Selznick International Pictures
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film production |
| Founded | 1935 |
| Founder | David O. Selznick |
| Defunct | 1943 |
| Fate | Dissolved; assets distributed |
| Headquarters | Culver City, California , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | David O. Selznick (president), Jock Whitney (chairman) |
| Products | Motion pictures |
Selznick International Pictures was a film production company established in Hollywood by producer David O. Selznick in 1935 and ceased operations in 1943. Throughout its relatively short lifespan, this independent studio was responsible for two films that won the Academy Award for Best Picture—Gone with the Wind (1939) and Rebecca (1940)—as well as three additional nominees: A Star Is Born (1937), Since You Went Away (1944), and Spellbound (1945).
Company history
Following his departure from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, producer David O. Selznick partnered with investor Jock Whitney to establish Selznick International Pictures. The company leased part of the historic RKO studio lot located in Culver City, California, a site initially developed by Thomas Ince and subsequently managed by Cecil B. DeMille, Pathé, and RKO. This lot later became incorporated into Desilu Productions in 1957.
At first, Selznick International rented office space but took control of the entire lot early in 1937, adopting the Plantation-style design of the administration building’s front as its emblem. Although ownership reverted to RKO during the 1940s, Selznick maintained his office presence there until his passing.
The studio’s initial capital totaled US$400,000, contributed by Selznick’s brother Myron alongside MGM executives Irving Thalberg and Norma Shearer. Additional financing included $300,000 from investors based in New York and $2.4 million from Jock Whitney’s family. Whitney assumed the role of chairman while Selznick acted as president.
In 1936, Whitney’s independent company Pioneer Pictures merged informally with Selznick International. Pioneer held contracts for six Technicolor productions, including the extensive Gone with the Wind, which counted as two films under contract terms.
Film scholar Leonard J. Leff observed that unlike the major studios, "Selznick produced films as medieval architects built cathedrals: one by one." Selznick intended to create a small number of top-tier films annually, believing that financial success came either from very low-budget or very high-budget projects; he opted to compete at the highest level.
Although plans called for six to eight releases each year, Selznick International typically delivered only two to three due to its detailed production approach. Nevertheless, it achieved remarkable success with two Best Picture winners—Gone with the Wind and Rebecca—alongside three additional nominees: A Star Is Born, Since You Went Away, and Spellbound.
By 1940, Selznick International had become Hollywood’s highest-grossing studio but encountered tax difficulties because it lacked a major studio’s infrastructure for reinvestment. To classify profits as capital gains, the owners agreed to dissolve the company within three years by distributing its assets. Jock Whitney and his sister Joan Whitney Payson acquired rights to Gone with the Wind, later selling it at a profit to MGM in 1944. When the company was dissolved in 1943, three films were still underway or in pre-production phases, releasing through 1945.
To meet commitments with United Artists, Selznick established David O. Selznick Productions in 1940 at the same location, taking over contracts with directors and actors previously held by Selznick International.
Vanguard Films and Selznick Releasing Organization
Following the closure of Selznick International, David O. Selznick established Vanguard Films, Inc. in 1943 alongside the Selznick Releasing Organization in 1946. Vanguard assumed responsibility for film production, while distribution was managed by Selznick Releasing. Initially, Vanguard's films were distributed through United Artists, a company in which it owned a one-third interest. Both entities operated from the RKO studio premises, preserving Selznick's existing production facilities.
Selznick International Pictures
Most films were released via United Artists unless otherwise specified.
| Release date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| March 6, 1936 | Little Lord Fauntleroy | |
| November 19, 1936 | Template:Sortname | |
| April 30, 1937 | Template:Sortname | |
| September 3, 1937 | Template:Sortname | Featured the Selznick International logo theme composed by Alfred Newman, which appeared in all later studio productions. |
| November 26, 1937 | Nothing Sacred | |
| February 11, 1938 | Template:Sortname | |
| October 27, 1938 | Template:Sortname | |
| February 10, 1939 | Made for Each Other | |
| September 22, 1939 | Intermezzo: A Love Story | |
| December 15, 1939 | Gone with the Wind | Co-produced with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; distributed by Loew's, Inc. |
| April 12, 1940 | Rebecca |
Vanguard Films
To finalize ongoing projects from Selznick International Pictures after its dissolution, Selznick created Vanguard Films (active from 1943 to 1951). Distribution was mainly handled by United Artists unless otherwise indicated.
| Release date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| May 18, 1944 | Reward Unlimited | Short film disseminated by the Office of War Information |
| July 20, 1944 | Since You Went Away | |
| December 1944 | I'll Be Seeing You | |
| December 28, 1945 | Spellbound | |
| December 31, 1946 | Duel in the Sun | Released by Selznick Releasing Organization |
| December 29, 1947 | Template:Sortname | Released by Selznick Releasing Organization |
| June 4, 1948 | Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House | Released by Selznick Releasing Organization |
| December 24, 1948 | Portrait of Jennie | Released by Selznick Releasing Organization |
Film library
Over the years, the ownership of the Selznick film catalog has been divided as detailed below.
- 1943: Jock Whitney transferred to Film Classics, Inc. the rights for A Star Is Born, Nothing Sacred (originally held by Pioneer Pictures), and Selznick International titles including Little Lord Fauntleroy, Made for Each Other, and The Young in Heart. Additionally, Whitney sold Pioneer Pictures' films Becky Sharp and Dancing Pirate to Film Classics.
- 1947: Film Classics, Inc. was acquired by Cinecolor Corporation.
- 1949: Cinecolor then sold the company back to Film Classics' own executives.
- 1950: A merger between Film Classics and Eagle-Lion Films resulted in the creation of Eagle Lion Classics.
- 1951: Following the dissolution of Eagle Lion Classics, its assets were purchased by United Artists.
Following the dissolution of Selznick International Pictures, David O. Selznick maintained control over titles such as The Garden of Allah, The Prisoner of Zenda, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Intermezzo, and Rebecca. After Selznick passed away in 1965, his estate sold the rights to 26 films to American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. (ABC) in 1966; currently, most of these rights are held by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures due to Disney's acquisition of ABC in 1996. A key exception is Gone with the Wind, which Jock Whitney and his sister sold to MGM in 1944; this title is now owned by Turner Entertainment Co., which acquired MGM’s pre-1986 catalog in 1986, with distribution handled by Warner Bros.
Films including A Star Is Born, Little Lord Fauntleroy, Nothing Sacred, and Made for Each Other have entered the public domain within the United States. The original negatives for three of these—excluding A Star Is Born—are held by Disney, while Warner Bros. controls the negatives for A Star Is Born.
The David O. Selznick Collection, containing studio documents and memorabilia, is housed at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas in Austin.
Further reading
- Haver, Ronald (1980). David O. Selznick's Hollywood. New York: Random House. .
- Selected and edited by Rudy Behlmer. (Free preview at Amazon.com)