Paramount Studio, during the golden age of hollywood

Paramount Studio, during the golden age of hollywood

• When and by whom your studio was set up?

In 1912 with the name of Famous Players Studio (and in 1914 known as Paramount), by Adolph Zukor (Born in Hungary, and one of the early investors of Nickelodeon). It was then taken over by Hodkinson and Lasky, making Zukor a secondary role in the controlling of Paramount. In 1950, due to law regulations and the beginning of the end of the golden age, Paramount was separated into two organizations. One was Paramount Pictures Inc, and the other one was United Paramount Theatres.

• What were some of the best films made by your studio?

-         The Squaw Man (1914 – Paramount’s first film)

-          The Sheik (1921)

-         Wings (1927 – first movie to win the academy award for best picture)

-         Coconuts (1929)

-         She Done Him Wrong (1933)

-         I’m No Angel (1933)

-         Duck Soup (1933)

-         Going My Way (1944)

-         Sunset Blvd (1950)

-         The greatest show on earth (1952)

-         Rear Window (1954)

-         White Christmas (1954)

-         The Court Jester (1956)

-         The Ten commandments (1956)

-         Vertigo (1958)

• Who were the major stars and film-makers under contract to your studio?

Paramount Always believed in using big name stars in their movies, specially when it came to actors. They always searched for young talents and turned them into household classics. Some stars are Mary Pickford, The Marx Brothers, Bing Crosby, Mae West, Rudolph Valentino, W.C. Fields, Clara Bow, Gary Cooper, William Powell, Claudette Colbert, Alan Ladd, Marlene Dietrich, Gloria Swanson, William Holden, etc. Paramount also got big name directors, such as Danny Kaye, Cecil B. Demille, D.W. Griffith, and, before his contract was sold to Universal (and in case of rope, to Warner Brothers), Alfred Hitchcock.

• What genre and type of films did your studio do best?

Comedies. Various big name stars of Paramount worked by doing comedies, such as the Marx Brothers, Bing Crosby or Mae West. Movies like Coconuts, She done him wrong, I’m no angel or Duck Soup are great examples of this. During the years, Paramount has also done darker films, such as Vertigo or Rear Window. They started with a western drama in their earliest days, with the Squaw Man (also, Paramount’s first film)

• Extra info

Zukor started building many screens for Paramount, reaching nearly 2000 screens for Paramount. Paramount was the first official big American film studio of all time. During the 50’s, by the end of the Golden Age, Paramount Pictures sold various rights to various other companies, such as their rights stated in Hitchcock’s original contract.