Columbia Pictures: Difference between revisions

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[[File:ColumbiaPictures_4681.jpg|frame|[[Urban Legends|No, it's not]] Annette Bening.]]
[[File:ColumbiaPictures_4681.jpg|frame|[[Urban Legends|No, it's not]] Annette Bening.]]




'''Columbia Pictures''' is a major Hollywood studio, now owned by [[Sony]] and based at the old [[Metro Goldwyn Mayer]] lot in Culver City, CA. Columbia was [[Vanity Plate|represented]] by the "torch lady", a conflation of the [[Anthropomorphic Personification]] of America as "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_(name) Columbia]" with the torch of "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Enlightening_the_World Liberty Enlightening the World]".
'''Columbia Pictures''' is a major Hollywood studio, now owned by [[Sony]] and based at the old [[Metro Goldwyn Mayer]] lot in Culver City, CA. Columbia was [[Vanity Plate|represented]] by the "torch lady", a conflation of the [[Anthropomorphic Personification]] of America as "[[wikipedia:Columbia (name)|Columbia]]" with the torch of "[[wikipedia:Liberty Enlightening the World|Liberty Enlightening the World]]".


Columbia started as CBC Film Sales in the 1920s, and became a reliable front-runner after [[World War II]]. Since it didn't own any theaters, it wasn't as affected by the [[Fall of the Studio System]], and emerged as a leader in Hollywood in [[The Fifties]] while the Big Five were left reeling by the ''Paramount'' decision. And while the rest of the industry was scared to death of the [[New Media|new medium]] of [[Television]], Columbia wholeheartedly embraced it, becoming one of the first big names to enter television production. Columbia started an entire division named "[[Screen Gems]]" to manage its television properties, and produced several well known shows over the years. (Screen Gems is also well known for its 1965-1974 "[[Vanity Plate/Nightmare Fuel|S From Hell]]" [[Vanity Plate]], which has acquired a cult following on the Internet.)
Columbia started as CBC Film Sales in the 1920s, and became a reliable front-runner after [[World War II]]. Since it didn't own any theaters, it wasn't as affected by the [[Fall of the Studio System]], and emerged as a leader in Hollywood in [[The Fifties]] while the Big Five were left reeling by the ''Paramount'' decision. And while the rest of the industry was scared to death of the [[New Media|new medium]] of [[Television]], Columbia wholeheartedly embraced it, becoming one of the first big names to enter television production. Columbia started an entire division named "[[Screen Gems]]" to manage its television properties, and produced several well known shows over the years. (Screen Gems is also well known for its 1965-1974 "[[Vanity Plate/Nightmare Fuel|S From Hell]]" [[Vanity Plate]], which has acquired a cult following on the Internet.)


As Columbia entered [[The Sixties]], however, its brand became increasingly wishy-washy, with the studio producing both old-fashioned fare and [[New Hollywood]]-type movies. It nearly went bankrupt in the early 1970s before it was saved by a radical overhaul of the management, a partnership with [[Warner Bros]]., and a series of high-profile star vehicles. By 1982, Columbia was healthy again and was purchased by an unlikely suitor -- Coca-Cola. The marriage didn't last long, though, as Columbia had few hits during this time (aside from the blockbuster ''[[Ghostbusters (Film)|Ghostbusters]]'' franchise). After making two key purchases in the mid-1980s ([[Norman Lear]]'s and [[Merv Griffin]]'s television holdings) and a major flop in ''[[Ishtar]]'', Coke spun the company off in 1987. [[Sony]] bought Columbia in 1989, and has held on to the studio since, merging it with [[Tri Star Pictures]] following another major flop, ''[[The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (Film)|The Adventures of Baron Munchausen]]''. Due to these ownerships by prominent consumer brand-names, too many films from the studio to count feature [[Product Placement]] from the owners. (The Sony logo [with slogan] now appears at the end of credit rolls just to drive it in.)
As Columbia entered [[The Sixties]], however, its brand became increasingly wishy-washy, with the studio producing both old-fashioned fare and [[New Hollywood]]-type movies. It nearly went bankrupt in the early 1970s before it was saved by a radical overhaul of the management, a partnership with [[Warner Bros]]., and a series of high-profile star vehicles. By 1982, Columbia was healthy again and was purchased by an unlikely suitor -- Coca-Cola. The marriage didn't last long, though, as Columbia had few hits during this time (aside from the blockbuster ''[[Ghostbusters]]'' franchise). After making two key purchases in the mid-1980s ([[Norman Lear]]'s and [[Merv Griffin]]'s television holdings) and a major flop in ''[[Ishtar]]'', Coke spun the company off in 1987. [[Sony]] bought Columbia in 1989, and has held on to the studio since, merging it with [[Tri-Star Pictures]] following another major flop, ''[[The Adventures of Baron Munchausen]]''. Due to these ownerships by prominent consumer brand-names, too many films from the studio to count feature [[Product Placement]] from the owners. (The Sony logo [with slogan] now appears at the end of credit rolls just to drive it in.)


