.jpg){kind=logo} The Mark VII Limited logo as it appears in 1954. | |
| Industry | Television production, Film |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1951 |
| Founder | Jack Webb |
| Defunct | 1982 |
| Fate | Dissolved |
| Headquarters | Burbank, California, United States |
Key people | Jack Webb (president) |
| Owner | Jack Webb |
Mark VII Limited (formerly Mark VII Productions, pronounced "Mark 7") was the production company of actor and filmmaker Jack Webb, and was active from 1951 until his death in 1982. Many of its series were produced in association with Universal Television; most of them were originally broadcast on the NBC television network in the United States.
In 1962, Webb had signed a deal with Warner Bros. in order to produce motion pictures and television shows as an independent producer.[1]
Webb was employed by Warner Bros. Television in 1963, and as a result, he attempted to absorb the company.[2] After failing, he resurrected the company, with Selena Mead as its first project, but it was never materialized,[3] and he joined Universal Television, where he stayed for the next 12 years in order to produce television shows.[4] In 1977, he quit Universal and set up the company independently, with a distribution agreement with Worldvision Enterprises and maintains an office at Samuel Goldwyn Studios.[5]
The estate of Jack Webb now owns the full rights to the company's 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), Adam-12, and Emergency!, 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 MeTV and Cozi TV Television Networks also air episodes of the Mark VII Limited shows.
- ^ "New headquarters for Webb" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 12, 1962. p. 79. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
- ^ "Webb Lands Post With Warner Bros". The Ardmoreite. Ardmore, Oklahoma. AP. February 20, 1963. p. 2. Retrieved April 17, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Shorter and funnier in 1965-66" (PDF). Broadcasting. November 30, 1964. p. 28. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
- ^ "Program notes" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 27, 1965. p. 76. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
- ^ Hayde, Michael J. (2001). My Name's Friday: The Unauthorized But True Story of Dragnet and the Films of Jack Webb. Cumberland House. ISBN 9781581821901.