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Educational Pictures

From Alfawiki
Educational Pictures
Company typePrivate
IndustryFilm production and distribution
Founded1916
FounderEarle (E. W.) Hammons
Defunct1940
FateDissolved after auctioning of film collection
Headquarters
United States
ProductsShort films, comedy series

Educational Pictures, also referred to as Educational Film Exchanges, Inc. or Educational Films Corporation of America, was a U.S.-based film production and distribution firm established in 1916 by businessman Earle (E. W.) Hammons (1882–1962). The company specialized mainly in short films and is recognized for comedy series featuring Buster Keaton as well as the early cinematic roles of Shirley Temple during 1932–34. Production activities ceased in 1938, and the company was dissolved in 1940 following the auctioning of its film collection.

Success with silents

Originally founded by Hammons to create educational films for academic use, the company found greater financial success with theatrical comedies. Although it produced a variety of shorts including educational, travelogues, and novelty films, comedy shorts became its primary focus. The 1920s represented the height of Educational’s influence, with silent comedy shorts starring performers such as Al St. John, Lupino Lane, Lige Conley, Lloyd Hamilton, and Monty Collins enriching many cinema programs. Most of these comedic productions were overseen by producer Jack White. In 1924, Educational discreetly engaged comedian Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and director Fred Fishback under assumed names following their public controversies.

Additionally, Educational handled distribution of silent animated cartoons, notably the Felix the Cat series. In 1930, cartoonist Paul Terry formed a distribution partnership with Educational to release his Terrytoons cartoons across the United States and Britain.

Sound films

The transition to sound films was managed effectively by Educational through distributing early talking comedies from pioneering producer Mack Sennett, who introduced singer Bing Crosby to moviegoers before financial difficulties forced him to leave in 1932. Several silent film stars made brief appearances in talkies; Lupino Lane departed in 1929, with Lloyd Hamilton and Al St. John following in 1931. Hammons invited Lane to return in 1936 for new two-reel comedies, but Lane declined the offer. Early sound comedies featured veterans from the silent era who had stage experience, including Vernon Dent, Harry Gribbon, Raymond McKee, Edward Everett Horton, Daphne Pollard, and Ford Sterling. Comedian Andy Clyde, formerly associated with Sennett, emerged as Educational’s most frequent performer during the 1930s, starring in 54 comedy shorts.

After Sennett’s departure, Educational focused on established comedic talents such as Andy Clyde and Harry Langdon. Subsequently, a profitable series of sixteen two-reel comedies starring Buster Keaton bolstered Educational’s position in the market.

Production and releasing arrangements

Due to limited financial resources, Educational’s short comedies typically featured modest budgets with minimal sets and facilities, as the company did not maintain its own studio space. Founder Earle Hammons preferred dispatching production crews to suburban locations or leasing studio space rather than investing in owning a physical facility. Outdoor filming continued up until the release of Educational’s last comedy in 1939.

The company produced films on both coasts of the United States. Hollywood-based productions showcased performers such as Clyde, Langdon, Keaton, Moran and Mack, Edgar Kennedy, Billy Gilbert, Vince Barnett, and Ernest Truex. East Coast productions were shot at Eastern Service Studios (currently Astoria Studios), utilizing New York talent from Broadway, vaudeville, and radio including Charlotte Greenwood, Joe Cook, Willie Howard, Lillian Roth, Tim Ryan, Irene Ryan, Sylvia Froos, Warren Hull, Tom Howard, George Shelton, and Stoopnagle and Budd.

Until 1933, Educational managed its own film distribution before Fox Film assumed this responsibility; Twentieth Century-Fox continued distributing Educational’s releases thereafter. This collaboration positioned Educational as a developmental platform for Fox’s feature film talent pipeline. Actors who transitioned from Educational shorts to Fox contracts included Shirley Temple, The Ritz Brothers, Joan Davis, and Leah Ray. Moreover, Educational introduced future stars such as Bob Hope, Milton Berle, June Allyson, Imogene Coca, Danny Kaye, Barry Sullivan, Robert Shayne on the East Coast; alongside Roy Rogers with the Sons of the Pioneers in Hollywood.

Educational also acquired the Skibo label from producer Jack H. Skirball; notable Skibo titles comprised Bosom Friends and Wings Over Everest.

Series

Educational Pictures distributed its productions through a variety of series aimed at distinct audience groups. Prominent among these were Robert Bruce Scenics (travel documentaries), Lyman Howe's Hodge Podge (human-interest vignettes), Treasure Chest (diverse topics), Coronet Comedies (single-reel), Lloyd Hamilton Talking Comedies (two-reel), Cameo Comedies (single-reel), Tuxedo Comedies (two-reel), Ideal Comedies, Vanity Comedies, Baby Burlesks (featuring Shirley Temple), Frolics of Youth (starring Frank Coghlan Jr. and Shirley Temple), Star Personality Comedies (with Buster Keaton and Joe Cook), Young Romance Comedies (featuring Sylvia Froos and Warren Hull), Song and Comedy Hits (musical comedy shorts), and Col. Stoopnagle's Cavalcade of Stuff, which was the studio’s concluding series prior to its 1939 closure.

