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Entertainment
February 1, 1887 - Harvey H. Wilcox, prohibitionist from
Kansas, filed a map of his 160-acre ranch in Southern California (Rancho La
Brea, seven miles west of Los Angeles) with the county recorder for
subdivision purposes for a town called Hollywood (named after a Dutch
settlement);
1903 - community
incorporated;
1910 -
lack of water forced annexation with city of Los Angeles.
Harvey
Henderson Wilcox -
'founded' Hollywood (http://tesla.liketelevision.com/
liketelevision/images/ lowrez/tdie0201.jpg)
November 23, 1889 - Entrepreneur
Louis Glass, his business associate, William S. Arnold introduced the
jukebox; placed a coin-operated Edison cylinder phonograph with no
amplification (Edison Class M Electric Phonograph with oak cabinet) in
the Palais Royale Saloon at 303 Sutter St. in San Francisco; for a nickel a patron could
listen via one of four listening tubes.; known as "Nickel-in-the-Slot",
machine an instant success, earned over $1000 in nickels by May 1890
May 27, 1890 - Glass and Arnold, of San Francisco, CA,
received two patents for a "Coin Actuated Attachment for Phonographs" ("a
suitable device by which the phonograph may be exhibited and heard by any one
upon the deposit of a suitable coin"); the 'Nickel-in-the-Slot' machine.
1894
- Charles August Fey invented, manufactured slot machines in shop at 406 Market
Street, San Francisco; pioneered many innovations of coin operated gaming
devices; 1899 - introduced original three-reel bell slot machine,
named Liberty Bell (three spring-loaded reels bearing strips of symbols-bells,
horseshoes, stars, card suits); installed machines in bars, taverns, stores on
"revenue sharing" basis; first modern style slot machine (design still used in
mechanical gaming devices).
October 25, 1898 - Edison Film Company filmed
for first time at Lick Observatory.
April 2, 1902 - Thomas L. Tally opened first permanent movie theater designed specifically for exhibition of films at 262 South Main Street in Los Angeles; dubbed "The Electric Theater"; earliest pictures included "New York in a Blizzard"; admission cost about 10 cents for one-hour show; Henry Miles of San Francisco began renting films to theaters, formed basis of today's film distribution system.
1903 - Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack L. Warner, sons of Benjamin Eichelbaum, immigrant
Polish cobbler and peddler, began in film business as traveling
exhibitors; moved throughout Ohio and Pennsylvania with portable
projector; 1907 - operated Cascade Theatre, converted
store in Newcastle, PA; 1908 - had acquired 200 film
titles.
1904 - William Fox
(born Wilhelm Fuchs) acquired 146-seat Brooklyn storefront Nickelodeon
theatre for $1,660.67, started Greater New York Film Rental Company;1912 - Supreme Court ruled against movie monopoly of Motion
Picture Patents Company (Thomas Edison);1913 - Theater
"chain" pioneer William Fox (born Wilhelm Fuchs) established Greater New
York Film Rental, distribution firm, Fox Office Attractions Company,
production company.; 1915 -
consolidated companies,
formed Fox Film Corporation;
concentrated on acquiring, building theaters;
1916 - moved company to 13 acres in Hollywood, CA;
March 3, 1929 - acquired Loew's Corporation's 500 theatres
(added to existing nationwide circuit of 1100 theatres), large equity
position in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Picture Studios; July 1929
- Fox seriously injured in car accident; October 1929 -
net worth valued over $400 million wiped out; 1930 - Fox
forced out as CEO;
May 31, 1935 -
president Sidney Kent, new owners merged company with Twentieth Century
Pictures, formed 20th Century Fox;
1936 - Fox forced into personal bankruptcy; 1942
- began jail time for felony conviction of bribing judge during
bankruptcy proceedings; 1985 - Twentieth Century Fox Film
Corporation acquired by News Corporation; renamed Fox, Incorporated; 1989 - film production unit renamed the Fox Film Corporation;
October 7, 1996
- Fox News Channel made its debut.
William Fox -
20th Century Fox (http://www.whitenberg.de/
FoxTheatreAtlanta/ images/People/WilliamFox.jpg)
May 12, 1906 - One month after San Francisco's earthquake,
Sarah Bernhardt performed the role in Racine's intense verse drama "Phèdre"
in the opening of Cal Performances, Berkeley, CA performing arts
organization, in the grand open-air Greek Theatre in the Berkeley hills;
Putnam's Monthly called it "one of the great performances in world
dramatic history"; donated "Phèdre" proceeds to earthquake victims.
November 28, 1907 - Scrap-metal dealer
Louis B. Mayer opened small movie theater in Haverhill, MA; owned largest
theater chain in New England; was distributing films within a few years;
1917 - started production company, became part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
(MGM) through mergers, named general manager of MGM; 1951 - Mayer
ousted.
1908 - Selig Film
Manufacturing Company became first major film company to move to Los Angeles;
1909 - built first permanent film
studio.
July 14, 1908 - Biograph Pictures released D.W.
Griffith's first film, The Adventures of Dollie; became most
influential director of early cinema, played major role in growth of films as narrative medium.
September 9, 1908 - Leading movie studios (Biograph,
Vitagraph, Edison Studio) created Motion Picture Patents Co. to
consolidate control over fledgling movie industry: refused to let other
companies use their patented film equipment, distributed films only to
theater owners who agreed to their terms; Kodak agreed to sell raw film
stock only to members of the company; 1912 - U.S.
government started cracking down on company for unfair trade practices.
April 12, 1909 - Carl Laemmle established Independent
Motion Picture Company (IMP); defied Motion Picture Patent Company;
fought more than 280 lawsuits from Patent Company; June 8, 1912
- Laemmle (Independent Motion Picture Company), Pat Powers (Powers
Picture Company), Mark Dintenfass (Champion Films), Bill Swanson
(American Éclair) merged studios, formed Universal Motion Picture
Manufacturing Company; 1925 - name changed to Universal
Pictures Company, Inc.
October 8, 1910 - Several
film exchanges established
American Film Manufacturing to distribute films, compete against
Motion Picture Patents Company;
1909
- Carol Laemmle established the Independent Motion Picture Company (had
to buy film stock from overseas) -
Motion Picture Patents Company filed
280 lawsuits filed against him.
