1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:04,279 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:13,360 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:16,720 Speaker 1: I'm Holly Fry and I'm Tracy d Wilson. Tracy, It's 4 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:19,799 Speaker 1: time for a little bit of film history, which I 5 00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:25,040 Speaker 1: always love. This is one that seems especially engaging to 6 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:27,520 Speaker 1: me because of this weird time we're loving through. We 7 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 1: can't help but look at everything through that lens um. 8 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:35,400 Speaker 1: We know that this pandemic is impacting virtually every industry 9 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:37,519 Speaker 1: in a variety of ways, and the film industry is 10 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:40,920 Speaker 1: no exception. Studios, of course shut down in the spring 11 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:44,639 Speaker 1: when the pandemic was declared, but so did theaters. Some 12 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:48,560 Speaker 1: have reopened, some have not. And as we've all seen, 13 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:51,080 Speaker 1: films that were already made or in post production have 14 00:00:51,159 --> 00:00:53,200 Speaker 1: been all over the place in terms of how they've 15 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:57,240 Speaker 1: been distributed to consumers. And that, along with some other 16 00:00:57,320 --> 00:01:00,319 Speaker 1: stuff that we will get to as may me think 17 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:06,480 Speaker 1: about film distribution historically, and so initially I wanted to 18 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 1: talk about the paramount decrees of That is a case 19 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:12,600 Speaker 1: that's been in the news lately, and it's a good 20 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:14,839 Speaker 1: example of how things that have happened in the past 21 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:19,120 Speaker 1: still offer up some surprises decades later. But as I 22 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:22,399 Speaker 1: started working on it, I really found myself wanting to 23 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:25,360 Speaker 1: dig a little bit deeper into how things got to 24 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 1: the point where that particular court case happened, starting with 25 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:33,160 Speaker 1: how the studios developed, because those two things are inextricably intertwined, 26 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:36,679 Speaker 1: and because it has roots in very early days of 27 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:40,080 Speaker 1: the motion picture industry in the US, So just how 28 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 1: the studio system grew led to what happened legally, and 29 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:46,199 Speaker 1: this becomes a lot, so we are splitting it into 30 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:48,480 Speaker 1: two parts. So in this first episode, we're going to 31 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:50,720 Speaker 1: talk about the people and events that led to the 32 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 1: establishment of Paramount Pictures as a key player in the 33 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: movie industry. And then in the second episode, we will 34 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:00,760 Speaker 1: talk about the two court cases against Paramount out as 35 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:03,160 Speaker 1: well as other defendants in the first half of the 36 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 1: twentieth century. And then we're going to touch on recent 37 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:08,919 Speaker 1: developments that are related to all of those legal proceedings 38 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 1: which went on for years and years and recent means recent, 39 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:18,000 Speaker 1: very weeks ago as of when we are recording this. 40 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:21,079 Speaker 1: So to really get to the roots of this story, 41 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:24,320 Speaker 1: we have to start with Adolph Zuker. Zucker was born 42 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:28,799 Speaker 1: on January seventh, eighteen seventy three and richer Hungary, and 43 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:32,000 Speaker 1: in Hungarian his last name would be were like Zuker, 44 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:35,880 Speaker 1: but he seems to have stuck with a pretty Americanized version. 45 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:38,840 Speaker 1: By the time he was seven, he had already lost 46 00:02:38,919 --> 00:02:41,240 Speaker 1: both of his parents. He never really knew his father, 47 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:45,240 Speaker 1: who died when Zucker was one, and although his mother 48 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:48,800 Speaker 1: had remarried, instead of staying with his stepfather, he was 49 00:02:48,919 --> 00:02:52,040 Speaker 1: moved to live with his uncle. And though the family 50 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:55,919 Speaker 1: had hoped that Adolph would become a rabbi, his fascination 51 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:58,840 Speaker 1: was studying religious history was really all about the stories 52 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:01,640 Speaker 1: and much less about the spiritual aspects of Judaism, at 53 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 1: least as a personal calling. As a teen, at Off 54 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 1: instead became an apprentice to a shopkeeper, and it was 55 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:11,600 Speaker 1: through the shopkeeper's daughters that he learned about pulp fiction 56 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:15,560 Speaker 1: from the United States. The prospect of being a shopkeeper 57 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:18,520 Speaker 1: was really not any more appealing to add Off than 58 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:22,520 Speaker 1: becoming a rabbi had been. He eventually convinced his family 59 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 1: to let him sail to the United States with a 60 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:29,560 Speaker 1: tiny sum of money it's estimated at forty dollars. Who's 61 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:31,840 Speaker 1: gonna try to start a new life Yeah, that probably 62 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:34,240 Speaker 1: didn't seem like a tiny sum at the time, but 63 00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: when you think about starting a brand new life somewhere else, 64 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:40,680 Speaker 1: it doesn't go very far. This whole thing was a 65 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 1: really arduous undertaking. So first of all, he had to 66 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:46,840 Speaker 1: book the lowest class of passage for the journey UH 67 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:49,680 Speaker 1: that came with no amenities. There was a degree of peril. 