First National Pictures

First National Pictures
General information
Type	Theatrical
Founded	1917
Defunct	1936 (closing all 133, liquidation process)
Founder	Thomas L. Tally J. D. Williams
Headquarters	United States
Industry	Motion picture exhibition, distribution and production
Products	Motion pictures, film distribution
Owner	WarnerMedia (library only; AT&T)
Parent	Independent (1917-1928) Warner Bros. (1928–1936)

First National Pictures is a defunct American motion picture production and distribution company. It was founded in 1917 as First National Exhibitors' Circuit, Inc., an association of independent theater owners in the United States, and became the country's largest theater chain. Expanding from exhibiting movies to distributing them, the company reincorporated in 1919 as Associated First National Theatres, Inc., and Associated First National Pictures, Inc. In 1924 it expanded to become a motion picture production company as First National Pictures, Inc., and became an important studio in the film industry. In September 1928, control of First National passed to Warner Bros., into which it was completely absorbed on November 4, 1929. A number of Warner Bros. films were thereafter branded First National Pictures until 1936, when First National Pictures, Inc., was dissolved.

History

The First National Exhibitors' Circuit was founded in 1917 by the merger of 26 of the biggest first-run cinema chains in the United States. It eventually controlled over 600 cinemas, more than 200 of them first-run houses (as opposed to the less lucrative second-run or neighborhood theaters to which films moved when their initial box office receipts dwindled).

First National was the brainchild of Thomas L. Tally, who was reacting to the overwhelming influence of Paramount Pictures, which dominated the market. In 1912, he thought that a conglomerate of theaters throughout the nation could buy or produce and distribute its own films. In 1917 Tally and J. D. Williams formed First National Exhibitors' Circuit.

The first film released through First National was the 1916 British film, The Mother of Dartmoor.[citation needed] Between 1917 and 1918, the company made contracts with Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin, the first million-dollar deals in the history of film. Chaplin's contract allowed him to produce his films without a set release schedule. However, the production of the feature film The Kid ran so long that the company started to complain. To address their concerns Chaplin invited the exhibitors to the studio, and they were so impressed by the project and charmed by the players, especially co-star Jackie Coogan, that they agreed to be patient. That patience was ultimately rewarded when The Kid became a major critical and box office success. First National's distribution of films by independent producers is credited with launching careers including that of Louis B. Mayer.

Adolph Zukor of Paramount Pictures was threatened by First National's financial power and its control over the lucrative first-run theaters, and decided to enter the cinema business as well. With a $10 million investment, Paramount built its own chain of first-run movie theaters after a secret plan to merge with First National failed.

First National Exhibitors' Circuit was reincorporated in 1919 as Associated First National Pictures, Inc., and its subsidiary, Associated First National Theatres, Inc., with 5,000 independent theater owners as members. In the early 1920s, Paramount attempted a hostile takeover, buying several of First National's member firms.

Associated First National Pictures expanded from only distributing films to producing them in 1924 and changed its corporate name to First National Pictures, Inc. It built its 62-acre (25 ha) studio lot in Burbank in 1926. The Motion Picture Theatre Owners of America and the Independent Producers' Association declared war in 1925 on what they termed a common enemy—the "film trust" of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount, and First National, which they claimed dominated the industry not only by producing and distributing motion pictures but also by entering into exhibition as well.

Acquisition by Warner Bros.

The financial success of The Jazz Singer and The Singing Fool enabled Warner Bros. to purchase a majority interest in First National in September 1928. Warner Bros. held 42,000 shares of common stock out of 72,000 outstanding shares while Fox Pictures held 21,000 shares; 12,000 shares were publicly held. Warner Bros. acquired access to First National's affiliated chain of theaters, while First National acquired access to Vitaphone sound equipment. Warner Bros. and First National continued to operate as separate entities.

On November 4, 1929, Fox sold its interest in First National to Warner Bros. for $10 million.:66 The First National studio in Burbank became the official home of Warner Bros.–First National Pictures. Thereafter, First National Pictures became a trade name for the distribution of a designated segment of Warner Bros. product. Forty-five of the 86 Warner Bros. feature films released in 1929 were branded as First National Pictures.:66 Half of the 60 feature films Warner Bros. announced for release in 1933–34 were to be First National Pictures.

Although both studios produced "A" and "B" budget pictures, generally the prestige productions, costume dramas, and musicals were made by Warner Bros., while First National specialized in modern comedies, dramas, and crime stories. Short subjects were made by yet another affiliated company, The Vitaphone Corporation (which took its name from the sound process).

In July 1936, stockholders of First National Pictures, Inc. (primarily Warner Bros.) voted to dissolve the corporation and distribute its assets among the stockholders in line with a new tax law which provided for tax-free consolidations between corporations.

From 1929 to 1958, most Warner Bros. films bore the combined trademark "A Warner Bros.–First National Picture".