June 1, 1912 - Adolph Zukor created Famous Players
Film Company; 1905 - partnered with Marcus Loew, developed
Loew's cinema chain; July 12, 1912 - opened
"Queen Elizabeth", a 4-reel film (first full-length drama shown in US);
1916 - merged with Jesse L. Lasky Company; began using
Paramount name.
June 2, 1912 -
Carl Laemmle merged his movie studio, Independent Motion Picture
Company (IMP, started in 1909), with several others; created Hollywood's
first major studio, Universal; 1915 - studio bought a
230-acre lot and founded Universal City in San Fernando Valley;
1962 - acquired by MCA; 1991 - Matsushita
Electrical Industrial Co. purchased MCA; 1995 - sold the
company to The Seagram Co.; 1996 - company was renamed
Universal Studios ; 2004 - GE, parent company of NBC, has
owned 80 percent of the company; the remaining 20 percent is owned by
Vivendi, which acquired Seagram's entertainment holdings in 2000.
August 16, 1912 - U.S. government sued the Motion
Picture Patents Company; week later, court ruled that company could not
claim exclusive rights to machines used in movie cameras; ended
effective monopoly of the company; within four years company's power had
dissolved; 1908 - company formed by nine leading film
companies, refused to let other companies use their patented film
equipment, distributed films only to theater owners who agreed to their
terms (Kodak agreed to sell raw film stock only to members of the
company).
November 26, 1913 - Jesse Lasky formed Jesse L. Lasky
Feature Play Company in partnership with his brother-in-law, Samuel
Goldfish (later Goldwyn) and his friend Cecil B. DeMille; first
production, The Squaw Man, directed by DeMille, was an instant hit;
first feature shot in Hollywood.
1914 - Hal Roach began producing comedies; 1919
- acquired 10 acres at $1,000 an acre from Harry Culver, built Hal Roach
Studios in Culver City, CA; l955 - acquired by Hal Roach,
Jr.; 1962 - taken over by creditors; 1963 -
acquired, become part of Landmark Industrial Tract.
May 8, 1914 - W.W. (William Wadsworth) Hodkinson organized
Paramount Pictures, Inc. as film
financing, distribution company; 1907 - opened
first film exchange in Ogden, UT; became Special Representative to
General Film Company representing Motion Picture Patents Company in Salt
Lake City, Los Angeles; April 1911 - reorganized San
Francisco area for General Film; May 1913 - dismissed;
formed Progressive Company, west coast-based distributor of films
of independent production companies; May 15, 1914 -
Famous Players Film Co., The Lasky Corporation and
Bosworth, Inc., contracted with Paramount Co. for distribution all pictures produced for period of five years from August 31, 1914; March 1, 1915
- Zukor renegotiated new 25 year distribution deal with Paramount; May 2, 1915 - Paramount Pictures Corporation acquired 51% of nine
franchise holder
corporations (from Zukor and Lasky); remaining 49% acquired
December 4, 1916; May 20,
1916 - Zukor, Lasky acquired 50% of Paramount Co.
(balance acquired December 1916); June 13, 1916 -
Hodkinson forced to resign; July 1, 1916- Famous Players
, Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company combined, renamed Famous
Players-Lasky Corporation; July 19, 1916 - Famous Players-Lasky
Corporation organized under laws of New York state primarily as holding company to acquire, hold
capital stock of Famous Players Film Co., Jesse L. Lasky Feature
Play Co, other domestic, foreign corporations;
began buying movie theaters.
1927 - name
changed to Paramount Famous Lasky Corp.; 1930 - changed name to
Paramount Publix Corp.; 1933 - declared bankruptcy;
1935 - reorganized,
re-established under name Paramount Pictures Corp.; 1966
- studio acquired by Gulf and Western; 1989 - name
changed to Paramount Communications; 1994 - control
acquired by Viacom.
February 8, 1915 - Director D.W. Griffith's film "Birth of
a Nation" premiered at Clune's Auditorium in Los Angeles; Civil War epic
cost $100,000, ran nearly three hours, used revolutionary filmmaking
techniques (multiple camera angles); a financial success, drew long
lines to pay the unprecedented price of $2 a ticket; one of the songs in
the movie's score, "The Perfect Song," became the first musical hit
generated by a movie; 1919 - co-founded United Artists
with Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, and Charles Chaplin.
October 1, 1915 - Federal court ruled that Motion Pictures
Patents Co. (established in 1909 by
Edison and Biograph film studios and
other filmmakers to protecting patents, keep
competitors from entering film industry)
violated antitrust rules, stifled fair competition in fledgling film
industry; 1917 - Supreme Court dissolved the trust.
April 1, 1916 - Lewis Selznick founded Lewis Selznick
Pictures; 1923 - went bankrupt; 1928 -
Myron, oldest son, became talent agent, eventually made him one of most
powerful personalities in Hollywood; David, younger son, got job at MGM,
eventually married boss's daughter, Irene, left to work at Paramount,
RKO; 1936 - founded Selznick International;
1938 - 20th Century Fox
banned Myron from lot, claimed he undermined film industry by inflating
actors' salaries;
1939 - David produced 'Gone with the Wind', used 15
screenwriters to adapt Margaret Mitchell's novel; became one of biggest
box office hits in history; 1940 - brought Alfred
Hitchcock from England to direct Rebecca, Hitchcock's first U.S. film.
November 19, 1916- Samuel Goldfish (born Schmuel Gelbfisz in
Warsaw, Poland, changed to Goldwyn in 1918) and Edgar Selwyn established
Goldwyn Company as independent filmmaker; 1914 - entered
film business with his brother-in-law and Cecil B. De Mille; 1916
- merged with Adolph Zukor's Famous Players, Goldfish named chairman of
the board, partners bought him out soon afterward; 1922 -
Goldwyn edged out of corporation; 1923 -
formed Samuel Goldwyn Productions; later merged with Metro Pictures and
Louis B. Mayer productions to form MGM.
March 10, 1918 - Warner Bros. (begun 1903) released
first full-scale film, "Four Years in Germany" (based on book by U. S.
Ambassador to Germany);
April 4, 1923 - studio
incorporated;
October 6, 1927 -
released "The Jazz Singer", first feature with
sound; became major studio.
