By the spring of 1959, several unreleased RKO films were put out by other studios and distribution exchanges. It was not famous for what they produced but what they released, a massive backlog of movies and shorts were all sent to television. The original company produced films from 1929, the year after its inception, through its dissolution in 1959. Among RKO’s other better-known films were Cimarron (1931), from the novel by Edna Ferber; King Kong (1933), one of the first monster films; John Ford’s The Informer (1935); and Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane (1941), now considered a masterpiece in cinema techniques. At this point, RKO ceased film production entirely. Barely Lethal. After years of disarray and decline under his control, the studio was acquired by the General Tire and Rubber Company in 1955. In 1981, broadcaster RKO General, the corporate heir, revived it as a production subsidiary, RKO Pictures Inc. After years of disarray and decline under his control, the studio was acquired by the General Tire and Rubber Company in 1955. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, RKO produced an average of 40 films per year. These were large, well-established organizations with traditions of success. It was released through Warner Brothers. The company was originally established in 1929 as Radio Pictures during the founding of Radio-Keith-Orpheum Corporation. In 1931 the company merged with Pathé, and in was renamed RKO Radio Pictures in 1932. The original RKO Pictures ceased production in 1957 and was effectively dissolved two years later. Abstract: RKO Radio Pictures, Inc. was founded in 1928 and continued as a major motion picture studio for more than 27 years. The five "major" Hollywood studios (MGM, Paramount, Fox, Warners, and RKO) went through a difficult period in the late 1950s (1955 to 1959). Actors Katharine Hepburn and, later, Robert Mitchum had their first major successes at the studio. He then sold RKO Pictures to a subsidy of General Tire and Rubber. RKO’s production strategy includes devoting resources to the repositioning of its famous classic library for current audiences as it develops other businesses and entertainment properties. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... …of America (FBO) to form RKO Radio Pictures for the express purpose of producing sound films using the Photophone system (which ultimately became the industry standard).…, RKO Radio was the smallest of the major companies and never achieved complete financial stability during the studio era; it became prominent, however, as the producer of, Robert Mitchum, American film star whose roles as a cool, cynical loner combined with a notorious personal life and a sardonic, relaxed style to create a durable screen image as a fatalistic tough guy. Cary Grant was a mainstay for years. The work of producer Val Lewton's low-budget horror unit and RKO's many ventures into the field now known as film noir have been acclaimed, largely after the fact, by film critics and historians. Later owner General Tire & Rubber Company sold the property in 1957 to Desilu Productions, the television production company owned by Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. Jacques Tourneur and Alfred Hitchcock directed several well-known psychological thrillers for the studio in the 1940s. In 1981, broadcaster RKO General, the corporate heir, revived it as a production subsidiary, RKO … RCA chief David Sarnoff engineered the merger to create a market for the company's sound-on-film technology, RCA Photophone. RKO’s production strategy includes devoting resources to the repositioning of its famous classic library for current audiences as it develops other businesses and entertainment properties. After years of disarray and decline under his control, the studio was acquired by the General Tire and Rubber Company in 1955. The original RKO Pictures ceased production in 1957 and was effectively dissolved two years later. General Tire was not interested in operating the studio production lot, so it sold the physical assets of RKO to Desilu Productions in 1957 for $6 millio. In 1981, broadcaster RKO General, the corporate heir, revived the studio as a production subsidiary, RKO Pictures Inc. In its later years, RKO was taken over by maverick industrialist Howard Hughes and finally by the General Tire and Rubber Company. When RKO ceased production in 1957, Dunn leased the special effects facilities, merging the operation with Film Effects of Hollywood, a facility he had founded in 1946. RKO Pictures LLC, formerly known as RKO Radio Pictures Inc., is an American film production company. General Tire and Rubber, 1955–1984 (purchased by General Tire and Rubber—coupled with General Tire's broadcasting operation as RKO Teleradio Pictures; production and distribution halted in 1957; movie business dissolved in 1959 and RKO Teleradio renamed RKO General; RKO General establishes RKO Pictures as production subsidiary in 1981) With Dana Andrews, Jane Powell, Don Dubbins, Arthur Shields. After numerous corporate reorganizations, the firm continued under the name RKO General, Inc., owning and operating radio and television stations, theatres, and related enterprises. The original