Republic Pictures Corporation (aka Republic Entertainment) 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. The term B-movie originally referred to a film designed to be distributed as the lower half of a double feature, often a genre film featuring cowboys, gangsters or vampires. ... The Western is one of the classic American literary and film genres. ... Serial is a term, originating in literature, for a format by which a story is told in contiguous installments in sequential issues of a single periodical publication. ...

Corporate History

Created in 1935 by Herbert J. Yates through the union of three smaller poverty row studios, and, in its early years was often labeled a poverty row company. But Republic, propelled by record war-time attendance and the retreat by the majors from the B-picture market, gradually showed more ambition. By the mid-1940s Yates was producing better-quality pictures, even mounting big-budget A-films such as The Quiet Man, Sands of Iwo Jima, Johnny Guitar, and The Maverick Queen. Many Western film stars such as Gene Autry, Rex Allen, and Roy Rogers made their home at Republic. Some later Republic films featured Vera Hruba Ralston, a former ice-skater who captured the heart of Herbert J. Yates, if not that of the movie-going public. 1935 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 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. ... // Events and trends The 1940s were dominated by World War II, the most destructive armed conflict in history. ... The Quiet Man was a 1952 American film starring John Wayne, Maureen OHara and Barry Fitzgerald, and directed by John Ford. ... Categories: Movie stubs | 1949 films | World War II films | Best Actor Oscar Nominee (film) ... Johnny Guitar is a 1954 Western, released by Republic Pictures. ... Justus D. Barnes, from The Great Train Robbery The Western is one of the classic American literary and film genres. ... Gene Autry 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. ... Rex Allen, born December 31, 1920 - died December 17, 1999, was an American actor, singer, and songwriter. ... Dale Evans & Roy Rogers Leonard Franklin Slye (November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998), became famous as Roy Rogers, a singer and cowboy actor. ...

A long-time investor in film properties and music, Yates foreclosed on three smaller production companies which were heavily in debt to his Consolidated Film Labratories. The three components fit together well: Monogram Pictures, run by Trem Carr and W. Ray Johnston, was a sizeable company specializing in B-films, and also controlled a nation-wide distribution system; M. H. Hoffman's Liberty Films, a smaller firm from which Republic took its original Liberty Bell logo; and Nat Levine's Mascot Pictures. Technically the most advanced of the three, Mascot had exclusively made serials since the mid-1920s. It was the only serial-maker to survive the transition to sound. Mascot also controlled its own studio, the former Mack Sennett - Keystone lot in Studio City. With this maneuver, Yates began Republic immediately with a staff of production experts, a full distribution system, and a fully staffed studio. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

The Adventures of Captain Marvel, the most celebrated of Republic's serials.

Continuing Mascot's speciality, Republic Pictures earned its greatest reknown for its numerous serials, which were generally considered the best in the business, especially with the director team John English and William Witney. The company introduced choreographed fight scenes, and the Lydecker brothers excelled in the special effects of model work, explosions, and simulating superheroes' ability to fly. Republic continued to produce serials until 1955, outlasting all other serial-makers except Columbia Pictures, but even Columbia could never match Republic for technical expertise. DVD front cover for the film serial The Adventures of Captain Marvel. ... DVD front cover for the film serial The Adventures of Captain Marvel. ... The Adventures of Captain Marvel is an acclaimed film serial directed by John English and William Witney for Republic Pictures in 1941. ... Serial is a term, originating in literature, for a format by which a story is told in contiguous installments in sequential issues of a single periodical publication. ... 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Columbia Pictures logo, used from 1993 to current. ...

Republic was the first Hollywood studio to offer its 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 Revue Productions, so by the mid-fifties, television had become the prop holding up Republic Pictures. As the demand and market for B-pictures declined, Republic began to cut back, dropping production from forty features in the early 1950s to about eighteen in 1957. Feature film production ended at Republic Pictures in 1958; the company distributed no new product after 1959. In the early 60s, Republic sold its library of films to National Telefilm Associates (NTA). In 1963, the Republic studio was sold to CBS, and that facility today is CBS's Studio Center. The parent company, Republic Corporation, survived for some years on Yates's other interests, including the Consolidated Film labs, and the manufacture of household appliances. Other than producing a package of 26 made-for-TV movies edited from some of the Republic serials, its role in Hollywood ended with the sale of the studio lot. CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) is a major television network and radio broadcaster in the United States. ... A television movie (also TV movie, TV-movie, made-for-TV movie, etc. ...

