Producers Releasing Corporation

Producers Releasing Corporation

Company type	Private
Industry	Film production and distribution
Founded	1939
Founder	Ben Judell (originally as Producers Distributing Corporation)
Defunct	1947
Fate	Absorbed into Eagle-Lion Films
Headquarters	Hollywood, Los Angeles, California , United States
Area served	United States
Key people	Ben Judell, O. Henry Briggs, George R. Batcheller Jr., Sigmund Neufeld, Sam Newfield, Robert R. Young, Leon Fromkess
Products	Low-budget B movies (westerns, action melodramas, horror films)
Number of employees	Unknown
Parent	Pathé Industries (later), Eagle-Lion Films (final)

Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) was recognized as the smallest and least esteemed among the 11 Hollywood studios during the 1940s, representing the so-called "Poverty Row" sector—a collection of low-budget film companies clustered around Gower Street. Unlike many independent outfits that disappeared rapidly, PRC functioned as a bona fide studio, complete with its own production stages and a distribution system, even handling imports from the United Kingdom. Active from 1939 until 1947, PRC specialized in producing economical B movies primarily intended for double-feature programs or local neighborhood theaters. Its original facility was situated at 1440 N. Gower St. from 1936 to 1943 before relocating to the former Grand National Pictures lot at 7324 Santa Monica Blvd., where it remained until 1947.

Throughout its operation, PRC released a total of 179 feature films, with most productions costing well under $100,000; only a few exceptions exceeded this threshold. A notable outlier was the 1944 musical Minstrel Man, whose budget escalated from an initial $80,000 to nearly three times that amount due to enhanced production efforts.

History

PRC emerged from the reorganization of Producers Distributing Corporation (PDC), which had been established by theater owner Ben Judell in 1939. After PDC's failure, former Pathé executive O. Henry Briggs took over management, followed in 1941 by George R. Batcheller Jr., whose father led Chesterfield Pictures. Central to PRC’s film production were producer Sigmund Neufeld and director Sam Newfield, who often used various pseudonyms to create the impression of a larger directing team.

The studio concentrated on popular genres of the era such as westerns, action melodramas, and horror films, typically produced at a rapid pace—often completed in less than a week. While major studios allocated between $300,000 and $500,000 for their low-budget pictures, PRC’s early-1940s features were generally made for $70,000 or less; westerns frequently cost under $20,000.

Batcheller adopted a business strategy inherited from Chesterfield Pictures, focusing on small-town neighborhood cinemas that could not afford first-run studio releases. PRC cast former stars with some name recognition but primarily relied on more affordable featured players and occasionally current celebrities like Bela Lugosi, Buster Crabbe, Bob Steele, Frances Langford, Ralph Byrd, and Edward Everett Horton. The studio also utilized out-of-work stars and personalities from other entertainment fields such as burlesque performer Ann Corio and radio announcer Harry Von Zell.

Among PRC’s notable successes were The Devil Bat and its follow-up Devil Bat's Daughter, both starring Bela Lugosi; Misbehaving Husbands, featuring silent film comedian Harry Langdon; and jungle adventure films like Jungle Man and Nabonga starring Buster Crabbe.

During the World War II period, PRC produced several war-related titles including Corregidor, They Raid by Night, and A Yank in Libya, along with China-based dramas such as Bombs over Burma and Lady from Chungking featuring Anna May Wong. Additionally, the patriotic musical The Yanks Are Coming was part of their wartime output.

Film historian Don Miller noted PRC’s extremely limited budgets but acknowledged that some productions stood out for quality—such as the 1942 crime comedy Baby Face Morgan, starring Richard Cromwell with support from Robert Armstrong and Mary Carlisle.

Growth and recognition

In 1943, railroad tycoon Robert R. Young, owner of American Pathé’s film processing lab, purchased PRC, resulting in more ambitious productions. Under production head Leon Fromkess, PRC gained increased visibility in major urban markets and earned critical attention.

The musical Minstrel Man, featuring Benny Fields, marked a turning point as PRC’s first lavishly produced film and its initial entry to receive Academy Award nominations for best musical score and original song. Previously hesitant theater chains began booking PRC’s releases for first-run engagements nationwide, significantly expanding the company’s market footprint. The children’s fantasy film The Enchanted Forest, shot using Cinecolor, achieved unexpected success and encouraged other studios to experiment with this color process.

Austrian filmmaker Edgar G. Ulmer directed three notable film noir titles for PRC: Bluebeard (1944), Strange Illusion (1945), and especially Detour (1945), which is regarded as an artistic highlight.

Following acquisition by Pathé Industries, PRC promoted its films under the banner "The New PRC Pictures." The studio prospered after World War II by launching two detective series: five films starring Hugh Beaumont as Michael Shayne and three featuring either William Wright or Alan Curtis as Philo Vance, alongside the comedic series The Gas House Kids, modeled after The Bowery Boys.

PRC also partnered with other companies on select projects. For example, its 1944 exploitation film Hitler's Madman, directed by Douglas Sirk, was distributed by MGM due to its topical subject matter. The 1946 thriller The Brute Man, initially produced by Universal Studios, was sold to PRC after Universal discontinued B-picture production and opted not to promote the death of its lead actor Rondo Hatton.

Westerns consistently provided steady revenue for PRC. Prominent series included the Lone Rider films starring Broadway-trained singer turned cowboy George Houston, a Billy the Kid franchise alternating leads between Buster Crabbe and Bob Steele, and The Frontier Marshals, which resembled Republic Pictures’ and Monogram Pictures’ cowboy trios. After Crabbe departed in 1945 due to budget reductions, singing cowboy Eddie Dean assumed leading roles in the first B-western shot in Cinecolor—often paired with Lash LaRue, who subsequently headlined his own series. Even after PRC was absorbed by Eagle-Lion, its westerns remained popular; low-budget cowboy films continued under the PRC label until 1948 despite Eagle-Lion branding appearing on feature releases.

Distribution responsibilities shifted to Eagle-Lion in 1946 with production following soon after as part of full integration of PRC into Eagle-Lion operations. The last film released under the PRC name was The Gas House Kids in Hollywood, premiering on August 23, 1947.

Legacy

Until 1955, Madison Pictures Inc. handled the distribution of PRC's films for both television broadcasts and theatrical reissues. Established in December 1945 under the leadership of Armand Schenck—who previously served as a PRC branch manager and held executive roles at Commonwealth Film Corporation and Pathé Laboratories—Madison Pictures was eventually absorbed by United Artists.

By 1950, CBS had begun broadcasting PRC films on television, paying approximately $1,750 for each title. A significant portion of PRC's catalog has since entered the public domain, making these movies widely accessible on affordable DVD collections. National Telefilm Associates acquired eighty-one titles from PRC’s archives, which are currently owned by the television syndication company Films Around The World, Inc. The film Strange Holiday, initially released by PRC, is now under the ownership of Paramount Pictures.

See also

• List of Producers Releasing Corporation films

References

• Dixon, Wheeler W. Producers Releasing Corporation: A Comprehensive Filmography and History. McFarland, 1987.
• Miller, Don. B Movies. New York: Curtis Books, 1973.

External links

• The History of PRC on (re)Search my Trash