RKO Pictures ceased production in 1957 and was effectively dissolved two years later. Until 2009, post-RKO reissue prints used the usual "The End, A Walt Disney Production" notice. . After years of decline under his control, the studio was acquired by the General Tie and Rubber Company in 1955. In 1981, broadcaster RKO General, the corporate heir, revived the studio as a production subsidiary, RKO … The original RKO Pictures ceased production in 1957 and was effectively dissolved two years later. RKO made such classic films as Citizen Kane, King Kong and the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals. The company made increasingly sophisticated visual effects All of the large studios survived, except for Howard Hughes's RKO. Bought by businessman and producer Howard Hughes in 1948, RKO ceased production in 1953. This was one of the last films produced for RKO. “I have a good deal of work to do,” Jewell noted saying that he plans to take full advantage of the Academy’s rich and extensive research library. After years of decline under his control, the studio was acquired by the General Tire and Rubber Company in 1955. Warner Bros. Entertainment Wiki is a FANDOM Movies Community. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. By the time it was completed, RKO had ceased production and distribution. The original RKO Pictures ceased production in 1957 and was effectively dissolved two years later, though the studio retained the copyrights to all their films and assets. their carefully paced theatrical rereleases would yield profits for the indefi- nite future. Webb also wrote music for television programs such as Wagon Train and Shirley Temple Story Book. The original RKO Pictures ceased production in 1957 and was effectively dissolved two years later. RKO is one of the oldest continuously operating movie studios, and occupies a unique place in the history of film making. The original RKO Pictures ceased production in 1957 and was effectively dissolved two years later. The company was originally established in 1929 as Radio Pictures during the founding of Radio-Keith-Orpheum Corporation. MGM went through four years of manageme… The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, https://warnerbros.fandom.com/wiki/RKO_Pictures?oldid=130763. General Tire was not interested in operating the studio production lot, so it sold the physical assets of RKO to Desilu Productions in 1957 for $6 millio. RKO (Radio-Keith-Orpheum) Pictures (also known as RKO Productions, Radio Pictures, RKO Radio Pictures, RKO Teleradio Pictures and, for a short time, RKO Pathé) is an American film production and distribution company. All of the major studios and their theater divisions were in the process of signing with ERPI, a subsidiary of AT&T's Western Electric division, to handle conversion. The original RKO Pictures ceased production in 1957 and was effectively dissolved two years later. RKO was also responsible for notable co-productions such as It's a Wonderful Life and Notorious, and it also distributed many celebrated films by animation producer Walt Disney (from 1937 to the mid-1950s) and leading independent producer Samuel Goldwyn. In 1948 Howard Hughes acquired a large share of RKO stock and gained control of the company. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum (KAO) theater chain and Joseph P. Kennedy's Film Booking Offices of America (FBO) studio were brought together under the control of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) in October 1928. When RKO ceased film production in the 1950s, the business records were unceremoniously dumped into an empty The company made increasingly sophisticated visual effects continued as a major motion picture studio for more than 27 years. RKO studio when that firm ceased production in 1957) Disney adamantly refused to sell his cartoons to television, since. After numerous corporate reorganizations, the firm continued under the name RKO General, Inc., owning and operating radio and television stations, theatres, and related enterprises. In 1948 the businessman and producer Howard Hughes bought RKO, but his inattention and growing reclusiveness doomed the company; it ceased production in 1953, and was sold to Desilu Productions in 1957. The original RKO Pictures ceased production in 1957 and was effectively dissolved two years later. It was hard for them to change, but the new conditions of the period made change imperative. The original RKO Pictures ceased production in 1957 and was effectively dissolved two years later. Radio-Keith-Orpheum originated in 1928 from the merger of the Radio Corporation of America, the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theatre chain, and the American Pathé production firm. Following RKO’s decline in the 1950s, its film library and related documentation — including matters pertaining to Welles — repeatedly changed hands. MGM went through four year… In 1981, broadcaster RKO General, the corporate heir, revived it as a production subsidiary, RKO Pictures Inc. The new owners announced a program of 11 films costing $22,500,000; The First Travelling Saleslady , Back from Eternity , Tension at Table Rock , Beyond a Reasonable Doubt , Stage Struck , Bundle of Joy , A Farewell to Arms , Cash McCall , Misty , The Syndicate and Is This Our Son? