Universal History Flashcards
Carl Laemmle moves to America by…
Purchasing a one way ticket from Germany to NYC as a teenager in 1884
Where does Laemmle move after NY?
Chicago, Illinois
What industry did Laemmle work in prior to film?
Clothing
What technology fascinated Laemmle?
The Kinetoscope
What did Laemmle see on a converted storefront that intrigued him?
A Nickelodeon
What does Laemmle open in 1906?
A Nickelodeon on Milwaukee Avenue called the White Front Theatre
L.F.S. Acronym
The Laemmle Film Service; goes on to become the largest distributor in the world
M.P.P.C. Acronym
Motion Picture Patent Company aka “The Trust,” a company created by Thomas Edison to monopolize distribution, production, and exhibition
I.M.P.C. Acronym
Independent Motion Picture Company; founded by Carl Laemmle in 1909 as a response to his refusal to pay Edison and the MPPC fees
How does UFMC get its name?
Legend has it Carl Laemmle looked out his window and saw a wagon reading “Universal Pipe Fittings” on the side and decided he wanted his company to encompass all kinds of films, hence the adoption of “Universal”
What happens to IMPC in 1912?
It merges with other companies and is renamed Universal Film Manufacturing Company
U.F.M.C. Acronym
Universal Film Manufacturing Company
What does UFMC do in 1914?
Purchases the Taylor Chicken Ranch in California and turns it into “Universal City”
Universal’s 1st movie made on property?
Damon and Pythias (1914); Director Otis Turner
-Tells the story of a Roman senator and the survival of his friendship with a Roman soldier
March 15, 1914
Official gala opening of Universal City; 2-day event celebrated by 20,000 people
What did 25 Cent admission to Universal City get?
Bleacher seating to watch silent film productions and a boxed lunch that included an egg from the Taylor Chicken Ranch
What was Carl Laemmle credited with being the first person to create?
- Electrically lit stages for film
- Enclosed stages
- Stages for special effects
- World’s only “Movieland Zoo”
What were “Elephant Doors” created for?
To move large animals into soundstages
How does Universal attempt to appeal to rural audiences
A full service contract with newsreels, shorts, features, and serials
Give an example of a newsreel, short, feature, and serial
What is Universal’s first “talkie”?
Melody of Love (1938)
What was THE first talkie ever commercially distributed?
Warner Brothers’ The Jazz Singer (1927)
What is the first “foleyed” film?
Show Boat (1929)
What is significant about the 1929 film Show Boat
It began as a silent film, but thanks to sound dubbing by Jack Foley it became the first known example of a “foleyed” film
Who was Jack Foley?
An assistant director that was so talented at sound faking that it became a common phrase to “foley” something
What was the FIRST film to win an Oscar for Best Picture?
Wings (1927)
What was the first UNIVERSAL film to win an Oscar for Best Picture?
All is Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
Lon Chaney, Sr. also known as…
The Man of 1,000 Faces
What were two of Lon Chaney, Sr.’s biggest hits?
The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)
Which two Universal films make horror a popular genre?
Frankenstein (1931)
Dracula (1931)
Why does the horror genre save Universal during The Great Depression?
Since they can reuse set pieces, the films are very low budget and high profit
Who is brought in as Universal’s president in 1938?
Nathaniel Blumberg
Which comedy duo was a big hit in the 1940’s and what genres did Universal connect them with to great success?
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello; comedy and horror
What does Universal’s 1946 merge with International Pictures do to the company?
- Rename to Universal International
- Higher quality films become the norm
- Movie ticket prices increase
What happens in the 1950’s that almost causes Universal-International to go out of business?
Decca Records purchases their controlling interests, and overproduces so many films that profits diminish quickly
What movies did Universal release in the 1950’s?
It Came from Outer Space (1953)
The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
Tarantula (1955)
What movies did Universal release in the 1940’s?
The Black Cat (1941)
The Wolf Man (1941)
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)
What movies did Universal release in the 1930’s?
Frankenstein (1931)
Dracula (1931)
The Invisible Man (1933)
The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
M.C.A. Acronym
Music Corporation of America; the company that purchases Universal’s 367 acre lot and Uni-International’s controlling rights (in 1962)
When does MCA acquire the controlling rights of Universal International and how?
In 1962 they purchase Decca Records, which gives them the controlling rights of Uni-Int
What happens in 1964?
The company changes it’s name to MCA-Universal
Lew Wasserman becomes president and reinstates the studio tour dropped in the 1920s for budgetary contraints
What shows was Universal producing in the 1960’s?
Leave it to Beaver
The Munsters
Which young directors did Uni sponsor in the 1970’s and what films were they making?
George Lucas: American Graffiti (1973)
Steven Spielberg: The Sugarland express (1974)
John Landis: Nation Lampoon’s Animal House (1978)
What does MCA-Universal announce in the 1980’s?
Plans to duplicate their studio tour in Orlando, Florida at a park called “Universal Studios Movieworld”
What films did Universal make in the 1980s?
Blues Brothers (1980)
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Scarface (1983)
Back to the Future (1985)
What movies did Universal make in the 1970s?
American Graffiti (1973)
The Sugarland Express (1974)
National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978)
What was the first film produced on property at USF?
Ron Howard’s Parenthood (1989)
Shot at SS 20 and other locations around Orlando
Where did Nickelodeon Studios usually record and what was their first production?
SS 18
Super Sloppy Double Dare
What movies did Universal release in the 1990s?
Backdraft (1991), Ron Howard Jurassic Park (1993), Steven Spielberg Schindler's List (1993) The Lost World (1997) The Mummy (1999)
What movies did Universal release in the 2000s?
The Grinch (2000)
Fast and Furious (2001)
The Bourne Identity (2002)
King Kong (2005)
What movies did Universal release in the 2010s?
Despicable Me (2010) Jurassic World (2015) Green Book (2018)
What non-profit organization in Beverly Hills oversees the Academy Awards?
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAs)
What are some of Universal’s Best Picture wins?
Schindler’s List (1993)
The Sting (1973)
Green Book (2018)
All is Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
What movies did Universal release in the 1960s?
To Kill A Mockingbird (1963)
The Birds (1963)
Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)
Sweet Charity (1969)
What movies did Universal release in the 1970s?
