Paramount Pictures Corporation
Type	Subsidiary
Founded	Los Angeles, California, USA (May 1912)
Headquarters	Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
Key people	Brad Grey, Chairman and CEO Frederick D. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West The United States of America —commonly referred to as the MAY ( also known as: Mei メイ 메이 is a Korean singer well known in South Korea for singing the song "Miracle" Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting Brad Alan Grey (born December 29, 1957) is an American film, Television producer, and former Talent manager currently Huntsberry, COO
Industry	Motion pictures
Revenue	▲$3. For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" In business revenue or revenues is Income that a company receives from its normal business activities usually from the sale of goods and services 0 billion USD (2005)
Operating income	▼$62. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been In financial and business Accounting, earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT is a measure of a firm's profitability that excludes interest and income tax expenses 1 million USD (2005)
Owner	Gulf+Western (1966-1989) Paramount Communications (1989-1994) Old Viacom (now CBS Corporation) (1994-2006) New Viacom (2006-present)
Parent	Paramount Motion Pictures Group
Website	www.paramount.com

Paramount Pictures Corporation is a major global American motion picture production and distribution company, based in Hollywood, California. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been Ownership is the state or fact of exclusive rights and control over Property, which may be an object, land/real estate, Intellectual property Gulf and Western Industries Inc, for a number of years known as Gulf+Western, was an American conglomerate. CBS Corporation () is an American Media conglomerate focused on Broadcasting, Publishing, Billboards, and Television Viacom ( ( short for " Vi deo & A udio Com munications" is an American Media conglomerate with various worldwide interests A holding company is a company that owns part all or a majority of other companies' outstanding Stock. Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California. A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Production company refers to a company responsible for the development and physical production of Performing arts, Film, Radio or a Television program Distribution (or place) is one of the four elements of Marketing mix. Founded in 1912, it is the oldest running movie studio in Hollywood, beating Universal Studios by a month. Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American Paramount is owned by media conglomerate Viacom. A media conglomerate describes companies that own large numbers of companies in various Mass media such as Television, Radio, Publishing, Viacom ( ( short for " Vi deo & A udio Com munications" is an American Media conglomerate with various worldwide interests

Contents 1 History 1.1 Early history 1.1.1 1910s 1.1.2 1920s 1.1.3 1930s 1.1.4 1940s 1.2 The 1950s to the 1970s 1.2.1 1950s 1.2.2 1960s 1.2.3 1970s 1.3 From the 1980s to 1994 1.4 1994-2004: The Dolgen/Lansing years 1.5 2005 to present 1.5.1 CBS Corporation/Viacom split 1.5.2 DreamWorks, LLC 1.5.3 UIP, Famous Music and Digital Entertainment 1.5.4 Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment 1.5.4.1 HD DVD & Blu-ray support 2 The Paramount library 3 The logo 4 Visiting Paramount 5 See also 6 References 7 Notes on sources 8 External links

History

Early history

1910s

Paramount Pictures can trace its beginnings to the creation in May, 1912, of the Famous Players Film Company. The Famous Players Film Company was founded in 1912 by Adolph Zukor in partnership with the Frohman brothers, the powerful New York City Theatre Founder Hungarian-born Adolph Zukor, who had been an early investor in nickelodeons, saw that movies appealed mainly to working-class immigrants. Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Adolf Zukor, born Adolph Cukor, ( January 7, 1873 &ndash June 10, 1976) was a film mogul and founder of Paramount For the Nickelodeon Theatre in Columbia, SC, see the page on the Columbia Film Society. With partners Daniel Frohman and Charles Frohman he planned to offer feature-length films that would appeal to the middle class by featuring the leading theatrical players of the time (leading to the slogan "famous players in famous plays"). Daniel Frohman ( August 22, 1851 - December 26, 1940) was a Jewish American theatrical producer and manager and an early Charles Frohman ( July 15 1856 – May 7, 1915) was a Jewish American theatrical producer By mid-1913, Famous Players had completed five films, and Zukor was on his way to success.

That same year, another aspiring producer, Jesse L. Lasky, opened his Lasky Feature Play Company with money borrowed from his brother-in-law, Samuel Goldfish, later known as Samuel Goldwyn. Jesse Louis Lasky ( September 13, 1880 &ndash January 13, 1958) was a pioneer Hollywood film producer and also a key founder Samuel Goldwyn ( ca. July 1879 &ndash 31 January 1974) was an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award -winning producer The Lasky company hired as their first employee a stage director with virtually no film experience, Cecil B. DeMille, who would find a suitable location site in Hollywood, near Los Angeles, for his first film, The Squaw Man. Cecil Blount DeMille ( August 12, 1881 – January 21, 1959) was an Academy Award -winning American Film director Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West The Squaw Man ( 1914) also known as The White Man in the UK, was the first feature-length movie made specifically in Hollywood

Beginning in 1914, both Lasky and Famous Players released their films through a start-up company, Paramount Pictures Corporation, organized early that year by a Utah theatre owner, W. W. Hodkinson, who had bought and merged several smaller firms. William Wadsworth Hodkinson ( August 16, 1881 &mdash June 2, 1971) known more commonly as W Paramount was the first successful nation-wide distributor; until this time, films were sold on a state-wide or regional basis. Not only was this inefficient, but it had proved costly to film producers.

Soon the ambitious Zukor, unused to taking a secondary role, began courting Hodkinson and Lasky. Jesse Louis Lasky ( September 13, 1880 &ndash January 13, 1958) was a pioneer Hollywood film producer and also a key founder Adolf Zukor, born Adolph Cukor, ( January 7, 1873 &ndash June 10, 1976) was a film mogul and founder of Paramount Samuel Goldwyn ( ca. July 1879 &ndash 31 January 1974) was an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award -winning producer Cecil Blount DeMille ( August 12, 1881 – January 21, 1959) was an Academy Award -winning American Film director In 1916, Zukor maneuvered a three-way merger of his Famous Players, the Lasky Company, and Paramount. The new company, Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, grew quickly, with Lasky and his partners Goldfish and DeMille running the production side, Hiram Abrams in charge of distribution, and Zukor making great plans. Famous Players-Lasky Corporation was an American Motion picture company formed in 1916 from the merger of Famous Players Film Company and the Jesse With only the exhibitor-owned First National as a rival, Famous Players-Lasky and its "Paramount Pictures" soon dominated the business. First National was an association of independent theater owners in the United States that expanded from exhibiting movies to distributing them and eventually to producing them as

1920s

Zukor believed in stars - after all, he had begun by offering "Famous Players in Famous Plays," as his first slogan put it. He signed and developed many of the leading early stars, among them Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Gloria Swanson, Rudolph Valentino, and Wallace Reid. Mary Pickford ( April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979) was an Academy Award -winning Canadian motion picture Douglas Fairbanks ( May 23 1883 – December 12 1939) was an American Actor, Screenwriter, director Gloria Swanson (March 27 1899 – April 4 1983 was an Academy Award -nominated Golden Globe -winning American Hollywood Rudolph Valentino ( May 6, 1895 &ndash August 23, 1926) was an Italian Actor, Sex symbol, and early Wallace Reid ( April 15, 1891 – January 18, 1923) was an actor in Silent film referred to by Motion Picture Magazine With so many important players, Paramount was able to introduce "block booking," which meant that an exhibitor who wanted a particular star's films had to buy a year's worth of other Paramount productions. It was this system that gave Paramount a leading position in the 1920s and 1930s, but which led the government to pursue it on anti-trust grounds for more than twenty years.

The driving force behind Paramount's rise was Zukor. All through the teens and twenties, he built a mighty theatrical chain of nearly 2,000 screens, ran two production studios, and became an early investor in radio, taking a 50% interest in the new Columbia Broadcasting System in 1928. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. By acquiring the successful Balaban & Katz chain in 1926, he gained the services of both Barney Balaban, who became Paramount's president, and Sam Katz, who ran the Paramount-Publix theatre chain. The first incarnation of the Balaban and Katz Theatre corporation appeared in 1916 in Chicago by A Barney Balaban ( June 8, 1887 - March 7, 1971) was president of Paramount Pictures from 1936 to 1964 and innovator in the cinema Zukor also hired independent producer B. P. Schulberg, an unerring eye for new talent, to run the West Coast studio. BP Schulberg ( January 19, 1892 - February 25, 1957) was a pioneer Film producer and Movie studio executive In 1927, Famous Players-Lasky took on the name Paramount-Famous Lasky Corporation. Three years later, because of the importance of the Publix theater chain, it was later known as Paramount-Publix Corporation.

