Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film and television production company. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic Production company refers to a company responsible for the development and physical production of Performing arts, Film, Radio or a Television program It is part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, which is owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc ( SPE) is the television and Film production/distribution unit of Japanese Media conglomerate Sony For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. A conglomerate is a large Company that consists of seemingly unrelated Business sections is a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world's largest Media conglomerates with
Established in 1924, Columbia is tied with MGM for the fifth-oldest American movie studio still in operation. Events Entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B
Contents |
History
The early years
The predecessor of Columbia Pictures, Cohn-Brandt-Cohn Film Sales, was founded in 1919 by Harry Cohn, his brother Jack Cohn, and Joe Brandt. Harry Cohn ( July 23, 1891 &ndash February 27, 1958) was president and production director of Columbia Pictures. [1]
Brandt was president of CBC Film Sales, handling sales, marketing and distribution from New York along with Jack Cohn, while Harry Cohn ran production in Hollywood.
Many of the studio's early productions were low-budget affairs; the start-up CBC leased space in a poverty row studio on Hollywood's Gower Street. Poverty Row is a slang term used in Hollywood from the late silent period through the mid-fifties to refer to a variety of small and mostly short-lived B movie Gower Street is a street in Los Angeles California, which begins at the corner of First Street in the Hancock Park district as a residential street becomes primarily Among Hollywood's elite, CBC's reputation led some to joke that "CBC" stood for "Corned Beef and Cabbage. "[1]
Reorganization and new name
Following a reorganization, partner Brandt was bought out, and Harry Cohn took over as president. In an effort to improve its image, the Cohn brothers renamed the company Columbia Pictures Corporation in 1924. Events Entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B Columbia's product line consisted mostly of moderately budgeted features and a short-subject program of comedies, serials, cartoons, and sports films. Columbia gradually moved into the production of higher-budget fare, building a reputation as one of Hollywood's more important studios.
Helping Columbia's climb was the arrival of an ambitious director named Frank Capra. Frank Russell Capra ( May 18, 1897 &ndash September 3, 1991) was an Academy Award winning Italian-American Film Between 1927 and 1939, he constantly pushed Cohn for better material and bigger budgets. A string of hits in the early 1930s, particularly Capra's Lady for a Day and the Oscar-winning It Happened One Night, solidified Columbia's status as a major studio. Lady for a Day is a 1933 film which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. It Happened One Night is a 1934 screwball comedy directed by Frank Capra, in which a pampered Socialite ( Claudette Colbert Other Capra hits followed at the studio in the late 1930s—the original version of Lost Horizon with Ronald Colman, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, which made James Stewart a major star, among them. Lost Horizon is a 1937 film directed by Frank Capra starring Ronald Colman, Jane Wyatt and Sam Jaffe. Ronald Colman ( February 9 1891 &ndash May 19 1958) was an English Academy Award and Golden Globe -winning actor Mr Smith Goes to Washington is a Drama film directed by Frank Capra about one man's effect on American politics. James Stewart may refer to Actors James Stewart (actor (1908&ndash1997 Hollywood movie actor and USAF Brigadier General
Short subjects
At Harry Cohn's insistence the studio signed The Three Stooges in 1934. The Three Stooges were an American Vaudeville and Comedy act of the early to mid–20th century best known for their numerous Short subject films Rejected by MGM (which kept straight-man Ted Healy but let the Stooges go),[2] the Stooges made 190 shorts for Columbia between 1934 and 1957. Ted Healy ( October 1, 1896 &ndash December 21, 1937) was an American Vaudeville performer Comedian, and Actor Columbia's short-subject department employed many famous comedians, including Buster Keaton, Charley Chase, Harry Langdon, Andy Clyde, and Hugh Herbert. Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton ( October 4 1895 &ndash February 1 1966) was an Academy Award -winning American Charley Chase ( October 20, 1893 - June 20, 1940) was an American Comedian, Screenwriter and Film director Harry L Langdon ( June 15, 1884 – December 22, 1944) was an American Comedian who appeared in Vaudeville, Andrew "Andy" Clyde ( March 25, 1892 — May 18, 1967) was a Scottish movie and TV actor whose career spanned more than Hugh Herbert ( August 10, 1887 &ndash March 12, 1952) was a motion picture comedian Almost 400 of Columbia's 529 two-reel comedies were released to television in the late 1950s; to date, only the Stooges and Keaton subjects have been released to home video.
