How the Famous Players Company became Paramount Pictures


The Famous Players film company eventually became Paramount Pictures. Founded by ADOLPH ZUKOR in 1912, the Famous Players Company was born out of the brief success in France of Film d'Art, a company that brought well-known novels and plays to the screen with stage stars in lead roles to appeal to a more sophisticated audience. Zukor bought the American rights to the Film d'Art production of Queen Elizabeth (1912) with Sarah Bernhardt. Bolstered by the commercial success of the movie, Zukor formed Famous Players, trumpeting the slogan, "Famous Players in Famous Plays."

Among the many famous players signed by Zukor were John Barrymore and Lillie Langtry. Among the famous "plays," which more often than not were actually famous novels, he produced were The Prisoner of Zenda (1913) and The Count of Monte Cristo (1913).

The success of the company during the tumultuous 1910s was due in large part to the fact that Zukor had MARY PICKFORD under contract. Ironically, she was a genuine movie star rather than a famous "stage" player. She did star in a great many popular vehicles for her employer, however, having hits with films such as Tess of the Storm Country (1914), Cinderella (1915), and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1917).

Of course, nothing succeeds like success, and Famous Players had competition from companies such as Popular Plays and Players, Paralta Plays, and Jesse L. Lasky's Feature Play Company. Lasky was strong enough competition to force a merger with Famous Players in 1916, with the company renamed Famous Players–Lasky. Meanwhile, in 1914, a powerful distribution company called Paramount Pictures was created. Adolph Zukor bought it in 1917 and folded it into Famous Players–Lasky.

The company continued to prosper and, a decade later, Zukor changed the name of his firm to Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation. It was a mouthful, and the name was changed yet again in 1930 to Paramount Publix Corporation. Famous Players finished its evolution to the name of Paramount Pictures, Inc., in 1935 after Paramount Publix was reorganized under U.S. bankruptcy laws.

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