Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. (an abbreviation of Warner Bros. Entertainment) is one of the world's largest producers of film and television entertainment. It is currently a subsidiary of the Time Warner conglomerate, with headquarters in Burbank, California, U.S.A..

Film library

Over the years, a series of mergers and acquisitions have led Warners (the present-day Time-Warner subsidiary) to acquire a diverse collection of movies, cartoons, and television programs.

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In 1956, in the aftermath of the 1948 anti-trust suit and the uncertain climate led Warners to sell its early films and cartoons (pre-1948) to a holding company which became Associated Artists Productions (AAP). Two years later AAP sold its holdings to United Artists (UA), which kept them until 1983, when MGM bought UA. Three years later Turner Broadcasting System, having failed to buy MGM, settled for ownership of the MGM/UA library. This included all pre-1985 MGM feaures as well as the pre-1948 Warner material. Ownership of the classic Warner films came full-circle when Time Warner bought Turner, although technically they are held by Turner Entertainment while Warner is responsible for sales and distribution.

Related Topics:
1956 - United Artists - 1983 - MGM - Turner Broadcasting System - 1985 - Turner Entertainment

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These acquisitions, among others, mean that Warner owns almost every film they've made since inception (excepting certain films Warner merely distributed, such as the United States Pictures catalog, owned by Paramount/Republic, selected John Wayne films now owned by Batjac (Wayne's company), and My Fair Lady, owned by CBS). They also own all pre-1985 titles from MGM, as noted; a majority of the RKO Radio Pictures library; and a portion of United Artists material (most of this under its Turner subsidiary). In addition Warner has acquired the Hanna-Barbera Productions television cartoons; Lorimar's television and film holdings (including the Allied Artists / Monogram library, but not The Choirboys, Tank, and The Last Starfighter, held by Universal Pictures); most ancilliary rights to Castle Hill Productions' library (which also includes early UA material); and other films released by other companies, such as the 1956 version of Around the World in Eighty Days; most of the Saul Zaentz film library; the post-1974 Rankin-Bass library; and all Castle Rock Entertainment films made after the Castle Rock/Turner merger (except The Story of Us).

Related Topics:
Paramount - Republic - Batjac - My Fair Lady - CBS - 1985 - RKO Radio Pictures - Turner subsidiary - Hanna-Barbera Productions - Lorimar - Allied Artists - Monogram - The Choirboys - Tank - The Last Starfighter - Universal Pictures - Castle Hill Productions - 1956 - Around the World in Eighty Days - Saul Zaentz - Rankin-Bass - Castle Rock Entertainment - The Story of Us

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UA donated pre-1949 Warner Bros. nitrates to the Library of Congress and post-1951 negatives to UCLA's film library.

Related Topics:
1949 - Library of Congress - 1951 - UCLA's

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