68 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:52,920 Speaker 1: Their stories about how he sowed his forty dollars into 69 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:54,840 Speaker 1: the lining of his clothes so that no one would 70 00:03:54,880 --> 00:03:57,200 Speaker 1: rob him when he slept on the boat. And then 71 00:03:57,240 --> 00:03:59,800 Speaker 1: once he arrived in New York, he didn't know anybody 72 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:02,720 Speaker 1: and he had to start entirely from scratch to try 73 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:06,320 Speaker 1: to find work. He eventually settled into a position as 74 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 1: a furrier's apprentice. He first, according to most stories, started 75 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:11,720 Speaker 1: out just sweeping the floor and then kind of became 76 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:14,640 Speaker 1: an apprentice, but he was also taking classes at night 77 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:17,160 Speaker 1: to improve his English, and some stories say he also 78 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:20,880 Speaker 1: took classes uh in business as well. With then just 79 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:23,880 Speaker 1: a couple of years, he had become a skilled designer 80 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:26,839 Speaker 1: and started working as an independent furrier by the age 81 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:30,000 Speaker 1: of nineteen. He moved to Chicago a year later in 82 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:33,400 Speaker 1: eighteen ninety three, when the World's Colombian Exposition was there. 83 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:35,920 Speaker 1: He wound up staying in the city and becoming a 84 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:39,360 Speaker 1: partner in the novelty for company with a fifty percent share. 85 00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:42,960 Speaker 1: The business made a lot of money, but after a 86 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:47,760 Speaker 1: misstep and predicting trends, Zucker really found his fashion career 87 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:50,720 Speaker 1: on a downslide. And while he moved back to New 88 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:52,760 Speaker 1: York and got back on his feet thanks to his 89 00:04:52,839 --> 00:04:56,120 Speaker 1: connections in the fur industry, Zucker was already starting to 90 00:04:56,160 --> 00:04:59,479 Speaker 1: think about film. He also got married during this time 91 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:02,400 Speaker 1: in eight nine seven to a young woman named Lottie Kaufman. 92 00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:04,960 Speaker 1: They stayed married for the rest of their lives. One 93 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:07,640 Speaker 1: of the four years that Zucker became friends with during 94 00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:11,159 Speaker 1: this time was Marcus Low. That name is familiar to 95 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:15,440 Speaker 1: you because of Low cinemas. There's a reason Zooker even 96 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:17,920 Speaker 1: took an apartment across the street from Low, and their 97 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:23,520 Speaker 1: families remained friends for life. So he had previously mispredicted 98 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:26,400 Speaker 1: a trend, the opposite happened in nineteen o two. He 99 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:30,719 Speaker 1: made a small fortune after correctly predicting a trend for 100 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:34,280 Speaker 1: Red Fox that year, and Zucker wanted to invest all 101 00:05:34,279 --> 00:05:36,479 Speaker 1: this money that he made it was somewhere between a 102 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:40,120 Speaker 1: hundred thousand and two hundred thousand dollars. His choice for 103 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:44,239 Speaker 1: this was investing into the entertainment industry at often. Several 104 00:05:44,279 --> 00:05:47,120 Speaker 1: of his friends in the fur industry invested in a 105 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:50,760 Speaker 1: penny arcade that was opened by Mitchell Mark in nineteen 106 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:54,880 Speaker 1: o three. It was on Fourteenth Street near Broadway. This arcade, 107 00:05:55,040 --> 00:05:59,159 Speaker 1: nicknamed Automatic Vaudeville, made a hundred thousand dollars in its 108 00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:03,400 Speaker 1: first year. Zucker left the fur business completely soon after 109 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:07,479 Speaker 1: that to expand his penny arcades into other locations, and 110 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:10,479 Speaker 1: the next evolution of his entertainment business was to set 111 00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:13,839 Speaker 1: up an arcade with a theater to show motion pictures. 112 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:17,440 Speaker 1: So the top floor of Zooker's Automatic Vaudeville was outfitted 113 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:20,640 Speaker 1: with two hundred seats, and for a nickel, customers could 114 00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:24,640 Speaker 1: watch a fifteen minutes show. This shift to showing motion 115 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:29,120 Speaker 1: pictures required some enticement. Zucker described this change in the 116 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:31,800 Speaker 1: offerings of the arcade later in his life quote, we 117 00:06:31,839 --> 00:06:35,000 Speaker 1: had this empty floor over the arcade, about forty ft 118 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:37,840 Speaker 1: by two hundred fifty feet. We put in two hundred 119 00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:40,360 Speaker 1: seats and then began to worry because it seemed like 120 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:43,440 Speaker 1: an awful lot, especially as most of our customers didn't 121 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:46,320 Speaker 1: know what moving pictures were and we're used to paying 122 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:49,880 Speaker 1: one cent, not five. So we put in a wonderful 123 00:06:49,920 --> 00:06:53,159 Speaker 1: glass staircase. Under the glass was a metal trough of 124 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:56,320 Speaker 1: running water like a waterfall, with red, green, and blue 125 00:06:56,440 --> 00:06:59,800 Speaker 1: lights shining through. We called it Crystal Hall. And he 126 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:03,000 Speaker 1: well paid their five cents, mainly on account of the staircase, 127 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:07,800 Speaker 1: not the movies. It was a big success. This is 128 00:07:07,839 --> 00:07:11,960 Speaker 1: like such great packaging, right That staircase sounds pretty cool? 129 00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:15,320 Speaker 1: It does. Zoocker routinely sat in the sixth row of 130 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:18,080 Speaker 1: the Crystal Hall theater while movies ran, and he would 131 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:20,520 Speaker 1: turn around and watch the faces of the audience in 132 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:23,000 Speaker 1: the rooms behind him as they reacted to the movies 133 00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:26,320 Speaker 1: that were being shown. And he noticed the patterns in 134 00:07:26,400 --> 00:07:28,960 Speaker 1: what worked for audiences and what didn't, and he used 135 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:32,160 Speaker 1: that information to make decisions about what films to offer. 