Filmways
| Company type | Corporation |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motion pictures Television programs |
| Founded | 1952 |
| Founder | Martin Ransohoff Edwin Kasper |
| Defunct | Template:End date and age |
| Fate | Purchased by Orion Pictures and rebranded as Orion Pictures Corporation |
| Successor | Orion Pictures Corporation |
| Headquarters | Sonoma County, California, U.S. |
Key people | Martin Ransohoff Edwin Kasper Rodney Erickson |
Filmways, Inc.—also identified as Filmways Pictures and Filmways Television—was a film and television production enterprise established in 1952 by American film executive Martin Ransohoff alongside Edwin Kasper. The company gained prominence for its production of CBS's 1960s "rural comedy" lineup, including Mister Ed, The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, and Green Acres. Its portfolio also featured series such as The Trials of O'Brien, Dundee and the Culhane, Bearcats!, Cagney & Lacey, and The Addams Family. Additionally, Filmways handled U.S. distribution for SCTV and syndicated reruns of Saturday Night Live during the late 1970s. Significant film projects included The Sandpiper, The Cincinnati Kid, The Fearless Vampire Killers, Ice Station Zebra, Summer Lovers, the 1981 horror film The Burning, the miniseries King, Brian De Palma’s films Dressed to Kill and Blow Out, as well as Death Wish II.
Throughout its existence, Filmways broadened its operations by acquiring entities such as Heatter-Quigley Productions, Ruby-Spears Productions, and American International Pictures. It also owned the film distribution company Sigma III Corporation along with Wally Heider Recording studios located in Hollywood.
History
Founded in 1952 by Martin Ransohoff and Edwin Kasper—who exited the company five years later—Filmways initially focused on producing commercials and documentaries. The company ventured into television sitcom production in 1959 after bringing on board executives from McCadden Productions, with Al Simon appointed head of Filmways TV Productions. Its debut series was 21 Beacon Street. Filmways secured the rights to Mister Ed from George Burns, which led to a successful collaboration with Arthur Lubin. Between 1962 and 1971, Filmways produced its most successful program, CBS's The Beverly Hillbillies, created by Paul Henning.
In 1967, Filmways expanded into film production and distribution by acquiring Sigma III Corporation. Two years later, in 1969, it purchased game show producer Heatter-Quigley Productions, recognized for the popular show Hollywood Squares. That same year, Filmways acquired Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma County along with Wally Heider’s recording studios in both Hollywood and San Francisco. The company was also involved in co-developing Ontario Motor Speedway, which commenced operations in 1970. Martin Ransohoff stepped down as president in 1972.
Filmways operated Manhattan studios originally constructed for MGM during the 1920s. In 1974, it added book publisher Grosset & Dunlap to its holdings. The following year saw the revival of television syndication firm Rhodes Productions under Filmways’ ownership. Richard L. Bloch assumed the CEO role in 1976. In 1977, Filmways co-established Ruby-Spears Productions alongside former Hanna-Barbera executives Joe Ruby and Ken Spears. Later that year, Rhodes Productions was spun off into an independent entity that launched Filmways Enterprises under Jamie Kellner’s leadership. On July 12, 1979, after Samuel Z. Arkoff retired, Filmways acquired American International Pictures; its television division AITV was merged into Filmways Enterprises.
By late 1981, after incurring losses approaching $20 million within nine months, Filmways began divesting assets to emerge from bankruptcy: Ruby-Spears was sold to Taft Broadcasting in 1981; Sears Point Raceway was transferred to Speedway Motorsports; Grosset & Dunlap was sold to G.P. Putnam's Sons in 1982.
In February 1982, Orion Pictures acquired Filmways with financial backing from E.M. Warburg Pincus & Company as well as Home Box Office (HBO), securing pay cable rights. The company was officially reconstituted as Orion Pictures Corporation on August 31, 1982.
End-of-Production Announcements
Many Filmways projects ended with the phrase, "This has been a Filmways presentation," typically spoken by cast members such as:
- Petticoat Junction: Billie Jo Bradley (portrayed by Jeannine Riley) and subsequently Betty Jo Bradley (Linda Kaye Henning)
- Green Acres: Lisa Douglas (Eva Gabor), who delivers the line, "This has been a Filmways presentation, darling."
- The Beverly Hillbillies: Initially Elly May Clampett (Donna Douglas), with Jethro (Max Baer Jr.) taking over in later episodes; announcer Bill Baldwin was featured during seasons 1 through 3.
