The Van Beuren Corporation
Industry | Animation studio |
---|---|
Founded | 1920 (as Fables Pictures, Inc) |
Founders | Amedee J. Van Beuren Paul Terry |
Defunct | 1938[1] |
Headquarters |
The Van Beuren Corporation was a
History
In 1920, the
Van Beuren released his films through
In 1932, Van Beuren planned to release a series of wild-animal shorts featuring celebrity explorer
The Van Beuren Corporation acquired and produced live-action features such as Adventure Girl (1934) and two more Frank Buck safaris, Wild Cargo (1934) and Frank Buck's Fang and Claw (1935). Other Van Beuren live-action productions included a "Van Beuren Vagabond" travelogue series, a series of novelty shorts narrated by the radio comedy team Easy Aces (Goodman Ace and Jane Ace) and musical comedy shorts featuring Bert Lahr, Shemp Howard, among others.
Van Beuren remained unsatisfied, and agreed to license the popular comic-strip character
Closure
These full-color Van Beuren efforts were well received, and Van Beuren had finally succeeded in sponsoring a popular cartoon series, but RKO later entered into a deal to distribute new color cartoons produced by industry leader Walt Disney. RKO, no longer needing Van Beuren's cartoons, abandoned the Rainbow Parade shorts.
Amedee J. Van Beuren fell ill during this time. In July 1938, he had a stroke that would eventually lead to his death on November 12 of the same year by heart attack.[4][5]
During his recovery from his stroke, Van Beuren closed his studio rather than accept unionization that had caused the studio problems in 1935.[6]
The Van Beuren library was sold to various television, reissue, and home-movie distributors in the 1940s and 1950s, including Unity Pictures, Walter Gutlohn/Library Films, Commonwealth Pictures, and Official Films.[citation needed] The library eventually lapsed into the public domain.[citation needed]
Productions
Animation:
- Aesop's Fables
- Cubby Bear
- Amos 'n' Andy
- The Little King
- Rainbow Parade (color series)
- Burt Gillett's Toddle Tales
- Tom and Jerry
- Felix the Cat
Live-action:
- James the Cat
- Stung (1931)
- Bring 'Em Back Alive (1932)
- Adventure Girl (1934)
- Wild Cargo (1934)
- Fang and Claw (1935)
Live-action shorts:
- Easy Aces (1936-1937)
References
- ISBN 9781557836717.
- ^ a b c "Animation from Van Beuren Studios". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on August 26, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
- ISBN 978-1593937539
- ^ A. J. VAN BEUREN, 58, FILM OFFICIAL, DIES. New York Times. November 13, 1938, Sunday p 45
- ^ THEATER GOSSIP. Evening Independent - Google News Archive - Feb 20, 1938
- ^ pp. 116–117 Black, James Eric Walt Kelly and Pogo: The Art of the Political Swamp McFarland, 30 Dec 2015
External links
- Full list of Van Beuren cartoons from the Big Cartoon Database
- Biography of Amedee J. Van Beuren
- Swiss Trick on Archive.org