, who guest starred in this episode)
  - "Can't Buy Me Love" (This also ran into the 20th Century Fox Television logo)
  - "Always Safety First"
  - "America's Back"
  - "Dream Operator"
  - Ragtime music
  - Icelandic rendition
  - Simpsons Christmas Theme (also played in "I Won't Be Home for Christmas")
  - Star Trek theme
  - Acoustic music
- Numerous other alternate versions of the theme have been used over the years.
  - Whistle, then marching band
  - Baseball bat, then stadium organ and faint applause
  - Played on a Heavy Metal Guitar (Including the shush)
  - Mexican style, then "Olé" chant (Used on the album Songs in the Key of Springfield)
  - Las Vegas style, then slot machine (Used on the album Songs in the Key of Springfield)
  - Renaissance (Including the shush) (Used on the album Songs in the Key of Springfield) (also reused similarly again in Margical History Tour)
  - First saxophone version (Including the shush)
  - Philip Glass Homage
  - Beach Saxophone (Including the shush)
  - Third saxophone version
  - Christmas version (Including the shush)
  - A semitone lower
  - Played on Piano (Akin to that of Treehouse of Horror XIX)
  - Acapella version (Including the shush)
- The first time the logo can be seen within the episode was in "You Kent Always Say What You Want", where after being interrupted by the 20th Century Fox Television logo when saying "The truth is...", Homer, on a white screen, whispers to the fourth wall, "OK. What I was going to say was...," before the 'shush' interruption and the end credits.
- In "The Longest Daycare", the background is pitch black. The audience (including the shush lady) is on a teal outline. The rest of the logo continues as normal, despite the fact that the jingle was replaced by a drum roll. The finished logo looks like the print logo.
  - In "Playdate with Destiny", one of the audience's heads is replaced by the head of the mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey Mouse himself. This marks the third visual variant.
- Some episodes use either a sound bite from the episode, or use a quote from a character in that episode that plays alongside the jingle and shush or replacing the jingle and shush.
  - These kind of variants are possibly inspired by the 'Deedle-Dee Tag' of Deedle-Dee Productions, as heard in nearly every episode of Mike Judge's animated comedy King of the Hill.
    - "I'm sorry." (by Abe Simpson)
    - "Shut up." (Overtakes the shush) (by Carl Carlson)
    - Didgeridoo playing (No shush or music) (by Lisa Simpson)
    - Loud gunshot
    - "Jamming." (by Chief Wiggum)
    - Music first, then (Gunshot) "You too, Gracie music dude! Gaw!" (No shush) (by Snake Jailbird)
    - "Homer, we're out of vodka." (No music) (by Ron Howard)
    - "Don't tell me to shush, you stupid lady." (by Increase)
    - "Silence!" (Replaces the shush) (by Rupert Murdoch)
    - Gunshot, then a thud and three more gunshots (No shush or music)
    - "Ooh, I hear this really sucks". (by Lisa Simpson)
    - Mel Gibson imitates Curly from the Three Stooges
    - "Oh, why'd you have to shush? You ruined the whole show!" (by Soldier)
    - "You hit her pretty hard there, Rick." (also used in the Latin American dub as Homer Simpson) (by Fred Mertz)
    - "Worst episode ever." (by Comic Book Guy)
    - "Oh, yeah." (also said in Waiting for Duffman) (by Duffman)
    - "Moochie-moochie." (by Bart Simpson)
    - "Tappa-tappa-tappa." (by Vicki Valentine)
    - (John Updike laughs) "Shut up, Updike!" (by Krusty the Clown)
    - "¡Devuelvame mi dinero!" (Give me my money back!) (Used in the Latin American dub only) (by Comic Book Guy)
    - "Y esta porquería mirando mi programa de televisión." (And this is crap watching my television show.) (Used in the Latin American dub only) (by Moe Szyslak)
    - Repeating tri-tone
    - "Why, you ill-mannered sack of crap." (by Agnes Skinner)
    - "Mukluk." (by Krusty the Clown)
    - (Kids laughing) En français. (Kids laugh in a French way) (No shush or music)
    - Coughing (by Violet)
    - "Pokémon? Pokémon? Where the pokey and the man and the thing with the guy comes out?" (Laughs) (overran into the 20th Century Fox Television logo) (by Bill Cosby)
    - "Whazzup?" (No shush) (by Milhouse Van Houten)
    - "This has been a Gracie Films presentation." (Before the logo proceeds) (by Lisa Simpson)
    - "Simpson!" (Overtakes the shush) (by Mick Jagger)
    - "Oh, shush yourself." (by Henry)
    - "Badabing, badaboom. And we're done." (No shush or music) (by Stephen Hawking)
    - Plácido Domingo holding a high note (No shush or music)
    - "Might be some wrong words there, but uh, pretty much nailed it." (No shush or music) (by Jack Black)
    - Penelope vocalizing (No shush or music)
    - "Soon you will be m-" (Before the logo proceeds) (by Ricardo Bomba)
    - "L'Chaim" (No shush) (by groups of characters)
    - Whale call (No shush)
    - Simon Cowell laughing (No shush or music)
    - A cow moos (music plays without the shush)
    - "...but I did say stop." (No shush) (by Katy Perry)
    - Well, why couldn't you've said that a minute ago? Don't take any of my ideas. (No shush and then a 5-note jingle) (by Ricky Gervais and Ridley Scott)
    - You shush yourself. (by a folk singer)
    - "Shush me again, and I'll take your head clean off." (by Wayne Slater)
    - "Oh, grow up!" (by Annie Dubinsky)
    - "I'm in hell." (No shush) (by Moe Szyslak's bar rag)
    - The Outlands (No shush or music) (by Cletus Spuckler)
    - Tribal drums (No shush or music)
    - Cletus and Brandine Spuckler scatting (No shush or music)
    - "Not the second, or the..." (Before the logo proceeds) (by Abe Simpson)
    - Marge Simpson's shush
    - Peter Griffin from Family Guy sings the jingle: And now the show is over now.
    - Sammy Hagar laughing (No shush or music)
    - "I'm out of here." (by The Pit Master)
    - "...departed!" (No shush)
    - "The Wiki-Waka Liki-Laka Mr. Burns"
    - "Throne of God"
    - Plopper squealing
    - Dog howl (Overtakes the shush)
    - "Last word!"
    - "Wahh-wahh!" (No shush)
    - Professor Frink in his operatic voice: "The End"
    - Nelson shouts "Haw-Haw!" and either Rod, Todd or Ralph shouts "Yay!" (No music)
- Homer Simpson has the most dialogue in the variants he has been heard in:
  - Ringing bicycle bell twice, then giggling (No shush or music)
  - "You're cut too, Shushy!"
  - "Larry Flynt is right! You guys stink!"
  - "Don't shush me, you rich bastard!" (If aired after 8:00PM)
  - "Save me, Jebus!"
  - "Aah! Undo! Undo! Oh!" (The logo was normal as usual, but this is in the 20th Century Fox Television logo without music)
  - "Baby made a boom-boom."
  - "Oh, boy! Buffalo testicles!"
  - "Cobras! Ahhh!"
  - Screaming (overran into the 20th Century Fox Television logo, then re-used in "Treehouse of Horror XV")
  - "...But folk singers never say, "Take it, naked bacon". Do you guys know 'Funkytown?'" (No shush or music) (with Smothers Brothers)
  - "Hey, shush yourself!" (Reruns only)
  - "Excellent!" (No shush)
  - "Jeez, sorry Dave." (No shush)
  - "And if I'm dead, avenge my death!" (Reruns only) (No shush)
  - "Are we going to New York, or... Oh!" (Before and after being shushed)
  - "Usher! Will you stop that person who's shushing?" (No music)
  - Gobbles like a turkey (No shush)
The first visual variation of this logo was in "Last Tap Dance in Springfield", where after the shush, we hear Vicki Valentine saying "Tappa, tappa, tappa" while the logo's main animation slides up to the top half of the screen, while the bottom half has an animated black-and-white scene of a cat rubbing its eyes (with fake prop arms from off screen) and smiling afterwards (this was in an old Vicki Valentine movie that Lisa was watching during the episode). There wasn't a second visual variant for nearly 17 seasons, 16 years and 11 months until the episode "Looking for Mr. Goodbart". In that episode, the second visual variant replaces the audience and the shush with several different species of Peekimon. The Peekimon are heard mumbling. After the green Peekimon shushes (who is the Peekimon that replaced the shush), another Peekimon pops out in the background.

