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Post by topbilled on Mar 29, 2023 18:21:11 GMT
Simple question really.
Do you have a favorite studio because of the stars associated with that studio or the directors associated with that studio? Is it because they turned out the kinds of films you enjoy, with stories that mean something to you?
How do you account for ups-and-downs experienced by your favorite studio over the years?
And is your favorite studio from the golden age of Hollywood now defunct?
How do you rate poverty row studios?
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Post by jamesjazzguitar on Mar 29, 2023 19:18:09 GMT
My favorite of the studio-era is Warner Bros. The reasons are a combination of the factors mentioned by the OP:
Many of my favorite actors were under long term contracts: Bogie, Davis, Cagney, Flynn, DeHavilland, E.G. Robinson,
The overall WB style: Gritty, non-pretentious, take on social topics (without being too-much of a message film).
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Post by sepiatone on Mar 30, 2023 15:13:36 GMT
I really don't have a "favorite" studio. They mostly all put out their shares of very good movies. But genre-wise I favor some(or one) over others. For example....
Many of my favorite "noir", gangster and prison based movies came from Warners. Western and general family fare and such from republic. Horror and other "serious" drama from universal. MGM gets the nod for lavish musicals and United Artist seems to have had it's fingers in all those pies.
Sepiatone
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Post by kims on Mar 30, 2023 21:48:27 GMT
I haven't thought about having a favorite studio before. I thought my favorite studio would be WB. I did some reviewing of what studio did what and discover Paramount is up there maybe higher than WB for Me.
The first 4 or 5 Marx Bros films, Mae West, Hopalong Cassidy, the Road pictures, THE FARMER'S DAUGHTER, THE LADY EVE, 5 GRAVES TO CAIRO; DOUBLE INDEMNITY; HOIDAY INN, WHITE CHRISTMAS; Jerry Lewis films, Elvis films, SUNSET BLVD, BREAKFAST AT TIFANNY'S, STAR TREK, THE RAIDER'S FILMS, THE GODFATHER films, FATAL ATTRACTION.
Maybe who headed the studios and when would be an interesting view of how the studio did.
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Post by sagebrush on Mar 30, 2023 22:30:52 GMT
I like different studios for different reasons.
MGM's musicals were in a class by themselves, even the lower budget ones. That's not to say the other studios didn't turn out high-rate musicals, however.
RKO I feel had some of the best B-films and gems by independent minded filmmakers, and Astaire and Rogers. 
Warner Bros I liked for the same reasons jamesjazzguitar mentioned, plus they made some really good silent films.
20th Century Fox turned out some really good classic literature adaptations and when they did venture into musicals, oh boy were they pretty to watch!
United Artists I like because it was started by Chaplin, Pickford, Fairbanks and Griffith. The silent films from this studio were better than any of the others, in my opinion.
Paramount and Columbia always seem to be in my rear view mirror, but I don't know why. Their productions were top notch as well and I like just as many films from these studios.
The poverty row studios did an amazing job, especially considering their budget restrictions. They showed that you don't necessarily have to have the best sets, make-up and top named actors to tell a compelling story.
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Post by gerald424 on Mar 31, 2023 1:59:51 GMT
I don't have a favorite. I like that each studio seemed to mostly focus on a particular genre. I'd rather a studio focus on one style and become great at it. Rather than try to be something they aren't and look second rate.
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Post by NoShear on Apr 1, 2023 17:50:05 GMT
Simple question really.
Do you have a favorite studio because of the stars associated with that studio or the directors associated with that studio? Is it because they turned out the kinds of films you enjoy, with stories that mean something to you?
How do you account for ups-and-downs experienced by your favorite studio over the years?
And is your favorite studio from the golden age of Hollywood now defunct?
How do you rate poverty row studios? TopBilled, I'm going with UNIVERSAL for a combo of films from my youth and the backlot which was located in my proverbial backyard.   |
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Post by topbilled on Apr 1, 2023 18:26:17 GMT
I like the variety of answers in this thread.
My favorite Hollywood studio is Republic Pictures. Mainly because I like the company philosophy, and get a strong sense of community in all of Republic's films...even the lesser fare.