Also in 1927, Paramount began releasing Inkwell Imps animated cartoons produced by Max & Dave Fleischer's Fleischer Studios in New York City. Out of the Inkwell was a major animated series of the silent era produced by Max Fleischer from 1919 to 1929 Max Fleischer ( July 19, 1883 – September 11, 1972) was an important Austrian American pioneer in the development of the David Fleischer ( July 14 1894 – June 25 1979) was an Austrian-American Animator of Jewish ancestry Film director Fleischer Studios Inc is an American corporation which originated as an Animation studio located at 1600 Broadway, New York City New York. The City of New York The Fleischers, veterans in the animation industry, would prove to be among the few animation producers capable of challenging the prominence of Walt Disney. Walter Elias Disney (December 5 1901 – December 15 1966 was a multiple Academy Award -winning American Film producer, director, Screenwriter

1930s

Eventually Zukor shed most of his early partners; the Frohman brothers, Hodkinson and Goldfish/Goldwyn were out by 1917 while Lasky hung on until 1932, when, blamed for the near-collapse of Paramount in the depression years, he too was tossed out. Zukor's over-expansion and use of overvalued Paramount stock for purchases led the company into receivership in 1933. A bank-mandated reorganization team, led by John Hertz and Otto Kahn kept the company intact, and, miraculously, kept Zukor on. Otto Hermann Kahn ( February 21, 1867 – March 29, 1934) was an Investment banker, Collector, Philanthropist In 1935, Paramount Publix went bankrupt. in 1936, Barney Balaban became president, and Zukor was bumped up to chairman of the board. In this role, Zukor reorganized the company as Paramount Pictures, Inc. and was able to successfully bring the studio out of bankruptcy.

As always, Paramount films continued to emphasize stars; in the 1920s there were Swanson, Valentino, and Clara Bow. Clara Gordon Bow ( July 29, 1905 &ndash September 27 1965) was an American Actress and Sex symbol, who rose to fame By the 1930s, talkies brought in a range of powerful new draws: Marlene Dietrich, Mae West, Gary Cooper, Claudette Colbert, the Marx Brothers, Dorothy Lamour, Carole Lombard, Bing Crosby, the band leader Shep Fields and the famous Argentine tango singer Carlos Gardel among them. Marlene Dietrich maɐˈleːnə ˈdiːtrɪç (December 27 &ndashMay 6) was a German -born American Actress, Singer and Entertainer Mae West (August 17 1893 &ndash November 22 1980 was an American actress, Playwright, Screenwriter, and Sex symbol. Frank James “Gary” Cooper (May 7 &ndashMay 13) was an American film actor and iconic star Claudette Colbert ( IPA: /koʊlˈbɛɹ/ ( September 13, 1903 – July 30, 1996) was a French -born American stage The Marx Brothers were a popular team of sibling Comedians who appeared in Vaudeville, stage plays film and television Dorothy Lamour ( December 10, 1914 – September 22, 1996) was an American motion picture actress. Carole Lombard ( October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) born Jane Alice Peters in Fort Wayne Indiana, was an Oscar-nominated Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby ( May 3, 1903 &ndash October 14, 1977) was an Academy Award winning American Popular Shep Fields ( September 12, 1910 &ndash February 23, 1981) was the band leader for the critically acclaimed "Shep Fields and His Rippling Carlos Gardel ( 11 December 1887 /1890 1 - 24 June 1935 Medellín, Colombia) is In this period Paramount can truly be described as a movie factory, turning out sixty and seventy pictures a year. Such were the benefits of having a huge theater chain to fill, and of block booking to persuade other chains to go along. In 1933, Mae West would also add greatly to Paramount's success with her movies She Done Him Wrong and I'm No Angel [1][2]. Mae West (August 17 1893 &ndash November 22 1980 was an American actress, Playwright, Screenwriter, and Sex symbol. She Done Him Wrong is a Pre-Code 1933 Paramount Pictures comedy / romance motion picture starring Mae I'm No Angel ( 1933) is Mae West's third motion picture Mae West received sole story and screenplay credit However, the sex appeal West gave in these movies would also lead to the enforcement of the Production Code, as the newly formed organization the Catholic Legion of Decency threatened a boycott if it wasn't enforced[3]. For the television broadcasting term please see Production code number. The National Legion of Decency, also known as the Catholic Legion of Decency, was an organization dedicated to identifying and combating objectionable content in Motion

Paramount cartoons produced by Fleischer Studios continued to be successful, with characters such as Betty Boop and Popeye the Sailor becoming widely successful. Betty Boop is an animated Cartoon character appearing in the Talkartoon and Betty Boop series of films produced by Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional hero famous for appearing in comic strips and animated films as well as numerous TV shows One Fleischer series, Screen Songs, featured live-action music stars under contract to Paramount hosting sing-alongs of popular songs. Screen Songs is the name of a series of animated cartoons produced by the Fleischer Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures between 1929 However, a huge blow to Fleischer Studios occurred in 1934, after the Production Code was enforced and Betty Boop's popularity declined as she was forced to have a more tame personality and wear a longer skirt. [4]. The animation studio would rebound with Popeye, and in 1935, polls showed that Popeye was even more popular than Mickey Mouse [5]. Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional hero famous for appearing in comic strips and animated films as well as numerous TV shows After an unsuccessful expansion into feature films, as well as the fact that Max and Dave Fleischer were no longer speaking to one another, Fleischer Studios was acquired by Paramount, who renamed the operation Famous Studios and continued cartoon production until 1967. Famous Studios, renamed Paramount Cartoon Studios in 1956 was the Animation division of the Hollywood film studio Paramount Pictures from 1942 Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar.

1940s

In 1940, Paramount agreed to a government-instituted consent decree: block booking and "pre-selling" (the practice of collecting up-front money for films not yet in production) would end. Immediately Paramount cut back on production, from sixty-plus pictures to a more modest twenty annually in the war years. Still, with more new stars (like Bob Hope, Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, Paulette Goddard, and Betty Hutton), and with war-time attendance at astronomical numbers, Paramount and the other integrated studio-theatre combines made more money than ever. Bob Hope, KBE KCSG ( May 29, 1903 &ndash July 27, 2003) was an American comedian and actor who appeared in Alan Walbridge Ladd ( September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American film Actor. Veronica Lake ( November 14, 1922 &ndash July 7, 1973) was an American film actress and pin-up model Paulette Goddard ( June 3, 1910 – April 23, 1990) was an Oscar -nominated American Film and Theatre Betty Hutton (born Elizabeth June Thornburg, February 26, 1921 – March 11, 2007) was an American film At this, the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department decided to reopen their case against the five integrated studios. The Federal Trade Commission ( FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act For animal rights group see Justice Department (JD The United States Department of Justice ( DOJ) is a Cabinet department Paramount also had a monopoly over Detroit movie theaters through subsidiary company United Detroit Theaters as well [6]. This led to the Supreme Court decision United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. (1948) holding that movie studios could not also own movie theater chains. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. United States v Paramount Pictures, Inc, 334 US 131 ( 1948) (also known as the Hollywood Antitrust Case of 1948, the Paramount This decision broke up Adolph Zukor's amazing creation and effectively brought an end to the classic Hollywood studio system. The studio system was a means of film production and distribution dominant in Hollywood from the early 1920s through the early 1950s

The 1950s to the 1970s

1950s

As movie attendance declined after World War II, Paramount and the others struggled to keep the audience. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Hovering nearby were the FTC and the Justice Department, still pursuing restraint-of-trade allegations. The Federal Trade Commission ( FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act For animal rights group see Justice Department (JD The United States Department of Justice ( DOJ) is a Cabinet department This case finally came before the Supreme Court as U.S. vs. Paramount Pictures, et al., and in May 1948, the court agreed with the government, finding restraint of competition, and calling for the separation of production and exhibition. United States v Paramount Pictures, Inc, 334 US 131 ( 1948) (also known as the Hollywood Antitrust Case of 1948, the Paramount Paramount Pictures Inc. was split in two. Paramount Pictures Corporation was formed to be the production distribution company, with the 1,500-screen theater chain handed to the new United Paramount Theaters on December 31, 1949. United Paramount Theatres, one of the largest chain of cinemas in the United States, was divested from Paramount Pictures as a result of the 1948 United The Balaban and Katz theatre division was spun off with UPT. The Balaban and Katz Trademark is now owned by the Balaban and Katz Historical Foundation. Cash-rich and controlling prime downtown real estate, UPT-head Leonard Goldenson began looking for investments; barred from film-making, he acquired the struggling ABC in February, 1953. Leonard H Goldenson ( December 7 1905 &ndash December 27 1999) was President of ABC. The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network.

Paramount Pictures had been an early backer of television, launching experimental stations in 1939 in Los Angeles (later to become KTLA) and Chicago's WBKB. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West KTLA, channel 5 is a television station in Los Angeles California. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. It was also an early investor in the pioneer DuMont Laboratories and through that, the DuMont Television Network, but because of anti-trust concerns after the 1948 ruling, proved to be a timid and obstructionist partner, refusing to aid DuMont as it sank in the mid-1950s. DuMont Laboratories began in 1931 by Allen B DuMont. The company began researching the Cathode ray tubes that would be used for television The DuMont Television Network was the world's first commercial Television network, beginning operation in the United States in 1946 ^[1][2]

With the loss of the theater chain, Paramount Pictures went into a decline, cutting studio-backed production, releasing its contract players, and making production deals with independents. By the mid-1950s, all the great names were gone; only C. B. DeMille, associated with Paramount since 1913, kept making pictures in the grand old style. Despite Paramount's losses, DeMille would, however, give the studio some relief and create his most successful film at Paramount, a 1956 remake of his 1923 film The Ten Commandments[7]. The Ten Commandments is a 1956 motion picture that Dramatized the Biblical story of Moses, an adopted Egyptian The Ten Commandments is a 1923 epic Silent film directed by Cecil B Like some other studios, Paramount saw little value in its film library (see below for more info on the early Paramount library). DeMille died in 1959.

