- Tiffany Pictures
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Tiffany Pictures (known for a period as Tiffany-Stahl Productions) was a Hollywood motion picture studio in operation from 1921[1] until 1932.
The Death Kiss (1932) produced by Tiffany Pictures, released by Sono Art-World Wide Pictures, and starring Bela Lugosi
Contents
History
Tiffany Productions was a movie making venture originally founded in 1921 by star Mae Murray, her then-husband, director Robert Z. Leonard, and Maurice H. Hoffman, who made eight films, all released through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Murray and Leonard divorced in 1925.
Starting in 1925 with Souls for Sables, co-starring Claire Windsor and Eugene O'Brien, Tiffany released a total of 70 features, both silent and sound, twenty of which were Westerns.[2]At one point, Tiffany was booking its films into nearly 2,500 theatres.[3]
To produce their films, Tiffany acquired the former Reliance-Majestic Studios lot at 4516 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles in 1927.
From 1927 to 1930, John M. Stahl was the director of Tiffany and renamed the company Tiffany-Stahl Productions. Head of Tiffany was Phil Goldstone with his vice president Maurice H. Hoffman,[4] who later was president of Liberty Films that merged into Republic Pictures. Leonard A. Young who simultaneously ran the L. A. Young Spring and Wire Company bought into Tiffany from Hoffman in 1929.[5]
Some of Tiffany's later movies, such as The Death Kiss (1932), were released by Sono Art-World Wide Pictures. Among the films produced by Tiffany were:
- A series of eight films featuring and produced by movie star Mae Murray
- The Cavalier (1928) starring Richard Talmadge
- The Lost Zeppelin (1929) an early Arctic disaster film
- Mamba (1930) that claimed to be the first full-Technicolor drama
- The Medicine Man (1930) starring Jack Benny
- The Death Kiss (1932) starring Bela Lugosi, David Manners, and Edward Van Sloan, filmed on location at Tiffany Studios and one of the last films made at Tiffany
- Eight Westerns starring Bob Steele
- Ten Westerns starring Ken Maynard
- A series of short subjects called The Voice of Hollywood
- A series of short subject comedies featuring voices dubbed over chimps chewing bubble gum produced by Jack White
They were sued by Tiffany & Co. for trademark infringement, using such slogans as "Another Gem from Tiffany".
Closing of studio and legacy
One reason for Tiffany's failure was that it did not have a profitable distribution network.[6]
The studio complex was later bought by Columbia Pictures and given to Sam Katzman and Irving Briskin as base of operations for their film units. [7]
References
- ^ Crafton, Donald The Talkies-American Cinema's Transition to Sound 1926-1931
- ^ Fernett, Gene Hollywood's Poverty Row 1930-1950 p.31 1973 Coral Reef Publications
- ^ p.215 Crafton, Donald The Talkies: American Cinema's Transition to Sound 1926-1931 University of California Press (1997)
- ^ Maas, Frederica Sagor The Shocking Miss Pilgrim: A Writer in Early Hollywood University Press of Kentucky, 1999
- ^ Interregnum in Hollywood, Time 15 Feb 1932
- ^ p.215 Crafton, Donald The Talkies: American Cinema's Transition to Sound 1926-1931 University of California Press (1997)
- ^ p.108 Weaver, Tom A Sci-Fi Swarm and Horror Horde: Interviews with 62 Filmmakers McFarland
External links
Categories:- Defunct American movie studios
- Companies established in 1921
- Film production companies of the United States
- Film distributors
- Companies disestablished in 1932
- Film company stubs
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