The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment company formed in 1937 and absorbed in 1996 by The Rank Group Plc. Image File history File links Rank Organisation logo (~1990) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Recreation. ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... The Rank Group Plc was established on December 22, 1995 as a public limited company in England and Wales and in October 1996 it became a holding company owning all the outstanding shares of the Rank Organisation. ...

Origin

The Rank Organisation was created by J. Arthur Rank in 1937 to consolidate all of his interests in the film industry. A history of these interests prior to 1937 is found under the entry for J. Arthur Rank. Joseph Arthur Rank, 1st Baron Rank (December 23, 1888 – March 29, 1972) was a British industrialist and film producer, and founder of the Rank Organisation, now known as The Rank Group Plc. ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Growth

From its inception in 1937 the Rank Organisation became a major force in British film making, distribution and exhibition. Its trade mark was characterised by its corporate logo of the Gongman and it acquired these properties:- 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed. ... One of the best known company trademarks in the world is the man-with-the-gong, also known as the Gongman. ...

1938: ODEON cinema chain. After its creation, it was allegedly named after its founder's own ambition: "Oscar Deutsch Entertains Our Nation", but this was just a publicity myth. 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Odeon was a building used for musical performance in Athens built in the 5th century BC. Hence, any building in ancient Greece or the ancient Roman Empire was called an odeon. ... Oscar Deutsch was the creator of the ODEON cinema chain in the United Kingdom. ...

1939: Amalgamated Studios in Borehamwood. 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Amalgamated Studios were founded in 1935 in the Hertfordshire, UK town of Borehamwood. ... Borehamwood is a town in southern Hertfordshire, just outside London, and part of the London commuter belt. ...

1941: Gaumont-British Picture Corporation, who owned 251 cinemas and the Shepherd's Bush Studios. Sold in 1949 to BBC Television. For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1941 calendar). ... Gaumont Pictures were founded in 1895 by the engineer-turned-inventor, Léon Gaumont (1864-1946). ... BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which began in 1936. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which began in 1936. ...

1942: Paramount cinema chain. This article is about the year. ...

Late 1940s: majority share in Allied Cinemas and Irish Cinemas Ltd., becoming the largest exhibition circuit in Ireland (a position it maintained until the early 1980s).

Assets

Eventually the Rank Organisation owned five major film studios, which included both Pinewood Film Studios and Denham Film Studios and 650 cinemas. Independent Producers Ltd. employed some of Britain's greatest directors, such as Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes, I Know Where I'm Going!), David Lean (Brief Encounter, Great Expectations), Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat (I See A Dark Stranger, The Happiest Days of Your Life), Ken Annakin (Holiday Camp) and Muriel Box (The Seventh Veil). Pinewood Studios is a major film studio that is situated approximately 20 miles west of London among the pine trees on what was the estate of Heatherden Hall in the village of Iver Heath in Iver Parish, in the county of Buckinghamshire, England. ... Denham Film Studios were a British film production studios operating from 1936 to 1952. ... Michael Powell film-maker. ... Emeric Pressburger in Paris. ... This page is about a film by Powell & Pressburger; for other uses of the term, please see Narcissus. ... Helpmann, Shearer and Massine in The Red Shoes. ... Joan Webster (Wendy Hiller) and Torquil MacNeil (Roger Livesey) look on at a Ceilidh. ... David Lean Sir David Lean (March 25, 1908 – April 16, 1991) was a British film director, best remembered for big-screen epics such as Lawrence of Arabia, The Bridge on the River Kwai and Doctor Zhivago . ... Brief Encounter (1945) is a British film directed by David Lean starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard. ... Great Expectations is a Bildungsroman (a novel tracing the life of the protagonist) by Charles Dickens and first serialized in All the Year Round from December 1860 to August 1861. ... Frank Launder (January 28, 1906—February 23, 1997) was a British writer, director and producer, who made more than 40 films, usually in collaboration with Sidney Gilliat. ... Sidney Gilliat (February 15, 1908 – May 31, 1994) was a British film director, producer and writer. ... The Happiest Days of Your Life is a 1950 British comedy film starring well-known British actors, including Alastair Sim, Margaret Rutherford and Joyce Grenfell. ... Ken Annakin (born August 10, 1914) is a British film director. ... Muriel Box (1905-1991) was a British writer of books and films, as well as a producer and director. ... The Seventh Veil is a 1945 British melodramatic film. ...