Among the studio’s brief ventures was Marriage Wows (1934–35), a short-lived series comprising three two-reel comedies showcasing married duos: Dumb Luck starring the Easy Aces, alongside Domestic Bliss-ters and How Am I Doing featuring Chick York and Rose King. The latter contained provocative vaudeville-style dialogue that encountered censorship in smaller markets, leading to its quiet discontinuation.

Buster Keaton

Following a distinguished career in feature films, Buster Keaton encountered personal difficulties and was dismissed from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1933. In 1934, he produced two films in Europe before returning to the screen through Educational's two-reel comedic shorts. These visual comedies often drew upon Keaton’s vaudeville background and earlier cinematic concepts, including the notable Grand Slam Opera (1936), which he both scripted and starred in as an amateur contest participant.

Production in New York

By 1936, Educational relocated its production activities to New York motivated by financial considerations. Earle Hammons invited Keaton to develop comedies there; Keaton consented to create three but subsequently returned to California to complete his series. As Educational's top-paid performer, Keaton became too costly, prompting Hammons to terminate west coast operations after completing the final 1937 short.

Between 1937 and 1938, filming was restricted to New York with a compact technical crew overseen by producer-director Al Christie and writer-director William Watson. Key personnel included directors Robert Hall, Chris Beute, Johnny Graham; writers Parke Levy, Arthur Jarrett, Marcy Klauber, Billy K. Wells; script supervisor Doris Barber; and veteran cinematographer George Webber.

Hammons replaced Keaton with Broadway comedian Willie Howard ("Pierre Ginsbairge") and secured Bert Lahr for two-reel productions. The studio maintained musical-comedy shorts featuring dancers Buster West and Tom Patricola, while initiating a series led by illustrator Jefferson Machamer. Character comedian George Shelton performed solo as his partner Tom Howard transitioned to radio’s It Pays to Be Ignorant.

Subsequent Educational projects focused on youthful performers to reduce costs while injecting vitality. Rising talents included the comedy-dance duo Herman Timberg, Jr. and Pat Rooney, Jr.; vocalists Niela Goodelle and Lee Sullivan; comic actor Charles Kemper; comedian Harriet Hutchins; actresses June Allyson and Sally Starr; the juvenile ensemble The Cabin Kids; clown Imogene Coca; and dialect comic Danny Kaye, who advanced from supporting parts to leading roles.

Ambition and failure

Educational's short-subject films were initially distributed to theaters by Twentieth Century-Fox, but it was Earle Hammons who terminated Educational's short-film production in 1938 by allowing the Fox distribution contract to lapse. Prior to this, studios such as Hal Roach, Paramount, and Universal had already discontinued their two-reel comedy productions in response to the growing popularity of double features. Aiming to break into the feature-film arena, Hammons joined forces with the financially struggling Grand National Pictures to produce both feature-length movies and shorts. Following the merger, Hammons assumed the presidency while Edward L. Alperson of Grand National took on the roles of vice-chairman and distribution head. Eventually, Hammons purchased all of Grand National’s assets for $550,000.

By June 1938, Hammons had accumulated enough short films to keep Educational active under Fox’s distribution. The last two Educational shorts were released in January 1939 through Grand National but were actually produced by independent distributor Robert M. Savini. Throughout 1938 and 1939, Hammons engaged in negotiations concerning funding and creditor settlements, announcing intentions to produce 26 one-reel and 18 two-reel comedies for the 1939–40 period under the Educational banner. Nevertheless, mounting financial difficulties forced both Grand National and Educational into bankruptcy.

Aftermath

In 1940, Educational’s film library was sold at auction; most of its sound shorts were purchased by Bob Savini of Astor Pictures. Savini leveraged the popularity of featured performers by assembling feature-length comedy compilations starring Shirley Temple (Our Girl Shirley, 1942), Danny Kaye (The Birth of a Star, 1945), Bing Crosby (The Road to Hollywood, 1947), as well as Bob Hope with Milton Berle (It Pays to Be Funny, 1948).

Hammons maintained ownership of the Educational Films Corporation of America name and attempted a revival in commercial television about ten years later. Utilizing the Educational brand along with its slogan "The Spice of the Program," he highlighted his extensive production experience tailored for television content. In 1952, Hammons collaborated with Savini to establish Lion Television Corporation, where he served as president until his passing in 1962.

Legacy

A significant portion of Educational’s silent film collection was destroyed in the 1937 Fox vault fire at the 20th Century-Fox storage facility; however, its sound comedies have survived intact. On October 21, 2017, CineMuseum LLC—a group of film preservationists—secured exclusive rights to these sound comedies with plans for restoration and re-release across various media platforms, thereby enhancing Educational’s cultural significance and commercial heritage.

The logo for Educational Pictures depicts a genie's lamp emitting smoke that shapes the words "Educational Pictures," accompanied underneath by the tagline The Spice of the Program. Distinctively, this logo appeared after the opening credits rather than before them, setting Educational apart in how it established brand identity within its short films. This deliberate placement effectively reinforced brand recognition among its intended audience.

Selected filmography

External links

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