Former type Division Defunct 1972 Key people Gordon T. Stulberg Owner CBS Ceased operations 1972 | Industry Motion Pictures Area served Worldwide Founded 1967 Successor CBS Theatrical Films | |
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Headquarters Hollywood, United States Founders William S. Paley, Gordon Stulberg, Frank Stanton | ||
Cinema center films
Cinema Center Films (CCF) was the theatrical film production company of the CBS Television Network from 1967 to 1972. Its films were distributed by National General Pictures. The production unit was located at the Republic Pictures lot, Hollywood and produced 30 films.
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Cinema center films logo 2015
History
CBS chairman William S. Paley and Frank Stanton founded Cinema Center Films division in 1967 with Gordon T. Stulberg as its first chief.
In February 1967 CBS had bought the studios of Republic Pictures (which would be renamed CBS Studio Center) for $9.5 million. The following month they announced Stulberg's appointment, stating they intended to make ten films a year at a cost of $3.5 million each on average. Pasley and Stulberg met with owners of Paramount Picture, Gulf & Western Chairman Charles Bluhdorn in a search for a distributor but Bluhdorn's over chumminess turned off Paley. Stulberg reported to John A. Schneider, CBS network president.
The studio's first notable talent signing was with Doris Day which resulted in their first movie With Six You Get Eggroll. Which the film community took that CCF was only "fluffy films" for rebroadcast on CBS.
Their second signing was with Bob Banner Associates, who were to make a series of projects that did not come to fruition. National General Pictures agreed to distribute their films in August 1967, agreeing to provide $60 million for 22 movies.
They signed a four picture deal in 1967 with Jalem, Jack Lemmon's company worth $21 million – Jalem was to produce four films, two in which Lemmon was to appear. Other people who signed deals with the company include producer William Graf, Warga, Wayne. Steve McQueen's Solar Productions. Robert Culp's company also signed.
Ogilvy Mather was hired in July 1969 to provide advertising for the division.
To counter act the film community's perception of being a "fluffy films" producer Stulberg recommended making The Boys in the Band to Pasley. Little Big Man was CCF's biggest hit at the box office however it had gone over budget to cost $9 million to lose money. CCF also financed a Broadway production, Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?, a Don Petersen drama that opened in February 1970. Pasley moved responsibility at CBS for CCF from Schneider to Goddard Lieberson, president of CBS/Columbia Group.
Twenty-six films were produced under Stulberg until he left to work at 20th Century Fox in 1971. CBS closed the unit in 1972; its last film was the Peanuts animated musical Snoopy, Come Home. The studio never reported a profit in any year of its operation losing money on the 20 out of 27 films for a total loss of $30 million.
Postscript
CBS sold 28 CCF films to Viacom in 1979 for $30 million. Since then, CBS attempted another return to the theatrical film production business in 1982, with a unit known as CBS Theatrical Films, as well as with Tri-Star Pictures, the joint venture between CBS, HBO and Columbia Pictures. CBS would later fall under common ownership with Paramount Pictures after being bought by Viacom (Paramount's parent since 1994 and originally the syndication arm of CBS) in 1999. CBS and Viacom split again in 2005, but both are still owned by National Amusements. CBS eventually launched a new film unit independent of Viacom and Paramount in 2007, called CBS Films (which Lionsgate took over CBS Films' theatrical distribution functions in 2015).
Filmography
Unmade projects
The following projects were announced but not made: