Screen Gems

Screen Gems is an American production division of Columbia Pictures that has existed in many different incarnations.

Screen Gems was founded in 1934 as the animation division of Columbia Pictures, having merged into the Charles Mintz animation studio company. Screen Gems' animation output included such characters as Scrappy, Krazy Kat, and the Fox and Crow. The shorts were only moderately successful when compared to more popular animated shorts featuring Disney's Mickey Mouse and Warner Bros.' Bugs Bunny. The original Screen Gems company closed down in 1946, though their animation output continued to be released for another three years.

In 1948, Screen Gems became the television subsidiary of Columbia Pictures, producing popular shows (as noted below) and distributing Columbia Pictures' theatrical film library to television, including the wildly successful series of two-reel short subjects starring The Three Stooges. In the 1970s the name was abandoned and changed to Columbia Pictures Television. The final notable production from this incarnation of Screen Gems was the 1974 mini-series QB VII. Changes in corporate ownership came in the 1980s when the Coca-Cola Company had bought the studios, although continuing to trade under the CPT code. In the 1990s Columbia Pictures merged with TriStar Pictures under its new parent company, Sony Pictures Entertainment. In 2003, Columbia/Tri-Star Television became Sony Pictures Television, while two years earlier, in 2001, Screen Gems was resurrected as the specialty motion picture producing arm of Columbia Pictures.

Screen Gems should not be confused with EUE Screen Gems (which carries the same "S" logo) a company founded by Frank Capra, Jr. which owns and operates motion picture and television production facilities in Wilmington, North Carolina and New York, New York. (The WB drama Dawson's Creek was filmed at the Wilmington facility.). In 1984 Mr. Capra purchased the assets of Screen Gems from Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. but apparently not the name because he was forced to make a minor change in the company's name (Thus the EUE in the name) and since Sony (Columbia's new owner) has resurrected the Screen Gems name there has been some confusion over the two companies.

Notable television programs produced and/or distributed by Screen Gems include:

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (1954–1959)
Father Knows Best (1954–1960)
The Donna Reed Show (1958–1966)
The Flintstones (produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions) (1960–1966)
Bewitched (1964 – 1972)
I Dream of Jeannie (1965 – 1970)
The Monkees (1966–1968)
The Partridge Family (1970–1974)

One notable thing about Screen Gems when it comes to production logos is that some people reported being traumatized by its 1965–1974 TV logo's music (which was described as creepy), leading it to get the nickname of "The S from Hell".

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Categories: Sony subsidiaries | Animation studios | Hollywood movie studios