Twentieth Century Pictures

Twentieth Century Pictures, Inc.

Company type	Independent film production company
Industry	Film production
Founded	1933
Founder	Joseph Schenck, Darryl F. Zanuck, William Goetz, Raymond Griffith
Defunct	1935
Fate	Merged with Fox Film Corporation to form Twentieth Century-Fox
Headquarters	Hollywood, Los Angeles , United States
Area served	United States
Key people	Joseph Schenck (President), Darryl F. Zanuck (Production Manager), William Goetz (Executive Assistant), Raymond Griffith (Production Supervisor)
Products	Films

Twentieth Century Pictures, Inc. was an independent film production enterprise in Hollywood, established in 1933 by Joseph Schenck, formerly president of United Artists, and Darryl F. Zanuck, who had previously worked at Warner Bros. The founding team also included William Goetz from Fox Studios and Raymond Griffith. The company operated out of leased facilities at Samuel Goldwyn Studios and relied on United Artists for film distribution.

After departing United Artists due to disagreements over stock, Schenck and Zanuck negotiated a merger with Fox Film Corporation in 1935, resulting in the creation of Twentieth Century-Fox.

Formation

In the year 1933, following a compensation dispute, Zanuck exited Warner Bros. and collaborated with Schenck to establish a new production firm. Schenck took on the role of President while Zanuck managed production activities. Their objective was to produce a slate of twelve films annually beginning mid-1933, utilizing United Artists' resources for both studio space and distribution channels.

William Goetz was appointed as Zanuck’s executive assistant, and Raymond Griffith assumed the position of production supervisor. Their initial project involved acquiring Michael L. Simmons' novel Chuck Connors, which was adapted into their inaugural film The Bowery (1933). Early talent contracts included actors such as George Arliss, Constance Bennett, Wallace Beery, George Raft, and Loretta Young; directors like Raoul Walsh and Gregory La Cava were also signed. Goetz’s connections with MGM facilitated the exchange of talent between studios.

Financial support was provided by Nicholas Schenck, president of Loew's; Louis B. Mayer of MGM, who backed Goetz; Bank of America; and Herbert J. Yates, proprietor of Consolidated Film Industries and later founder of Republic Pictures.

Releases

Among their initial successful projects were Chuck Connors, Rowland Brown's Blood Money, Ralph Graves' Born to Be Bad, and Nathanael West's Miss Lonelyhearts, released under the title Advice to the Lovelorn. Of their first eighteen productions, only Born to Be Bad did not perform well financially. Their 1934 release The House of Rothschild earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. The 1935 film Les Misérables also received a nomination for Best Picture and was critically acclaimed.

Merger

Towards the end of 1934, Zanuck attempted to purchase shares and secure a board position at United Artists but encountered opposition from co-founder Mary Pickford, who resisted diluting existing stock holdings. In response, Schenck resigned from United Artists in protest, prompting Twentieth Century Pictures to seek alternative alliances. This pursuit led to merger discussions with Fox Film Corporation, a struggling company founded in 1915 by William Fox.

The union in 1935 between Twentieth Century Pictures and Fox Film resulted in the formation of 20th Century-Fox. The hyphen was removed in 1985 following acquisition by Rupert Murdoch. In 2019, The Walt Disney Company purchased the studio and rebranded it as "20th Century Studios" in 2020. While previously asserting a founding date of 1915, the company currently acknowledges the 1935 merger as its official inception.