1960s

By the early 1960s Paramount's future was doubtful. The high-risk movie business was wobbly; the theater chain was long gone; investments in DuMont and in early pay-television came to nothing. Even the flagship Paramount building in Times Square was sold to raise cash, as was KTLA (sold to Gene Autry in 1964 for a then-phenomenal $12. Orvon Gene Autry ( September 29 1907 &ndash October 2 1998) was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy 5 million). Founding-father Adolph Zukor, born in 1873, was still chairman emeritus; he referred to chairman Barney Balaban (born 1888) as 'the boy'. Such aged leadership was incapable of keeping up with the changing times, and in 1966, a sinking Paramount was sold to Charles Bluhdorn's industrial conglomerate Gulf and Western Industries. Charles Blühdorn ( September 20, 1926 - February 20, 1983) was a Vienna Austrian born American Industrialist Gulf and Western Industries Inc, for a number of years known as Gulf+Western, was an American conglomerate. Bluhdorn immediately put his stamp on the studio, installing a virtually unknown producer, Robert Evans, as head of production. Robert Evans (born Robert J Shapera June 29, 1930 in New York New York) is an American Film producer best known Despite some rough times, Evans held the job for eight years, restoring Paramount's reputation for commercial success with The Odd Couple, Love Story, Chinatown, Rosemary's Baby and The Godfather. The Odd Couple is a 1968 film written by Neil Simon, based on his play of the same name, and directed by Gene Saks. Love Story is a 1970 Romantic drama film written by Erich Segal coordinated with his 1970 best-selling novel. Chinatown is a American Neo-noir film directed by Roman Polanski. Rosemary's Baby is a 1968 American horror / thriller Film written and directed by Roman Polanski. The Godfather is a 1972 Crime drama film based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Mario Puzo and directed

Gulf and Western Industries also bought the neighboring Desilu television studio (once the lot of RKO Pictures) from Lucille Ball in 1967. Desilu Productions was a Los Angeles California based company jointly owned by American actors Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Lucille Ball (August 6 1911 – April 26 1989 was an American comedienne, film television stage and radio Actress, model, film Using Desilu's established shows like Star Trek, Mission: Impossible and Mannix as a foot in the door at the networks, the newly-reincorporated Paramount Television eventually became known as a specialist in half-hour situation comedies. Star Trek is a Science fiction Television series created by Gene Roddenberry that aired from September 8, 1966 through Mission Impossible (often referred to as Mission Impossible The Original Series) is an American Television series that chronicles Mannix is an American television detective series that ran from 1967 through 1975 on CBS. Paramount Television was an American Television production / distribution Company that was active from December 1967 to January

1970s

In 1970, Paramount teamed with Universal Studios to form Cinema International Corporation, a new company that would distribute films by the two studios outside the United States. Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American Cinema International Corporation (CIC was a film distribution company started by Paramount Pictures (then owned by Gulf+Western, now a unit of Viacom) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer would become a partner in the mid 1970s. Both Paramount and CIC entered the video market with Paramount Home Video (now Paramount Home Entertainment) and CIC Video, respectively. CIC Video (pronounced "kick" though many spelled out its letters was a Home video distributor owned by Cinema International Corporation (the forerunner

Robert Evans quit as head of production in 1974; his successor Richard Sylbert, was too literary and tasteful for G+W's Bluhdorn. Richard Sylbert ( April 16, 1928 - March 23, 2002) was an Academy Award -winning Production designer and Art director By 1976, a new, television-trained team was in place: Barry Diller, and his 'killer-Dillers,' associates Michael Eisner, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Dawn Steel and Don Simpson. Barry Diller (born 2 February 1942 is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of IAC/InterActiveCorp and the media executive responsible for the creation of Michael Eisner (born March 7, 1942) was CEO of The Walt Disney Company from September 22, 1984 to September 30 Jeffrey Katzenberg (born December 21, 1950 in New York City) is a Jewish American Film producer and CEO Dawn Steel ( August 19, 1946 – December 20, 1997) was one of the first women to run a major Hollywood film studio This page is about the Hollywood film producer For the article about the comic book artist see Don Simpson. The specialty now was simpler, 'high concept' pictures like Saturday Night Fever, and Grease. Saturday Night Fever is a 1977 film starring John Travolta as Tony Manero a troubled Brooklyn youth whose weekend activities are dominated Grease is a film directed by Randal Kleiser and based on Jim Jacobs ' and Warren Casey 's musical, Grease With his television background, Diller kept pitching an idea of his to the board: a fourth commercial network. The Paramount Television Service (or PMTS for short was the name of a proposed but ultimately unrealized "fourth Television network " from the major But the board, and Bluhdorn, wouldn't bite. Neither would Bluhdorn's successor, Martin Davis. Diller took his fourth-network idea with him when he moved to Twentieth Century-Fox in 1984, where the new proprietor, Rupert Murdoch, was a more interested listener. is gay Bold text' Keith Rupert Murdoch', AC, KCSG (born Melbourne, March 11 1931 usually known as Rupert Murdoch, is an Australian-American

Paramount Pictures was unconnected to Paramount Records, until it purchased the rights to use Paramount Records' name (but not its catalogue) in the late 1960s. Paramount Records was an American Record label, best known for its recordings of African-American Jazz and Blues in the 1920s and The Paramount name was used for soundtrack albums and some pop re-issues from the Dot Records catalogue. Paramount Records was a Record label started in 1969 by Paramount Pictures (then a unit of Gulf+Western) after acquiring the rights to the name Dot Records was an American Record label and company that was active between 1950 and 1977. Paramount had acquired the pop-oriented Dot in 1958, but by 1970 Dot had become an all-country label [8]. In 1974, Paramount sold all of its record holdings to ABC Records, which in turn was sold to MCA in 1978. ABC Records started in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records the record label of Am-Par Record Corporation (a subsidiary of American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres MCA Inc (or Music Corporation of America) was an American Corporation in the music and television businesses

From the 1980s to 1994

Paramount's successful run of pictures extended into the 1980s and 1990s, generating hits like Flashdance, Footloose, Fatal Attraction, the Friday the 13th slasher series, as well as Raiders of the Lost Ark and its sequels. Flashdance is a musical / Romance film released in April 1983 and was one of the most successful films of the early 1980s For the musical see Footloose (musical. For the title song by Kenny Loggins from this movie see Footloose (song. Fatal Attraction is a 1987 thriller about a married man who has a weekend Affair with a woman who refuses to allow it to end and who becomes The slasher film (sometimes referred to as bodycount films and dead teenager movies) is a Sub-genre Raiders of the Lost Ark (also known as Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark) is a 1981 Adventure film directed by Steven Other examples are the Star Trek series and a string of films starring comedian Eddie Murphy (such as Beverly Hills Cop). Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy (born April 3 1961 is an Academy Award -nominated Golden Globe - Screen Actors Guild Award -winning American Beverly Hills Cop is a 1984 American action - Comedy film directed by Martin Brest and starring Eddie Murphy While the emphasis was decidedly on the commercial, there were occasional less commercial efforts like I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can, Atlantic City, and Terms of Endearment. I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can is a 1982 American Biographical film directed by Jack Hofsiss. Atlantic City is a film directed by Louis Malle. Filmed in late 1979 it was released in France and Germany in 1980 and in the United During this period responsibility for running the studio passed from Eisner and Katzenberg to Don Simpson to Stanley Jaffe and Sherry Lansing. Sherry Lansing (born July 31, 1944 in Chicago Illinois as Sherry Lee Heimann) is the former CEO of Paramount Pictures More so than most, Paramount's slate of films included many remakes and television spinoffs; while sometimes commercially successful, there have been few compelling films of the kind that once made Paramount the industry leader.

In 1981, Cinema International Corporation was reorganized as United International Pictures. United International Pictures (or UIP; now known as Paramount Pictures International) is a Joint venture of Paramount Pictures (owned by This was necessary because MGM had merged with United Artists which had its own international distribution unit, but MGM was not allowed to leave the venture at the time (they finally did in 2001, switching international distribution to 20th Century Fox). This article is about the film studio Previously it was affiliated with a cinema chain bearing its name now owned by Regal Entertainment Group.

