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Samuel Bronston Productions
Samuel Bronston Productions was an independent American film production company, established by Samuel Bronston in 1943. The studio became known for producing several historical epics, including King of Kings (1961), El Cid (1961), 55 Days at Peking (1963), and The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964).
In 1940, Bronston partnered with James Roosevelt, the son of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, but their collaboration produced no films. Bronston next joined Columbia Pictures and worked as an associate producer on The Adventures of Martin Eden (1942). In 1943, Bronston founded his namesake studio, and produced Jack London (1943) for United Artists. He next collaborated with Lewis Milestone on the war film A Walk in the Sun (1945) and René Clair on the mystery film And Then There Were None (1945); however, Bronston went uncredited as he struggled to raise financing.
Bronston left Hollywood and produced a documentary with the Vatican. In 1955, he returned to Hollywood to produce John Paul Jones (1959). He relocated Bronston Productions in Madrid, and raised financial capital by pre-selling his film projects to private investors, including financier Pierre S. du Pont III. In Madrid, Bronston spearheaded several productions of historical epics, including King of Kings (1961), El Cid (1961), 55 Days at Peking (1963), and The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964).
In June 1964, Bronston declared bankruptcy due to the box office failures of The Fall of the Roman Empire and Circus World (1964). From there, Bronston entered a years-long financial litigation with du Pont III, in which he was ordered to pay $3 million.
On February 16, 1943, Samuel Bronston announced the formation of his namesake production company, having secured the financial support of three banking institutions. Those included were Lazard, Guaranty Trust Co. of New York, and the Security-First National Bank of Los Angeles (SFNB). Bronston appointed Joe Nadel as production manager and Bernard Herzbrun as art director. The studio was headquartered at the Samuel Goldwyn Studio. Furthermore, he announced a five-year plan to release 15 feature films, each to be distributed by United Artists (UA). The first inaugural production was the 1943 film Jack London.
By April 1943, Bronston had signed Alfred Santell and Ernest Pascal to direct and write the screenplay, respectively, for Jack London. The film was intended to start production on May 28, 1943, but was postponed until July 1943 when Bronston selected Michael O'Shea for the title role, on loan from Hunt Stromberg. The New York Times reported Bronston's next project was a biographical film of General Billy Mitchell by Isaac Don Levine, for which he acquired the screen rights for $100,000. Bronston had planned to film The Life of Billy Mitchell in 1945, but the project did not reach fruition.
Lewis Milestone had a chance encounter with Bronston, who encouraged him to work independently for his production company. Milestone explained, "I was taking a walk one night when I met Sam Bronston and he asked me to do a film for him which United Artists would release. That suited me fine. I didn't want to go back to a major studio which would have meant having to wrestle continuously with a whole army of executives." By August 1944, Milestone signed a contract with Bronston Productions to direct independent film projects. After considering a number of best-selling novels, Milestone announced he would direct Borrowed Night, a film adaptation of the Oscar Ray novel. The story concerned two boys and one girl who are forced into the Wehrmacht and escape through goldbricking. Meanwhile, Bronston also had contracted two French directors René Clair and Julien Duvivier, with the intention they would adapt Jack London's other novels, which included The Valley of the Moon, The Star Rover, and The Little Lady of the Big House.
However, by the fall of 1944, Clair instead decided to direct a film adaptation of Agatha Christie's 1943 play And Then There Were None (which was also performed under the title Ten Little Indians). Dudley Nichols was hired to write the screenplay, while the principal cast included Louis Hayward, Barry Fitzgerald, and ZaSu Pitts. Principal photography was scheduled to begin on November 15, 1944. Meanwhile, Duvivier had been set to direct Edward Chodorov's 1944 play Decision. The project centered on a returning U.S. war veteran who discovers fascism rampant at home, but United Artists dropped the production when it was met with opposition from the United States Office of War Information (OWI). Between 1942 to 1945, the OWI reviewed Hollywood film scripts, and urged revisions or discarded material which portrayed the United States in a negative light, including anti-war sentiment.