In the early 1930s Columbia distributed Walt Disney's famous Mickey Mouse cartoons. Walter Elias Disney (December 5 1901 – December 15 1966 was a multiple Academy Award -winning American Film producer, director, Screenwriter Mickey Mouse is a comic animal Cartoon character who has become an icon for The Walt Disney Company. In 1934 the studio established its own animation house, under the Screen Gems brand; Columbia's cartoon stars were Krazy Kat, Scrappy, The Fox and the Crow, and (very briefly) Li'l Abner. Krazy Kat is a Comic strip created by George Herriman that appeared in U Scrappy is a Cartoon character created by Dick Huemer for Charles Mintz 's Krazy Kat Studio. The Fox and the Crow are a pair of Anthropomorphic Cartoon characters created by Frank Tashlin for the Screen Gems studio Li'l Abner was a Satirical American Comic strip appearing in many newspapers in the United States and Canada, featuring a fictional In the late 1940s Columbia agreed to release animated shorts from United Productions of America; these new shorts were more sophisticated than Columbia's older cartoons, and many won critical praise and industry awards. United Productions of America, better known as UPA, was an American Animation studio of the 1940s through present day beginning with industrial films
According to Bob Thomas's book "King Cohn," studio chief Harry Cohn always placed a high priority on serials. Beginning in 1937 Columbia entered the lucrative serial market, and kept making these episodic adventures until 1956, after other studios had discontinued them. The most famous Columbia serials are based on comic-strip or radio characters: Mandrake the Magician, The Shadow, Terry and the Pirates, Captain Midnight, The Phantom, Batman, and Superman, among many others. Mandrake the Magician is a US Comic strip created in 1934 by Lee Falk (also creator of The Phantom) and mainly appearing Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon
Columbia also produced musical shorts, sports reels (usually narrated by sportscaster Bill Stern), and travelogues. Bill Stern ( July 1, 1907 - November 19, 1971) was a US Actor and Sportscaster who announced the nation's first Its "Screen Snapshots" series, showing behind-the-scenes footage of Hollywood stars, was a Columbia perennial; producer-director Ralph Staub kept this series going through 1958. Ralph Staub (born July 22, 1899 in Chicago, Illinois - died October 22, 1969) was a movie director writer and producer
Screen Gems
Columbia dropped the Screen Gems brand from its cartoon line, but retained the Screen Gems name for various ancillary activities, including a 16mm film-rental agency and a TV-commercial production company. In 1956 Columbia adopted the Screen Gems name for its television production subsidiary. Screen Gems became a major producer of situation comedies for TV, beginning with Father Knows Best. Father Knows Best was an American radio and television Sitcom of the 1950s and 1960s portrayed an idealized vision of Middle class The Donna Reed Show, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie and The Monkees followed. The Donna Reed Show is an American sitcom which aired on ABC from 1958 to 1966. Bewitched is an American Situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972. I Dream of Jeannie is a 1960s American sitcom with a Fantasy premise For the group's self-titled album see The Monkees (album. For the TV series see The Monkees (TV series.