136 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:35,720 Speaker 1: In nineteen o four, the St. Louis World's Fair featured 137 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:39,720 Speaker 1: a novelty movie experience called Hale's Tours of the World, 138 00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:43,840 Speaker 1: was named for their inventor, George C. Hale. The attraction 139 00:07:43,920 --> 00:07:47,200 Speaker 1: was basically a decommissioned train car that had been set 140 00:07:47,280 --> 00:07:50,680 Speaker 1: up as a theater. The theater attendants dressed as train conductors, 141 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:54,160 Speaker 1: and once they were inside, customers were shown travel films 142 00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:56,880 Speaker 1: while the car rocked and shook and the bell clanged 143 00:07:56,920 --> 00:07:59,840 Speaker 1: as though the whole thing we're traveling through a u 144 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:04,080 Speaker 1: a Pean town our countryside. Zooker loved this thing. Uh. 145 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:07,320 Speaker 1: He bought the rights to offer Hales Tours in New York, 146 00:08:07,800 --> 00:08:10,800 Speaker 1: and then he opened Hales Tours in Coney Island, Newark 147 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:14,760 Speaker 1: and Pittsburgh after that. And initially they were really huge draws. 148 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:17,960 Speaker 1: But two things ultimately doomed the Hales Tour to a 149 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:22,360 Speaker 1: short life. One, once an audience had experienced this, the 150 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:24,280 Speaker 1: novelty kind of wore off. There were a lot of 151 00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:26,760 Speaker 1: people that wanted to keep going back on the same tour. 152 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:30,960 Speaker 1: Two new films were not being made, even though Zooker 153 00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:33,120 Speaker 1: is said to have asked the team at the newly 154 00:08:33,160 --> 00:08:36,360 Speaker 1: formed motion picture Patents company that is also known as 155 00:08:36,360 --> 00:08:38,640 Speaker 1: the Edison Trust and will reference that name a bunch 156 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:41,440 Speaker 1: coming up to make more of them, but they were 157 00:08:41,440 --> 00:08:45,000 Speaker 1: not really interested in going in filming the European Countryside anymore. 158 00:08:45,520 --> 00:08:50,040 Speaker 1: Despite its initial success. Hales Tours ultimately landed Zooker's company 159 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:53,600 Speaker 1: and six figure debt. While his business partners wanted to 160 00:08:53,600 --> 00:08:56,920 Speaker 1: consider declaring bankruptcy, Zucker would not hear of it. He 161 00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:00,640 Speaker 1: had another idea. Over the next two years, Zucker let 162 00:09:00,720 --> 00:09:03,880 Speaker 1: a project that turned all of the Hales Tour locations 163 00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:07,679 Speaker 1: into regular movie theaters. At the end of those two years, 164 00:09:07,720 --> 00:09:10,120 Speaker 1: the company was out of debt and turning a profit, 165 00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:13,440 Speaker 1: but he still had the problem of not having enough 166 00:09:13,559 --> 00:09:18,120 Speaker 1: new films to satisfy him. In nine, Zooker's company combined 167 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:21,680 Speaker 1: with that of his friend Marcus Low. Low had also 168 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:25,480 Speaker 1: been opening successful theaters of his own, and once the 169 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:29,360 Speaker 1: companies combined under the Low Enterprises name at alf Zookers 170 00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:34,320 Speaker 1: work shifted completely. He focused on movies entirely, not so 171 00:09:34,400 --> 00:09:38,800 Speaker 1: much on the marketing or the locations or building out theaters, 172 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:42,160 Speaker 1: but just the movies first, by traveling both the US 173 00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:45,120 Speaker 1: in Europe and simply going to the movies and watching 174 00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:48,880 Speaker 1: the audience and kind of tracking their reactions. We're going 175 00:09:48,920 --> 00:09:51,480 Speaker 1: to talk in a moment about how the information that 176 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:55,480 Speaker 1: Zooker collected led him to develop bigger projects, but first 177 00:09:55,520 --> 00:10:07,320 Speaker 1: we will pause for a quick sponsor break. Adolph Zucker 178 00:10:07,559 --> 00:10:11,080 Speaker 1: wanted to explore the idea of longer form content instead 179 00:10:11,080 --> 00:10:13,760 Speaker 1: of the short films that were being produced in the 180 00:10:13,760 --> 00:10:16,600 Speaker 1: early nineteen hundreds. He had a vision that was for 181 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:19,960 Speaker 1: a movie that was not just something for casual foot 182 00:10:19,960 --> 00:10:22,640 Speaker 1: traffic crowds of a busy city, but a level of 183 00:10:22,720 --> 00:10:25,080 Speaker 1: entertainment that would draw a crowd the same way as 184 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:28,120 Speaker 1: theatrical play mind and that is how he came to 185 00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:31,880 Speaker 1: found the Famous Players Company, which was named for his 186 00:10:31,960 --> 00:10:36,640 Speaker 1: motto of famous players and famous plays. As that motto suggests, 187 00:10:36,679 --> 00:10:41,000 Speaker 1: Zucker wanted to get talent with established name recognition from 188 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:44,400 Speaker 1: theater to star in films that were based on well 189 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:47,640 Speaker 1: known plays. Yeah, in a lot of cases it was, Hey, 190 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:50,120 Speaker 1: you got famous doing this play on Broadway. Can we 191 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:53,559 Speaker 1: film that play and make it a movie. Famous Players 192 00:10:53,559 --> 00:10:56,280 Speaker 1: Company was actually set up more as the distributor to 193 00:10:56,320 --> 00:11:00,320 Speaker 1: release Zooker's first movie