April 17, 1919 - Charlie Chaplin,
Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, David W. (D. W.) Griffith launched
United Artists Corporation to give founders greater control of marketing
of their films, to distribute films made by independent producers; first
studio controlled by artists, not businessmen; agreed to share full
financial and artistic control; sought complete creative freedom in
their work; mid-1950s - original partners had sold their
shares of company; 1951 - acquired by lawyers, Arthur Krim and
Robert Benjamin; 1957 - went public;
1967 - acquired by TransAmerica Corporation; 1981
- acquired by MGM; 1983 - renamed MGM/UA Entertainment; 1992 -
acquired by French bank Credit Lyonnais, name changed back to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.
(United Artists name abandoned).
1920 - Harry Cohn, Joe Brandt, Jack
Cohn founded C.B.C. Sales Film Corporation; one of so-called "Poverty Row" studios
of Hollywood's Gower Street; made low-budget westerns, B-movies, serials;
1924 - renamed Columbia Pictures; 1934 - formed Screen
Gems as cartoon division; 1946 - closed; 1948 -
reopened as television division; 1973 - David Begelman took over
floundering Columbia Studios; among first Hollywood agents to cross over, rise
to top of studio system; February 1977 - discovered to have
embezzled; indicted for forgery, grand theft (committed suicide in 1995);
1982 - acquired by Coca-Cola; 1984 - first release from
Nova, joint production company (Columbia, HBO CBS); renamed Tri-Star Pictures
(Coca-Cola eventually bought remaining two thirds of company); 1989
- Coca-Cola entertainment holdings acquired by Sony (Sony Pictures
Entertainment).
May 23, 1922 - Walt Disney formed his first film
company with commercial artist Ub Iwerks, Kansas City-based Laugh-O-Gram
Films; July 1923 - went bankrupt; October 1923
- signed contract with M.J. Winkler Productions, a New York film
distributor, to produce six short films of Alice's Wonderland; moved to
Hollywood to rear of a small office occupied by Holly-Vermont Realty in
Los Angeles.
1923 - Hollywood Realty Company constructed advertisement
sign for "Hollywoodland" real estate development in foothills just below
sign; 1949 - County of Los Angeles repaired sign's first
nine letters, removed last four; sign read HOLLYWOOD.
April 17, 1924 - Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures, and
Louis B. Mayer Productions merged, formed Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, or MGM; owned by Loew's Inc., chain of theaters run by Marcus Loew;
"Leo the lion" logo (designed by Howard Dietz, publicist for
Goldwyn Picture Corporation,
based on mascot of his alma mater, Columbia University,
incorporated slogan “Ars Gratia Artis” [Art for Art’s Sake] accepted as
MGM logo; August 16, 1927 - Metro-Goldwyn Pictures
Corporation registered
“Ars Gratia Artis” trademark first
used July 25, 1924 (motion-picture films);
1930s - most prestigious, glamorous, financially
successful studio in Hollywood; 1952 - Supreme Court
ruling forced Loew's theater chain to sell ownership stake in MGM
(power of studio system beginning to fade); 1973 -
company stopped distributing films, purchased by series of
owners.
May 27, 1924 - Jules Stein founded Music Corporation of
American in Chicago; booked bands into clubs and dance halls; grew into
leading talent agency, later became an entertainment conglomerate that
owned film studio Universal International and Decca Records; 1962
- antitrust suit forced MCA to spin off its talent component separately;
1991 - Matsushita Electrical Industrial Co.
purchased MCA; 1995 - acquired by The
Seagram Co.; 1996 - renamed Universal Studios.
January 25, 1926 - Central Casting Corporation opened (joint
venture between most major Hollywood studios until sold to private company in 1976); provided pools of extras for film
production; 1929 - more than 17,000 extras were registered
with bureau.
April 20, 1926 - Western Electric, Warner Bros.
announced Vitaphone, process to add sound to film; system logged sound
on record linked electronically to projector, kept sound
synchronized with image; systems like Movietone quickly replaced
Vitaphone (synchronizing a recording with a film was less reliable than
integrating the sound onto the film itself); 1950s -
magnetic tape recording and stereophonic sound system introduced; late
1970s - Dolby Laboratories introduced a noise-reduction system;
early 1990s - digital sound systems added additional clarity and
crispness to soundtracks.
July 23, 1926 - William Fox, Fox Film Corp., acquired
patents for sound system that will record sound onto film for $60,000;
named it Movietone;
1928 - began making feature films with Movietone system;
became associated with newsreels (captured newsworthy events on
film, created valuable historical record in the process).
August 5, 1926 - Warner Brothers debut of first
'Vitaphone'' sound-on-disc film,
"Don Juan" at Warner Theatre, New York; first mainstream film that
replaced traditional use of live orchestra or organ for soundtrack
(no dialogue in the film).
February 24, 1927 - Fox demonstrated new Movietone
sound process to media, filmed group of reporters in
morning, showed film, with sound, at night;
no single audio standard for
industry,
cost to wire a movie house for Warner Brothers' Vitaphone sound system =
about $20,000 (only about 200 theaters nationwide equipped). 1928
- Fox began making feature films with Movietone system.
May 11, 1927 - Louis B. Mayer, 36 members (production
executives and film luminaries)
formed Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences
s nonprofit corporation to advance the arts and
sciences of motion pictures; foster cooperation among creative leaders for
cultural, educational and technological progress; recognize outstanding
achievements; cooperate on technical research and improvement of methods and
equipment; provide a common forum and meeting ground for various film-related
crafts; represent the viewpoint of actual creators of the motion picture; and
foster educational activities between the professional community and the public;
Douglas Fairbanks Sr. first president.
October 6, 1927 - Warner
Brothers' premiered "The Jazz Singer" (Al Jolson) in New York City,
first picture with sound, though most theaters were not equipped with
sound technology; 1926, Warner invested half million
dollars with Western Electric in the Vitaphone ((sound-on-disk) sound
system, brought profits of $3.5 million at the box-office with this
landmark talkie.
October 27, 1927 - Fox Movietone News released first
newsreel with sound in New York.
July 30, 1928 - MGM lion roared for first time.