1940s
In the 1940s, propelled in part by their film's surge in audiences during the war, the studio also benefited from the popularity of its biggest star, Rita Hayworth. Rita Hayworth (October 17 1918 &ndash May 14 1987 born Margarita Carmen Cansino was a Spanish-American actress who rose to stardom in the 1940s as the era's leading Sex symbol Columbia maintained a long list of contractees well into the 1950s: Glenn Ford, Penny Singleton, William Holden, Judy Holliday, The Three Stooges, Ann Miller, Evelyn Keyes, Ann Doran, Jack Lemmon, Cleo Moore, Barbara Hale, Adele Jergens, Larry Parks, Arthur Lake, Lucille Ball, Kerwin Mathews, and Kim Novak. Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford ( May 1, 1916 &ndash August 30, 2006) was a Canadian -born American Penny Singleton ( September 15, 1908 &ndash November 12, 2003) was a Hollywood actress best known for her role in the series of motion William Holden ( April 17, 1918 &ndash November 12, 1981) was an Academy Award -winning American film Actor Judy Holliday (June 21 1921 – June 7 1965 was an American Academy - and Tony Award -winning Actress. The Three Stooges were an American Vaudeville and Comedy act of the early to mid–20th century best known for their numerous Short subject films Ann Miller (April 12 1923 – January 22 2004 was an American dancer singer and actress Evelyn Keyes ( November 20 1916 &ndash July 4 2008) was an American Film actress. Ann Doran ( July 28, 1911 &ndash September 19, 2000) was an American character actress John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III (February 8 1925 &ndash June 27 2001 was an American Actor known principally for his comedic roles Cleouna "Cleo" Moore ( October 31 1928 - October 28 1973) was a blonde bombshell of 1950s Hollywood films Barbara Hale (born April 18, 1922) is an Emmy Award -winning American actress known for her roles as the loyal secretary of Perry Mason Adele Jergens ( November 26, 1917 - November 22, 2002) was an American actress Larry Parks ( December 13, 1914, Olathe Kansas – April 13, 1975, Arthur Lake may refer to Arthur Lake Bishop of Bath and Wells (1569&ndash1626 Arthur Lake (actor (1905&ndash1987 Arthur Lucille Ball (August 6 1911 – April 26 1989 was an American comedienne, film television stage and radio Actress, model, film Kerwin Mathews ( January 8 1926 &ndash July 5 2007) was an American Actor best known for playing the titular heroes Kim Novak (born February 13, 1933) is an American actress, who was one of her nation's most popular movie stars in the late 1950s
Harry Cohn monitored the budgets of his films, and the studio got the maximum use out of costly sets, costumes, and props by reusing them in other films. Many of Columbia's low-budget "B" pictures and short subjects have an expensive look, thanks to Columbia's efficient recycling policy. Cohn was reluctant to spend lavish sums on even his most important pictures, and it wasn't until 1944 that he agreed to use three-strip Technicolor in a live-action feature. Technicolor is the trademark for a series of color film processes pioneered by Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation (Columbia was the last major studio to employ the expensive color process. ) Columbia's first Technicolor feature was Cover Girl, starring the vibrant, red-haired Rita Hayworth. A cover girl is a woman whose Photograph features on the front cover of a Magazine. Rita Hayworth (October 17 1918 &ndash May 14 1987 born Margarita Carmen Cansino was a Spanish-American actress who rose to stardom in the 1940s as the era's leading Sex symbol Cohn quickly used Technicolor again for the fanciful biography of Frederic Chopin, A Song to Remember, with Cornel Wilde, released in 1945. A Song to Remember is a 1945 Columbia Pictures Biographical film which tells a ficitonalised life story of Polish pianist and composer Cornelius Louis Wilde ( October 13, 1915 &ndash October 16, 1989) was an American Actor and film director Another biopic, 1946's The Jolson Story with Larry Parks and Evelyn Keyes, was started in black-and-white, but when Cohn saw how well the project was proceeding, he scrapped the footage and insisted on filming in Technicolor. The Jolson Story is a 1946 musical biography which purports to tell the life story of singer Al Jolson. Larry Parks ( December 13, 1914, Olathe Kansas – April 13, 1975, Evelyn Keyes ( November 20 1916 &ndash July 4 2008) was an American Film actress.
In 1948 the United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. anti-trust decision forced Hollywood motion picture companies to divest themselves of the theatre chains that they owned. United States v Paramount Pictures, Inc, 334 US 131 ( 1948) (also known as the Hollywood Antitrust Case of 1948, the Paramount Columbia, which did not own theaters, was now on equal terms with the largest studios, and soon joined the ranks of the "Big Five" studios.