When Charles Bluhdorn died unexpectedly, his successor Martin Davis dumped all of G+W's industrial, mining, and sugar-growing subsidiaries and refocused the company, renaming it Paramount Communications in 1989. With the influx of cash from the sale of G+W's industrial properties in the mid-1980s, Paramount bought a string of television stations and KECO Entertainment's theme park operations, renaming them Paramount Parks. Kings Entertainment Company ( KECO) owned and/or operated six theme parks around the world Paramount Parks was an operator of Theme parks and attractions which annually attracted about 13 million patrons

In 1993, Sumner Redstone's entertainment conglomerate Viacom made a bid for Paramount; this quickly escalated into a bidding war with Barry Diller. Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) Sumner Murray Redstone (born Sumner Murray Rothstein; May 27 1923) is Majority owner and Chairman of the Board of the National But Viacom prevailed, ultimately paying $10 billion for the Paramount holdings.

Paramount is the last major film studio located in Hollywood proper. When Paramount moved to its present home in 1927, it was in the heart of the film community. Since then, former next-door neighbor RKO closed up shop in 1957; Warner Bros. (whose old Sunset Boulevard studio was sold to Paramount in 1949 as a home for KTLA) moved to Burbank in 1930; Columbia joined Warners in Burbank in 1973 then moved again to Culver City in 1989; and the Pickford-Fairbanks-Goldwyn-United Artists lot, after a lively history, has been turned into a post-production and music-scoring facility for Warners, known simply as "The Lot". Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County California, United States. }} Columbia Pictures Industries Inc is an American Film production and distribution company Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County California. See also Filmmaking Post-production occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, Videos audio recordings For a time the semi-industrial neighborhood around Paramount was in decline, but has now come back. The recently refurbished studio has come to symbolize Hollywood for many visitors, and its studio tour is a popular attraction.

1994-2004: The Dolgen/Lansing years

The most successful period for Paramount in recent times was the administration of Jonathan Dolgen, chairman, and Sherry Lansing, president. Sherry Lansing (born July 31, 1944 in Chicago Illinois as Sherry Lee Heimann) is the former CEO of Paramount Pictures

Under Dolgen and Lansing the studio had almost a ten year unbroken track record of success including 6 of Paramount's ten highest grossing films (as of 2007) and the highest grossing film of all time, Titanic (which, along with Braveheart, was co-produced by 20th Century Fox). Titanic is a 1997 Disaster film directed written co-produced and co-edited by James Cameron about the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'' Braveheart is a 1995 historical action-drama movie produced and directed by Mel Gibson, who also starred in the title role The studio won Best Picture Academy Awards for the films Titanic, Braveheart and Forrest Gump, while also releasing such films as Saving Private Ryan (outside the US, DreamWorks handled American distribution) and the hugely successful series of Mission Impossible films. DreamWorks LLC, also known as DreamWorks Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, or DreamWorks Studios, is a major American Film studio Dolgen and Lansing also developed the 2005 hit War of the Worlds and 2007's Transformers films (with Dreamworks) and revived the Indiana Jones series by signing Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford to produce and star in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, released in 2008. DreamWorks LLC, also known as DreamWorks Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, or DreamWorks Studios, is a major American Film studio Steven Allan Spielberg, KBE (Hon (born December 18 1946 is an American Film director, Screenwriter and producer. Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an Academy Award - and BAFTA -nominated as well as Golden Globe -winning American Meanwhile, Paramount Television developed and produced the record-breaking Frasier, a spin-off of their earlier '80s hit, Cheers. Frasier is an American sitcom, a Spin-off of Cheers starring Kelsey Grammer as Cheers is an American Situation comedy television series that ran eleven seasons from 1982 to 1993

In 1995, Viacom and Chris-Craft Industries' United Television launched United Paramount Network (UPN), fulfilling Barry Diller's 1970s plan for a Paramount network. Chris-Craft Industries is a privately held American manufacturer of civilian Powerboats based in Sarasota Florida. Chris-Craft Industries is a privately held American manufacturer of civilian Powerboats based in Sarasota Florida. United Paramount Network ( UPN) was a Television network that broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States and that was in production for over eleven In 1999, Viacom bought out United Television's interests, and handed responsibility for the start-up network to the newly acquired CBS unit, which Viacom bought in 1999 - an ironic confluence of events as Paramount had once invested in CBS, and Viacom had once been the syndication arm of CBS as well. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network.

During the Dolgen/Lansing administration Paramount tripled the size of its TV library through the acquisitions of Spelling TV, Republic and Worldvision; doubled the profits of their music publishing division Famous Music, expanded the international theater group UCI to 13 foreign countries and took the Famous Players theater circuit in Canada from 25% to 53% market share. Paramount's theme park division grew to become the fifth highest attended group in the country with five consecutive years of attendance growth from 2000 (when the unit was placed under Tom McGrath) to 2005. Thomas B McGrath (born 1956 though little known outside Hollywood, has been a leading behind-the-scenes player in reshaping modern media throughout his entertainment

Dolgen and Lansing also introduced the DVD, led the formation of the Digital Cinema Initiative standards group for the future of digital film exhibition and launched the first ever online movie distribution company, Movielink. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is Digital Cinema Initiatives LLC or DCI is a joint venture of major motion picture studios formed to establish a standard architecture for Digital cinema Movielink is a web -based Video on demand (VOD and electronic sell-through (EST service offering movies TV shows and other videos for rental or purchase Dolgen is credited with pioneering the use of off-balance-sheet financing for movies while at Columbia Pictures and at Paramount his team (led by Tom McGrath) secured over $4 billion in financings this way. Off balance sheet (OBS usually means an Asset or Debt or financing activity not on the company's Balance sheet. Thomas B McGrath (born 1956 though little known outside Hollywood, has been a leading behind-the-scenes player in reshaping modern media throughout his entertainment

2005 to present

CBS Corporation/Viacom split

Reflecting in part the troubles of the broadcasting business, in 2005 Viacom wrote off over $28 billion from its radio acquisitions and, early that year, announced that it would split itself in two. The split was completed in January 2006.

The CBS television and radio networks, the Infinity radio-station chain (now called CBS Radio), the Paramount Television production unit (known as CBS Paramount (Network) Television) and the network UPN (replaced by The CW Television Network, co-owned with rival Time Warner's Warner Bros.) are part of CBS Corporation, as was Paramount Parks prior to its June 2006 sale by CBS to the Cedar Fair Entertainment Company. This article is about the radio group for the radio network see CBS Radio Network. CBS Paramount Television (formerly Desilu Productions, Paramount Television, among other companies is an American Television production United Paramount Network ( UPN) was a Television network that broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States and that was in production for over eleven The CW Television Network ( The CW) is a Television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006-2007 television season. Time Warner Inc ( is the world's largest media and entertainment conglomerate, headquartered in New York City. Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and CBS Corporation () is an American Media conglomerate focused on Broadcasting, Publishing, Billboards, and Television Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, legally known as Cedar Fair L CBS Corporation also merged its television distribution arms, KingWorld, CBS Paramount International Television and CBS Paramount Television, into CBS Television Distribution in 2006. King World Productions Inc (also known as King World Entertainment or simply King World) was a syndicator of television programming in the United States CBS Television Distribution (CTD is a United States and Global Television Distribution company, a merger of CBS Corporation 's three

Paramount Pictures is now lumped in with MTV, BET, and other highly profitable channels owned by the new Viacom. MTV ( Music Television) is an American Cable television network based in New York City. Viacom ( ( short for " Vi deo & A udio Com munications" is an American Media conglomerate with various worldwide interests

With the announcement of the split of Viacom, Dolgen and Lansing were replaced by former television executives Brad Grey and Gail Berman. The decision was made to split Viacom into two companies, which in turn led to a dismantling of the Paramount Studio/Paramount TV infrastructure. The current Paramount is about one-quarter the size it was under Dolgen and Lansing and consists only of the movie studio. The famed Paramount Television studio was made part of CBS in the split. The remaining businesses were sold off or parceled out to other operating groups. Paramount's home entertainment unit continues to distribute the Paramount TV library through CBS DVD, as both Viacom and CBS Corporation are controlled by National Amusements. CBS Home Entertainment is the new Home video entertainment arm of CBS Corporation. National Amusements Inc is a privately owned media and entertainment company based in Dedham Massachusetts, USA

DreamWorks, LLC

On December 11, 2005, Paramount announced that it had purchased DreamWorks SKG (which was co-founded by former Paramount executive Jeffrey Katzenberg) in a deal worth $1. Events 359 - Honoratus, the first known Prefect of the City of Constantinople, takes office DreamWorks LLC, also known as DreamWorks Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, or DreamWorks Studios, is a major American Film studio Jeffrey Katzenberg (born December 21, 1950 in New York City) is a Jewish American Film producer and CEO 6 billion. The announcement was made by Brad Grey, chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures, who noted that enhancing Paramount's pipeline of pictures is a "key strategic objective in restoring Paramount's stature as a leader in filmed entertainment. " The agreement doesn't include DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., the most profitable part of the company that went public last year. DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc ( is an independent American Animation studio which primarily produce a series of critically and commercially successful

Under the deal, Paramount is required to distribute the DreamWorks animated films for a small fee intended only to cover Paramount's out of pocket costs with no profit to the studio, including the Shrek franchise (and ending for the 2004 installment, Shrek 2). Shrek is a 2001 computer-animated American Comedy film, directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, and Shrek 2, released in the United States on 19 May 2004, is the 2004 Academy Award nominated Sequel to the The first film distributed under this deal is Over the Hedge. Over the Hedge is a 2006 computer-animated film based on the characters from United Media comic strip of the same name.