In two episodes, the jingle is played at the start of the logo and then a sound is heard. In "All Singing, All Dancing", Snake Jailbird shoots his gun to stop the music like in the ending credits and says, "You too, Gracie music dude! Gaw!" and in Elementary School Musical, a cow's moo is heard at the very end of the jingle.
On Simpsons episodes starting in Season 2, there is a shorter version of the logo without the murmuring. Earlier Season 2 episodes carried the normal logo. The exceptions of the logo were the episodes "When Flanders Failed", "Stark Raving Dad", "A Star is Burns", "You Only Move Twice", "The Homer They Fall", "Burns, Baby Burns, "Bart After Dark", "A Milhouse Divided", "She of Little Faith" and Season 7 episodes (up to "The Day the Violence Died"), which use the normal logo instead.
- From the DVD release of Season 15 to 17, the 2009-present logo was plastered over the original logo along with the 2007 20th Century Fox Television logo.
- On FXX reruns from 2014-present and local syndication prints from 2015-present of pre-2009 episodes, the 2009-present logo was plastered over the original logo along with 2013 without the byline 20th Television logo with the 2008 20th Television theme.

There is a list of variants on this site, but unfortunately, they haven't been updated since the end of Season 21.

The CLG Wiki also has a page which lists most sound variants of the logo.

Other Variants:
- An even shorter version is found on the short-lived Phenom, which cuts off the first two notes along with the murmuring and "Shhh!", Also, the background music is slightly more high tone.
- On the webisodes of The Critic, the logo is in the center of the screen, is brighter and blue, and is still. This variant uses the ending theme of the show. A silent version also appears on the digital re-release of The Simpsons Arcade Game, which was only re-released on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.

It is often speculated that the main chorus of the 1990 song entitled "King of Wishful Thinking" by the British pop band Go West can be heard in this song. This has been fervently denied by some members of the successful pop band, though others have expressed their displeasure.

The company's production office is located in the Sidney Poitier Building on the Sony Pictures Studios lot in Culver City, California.

References in The Simpsons

Homer Simpson once claimed in his first ramble that he created Gracie Films.^[1]

In the episode "Moho House", the fourth wall is broken when the Gracie Films logo appears at the end of Homer's flipbook to Marge. This is the second episode to have the Gracie Films logo play within the episode; the first was "You Kent Always Say What You Want".