1950s
By 1950 Columbia had discontinued most of its popular series films (Boston Blackie, Blondie, The Lone Wolf, The Crime Doctor, Rusty, etc. Boston Blackie is a fictional character who has been on both sides of the law Blondie is a 1938 movie directed by Frank Strayer based on the comic strip of the same name. ) Only Jungle Jim, launched by producer Sam Katzman in 1949, kept going through 1955. Jungle Jim is an American Newspaper Comic strip first published January 7, 1934, by writer Sam Katzman ( July 7, 1901 – August 4, 1973) was an American Film producer. Katzman contributed greatly to Columbia's success by producing dozens of topical feature films, including crime dramas, science-fiction stories, and rock-'n'-roll musicals. (For details about these Columbia releases of the 1950s, see the Wikipedia entry on Sam Katzman. Sam Katzman ( July 7, 1901 – August 4, 1973) was an American Film producer. ) Columbia kept making serials until 1956 and two-reel comedies until 1957, after other studios had discontinued them.
As the larger studios declined in the 1950s, Columbia took the lead, continuing to produce 40-plus pictures a year, offering adult fare that often broke ground and kept audiences coming to theaters. A good example of a ground-breaking Columbia film was its adaptation of the controversial James Jones novel, From Here to Eternity, released in 1953, which won the Best Picture Oscar. James Jones may refer to People born in 20th century The arts James Jones (author (1921&ndash1977 novelist James Earl From Here to Eternity is a 1953 Drama film based on the novel of the same name by James Jones. Columbia also won the next year (1954) with another hard-hitting story, On the Waterfront. On the Waterfront is a American Drama film about mob violence and corruption among longshoremen. The studio won Best Picture again in 1957, when it released The Bridge on the River Kwai with William Holden and Alec Guinness. The Bridge on the River Kwai is a 1957 World War II film based on the novel The Bridge over the River Kwai by French writer William Holden ( April 17, 1918 &ndash November 12, 1981) was an Academy Award -winning American film Actor Sir Alec Guinness, CH, CBE (2 April 1914 &ndash 5 August 2000 was an English Actor.
Columbia also released the made-in-England Warwick Films by producers Irving Allen and Albert R. Broccoli as well as many films by producer Carl Foreman who resided in England. Warwick Films was the name of a film company founded by Film producers Irving Allen and Albert R Irving Allen ( November 24 1905 - December 17 1987) was a theatrical and cinematic producer and director Albert Romolo Broccoli, CBE (Hon ( April 5 1909 &ndash June 27 1996) nicknamed "Cubby" was an American Carl Foreman CBE ( July 23, 1914 – June 26, 1984) was an American Screenwriter and Film producer
After Harry Cohn's death
By the late 1960s, Columbia had an ambiguous identity, offering old-fashioned fare like A Man for All Seasons and Oliver! along with the more contemporary Easy Rider and The Monkees. A Man for All Seasons is a 1966 film based on Robert Bolt 's play of the same name about Sir Thomas More. Oliver! is a 1968 Musical film directed by Carol Reed. The film is based on the Stage musical Oliver!, with Easy Rider, a 1969 American Road movie written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Terry Southern. For the group's self-titled album see The Monkees (album. For the TV series see The Monkees (TV series. After turning down releasing Albert R. Broccoli's Eon Productions James Bond films, Columbia hired Broccoli's former partner Irving Allen to produce the Matt Helm series with Dean Martin. Albert Romolo Broccoli, CBE (Hon ( April 5 1909 &ndash June 27 1996) nicknamed "Cubby" was an American EON Productions is a film production company known for producing the James Bond film series. James Bond 007 is a Fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve Novels and two Short story Irving Allen ( November 24 1905 - December 17 1987) was a theatrical and cinematic producer and director Matt Helm is a fictional character created by author Donald Hamilton. Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7 1917 &ndash December 25 1995 was an American Singer, Film Actor, television personality
Columbia Pictures Corporation was renamed Columbia Pictures Industries Inc. in 1968. Nearly bankrupt by the early 1970s, the studio was saved via a radical overhaul: the Gower Street studios were sold and a new management team was brought in. While fiscal health was restored through a careful choice of star-driven vehicles, the studio's image was badly marred by the David Begelman check-forging scandal. David Begelman ( August 26 1921 – August 7 1995) was an American Hollywood producer who was involved in a studio Begelman eventually resigned (later ending up at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), and the studio's fortunes gradually recovered.
