The Samuel Goldwyn Company

American film company

See also: Samuel Goldwyn (disambiguation)

The Samuel Goldwyn Company

Company type| Subsidiary
Predecessor| Samuel Goldwyn Productions
Founded| June 16, 1978; 46 years ago (1978-06-16)
Founder| Samuel Goldwyn Jr.
Defunct| March 15, 1999; 25 years ago (1999-03-15)
Fate| Merged with and folded into United Artists
Successor| Company:
Samuel Goldwyn Films
United Artists
Library:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
(through Orion Pictures)
Parent| Metromedia (1996–1997)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1997–1999)
Divisions| Samuel Goldwyn Television
Samuel Goldwyn Home Entertainment
Heritage Entertainment, Inc.

The Samuel Goldwyn Company was an American independent film company founded by Samuel Goldwyn Jr., the son of the famous Hollywood mogul, Samuel Goldwyn, in 1978.

## History

[edit]

The company originally distributed and acquired art-house films from around the world to U.S. audiences; they soon added original productions to their roster as well, starting with The Golden Seal in 1983.[1]

In succeeding years, the Goldwyn company was able to obtain (from Samuel Sr.'s estate) the rights to all films produced under the elder Goldwyn's supervision, including the original Bulldog Drummond (1929), Arrowsmith (1931), and Guys and Dolls (1955). The company also acquired some distribution rights to several films and television programs that were independently produced but released by other companies, including Sayonara, the Hal Roach–produced Laurel & Hardy–starring vehicle Babes in Toyland (1934), the Flipper TV series produced by MGM Television, the Academy Award–winning Tom Jones (1963), and the Rodgers and Hammerstein film productions of South Pacific (1958) and Oklahoma! (1955), as well as the CBS Television adaptation of Cinderella (1965).

Animated films include Swan Lake, Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, The Care Bears Movie, The Chipmunk Adventure and Rock-a-Doodle. Among the television programs in the Goldwyn company's library are the television series American Gladiators, Gladiators, Gladiators, Gladiators: Train 2 Win, and Steve Krantz's miniseries Dadah Is Death.

In 1991, after a merger with Heritage Entertainment, Inc., the company went public as Samuel Goldwyn Entertainment. Heritage and Goldwyn attempted to merge during late 1990, but the plans fell apart while Heritage went through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[2] The merger also allowed Goldwyn to inherit the Landmark Theatres chain, which was a unit of Heritage.

That company and its library were acquired by Metromedia on July 2, 1996, for US$125 million.[3][4] To coincide with the purchase, the Samuel Goldwyn Company was renamed Goldwyn Entertainment Company, and was reconstituted as a subsidiary of Metromedia's Orion Pictures unit. That year, Orion and Goldwyn became part of the Metromedia Entertainment Group (MEG). Goldwyn became the specialty films unit of MEG, though they would seek out films with crossover appeal. While Orion and Goldwyn would share the overhead costs, the production/acquisition operations would operate independently from each other.[5]

In 1997, Metromedia sold its entertainment group to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) for $573 million, making that company's film library the largest at the time.[6] The Landmark Theatres group, which Metromedia did not sell to MGM, was taken over by Silver Cinemas, Inc. on April 27, 1998.[7]

In September 1997, the company was renamed Goldwyn Films and operated as MGM's specialty films unit. A month later, Samuel Goldwyn Jr. sued MGM and Metromedia, claiming that he was abruptly let go of the company despite promises that he would continue to run it under different ownership. Another concern in the lawsuit was the use of the Goldwyn name, with the defendants being accused of "palming off specialized films produced or acquired by" the unit as though the plaintiff was still involved in its management.[8] Goldwyn Films changed its name to G2 Films in January 1999 as part of the settlement.[9]

In July 1999, G2 Films was renamed United Artists International.[10] As well as all that, UA became an arthouse film producer/distributor. The younger Goldwyn has since gone on to found Samuel Goldwyn Films. This successor company has continued to release independent films such as What the Bleep Do We Know!? and the Academy Award–nominated The Squid and the Whale.

Since the new Goldwyn company was formed, MGM currently holds much of the original Goldwyn Company's holdings (including, with few exceptions, the non-Goldwyn-produced properties) that would end up with the library of Orion Pictures, now an MGM division. One Goldwyn-produced film, The Hurricane, which was a part of the original Goldwyn Company library, has had its ownership returned to its original distributor, United Artists (also an MGM division).