September 18, 1928 - Disney Enterprises, Inc. registered
"Mickey Mouse" trademark first used on May 1, 1928 (motion pictures
reproduced in copies for sale); November 18, 1928 -
First successful sound-synchronized animated cartoon, Walt Disney's
''Steamboat Willie'', premiered in New York; starred black-and-white,
talking Mickey Mouse.
January 20, 1929 - First full-length motion picture in
U.S. taken outdoors released, titled "In Old Arizona"; first all-talking
sound-on-film feature; charming, happy-to-lucky bandit in old Arizona
plays cat-and-mouse with the sheriff trying to catch him while he
romances a local beauty; starred Warner Baxter as The Cisco Kid, Edmund
Lowe as Sergeant Mickey Dunn, Dorothy Burgess as Tonia Maria.
February 1, 1929 - The Broadway Melody, Hollywood's first
original film musical, opened at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Los
Angeles; became first sound film to win Academy Award for
Best Picture.
February 27, 1929 - Hearts in Dixie, first film
created by major studio specifically for an African-American audience,
premiered in New York; musical comedy, produced by Fox Movietone,
featured Stephen "Stepin" Fetchit and an almost entirely black cast.
May 28, 1929 - Warner Brothers debuted the first all-color
talking picture, "On With the Show."
March 31, 1930 - Motion Picture Producers and Distributors
of America (MPPDA) formally adopted "Hays Code" (Production Code) in
attempt to avoid government censorship, satisfy public demand
for morally acceptable movies; named for William H. Hays, former U.S.
postmaster general under President Harding, past chairman of Republican
National Committee, hired by MPPDA to create movie production code.
1931 - Adolph Rickenbacker (operator of
tool and die shop), George D. Beauchamp (steel guitar player) founded Electro
String Instrument Corporation in Los Angeles to develop, sell amplifiers,
produce "Rickenbacker Electro Instruments", first modern electric guitars; August
10, 1937 - George D. Bauchamp, of Los Angeles, CA, received a patent for
an "Electrical Stringed Musical Instrument"; electric guitar; assigned to
Electro String Instrument Corporation; 1953 - acquired by Francis
C. Hall, founder of Radio and Television Equipment Company (Radio-Tel), formerly
Fender's exclusive distributor; modernized Rickenbacker guitar line; 1960s -
Beatles used several Rickenbacker models in early years (John Lennon owned four;
September 1984 - John Hall, wife Cindalee, became sole owners;
name changed to Rickenbacker International Corporation (RIC).
September 17, 1931 - RCA (Radio Corporation of America)
demonstrated very early versions of 33 rpm long-playing records at the
Savoy Plaza Hotel in New York; product flopped - too expensive; RCA
rival, Columbia, began mass production of the plastic LP records in
1948.
1932 - Joseph Schenck, former president of United
Artists, Darryl F. Zanuck from Warner Brothers, William Goetz from Fox
Films, Raymond Griffith formed Twentieth Century Pictures as independent
Hollywood motion picture production company; Nicholas Schenck (brother),
Louis B. Mayer (Goetz's father-in-law), head of MGM Studios, provided
financing; distributed by United Artists; Zanuck chief executive,
Schenck head of production; May 31, 1935 - merged with Fox
Film Corporation; formed Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (hyphen
dropped in 1985); June 1981 - acquired by TCF Holdings,
Inc. (Marvin Davis, Marc Rich) for $722 million; October 1984
- Davis bought other 50% from Marc Rich for $116 million; April
1985 - News Corporation acquired 50% interest in Twentieth
Century Fox Film Corporation for $132 million, lent $88 million to Fox;
December 1985 - acquired remaining 50% interest for $325
million; renamed Fox, Incorporated.
July 30, 1932 - Walt Disney released first cartoon in
color; "Flowers and Trees" made in three-color Technicolor.
1933 - San Francisco Opera Ballet founded to train dancers
to appear in lavish, full-length opera productions; oldest professional
ballet company in America; 1939 - William Christensen
choreographed Company’s first full-length production, Coppélia;
1940 - staged first American full-length production of Swan
Lake; 1942 - became totally separate entity from the
opera, renamed San Francisco Ballet; Harold Christensen (brother)
appointed director of San Francisco Ballet School; 1944 -
launched national holiday tradition with premiere of Nutcracker, first
complete version of ballet ever staged in United States; 1956
- East Coast debut at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival; 1957
- toured 11 Asian nations, first performances of an American ballet
company in Far East; 1972 - settled permanently in War
Memorial Opera House for annual residency; 1974 - faced
bankruptcy; Dr. Richard E. LeBlond, Jr. appointed president and general
manager of San Francisco Ballet Association; July 1985 -
Helgi Tomasson named artistic director.
January 26, 1934 - Samuel Goldwyn bought film rights to
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum; 1939 - 101
minute film released; 1956 - an estimated 45 million
people tuned in to watch the movie debut on television; 1998
- ranked sixth in American Film Institute's poll of America's 100
Greatest Movies.
June 9, 1934 - Donald Duck made first film
appearance in The Wise Little Hen, short by Walt Disney.
July 6, 1934 - Motion Picture Producers and
Distributors of America (MPPDA) appointed Joseph Breen head of
Production Code Administration ("Hays Office"); tightened studio compliance with
Production Code.
January 4, 1936 - Billboard magazine published
first pop-music chart based on national sales figures. A song called
"Stop! Look! Listen!" by jazz violinist Joe Venuti topped first
chart.
July 30, 1936 - David O. Selznick (Selznick
International Pictures) agreed to pay $50,000 for film rights to Martha
Mitchell's "Gone With the Wind"; more than any studio had ever paid for
rights to first novel.
December 21, 1937 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,
Walt Disney's first full-length (83 minutes), animated talking film opened;
two years and $1.5 million to create;
first commercially successful film of its kind.
1938 - Leo Fender founded Fender's
Radio Service in Fullerton, CA to repair radios, phonograph players, home audio
amplifiers, public address systems, musical instrument amplifier (variations on
vacuum tube circuits used for amplification); joined Clayton Orr Kauffman,
formed K & F Manufacturing Corp. to design, manufacture, sell electric
instruments, amplifiers; December 7, 1948 - Clarence Leo Fender
and Clayton Orr Kauffman, of Fullerton, CA, received a patent for a
"Pickup Unit for Instruments"; lap steel guitar; 1946 - renamed
Fender Electric Instrument Company; 1965 - acquired by Columbia
Broadcasting System for $13 million; 1985 - acquired by employees,
renamed Fender Musical Instruments Corporation.
