The Samuel Goldwyn Company

Logo used from 1979-97
Formerly	The Samuel Goldwyn Company (1978–91) Samuel Goldwyn Entertainment (1991–96) Goldwyn Entertainment Company (1996–97) Goldwyn Films (1997–99) G2 Films (1999) United Artists International (1999–00)
Company type	Subsidiary
Predecessor	Samuel Goldwyn Productions
Founded	June 16, 1978; 47 years ago (1978-06-16)
Founder	Samuel Goldwyn Jr.
Defunct	July 2000; 25 years ago (2000-07)
Fate	Folded byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Successor	Studio: Samuel Goldwyn Films Library: Amazon MGM Studios
Owner	Metromedia (1996–1997) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1997–2000)
Parent	Orion Pictures (1996–1997) United Artists (1999–2000)
Divisions	Samuel Goldwyn Television Samuel Goldwyn Home Entertainment Heritage Entertainment, Inc.

The Samuel Goldwyn Company, later known as Samuel Goldwyn Entertainment, Goldwyn Entertainment Company, Goldwyn Films, G2 Films and United Artists International, was an Americanindependent film company founded bySamuel Goldwyn Jr., the son of the famousHollywoodmogul,Samuel Goldwyn, on June 16, 1978. It was folded intoMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer in July 2000.

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 withThe 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 originalBulldog Drummond (1929),Arrowsmith (1931), andGuys 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, includingSayonara, theHal Roach–producedLaurel & Hardy–starring vehicleBabes in Toyland (1934), theFlipper television series produced byMGM Television, theAcademy Award–winningTom Jones (1963), and theRodgers and Hammerstein film productions ofSouth Pacific (1958) andOklahoma! (1955), as well as theCBS Television adaptation ofCinderella (1965).

Animated films includeSwan Lake,Aladdin and the Magic Lamp,The Care Bears Movie,The Chipmunk Adventure andRock-a-Doodle. Among the television programs in the Goldwyn company's library are the television seriesAmerican Gladiators,Gladiators (UK),Gladiators (Australia),Gladiators: Train 2 Win, andSteve Krantz's miniseriesDadah Is Death.

In 1991, after a merger with Heritage Entertainment, Inc., the company went public asSamuel 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 theLandmark Theatres chain, which was a unit of Heritage.

That company and its library were acquired byMetromedia on July 2, 1996, for US$125 million.^[3][4] To coincide with the purchase, the Samuel Goldwyn Company was renamedGoldwyn Entertainment Company, and was reconstituted as a subsidiary of Metromedia'sOrion 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 toMetro-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, Goldwyn Entertainment Company was renamed toGoldwyn Films and separated from Orion. The company remained a specialty films unit and an international sales holder. 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] As part of the settlement, MGM agreed to change the name of the company toG2 Films in January 1999.^[9]

In June 1999, MGM announced that it would restructureUnited Artists as an arthouse film producer/distributor to solely focus on competing withDisney'sMiramax Films. They also announced that G2 Films would be folded under UA and would be renamed asUnited Artists International, with the same management and staff. UAI's new role would be handling the international sales for UA films overseas.^[10] In July 2000, MGM announced that it would close down United Artists International, with the possibility of forming a UK-based production operation in its place. MGM stated that the closure had been planned as early as December 1999, stating that lucrative international TV output deals had affected the box office results for UA's recent films internationally, and that it was easier to handle the distribution of the films under their new overseas distribution agreement with20th Century Fox that was due to begin in November of that year. After the agreement started, UAI was folded into MGM's own operations.^[11]

The younger Goldwyn has since gone on to foundSamuel Goldwyn Films. This successor company has continued to release independent films such asWhat the Bleep Do We Know!? and the Academy Award–nominatedThe 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 ofOrion Pictures, now an MGM division. However, the Goldwyn Productions library is controlled by the Goldwyn family & licensed toWarner Bros.,^[12] except forThe Hurricane, whose ownership returned to its original distributor,United Artists (also an MGM division).

• Samuel Goldwyn Entertainment
• Goldwyn Entertainment Company
• G2 Films
• Goldwyn Films

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

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

• Entertainment companies established in 1978
• Mass media companies established in 1978
• Mass media companies disestablished in 1999
• Film distributors of the United States
• Film production companies of the United States
• Defunct American film studios
• Cinema of Southern California
• Entertainment companies based in California
• Companies based in Los Angeles
• 1979 establishments in California
• 1999 disestablishments in California
• Defunct companies based in Greater Los Angeles
• Former Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer subsidiaries
• Metromedia

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