=== Films produced by Columbia include: ===
=== Films produced by Columbia include: ===
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* ''[[From Here to Eternity]]''
* ''[[From Here to Eternity]]''
* ''[[On the Waterfront]]''
* ''[[On the Waterfront]]''
* ''[[The Bridge On the River Kwai]]''
* ''[[The Bridge on the River Kwai]]''
* ''[[Jason and The Argonauts]]''
* ''[[Jason and the Argonauts]]''
* ''[[Lawrence of Arabia]]''
* ''[[Lawrence of Arabia]]''
* ''[[A Man for All Seasons]]''
* ''[[A Man for All Seasons]]''
* ''[[Guess Whos Coming to Dinner (Film)|Guess Whos Coming to Dinner]]''
* ''[[Guess Who's Coming to Dinner|Guess Whos Coming to Dinner]]''
* ''[[Oliver (Theatre)|Oliver]]''
* ''[[Oliver!]]''
* ''[[Easy Rider]]''
* ''[[Easy Rider]]''
* ''[[Taxi Driver]]''
* ''[[Taxi Driver]]''
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* ''[[Kramer vs. Kramer]]''
* ''[[Kramer vs. Kramer]]''
* ''[[Stripes]]''
* ''[[Stripes]]''
* ''[[Annie (Theatre)|Annie]]''
* ''[[Annie]]''
* ''[[Tootsie]]''
* ''[[Tootsie]]''
* ''[[The Karate Kid]]''
* ''[[The Karate Kid]]''
* ''[[The Big Chill]]''
* ''[[The Big Chill]]''
* ''[[Ghostbusters (Film)|Ghostbusters]]''
* ''[[Ghostbusters]]''
* ''[[Ishtar]]''
* ''[[Ishtar]]''
* ''[[Men in Black (Film)|Men in Black]]''
* ''[[Men in Black (film)|Men in Black]]''
* The ''[[Spider-Man (Film)|Spider-Man]]'' movies
* The ''[[Spider-Man (film)|Spider-Man]]'' movies
* ''[[Hancock]]''
* ''[[Hancock]]''
* ''[[Ghost Rider]]''
* ''[[Ghost Rider]]''
* ''[[The Fifth Element]]''
* ''[[The Fifth Element]]''
* ''[[Air Force One]]''
* ''[[Air Force One]]''
* ''[[Groundhog Day (Film)|Groundhog Day]]''
* ''[[Groundhog Day]]''
* ''[[Idle Hands]]''
* ''[[Idle Hands]]''
* ''[[Bicentennial Man]]''
* ''[[Bicentennial Man]]''
* ''[[Hitch]]''
* ''[[Hitch]]''
* ''[[Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon]]''
* ''[[Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon]]''
* ''[[Kung Fu Hustle]]''
* ''[[Kung Fu Hustle]]''
* ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]'' and ''[[Angels and Demons]]''
* ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]'' and ''[[Angels & Demons]]''
* ''[[Superbad]]''
* ''[[Superbad]]''
* ''[[Pineapple Express]]''
* ''[[Pineapple Express]]''
* [[Michael Jackson]]'s ''This Is It''
* [[Michael Jackson]]'s ''This Is It''
* International distribution for the third and fourth ''[[Terminator]]'' movies
* International distribution for the third and fourth ''[[Terminator]]'' movies
* ''[[Two Thousand Twelve (Film)|Two Thousand Twelve]]''
* ''[[2012|Two Thousand Twelve]]''
* ''[[Zombieland (Film)|Zombieland]]''
* ''[[Zombieland]]''
* ''[[Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs]]''
* ''[[Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs]]''
* ''[[Moscow On the Hudson]]''
* ''[[Moscow on the Hudson]]''
* ''[[The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (Film)|The Adventures of Baron Munchausen]]''
* ''[[The Adventures of Baron Munchausen]]''
* ''[[Awakenings]]''
* ''[[Awakenings]]''
* ''[[Go]]''
* ''[[Go]]''
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* ''[[Gidget]]''
* ''[[Gidget]]''
* ''[[The Flying Nun]]''
* ''[[The Flying Nun]]''
* ''[[Bewitched (TV)|Bewitched]]''
* ''[[Bewitched]]''
* ''[[I Dreamof Jeannie]]''
* ''[[I Dream of Jeannie]]''
* ''[[The Monkees]]''
* ''[[The Monkees]]''
* ''[[Police Story]]''
* ''[[Police Story]]''
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=== Animated films and shows produced by Columbia Pictures: ===
=== Animated films and shows produced by Columbia Pictures: ===
* ''[[The Fox and The Crow]]'', from Columbia's [[The Silent Age of Animation|original]] [[The Golden Age of Animation|cartoon]] [[Columbia Cartoons|department]]:
* ''[[The Fox and The Crow]]'', from Columbia's [[The Silent Age of Animation|original]] [[The Golden Age of Animation|cartoon]] [[Columbia Cartoons|department]]:
* The UPA cartoon series, including
* The UPA cartoon series, including
** "[[Gerald McBoing-Boing]]"
** "[[Gerald McBoing-Boing]]"
** ''[[Mr. Magoo (Animation)|Mr. Magoo]]''
** ''[[Mr. Magoo]]''
** ''[[The Unicorn in The Garden]]''
** ''[[The Unicorn in the Garden]]''
* ''[[The Real Ghostbusters (Animation)|The Real Ghostbusters]]'' (with [[DiC Entertainment]])
* ''[[The Real Ghostbusters]]'' (with [[DiC Entertainment]])
* ''[[Dinosaucers (Animation)|Dinosaucers]]'' (also with [[DiC Entertainment]])
* ''[[Dinosaucers]]'' (also with [[DiC Entertainment]])
* ''[[The Critic]]''
* ''[[The Critic]]''
* ''[[Jackie Chan Adventures (Animation)|Jackie Chan Adventures]]''
* ''[[Jackie Chan Adventures]]''
* ''[[Men in Black (Animation)|Men in Black]] :The Series''
* ''[[Men in Black (animation)|Men in Black]] :The Series''
* ''[[Extreme Ghostbusters (Animation)|Extreme Ghostbusters]]''
* ''[[Extreme Ghostbusters]]''


