Hearst Metrotone News
Encyclopedia
Hearst Metrotone News was a newsreel
series (1914-1967) produced by the Hearst Corporation
, founded by William Randolph Hearst
.
s under the titles of Hearst Newsreel, International Newsreel, and MGM News before settling on the generic title Hearst Metrotone News. From January 1919 to July 1929, International Newsreel was produced by Hearst's International News Service
and released by Universal Studios
.
Hearst began to release sound newsreel
s in September 1929 under an agreement with Fox Film Corporation using the Fox Movietone
sound system. Hearst dissolved its agreement with Fox in October 1934, and released its newsreels through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
from then until 1967. William Randolph Hearst was a controversial figure for several years. In November 1936, in reaction to protests and moviegoers' booing of the Hearst newsreel when it began showing causing theaters to edit out references to Hearst, the name of the newsreel was officially changed to "News of the Day" by Hearst. The Hearst Metrotone News name continued to appear on the copyright
notice at the end of the newsreel.
Other U.S. newsreel series include The March of Time
(1935-1951), Pathé News
(1910-1956), Paramount News
(1927-1957), Fox Movietone News (1928-1963), and Universal Newsreel
(1929-1967).
In 1981, the entire Hearst newsreel library was acquired by the UCLA Film and Television Archive
.
Newsreel
A newsreel was a form of short documentary film prevalent in the first half of the 20th century, regularly released in a public presentation place and containing filmed news stories and items of topical interest. It was a source of news, current affairs and entertainment for millions of moviegoers...
series (1914-1967) produced by the Hearst Corporation
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...
, founded by William Randolph Hearst
William 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...
.
History
Hearst produced silent newsreelSilent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
s under the titles of Hearst Newsreel, International Newsreel, and MGM News before settling on the generic title Hearst Metrotone News. From January 1919 to July 1929, International Newsreel was produced by Hearst's International News Service
International News Service
International News Service was a U.S.-based news agency founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909.Established two years after the Scripps family founded the United Press Association, INS scrapped among the newswires...
and released by Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
.
Hearst began to release sound newsreel
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
s in September 1929 under an agreement with Fox Film Corporation using the Fox Movietone
Movietone sound system
The Movietone sound system is a sound-on-film method of recording sound for motion pictures that guarantees synchronization between sound and picture. It achieves this by recording the sound as a variable-density optical track on the same strip of film that records the pictures...
sound system. Hearst dissolved its agreement with Fox in October 1934, and released its newsreels through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
from then until 1967. William Randolph Hearst was a controversial figure for several years. In November 1936, in reaction to protests and moviegoers' booing of the Hearst newsreel when it began showing causing theaters to edit out references to Hearst, the name of the newsreel was officially changed to "News of the Day" by Hearst. The Hearst Metrotone News name continued to appear on the copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
notice at the end of the newsreel.
Other U.S. newsreel series include The March of Time
The March of Time
The March of Time is a radio series, and companion newsreel series, that was broadcast on CBS from 1931 to 1945 and shown in movie theaters from 1935 to 1951. It was created by Time, Inc. executive Roy Edward Larsen, and was produced and written by Louis de Rochemont and his brother Richard de...
(1935-1951), Pathé News
Pathe News
Pathé Newsreels were produced from 1910 until the 1970s, when production of newsreels was in general stopped. Pathé News today is known as British Pathé and its archive of over 90,000 reels is fully digitised and online.-History:...
(1910-1956), Paramount News
Paramount News
Paramount News is the name on the newsreels produced by Paramount Pictures .-History:The Paramount Newsreel began operation in 1927 and distributed roughly two movie theater issues per week until their closing in 1957. Movie theaters across the country would run these issues, usually on 35mm...
(1927-1957), Fox Movietone News (1928-1963), and Universal Newsreel
Universal Newsreel
Universal Newsreel was a series of 7- to 10-minute newsreels that were released twice a week between 1929 and 1967 by Universal Studios. A Universal publicity official, Sam B. Jacobson, was involved in originating and producing the newsreels...
(1929-1967).
In 1981, the entire Hearst newsreel library was acquired by the UCLA Film and Television Archive
UCLA Film and Television Archive
The UCLA Film and Television Archive is an internationally renowned visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles. It holds more than 220,000 film and television titles and 27 million feet of...
.