## Filmography

[edit]

### 1970s

[edit]

Release date  | Title

|

June 1978 | Zero to Sixty
June 15, 1979 | The Water Babies
October 1979 | The Last Word

### 1980s

[edit]

Release date  | Title  | Notes

|
|

February 8, 1981 | Spetters |
June 19, 1981 | Stevie |
July 23, 1981 | Swan Lake | North American distribution only; produced by Toei Company, Ltd. and Toei Animation Company, Ltd.
March 21, 1982 | Forbidden Zone |
May 26, 1982 | Gregory's Girl |
August 17, 1982 | Aladdin and the Magic Lamp | North American distribution only; produced by Toei Company, Ltd. and Toei Animation Company, Ltd.
November 1982 | Don't Cry, It's Only Thunder |
November 1982 | Time Walker |
February 27, 1983 | Bankers Also Have Souls |
August 12, 1983 | The Golden Seal |
September 4, 1983 | Lonely Hearts |
November 4, 1983 | Experience Preferred... But Not Essential |
January 1984 | Goodbye Pork Pie |
February 15, 1984 | That Sinking Feeling |
May 1984 | Another Time, Another Place |
August 17, 1984 | Secrets |
September 12, 1984 | A Joke of Destiny |
October 1, 1984 | Stranger Than Paradise |
October 19, 1984 | The Ploughman's Lunch |
November 1, 1984 | Not for Publication |
January 25, 1985 | The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak |
March 29, 1985 | The Care Bears Movie | produced by Nelvana
April 19, 1985 | Petit Con |
May 17, 1985 | Silver City |
June 2, 1985 | The Holy Innocents |
August 9, 1985 | Dance with a Stranger | North American distribution only
October 4, 1985 | Always |
November 8, 1985 | Bring On the Night |
November 18, 1985 | Once Bitten |
February 14, 1986 | Turtle Diary |
February 21, 1986 | Getting Even |
March 7, 1986 | Desert Hearts | currently owned by DD Productions with U.S. distribution rights currently licensed to Janus Films and The Criterion Collection
April 25, 1986 | Three Men and a Cradle |
July 7, 1986 | The Girl in the Picture |
November 7, 1986 | Sid and Nancy |
January 30, 1987 | Malandro |
March 13, 1987 | Witchboard |
March 20, 1987 | Hollywood Shuffle |
May 8, 1987 | Prick Up Your Ears |
May 22, 1987 | The Chipmunk Adventure | produced by Bagdasarian Productions
July 17, 1987 | Ping Pong |
August 27, 1987 | Backlash |
August 28, 1987 | The Rosary Murders |
September 11, 1987 | A Prayer for the Dying |
November 13, 1987 | Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II |
April 13, 1988 | Beatrice |
July 22, 1988 | Mr. North |
October 9, 1988 | Hôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie |
October 21, 1988 | Mystic Pizza |
March 3, 1989 | Heart of Midnight |
October 13, 1989 | Breaking In |
November 8, 1989 | Henry V |
December 8, 1989 | Fear, Anxiety & Depression |

### 1990s

[edit]