- Mister Ed: Roger Addison (Larry Keating), later replaced by Mister Ed himself (Allan Lane) following Keating’s passing.
- The Addams Family: Occasionally voiced by Ted Cassidy or Carolyn Jones, sometimes including the term "darling."
Filmways' Library
The majority of Filmways’ catalog, encompassing shows like Green Acres, The Addams Family, and Cagney & Lacey, as well as films such as Blow Out and Death Wish II, is currently under the ownership of Amazon MGM Studios through Orion Television.
Ownership of The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction resides with Paramount Global, with Viacom having handled syndication since the 1970s. For Hillbillies, copyrights are held by Amazon MGM Studios except for certain early episodes now in the public domain; compilations produced more recently are copyrighted by MPI Media Group or CBS.
Filmways collaborated on game shows including Eye Guess and Personality alongside Bob Stewart Productions; these properties are presently owned by Sony Pictures Television. Additionally, Filmways managed syndication for Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, which is owned by Sony through ELP Communications.
Rights to most films co-produced with major studios remain with those studios: Columbia Pictures controls 10 Rillington Place, Paramount holds rights to Save the Tiger, and Universal Studios owns Two-Minute Warning. Foreign-language titles from Sigma III generally reverted to their original producers; however, select English-language films such as Cul-de-sac and Hi, Mom! continue to be held by Amazon MGM Studios. Releases from MGM before 1986 are now owned by Warner Bros., via Turner Entertainment Co.
Television Series
| Title | Years | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Beacon Street | 1959 | NBC | |
| Mister Ed | 1961–66 | Syndication/CBS | |
| The Beverly Hillbillies | 1962–71 | CBS | |
| Petticoat Junction | 1963–70 | CBS | |
| The Addams Family | 1964–66 | ABC | |
| Green Acres | 1965–71 | CBS | |
| Eye Guess | 1966–69 | NBC | co-produced with Bob Stewart Productions |
| The Hollywood Squares | 1966–81 | NBC | co-produced with Heatter-Quigley Productions |
| The Face Is Familiar | 1966 | CBS | co-produced with Bob Stewart Productions |
| Personality | 1967–69 | NBC | co-produced with Bob Stewart Productions |
| The Debbie Reynolds Show | 1969–70 | NBC | |
| Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman | 1976–77 | Syndication | produced by T.A.T. Communications Company; Filmways assumed syndication in season two |
| Thundarr the Barbarian | 1980–82 | ABC/NBC (1983) | co-produced with Ruby-Spears |
| Cagney & Lacey | 1982–88 | CBS | continued production under Orion Television |
Feature films
}| Release Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| June 21, 1962 | Boys' Night Out | released through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| November 14, 1963 | The Wheeler Dealers | released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| September 17, 1964 | Topkapi | distributed via United Artists |
| October 27, 1964 | The Americanization of Emily | released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| June 23, 1965 | The Sandpiper | distribution handled by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| October 11, 1965 | The Loved One | distributed through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| October 15, 1965 | The Cincinnati Kid | released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| June 20, 1967 | Don't Make Waves | distribution by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| November 13, 1967 | The Fearless Vampire Killers | released through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| October 23, 1968 | Ice Station Zebra | distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| November 17, 1968 | Journey to Jerusalem | distribution managed by Sigma III |
| July 23, 1969 | Castle Keep | released via Columbia Pictures |
| December 21, 1969 | Hamlet | distributed through Columbia Pictures |
| April 27, 1970 | Hi, Mom! | produced by West End Films; distributed by Sigma III |
| July 1970 | The Moonshine War | distribution handled by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| May 12, 1971 | 10 Rillington Place | released through Columbia Pictures |
| June 30, 1971 | What's the Matter with Helen? | distributed via United Artists |
| September 2, 1971 | See No Evil | released by Columbia Pictures |
| July 14, 1972 | Fuzz | distribution managed by United Artists |
| February 14, 1973 | Save the Tiger | released through Paramount Pictures |
| November 14, 1975 | The Other Side of the Mountain | distribution by Universal Pictures |
| November 7, 1976 | 21 Hours at Munich | produced as a television film |
| November 12, 1976 | Two-Minute Warning | distributed via Universal Pictures |
| February 10, 1978 | The Other Side of the Mountain Part 2 | released by Universal Pictures |
| July-November,1980-81 | Various titles including How to Beat the High Cost of Living, Dressed to Kill, among others |