Warner Bros. Studios Page at Magic Lantern Video & Book Store

“I don't see what Jack Warner can do with an Oscar - it can't say yes.”
— Al Jolson

        Three brothers from Poland - Harry & Albert & Sam Warner - began exhibiting motion pictures in towns across Pennsylvania & Ohio in 1903; in 1904, they incorporated the Duquesne Amusement & Supply Co. in Pittsburgh; by 1918, they were producing silent films and had opened a studio on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, California; Sam & youngest brother Jack produced while Harry & Albert ran the business side; formally incorporated as Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. in 1923; bought New York studio & distributor Vitagraph in 1925; bought the Vitaphone sound-on-disk process from Western Electric in 1925; bought the Stanley Co. theater chain in 1928, which included a stake in First National Pictures.
        Warner merged with First National in 1930 and moved to the latter's studio lot in Burbank; Technicolor musicals thrived for a while, then gritty gangster films, then historical dramas, then Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies cartoons; Jack Warner helped organize the U.S. Army's First Motion Picture Unit during World War II; Jack (secretly) brought in bankers to buy out his brothers' interest, which poisoned family relations; the studio successfully moved into television production and launched the Warner Records division [1958]; the aging Jack sold the movie & record business in 1967 to Seven Arts, which sold in two years to the Jersey mob-connected Kinney National Co.
        New studio head Ted Ashley signed major stars – Paul Newman & Barbra Streisand [First Artists], Robert Redford, John Wayne [Batjac], and Clint Eastwood [Malpaso] – and invested in non-movie businesses such as theme parks and video-gamer Atari; a studio management joint venture formed with Columbia Pictures in 1972 {'The Burbank Studios' or T.B.S.) was phased out circa 1987.
        The surprise merger with Time, Inc. in 1989 was then the biggest merger in history; in 1995, Warner and Tribune Broadcasting of Chicago launched the W.B. Network, aimed at teens; the 2000 takeover of conglomerate Time-Warner by internet monster A.O.L. was very bumpy; in 2006, Warner and C.B.S. agreed to shut down U.P.N. & The W.B. and jointly launch the C.W. cable network. Warner announced in May 2008 that it was closing Picturehouse and Warner Independent Pictures. Time-Warner announced in May 2009 that it was spinning off all A.O.L. assets, which was completed in December.

"Warner Gangsters Collections"

	Volume 1 [2008]: Warner Home Video b&w DVD set [3/2008] 6 disks for $51.69 box set includes: "Angels With Dirty Faces" [1938] starring James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, The Dead End Kids & Pat O'Brien; "Little Caesar" [1931] starring Edward G. Robinson & Douglas Fairbanks Jr.; "The Petrified Forest" [1936] starring Humphrey Bogart, Leslie Howard & Bette Davis; "The Public Enemy" [1931] starring James Cagney & Jean Harlow; "The Roaring Twenties" [1939] directed by Raoul Walsh, starring James Cagney & Humphrey Bogart; and "White Heat" [1949] directed by Raoul Walsh, starring James Cagney & Edmond O'Brien
	Volume 2 [2008]: Warner Home Video b&w DVD set [3/2008] 6 disks for $44.99 box set includes "A Slight Case of Murder" [1938] starring Edward G. Robinson; "Bullets or Ballots" [1936] starring Edward G. Robinson & Humphrey Bogart; "City For Conquest" [1940] starring James Cagney, Ann Sheridan & Arthur Kennedy; "Each Dawn I Die" [1939] starring James Cagney & George Raft; "G Men" [1935] starring James Cagney; and "San Quentin" [1937] starring Pat O'Brien, Humphrey Bogart & Ann Sheridan
	Volume 3 [2008]: Warner Home Video b&w DVD set [3/2008] 6 disks for $44.99 box set includes "Black Legion" [1937] starring Humphrey Bogart & Dick Foran; "Brother Orchid" [1940] starring Edward G. Robinson, Ann Sothern & Humphrey Bogart; "Lady Killer" [1933] starring James Cagney & Mae Clarke; "The Mayor of Hell" [1933] starring James Cagney & Madge Evans; "Picture Snatcher" [1933] starring James Cagney, Ralph Bellamy & Patricia Ellis; and "Smart Money" [1931] starring Edward G. Robinson & James Cagney
	Volume 4 [2008]: Warner Home Video b&w DVD set [10/2008] 6 disks for $53.99 box set includes "The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse" [1938] with Edward G. Robinson, Humphrey Bogart & Claire4 Trevor; "Invisible Stripes" [1939] with George Raft, Humphrey Bogart & William Holden; "Kid Galahad" [1937] with Edward G. Robinson, Humphrey Bogart & Bette Davis; "Larceny, Inc." [1942] with Edward G. Robinson, Broderick Crawford & Jane Wyman; "The Little Giant" [1933] with Edward G. Robinson & Mary Astor; the feature-length documentary "Public Enemies: The Golden Age of The Gangster Film" [2008], plus vintage trailers, newsreels, shorts, cartoons & more

Castle Rock Entertainment

Founded in 1987 by director Rob Reiner and others, with backing by Columbia Pictures; acquired by Turner Broadcasting System in 1994, which was acquired by Warner in 1996.

