| Industry | Animation studio |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1920 (as Fables Pictures, Inc) |
| Founders | Amedee J. Van Beuren Paul Terry |
| Defunct | 1936[1] |
| Successor | Terrytoons |
| Headquarters | , |
The Van Beuren Corporation was aNew York City-based[2]animation studio that produced theatrical cartoons as well as live-actionshort-subjects from the 1920s to 1936.
In 1920, theKeith-Albee organization formedFables Pictures for the production of theAesop's Film Fables cartoon series withPaul Terry, who himself owned 10 percent of the studio.[2] ProducerAmedee J. Van Beuren bought out the studio in 1928, retaining Terry and renaming the business after its new owner.[2] Van Beuren released Terry's first sound cartoonDinner Time (1928) (a month before Disney'sSteamboat Willie) throughPathé Exchange, which later became part ofRKO Pictures. Terry ran the animation studio while Van Beuren focused on other parts of the business. In 1929, Terry quit to start his ownTerrytoons studio and John Foster took over the animation department.
Van Beuren released his films throughRKO Radio Pictures. The early sound Van Beuren cartoons are almost identical to the late silent cartoons: highly visual, with little dialogue and occasional sound effects. BandleadersGene Rodemich andWinston Sharples supervised the music. The company's main cartoon characters were "Tom and Jerry", a tall-and-short pair, usually vagrants who attempted various occupations. They share no relation toMGM's more successfulTom and Jerry, a cat and mouse, and the older series has been renamed "Van Beuren's Tom and Jerry" and "Dick and Larry" in various future incarnations. Van Beuren was keenly aware that successful cartoons often featured animated "stars", and urged his staff to come up with new ideas for characters. Cubby, a mischievous little bear, resulted.
In 1932, Van Beuren planned to release a series of wild-animal shorts featuring celebrity explorerFrank Buck. RKO executives were so impressed by these Van Beuren shorts that they decided to combine them into a feature film,Bring 'Em Back Alive. This was a very successful business move, but it left both Van Beuren and RKO with a void in their short-subject schedule. Van Beuren, forced to act quickly, found an existing series of two-reel comedies:Charlie Chaplin's 12 productions for the Mutual film company, produced in 1916-17.[3] Van Beuren paid $10,000 each for the shorts, and assigned his animation department to create new music and sound effects for the silent films. BandleaderGene Rodemich and Rodemich's assistant and successorWinston Sharples assembled new scores. RKO released the Van Beuren Chaplins in 1933–34. Chaplin did not own these films; author Michael J. Hayde discloses that Chaplin had declined several opportunities to purchase them.
The Van Beuren Corporation acquired and produced live-action features such asAdventure Girl (1934) and two more Frank Buck safaris,Wild Cargo (1934) andFrank Buck's Fang and Claw (1935). Other Van Beuren live-action productions included a "Van Beuren Vagabond" travelogue series, a series of novelty shorts narrated by the radio comedy teamEasy Aces (Goodman Ace and Jane Ace) and musical comedy shorts featuringBert Lahr,Shemp Howard, among others.
Van Beuren remained unsatisfied, and agreed to license the popular comic-strip characterThe Little King and the radio comedy act,Amos 'n' Andy to adapt into animated cartoons. Neither series was successful. Van Beuren then hiredWalt Disney directorBurt Gillett and animatorTom Palmer to create a new series of color cartoons. These "Rainbow Parade" cartoons featured established characters:Felix the Cat,Parrotville Parrots,Molly Moo-Cow, and theToonerville Folks.
These full-color Van Beuren efforts were well received, and Van Beuren had finally succeeded in sponsoring a popular cartoon series, but RKO later entered into a deal to distribute new color cartoons produced by industry leaderWalt Disney. RKO, no longer needing Van Beuren's cartoons, abandoned the Rainbow Parade shorts.
Amedee J. Van Beuren fell ill during this time. In July 1938, he had a stroke that would eventually lead to his death on November 12 of the same year by heart attack.[4][5]
During his recovery from his stroke, Van Beuren closed his studio rather than accept unionization that had caused thestudio problems in 1935.[6]
The Van Beuren library was sold to various television, reissue, and home-movie distributors in the 1940s and 1950s, including Unity Pictures, Walter Gutlohn/Library Films,Commonwealth Pictures, andOfficial Films.[citation needed] The library eventually lapsed into thepublic domain.[citation needed]
Animation:
Live-action:
Live-action shorts:
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