Aftermath

During the early 1980s, NTA resyndicated most of the Republic film library for use by the quickly emerging cable televsion stations, and by 1986 found itself so successful with these product lines that it bought the Republic Pictures name and logo, and went into production under that name. They went mainly into TV production, responsible for the CBS series Beauty and the Beast and other TV movies, although they did produce few independent theatrical films including Freeway. The new Republic also began marketing the original's serial library on videotape. Beauty and the Beast is a US TV series, originally broadcast in 1987. ... Freeway is a 1996 movie starring Kiefer Sutherland, Reese Witherspoon and Brooke Shields. ...

In 1993, the new Republic had become a subsidiary of Spelling Entertainment and won a landmark legal decision reactivating the copyright on Frank Capra's 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life (as NTA, they had already acquired the film's negative, music score, and the story on which it was based, "The Greatest Gift"). Aaron Spelling (born April 22, 1923 in Dallas, Texas) is an American film and television producer. ... Frank Capra Frank Capra (May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an American film director and a major creative force behind a number of highly popular films. ... Its a Wonderful Life is a 1946 Frank Capra film, released originally by RKO Radio Pictures. ...

Shortly thereafter, Spelling consolidated its many divisions, reducing Republic Pictures to an in-name-only distribution company. In 1995, Republic's video division ceased operations, 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 the Paramount/Viacom conglomerate, although Artisan (which later became Lions Gate Home Entertainment) continued to use the Republic name, logo, and library under license from Paramount/Viacom. Artisan Entertainment was a privately-held independent movie studio that since 2003 has been owned by Lions Gate Entertainment. ... Viacom (short for Video & Audio Communications) [pronunciation: pre-Redstone/pre-1987: vee-a-com; post-Redstone acquisition: vi-a-com] NYSE: VIA, NYSE: VIAB is an international media conglomerate. ... The Paramount Pictures logo used from 1987 to 1995. ... Lions Gate Films is a Canadian production-distributor company, a subsidiary of Lions Gate Entertainment, that is currently the largest and most successful independent film distributor-studio in North America. ...

As of 2005, the Republic Pictures holdings consist of a catalog of 3,000 films and TV series, including the original Republic library (except for the Roy Rogers and Gene Autry catalogs, which are owned by their respective estates), the pre-1973 NBC library (including Bonanza), 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.) catalog, and the aforementioned select pre-1952 UA (High Noon, Copacabana, etc.) and NTA holdings (Fleischer cartoons, It's a Wonderful Life, etc.). These are now sold on video through Lions Gate Home Entertainment, while Paramount Pictures holds television and theatrical distribution rights. Dale Evans & Roy Rogers Leonard Franklin Slye (November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998), became famous as Roy Rogers, a singer and cowboy actor. ... Gene Autry 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. ... The National Broadcasting Company or NBC is an American radio and television broadcasting company based in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... For the airplane, see Beechcraft Bonanza. ... Quinn Martin (May 22, 1922 - August 6, 1987) was one of the most successful American television producers of all time. ... The Fugitive is an American network television dramatic series (ABC, 1963-1967) starring David Janssen as Dr. Richard Kimble, an innocent man falsely convicted for his wifes murder and sentenced to death. ... The Streets of San Francisco - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Aaron Spelling Aaron Spelling (born April 22, 1923 in Dallas, Texas) is an American film and television producer. ... The Love Boat was a TV series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from 1977 until 1986. ... This article is about the television series. ... Beverly Hills 90210 was a popular primetime television soap opera that aired from 1990 to 2000 on the Fox Network. ... High Noon is a 1952 western film which tells the story of a town sheriff, who has just married a pacifist Quaker woman. ... Copacabana is a district located in the southern zone of the city Rio de Janeiro, famous for its 4 km beach. ... Lions Gate Films is a Canadian production-distributor company, a subsidiary of Lions Gate Entertainment, that is currently the largest and most successful independent film distributor-studio in North America. ... The Paramount Pictures logo used from 1987 to 1995. ...

In September of 2005, Paramount will gain full use of the Republic library as they will inherit the video rights from Lions Gate.