Commonwealth United Entertainment
| Industry | Filmed entertainment |
|---|---|
| Defunct | 1971 |
| Fate | Broken up and sold |
| Successor | Library: Paramount Pictures (through Melange Pictures) |
Key people | Milton T. Raynor |
| Owner | Milton T. Raynor (–1967) |
| Parent | Commonwealth United Corporation (1967–1971) |
Commonwealth United Entertainment (generally referred to as Commonwealth United; abbreviated as CUE), formerly known as Television Enterprises Corporation (abbreviated as TEC), was an American film & TV production and distribution company active to 1971. It was headed by Milton T. Raynor.[1]
The company was sometimes considered one of the "instant majors" of the late 1960s.[li 1] Its parent company briefly operated a record label, Commonwealth United Records (abbreviated as CUR),[2] as well as a TV production & distribution company, Commonwealth United Television (abbreviated as CUT).[3] It produced films through its in-house film studio, Commonwealth United Productions (abbreviated as CUP),[4] which would eventually become Commonwealth United Pictures (abbreviated as CUP).[5]
History
[edit].jpg) The logo of Commonwealth United Corporation, c.1967–1970 | |
| Industry | Entertainment |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Real Properties Corporation |
| Founded | 1965 |
| Defunct | 1971 |
| Fate | Dissolved |
| Divisions | Commonwealth United Entertainment Commonwealth United Television Commonwealth United Records Commonwealth United Pictures |
Commonwealth United Corporation (abbreviated as CUC) was originally a real estate holding company formed in 1961 as the Real Properties Corporation. It changed its name to CUC in 1965.[6] In 1967, CUC acquired TEC.[li 1] Milton T. Raynor moved to California and became vice-president at TEC. Later, Raynor took over ownership.[1]
Commonwealth United Entertainment
[edit]In 1967, CUC acquired The Landau-Unger Company, with Ely Landau becoming president and CEO and Oliver A. Unger as executive vice-president.[7] It also acquired TEC[li 1] and was renamed Commonwealth United.[1] In 1967, Commonwealth United produced 17 theatrical films and purchased publishing and recording interests.[li 1] The Max Factor family financed That Cold Day in the Park, a movie directed by Robert Altman that Commonwealth United released in 1969.[li 2] By 1971, Commonwealth United was $80 million in debt. The company's film rights, foreign and domestic, were acquired by National Telefilm Associates and American International Pictures respectively.[li 1]
Select Credits
[edit]- A Black Veil for Lisa (1968)
- 99 Women (1969)
- Venus in Furs (1969)
- Battle of Neretva (1969)
- The Magic Christian (1969)
- It Takes All Kinds (1969)
- That Cold Day in the Park (1969)
- Paranoia (1969)
- Tiger by the Tail (1970)
- Julius Caesar (1970)
- The Ballad of Tam Lin (filmed in 1969)
- Freelance (filmed 1970)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c (24 April 2002). Milton Raynor obituary. Variety. accessed September 22, 2012.
- ^ "Commonwealth United Records USA".
A division of Commonwealth United Corporation
- ^ International Television Almanac. Quigley Publishing Company. 1972.
Commonwealth United Television , Inc. ( A division of Commonwealth United Corp- oration . )
- ^ Goudsouzian, Aram (2004). Sidney Poitier: Man, Actor, Icon. Univ of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0-8078-2843-4.
Producer: Ely Landau, Commonwealth United Productions
- ^ "Billboard" (PDF).
- ^ Slide, Anthony The New Historical Dictionary of the American Film Industry Routledge, 25 Feb 2014
- ^ "Commonwealth Buy of Landau-Unger To Give Show Biz Accent to Holding Co". Variety. August 9, 1967. p. 7.
- Cook, David A. (2000). Lost Illusions: American Cinema in the Shadow of Watergate and Vietnam, 1970-1979. University of California Press.