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Samuel Bronston Productions
Samuel Bronston Productions was an independent American film production company, established by Samuel Bronston in 1943. The studio became known for producing several historical epics, including King of Kings (1961), El Cid (1961), 55 Days at Peking (1963), and The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964).
In 1940, Bronston partnered with James Roosevelt, the son of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, but their collaboration produced no films. Bronston next joined Columbia Pictures and worked as an associate producer on The Adventures of Martin Eden (1942). In 1943, Bronston founded his namesake studio, and produced Jack London (1943) for United Artists. He next collaborated with Lewis Milestone on the war film A Walk in the Sun (1945) and René Clair on the mystery film And Then There Were None (1945); however, Bronston went uncredited as he struggled to raise financing.
Bronston left Hollywood and produced a documentary with the Vatican. In 1955, he returned to Hollywood to produce John Paul Jones (1959). He relocated Bronston Productions in Madrid, and raised financial capital by pre-selling his film projects to private investors, including financier Pierre S. du Pont III. In Madrid, Bronston spearheaded several productions of historical epics, including King of Kings (1961), El Cid (1961), 55 Days at Peking (1963), and The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964).
In June 1964, Bronston declared bankruptcy due to the box office failures of The Fall of the Roman Empire and Circus World (1964). From there, Bronston entered a years-long financial litigation with du Pont III, in which he was ordered to pay $3 million.
On February 16, 1943, Samuel Bronston announced the formation of his namesake production company, having secured the financial support of three banking institutions. Those included were Lazard, Guaranty Trust Co. of New York, and the Security-First National Bank of Los Angeles (SFNB). Bronston appointed Joe Nadel as production manager and Bernard Herzbrun as art director. The studio was headquartered at the Samuel Goldwyn Studio. Furthermore, he announced a five-year plan to release 15 feature films, each to be distributed by United Artists (UA). The first inaugural production was the 1943 film Jack London.
By April 1943, Bronston had signed Alfred Santell and Ernest Pascal to direct and write the screenplay, respectively, for Jack London. The film was intended to start production on May 28, 1943, but was postponed until July 1943 when Bronston selected Michael O'Shea for the title role, on loan from Hunt Stromberg. The New York Times reported Bronston's next project was a biographical film of General Billy Mitchell by Isaac Don Levine, for which he acquired the screen rights for $100,000. Bronston had planned to film The Life of Billy Mitchell in 1945, but the project did not reach fruition.
Lewis Milestone had a chance encounter with Bronston, who encouraged him to work independently for his production company. Milestone explained, "I was taking a walk one night when I met Sam Bronston and he asked me to do a film for him which United Artists would release. That suited me fine. I didn't want to go back to a major studio which would have meant having to wrestle continuously with a whole army of executives." By August 1944, Milestone signed a contract with Bronston Productions to direct independent film projects. After considering a number of best-selling novels, Milestone announced he would direct Borrowed Night, a film adaptation of the Oscar Ray novel. The story concerned two boys and one girl who are forced into the Wehrmacht and escape through goldbricking. Meanwhile, Bronston also had contracted two French directors René Clair and Julien Duvivier, with the intention they would adapt Jack London's other novels, which included The Valley of the Moon, The Star Rover, and The Little Lady of the Big House.
However, by the fall of 1944, Clair instead decided to direct a film adaptation of Agatha Christie's 1943 play And Then There Were None (which was also performed under the title Ten Little Indians). Dudley Nichols was hired to write the screenplay, while the principal cast included Louis Hayward, Barry Fitzgerald, and ZaSu Pitts. Principal photography was scheduled to begin on November 15, 1944. Meanwhile, Duvivier had been set to direct Edward Chodorov's 1944 play Decision. The project centered on a returning U.S. war veteran who discovers fascism rampant at home, but United Artists dropped the production when it was met with opposition from the United States Office of War Information (OWI). Between 1942 to 1945, the OWI reviewed Hollywood film scripts, and urged revisions or discarded material which portrayed the United States in a negative light, including anti-war sentiment.