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Universal Pictures Corporation producer and distributor — motion pictures
Merchandise Selection — Sound Picture Development Coordinated with Silent Pictures. A company producing motion pictures was faced in 1929 with the problem of determining in advance of adequate information the relative emphasis to be placed upon the silent and sound versions of future productions. A study was made of the market and its ability to use sound pictures together with an analysis of the public interest in sound pictures. The company decided to secure literary material which was primarily adapted to silent pictures but which provided an opportunity to introduce sound and dialogue.
(1928)
In determining its output for the theatrical year 1929-1930, the Universal Pictures Corporation faced many problems arising from the recent introduction of sound pictures. The theatrical year 1929-1930 would extend from September r, 1929, to August 31, 1930. The selling season would open about June 15, 1929. A yearly production program was tentatively planned a year in advance by a committee consisting of the president, the sales manager, the production manager, and the advertising manager. It was necessary to decide upon the relative emphasis to be placed upon the silent and sound versions of the forthcoming productions, in order to purchase literary material effectively.
The Universal Pictures Corporation, a large producer and distributor of motion pictures, with studios in Universal City, California, and distributing offices in New York City, was one of the oldest and largest companies in the industry. It had been established ini9i2. In 1925, a subsidiary, the Universal Chain Theaters Corporation, was organized to own, lease, and operate a chain of 270 motion picture theaters. Most of these theaters were located in towns of from 5,000 to 50,000 population in different sections of the United States. The remaining theaters were first-run houses operated in large cities to exploit the release of the films in a particular territory. The Colony Theater at 53rd Street and Broadway was in the latter class.
The company was producing and distributing all types of films, including features, newsreels, short comedies, and short subjects.
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