Screen Gems

Screen Gems is an American subsidiary company of Columbia Pictures Corp. that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation.

Television subsidiary: 1948 - 1974

In 1948, Screen Gems was revived to serve as the television subsidiary of Columbia, producing and syndicating several popular shows (see below) and also syndicating Columbia Pictures' theatrical film library to television, including the wildly successful series of two-reel short subjects starring The Three Stooges in the late 1950s. Earlier, they also acquired syndication rights to a package of Universal horror films, which was enormously successful in reviving that genre. The final notable production from this incarnation of Screen Gems was the 1974 mini-series QB VII.

Related Topics:
1948 - Television - Below - The Three Stooges - Universal - Horror film - Mini-series - QB VII

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In 1974, the Screen Gems name was retired and Columbia's television subsidiary became Columbia Pictures Television. Changes in corporate ownership of Columbia came in the early-1980s when the Coca-Cola Company bought the company, although continuing to trade under the CPT name. In the mid-1980s, Coca-Cola reorganized its television holdings to create Coca-Cola Television, merging CPT with the television unit of Embassy Communications as Columbia/Embassy Television, although both companies continued to use separate identities until 1988, when it and TriStar Television were reunited under the CPT name. In 1989 Columbia Pictures was purchased by Sony Corporation of Japan. In 1991, Columbia Pictures Entertainment was renamed to Sony Pictures Entertainment as a film production-distribution subsidiary, and subsequently combined CPT with a revived TriStar Television in 1998 to form Columbia-Tristar Television.

Related Topics:
Columbia Pictures Television - Coca-Cola - Sony - Sony Pictures Entertainment - TriStar Television - 1998

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The television division today is presently known as Sony Pictures Television.

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Notable TV shows

Notable television programs produced and/or syndicated by Screen Gems include:

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• The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (1954-1959)
• Father Knows Best (1954-1960)
• The Donna Reed Show (1958-1966)
• Dennis the Menace (1959-1963)
• Route 66 (1960-1964)
• The Flintstones (produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions) (1960-1966)
• Top Cat (produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions) (1961-1962)
• Hazel (1961-1966)
• Bewitched (1964 - 1972)
• Days of Our Lives (produced by Corday Productions) (1965-1974, still on and produced thereafter by Columbia Pictures Television, Columbia TriStar Television and Sony Pictures Television)
• Camp Runamuck (1965-1966)
• Gidget (1965-1966)
• I Dream of Jeannie (produced by Sidney Sheldon Productions)(1965 - 1970)
• The Monkees (produced by Raybert Productions)(1966-1968)
• The Flying Nun (1967-1970)
• The Partridge Family (1970-1974)
• Bridget Loves Bernie (1972-1973)
• Temperatures Rising (produced by Ashmont Productions)(1972-1974)
• The Young and the Restless (produced by Bell Dramatic Serial Company) (1973-1974, still on and produced thereafter by Columbia Pictures Television, Columbia TriStar Television and Sony Pictures Television)
• Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1973-1974)
• Police Story (1973-1974; by Columbia Pictures Television from 1974-1977)