Goldwyn Pictures
| File:Goldwyn Pictures Logo.png The famous Leo the Lion emblem | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film production |
| Founded | November 19, 1916 in United States |
| Founder | Samuel Goldfish (later Samuel Goldwyn), Edgar Selwyn, Archibald Selwyn |
| Defunct | 1924 |
| Fate | Merged with Metro Pictures and Louis B. Mayer Productions to form Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Headquarters | Culver City, California (after expansion) , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Samuel Goldwyn (founder), Frank Joseph "Joe" Godsol (president from 1922), Lee Shubert (investor) |
| Products | Silent films |
Goldwyn Pictures Corporation was a United States-based film production company active between 1916 and 1924, ultimately merging with two other entities to create the prominent studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Established on November 19, 1916, by Samuel Goldfish (who later adopted the surname Goldwyn), an executive formerly with Lasky's Feature Play Company, along with Broadway producers brothers Edgar and Archibald Selwyn, the company's name was derived from the founders' last names combined.
While the studio experienced moderate achievements, it gained lasting recognition primarily for its famous Leo the Lion emblem. Although Metro Pictures officially remained the surviving entity after the merger, the new company inherited Goldwyn's Culver City lot, which continued operations until 1986, and preserved the iconic Leo the Lion branding.
Lee Shubert of The Shubert Organization held an investment stake in Goldwyn Pictures.
History
In 1916, Samuel Goldfish departed from Famous Players–Lasky following its consolidation and formed a partnership with Edgar and Archibald Selwyn. Playwright Margaret Mayo, married to Edgar Selwyn, along with Broadway producer Arthur Hopkins, joined as the company's writer and director general respectively.
Initially, Goldwyn Pictures leased production facilities from Solax Studios located in Fort Lee, New Jersey—a significant center for early American filmmaking. The studio’s debut release was Polly of the Circus, adapted from a play by Mayo and starring Mae Marsh. By April 1917, the company had secured rental space at Universal Pictures’ Fort Lee studios with plans to produce several films without immediate distribution contracts, intending to present footage directly to theater operators. Goldfish also collaborated with Columbia University’s Photoplay Writing class to bolster artistic prestige. Additionally, the company distributed films from external producers such as Marie Dressler’s Dressler Producing Corporation.
In 1917, after encountering censorship challenges, Goldwyn replaced The Eternal Magalene with Fighting Odds, both featuring actress Maxine Elliott. The expensive production of Thais, starring Mary Garden, led to budget reductions. In January 1918, despite existing contractual obligations, Goldwyn signed director Raoul Walsh. Walsh redirected the studio's focus away from high-cost projects toward comedy films starring Madge Kennedy and Mabel Normand. By August 1918, Broadway star Will Rogers was contracted for Laughing Bill Hyde, which was filmed in Fort Lee.
In 1918, Goldwyn Pictures expanded westward by acquiring the Triangle Studios in Culver City, increasing operational costs. That December marked Samuel Goldfish’s legal name change to Samuel Goldwyn.
Investor Frank Joseph "Joe" Godsol joined in 1919; he maintained longstanding connections with the Shubert Organization. Aiming for vertical integration comparable to competitors like Loews Theaters/Metro Pictures and First National, Goldwyn negotiated a stock exchange and board representation with Moredall Realty Corporation to manage New York’s Capitol Theatre; however, management remained independent.
By 1920, Goldwyn had full ownership of its Culver City studio and leased additional facilities in New York and Fort Lee.
Following internal disputes, Samuel Goldwyn departed in 1922; Frank Godsol assumed the presidency. Confronted with increasing difficulties, Godsol initiated merger discussions with Marcus Loew’s Metro Pictures in 1924. Louis B. Mayer later joined negotiations by contributing his production company, culminating in the creation of the major studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Performers
Filmmakers
Film Catalog
A devastating fire in 1965 at an MGM storage site resulted in the loss of numerous original negatives and prints, including the highest-quality versions of all Goldwyn Pictures productions made prior to 1924; consequently, more than half of MGM's features from before 1930 are now missing. On March 25, 1986, Turner Broadcasting System, led by Ted Turner, purchased MGM's film library created before May 1986 (which included Goldwyn Pictures titles) from Kirk Kerkorian for $600 million.
Legend
| # | Denotes a film considered lost. |
See also
- Samuel Goldwyn Productions, the production company established by Samuel Goldwyn after his initial ventures
- Samuel Goldwyn Studio, the commonly used name for the Pickford-Fairbanks Studios complex located in Hollywood
- The Samuel Goldwyn Company, created by Samuel Goldwyn Jr. in 1979 and operational until 1997
- Samuel Goldwyn Films, a company launched by Samuel Goldwyn Jr.
External links
- American Film Institute Catalog
- Silent Era.com
- Articles with short description
- Pages with broken file links
- Early film in Fort Lee, New Jersey
- Mass media companies established in 1916
- Mass media companies disestablished in 1924
- Silent film studios
- Goldwyn Pictures films
- Defunct American film studios
- Cinema of Southern California
- Companies based in Culver City, California
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- 1916 establishments in New Jersey
- 1916 establishments in California
- 1924 disestablishments in California
- Film production companies of the United States
- 1924 mergers and acquisitions
- Fort Lee, New Jersey
- Companies based in Bergen County, New Jersey