July 14, 1938 - British director Alfred Hitchcock signed
contract with David O. Selznick to direct movies in Hollywood; already
established reputation as England's foremost director with such films as
The Man Who Knew Too Much in 1934 (which he remade in 1956) and The Lady
Vanishes in 1938; 1940 - first American film, Rebecca,
starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine, opened, won Academy Awards
for Best Picture and Best Cinematography.
December 15, 1939 - Gone With the Wind debuted in Atlanta;
instant hit, broke all box office records in course of its run.
May 21, 1940 - Walter E. Disney, of Los Angeles, CA,
received patent for the "Art of Animation" ("improvements in the art of
producing what are generally known as 'animated cartoons'"); assigned to
Walt Disney Productions.
February 10, 1942 - First gold record (sprayed with
gold by record company RCA Victor) presented to recording artist: Glenn Miller for
'Chattanooga Choo Choo' (performed in movie Sun Valley Serenade;
sales of 1,200,000).
June 4, 1942 - Glenn Wallichs, owner of Music City record
store, on Vine St. in Los Angeles, movie producer Buddy deSylva,
songwriter
Johnny Mercer started Capitol Records.
February 20, 1943 - Movie studio executives agreed to allow
the Office of War Information to censor movies informally to prevent
disclosure of vital information in war-themed films.
October 20, 1947 - House Un-American Activities Committee
(HUAC) of U.S. Congress (chaired by Congressman Parnell Thomas)
opened investigation into communist infiltration of American movie
industry; hearings focused on identifying political subversives among
Hollywood actors, actresses, writers, directors; Walt Disney testified, named Disney employees he believed to
be communists.
November 24, 1947 - House of Representatives voted 346 to 17
to approve citations of contempt against 10 Hollywood writers, directors, and
producers who had refused to cooperate at hearings held by House Un-American
Activities Committee into influence of communism in movie industry
(became known as ''Hollywood
10'');
men denounced questions as violations of their First Amendment
rights, sentenced to one year in jail; Supreme Court later upheld contempt
charges; 1951 - new HUAC hearings started, Hollywood quickly
buckled to committee's demands; hundreds of performers, directors, writers,
others placed on "blacklist," effectively banned from employment.
November 25, 1947 - Movie studio executives meeting in New
York agreed to blacklist ''Hollywood 10''; eventually, some 300 people were
blacklisted on very slight evidence (collection of
names of Hollywood personalities suspected of having communist ties;
many careers ruined (those on the list rarely found
work in the movies); blacklist not completely broken until the 1960s.
January 1, 1948 -
Warner Brothers-Pathe showed
first U.S. motion picture newsreel
in color (using the Cinecolor process) of photos taken at Tournament of
Roses, Rose Bowl Game, Pasadena, California; January 5,
1948 - started showing newsreels to theatre
audiences.
June 20, 1948 - Columbia Records
introduced first successful long-playing microgroove phonograph records
at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City; designed for the new
speed of 33-1/3 r.p.m.; developed by Dr. Peter Goldmark, head of CBS
Labs; made of non-breakable Vinilyte plastic; 12 inch record could play
23 minutes per side (compared to only 4 minutes per side on the earlier
78 rpm record); quieter surfaces, greatly increased fidelity; first LP
featured violinist Yehudi Menuhin. Columbia originated, copyrighted term
"LP".
January 10, 1949 - RCA, Columbia introduced vinyl
records in U.S.: RCA's "single", 7-inch diameter 45 rpm, could
play eight minutes of sound per side, replaced 78 rpm records; RCA
manufactured special record-player with wide-diameter spindle to
automatically play stack of records; Columbia offered 33.3 rpm
records.
February 2, 1949 - First 45 RPM record released.
June 1, 1949 - Lawrence Welk's band began
two-year stint as house orchestra for radio show High Life Review; often lampooned for saccharine style, Welk eventually
developed army of loyal fans, hosted one of longest running
musical variety shows in history; 1951 - moved to TV,
launched own show on local Los Angeles station; 1955
- show moved to ABC, aired on Saturday nights (straightforward dance
music); gained strong following, stayed on air for 16 years;
1956 to1959 - Saturday night show so popular that ABC gave
him second hour-long show, aired during the week, called Lawrence Welk's Top Tunes and New Talent; 1961 - topped charts
with "Calcutta"; 1971 - ABC cancelled show.
January 4, 1950 - RCA Victor announced would start
manufacturing long-playing (LP) records (long-playing album debuted in 1948); one side of 12-inch LP played
for 23 minutes (vs. four minutes for one side of a standard 78 rpm
record); took several years for standard to become universally
accepted.
October 16, 1951 - The New York Academy of Medicine
Post Graduate Fortnightly showed first 9 1/2 minute color motion
picture in U.S. of inside of living heart (of a dog) at Montefiore Hospital, New York City; showed opening, closing of
mitral valve.
July 17, 1955 -
Disneyland ($17
million theme park) opened in
Anaheim, CA, on land once occupied by orange groves, as grand-scale
"family park where parents, children could have fun--together".
November 22, 1955 - RCA announced it had purchased recording contract for Elvis Presley from Sun Records for record
sum of $35,000; Presley also received $5,000 advance (bought pink
Cadillac for his mother); 1956 - first record on RCA
included songs "I Got a Woman," "Heartbreak Hotel," "I Was the
One."
November 15, 1956 - Love Me Tender, Elvis Presley's
first movie, opened at Paramount Theater in New York; covered its
production cost of $1 million in three days; Elvis appeared in 33 movies
over next 13 years.
December 11, 1956 - Movie industry's tight restriction
of language, subject matter ("Hays Code" or the Production
Code), eased slightly for first time since adoption in 1930; actors
could now mention abortion, drugs, kidnapping,
prostitution;
1966 - new standards
adopted, permitted more liberal portrayals of sexual content, imposed
heavier restrictions on violence;
1968 - Code replaced by movie ratings system, greatly
expanded range of permissible subjects for film.