From 1971 until the end of 1987, Columbia's international distribution operations were a joint venture with Warner Bros. , and in some countries, this joint venture also distributed films from other companies (like EMI Films and Cannon Films in the UK). EMI Films is a British Film and Television production company and Distributor. The Cannon Group Inc was a group of companies including Cannon Films which produced a distinctive line of low to medium budget films from 1967 to 1993. Warners pulled out of the venture in 1988 to join up with Walt Disney Pictures. Walt Disney Pictures refers to several different entities associated with The Walt Disney Company: Walt Disney Pictures, the film banner was established
In 1974, Columbia retired the Screen Gems name from television, renaming its television division Columbia Pictures Television. Columbia Pictures Television (CPT was the second name of the Columbia Pictures television division Screen Gems (SG
1982-87: Coca-Cola and Tri-Star
With a healthier balance-sheet, Columbia was bought by Coca-Cola in 1982, after having considered buying the struggling Walt Disney Productions. The Coca-Cola Company ( is the world's largest beverage company largest manufacturer distributor and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and Syrups in the world Studio head Frank Price mixed big hits like Tootsie and Ghostbusters with many costly flops. Tootsie is a 1982 Comedy film that tells the story of a talented but volatile Actor whose reputation for being difficult forces him to go to Zuul redirects here For the videogame see Zool. Ghostbusters (titled on-screen as Ghost Busters) is In 1985, Columbia acquired Norman Lear and Jerry Perenchio's Embassy Pictures division Embassy Television (included Tandem Productions), mostly for its library of highly successful television series. Norman Milton Lear (born July 27 1922 in New Haven Connecticut) is an American Television writer and producer who produced such popular Andrew Jerrold "Jerry" Perenchio (born December 20, 1930) was the former chairman and CEO of Univision, the largest Spanish-language company in Embassy Pictures Corporation (previously known as Avco Embassy Pictures and later Embassy Film Associates) was an independent studio and distributor responsible for (Embassy Television is not to be confused with Avco Embassy Television. Tandem Productions Inc (aka Tandem Enterprises Inc) was a film and television production company that started in 1963 by Bud Yorkin and Norman Expanding its television franchise, Columbia also bought Merv Griffin's game show empire the following year, including the rights to Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!
To share the increasing cost of film production, Coke brought in two outside investors whose earlier efforts in Hollywood had come to nothing. Mervyn Edward "Merv" Griffin Jr ( July 6, 1925 &ndash August 12, 2007) was an American Television host and In 1982, Columbia, Time Inc.'s HBO and CBS announced, as a joint venture, "Nova Pictures"; this enterprise was to be renamed Tri-Star Pictures. Time Inc is a major subsidiary of the media conglomerate Time Warner, the company formed by the 1990 CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. TriStar Pictures Inc (spelled Tri-Star until 1991 is a film subsidiary of Columbia Pictures, itself a subdivision of the Columbia TriStar Motion CBS dropped out of the venture in 1984; in 1987, HBO did as well. That same year, Tri-Star entered into the television business as Tri-Star Television. In 1986, Columbia recruited British producer David Puttnam to head the studio. David Terence Puttnam Baron Puttnam, CBE, FRSA, (born 25 February 1941 is a film producer and politician He held the position for only one year.
