Republic Pictures

Information about Republic Pictures

Republic Entertainment, Inc.
subsidiary
Founded1935
Headquarters
ParentParamount Motion Pictures Group
OwnerViacom


Republic Pictures (aka Republic Entertainment, Inc.) is an independent film, television, and video distribution company that was originally a movie production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, best known for its specialization in quality B pictures, westerns and movie serials.

They were also responsible for one notable Shakespeare film, Orson Welles' Macbeth.

Corporate History

Enlarge picture
DVD front cover for The Adventures of Captain Marvel film serial, the most celebrated of Republic's serials.
Created in 1935 by Herbert J. Yates, a long-time investor in film and music properties, Republic was the result of a union of five smaller Poverty Row studios. In its early years Republic was itself sometimes labeled a "Poverty Row" company. But the studio, created at the time major companies were withdrawing from the B-picture market, showed more ambition than such a label would indicate. By the mid-1940s Yates was producing better-quality pictures, even mounting big-budget fare like The Quiet Man, Sands of Iwo Jima, Johnny Guitar, and The Maverick Queen. The heart of the company was its franchise in westerns, and many western-film stars, among them John Wayne, Gene Autry, Rex Allen, and Roy Rogers, began at Republic.

In the depths of the 1930s depression, Yates foreclosed on five small production companies, each heavily in debt to his Consolidated Film Laboratories. The largest of the five was Monogram Pictures, run by Trem Carr and W. Ray Johnston, specializing in B-films, and controlling a nation-wide distribution system. Carr and Johnston soon left Republic, and before long Johnston would relaunch Monogram as an independent company. The most advanced technically was Nat Levine's Mascot Pictures, which had been making serials and westerns since the mid-1920s. Mascot also had a first-class studio, the former Mack Sennett - Keystone lot in Studio City. Acquiring these companies allowed Republic to begin life with a skilled production staff, a complete distribution system, and a functioning studio. The others were M. H. Hoffman's Liberty Films, from which Republic took its original "Liberty Bell" logo (and not to be confused with the Liberty Films that produced Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, ironically now owned by Republic), Chesterfield Pictures, and Invincible Pictures.

While taking on feature production, the new company also continued to produce numerous serials; while sometimes fantastically plotted, they were technically first-rate, with production values far better than those of others' serials. Fast-paced and well staged, Republic's serials featured choreographed fight scenes, and superb model-work, explosions and other effects by the Lydecker brothers. Republic produced serials until 1955, long after rivals had abandoned the field.

Republic was the first Hollywood studio to offer its film library to television, in 1951 creating a subsidiary, Hollywood Television Service, to peddle its vintage westerns and action thrillers. Also, in 1952 the Republic studio lot became the first home of MCA's series factory, Revue Productions. While it would appear that Republic was well-suited for television-series production, it did not have the finances or vision to do so. Yet by the mid-fifties, thanks to its sale of old features and leasing of studio space to MCA, television was the prop holding up Republic Pictures. During this period, Republic produced Commando Cody; unsuccessful as a theater release, the 12-part serial was later sold for to NBC for television distribution. Talent-agent MCA exerted influence at the studio, bringing some high-paid clients in for occasional features, and it was rumored at various times that either MCA or deposed MGM head Louis B. Mayer would buy the studio outright.

From the mid-1940s onward, occasional Republic films featured Vera Hruba Ralston, a former Czechoslovakian ice-skater who had won the heart of the studio boss, becoming the second Mrs. Yates in 1949. Billed as "the most beautiful woman in films," her charms were lost on the movie-going public, as well as some of her co-stars. Years later, John Wayne allowed that the reason he left Republic in 1952 was the threat of having to make another picture - he had endured two - with Miss Ralston.

Although Republic made most of its films in black and white, it very occasionally would produce a higher-budget film, such as The Red Pony (1949) and The Quiet Man (1952), in Technicolor. During the 1940s and 1950s, Yates also utilized a low-cost color process called Trucolor in some of his films, notably Johnny Guitar (1954), The Last Command (1955 film), and Magic Fire (1956).