The deal closed on February 6, 2006. This acquisition was seen at the time as a stopgap measure as Brad Grey had been unsuccessful in assembling sufficient films for production and distribution and the DreamWorks films would fill the gap.

UIP, Famous Music and Digital Entertainment

Grey also broke up the famous UIP international distribution company, the most successful international film distributor in history, after a 25-year partnership with Universal Studios and has started up a new international group. As a consequence Paramount fell from #1 in the international markets to the lowest ranked major studio in 2006 but recovered in 2007 if the Dreamworks films, acquired by Paramount, are included in Paramount's market share.

Grey has also launched a Digital Entertainment division to take advantage of emerging digital distribution technologies. This led to Paramount becoming the 2nd movie studio to sign a deal with Apple to sell its films through the iTunes store. They also signed an exclusive agreement with the failed HD-DVD consortium and subsequently gave up the guarantees they had received and will now release in the Blu Ray format.

Also, in 2007, Paramount sold another one of its "heritage" units, Famous Music, to Sony-ATV Music Publishing (best known for publishing many songs by The Beatles), ending a nearly-eight decade run as a division of Paramount, being the studio's music publishing arm since the period when the entire company went by the name "Famous Players. Famous Music was the worldwide music publishing division of Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom. Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC is one of the world's largest music publishing companies The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 "

This inexplicable sale is considered in the industry a sign of the emerging role of Philippe Daumann, Viacom's CEO since 2006, whose lack of knowledge of the movie, TV and music industries and consequent preference for cable TV drives the company's strategy.

Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment

Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment (formerly Paramount Home Video and Paramount Video) is the division of Paramount Pictures dealing with home video and was founded in 1976. Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or hired for home entertainment Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

PPHE distributes films by Paramount (under its own label) and DreamWorks (under the DreamWorks Pictures Home Entertainment label), shows from MTV Networks (under the MTV DVD, Nickelodeon DVD, Nickelodeon Movies DVD, Comedy Central DVD and Spike DVD labels), PBS (under the PBS Home Video label), Showtime (under its own label), and CBS-owned programs (under the CBS Home Entertainment label) on DVD. DreamWorks LLC, also known as DreamWorks Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, or DreamWorks Studios, is a major American Film studio DreamWorks LLC, also known as DreamWorks Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, or DreamWorks Studios, is a major American Film studio MTV Networks Company, also known as MTV Networks, is a division of Media conglomerate Viacom that oversees the operation of many TV network MTV ( Music Television) is an American Cable television network based in New York City. Nickelodeon (commonly referred to as Nick) is an American Cable television network owned by Viacom International, founded in 1977 as Pinwheel Nickelodeon (commonly referred to as Nick) is an American Cable television network owned by Viacom International, founded in 1977 as Pinwheel Comedy Central is an American Cable television and Satellite television channel that carries predominantly Comedy programming Spike (formerly called Spike TV) a division of MTV Networks, is an American cable network designed for an audience described The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the Showtime is a subscription television Brand used by a number of channels and platforms around the world but primarily refers to a group of channels in the United CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. CBS Home Entertainment is the new Home video entertainment arm of CBS Corporation.

PHE have developed a well-known trademark, by giving their Special Edition/Director's Cut editions different names rather than the usual "Special Edition," or "Director's Edition". Paramount Home Entertainment gives them different names such as Grease: Rockin' Rydell Edition, Beavis & Butthead Do America: The Edition That Doesn't Suck and Airplane: "Don't Call Me Shirley" Edition. Beavis and Butt-Head Do America is an Animated Feature film, based on the TV series Beavis and Butt-Head, that was released Airplane! is a 1980 American Comedy film directed and written by David Zucker Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker.

Internationally, PHE holds the DVD rights to several shows on HBO. PHE also distributes in Germany the DVD releases of films distributed theatrically by Prokino Filmverleih.

As Paramount Home Video, the company once distributed several Miramax releases on video - the video rights to some of these films (such as Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth) are still owned by Paramount. Hellraiser III Hell on Earth is a film released September 11 1992, directed by Anthony Hickox. ^[3]

HD DVD & Blu-ray support

Paramount brands the majority of its HD content under the label 'Paramount High Definition' which is seen both on the title box cover and as an in-movie opening. Films from Paramount subsidiaries such as Nickelodeon Movies and MTV Films as well as from sister studio DreamWorks SKG use no special branding, Paramount Vantage (another subsidiary) releases only select titles under the Paramount High Definition banner such as Babel. Nickelodeon Movies is the Motion picture production arm of children's cable channel Nickelodeon, originally founded in 1996 MTV Films is the Motion picture production arm of cable channel MTV. DreamWorks LLC, also known as DreamWorks Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, or DreamWorks Studios, is a major American Film studio Paramount Vantage (originally known as Paramount Classics) is the specialty film division of Paramount Pictures (which in turn is part of Viacom) charged Babel is a 2006 film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and written by Guillermo Arriaga, starring an Ensemble cast.

On October 02, 2005, Paramount Pictures announced that it would be supporting the HD video format Blu-ray Disc in addition to rival format HD DVD, becoming the first studio to release on both formats. Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. not insert the publicly disclosed HD DVD key into this article for the time being ^[4]

On July 25, 2006, Paramount Pictures released 4 titles (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Sahara, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and Sleepy Hollow) for the first time on HD DVD and on High-Definition in general. Events 285 - Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar, co-ruler Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Lara Croft Tomb Raider is a film adaptation of the Tomb Raider video game series Sahara is a 2005 action / Adventure Film, directed by Breck Eisner, based on the best-selling book of the same name Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is a 2004 American Pulp adventure, Science fiction film written and directed by Kerry Sleepy Hollow is a 1999 period Horror film directed by Tim Burton, interpreting the legend of The Headless Horseman ^[5]

On September 26, 2006, Paramount Pictures released 4 titles (the same as the first HD DVD releases except Four Brothers instead of Sahara) for the first time on Blu-ray. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar dedicates a Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. For the jazz standard written by Jimmy Giuffre, see Four Brothers (jazz standard Four Brothers ( 2005) is an Sahara is a 2005 action / Adventure Film, directed by Breck Eisner, based on the best-selling book of the same name ^[6]

On August 20, 2007, Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, and DreamWorks Animation announced their exclusive support for the HD DVD format citing its cost benefits and superior features. Events 636 - Battle of Yarmouk: Arab forces led by Khalid ibn al-Walid take control of Syria and Palestine Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. DreamWorks LLC, also known as DreamWorks Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, or DreamWorks Studios, is a major American Film studio DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc ( is an independent American Animation studio which primarily produce a series of critically and commercially successful However, the New York Times reported, citing two Viacom executives, that the studio was compensated $150 million for a period of 18 months exclusivity. Paramount has neither denied nor confirmed this, however Paramount's CTO Alan Bell indicated it was an indefinite commitment. Films directed by Steven Spielberg are excluded from this announcement as he controls the rights to his own works. Steven Allan Spielberg, KBE (Hon (born December 18 1946 is an American Film director, Screenwriter and producer. ^[7] In response to these reports of a $150 million incentives deal, DreamWorks Animation CEO, Jeffrey Katzenberg stated that it was disingenuous for other companies to suggest that they were not compensated for endorsing Blu-ray. DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc ( is an independent American Animation studio which primarily produce a series of critically and commercially successful A chief executive officer ( CEO) or chief executive is typically the highest-ranking corporate officer ( executive) or administrator Jeffrey Katzenberg (born December 21, 1950 in New York City) is a Jewish American Film producer and CEO ^[8]

On January 4, 2008, Warner Bros., the sole remaining format-neutral studio with a 30% share of the entire home video market announced that it would exclusively support Blu-ray and drop the HD DVD format beginning June, 2008 because sales of Blu-ray titles were much higher than their HD DVD counterparts and the studio believed that a single unified HD video format would end consumer confusion and spur sales. Events 46 BC - Titus Labienus defeats Julius Caesar in the Battle of Ruspina. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and not insert the publicly disclosed HD DVD key into this article for the time being Events in June Madaraka Day June 1 to commemorate when Kenya gained internal self-rule 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The effect on HD DVD was massive in that the format only had support of 30% of the home video market vs. 70% Blu-ray, causing a ripple effect on HD DVD supporting studios, various news reports reported that Paramount, DreamWorks and unrelated studio Universal were all poised to drop support of the seemingly doomed format and support Blu-ray, these reports were denied by all studios although Paramount stated that it would not announce any new titles at the Consumer Electronics Show 2008 where Toshiba cancelled the HD DVD conference. Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American