Release date  | Title  | Notes

|
|

February 2, 1990 | Stella | co-production with Touchstone Pictures
May 11, 1990 | Longtime Companion |
June 12, 1990 | The Misadventures of Mr. Wilt |
August 17, 1990 | Wild at Heart |
October 12, 1990 | To Sleep with Anger | owned by Sony Pictures
November 2, 1990 | C'est la vie |
March 1, 1991 | My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys |
March 8, 1991 | La Femme Nikita | U.S. distribution rights currently owned by Sony Pictures Classics
May 22, 1991 | Straight Out of Brooklyn |
May 24, 1991 | Truly, Madly, Deeply |
September 20, 1991 | Livin' Large |
October 4, 1991 | Black Robe | produced by Alliance Atlantis and Hoyts
October 11, 1991 | City of Hope | owned by Sony Pictures
December 25, 1991 | Madame Bovary |
February 5, 1992 | Mississippi Masala |
April 3, 1992 | Rock-a-Doodle | North American distribution only; produced by Goldcrest and Sullivan Bluth Studios
April 22, 1992 | The Playboys |
May 13, 1992 | The Waterdance | owned by Sony Pictures
July 10, 1992 | The Best Intentions |
November 11, 1992 | Traces of Red |
November 14, 1992 | Flirting |
December 25, 1992 | Peter's Friends |
February 19, 1993 | Mac | owned by Sony Pictures
March 3, 1993 | The Stolen Children |
May 7, 1993 | Much Ado About Nothing |
July 16, 1993 | Road Scholar |
August 7, 1993 | The Wedding Banquet |
September 24, 1993 | Baraka |
The Program | co-production with Touchstone Pictures
October 15, 1993 | Mr. Wonderful | overseas distribution; Warner Bros. distributed the film in the U.S.
November 5, 1993 | Wild West |
November 26, 1993 | Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould |
December 21, 1993 | The Summer House |
January 28, 1994 | Golden Gate |
March 18, 1994 | Suture |
April 27, 1994 | You So Crazy |
May 15, 1994 | A Million to Juan |
June 3, 1994 | Fear of a Black Hat |
June 10, 1994 | Go Fish |
July 22, 1994 | Just Like a Woman |
August 3, 1994 | Eat Drink Man Woman |
September 9, 1994 | What Happened Was | U.S. distribution rights currently owned by Oscilloscope Laboratories
October 6, 1994 | Ladybird, Ladybird |
November 4, 1994 | Oleanna |
November 18, 1994 | To Live |
December 28, 1994 | The Madness of King George |
February 3, 1995 | The Secret of Roan Inish | produced by First Look Pictures; U.S. distribution rights currently owned by Samuel Goldwyn Films
March 8, 1995 | The Sum of Us |
April 14, 1995 | The Last Good Time |
May 12, 1995 | The Perez Family |
May 19, 1995 | Rampo |
June 9, 1995 | Wigstock: The Movie |
November 17, 1995 | Reckless |
January 26, 1996 | Angels & Insects |
April 19, 1996 | August |
May 1, 1996 | I Shot Andy Warhol | co-production with BBC Arena; distributed in the U.S. by Orion Pictures
May 10, 1996 | Love Is All There Is |
August 23, 1996 | Foxfire | produced by Rysher Entertainment; distribution rights currently owned by Paramount Pictures
September 13, 1996 | American Buffalo |
September 20, 1996 | Big Night | produced by Rysher Entertainment; distribution rights currently owned by Paramount Pictures
October 25, 1996 | Palookaville |
December 16, 1996 | The Preacher's Wife | co-production with Touchstone Pictures
February 28, 1997 | Hard Eight | credited in promotional material as Goldwyn Entertainment Company; co-production with Rysher Entertainment; distribution rights currently owned by Paramount Pictures
April 11, 1997 | Kissed | as Goldwyn Films
May 30, 1997 | Rough Magic | as Goldwyn Entertainment Company
July 15, 1997 | Paperback Romance | as Goldwyn Entertainment Company
October 10, 1997 | Napoleon | as Goldwyn Films
November 7, 1997 | The Hanging Garden | as Goldwyn Films
November 26, 1997 | Bent | as Goldwyn Entertainment Company
January 16, 1998 | Live Flesh | as Goldwyn Films; U.S. distribution rights currently owned by Sony Pictures Classics
February 20, 1998 | I Love You, Don't Touch Me! | as Goldwyn Films
August 14, 1998 | The Chambermaid on the Titanic |
September 25, 1998 | Lolita | as Samuel Goldwyn Films; co-production with Pathé
November 6, 1998 | Velvet Goldmine | as Goldwyn Films; distributed in the U.S. by Miramax Films; U.S. distribution rights currently owned by Sony Pictures Classics
November 13, 1998 | Welcome to Woop Woop | as Goldwyn Entertainment Company
November 27, 1998 | Immortality | as Goldwyn Films; distributed in the U.S. by Miramax Films
January 25, 1999 | Tinseltown | as Samuel Goldwyn Films
May 14, 1999 | Tea with Mussolini | as G2 Films
June 18, 1999 | Desert Blue | as Samuel Goldwyn Films
September 17, 1999 | Splendor | as Samuel Goldwyn Films; co-production with Summit Entertainment and Newmarket Capital Group

## Other names

[edit]

* Samuel Goldwyn Entertainment
* Goldwyn Entertainment Company
* G2 Films
* Goldwyn Films

### Successor

[edit]

* Samuel Goldwyn Films
* United Artists Films, Inc. (1999–2006)

## See also

[edit]

* Samuel Goldwyn Television
* Samuel Goldwyn Studio
* Samuel Goldwyn Productions
* Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
* Samuel Goldwyn Films

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "The Golden Seal (1983)". IMDb. Archived from the original on 2021-06-22. Retrieved 2016-07-28.
2. ^ Glover, Karen (September 23, 1991). "Goldwyn, Heritage Entertainment merging (Samuel Goldwyn Co.)". Los Angeles Business Journal. 13 (38): 50.
3. ^ Landler, Mark (January 5, 1997). "Rich, 82, and Starting Over". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 10, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
4. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-08-10. Retrieved 2016-05-31.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
5. ^ Andrew Hindes (1997-12-10). "Hegeman hops to Live". Variety. Archived from the original on 2022-04-27. Retrieved 2016-07-28.
6. ^ "Metromedia to Sell Film Units to MGM for $573 Million". The New York Times. April 29, 1997. Archived from the original on November 7, 2014. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
7. ^ "Metromedia International Group Completes the Sale of Landmark Theatre to Silver Cinemas". Thefreelibrary.com. Archived from the original on 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2016-07-28.
8. ^ Bates, James (30 October 1997). "Goldwyn Suing Metromedia, MGM Over Firing, Contract". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
9. ^ Higgins, Bill (January 10, 1999). "G2 Films emerges as Goldwyn, MGM settle". Variety. Archived from the original on April 27, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
10. ^ "United Artists restructuring by MGM - Jun. 7, 1999". Money.cnn.com. Archived from the original on 2021-09-07. Retrieved 2015-02-05.

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