1945: The Company of Youth, the Rank Organisation acting school often referred to as "The Charm School", launched several careers including those of Diana Dors and Christopher Lee. Although she was not a member of the school, Petula Clark was under contract to Rank for a period of time and starred in a number of films released by the studio, including London Town, one of the costliest flops in British film history. Also under contract to Rank was the Canadian actor Philip Gilbert. 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Diana Dors Diana Dors (23 October 1931 – 4 May 1984) was a British actress. ... Christopher Lee portrays Count Dooku in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE (born May 27, 1922 in Belgravia, London) is a legendary and prolific English actor known for his versatility, his professional longevity, and his distinctive basso delivery. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... London Town is one of the most infamous flops in the history of British cinema. ... Philip Gilbert Philip Gilbert was a Canadian actor born in Vancouver, Canada on 29 March 1931 and educated at Vancouver College. ...

1959 to 1969: the company made over 500 weekly short cinema films in a series entitled Look At Life, each film depicting an area of British life. 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ...

1966 to 1978, the Rank Organization took over production and distribution of the Carry On films, after Anglo-Amalgamated announced, after the death of Nat Cohen, they did not want any more Carry On titles produced under them. 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... The Carry On films were a long-running series of British popular low-budget comedy films, directed by Gerald Thomas and produced by Peter Rogers. ... Anglo-Amalgamated Productions was a British film production company run by Nat Cohen and Stuart Levy that operated from the 1930s to the 1970s. ... Nat Cohen (1905(?) - February 10, 1988) was a British film producer whose career started in the 1930s. ...

Diversification

1949: a financial crisis forced the Rank Organisation to sell its studios in Islington and Shepherd's Bush. Beginning that same year, the company bought the Bush Radio manufacturing facility and began to diversify its interests. In the 1960s Rank took over the radio manufacturer Murphy to form the Rank Bush Murphy Group, which was eventually sold to Great Universal Stores in 1978. 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... Bush Radio was a British radio manufacturing company. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ...

1952: J. Arthur Rank stepped down as CEO of the Rank Organisation, but remained as Chairman until 1962. Under the management of John Davis (1906-1993), the Rank Organisation moved its production exclusively to Pinewood Studios and closed Independent Producers Ltd. 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the job of having the ultimate executive responsibility or authority within an organization or corporation. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... John Davis is the name of several persons: John Davis (1550?-1605), an English navigator and explorer. ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Pinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated approximately 20 miles west of London among the pine trees on what was the estate of Heatherden Hall, near the village of Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire. ...

1956: Rank began a partnership with the Haloid Corporation to form Rank Xerox. 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Rank Xerox was formed in 1956 as a joint venture between the Xerox Corporation of USA and the Rank Organisation of UK, to manufacture and market Xerox equipment initially in Europe and later in Africa and Asia. ...

Decline

The Rank Organisation ceased film production in 1980. In October 1996, The Rank Group Plc became a holding company, owning all the outstanding shares of The Rank Organisation. 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... The Rank Group Plc was established on December 22, 1995 as a public limited company in England and Wales and in October 1996 it became a holding company owning all the outstanding shares of the Rank Organisation. ...

Between 1997 and 2000, the traditional businesses of the Rank Organisation were sold by the newly formed Rank Group. Of the assets, the film library and distrubution division was sold in 1997 to Carlton Television, now ITV plc. Pinewood Studios was sold to a consortium led by Michael Grade in February 2000 and the ODEON cinema chain was sold that same year. Carlton Television was the United Kingdom Channel 3 (ITV) licensee for London and the surrounding areas, Monday 9:25am, to Friday, 5:15pm (and for legal formalities still is; see below). ... ITV plc is a British media company which operates the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom. ... Pinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated approximately 20 miles west of London among the pine trees on what was the estate of Heatherden Hall, near the village of Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire. ... The Odeon was a building used for musical performance in Athens built in the 5th century BC. Hence, any building in ancient Greece or the ancient Roman Empire was called an odeon. ...

See also

• RHM - formerly Rank Hovis McDougall, the family flour milling company of J. Arthur Rank

Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

External links

• Rank Group
• ODEON Cinemas
• The final gong sounds for Rank