Cosmopolitan Productions
Encyclopedia
Cosmopolitan Productions, also often referred to as Cosmopolitan Pictures, was an American film company based in New York City
from 1918 to 1923 and Hollywood until 1938.
formed Cosmopolitan in conjunction with Adolph Zukor
of Paramount
after his bid for entry into the motion picture business was rebuffed by United Artists
. The advantage of Paramount having a production deal with Cosmopolitan was that they had the film rights to stories that had appeared in the wide variety of Hearst's magazines
, including Cosmopolitan magazine that the company was named after as well as Harpers Bazaar and Good Housekeeping
. Thus the stories arrived pre-sold to the public who were familiar with them through reading them in the magazines.Hearst's magazines would also advertise and promote the films.
For its studio complex, Hearst acquired Sulzer's Harlem River Park and Casino at 126th Street and Second Avenue but a fire in February 1923 destroyed the complex.
Cosmopolitan was primarily formed to promote the career of Hearst's lover, the actress Marion Davies
. She appeared in twenty-nine silent and seventeen talking films with the company.
Due to disagreements with Paramount in the distribution of the Cosmopolitan Pictures in block booking
venues, Hearst left Paramount to have his films released by other studios. Starting in 1923, they were distributed or co-produced by MGM until 1934 when a disagreement with Louis Mayer
over the film Marie Antoinette
led Cosmopolitan to go to Warner Bros.
.
is a director strongly associated with Cosmopolitan Productions. He directed several films there, including 1922's extravagant When Knighthood Was in Flower
, which at a cost of $1.8 million, was the most expensive picture ever made at the time. Director King Vidor
made three comedies with Cosmopolitan: Show People
(1928), The Patsy
(1928) and Not So Dumb
(1930), each starring Davies. One film without Davies was The Mask of Fu Manchu
(1932, MGM), which carried the yellow peril
theme associated with Hearst's tabloid journalism.
Other important directors worked briefly with Cosmopolitan, such as John Ford
with Young Mr. Lincoln
(released 1939) and Howard Hawks
with Ceiling Zero
(in 1936).
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
from 1918 to 1923 and Hollywood until 1938.
History
Newspaper tycoon William Randolph HearstWilliam Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...
formed Cosmopolitan in conjunction with Adolph Zukor
Adolph Zukor
Adolph Zukor , born Adolph Cukor, was a film mogul and founder of Paramount Pictures.-Early life:...
of Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
after his bid for entry into the motion picture business was rebuffed by United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
. The advantage of Paramount having a production deal with Cosmopolitan was that they had the film rights to stories that had appeared in the wide variety of Hearst's magazines
Hearst Corporation
The Hearst Corporation is an American media conglomerate based in the Hearst Tower, Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. Founded by William Randolph Hearst as an owner of newspapers, the company's holdings now include a wide variety of media...
, including Cosmopolitan magazine that the company was named after as well as Harpers Bazaar and Good Housekeeping
Good Housekeeping
Good Housekeeping is a women's magazine owned by the Hearst Corporation, featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, health as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good Housekeeping Seal," popularly known as the...
. Thus the stories arrived pre-sold to the public who were familiar with them through reading them in the magazines.Hearst's magazines would also advertise and promote the films.
For its studio complex, Hearst acquired Sulzer's Harlem River Park and Casino at 126th Street and Second Avenue but a fire in February 1923 destroyed the complex.
Cosmopolitan was primarily formed to promote the career of Hearst's lover, the actress Marion Davies
Marion Davies
Marion Davies was an American film actress. Davies is best remembered for her relationship with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, as her high-profile social life often obscured her professional career....
. She appeared in twenty-nine silent and seventeen talking films with the company.
Due to disagreements with Paramount in the distribution of the Cosmopolitan Pictures in block booking
Block booking
Block booking is a system of selling multiple films to a theater as a unit. Block booking was the prevailing practice among Hollywood's major studios from the turn of the 1930s until it was outlawed by the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc....
venues, Hearst left Paramount to have his films released by other studios. Starting in 1923, they were distributed or co-produced by MGM until 1934 when a disagreement with Louis Mayer
Louis B. Mayer
Louis Burt Mayer born Lazar Meir was an American film producer. He is generally cited as the creator of the "star system" within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in its golden years. Known always as Louis B...
over the film Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette (1938 film)
Marie Antoinette is a 1938 film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by W. S. Van Dyke and starred Norma Shearer as Marie Antoinette...
led Cosmopolitan to go to Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
.
Legacy
Robert G. VignolaRobert G. Vignola
Robert G. Vignola Robert G. Vignola Robert G. Vignola (August 5, 1882 - October 25, 1953 was an Italian-born American actor, screenwriter and film director in American cinema. He made a handful of sound films in the early years of talkies but his career essentially ended in the silent era...
is a director strongly associated with Cosmopolitan Productions. He directed several films there, including 1922's extravagant When Knighthood Was in Flower
When Knighthood Was in Flower (1922 film)
When Knighthood Was in Flower is a 1922 silent historical film based on the novel by Charles Major and play by Paul Kester. The film was produced by William Randolph Hearst for his 'live-in companion' Marion Davies and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The director was veteran Robert G. Vignola...
, which at a cost of $1.8 million, was the most expensive picture ever made at the time. Director King Vidor
King Vidor
King Wallis Vidor was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose career spanned nearly seven decades...
made three comedies with Cosmopolitan: Show People
Show People
Show People is a 1928 comedy silent film directed by King Vidor. The movie was a starring vehicle for actress Marion Davies and actor William Haines and included notable cameo appearances by many of the film personalities of the day, including stars Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, William S....
(1928), The Patsy
The Patsy (1928 film)
The Patsy is a 1928 silent comedy/drama film directed by King Vidor, produced and starring Marion Davies for her Cosmopolitan Productions, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
(1928) and Not So Dumb
Not So Dumb
Not So Dumb is a comedy motion picture starring Marion Davies, directed by King Vidor, and produced for Cosmopolitan Productions for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.It is based on the stage play Dulcy by George S...
(1930), each starring Davies. One film without Davies was The Mask of Fu Manchu
The Mask of Fu Manchu
The Mask of Fu Manchu is a Pre-Code adventure film released in 1932, featuring Boris Karloff as Fu Manchu and Myrna Loy as his daughter. The movie revolves around Fu Manchu's quest for the sword and mask of Genghis Khan. Lewis Stone plays his nemesis...
(1932, MGM), which carried the yellow peril
Yellow Peril
Yellow Peril was a colour metaphor for race that originated in the late nineteenth century with immigration of Chinese laborers to various Western countries, notably the United States, and later associated with the Japanese during the mid 20th century, due to Japanese military expansion.The term...
theme associated with Hearst's tabloid journalism.
Other important directors worked briefly with Cosmopolitan, such as John Ford
John Ford
John Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
with Young Mr. Lincoln
Young Mr. Lincoln
Young Mr. Lincoln is a 1939 partly fictionalized biography about the early life of President Abraham Lincoln, directed by John Ford and starring Henry Fonda. Ford and producer Darryl F. Zanuck fought for control of the film, to the point where Ford destroyed unwanted takes for fear the studio...
(released 1939) and Howard Hawks
Howard Hawks
Howard Winchester Hawks was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the classic Hollywood era...
with Ceiling Zero
Ceiling Zero
Ceiling Zero is a 1936 adventure/drama film directed by Howard Hawks. It stars James Cagney as daredevil womanizing pilot "Dizzy" Davis and Pat O'Brien as Jake Lee, his war veteran buddy and the operations manager of an airline company. Based on a stage play of the same name, the film blends drama...
(in 1936).