As the demand and market for B-pictures declined, Republic began to cut back, slowing production from forty features annually in the early 1950s to about eighteen in 1957. A tearful Herbert Yates informed shareholders at the 1958 annual meeting that feature-film production was ending; the distribution offices were shut down the following year. In the early 1960s, Republic sold its library of films to National Telefilm Associates (NTA). Having used the studio for series production for years, CBS bought Republic's studio lot; today it is known as CBS Studio Center, and in 2006 is to become home to the network's Los Angeles stations, KCBS and KCAL.

The studio's parent company, Republic Corporation, survived for some years on Yates's other interests, among them Consolidated Film Laboratories and the manufacture of household appliances. Other than producing a 1966 package of 26 "Century 66" 100 minute made-for-TV movies edited from some of the Republic serials to cash in on the popularity of the Batman (TV series), its role in Hollywood ended with the sale of the studio lot.

Aftermath

During the early 1980s, NTA re-syndicated most of the Republic film library for use by then-emerging cable television, and by 1986 found itself so successful with these product lines that it bought the Republic Pictures name and logo. A television-production unit was set up under the Republic name, and offered, among other things, the CBS series Beauty and the Beast and game show Press Your Luck (the rights to the latter series have since reverted to FremantleMedia). There were also a few theatrical films, including Freeway, Ruby in Paradise, and Bound. The "new" Republic also began marketing the original's serial library on videotape.

Bought by Aaron Spelling's Spelling Entertainment, Republic won a landmark legal decision re-activating the copyright on Frank Capra's 1946 RKO film It's a Wonderful Life; (under NTA, they had already acquired the film's negative, music score, and the story on which it was based, "The Greatest Gift").

Soon after, Spelling consolidated its many divisions, reducing Republic Pictures to a marketing brand-name. Republic's video division shut down in 1995, allowing the video rights to the Republic library to be leased to Artisan Entertainment, while the library itself continued to be released under the Republic name and logo. By the end of the decade, Viacom bought the portion of Spelling it did not own previously, thus Republic became a wholly owned division of Paramount. Artisan (later sold to Lions Gate Home Entertainment) continued to use the Republic name, logo, and library under license from Paramount.

Republic Pictures' holdings consists of a catalog of 3,000 films and TV series, including the original Republic library (except for the Roy Rogers and Gene Autry catalogs, owned by their respective estates), and the holdings of Worldvision Enterprises, which includes in its library the pre-1973 NBC catalog (including Bonanza and Little House on the Prairie, the latter premiering in 1974), most of the Quinn Martin (The Fugitive, The Streets of San Francisco, etc.) and Aaron Spelling (The Love Boat, Twin Peaks, Beverly Hills 90210, etc.) catalogs, select pre-1952 UA (High Noon, Copacabana, etc.) and NTA holdings (Fleischer cartoons, It's a Wonderful Life, etc.).

Today, as a result of the Viacom/CBS corporate split of 2006, Republic's holdings are divided. As is the case with the Paramount film libraries, CBS Paramount Television owns Republic's television output, while the theatrical side is owned by Viacom's Paramount Pictures.

Lions Gate Home Entertainment's home video rights initially expired in late 2005, but have since regained video rights to Republic's theatrical film library (except It's a Wonderful Life--the video rights to that film and Republic's TV library now are with CBS Paramount Television, with the TV shows released through the CBS DVD label). Television distribution is now the responsibility of CBS Television Distribution.

As of 2007, Republic remains an in-name-only distribution company under Paramount Motion Pictures Group, a division of Viacom.