1957 - MGM shut down
its animation studio; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer animation directors William
Hanna, Joseph Barbera changed name of H-B Enterprises to Hanna-Barbera
Productions (1944 - H-B Enterprises founded as freelance television
commercial production company); made cartoons directly for small screen,
launched first production, Ruff and Reddy; 1960 - produced
first-ever animated prime-time family sitcom show, with half-hour
storyline, The Flintstones; also produced The Jetsons, The Huckleberry
Hound Show, The Yogi Bear Show, Jonny Quest, Wacky Races, Scooby-Doo,
Smurfs; 1991 - acquired by Turner Broadcasting; 1992
- renamed H-B Production Company; 1993 - renamed Hanna-Barbera
Cartoons; 1996 - Turner acquired by Time Warner; Hanna-Barbera
absorbed into Warner Bros. Animation.
1958 - Jimmy Lyons (saxophonist), Ralph Gleason (San
Francisco Chronicle's music critic, founding editor of Rolling Stone
magazine) co-founded Monterey Jazz Festival (every third full weekend in
September) on Monterey Fairgrounds, Monterey, CA (Dizzy Gillespie, Louis
Armstrong, John Lewis, Shelly Manne, Gerry Mulligan, Art Farmer,
Ernestine Anderson, Harry James, Max Roach, Billie Holiday); longest
running jazz festival in world; proceeds donated to musical education.
March 14, 1958 - Recording Industry Association of
American created.
March 27, 1958 - CBS Labs announced new stereophonic
records.
May 18, 1959 - Wilbert Harrison's recording of blues hit
"Kansas City" topped charts; first song in history of Top 100
charts to debut at No. 100, climb all way to top.
January 13, 1962 - Chubby Checker's hit "The Twist"
became first song to reach the No. 1 spot twice in two years.
January 11, 1964 - Elmer Valentine, Mario Maglieri opened
Whiskey-A-Go-Go, Los Angeles's first disco (the French word discotheque,
record library = recordings with no bands), at 8901 Sunset Boulevard;
chief entertainment consisted of dancing to simplified form of rock;
underground disco subculture turned into a national sensation when film Saturday Night Fever released in 1977.
January 13, 1964 - Capitol Records released Beatles'
first single in USA; "I Wanna Hold Your Hand"; sold one
million copies in first three weeks.
October 19, 1966 - Gulf and Western Industries Inc.
acquired Paramount Pictures Corp.; responsible for Godfather and Indiana
Jones trilogies; renamed Paramount Communications, acquired Viacom Inc.
October 7, 1968 - Motion Picture Association of
America adopted film-rating system: G (for general audiences), M
(for mature audiences), R (no one under 16 admitted without an adult),
and X (no one under 16 admitted); January 27, 1970 - New system of movie ratings
announced: MPG replaced by PG (parental guidance suggested), R
movies restricted admission of people under age of 17 unless
accompanied by parent or guardian; 1984 - PG-13 rating
added at request of moviemaker Steven Spielberg (to address
concerns raised by parents of preteens who thought some of Spielberg's
films, including "Indiana Jones" series and Gremlins, were too scary
for their children, even though they fit within other guidelines for
a PG movie); September 26, 1990 - X rating phased out in favor of
NC-17 (non-pornographic films with sexual content deemed inappropriate
for viewers under age 17).
October 1, 1971 - Magic Kingdom park at Walt
Disney World Resort
opened in Orlando, FL; October 23, 1971 - dedicated by Roy
Disney; 1,076-piece marching band played 76 Trombones; Arthur Fiedler
conducted World Symphony Orchestra (musicians from 60 countries).
March 2, 1976- Walt Disney World logged 50
millionth guest.
1979- George
Atkinson opened first video rental store in Los Angeles; created the
rental business model; bought 50 movies recently made available on
video, advertised them for rent ($10/movie) in one-inch ad in
LA Times, customers came in droves (to Video Station), went public in
the early 1980's, ultimately opened 600 affiliated video rental stores
(2004 - more than 24,000 video stores in U.S. rent 2.6 billion DVD and
VHS cassettes = $8 billion in revenue).
April 15, 1983 - Tokyo Disneyland opened in Urayasu, Chiba,
Japan, near Tokyo; first Disney park built outside of United
States.
August 10, 1985 - Michael Jackson bought ATV Music (all
Beatle songs) for $47 million.
September 20, 1985 - Walt Disney World received its
200-millionth guest.
November 18, 1987 - Sony Corp. agreed to acquire
CBS Records for $2 billion (included CBS's manufacturing plants, subsidiary companies,10,000 employees, Columbia House, direct-mail
music club).
May 1, 1989 - Disney's MGM Studio theme park officially
opened to public.
September 27, 1989 - Sony completed purchase of Columbia
Pictures for $3.4 billion; under the direction of producers Jon Peters
and Peter Guber, studio released series of costly flops, racked-up
$3 billion in debt, Sony officials considered selling Columbia.
April 12, 1992 - Euro Disneyland, $4 billion theme park,
opened in Marne-La-Vallee, France.
July 31, 1995 - Walt Disney Company agreed to acquire Capital
Cities/ABC for $18.47 billion.
November 21, 1995 - Disney released Toy Story (by Pixar); first entirely computer-animated feature; grossed $300 million in one year.
December 19, 1997 - ''Titanic,'' highest-grossing movie of
all-time, opened in American theaters;
March 23, 1998 - won 11 Academy
Awards, including best picture, best director and best song; tied
record set by 1959's ''Ben-Hur.''
February 20, 1998 - U.S. movie box office hit quickest $1
billion for year (51 days).
September 8, 2003 - Recording Industry Association of
America, music industry's largest trade group, filed 261 copyright
lawsuits across country against Internet users for trading songs
online; accused them of unauthorized sharing of files containing
copyrighted material.
2004
- Average cost of producing a film = $63.6 million; average cost of
marketing = $34.4 million. Average total cost = $98 million. Domestic
box office sales = $9.54 billion; foreign ticket sales + $15.7 billion
(up 44% since 2003). Source: American Motion Picture
Association.
March 13, 2005 - Robert Iger named to succeed Michael Eisner as chief executive of
Walt Disney Co.