The volatile film business made Coke shareholders nervous, and following the box-office failure of Ishtar, Coke spun off its entertainment holdings in 1987. Ishtar is a 1987 Comedy film, directed by Elaine May and starring Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman as "Rogers The new stand-alone company, Columbia Pictures Entertainment Inc. , brought Tri-Star fully into the fold in December 1987, creating Columbia/Tri-Star. Puttnam was succeeded by Dawn Steel, the first woman to run a Hollywood motion picture studio. Dawn Steel ( August 19, 1946 – December 20, 1997) was one of the first women to run a major Hollywood film studio Other small-scale, "boutique" entities were created: Nelson Entertainment, a joint venture with British and Canadian partners; Triumph Films, jointly owned with French studio Gaumont; and Castle Rock Entertainment. Triumph Films (aka Triumph Releasing Corporation) is a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment geared towards Gaumont is a French film production company founded in 1895 by the engineer-turned-inventor Léon Gaumont (1864-1946 Castle Rock Entertainment is a film and television Production company founded in 1987 by Martin Shafer, director Rob Reiner, Andy Scheinman,
The Sony years to present
The Columbia Pictures empire was sold in 1989 to electronics giant Sony, one of several Japanese firms then buying American properties. is a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world's largest Media conglomerates with Japanese post-war economic miracle The was an Economic bubble in Japan from 1986 to 1990 in which Real estate and Stock prices greatly inflated Sony then hired two producers, Peter Guber and Jon Peters to serve as co-heads of production. Howard Peter Guber (b 2 March 1942 in Newton Massachusetts) is an American Film For other uses see John Peters. Jon Pagano Peters (born on 2 June 1945 in Van Nuys California to Jack Peters Guber and Peters had just signed a long-term contract with Warner Bros; to extricate them from this contract, Sony ended up paying hundreds of millions of dollars, gave up a half-interest in its Columbia House Records Club mail-order business, and bought from Warner the former MGM studio in Culver City which Warners had acquired in its takeover of Lorimar. Columbia House operates a music and DVD club, and as such is a direct seller of DVD movies and box sets offering its selections through “club membership” Lorimar was an American Television production company that was later a subsidiary of Warner Bros Sony spent $100 million to refurbish the rechristened Sony Pictures Studios. The Sony Pictures Studios are located on 10202 West Washington Boulevard in Culver City California. Guber and Peters set out to prove they were worth this fortune, and though there were to be some successes, there were also many costly flops. Peters resigned in 1991, to be followed soon after by Guber.
Publicly humiliated, Sony suffered an enormous loss on its investment in Columbia, taking a $2. 7 billion write-off in 1994. The entire operation was reorganized and renamed Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE). Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc ( SPE) is the television and Film production/distribution unit of Japanese Media conglomerate Sony John Calley took over as SPE president in November 1996, installing Amy Pascal as Columbia Pictures president and Chris Lee as president of production at TriStar (which had officially lost its hyphen). Amy Pascal (born 1958 is Co-Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc Chris Lee is a Film producer who used to be in charge of Columbia/TriStar. By the next spring, the studios were clearly rebounding, setting a record pace at the box office. [3] In 1998, TriStar was consolidated into the main studio. Pascal retained her position as president of the newly united Columbia Pictures, while Lee became the combined studio's head of production. [4]
In 1994, Columbia Pictures Television and TriStar Television were integrated into Columbia-TriStar Television. Columbia TriStar Television Inc was the third name of the Television studio Screen Gems, adopted with the Columbia-TriStar merger of 1991 TriStar Television would continue as a fully functional television studio until 1999. Also in 1999, Sony Pictures Entertainment relaunched the Screen Gems brand as a horror and independent film distribution company.
