EMKA, Ltd.

EMKA, Ltd. is an in-name-only division of Universal Studios' television unit whose sole function is overseeing Paramount Pictures' pre-1950 film library.

Related Topics:
Universal Studios - Paramount Pictures - 1950

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EMKA was formed by MCA (Music Corporation of America) in 1957 (the company's name is a pronunciation of the initials in MCA). In the aftermath of the landmark 1948 anti-trust suit requiring studios to divest of their movie theatres (and marking the unofficial end of the Golden Age of Hollywood), movie studios such as Paramount suffered, and had to sell off their product in order to be profitable, especially in the midst of the rise of television.

Related Topics:
MCA - 1957 - 1948 anti-trust suit - Golden Age of Hollywood - Television

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Paramount sold a majority of their pre-1950 theatrical sound library (including films by Cecil B. DeMille and Preston Sturges) to MCA, and thus, through their new dummy company, EMKA, they were able to make a profit via airings on television.

Related Topics:
Cecil B. DeMille - Preston Sturges

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EMKA continues to exist today as an in-name-only entity (technically a part of Universal's television division), while holding the copyright on the classic Paramount library, even though it is now officially incorporated into Universal's film catalog.

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Ironically, several Alfred Hitchcock films originally released by Paramount, including Psycho, and The Trouble with Harry, are now part of Universal's film library (but negotiated in a series of separate deals with Hitchcock and his estate).

Related Topics:
Alfred Hitchcock - Psycho - The Trouble with Harry

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