On January 6, 2008, several industry publications indicated that Paramount's agreement with Toshiba was no longer valid, and they were therefore free to release on the Blu-ray format. Events 1066 - Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England. 1205 - Philip of Swabia becomes King 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common This was due to a rumored clause in Paramount's agreement with Toshiba, which was subsequently triggered as a result of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announcing plans to exclusively support Blu-ray beginning June 2008. In a statement on January 9, the studio's VP of Publicity, Brenda Cicconne disputed the rumors and commented that Paramount's current plan was to continue to support the HD DVD format. Events 475 - Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople. not insert the publicly disclosed HD DVD key into this article for the time being

On February 19, 2008, Toshiba declared that it would no longer market or manufacture HD DVD players. Events 197 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common As a result, Paramount Pictures' agreement regarding the support of the HD DVD format was nullified. not insert the publicly disclosed HD DVD key into this article for the time being ^[9]

On February 21, 2008, Paramount quietly sent a brief statement to The Hollywood Reporter indicating that they will again release on the Blu-ray format, however did not announce any titles or offer a timeframe. Events 362 - Athanasius returns to Alexandria. 1245 - Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[10]

On February 27, 2008, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg announced that the studio would remain HD DVD exclusive until Toshiba said otherwise, he stated "We have a partnership with Toshiba and have an obligation to see this through, it really is in their court at this point to really declare what the next step will be. Events 1560 - The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Congregation 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Jeffrey Katzenberg (born December 21, 1950 in New York City) is a Jewish American Film producer and CEO We're poised either way to jump into the marketplace when the conditions are right to do so. " He also stated "As you know we have been well compensated for our support. "^[11][12], confirming rumors of exclusive support compensation.

On February 28, 2008, Paramount confirmed that its final titles on the HD DVD format would be Into the Wild and Things We Lost in the Fire, which were released on March 4, 2008. Events 202 BC - coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty 's rule 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common not insert the publicly disclosed HD DVD key into this article for the time being Into the Wild is a 2007 Film based on the 1996 non-fiction book of the same name by Jon Krakauer about the adventures Things We Lost In The Fire is a 2007 Drama film directed by Susanne Bier and written by Allan Loeb. Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The studio also confirmed that previously announced HD DVD titles There Will Be Blood, and The Kite Runner had been canceled. not insert the publicly disclosed HD DVD key into this article for the time being There Will Be Blood is a 2007 film directed written and produced by Paul Thomas Anderson. The Kite Runner ( - Kāğazparān Bāz or بادبادک‌باز Bādbādak-bāz is a 2007 Academy Award -nominated film directed by In addition, it was revealed that DreamWorks Animation's sole upcoming release on the format, Bee Movie, had been cancelled^[13], stating that issues with the studio regarding HD DVD support had been resolved. Bee Movie is a 2007 Golden Globe -nominated CGI-animated Film starring Jerry Seinfeld, Renée Zellweger, The studio is not expected to release titles on Blu-ray until summer 2008, and until then all home video releases will be on standard definition DVD. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is ^[14]

On March 4, 2008, Paramount released the two aforementioned titles, officially ending support of the HD DVD format. Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common

On April 29, 2008, Paramount announced the first releases for their re-entry into the Blu-ray market. Events 1429 - Joan of Arc arrives to relieve the Siege of Orleans. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common On May 20th 2008 Paramount will release three titles on the format, Bee Movie, Face/Off and Next followed by a further two titles, Cloverfield and There Will Be Blood on June 20th 2008, the first release day-and-date with the standard DVD release will be The Spiderwick Chronicles on June 24th 2008. Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Bee Movie is a 2007 Golden Globe -nominated CGI-animated Film starring Jerry Seinfeld, Renée Zellweger, Face/Off is a 1997 Action film directed by John Woo and starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. Next is a 2007 Film, the original script is very loosely based on the Science fiction short story " The Golden Man " by Cloverfield is a 2008 monster / Horror film directed by Matt Reeves, produced by J There Will Be Blood is a 2007 film directed written and produced by Paul Thomas Anderson. Events 451 - Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius ' defeats Attila the Hun. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces takes place 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common These releases will mark Paramount's re-entry into the HDM market after a 3 month hiatus with the fall of HD DVD, they will also be the studio's first Blu-ray titles in 9 months since August 20, 2007 when Paramount declared exclusive support for the now defunct format HD DVD. not insert the publicly disclosed HD DVD key into this article for the time being Events 636 - Battle of Yarmouk: Arab forces led by Khalid ibn al-Walid take control of Syria and Palestine Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[15][16]

On April 30, 2008, Paramount further detailed their re-entry into the Blu-ray market, announcing the resumed production of 16 former Blu-ray titles (Aeon Flux, Babel, Black Snake Moan, Coming to America, Disturbia, Dreamgirls, Four Brothers, The Italian Job, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Sleepy Hollow, Trading Places, The Untouchables, The Warriors, U2: Rattle and Hum, We Were Soldiers and World Trade Center) out of a former 32, on May 20th 2008 along with the first series of new Blu-ray releases. Events 313 - Roman emperor Licinius unifies the entire Eastern Roman Empire under his rule 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Æon Flux is a 2005 Science fiction film released on December 2, 2005. Babel is a 2006 film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and written by Guillermo Arriaga, starring an Ensemble cast. Black Snake Moan is a 2007 film written and directed by Craig Brewer. Coming to America is a 1988 Academy Award -nominated Comedy film directed by John Landis. Dreamgirls is a 2006 American Musical film, directed by Bill Condon and jointly produced and released by DreamWorks Pictures For the jazz standard written by Jimmy Giuffre, see Four Brothers (jazz standard Four Brothers ( 2005) is an The Italian Job is a 2003 American Heist film directed by F Gary Gray. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is a 2004 American Pulp adventure, Science fiction film written and directed by Kerry Sleepy Hollow is a 1999 period Horror film directed by Tim Burton, interpreting the legend of The Headless Horseman Trading Places is an Academy Award -nominated 1983 Comedy film starring Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis. The Untouchables is a 1987 crime drama film based on the 1959 television series, and follows Eliot Ness 's Autobiographical The Warriors is a 1979 cult classic action / thriller film directed by Walter Hill and based on the 1965 novel Rattle and Hum is the name of both an album and its companion motion picture recorded by Irish rock band U2, released in 1988 We Were Soldiers is a 2002 American War film that dramatized the Battle of Ia Drang in November 1965, the first major engagement World Trade Center is a 2006 American Drama film, directed by Oliver Stone and based on the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[17] The release will also include Blades of Glory, a title that was due to be released just days before the Paramount announcement to support HD DVD exclusively and saw limited store releases and online pre-order fufillments before being recalled as part of the exclusivity contract, the title instantly gained rarity and was often sold at many times the RRP on online websites such as Ebay and Amazon.com. Blades of Glory is a 2007 American Comedy film directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck, and starring Will Ferrell and The ( manufacturer's) suggested retail price ( MSRP or SRP) list price or recommended retail price ( RRP) (originally eBay Inc is an American Internet company that manages eBaycom an Online auction and shopping Website in which people and businesses buy and Amazoncom Inc ( is an American electronic commerce ( E-commerce) company in Seattle Washington. ^[18] Paramount releases internationally will begin with the simultaneous worldwide release of The Spiderwick Chronicles on June 24th, 2008 and will be followed by two titles in August, 2008, Cloverfield and No Country for Old Men (the latter, along with There Will Be Blood, was a co-production of Paramount Vantage and Miramax Films; Paramount Vantage distributed the former internationally and the latter domestically, while Miramax distributed the former domestically and the latter internationally). Events 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces takes place 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Other names In Arabic, the month is called أغسطسص ʾUġusṭuṣ or آب ʾĀb; usage varies from place to place and 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Cloverfield is a 2008 monster / Horror film directed by Matt Reeves, produced by J No Country for Old Men is a 2007 crime [[thriller (genre| thriller film]] adapted for the screen and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, starring There Will Be Blood is a 2007 film directed written and produced by Paul Thomas Anderson. ^[19]

On May 6th, 2008 an earnings report from Paramount parent company Viacom in Variety announced that there was indeed a payoff from Toshiba for exclusive support of the HD DVD format in August 2007. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Viacom ( ( short for " Vi deo & A udio Com munications" is an American Media conglomerate with various worldwide interests Variety is a weekly entertainment trade newspaper founded in New York in 1905 by Sime Silverman ( is a multinational conglomerate manufacturing company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Viacom claimed that they were given $29 million in exchange for exclusive support and thanks to this payment revenues from home video were much higher than what they would have been if the deal was not accepted and that profits would have been down slightly from 2006. The $29 million was much lower than the earlier estimates of $150 million, however the agreement may have been for this amount originally but was lowered with the collapse of HD DVD and Paramount's subsequent inability to carry the deal for the full 18 month time period, the amount also may have been paid in installments instead of the full amount and these installments were simply not issued after February 19, 2008. Events 197 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[20][21][22]

On May 8th, 2008 Paramount announced that their entire back catalogue of 32 Blu-ray titles would be re-issued by the end of May 2008. Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[23][24]

On May 20th, 2008 Paramount released 3 titles, Blades of Glory, Face/Off and Next, as the first Blu-ray titles to be released post August 2007. Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Blades of Glory is a 2007 American Comedy film directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck, and starring Will Ferrell and Face/Off is a 1997 Action film directed by John Woo and starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. NeXT Computer Inc (later NeXT Software Inc) was an American Computer company headquartered in Redwood City, California that The 16 former title re-issues and other titles were pushed back to June 3, 2008. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[25]

The Paramount library

Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, many of Paramount's early cartoons, shorts, and feature films are owned by numerous entities.