In the 2000s, Sony broadened its release schedule by creating Sony Pictures Classics for arthouse fare, and by backing Revolution Studios, the production company headed by Joe Roth. Sony Pictures Classics is one of two specialty film divisions of Sony Pictures Entertainment, the other being Screen Gems (which produces more genre-specific fare Revolution Studios was a Film production company founded in 2000 by Joe Roth, a former chairman of Walt Disney Studios and Twentieth Century Joe Roth (born June 13, 1948) is an American Film executive, producer and Film director. In 2002, Columbia-TriStar Television was renamed Sony Pictures Television. Sony Pictures Television Inc (SPT is an American Television production /distribution company
The Columbia logo
Columbia's logo, a lady carrying a torch (suggestive of the Statue of Liberty), originally appeared in 1924. Liberty Enlightening the World (La liberté éclairant le monde commonly known as the Statue of Liberty (Statue de la Liberté was presented The first model for the logo is unknown, although Bette Davis claimed that Claudia Dell was used. Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (April 5 1908 – October 6 1989 was an American actress of Film, Television and Theatre. Claudia Dell ( January 10, 1910 &ndash September 5, 1977) was an American Showgirl and actress of the stage and Hollywood [5]
The original version of the Torch Lady depicted her draped with an American flag, the word "Columbia" being an informal synonym for the United States. Flags of the United States The Flag of the United States of America consists of 13 equal horizontal stripes of Red (top and bottom alternating Columbia (kəˈlʌmbiə is the first popular and poetic name for the United States of America; it is also the origin of the name for the District The United States of America —commonly referred to as the This was eventually changed to a unicolor drape. The modern color logo has a bluish drape.
In 1936, the logo was somewhat changed, with the Columbia "Torch Lady" appearing with shimmering light behind her in place of the more artificial-looking rays of light projecting from the torch. Actress Evelyn Venable was the original model for this logo,[6] which was used for a total of 40 years. Evelyn Venable ( October 18 1913 - November 15 1993) was an American actress 1976's Taxi Driver was one of the last films to use the "Torch Lady" in her classic appearance. Taxi Driver is a film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader.
In 1976, Columbia (like other studios) experimented with a new logo. It began with the familiar lady with a torch, but the camera zoomed in on the torch, and the torch-light rays then formed an abstract blue semi-circle depicting the top half of the rays of light, with the name of the studio appearing under it. (A variation on this was used in the 2007 film Superbad. Superbad is a 2007 American Comedy film directed by Greg Mottola and starring Jonah Hill and Michael Cera ) The television counterpart used only the latter part of the logo, and the semi-circle was orange.
This logo was replaced with a modernized version of the "Torch Lady" in 1981. In 1993, the logo was repainted digitally by New Orleans artist Michael Deas. It has been rumored that Annette Bening was the model, but in fact Deas used a model named Jenny Joseph. Annette Francine Bening (born May 29, 1958) is an Academy Award -nominated and Golden Globe - BAFTA - and Screen Actors Guild [7]
Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia
Columbia Pictures launched Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia in 1999.
Selected filmography
References
- ^ a b It Happened With One Movie: A Studio Transformed, a November 1999 article from The New York Times by People magazine's film critic Leah Rozen
- ^ Okuda, Ted; Watz, Edward; (1986). This is a list of films produced and/or released by Columbia Pictures. People (full name People Weekly) is a weekly American Magazine of Celebrity and human interest stories, published The Columbia Comedy Shorts, p. 60, McFarland & Company, Inc. , Publishers. ISBN 0899501818
- ^ "A Strong Debut Helps, as a New Chief Tackles Sony's Movie Problems", New York Times, May 26, 1997.
- ^ "Sony Hitches TriStar to Col", Variety, March 31, 1998.
- ^ The History of a Logo: The Lady with the Torch, reelclassics. com, March 24, 2001. Events 1401 - Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus. 1603 - James VI of Scotland Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar.
- ^ Venable, Evelyn. The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-12-01. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 800 - Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican
- ^ Hail, Columbia! Mystery solved, Roger Ebert, October 31, 2004. Events 445 BC – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 91 NLTse "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "
See also
- Columbia Pictures Television
- Columbia TriStar Television
- Columbia TriStar International Television
- Sony Pictures Television
- Sony Pictures Television International
- List of film serials by studio lists the film serials made by Columbia
- Major film studios
External links
- Official Sony Pictures website
- SonyPictures.net (list of worldwide sites)
- Columbia Pictures at the Internet Movie Database
- Columbia Pictures Corporation at the Internet Movie Database
- Columbia Pictures Television at the Internet Movie Database
- Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia at the Internet Movie Database
- Columbia Pictures Cartoons from the Big Cartoon DataBase
- Columbia Pictures at Reel Classics: The History of a Logo -- the Lady with the Torch
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic