Pioneer Pictures
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motion picture |
| Founded | 1933 |
| Founder | John Hay Whitney, Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney |
| Defunct | 1936 |
| Fate | Merged into Selznick International Pictures |
| Headquarters | Hollywood , United States |
| Products | Motion pictures (notably early Technicolor films) |
Pioneer Pictures, Inc. was a motion picture studio based in Hollywood, recognized for its pioneering efforts in color filmmaking. Initially connected with RKO Pictures, Pioneer utilized RKO's Culver City studios and depended on RKO for the distribution of its films. Eventually, the company merged into Selznick International Pictures.
History
Established in 1933 by investors John Hay Whitney and his cousin Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, Pioneer was motivated by RKO executive Merian C. Cooper to embrace the enhanced full-color Technicolor Process No. 4, which had been introduced in 1932. At that time, Technicolor, Inc. was operating at a financial loss and sought a studio partner to demonstrate its three-component color system in feature-length films. Although no formal partnership existed between Technicolor and Pioneer, the Whitney cousins acquired roughly 15% of Technicolor’s shares and options.
Pioneer's initial intention was to produce its first color film with The Last Days of Pompeii, but RKO ultimately shot it in black and white. Other anticipated color projects such as The Three Musketeers and Green Mansions did not come to fruition. Pioneer highlighted its use of the Technicolor process through the musical short film La Cucaracha (1934), which earned an Academy Award for Live Action Short Film.
On May 18, 1933, Pioneer entered into an agreement with Technicolor to create eight full-color feature films and appointed Merian C. Cooper as vice-president overseeing production. The film Becky Sharp (1935), adapted from Thackeray's novel Vanity Fair, was the first full-length feature presented entirely in color, followed by Dancing Pirate (1936).
Actor Helen Gahagan signed a contract for multiple films with Pioneer, while director John Ford was engaged for several planned color projects beginning with The Life of Custer; however, neither completed any films under Pioneer’s banner.
The Whitneys became founding backers of Selznick International Pictures in 1935, and after meeting its commitments to RKO, Pioneer was informally absorbed into Selznick in 1936. Directorial agreements involving John Ford and George Cukor were transferred to Selznick, who continued producing Technicolor features using RKO’s studio facilities and Forty Acres backlot. Selznick’s color films such as A Star Is Born (1937) and Nothing Sacred (1937) were registered under Pioneer’s name.
Following the dissolution of Selznick International between 1940 and 1943, John Hay Whitney sold the rights to Becky Sharp, Dancing Pirate, A Star Is Born, and Nothing Sacred to Film Classics, Inc. In 1947, Film Classics was purchased by Cinecolor Corporation—a company specializing in a two-color process—and later sold back to its executives in 1949.
Filmography
References and notes
- "Technicolor Adventures in Cinemaland" H. T. Kalmus, reprinted from Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers, December 1938