after production was already completed. That 194 00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:03,760 Speaker 1: movie was Queen Elizabeth, which starred Sarah Bernhardt. The film 195 00:11:03,760 --> 00:11:06,480 Speaker 1: had been shot in France and it was a British 196 00:11:06,559 --> 00:11:09,719 Speaker 1: French production with the title les a mur de la 197 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:14,560 Speaker 1: Elizabet or simply La Elizabeth, and Zooker secured the U 198 00:11:14,679 --> 00:11:17,840 Speaker 1: S distribution rights for either thirty five thousand dollars or 199 00:11:17,880 --> 00:11:20,880 Speaker 1: forty thou dollars, depending on who you listen to. That 200 00:11:21,040 --> 00:11:25,760 Speaker 1: was considered an absurdly high amount of money, but Zooker 201 00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:28,000 Speaker 1: paid it, and then he had the film premiere at 202 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:31,760 Speaker 1: Broadways Lyceum Theater on July twelfth, n twelve as a 203 00:11:31,920 --> 00:11:35,800 Speaker 1: huge event. The ticket price was massive for the time, 204 00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:38,600 Speaker 1: it was a dollar. Remember, he had been charging five 205 00:11:38,640 --> 00:11:42,760 Speaker 1: cents for his theaters in the automated vaudeville. But Zooker's 206 00:11:42,800 --> 00:11:46,360 Speaker 1: effort to market this longer length film, trading on Bernhard's 207 00:11:46,400 --> 00:11:49,480 Speaker 1: fame and the fresh concept of a longer form it 208 00:11:49,559 --> 00:11:54,160 Speaker 1: ran more than forty minutes, was ultimately very successful. So 209 00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:57,319 Speaker 1: from there things moved really quickly for Zooker. He got 210 00:11:57,320 --> 00:12:00,560 Speaker 1: more Broadway actors to make films based on plays that 211 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:04,160 Speaker 1: they were already famous for this time with his company 212 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:07,640 Speaker 1: actually making the films. He made versions of The Prisoner 213 00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:10,320 Speaker 1: of Zenda and The Count of Money Christo and several 214 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:13,559 Speaker 1: other films, and less than a year he also left 215 00:12:13,559 --> 00:12:17,280 Speaker 1: low enterprises to focus on famous players company full time. 216 00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:21,760 Speaker 1: He transitioned Mary Pickford to film, initially paying her five 217 00:12:21,840 --> 00:12:24,160 Speaker 1: hundred dollars a week, which was more than two and 218 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:26,720 Speaker 1: a half times when she was making on Broadway. And 219 00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:29,560 Speaker 1: then Pickford was of course catapulted to stardom, and well, 220 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:34,320 Speaker 1: she probably could never have anticipated eventually getting paid ten 221 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:36,840 Speaker 1: thousand dollars a week just a few years later. That 222 00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:41,800 Speaker 1: is not adjusted. That's ten thousand dollars in nineteen teens money. 223 00:12:42,360 --> 00:12:46,079 Speaker 1: In nineteen sixteen, Adolph Sucker merged his company with another 224 00:12:46,240 --> 00:12:50,640 Speaker 1: film company run independently by Jesse Laski. They created famous 225 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:54,760 Speaker 1: players Laski. While Zucker was establishing himself in film, he 226 00:12:54,800 --> 00:12:58,520 Speaker 1: had also gotten into business with a man named W. W. Hodginson, 227 00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:02,200 Speaker 1: who was working on his own venture in the entertainment world. 228 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:05,360 Speaker 1: So we're gonna talk about Hodginson for a minute. William 229 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:08,560 Speaker 1: Hodginson was born in eighteen eighty one in Pueblo, Colorado. 230 00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:12,640 Speaker 1: His middle name was either Wallace or Wadsworth, depending on 231 00:13:12,679 --> 00:13:15,800 Speaker 1: what source you look at. Some sources include both of them. 232 00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:18,880 Speaker 1: The Online Archive of California, for example, which has a 233 00:13:18,880 --> 00:13:22,280 Speaker 1: collection of his papers, even lists him both ways in 234 00:13:22,320 --> 00:13:25,720 Speaker 1: the finding aid that accompanies that collection. There's not a 235 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:28,800 Speaker 1: whole lot of information about Hodginson's early life. He worked 236 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:31,760 Speaker 1: on a railroad, telegraph and as a salesman for a 237 00:13:31,800 --> 00:13:36,079 Speaker 1: correspondence school before moving into the entertainment business. In nineteen 238 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:38,640 Speaker 1: oh seven, he opened one of the first movie theaters 239 00:13:38,679 --> 00:13:41,679 Speaker 1: in the United States. That was in Utah. Uh Yeah. 240 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:44,280 Speaker 1: He originally started out in Ogden and eventually spread to 241 00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:49,240 Speaker 1: other places. He has some Salt Lake footprints. But Hodkinson 242 00:13:49,559 --> 00:13:54,000 Speaker 1: founded Paramount Pictures in nineteen fourteen. That Paramount Pictures not 243 00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:57,520 Speaker 1: what we think of today. It was strictly a distribution company, 244 00:13:57,559 --> 00:14:01,120 Speaker 1: but Hodginson was completely changing the way films were distributed. 245 00:14:01,679 --> 00:14:05,800 Speaker 1: Up to that point, distribution had to primary models. First, 246 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:10,920 Speaker 1: there were regional rights, also called states rights. In this model, 247 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:14,319 Speaker 1: the movie producer would sell their films to a salesperson 248 00:14:14,400 --> 00:14:18,000 Speaker 1: who had a regional distribution network, and then that person, 249 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:20,960 Speaker 1: who then owned a copy of the film, would take 250 00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:24,560 Speaker 1: that copy to theaters to be played for audiences. The 251 00:14:24,640 --> 00:14:28,480 Speaker 1: salesperson would be paid by the theater owner. This usually 252 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:31,400 Speaker 1: meant that the same film would be played basically until 253 00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:35,040 Speaker 1: it was unwatchably damaged. Because the regional person wanted to 254 00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:38,120 Speaker 1: make as much money off their investment in purchasing that 255 00:14:38,280 --> 00:14:41,200 Speaker 1: copy of the film as they possibly could. This meant 256 00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:44,160 Speaker 1: money up front for the producer, but then the regional 257 00:14:44,360 --> 00:14:47,560 Speaker 1: salesman made all the money after that. It also meant 258 00:14:47,560 --> 00:14:50,200 Speaker 1: that the producer had no control over the quality of 259 00:14:50,280 --> 00:14:53,000 Speaker 1: their film that the audiences might see. If you were 260 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:55,280 Speaker 1: seeing it late in the run, it might look terrible. 