Universal
Carl Laemmle founder of Universal
Universal is the oldest studio in Hollywood. Carl Laemmle who
founded the company was the most appealing of the moghuls known
affectionately as Uncle Carl. In 1912 his Independent Motion Picture
company (IMP) combined with Powers' Picture Plays, Bison Life Motion
Pictures, Nestor, Eclair and Champion to form Universal.In 1915
Universal City : a 230 acre film-making city was established by
Laemmle. Among the stars that worked there in the silent days were Mary
Pickford, Wallace Reid, Francis Ford (brother of director John), Harry
Carey, Rudolph Valentino, Conrad Veidt and above all Lon Chaney.
The Man of a Thousand Faces gave Universal a lasting taste for horror with The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and Phantom of the Opera (1925).In the early 1920s Erich Von Stroheim's films made a lot of money for Universal. As a fellow German immigrant Laemmle must have sympathised with Von Stroheim when he acted out the story to get the finance for his first feature Blind Husbands (1919). Laemmle employed a talented young production chief Irving Thalberg who clashed with Von Stroheim over the extravagances of Foolish Wives (1922) and Merry Go Round (1923).
The early years of the sound era saw Universal at its peak with Showboat (1929), Broadway (1929) and The King of Jazz (1930). The most prestigious production was Lewis Milestone's All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). In the early 30s the studio embarked on its second and most famous horror cycle begun by Bela Lugosi in Dracula (1931) and Boris Karloff in Frankenstein (1931). Despite these successes by the mid 30s the studio was beginning to have financial problems.
In 1936 the Laemmles lost control, the studio was only saved from bankruptcy by Deanna Durbin in Three Smart Girls (1937).In the Forties Universal's output was mainly low budget horror, costume exotics made on the cheap and B westerns. The only major stars under contract were Abbott and Costello. The studio was merged with International Pictures in 1946 to become Universal International and much later MCA (the Music Corporation of America) took control. Universal were as well prepared as anyone to enter the Television age and the age of the agent. From 1950 they had a profit-sharing agreement with star James Stewart which led to films like Harvey (1950) : they also issued all Hitchcock's films from The Birds (1963) on.They started the age of the modern blockbuster with Jaws (1975). Films like E.T. (1982) and Back to the Future (1985) helped them rise to the top table of movie companies while many of their former mighty rivals have disappeared from the scene.
The Man of a Thousand Faces gave Universal a lasting taste for horror with The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and Phantom of the Opera (1925).In the early 1920s Erich Von Stroheim's films made a lot of money for Universal. As a fellow German immigrant Laemmle must have sympathised with Von Stroheim when he acted out the story to get the finance for his first feature Blind Husbands (1919). Laemmle employed a talented young production chief Irving Thalberg who clashed with Von Stroheim over the extravagances of Foolish Wives (1922) and Merry Go Round (1923).
The early years of the sound era saw Universal at its peak with Showboat (1929), Broadway (1929) and The King of Jazz (1930). The most prestigious production was Lewis Milestone's All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). In the early 30s the studio embarked on its second and most famous horror cycle begun by Bela Lugosi in Dracula (1931) and Boris Karloff in Frankenstein (1931). Despite these successes by the mid 30s the studio was beginning to have financial problems.
In 1936 the Laemmles lost control, the studio was only saved from bankruptcy by Deanna Durbin in Three Smart Girls (1937).In the Forties Universal's output was mainly low budget horror, costume exotics made on the cheap and B westerns. The only major stars under contract were Abbott and Costello. The studio was merged with International Pictures in 1946 to become Universal International and much later MCA (the Music Corporation of America) took control. Universal were as well prepared as anyone to enter the Television age and the age of the agent. From 1950 they had a profit-sharing agreement with star James Stewart which led to films like Harvey (1950) : they also issued all Hitchcock's films from The Birds (1963) on.They started the age of the modern blockbuster with Jaws (1975). Films like E.T. (1982) and Back to the Future (1985) helped them rise to the top table of movie companies while many of their former mighty rivals have disappeared from the scene.
Written content copyright Derek McLellan,2005.
Copyright © The Fedora Chronicles
Carl Laemmle image from
http://www.geschichte.uni-hannover.de/