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). It was bought by Howard Hughes in 1948 and ceased film production in 1953. The studio produced two of the most famous films in motion picture history: King Kong and Citizen Kane. From 1982 to 1985, the studio's theatrical product under the Disney name (except for the two shorts released in 1983, Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore , and Mickey's Christmas Carol ) had simply "Walt Disney Productions" at the end of the credits. In 1948 Howard Hughes acquired a large share of RKO stock and gained control of the company. Directed by Allan Dwan. In 1981, broadcaster RKO General, the corporate heir, revived the studio as a production subsidiary, RKO Pictures Inc. Hailee Steinfeld, Hailee Steinfeld, Samuel Jackson and Sofia Turner. [RKO Radio Pictures was a motion picture production and distribution company. In the past, it was one of the biggest and most powerful Hollywood studios. In 1989, this business, with its remaining assets, including the trademarks and remake rights to many classic RKO films, was sold to new owners, who now operate the small independent company RKO Pictures LLC. In 1959, the name changed again to RKO Genera, Inc. Shut out of the profitable sound-film conversion business driven by the success of Warner Bros.' October 1927 release The Jazz Singer, RCA bought its way into the motion picture industry to gain an outlet for the optical sound-on-film system, Photophone, recently developed by General Electric, RCA's parent company. https://www.britannica.com/topic/RKO-Radio-Pictures-Inc, Social Networks and Archival Context - RKO Radio Pictures, RKO Radio Pictures, Inc. - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). It was also at that time that General Tire ceased both production & distribution by RKO, while also dropping "Pictures" from its subsidiary's name, shortening it to RKO Teleradio. The original RKO Pictures ceased production in 1957 and was effectively dissolved two years later. Updates? Despite no longer producing films, RKO continued to own the rights to King Kong, and in 1962 licensed the rights to Kong to Toho, who produced King Kong vs. Godzilla and later King Kong Escapes. After years of decline under his control, the studio was acquired by the General Tire and Rubber Company in 1955. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum (KAO) theater chain and Joseph P. Kennedy's Film Booking Offices of America (FBO) studio were brought together under the control of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) in October 1928. It was hard for them to change, but the new conditions of the period made change imperative. . By the mid-1940s, the studio was under the control of investor Floyd Odlum. Some of the studios were sold; others changed management; a few went through proxy fights. The original RKO Pictures ceased production in 1957 and was effectively dissolved two years later. In 1948 the businessman and producer Howard Hughes bought RKO, but his inattention and growing reclusiveness doomed the company; it ceased production in 1953, and was sold to Desilu Productions in 1957. After years of decline under his control, the studio was acquired by the General Tire and Rubber Company in 1955. After RKO ceased production, Webb continued to write music scores on a freelance basis including Blood Alley and Sea Chase for Warner Bros. studios. After years of turmoil and decline under his control, Hughes sold the troubled studio to General Tire and Rubber Company in 1955. In 1981, broadcaster RKO General, the corporate heir, revived the studio as a production subsidiary, RKO Pictures Inc. The original RKO Pictures ceased production in 1957 and was effectively dissolved two years later. By the time it was completed, RKO had ceased production and distribution. Now available DVD & BluRay. “I have a good deal of work to do,” Jewell noted saying that he plans to take full advantage of the Academy’s rich and extensive research library. In 1868, American inventor Victor Barbicane develops a powerful military explosive that he also uses as fuel for a moon-bound rocket manned by himself and a motley crew. After a period of financial difficulties, the company ceased production in 1958, and the studio lot was closed and the real estate sold to Desilu. Expelled from Haaren High School in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen, Mitchum took to the road…. In 1948 Howard Hughes acquired a large share of RKO stock and gained control of the company. When RKO ceased production in 1957, Dunn leased the special effects facilities, merging the operation with Film Effects of Hollywood, a facility he had founded in 1946. The original RKO Pictures ceased production in 1957 and was effectively dissolved two years later. In 1981, broadcaster RKO General, the corporate heir, revived it as a production subsidiary, RKO … In 1981, broadcaster RKO General, the corporate heir, revived it as a production subsidiary, RKO Pictures Inc. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Maverick industrialist Howard Hughes took over RKO in 1948. 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