261 00:14:56,880 --> 00:14:58,880 Speaker 1: We have all been to second run theaters and you 262 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:01,960 Speaker 1: know how it is a different experience, so imagine that 263 00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:05,880 Speaker 1: getting worse and worse and worse. The second distribution model 264 00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:08,120 Speaker 1: at this time was called the road show, and in 265 00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:11,560 Speaker 1: this scenario, the producer would enter into a contract with 266 00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:14,920 Speaker 1: a popular first run movie theater to run their movie 267 00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:18,400 Speaker 1: as a limited run special engagement. So this was treated 268 00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:20,200 Speaker 1: sort of like a special event. Think of it like 269 00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:23,800 Speaker 1: a touring production of a play. And ticket prices reflected 270 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:26,640 Speaker 1: that the road show approach made a lot of money 271 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:29,840 Speaker 1: for producers upfront because of the higher cost to the consumer, 272 00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:33,400 Speaker 1: but that also only lasted for a short period of time. 273 00:15:34,080 --> 00:15:37,280 Speaker 1: These two approaches were often used in combination, so the 274 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:40,480 Speaker 1: producer would have the limited run road show and then 275 00:15:40,560 --> 00:15:43,840 Speaker 1: would sell States rights copies. The road show screenings would 276 00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:46,960 Speaker 1: serve as part of the advertising model to drum up 277 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:50,040 Speaker 1: interest as the film made its way into other markets 278 00:15:50,080 --> 00:15:54,240 Speaker 1: through this regional rights distribution. But Paramount Pictures was designed 279 00:15:54,240 --> 00:15:57,440 Speaker 1: to get out of that regional approach. Hodkinson thought that 280 00:15:57,480 --> 00:16:00,920 Speaker 1: it would be better to arrange nationwide distribution plans with 281 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:03,880 Speaker 1: producers getting a cut of the profits from the box office. 282 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:06,120 Speaker 1: Instead of doing this weird we sell you the movie 283 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:08,440 Speaker 1: and you sell the movie to theaters. It was we 284 00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:10,920 Speaker 1: arranged for the theaters to do this and we'll all 285 00:16:10,960 --> 00:16:13,800 Speaker 1: make money together. This was so that there would be 286 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:17,320 Speaker 1: a motivation for production companies to focus on quality. Better 287 00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:21,680 Speaker 1: films would draw more audience and make more money for everybody. Typically, 288 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:24,360 Speaker 1: Hodkinson took thirty five percent of the profit and the 289 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:27,960 Speaker 1: producers got and that went on as long as the 290 00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:31,200 Speaker 1: picture played, so a big change from producers giving up 291 00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:33,680 Speaker 1: all rights to profit once they had sold a print 292 00:16:33,720 --> 00:16:37,680 Speaker 1: to a regional distributor. Also, Paramount was providing money to 293 00:16:37,920 --> 00:16:40,800 Speaker 1: filmmakers as part of their deals, so while the company 294 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:45,120 Speaker 1: wasn't making movies, it was financing them. Hodkinson, with a 295 00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:48,920 Speaker 1: much bigger stake in films, got exclusive distribution rights, so 296 00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:52,160 Speaker 1: he got control over how and where they were shown. 297 00:16:52,800 --> 00:16:55,920 Speaker 1: He would determine what markets and what specific theaters were 298 00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:59,520 Speaker 1: the best match for a given film. He negotiated deals 299 00:16:59,600 --> 00:17:03,200 Speaker 1: with UMAs that he arranged for marketing. This cut out 300 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:07,800 Speaker 1: the sale of Prince to regional salespeople entirely. Another interesting 301 00:17:07,840 --> 00:17:12,800 Speaker 1: aspect of Paramount was that it wasn't exclusively Hodginson's company. 302 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:15,760 Speaker 1: The producers who were part of his distribution model all 303 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:17,879 Speaker 1: owned a piece of the business. They were kind of 304 00:17:17,920 --> 00:17:22,120 Speaker 1: like foundational members. Hodkinson started working on this idea when 305 00:17:22,119 --> 00:17:25,400 Speaker 1: he was working for the General Film Company in nineteen eleven. 306 00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:28,600 Speaker 1: The General Film Company was the distribution company that was 307 00:17:28,640 --> 00:17:33,520 Speaker 1: created by the Motion Picture Patents Company that is, once 308 00:17:33,560 --> 00:17:38,240 Speaker 1: again the Edison Trust. But while Hodginson's test efforts in 309 00:17:38,320 --> 00:17:41,080 Speaker 1: this model did really well, things did not go over 310 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:43,440 Speaker 1: so well with the Edison Trust. And we're going to 311 00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:46,199 Speaker 1: talk more about the Edison Trust and its practices, but 312 00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:57,480 Speaker 1: first we will take another quick sponsor break. Now. The 313 00:17:57,520 --> 00:18:00,800 Speaker 1: Motion Picture Patents Company had formed in nineteen o eight 314 00:18:00,840 --> 00:18:02,960 Speaker 1: in an effort to get the film industry, which was 315 00:18:03,080 --> 00:18:05,320 Speaker 1: kind of all over the place in terms of technology 316 00:18:05,320 --> 00:18:09,000 Speaker 1: and stability, to homogenize and settle on one standard. We've 317 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:10,960 Speaker 1: talked about this a little bit on previous shows, like 318 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:13,520 Speaker 1: when we talked about the Lumire brothers and and some 319 00:18:13,640 --> 00:18:16,439 Speaker 1: others and how everybody was developing like their own films, 320 00:18:16,440 --> 00:18:19,920 Speaker 1: their own cameras, etcetera. But this trust involved a lot 321 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:22,080 Speaker 1: of companies, some of which you have also heard of 322 00:18:22,119 --> 00:18:26,159 Speaker 1: on the show before. So obviously Edison, Vitograph, Biograph S 323 00:18:26,240 --> 00:18:31,520 Speaker 1: and a Sellig Lubin, Callum path A, Melliaise, and Gaumont. 