Notable Republic Pictures

1930s and 1940s

1950s

1990s

Republic Serials

Main article: List of film serials by studio#Republic Pictures

References

 •  • [ e]
Cinema of the United States
          Box office              Golden Globes                   
 •  • [ e]
Republic Serials
Pre-war Serials
(1936-1942)		Darkest Africa • Undersea Kingdom • The Vigilantes Are Coming • Robinson Crusoe of Clipper Island • Dick Tracy • The Painted Stallion • S.O.S. Coast Guard • Zorro Rides Again • The Lone Ranger • The Fighting Devil Dogs • Dick Tracy Returns • Hawk of the Wilderness • The Lone Ranger Rides Again • Daredevils of the Red Circle • Dick Tracy's G-Men • Zorro's Fighting Legion • Drums of Fu Manchu • Adventures of Red Ryder • King of the Royal Mounted • Mysterious Doctor Satan • Adventures of Captain Marvel • Jungle Girl • King of the Texas Rangers • Dick Tracy vs Crime Inc • Spy Smasher • Perils of Nyoka • King of the Mounties
War-time Serials
(1942-1945)		G-Men vs the Black Dragon • Daredevils of the West • Secret Service in Darkest Africa • The Masked Marvel • Captain America • The Tiger Woman • Haunted Harbor • Zorro's Black Whip • Manhunt of Mystery Island • Federal Operator 99 • The Purple Monster Strikes
Post-war Serials
(1945-1955)		The Phantom Rider • King of the Forest Rangers • Daughter of Don Q • The Crimson Ghost • Son of Zorro • Jesse James Rides Again • The Black Widow • G-Men Never Forget • Dangers of the Canadian Mounted • Adventures of Frank and Jesse James • Federal Agents vs. Underworld, Inc • Ghost of Zorro • King of the Rocket Men • The James Brothers of Missouri • Radar Patrol vs Spy King • The Invisible Monster • Desperadoes of the West • Flying Disc Man from Mars • Don Daredevil Rides Again • Government Agents vs Phantom Legion • Radar Men from the Moon • Zombies of the Stratosphere • Jungle Drums of Africa • • Canadian Mounties vs Atomic Invaders • Trader Tom of the China Seas • Man with the Steel Whip • Panther Girl of the Kongo • King of the Carnival
Actors and ActressesKirk Alyn • Roy Barcroft • Ralph Byrd • Rod Cameron • Phyllis Coates • Ray "Crash" Corrigan • Judd Holdren • Clayton Moore • Duncan Renaldo • C. Montague Shaw • Linda Stirling • Aline Towne
Stunt PerformersYakima Canutt • Pierce Lyden • Eddie Parker • Dave Sharpe • Tom Steele • Dale Van Sickel
Production CrewFranklin Adreon • Spencer Gordon Bennet • B. Reeves Easton • John English • Ronald Davidson • Lydecker brothers • Sol C. Siegel • William Witney
See alsoFilm serials • List of film serials • List of film serials by studio • Commando Cody
worldwide view.


A holding company is a company that owns part, all, or a majority of other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself, rather its only
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Ownership is the state or fact of exclusive rights and control over property, which may be an object, land/real estate, intellectual property or some other kind of property. It is embodied in an ownership right also referred to as title.
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Viacom, Inc.

Public (NYSE: VIAB , VNV )
Founded 2006[1]
Headquarters New York, New York, USA

Key people Sumner Redstone, Chairman (through National Amusements, owns a controlling amount of voting shares)
Philippe Dauman, President & CEO
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B movie originally referred to a motion picture made on a low or modest budget and intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature during the so-called Golden Age of Hollywood. Although the U.S.
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Western is a fiction genre seen in film, television, radio, literature, painting and other visual arts. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the later half of the 19th century in what became the Western United States (known as the American Old West or Wild
..... Click the link for more information.
Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials or Film serials, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. Known as "chapter plays," they were extended motion pictures broken into a number of segments called "chapters" or
..... Click the link for more information.
William Shakespeare

The Chandos portrait, artist and authenticity unconfirmed. National Portrait Gallery, London.
Born: April 1564 (exact date unknown)
Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England
Died: 23 March 1616
Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England
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/ IMDb profile

Macbeth is a 1948 film adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth made by Orson Welles.

