Christie Film Company
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motion picture production |
| Founded | 1916 in Hollywood, California, United States |
| Founder | Al Christie, Charles Christie |
| Defunct | 1933 |
| Headquarters | Hollywood, Los Angeles , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Al Christie (film production), Charles Christie (business operations) |
| Products | Comedic films, situational comedies, sound films with all-black casts |
Christie Film Company was an innovative American motion picture firm established in Hollywood, California by the Canadian siblings Al Christie and Charles Christie, originally from London, Ontario. The company primarily focused on producing comedic films.
While Charles oversaw the business operations, Al was responsible for film production. Prior to this, Al Christie had collaborated with David Horsley at Centaur Film Company in Bayonne, New Jersey. In 1911, he relocated to California to manage Nestor Studios, recognized as Hollywood’s first movie studio. The company ceased operations in 1933.
The Christies in Hollywood
In June 1912, Nestor Studios became part of the newly established Universal Film Company, where Al Christie took charge of comedy production. He remained there until January 1916 when he and Charles launched Christie Film Company. They initially leased space from Universal at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Gower Street—Al’s original Hollywood workplace. For the first six months, they produced comedies under contract with Universal before transitioning to independent distribution. Their achievements allowed them to purchase studio grounds, increase production capacity, and develop a state-of-the-art film laboratory.
Christie Studios specialized in situational comedies that occasionally incorporated suggestive themes. They played a key role in advancing the careers of prominent comedians such as Harold Lloyd, Fatty Arbuckle, Anita Garvin, and Spencer Williams, who later gained fame through Amos & Andy. The company also issued Film Follies, a publication promoting their newest releases.
In 1921, Charles Christie contributed to the Motion Picture Relief Fund—an initiative founded by Canadian actress Mary Pickford—by serving on its inaugural Board of Trustees.
By 1922, buoyed by their success, the brothers established Christie Realty Corporation (CRC) with a capitalization of $1 million. The following year, CRC acquired 230 acres in Los Angeles’ Westwood district to develop a studio complex valued at over $1.75 million, including land holdings.
The Christies welcomed Canadian artists like Marie Dressler and Marie Prevost, nurturing valuable industry connections. In 1928, they hired writer Florence Ryerson for short films such as Hot Lemonade. Al Christie also employed African-American actor and technician Spencer Williams, who contributed as a screenwriter. Early in 1929, Christie Film Company produced groundbreaking sound films featuring all-black casts drawn from Harlem’s Lafayette Players Stock Company. These comedic musical shorts were adaptations of Octavus Roy Cohen’s Darktown Birmingham stories and were distributed through Paramount Studios.
Demise of company
The financial turmoil triggered by the 1929 Stock Market Crash and ensuing Great Depression profoundly affected numerous enterprises, resulting in the Christie brothers’ companies entering receivership by January 1933. A major film corporation acquired their studio properties. On May 26, 1932, legal proceedings commenced when an attorney was appointed to oversee the transfer of assets from the film and real estate entities to an assignee, effectively placing them into receivership. The combined value of their assets ranged between $2.5 million and $3 million, while liabilities totaled approximately $2.5 million.
In 1950, television rights for 426 Christie comedies were obtained by Sam Hayes as part of a comprehensive agreement with Hollywood Film Enterprises.
References
- Paul Zollo, Hollywood Remembered
- Gregory Paul Williams, The Story of Hollywood By Gregory Paul Williams, page 62
External links
- Articles with short description
- Mass media companies founded in 1916
- Mass media companies closed in 1933
- Former American film studios
- Defunct entities based in Hollywood, Los Angeles
- 1916 California establishments
- 1933 California closures
- United States film production firms
- Film studios located in Southern California
- Mass media companies disestablished in 1933