In 1955, Paramount acquired Frank Capra's production company, Liberty Films, which produced only 2 films in the late 1940s - It's a Wonderful Life, released originally by RKO Radio Pictures, and State of the Union, released originally by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Frank Russell Capra ( May 18, 1897 &ndash September 3, 1991) was an Academy Award winning Italian-American Film Liberty Films was an independent motion picture production company founded in California by Frank Capra and Samuel J It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story " The Greatest State of the Union is a 1948 film adaptation written by Myles Connolly and Anthony Veiller of the Russel Crouse, Howard

Around that same time, as mentioned before, Paramount saw little value in its library, and decided to sell off its back catalog.

The Paramount cartoons and shorts went to various television distributors, with U.M.&M. T.V. Corp. acquiring the majority of the cartoons and live action short subjects made before 1951. UM&M TV Corp is best known as the original purchaser of Paramount Pictures ' pre-1951 shorts and cartoons (excluding Popeye and Superman) Some lesser known features were included in this deal as well, as was It's a Wonderful Life. It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story " The Greatest However, the Popeye cartoons were sold to Associated Artists Productions, and the Superman cartoons went to Motion Pictures for Television, producers of the Superman television series. Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional hero famous for appearing in comic strips and animated films as well as numerous TV shows Associated Artists Productions ( aap Adventures of Superman is an American Television series based on Comic book characters and concepts created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel U. M. &M. was later sold to National Telefilm Associates (or NTA). National Telefilm Associates (otherwise known by its initials NTA was an independent distribution company that handled reissues of American film libraries including NTA changed its name to Republic Pictures (which was previously the name of a minor film studio, whose backlog had been sold to NTA) in 1984, and was sold to Viacom in 1999, hence all the material sold to U. Republic Pictures (also known as Republic Entertainment Inc) is an independent film television and video distribution company that was originally a movie production-distribution M. &M. would return to Paramount.

The Popeye cartoons passed on to United Artists after its purchase of AAP, then to MGM after they purchased UA. This article is about the film studio Previously it was affiliated with a cinema chain bearing its name now owned by Regal Entertainment Group. After Ted Turner failed in an attempt to buy MGM/UA in 1986, he settled for ownership of the library, which included the AAP material. Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is an American Media proprietor and philanthropist. Turner Entertainment, the holding company for Turner's film library, would later be sold to Time Warner. Turner Entertainment Company Inc is an American media company founded by Ted Turner. Time Warner Inc ( is the world's largest media and entertainment conglomerate, headquartered in New York City. Turner technically holds the rights to the Popeye cartoons today, but sales and distribution is in the hands of Warner Bros. Entertainment. Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and WB also owns Superman's publisher, DC Comics, and although the Superman cartoons are now in the public domain, WB owns the original film elements. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone

The rest of the cartoons made from 1950-1962, were sold to Harvey Comics and are now owned by Classic Media. Harvey Comics (also known as Harvey Publications) was an American Comic book Publisher, founded by Alfred Harvey in 1941 after buying Classic Media Inc is an American Production company /distributor of family programming acquired in 2007 by UK-based rival Entertainment Rights. Except for the Superman cartoons and the features sold to MCA (to end up with Universal), most television prints of these films have had their titles refilmed to remove most traces of their connection to Paramount (The original copyright lines were left intact on Popeye cartoons). The Popeye cartoons have been restored for DVD release with the original Paramount titles.

When the talent agency Music Corporation of America (better known as MCA), then wielding major influence on Paramount policy, offered $50 million for 750 pre-1950 features (with payment to be spread over many years), a cash-strapped Paramount thought it had made the best possible deal. MCA Inc (or Music Corporation of America) was an American Corporation in the music and television businesses To address anti-trust concerns, MCA set up a separate company, EMKA, Ltd., to peddle these films to television. The deal included such notable Paramount films as the early Marx Brothers films, most of the Bob Hope-Bing Crosby "Road" pictures, and such Oscar contenders as Double Indemnity, The Lost Weekend, and The Heiress. The Marx Brothers were a popular team of sibling Comedians who appeared in Vaudeville, stage plays film and television Bob Hope, KBE KCSG ( May 29, 1903 &ndash July 27, 2003) was an American comedian and actor who appeared in Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby ( May 3, 1903 &ndash October 14, 1977) was an Academy Award winning American Popular "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. Double Indemnity ( 1944) is an Academy Award nominated Film noir starring Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, and Edward The Lost Weekend is a 1945 motion picture directed by Billy Wilder for Paramount Pictures, starring Ray Milland, The Heiress is a 1949 American Drama film directed by William Wyler. MCA later admitted that over the next forty years it took in more than a billion dollars in rentals of these supposedly "worthless" pictures. MCA later purchased the US branch of Decca Records, which owned Universal Studios (now a part of NBC Universal), and thus Universal now owns these films, though EMKA continues to hold the copyright. Decca Records is a British Record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American NBC Universal is a media and Entertainment company formed in May 2004 by the combination of General Electric 's NBC with Vivendi Universal

Several other feature films ended up in Republic Pictures's possession, yet others had been retained by Paramount due to other rights issues (such as The Miracle of Morgan's Creek). The Miracle of Morgan's Creek ( is a satirical Screwball comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges, starring Eddie Bracken As for Paramount's silent features, some still are under Paramount ownership -- for example, 1927's Wings, the first "Best Picture" Academy Award winner -- but many others are either lost or in the public domain. Wings ( is a silent movie about World War I fighter pilots directed by William A "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. A lost film is a Feature film or Short film that no longer exists in either studio archives or private collections Also, one additional pre-1950 film, the 1931 version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, was sold to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1941 who filmed a remake that same year - this film is also now owned by WB/Turner Entertainment. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a 1931 Horror film directed by Rouben Mamoulian. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a Remake of the 1931 film of the same title

Rights to some of Paramount's films from 1950 onward would also change hands. Most notably, the rights to five Paramount films directed by Alfred Hitchcock -- Rear Window, The Trouble with Harry, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Vertigo and Psycho -- eventually reverted to ownership by the director himself with the exception of Psycho, which was sold directly to Universal in 1968. Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13 Rear Window is a Suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, based on Cornell Woolrich 's Short story It Had to Be Murder The Trouble with Harry is an American Black comedy Film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, based on the novel by Jack Trevor Story The Man Who Knew Too Much ( 1956) is a suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring James Stewart and Doris Day. Vertigo ( is a Psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring James Stewart and Kim Novak and featuring Barbara Psycho is a suspense / Horror film directed by auteur Alfred Hitchcock, from the Screenplay by Joseph Following Hitchcock's death, Universal eventually acquired the rights to the four other films in 1983 from the Hitchcock estate (which is overseen by his daughter, Patricia). Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar)

A number of films merely distributed by Paramount would also end up with other companies - for example, the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory was sold to Warner Bros. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is a 1971 motion picture based on the 1964 Roald Dahl novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in 1977 after Paramount showed little faith in the film, which was a failure upon original release. WB also owns the rights to several films originally distributed by Paramount that were produced by Lorimar Productions, which was sold to WB in 1989. Lorimar was an American Television production company that was later a subsidiary of Warner Bros Some other films from 1950 onward went into the public domain as well.

In the 1970s, Paramount acquired the rights to the Frank Capra film Broadway Bill, which was originally released by Columbia Pictures. Broadway Bill is a horse-racing comedy film from 1934, directed by Frank Capra and starring Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy. }} Columbia Pictures Industries Inc is an American Film production and distribution company Paramount had remade the film as Riding High in 1950. Riding High (1950 is a black and white musical racetrack film featuring Bing Crosby and directed by Frank Capra in which the songs were actually sung as Then in 2004, Paramount bought all worldwide rights to the original 1975 version of The Stepford Wives (also released by Columbia), in connection with the release of the remake. The Stepford Wives is a 1975 science fiction / Horror film based on the 1972 Ira Levin novel of the same name The Stepford Wives is a 2004 Black comedy / Science fiction film. Paramount owns DVD rights to many films produced by Full Moon Entertainment, due to a deal made with the company years before. Full Moon Features is a motion picture production and distribution company headed by B-movie veteran Charles Band. Paramount also owns DVD rights to several films released by Miramax Films prior to that firm's acquisition by Disney in 1993, also a result of a deal.