=== Shows created by [[Merv Griffin]] (distributed by [[CBS]] for historical reasons): ===
=== Shows created by [[Merv Griffin]] (distributed by [[CBS]] for historical reasons): ===
* ''[[Jeopardy (TV)|Jeopardy]]''
* ''[[Jeopardy!]]''
* ''[[Wheel of Fortune]]''
* ''[[Wheel of Fortune]]''


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*** ''[[Good Times]]''
*** ''[[Good Times]]''
* ''[[Sanford and Son]]''
* ''[[Sanford and Son]]''
* ''[[Diffrent Strokes]]''
* ''[[Diff'rent Strokes]]''
** ''[[The Facts of Life]]''
** ''[[The Facts of Life]]''
* ''[[Whos the Boss (TV)|Whos the Boss]]''
* ''[[Who's The Boss?]]''
* ''[[Married With Children]]''
* ''[[Married... with Children]]''


=== Shows from Spelling-Goldberg Productions: ===
=== Shows from Spelling-Goldberg Productions: ===
* ''[[Starsky and Hutch (TV)|Starsky and Hutch]]''
* ''[[Starsky and Hutch (TV series)|Starsky and Hutch]]''
* ''[[Charlies Angels (TV)|Charlies Angels]]''
* ''[[Charlie's Angels|Charlies Angels]]''
* ''[[Hart to Hart]]''
* ''[[Hart to Hart]]''
* ''[[TJ Hooker]]''
* ''[[T. J. Hooker]]''


{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
[[Category:The 50 Greatest Cartoons]]
[[Category:The 50 Greatest Cartoons]]
[[Category:Producers]]
[[Category:Production Companies]]
[[Category:Columbia Pictures]]
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Trope]]

Latest revision as of 00:31, 29 May 2017

/wiki/Columbia Picturescreator
No, it's not Annette Bening.


Columbia Pictures is a major Hollywood studio, now owned by Sony and based at the old Metro Goldwyn Mayer lot in Culver City, CA. Columbia was represented by the "torch lady", a conflation of the Anthropomorphic Personification of America as "Columbia" with the torch of "Liberty Enlightening the World".

Columbia started as CBC Film Sales in the 1920s, and became a reliable front-runner after World War II. Since it didn't own any theaters, it wasn't as affected by the Fall of the Studio System, and emerged as a leader in Hollywood in The Fifties while the Big Five were left reeling by the Paramount decision. And while the rest of the industry was scared to death of the new medium of Television, Columbia wholeheartedly embraced it, becoming one of the first big names to enter television production. Columbia started an entire division named "Screen Gems" to manage its television properties, and produced several well known shows over the years. (Screen Gems is also well known for its 1965-1974 "S From Hell" Vanity Plate, which has acquired a cult following on the Internet.)

As Columbia entered The Sixties, however, its brand became increasingly wishy-washy, with the studio producing both old-fashioned fare and New Hollywood-type movies. It nearly went bankrupt in the early 1970s before it was saved by a radical overhaul of the management, a partnership with Warner Bros., and a series of high-profile star vehicles. By 1982, Columbia was healthy again and was purchased by an unlikely suitor -- Coca-Cola. The marriage didn't last long, though, as Columbia had few hits during this time (aside from the blockbuster Ghostbusters franchise). After making two key purchases in the mid-1980s (Norman Lear's and Merv Griffin's television holdings) and a major flop in Ishtar, Coke spun the company off in 1987. Sony bought Columbia in 1989, and has held on to the studio since, merging it with Tri-Star Pictures following another major flop, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. Due to these ownerships by prominent consumer brand-names, too many films from the studio to count feature Product Placement from the owners. (The Sony logo [with slogan] now appears at the end of credit rolls just to drive it in.)

Films produced by Columbia include:

Live-action TV shows produced by Screen Gems or Columbia Pictures Television include:

Animated films and shows produced by Columbia Pictures:

Shows created by Merv Griffin (distributed by CBS for historical reasons):

Shows from the Norman Lear catalog:

Shows from Spelling-Goldberg Productions:

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