New Line Cinema [1967-2008]

Founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye & Michael Lynne, who are still co-studio heads; very successful maker of genre films and series such as "Nightmare On Elm Street", "Lord of The Rings", "Austin Powers" & "Blade"; formed a sub-division in 1972 called Fine Line Features which has since been merged into the mini-major Picturehouse; acquired by Turner Broadcasting System in 1994, which was acquired by Warner in 1996. Then in February 2008, Warner announced that New Line is being absorbed as a division of Warner Bros.

Turner Broadcasting System

Beginning with one TV station in 1970, Ted Turner built a string of stations used to launch his 'superstation' concept in 1976; the company was renamed Turner Broadcasting System in 1979; launched 24-hour news channel C.N.N. in 1980; in a roundelay of high finance in 1985, Turner bought M.G.M./U.A. from Kirk Kerkorian, sold the studio lot to Lorimar TV [1968-93], kept the film library, and sold the rest back to Kerkorian - the amazing thing is that each party made money on the deals!; purchased New Line Cinema & Castle Rock Entertainment in 1994; merged with conglomerate Time-Warner in 1996, making Ted Turner vice chairman and head of cable networks; Turner resigned his positions at Time-Warner in February 2006.

Vitaphone Sound [1926-1930]

Vitaphone was the sound-on-disc process used by Warner Bros. and its sister studio
First National from 1926 to 1930 on many features and nearly 2,000 short subjects.

Albert 'Abe' Warner
[b. Poland 1884; active 1903-50?; d. 1967]
IMDb listing • Wikipedia

Samuel Lewis 'Sam' Warner
[b. Poland 1887; active 1903-1927; d. 1927]
IMDb listing • Wikipedia

Jacob Leonard 'Jack L.' Warner
[b. Canada 1892; active 1909-72; d. 1978]
IMDb listing • Wikipedia

Mervyn Leroy [1900-87]
director 1927-65; Harry Warner's son-in-law 1934-42; WB producer 1955-65
IMDb listing • Wikipedia

Ted Ashley [1922-2002]
talent agent 1942-69; WB chairman 1969-81; vice chair Warner Communications 1981-88

	"The Brothers Warner" [Warner Sisters Sept 2008] A family documentary about brothers Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack L. who rose from poverty in Baltimore and Ohio to become Hollywood movie moguls. Co-produced, written & directed by {granddaughter of Harry} Cass Warner Sperling DVD not yet available full credits at IMDb • official movie site • company site
	"The Brothers Warner: The Intimate Story of A Hollywood Studio Family Dynasty" [2008] by Cass Warner Sperling This book is companion to the movie {above}, and an update & reissue (7th edition) of "Hollywood Be Thy Name" [1993] {below} Warner Sisters 9x6 pb [6/2008] for $20.99
	"Hollywood Be Thy Name: The Warner Brothers Story" [1993] by Cass Warner Sperling & Cork Millner, with Jack Warner Jr. Univ Press of KY 9x6 pb [9/98] out of print/used Prima Publng 9¾x6½ hardcover [9/93] out of print/many used
	"Jack L. Warner: The Last Mogul - The Epic Story of The Man Behind The Movies" [indep 1993] Produced, written & directed by {Jack's grandson} Gregory Orr; narrated by Efrem Zimbalist Jr. CustomFlix color DVD [7/2006] for $24.95 full credits from IMDb
	"My First Hundred Years In Hollywood: An Autobiography" [1964] by Jack L. Warner Random House hardcover [1964] out of print/scarce

http://www2.warnerbros.com/main/company_info/company_info.html?frompage=wb_homepage

	"You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story" [2008] by Richard Schickel & George Perry Running Press 11½x10 bargain price hardcover [9/2008] for $31.50 Running Press 11½x10 hardcover [9/2008] for $36.50 this is companion book to a 5-part TV documentary project narrated by Clint Eastwood sign up with Amazon to be notified when DVD becomes available
	"The Warner Bros. Story: The Complete History of The Great Hollywood Studio" [1987] by Clive Hirschhorn Random House Value 12½x9¼ hardcover [1/87] out of print/many used
	"Those Crazy Wonderful Years: When We Ran Warner Brothers" [1983] by Stuart Jerome Lyle Stuart 9¼x6¼ hardcover [5/83] out of print/used "The Warner Brothers" [1983] by Michael Freedland St. Martins Press hardcover [12/83] out of print/used
	"Warner Brothers: A History of The Studio - Its Pictures, Stars & Personalities" [1975] by Charles Higham Scribner 9½x6 hardcover [1/75] out of print/used

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