324 00:18:32,119 --> 00:18:34,800 Speaker 1: All of these different players had been involved to some 325 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:38,600 Speaker 1: degree in the patent wars around the various technologies that 326 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:42,400 Speaker 1: had been developed in this new industry. But by assembling 327 00:18:42,480 --> 00:18:45,440 Speaker 1: as a trust, they had almost all of the industry's 328 00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:48,000 Speaker 1: patents and they were in a position to demand that 329 00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:51,080 Speaker 1: anyone showing a motion picture had to pay the Trust 330 00:18:51,160 --> 00:18:55,240 Speaker 1: a licensing fee for the technology that was involved. Eastman 331 00:18:55,400 --> 00:18:59,840 Speaker 1: Kodak was under contract to only sell film to licensees 332 00:18:59,880 --> 00:19:03,520 Speaker 1: of the Trust. Film length was limited by the Trust 333 00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:07,119 Speaker 1: to ten to twenty minutes, and actors were not credited 334 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:10,200 Speaker 1: per their rules. Yeah, the Edison Trust was like, don't 335 00:19:10,240 --> 00:19:13,000 Speaker 1: credit actors because famous actors will start asking for more money. 336 00:19:13,080 --> 00:19:16,520 Speaker 1: We're going to create a financial problem. Also, like they 337 00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:21,480 Speaker 1: just wanted to control everything. Rolled my eyes really hard. 338 00:19:21,520 --> 00:19:27,640 Speaker 1: As you can imagine, independent filmmakers and small theater owners 339 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:29,639 Speaker 1: were not big fans of the Trust. And we mentioned 340 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:33,000 Speaker 1: before that you know, there was a desire for longer films, 341 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:34,960 Speaker 1: but if they weren't letting enough film be sold to 342 00:19:35,040 --> 00:19:38,840 Speaker 1: make longer films, that couldn't happen either. Some of these 343 00:19:38,880 --> 00:19:42,199 Speaker 1: creators opted to import film and equipment from Europe to 344 00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:45,520 Speaker 1: try to get around the trust's monopoly, and the Trust 345 00:19:45,680 --> 00:19:49,760 Speaker 1: was really not keen on Hodkinson's ideas, which shifted things 346 00:19:49,800 --> 00:19:51,960 Speaker 1: around in a way that would change their model of 347 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:54,879 Speaker 1: extracting licensing fees for everyone along the line in a 348 00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:58,560 Speaker 1: film's production and distribution and ultimately mean that they made 349 00:19:58,600 --> 00:20:02,400 Speaker 1: less money. The us In Trust was eventually undone through 350 00:20:02,520 --> 00:20:07,399 Speaker 1: lost legal battles and legislation. In nineteen thirteen, the U. S. 351 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:10,879 Speaker 1: Supreme Court ruled in Bower and Ce versus O'Donnell that 352 00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:15,280 Speaker 1: a patent holder couldn't fix pricing related to use of 353 00:20:15,320 --> 00:20:20,240 Speaker 1: that patent. The following year, Congress passed the Clayton Antitrust Act, 354 00:20:20,280 --> 00:20:23,560 Speaker 1: which was designed to regulate businesses and prevent monopolies, and 355 00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:27,040 Speaker 1: its regulations meant some of the trust's practices were illegal. 356 00:20:27,359 --> 00:20:30,240 Speaker 1: There was also a nineteen seventeen case of mp PC 357 00:20:30,520 --> 00:20:34,000 Speaker 1: versus Universal Film Manufacturing Company, in which the court ruled 358 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:37,480 Speaker 1: in Universal's favor that once a patent was licensed, the 359 00:20:37,520 --> 00:20:40,400 Speaker 1: licensey was not legally bound to the licenser for any 360 00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:43,720 Speaker 1: other reason. By the time all of these paddles played out, 361 00:20:44,040 --> 00:20:46,840 Speaker 1: most film producers had migrated to Hollywood to get away 362 00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:49,960 Speaker 1: from the Edison Trust and do things their own way. Anyway, 363 00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:53,919 Speaker 1: back to Hodginson, he approached this issue of wanting to 364 00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:57,800 Speaker 1: convince his bosses that he was onto something important really methodically. 365 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:00,919 Speaker 1: At the end of nineteen twelve, he made two charts 366 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:04,280 Speaker 1: that compared the projected future of the film industry with 367 00:21:04,359 --> 00:21:08,199 Speaker 1: this method in place, versus the continuation of the States 368 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:10,960 Speaker 1: rights and road show approach. He took these charts and 369 00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:13,399 Speaker 1: all of this data to New York to meet with 370 00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:18,159 Speaker 1: General Film Company leadership, but he was ultimately unsuccessful. Hodginson 371 00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:22,080 Speaker 1: had already implemented his distribution model in northern California as 372 00:21:22,119 --> 00:21:25,120 Speaker 1: part of his nineteen eleven testing, and his bosses told 373 00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:27,600 Speaker 1: him to change it back to the old way. He 374 00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:31,080 Speaker 1: refused and was fired in May of nineteen thirteen. Yeah, 375 00:21:31,119 --> 00:21:34,919 Speaker 1: for the record, like The theater owners in in the 376 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:38,800 Speaker 1: San Francisco area loved this model. They were completely good 377 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:42,199 Speaker 1: with it. But Hodginson did not leave the industry. He 378 00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:44,560 Speaker 1: believed in his new approach, and so he formed a 379 00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:48,800 Speaker 1: company to distribute films for independent producers. That company, the 380 00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:53,080 Speaker 1: Progressive Company, got distribution deals with Famous Players Company and 381 00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:57,280 Speaker 1: Lasky Feature Play Company, which became founding members of Paramount. 