October 16, 2005 - Centennial issue of Variety listed 100 top-grossing films
(not adjusted for inflation) of all time in $millions): 1)
Titanic ($602 domestic, $1,250 international; 2) Rings: Return of the
King 2003 ($377, $742); 3) Harry Potter: Sorcerer's Stone 2001 ($318,
$656); 4) Rings: Two Towers ($342, $545); 5) Star Wars I: Phantom Menace
1999 ($431, $492); 6) Juarassic Park 1993 ($357, $563); 7) Shrek 2004
($437, $479); 8) Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets 2002 ($262, $615); 9)
Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 2001 ($315, $557); 100 Finding Nemo
2003 ($340, $526).
January 24, 2006 - Walt Disney announced it would acquire Pixar
Animation Studios in a $7.4 billion stock deal; Steve Jobs (purchased
the graphics division of Lucasfilm Ltd. in 1986 for $10 million, renamed
it Pixar) became non-independent director of Disney and Disney's largest
individual shareholder.
(Capitol Records), Paul Grein (1992). Capitol Records Fiftieth
Anniversary, 1942-1992 (Hollywood, CA: Capitol Records, 219 p.).
Capitol Records, Inc.
(Capitol Records), Ken Nelson (2007).
My First 90 Years Plus 3. (Pittsburgh, PA: Dorrance Pub. Co.,
352 p.). Former Head of country Music division of Capitol Records;
Co-Founder Country Music Association. Nelson, Ken, 1911-2008; Sound
recording executives and producers--United States--Biography; Country
music--History and criticism.
Natural
talent for spotting winners; produced many artists who are remembered as
giants; served two terms as President of Country Music Association;
retired as vice-president in charge of country and western at Capital
Records; inducted into Country Music Hall of Fame.
(Columbia Pictures), Bob Thomas (1967). King Cohn; The Life and
Times of Harry Cohn. (New York, NY: Putnam, 381 p.). Cohn, Harry,
1891-1958.
(Columbia Pictures), Andrew Yule (1989). Fast Fade: David Puttnam,
Columbia Pictures, and the Battle for Hollywood. (New York, NY:
Delacorte Press, 376 p.). Puttnam, David, 1941- ; Columbia Pictures;
Motion picture industry -- United States; Hollywood (Los Angeles,
Calif.) -- Biography; Motion picture producers and directors -- Great
Britain -- Biography.
(Columbia Pictures), Clive Hirschhorn (1990).The Columbia Story
(New York, NY: Crown, 400 p.). Columbia Pictures--History.
(Columbia Pictures), Bernard F. Dick, editor (1992). Columbia
Pictures: Portrait of a Studio (Lexington, KY: University Press of
Kentucky, 293 p.). Columbia Pictures--History.
(Columbia Pictures), Bernard F. Dick (1993). The Merchant Prince
of Poverty Row: Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures. (Lexington, KY:
University Press of Kentucky, 218 p.). Cohn, Harry, 1891-1958; Columbia
Pictures Corporation--History; Motion picture producers and
directors--United States--Biography.
(Columbia Pictures), Nancy Griffin and Kim Masters (1996). Hit and Run: How Jon Peters
and Peter Guber Took Sony for a Ride in Hollywood. (New York, NY:
Simon & Schuster, 479 p.). Peters, Jon; Guber, Peter; Guber-Peters
Company; Columbia Pictures; Motion picture producers and
directors--United States--Biography.
(Columbia Pictures), Bob Thomas ; [foreword by Peter Bart] (2000).
King Cohn: The Life and Times of Hollywood Mogul Harry Cohn.
(Beverly Hills, CA: New Millenium Press, 376 p. [orig. pub. 1967]).
Cohn, Harry, 1891-1958; Motion picture producers and directors--United
States--Biography.
Harry Cohn - co-founder, Columbia Pictures
(http://silentgents.com/ Producers/sUnknown01.jpg)
(Death Row Records), Ronin Ro (1998). Have Gun Will Travel: The
Spectacular Rise and Violent Fall of Death Row Records. (New York,
NY: Doubleday, 372 p.). Death Row Records--History; Rap (Music)--History
and criticism; Popular culture--United States.
(Death Row Records), Jake Brown (2001). Suge Knight: The Rise,
Fall, and Rise of Death Row Records: The Story of Marion "Suge" Knight,
a Hard Hitting Study of One Man, One Company That Changed the Course of
American Music Forever. (Los Angeles, CA: Colossus Books, 218 p.).
Knight, Suge; Knight, Suge--Imprisonment; Death Row Records; Sound
recording executives and producers--California--Los Angeles--Biography.
(Death Row Records), Ronin Ro (2007).
Dr. Dre: The Biography, the Rise, Fall, and Rise of Andre Young.
(New York, NY: Thunder's Mouth Press, 336 p.). Dr. Dre; Young, Andre;
Death Row Records--History; Rap (Music); Aftermath
Entertainment; Sound recording executives and producers--California--Los
Angeles--Biography. Rise, fall, and resurrection
of one of biggest names in rap music.
(Disney), Bob Thomas (1976). Walt Disney: An American Original.
(New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 379 p.). Disney, Walt, 1901-1966.
(Disney), Leonard Mosley (1985). Disney's World: A Biography.
(New York, NY: Stein and Day, 330 p.). Disney, Walt, 1901-1966;
Animators--United States--Biography.
(Disney), Richard Schickel (1985). The Disney Version: The Life,
Times, Art, and Commerce of Walt Disney. (New York, NY: Simon &
Schuster, 449 p. [rev. and updated]). Disney, Walt, 1901-1966.
(Disney), John Taylor (1987). Storming the Magic Kingdom: Wall
Street, the Raiders, and the Battle for Disney. (New York, NY:
Knopf, 261 p.). Walt Disney Productions--Reorganization; Consolidation
and merger of corporations--United States--Case studies; Tender offers
(Securities)--United States--Case studies; Corporate
reorganizations--United States--Case studies.
(Disney), Richard Holliss, Brian Sibley (1988).The Disney Studio
Story. (New York, NY: Crown, 256 p.). Walt Disney Company--History.
(Disney), Joe Flower (1991). Prince of the Magic Kingdom: Michael
Eisner and the Re-Making of Disney. (New York, NY: Wiley, 309 p.).
Eisner, Michael, 1942- ; Walt Disney Company -- History; Walt Disney
Productions -- Reorganization; Chief executive officers -- United States
-- Biography.