In terms of consistently good production values, I'd go with Paramount, because even its B films are strongly produced. And I think Paramount had a very iconic group of stars who stayed at the studio for years (Claudette Colbert, Fred MacMurray, Gary Cooper, Marlene Dietrich, W.C. Fields, Paulette Goddard, Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, Bob Hope, Alan Ladd, Jerry Lewis, etc.).
I like Warner Brothers because there are no surprises and you usually get what you expect. Though I do think the studio ran the gangster formula into the ground...and after the war, they went right back to that formula, so we have WB crime films from the late 40s and early 50s that seem outdated. But it worked for them, and they made lots of money doing that.
If you're a liberal, then I think 20th Century Fox is going to be a favorite...since they had a progressive social agenda turning out films like GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT, BOOMERANG!, PINKY, NO WAY OUT, CARMEN JONES, etc.
I am not sure how I feel about Columbia overall. Some of the stuff they turned out in the 30s and 40s was kind of cheap...but by the 50s, I think Columbia does hit its stride and some of its work in key genres (noir and westerns) is quite engaging.
RKO is a studio I associate with my grandparents. They seemed to love movies from that studio...the silly Kay Kyser musical comedies, Orson Welles' early work, noir with Dick Powell and George Raft, plus my grandmother's favorite film was I REMEMBER MAMA, which I think is a highpoint in the RKO catalogue, especially right before Howard Hughes took over. Anyway, I am a fan of RKO even though I think its overall output is a bit hit or miss.
MGM...what can I say about this studio. Quite frankly, I feel MGM is overrated. Too much gloss over substance for my liking, though I do appreciate the fact that even its B programmers have an air of class about them. I just feel like MGM didn't really have any original ideas and it often stole producers and directors from other studios and just copied what had been done previously at the other studios. You really see this lack of creativity in MGM's output during the 1950s, where everything is churned out according to a specific formula without any real spontaneity or energy.
Universal is a studio that I certainly appreciate. I enjoy a lot of films the studio made with stars like Deanna Durbin, Abbot & Costello, Yvonne De Carlo, Audie Murphy, Donald O'Connor, Tony Curtis and Rock Hudson.
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Post by NoShear on Apr 1, 2023 19:04:46 GMT
Universal is a studio that I certainly appreciate. I enjoy a lot of films the studio made with stars like Deanna Durbin, Abbot & Costello, Yvonne De Carlo, Audie Murphy, Donald O'Connor, Tony Curtis and Rock Hudson. Interestingly, TopBilled, Yvonne De Carlo was saved by UNIVERSAL twenty years after she had first tested with the studio: She's said to have been in financial straits when she scored THE MUNSTERS! |
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Post by gerald424 on Apr 4, 2023 3:39:12 GMT
If you're a liberal, then I think 20th Century Fox is going to be a favorite...since they had a progressive social agenda turning out films like GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT, BOOMERANG!, PINKY, NO WAY OUT, CARMEN JONES, etc.
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Post by gerald424 on Apr 4, 2023 3:44:19 GMT
I like the variety of answers in this thread.
My favorite Hollywood studio is Republic Pictures. Mainly because I like the company philosophy, and get a strong sense of community in all of Republic's films...even the lesser fare.
I like that you chose Republic Pictures. Those mini majors mattered in my opinion. I sometimes conflate A movies with B movies because most of them are new to me anyways. And I often am quite entertained by the B's. With a studio like Republic, you know what you going to get. And they seemed to be quite consistent at producing it. |
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Janet
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Post by Janet on Apr 7, 2023 16:12:31 GMT
Universal. I love the monster movies from Dracula to Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein. I also like the sci fi stuff Universal International put out. I love the films released during the war years with the Andrews Sisters, The Ritz Brothers, Olsen & Johnson. I like the adventure films with Brod Crawford, Andy Devine, Lon Chaney Jr, and Leo Carillo. And I like the Donald O'Connor/Peggy Ryan musicals. (Most of these I haven't seen in 45 years.)
It's just a shame the chances of my seeing these films before I drop dead are pretty slim. Will they ever open that damn vault?
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