The film marked Welles's return to Shakespearean interpretation.
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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1900s  1910s  1920s  - 1930s -  1940s  1950s  1960s
1932 1933 1934 - 1935 - 1936 1937 1938

Year 1935 (MCMXXXV
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Herbert John Yates (1880-1966) was the founder and president of Republic Pictures, famous for being the home of John Wayne, Gene Autry, and Roy Rogers. Under Yates' leadership between 1935 and 1959, Republic made 956 feature films and 849 serial chapters, many of which are classics
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Poverty Row is a slang term used in Hollywood from the late silent period through the mid-fifties to refer to a variety of small and mostly short-lived B movie studios, many clustered in the area of Los Angeles, USA known as Gower Gulch
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Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century

1910s 1920s 1930s - 1940s - 1950s 1960s 1970s
1940 1941 1942 1943 1944
1945 1946 1947 1948 1949

- -
- The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949.
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IMDb profile

The Quiet Man is a 1952 American film starring John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Victor McLaglen, and Barry Fitzgerald, and directed by John Ford. It was based on a 1933 Saturday Evening Post short story by Maurice Walsh.
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IMDb profile

Sands of Iwo Jima is a 1949 war film which follows a group of Marines from training to the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. It stars John Wayne, John Agar, Adele Mara and Forrest Tucker.
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IMDb profile

Johnny Guitar is a 1954 Western made by Republic Pictures, famed for its unusual storyline and colorful cinematography. It features Joan Crawford as a tough, trouser-wearing saloon owner and Sterling Hayden as the eponymous musician who helps her
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Western is a fiction genre seen in film, television, radio, literature, painting and other visual arts. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the later half of the 19th century in what became the Western United States (known as the American Old West or Wild
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John Wayne

John Wayne in The Searchers (1956)
Birth name Marion Robert Morrison
Born May 26 1907(1907--)
Winterset, Iowa, U.S.A.
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Orvon Gene Autry (September 29 1907 – October 2 1998) was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television.

Early life

Autry, the grandson of a Methodist preacher, was born near Tioga, Texas.
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Rex Allen

Birth name Rex Elvie Allen
Born December 31, 1920
Willcox, Arizona, USA
Died November 17 1999 (aged 80)
Tucson, Arizona, USA

Spouse(s) Virginia Hudson (1992-1999) (div.)
Bonnie Linder (1946-?) (div.
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Leonard Franklin Slye (November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998), who became famous as Roy Rogers, was a singer and cowboy actor. He and his second wife Dale Evans, his golden palomino Trigger, and his German shepherd, Bullet, were featured in over one hundred movies and
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Consolidated Film Industries was a film laboratory, and film processing company, and was the leading film laboratory in the Los Angeles area for many decades. CFI processed negatives and made prints for motion pictures and television.
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Monogram Pictures Corporation was a Hollywood studio that produced and released films, most on low budgets, between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists.
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The Mascot Pictures Corporation was a minor film company of the 1920s and 1930s best known for producing film serials and B-westerns. Mascot's serial The King of the Kongo (1929) was the first serial to include sound, beating Universal Studios by several months.
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Liberty Films was an independent production company founded by Frank Capra. It produced only two films, It's a Wonderful Life, released by RKO, and the film version of the hit play State of the Union
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Please help recruit one or [ improve this article] yourself. See the talk page for details.
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Screenplay:
Frances Goodrich
Albert Hackett
Jo Swerling
Frank Capra
Short Story:
Philip Van Doren Stern
Starring James Stewart
Donna Reed
Lionel Barrymore
Distributed by RKO Radio Pictures
Release date(s) December 20, 1946
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Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials or Film serials, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. Known as "chapter plays," they were extended motion pictures broken into a number of segments called "chapters" or
..... Click the link for more information.
The Lydecker brothers (also known inaccurately as the Lydecker Twins) were Howard "Babe" Lydecker (8 June 1911-26 September 1969) and Theodore Lydecker
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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1920s  1930s  1940s  - 1950s -  1960s  1970s  1980s
1952 1953 1954 - 1955 - 1956 1957 1958

Year 1955 (MCMLV
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The Music Corporation of America (or MCA) was an American corporation in the music and television businesses. MCA published music, booked acts, ran a record company, and distributed television productions and home videos.
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