Paramount has also acquired theatrical and video rights to all the films produced by the various motion picture divisions of CBS over the years, as a result of the Viacom/CBS merger. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. This also includes US rights to the 1951 film The African Queen, originally distributed by United Artists (the international rights are with Granada International). The African Queen is a Drama film directed by John Huston and produced by Sam Spiegel (billed as "S This article is about the film studio Previously it was affiliated with a cinema chain bearing its name now owned by Regal Entertainment Group. Granada Productions is one of Europe 's leading commercial television production and distribution companies

As for distribution of the material Paramount itself still owns, it has been split in half, with Paramount themselves owning theatrical rights, while what became CBS Paramount Television handles television distribution (under the CBS license). CBS Paramount Television (formerly Desilu Productions, Paramount Television, among other companies is an American Television production

In early 2008, Paramount partnered with Los Angeles-based developer FanRocket to make short scenes taken from its film library available to users on Facebook. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Facebook is a social networking Website launched on February 4 2004 The application, called VooZoo, allows users to send movie clips to other Facebook users and to post clips on their profile pages. [9] Paramount engineered a similar deal with Makena Technologies to allow users of vMTV and There.com to view and send movie clips. There is a 3D online Virtual world created by Will Harvey and Jeffrey Ventrella [10]

The logo

The distinctively pyramidal Paramount mountain has been the company's logo since its inception and is the oldest surviving Hollywood film logo. Legend has it that the mountain is based on a doodle made by W. W. Hodkinson during a meeting with Adolph Zukor. William Wadsworth Hodkinson ( August 16, 1881 &mdash June 2, 1971) known more commonly as W Adolf Zukor, born Adolph Cukor, ( January 7, 1873 &ndash June 10, 1976) was a film mogul and founder of Paramount It is said to be based on the memories of his childhood in Utah. The State of Utah (ˈjuːtɔː or) is a western state of the United States. Some claim that Utah's Ben Lomond is the mountain Hodkinson doodled, and that Peru's Artesonraju^[26] is the mountain in the live-action logo. Ben Lomond Peak near Ogden Utah is probably the most famous of the peaks in the northern portion of the Wasatch Mountains. Artesonraju is a peak in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range a part of the Peruvian Andes known for some of the world's best climbing

The logo began as a somewhat indistinct charcoal rendering of the mountain ringed with twenty-four superimposed stars. The logo originally had twenty-four stars, as a tribute to the then current system of contracts for actors, since Paramount had twenty-four stars signed at the time. In 1952, the logo was redesigned as a matte painting. Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Technique Matte painting is a traditional Visual effects technique wherein a painted image is combined with film footage to alter enhance or extend the set The current mountain style debuted in 1954. In 1974 the logo was simplified, adopting the design of the then-current television version, and the number of stars was changed to twenty-two; this version of the logo is still in use as Paramount's current print logo. The visual logo was replaced in 1987, Paramount's 75th Anniversary, by a version created by Apogee, Inc. with a computer generated lake and stars. The term computer-generated most often refers to a sound or visual that has been created in whole or in part with the aid of Computer software. For Paramount's 90th anniversary in 2002, a new, completely computer-generated logo was created. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[27][28] This current visual opening to Paramount titles usually has no sound, occasionally sound from the film may play in the final seconds of the opening. Occasionally, however; the fanfare used since 1975 (and on home video releases since 1987) is heard during the opening; one instance of this is the 2004 film Mean Girls. A very rare opening fanfare is used on the 2005 remake of The Longest Yard and is available to watch on YouTube. This article refers to the 2005 film For the 1974 original see The Longest Yard (1974 film. YouTube is a video sharing website where users can upload view and share Video clips YouTube was created in February 2005 by three former PayPal employees [11]

The logo has sometimes been incorporated into a film. In the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark, the logo dissolves into a shot of a silhouetted mountain peak, subtitled simply "South America", to begin the first scene of the film. Raiders of the Lost Ark (also known as Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark) is a 1981 Adventure film directed by Steven The same idea would be incorporated into the beginnings of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a 1984 period Adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a 1989 Adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg from a story co-written by Executive producer Also, the logo (with the opening notes of "Mountain Town" playing over the sequence) dissolves into an opening shot in the animated film South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut, turning into a mountain in the cartoon's animation style. South Park Bigger Longer & Uncut is an Academy Award -nominated Animated satirical Comedy As well as in The Core, the camera zooms down and goes to the core of the mountain. The Core is a Science fiction Disaster film loosely based on the novel Core by Paul Preuss. And in Four Brothers, there is snow falling on top of the mountain (with Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love" as background music). Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band from San Francisco, a pioneer of the Psychedelic rock movement " Somebody to Love " is a rock song that was originally written and recorded by 1960s folk - psychedelic band The Great Society and later During the opening credits of Coming to America, the camera flies past the mountain, over foothills and into the jungle where the fictional palace of Zamunda is located. Coming to America is a 1988 Academy Award -nominated Comedy film directed by John Landis. By the way, another variation is this movie, Scrooged with the normal Paramount logo but with the Paramount font and the stars as half-tint, but it flies past the mountain quickly, to go to the star just in time for the opening credits, and it also has a spooky-like Christmas music playing which resembles the theme song for this movie. Scrooged is a 1988 Comedy film, a modernization of Charles Dickens 's Novella, A Christmas Carol. Meanwhile, in Team America: World Police, the Paramount logo animates backwards, appearing fully formed, with the "A Viacom Company" tag disappearing and the stars flying backwards through the word "Paramount" and disappearing into the sky as the opening credits of the film begin. Team America World Police is a 2004 Comedy film, written by Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Pam Brady and directed There is an even more direct self-reference in Road to Utopia, a Paramount picture. Road to Utopia, filmed in 1943 but not released until 1946, is the fourth film of the road series Bing and Bob are riding along on a dogsled, and they see a mountain in the distance. Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby ( May 3, 1903 &ndash October 14, 1977) was an Academy Award winning American Popular Bob Hope, KBE KCSG ( May 29, 1903 &ndash July 27, 2003) was an American comedian and actor who appeared in Bob says, "There it is, bread and butter!" Bing says, "That's just a mountain. " Cut to the mountain, and the circle of stars winks in around it, identifying it as the Paramount logo. Bob says to Bing, "It may be just a mountain to you, but it's 'bread and butter' to me!"

A similar self-reference appears in the 1951 Popeye cartoon Alpine for You. Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional hero famous for appearing in comic strips and animated films as well as numerous TV shows At the end of this cartoon, Popeye punches Bluto and he lands on the peak of a mountain top which then sprouts stars to create the Paramount logo. Bluto (sometimes known as Brutus) is a cartoon character created in 1932 by Elzie Crisler Segar as a one-time character named "Bluto the Terrible" in his [12]

Not long before the United Paramount Network (UPN) was merged with the WB to form the CW Network, there were plans to re-brand UPN as The Paramount Network, featuring a stylized mountain/stars logo to identify the newly-named network with the studio, but the plans were scrapped.

Visiting Paramount

Those wishing to visit Paramount can take daily studio tours. The tours operate Monday through Friday. Reservations are required, and can be made by calling the studio. Most of the buildings are named for historical Paramount executives or the many great artists that worked at Paramount over the years. Many of the legendary stars' dressing rooms are still standing today, converted into working offices. The stages where Sunset Blvd., White Christmas, Rear Window, Sabrina, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and many other classic films were shot are still in use today. Sunset Boulevard is a 1950 American Film noir classic Directed and co-written by Billy Wilder, it was named White Christmas is a 1954 Jukebox musical movie starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye that featured the songs of Irving Berlin Rear Window is a Suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, based on Cornell Woolrich 's Short story It Had to Be Murder Sabrina is a 1954 film directed by Billy Wilder, adapted for the screen by Wilder Samuel A Breakfast at Tiffany's is a 1961 American film starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard, and featuring Patricia Neal, The studio's massive remaining backlot set, "New York Street," features numerous blocks of facades that depict a number of New York locales: "Washington Square," (where the Heiress, starring Olivia deHavilland was shot) "Harlem," "Financial District," and others.

See also

• List of Paramount Pictures films
• List of television series produced by Paramount Television
• Universal Pictures
• DreamWorks SKG

References

Notes on sources

• Berg, A. Scott. Goldwyn. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1989.
• DeMille, Cecil B. Autobiography. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1959.
• Eames, John Douglas, with additional text by Robert Abele. The Paramount Story: The Complete History of the Studio and Its Films. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002.
• Evans, Robert. The Kid Stays in the Picture. New York: Hyperion Press, 1994.
• Gabler, Neal. An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood. New York: Crown Publishers, 1988.
• Lasky, Jesse L. with Don Weldon, I Blow My Own Horn. Garden City NY: Doubleday, 1957.
• Mordden, Ethan. The Hollywood Studios. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1988.
• Schatz, Thomas. The Genius of the System. New York: Pantheon, 1988.
• Sklar, Robert. Movie-Made America. New York: Vintage, 1989.
• Zukor, Adolph, with Dale Kramer. The Public Is Never Wrong: The Autobiography of Adolph Zukor. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1953.

External links

• Official website
• Opinion Site
• Paramount Pictures Animation at the Big Cartoon DataBase

Bold text The Big Cartoon DataBase ( BCDB) is an online database of information about Animated cartoons, animated feature films, animated

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