382 00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:01,439 Speaker 1: Before those two companies merged together. Hodginson and Zooker had 383 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:03,800 Speaker 1: actually meant when Hodginson had gone to New York to 384 00:22:03,840 --> 00:22:07,000 Speaker 1: plead his case with the heads of General Film. The 385 00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:11,440 Speaker 1: story behind the switch to Paramount from Progressive is that 386 00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:14,480 Speaker 1: Hodginson discovered on a visit back to New York there 387 00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:17,320 Speaker 1: was already a Progressive Pictures. It was in the New 388 00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:20,760 Speaker 1: York phone Book. This is also when he has said 389 00:22:20,800 --> 00:22:23,320 Speaker 1: to a first doodle the sketch of a mountain and 390 00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:26,240 Speaker 1: stars that has been the basis of the Paramount Pictures 391 00:22:26,280 --> 00:22:30,440 Speaker 1: logo ever since. Yep, they're still using it. Uh. In July, 392 00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:34,919 Speaker 1: Paramount took out a two page ad in the periodical 393 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:39,159 Speaker 1: Moving Picture World touting the distributor partners throughout the US 394 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:41,359 Speaker 1: that they had arranged with a map of the United 395 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:44,680 Speaker 1: States showing how almost every part of the country could 396 00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:47,119 Speaker 1: be reached through Paramount, with the call to action to 397 00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:50,480 Speaker 1: local exhibitors quote, get in touch with our distributor in 398 00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:53,879 Speaker 1: your territory and procure the finest motion pictures the world 399 00:22:53,880 --> 00:22:58,400 Speaker 1: has ever seen. Famous Players Film Company, Jesse Alaski, Feature 400 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:02,000 Speaker 1: Play Company, and bos Were Incorporated are all called out 401 00:23:02,040 --> 00:23:06,600 Speaker 1: as producers of Paramount distributed films in the ad, and 402 00:23:06,680 --> 00:23:10,280 Speaker 1: to ensure that potential customers knew that foreign pictures could 403 00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:13,399 Speaker 1: be obtained through Paramount as well. Along the bottom of 404 00:23:13,440 --> 00:23:15,679 Speaker 1: the spread was the phrase quote and the cream of 405 00:23:15,680 --> 00:23:19,520 Speaker 1: the world's market. In addition to the above manufacturers. Once 406 00:23:19,560 --> 00:23:22,280 Speaker 1: the Famous Players Last Ki Corporation was formed from the 407 00:23:22,280 --> 00:23:26,560 Speaker 1: two existing companies, it became the primary supplier of films 408 00:23:26,560 --> 00:23:30,000 Speaker 1: to Paramount as a distributor, making up an estimated seventy 409 00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:34,520 Speaker 1: of their distribution titles. There had been a bump in 410 00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:39,000 Speaker 1: the road early on in the relationship among these businesses. Zooker, 411 00:23:39,119 --> 00:23:42,440 Speaker 1: Laski and other producers had all signed five year contracts 412 00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:45,919 Speaker 1: with Paramount, but because of the entirely new nature of 413 00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:49,040 Speaker 1: the distribution model they were agreeing to, they didn't really 414 00:23:49,160 --> 00:23:52,919 Speaker 1: grasp how much power it gave Hodginson until later, and 415 00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:56,360 Speaker 1: that was problematic, even though producers were then making more 416 00:23:56,400 --> 00:23:59,040 Speaker 1: money than ever thanks to his changes to the business. 417 00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:01,760 Speaker 1: Zucker try to get out of his deal because of it, 418 00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:05,520 Speaker 1: and Hodkinson would not have it and his anger, Zooker 419 00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:09,240 Speaker 1: saw a bigger opportunity and made a move. On March first, 420 00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:13,520 Speaker 1: nineteen fifteen, Zucker renegotiated his deal with Paramount, and this 421 00:24:13,640 --> 00:24:16,040 Speaker 1: was not as you might expect a situation to get 422 00:24:16,080 --> 00:24:19,560 Speaker 1: out of his existing deal early. No, it was instead 423 00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:24,719 Speaker 1: to extend the contract to twenty five years. That sounds kooky, 424 00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:28,000 Speaker 1: but man was he thinking eighteen steps ahead of everyone else, 425 00:24:28,119 --> 00:24:31,240 Speaker 1: because over the next two months, Zooker and his friend 426 00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:36,720 Speaker 1: Jesse Laski sold of their companies to Paramount. This also 427 00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:38,679 Speaker 1: sounds a little crazy, but it was part of a 428 00:24:38,760 --> 00:24:43,240 Speaker 1: multi layered plan to gain power for themselves. They used 429 00:24:43,240 --> 00:24:46,280 Speaker 1: the money from the sales as well as alone to 430 00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:49,880 Speaker 1: start buying Paramount stock on the down low until they 431 00:24:49,880 --> 00:24:54,680 Speaker 1: had accumulated a combined controlling share of Paramount. On June 432 00:24:54,960 --> 00:24:59,880 Speaker 1: nineteen sixteen, W. W. Hodkinson was forced to resign, as 433 00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:02,880 Speaker 1: well as the Paramount treasurer, who was loyal to him. 434 00:25:02,960 --> 00:25:06,760 Speaker 1: That was Raymond Pauli. Zoocker was in charge of the 435 00:25:06,800 --> 00:25:10,520 Speaker 1: reorganized company and Famous Players last Kie Corporation merged with 436 00:25:10,560 --> 00:25:14,600 Speaker 1: Paramount Pictures. The Paramount name was still used for distribution, 437 00:25:14,680 --> 00:25:17,960 Speaker 1: while Famous Players Laskie was still the production entity. Yeah, 438 00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:19,680 Speaker 1: this is one of those things that's always a little 439 00:25:19,680 --> 00:25:25,600 Speaker 1: confusing whenever you're reading like business histories. It still goes 440 00:25:25,600 --> 00:25:28,720 Speaker 1: on today. Right a business will get purchased by another, 441 00:25:28,880 --> 00:25:31,280 Speaker 1: or they'll merge, but they'll still keep using the separate names, 442 00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:33,280 Speaker 1: and that can get a little confusing. That's kind of 443 00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:35,439 Speaker 1: what was going on here. We have been part of 444 00:25:35,520 --> 00:25:37,880 Speaker 1: deals like that before, and we've tried to sort it out. 445 00:25:38,080 --> 00:25:41,359 Speaker 1: I was gonna sarcastically say, we've never had that happen 446 00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:44,720 Speaker 1: to us. Yeah, we know exactly what that's about. As 447 00:25:44,760 --> 00:25:48,480 Speaker 1: for Hodkinson, who was adamantly against the vertical integration of production, 448 00:25:48,520 --> 00:25:52,359 Speaker 1: distribution and exhibition that Paramount was now working with, he 449 00:25:52,440 --> 00:25:55,200 Speaker 1: went on to work in a number of new distribution companies, 450 00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:57,560 Speaker 1: some of which he founded for about a decade after 451 00:25:57,600 --> 00:25:59,840 Speaker 1: he was ousted by Zooker, and he moved into the 452 00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:04,480 Speaker 1: Dasian industry and out of entertainment in and that is 453 00:26:04,520 --> 00:26:07,240 Speaker 1: where we are going to pause for this