Studio system
From Open Encyclopedia
The studio system was a means of film production and distribution popular in Hollywood from the end of the silent era in 1927 to 1948. This period is commonly known as The Golden Age Of Hollywood.
The term "studio system" referred to the practice of motion picture studios pursuing vertical integration by buying the distributors and the theaters. Additionally, many studios used block booking, a system of selling multiple films to a theater as a unit. Such a unit, frequently twenty films, typically comprised only one or two good films, the rest perceived as monetary filler to bolster the studio's finances. With the outlawing of block booking in a 1948 federal court case, the studio system, and in some respects, the Golden Age era, effectively came to a close.
Since the disintegration of the studio system, the major film studios have gone through the following ownership changes:
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Columbia
- independent, through 1982
- Coca-Cola, 1982-1987 (purchased by Coca-Cola)
- independent, 1987-1989 (spun off by Coca-Cola)
- Sony, 1989-present (purchased by Sony)
Universal
- independent, through 1946
- independent as Universal-International, 1946-1952 (merged with International Pictures)
- Decca, 1952-1962 (purchased by Decca)
- MCA, 1962-1990 (MCA purchased Decca)
- Matsushita Electric, 1990-1995 (Matsushita purchased MCA)
- Seagram, 1995-2000 (purchased by Seagram from Matsushita)
- Vivendi, 2000-2004 (Vivendi purchased Seagram)
- General Electric, 2004-present (purchased by GE from Vivendi)
20th Century-Fox
- independent, through 1985
- News Corporation, 1985-present (Rupert Murdoch expanded shareholdings to a controlling interest)
Paramount
- independent, through 1966
- Gulf and Western Industries, 1966-1984 (purchased by Gulf+Western)
- Paramount Communications, 1984-1993 (Gulf+Western changed name)
- Viacom, 1993-2005 (Viacom purchased Paramount)
- Viacom, 2005-present (Viacom splits its holdings between CBS and its interests into CBS Corporation and Paramount/MTV Networks)
Warner Bros.
- independent, through 1967
- Seven Arts Productions, 1967-1969 (merger: films made in this period are branded as Warner Bros.-Seven Arts
- Kinney National Company, 1969-1975 (Kinney purchased Warners-Seven Arts)
- Warner Communications, 1975-1989 (Kinney changed name)
- Time Warner, 1989-present (Warners merged with Time Inc.: from 2000 to 2003 company was known as AOL Time Warner following merger with AOL
Metro-Goldwin-Mayer
- independent, through 2005
- Sony, 2005-present (Sony purchased MGM and added it to its Columbia-Tristar film stable: many insiders speculate that the brand will soon be known as Sony Pictures)