(Disney), Ron Grover (1991). The Disney Touch: How a Daring
Management Team Revived an Entertainment Empire. (Homewood, IL:
Business One Irwin, 315 p.). Eisner, Michael, 1942- ; Walt Disney
Company -- History.
(Disney), Marc Eliot (1993).Walt Disney: Hollywood's Dark Prince:
A Biography. (Secaucus, NJ: Carol Pub. Group, 305 p.). Disney, Walt,
1901-1966; Animators--United States--Biography; Hollywood (Los Angeles,
Calif.)--Biography.
(Disney), Michael D. Eisner with Tony Schwartz (1998). Work in
Progress: Risking Failure, Surviving Success. (New York, NY: Random
House, 450 p.). Eisner, Michael, 1942- ; Walt Disney Company -- History;
Chief executive officers -- United States -- Biography.
(Disney), Peter Schweizer, Rochelle Schweizer (1998). Disney: The
Mouse Betrayed: Greed, Corruption, and Children at Risk.
(Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, 374 p.). Walt Disney
Company--Corrupt practices.
(Disney), Bob Thomas (1998). Building a Company: Roy O. Disney and
the Creation of an Entertainment Empire (New York, NY: Hyperion, 359
p.). Disney, Roy O. (Roy Oliver), 1893-1971; Walt Disney Productions;
Chief executive officers--United States--Biography.
(Disney), Henry A. Giroux (1999). The Mouse That Roared: Disney
and the End of Innocence. (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 186
p.). Walt Disney Company--History; Popular culture--United States.
(Disney), Dave Smith, Steven Clark (1999).
Disney: The First 100 Years. (New York, NY: Hyperion, 197 p.).
Walt Disney Company--History.
(Disney), Sean Griffin (2000). Tinker Belles and Evil Queens:
The Walt Disney Company from the Inside Out. (New York, NY: New
York University Press, 292 p.). Walt Disney Company; Walt Disney
Company--History; Homosexuality and motion pictures; Gays--History;
Gays--Identity.
(Disney), Kim Masters (2000). The Keys to the Kingdom: How Michael
Eisner Lost His Grip. (New York, NY: Morrow, 469 p.). Reporter
Covering Hollywood for Time and Vanity Fair. Eisner, Michael, 1942-;
Walt Disney Company--History; Chief executive officers--United
States--Biography.
(Disney), Richard E. Foglesong. (2001). Married to the Mouse: Walt
Disney World and Orlando. (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press).
Professor of Politics (Rollins College). City
planning--Florida--Orlando; Urban policy--Florida--Orlando; Walt Disney
World (Fla.)--Planning.
(Disney), Douglas Brode (2004).
From Walt to Woodstock: How Disney Created the Counterculture.
(Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 252 p.). Teaches Cinema Studies
at the Newhouse School of Public Communications (Syracuse University).
Walt Disney Company; Counterculture--United States--History--20th
century.
(Disney), Douglas Brode (2005).
Multiculturalism and the Mouse: Race and Sex in Disney Entertainment.
(Austin, TX: University of Texas Press. Teaches Cinema Studies at the
Newhouse School of Public Communications (Syracuse University). Walt
Disney Company; Minorities in motion pictures. Author argues that Disney
promoted diversity decades before concept became popular in the 1990s.
(Disney), Neal Gabler (2006).
Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination. (New
York, NY: Knopf, 880 p.). Senior Fellow at the Norman Lear Center
for the Study of Entertainment and Society in the Annenberg School
for Communications (University of Southern California). Disney,
Walt, 1901-1966; Animators--United States--Biography.
Transformed
animation from novelty based on movement to art form that
presented an illusion of life; synergistic empire; combined film, television, theme parks, music,
book publishing, merchandise in a way that was unprecedented, later widely imitated.
(Disney), Michael Barrier (2007).
The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney. (Berkeley, CA:
University of California Press, 411 p). Animation Historian. Disney,
Walt, 1901-1966; Animators--United States--Biography.
Midwestern farm boy to scrambling
young businessman to pioneering artist to entrepreneur on grand
scale; flawed but imaginative leaps vaulted him ahead of competition.
(Disneyland), Randy Bright; foreword by Michael Eisner. (1987). Disneyland: Inside Story. (New York, NY: H. N. Abrams, 240 p.).
Disneyland (Calif.)--History.
(Disneyland), David Koenig; foreword by Art Linkletter (1994). Mouse Tales: A Behind-the-Ears Look at Disneyland. (Irvine, CA:
Bonaventure Press, 239 p.). Amusement parks--California--History;
Disneyland (Calif.)--History.
(Disneyland), David Koenig; foreword by Van Arsdale France. (1999).
More Mouse Tales: A Closer Peek Backstage at Disneyland. (Irvine,
CA: Bonaventure Press, 237 p.). Amusement parks--California--History;
Disneyland (Calif.)--History.
(Disneyland), Robert R. Reynolds. (1999). Roller Coasters, Flumes
& Flying Saucers: The Story of Ed Morgan & Carl Bacon, Ride Inventors of
the Modern Amusement Parks. (Jupiter, FL: Northern Lights Pub., 192
p.). Morgan, Ed; Bacon, Karl; Arrow Development (Firm)--History;
Amusement rides--United States--History; Amusement ride equipment
industry--United States--History; Inventors--United States--Biography;
Disneyland (Calif.)--History.
(Walt Disney Records), Tim Hollis and Greg Ehrbar (2006).
Mouse Tracks: The Story of Walt Disney Records. (Jackson, MS:
University Press of Mississippi, 221 p.). Walt Disney Records--History;
Sound recording industry--United States; Popular music--United
States--History and criticism. Fifty-year history
of the Disney recording companies launched by Walt Disney and Roy O.
Disney in the mid-1950s.
(Euro Disneyland), Andrew Lainsbury (2000). Once Upon an
American Dream: The Story of Euro Disneyland. (Lawrence, KS:
University of Kansas Press, 292 p.). Walt Disney Company -- Finance;
Euro Disneyland (Marne-la-Vallée, France) -- History; Popular culture
-- France -- American influences.
Walt Disney
(http://www.csulb.edu/depts/fea/ logos_studios/Walt
Disney.jpg)
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