episode. Next 454 00:26:07,240 --> 00:26:10,920 Speaker 1: time around will cover how Zookers newly combined entertainment Powerhouse 455 00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:15,000 Speaker 1: started using this massive footprint to push competitors to the side. 456 00:26:15,560 --> 00:26:18,399 Speaker 1: Are you ready for a little listener mail? I sure am. 457 00:26:18,400 --> 00:26:22,400 Speaker 1: This is from our listener, Dan, who wrote, Dear Holly 458 00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:25,360 Speaker 1: and Tracy, I'm very behind in my podcast listening. Dan, 459 00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:29,560 Speaker 1: me too, three he said, I have only reached late 460 00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:31,880 Speaker 1: May in my playlist, and I consequently missed your June 461 00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:35,000 Speaker 1: twelve deadline. I'm writing because you said that you missed 462 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:37,800 Speaker 1: hearing from fans during your tours. While we might never 463 00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:39,760 Speaker 1: have met, I am a total fan of you both. 464 00:26:39,960 --> 00:26:42,159 Speaker 1: I love your episodes. I've been a long time listener 465 00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:44,560 Speaker 1: of the podcast, going back to the days of Candice 466 00:26:44,560 --> 00:26:46,960 Speaker 1: and Josh. I should know what happened to Candice. But 467 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:49,000 Speaker 1: I'm also a longtime listener stuff you should know with 468 00:26:49,119 --> 00:26:52,320 Speaker 1: Josh and Chuck. I'm a Massachusetts resident and enjoy hearing 469 00:26:52,359 --> 00:26:56,040 Speaker 1: about Tracy's Boston adventures during COVID nineteen. I especially missed 470 00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:58,359 Speaker 1: the street festivals in the North End and getting a 471 00:26:58,440 --> 00:27:01,760 Speaker 1: Java Barry at Dairy Joy in Weston. Holly, I feel 472 00:27:01,760 --> 00:27:04,560 Speaker 1: a special connection to you. My family are big Disney 473 00:27:04,560 --> 00:27:06,840 Speaker 1: and Star Wars fans. My wife is a runner, ran 474 00:27:06,920 --> 00:27:09,560 Speaker 1: the Kessel Run at Run Disney in TV and her 475 00:27:09,600 --> 00:27:13,040 Speaker 1: first marathon at Walt Disney World in eighteen. I admit 476 00:27:13,119 --> 00:27:15,199 Speaker 1: to checking for your bib at that later race. If 477 00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:16,960 Speaker 1: you had entered, I would have asked you to meet. 478 00:27:17,560 --> 00:27:20,040 Speaker 1: She's also a stitcher and used to craft costumes for 479 00:27:20,080 --> 00:27:23,119 Speaker 1: Halloween adventures for our nieces and nephews. My favorite was 480 00:27:23,160 --> 00:27:25,359 Speaker 1: a toy story takeoff when she made an Emperor's or 481 00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:27,919 Speaker 1: costume for my son and he got to deliver the 482 00:27:27,960 --> 00:27:30,800 Speaker 1: line buzz I am your cousin when he was unmasked. 483 00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:34,200 Speaker 1: I enjoyed listening to your drawing, the story of animation podcasts, 484 00:27:34,680 --> 00:27:37,760 Speaker 1: his avatar work as Phineas Jay whoopee again. Best wishes 485 00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:39,320 Speaker 1: do you both stay safe and thank you for all 486 00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:41,600 Speaker 1: the joy you bring. I won't suggest a topic for 487 00:27:41,640 --> 00:27:44,000 Speaker 1: an episode because I have always been delighted with whatever 488 00:27:44,040 --> 00:27:47,360 Speaker 1: you present. Dan, Dan, that's so sweet. That is so sweet. 489 00:27:47,760 --> 00:27:49,400 Speaker 1: I love it. I just wanted to read it because 490 00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:51,679 Speaker 1: it's such a delightful and nice email, and I like 491 00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:55,320 Speaker 1: knowing that there are people who have very overlapping universes 492 00:27:55,520 --> 00:27:59,320 Speaker 1: of fandom with mine. Yeah, I have not run a 493 00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:03,879 Speaker 1: marathon's it's the one I ran in because that was 494 00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:05,280 Speaker 1: a lot and I didn't want to do it again. 495 00:28:05,920 --> 00:28:08,080 Speaker 1: I ran a lot of halves after that still, but 496 00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:11,480 Speaker 1: I haven't run in a while. But uh yeah, it's 497 00:28:11,520 --> 00:28:13,879 Speaker 1: a super fun. It's one of those things. I don't 498 00:28:14,040 --> 00:28:16,240 Speaker 1: I don't know how these things are going to work 499 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:20,000 Speaker 1: going for at all. So I hope that your wife, 500 00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:23,119 Speaker 1: you know, finds a way through uh and and is 501 00:28:23,160 --> 00:28:25,280 Speaker 1: able to do events that are interesting to her in 502 00:28:25,280 --> 00:28:28,200 Speaker 1: the future, because I have no idea what running events 503 00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:33,680 Speaker 1: will look like in another five years. Even I don't. 504 00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:35,720 Speaker 1: I don't have any idea. But thank you, thank you, 505 00:28:35,720 --> 00:28:37,439 Speaker 1: thank you for sharing this with us. It makes me 506 00:28:37,480 --> 00:28:40,640 Speaker 1: so happy. And I'm always delighted when anyone listens to 507 00:28:40,720 --> 00:28:45,880 Speaker 1: drawing because I really loved doing that show. Um yeah, thanks, thanks, 508 00:28:45,880 --> 00:28:48,960 Speaker 1: thanks Dan for all the things. And also because I 509 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:51,240 Speaker 1: know that some people did miss that June twelve deadline 510 00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:54,480 Speaker 1: to post questions and because they like me and you 511 00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:57,040 Speaker 1: are I can't keep up with everything that they have 512 00:28:57,120 --> 00:28:59,080 Speaker 1: to listen to. And there is no shame in that. 513 00:29:00,600 --> 00:29:04,160 Speaker 1: All the things that I used to listen to podcasts 514 00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:08,560 Speaker 1: during are not are not happening? Don't happen anymore? Yeah, 515 00:29:08,640 --> 00:29:12,200 Speaker 1: not so much. Also just so much going on. Uh. 516 00:29:12,240 --> 00:29:14,080 Speaker 1: If you would like to write to us about all 517 00:29:14,120 --> 00:29:16,000 Speaker 1: the things going on them may or may not be 518 00:29:16,120 --> 00:29:18,959 Speaker 1: keeping you from keeping up with your usual podcast listening, 519 00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:21,640 Speaker 1: you can do that at History Podcast at iHeart radio 520 00:29:21,840 --> 00:29:24,120 Speaker 1: dot com. You can also find us on social media 521 00:29:24,200 --> 00:29:26,200 Speaker 1: as Missed in History, and you can subscribe to the 522 00:29:26,240 --> 00:29:29,080 Speaker 1: podcast on the I heart Radio app, at Apple podcast 523 00:29:29,240 --> 00:29:36,480 Speaker 1: or wherever it is you listen. Stuff you Missed in 524 00:29:36,560 --> 00:29:39,320 Speaker 1: History Class is a production of I heart Radio. 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