Select filmography

Release Date	Title	Notes
September 23, 1917	The Fall of the Romanoffs	Distribution
December 3, 1917	Alimony	Distribution
December 23, 1917	Daughter of Destiny	Distribution
March 10, 1918	My Four Years in Germany	Distribution
April 2, 1918	Tarzan of the Apes	Distribution
April 14, 1918	A Dog's Life	Distribution
June 1, 1918	The Passing of the Third Floor Back	Distribution
October 1, 1918	The Romance of Tarzan	Distribution
January 19, 1919	Auction of Souls	Distribution
May 11, 1919	Daddy-Long-Legs	Distribution
September 1, 1919	The Hoodlum	Distribution
September 29, 1919	Back to God's Country	Distribution
November 16, 1919	A Virtuous Vamp	Distribution
November 17, 1919	Heart o' the Hills	Distribution
December 15, 1919	In Old Kentucky	Distribution
December 28, 1919	The Greatest Question	Distribution
January 15, 1920	Even as Eve	Distribution
February 1, 1920	The River's End	Distribution
March 15, 1920	The Family Honor	Distribution
March 21, 1920	The Idol Dancer	Distribution
April 1, 1920	Passion's Playground	Distribution
July 18, 1920	Go and Get It	Distribution
August 16, 1920	The Jack-Knife Man	Distribution
September 26, 1920	A Splendid Hazard	Distribution
October 4, 1920	The Branded Woman	Distribution
November 22, 1920	The Devil's Garden	Distribution
January 1, 1921	The Great Adventure	Distribution
January 1, 1921	Mama's Affair	Distribution
February 6, 1921	The Kid	Distribution
March 1, 1921	Scrambled Wives	Distribution
April 1, 1921	Jim the Penman	Distribution
April 1, 1921	The Passion Flower	Distribution
April 1, 1921	Sowing the Wind	Distribution
May 1, 1921	The Sign on the Door	Distribution
May 1, 1921	The Sky Pilot	Distribution
July 1, 1921	Salvation Nell	Distribution
August 1, 1921	A Midnight Bell	Distribution
September 26, 1921	Bits of Life	Distribution
October 10, 1921	The Invisible Fear	Distribution
October 17, 1921	Woman's Place	Distribution
November 20, 1921	Molly O'	Distribution
November 21, 1921	Tol'able David	Distribution
November 27, 1921	The Lotus Eater	Distribution
December 26, 1921	The Cave Girl	Distribution
January 1922	The Barnstormer	Distribution
February 13, 1922	Red Hot Romance	Distribution
February 13, 1922	Smilin' Through	Distribution
February 27, 1922	Kindred of the Dust	Distribution
April 2, 1922	The Infidel	Distribution
May 1, 1922	The Woman He Married	Distribution
May 15, 1922	The Primitive Lover	Distribution
July 2, 1922	Rose o' the Sea	Distribution
September 1, 1922	The Light in the Dark	Distribution
October 1, 1922	Lorna Doone	Distribution
October 1, 1922	White Shoulders	Distribution
October 30, 1922	Oliver Twist	Distribution
November 1, 1922	Brawn of the North	Distribution
December 1, 1922	Omar the Tentmaker	Distribution
December 1, 1922	The Woman Conquers	Distribution
December 25, 1922	The Hottentot	Distribution
January 1, 1923	Fury	Distribution
January 2, 1923	The Brass Bottle	Distribution
February 12, 1923	Mighty Lak' a Rose	Distribution
February 25, 1923	The Pilgrim	Distribution
March 18, 1923	The Isle of Lost Ships	Distribution
March 26, 1923	Daddy	Distribution
April 9, 1923	The Bright Shawl	Distribution
April 9, 1923	Her Fatal Millions	Distribution
April 30, 1923	Within the Law	Distribution
May 3, 1923	The Girl of the Golden West	Production and distribution
June 11, 1923	Slippy McGee	Distribution
July 30, 1923	Circus Days	Distribution
August 27, 1923	Dulcy	Distribution
September 10, 1923	The Fighting Blade	Distribution
September 16, 1923	Potash and Perlmutter	Distribution
October 1, 1923	Ashes of Vengeance	Distribution
October 8, 1923	The Bad Man	Distribution
October 29, 1923	Ponjola	Distribution
November 12, 1923	Flaming Youth	Production and distribution
November 12, 1923	Jealous Husbands	Distribution
November 19, 1923	The Dangerous Maid	Distribution
November 26, 1923	The Wanters	Distribution
November 28, 1923	Anna Christie	Distribution
December 17, 1923	The Eternal City	Distribution
December 23, 1923	Boy of Mine	Distribution
December 29, 1923	Black Oxen	Distribution
January 21, 1924	Abraham Lincoln	Distribution
February 1, 1924	The Love Master	Distribution
February 25, 1924	Torment	Distribution
February 29, 1924	Lilies of the Field	Distribution
March 24, 1924	The Enchanted Cottage	Production and distribution
March 24, 1924	Secrets	Distribution
April 20, 1924	The Woman on the Jury	Production and distribution
April 27, 1924	Those Who Dance	Distribution
May 4, 1924	Cytherea	Distribution
May 11, 1924	The White Moth	Distribution
May 25, 1924	The Perfect Flapper	Production and distribution
June 14, 1924	The Sea Hawk	Distribution
June 29, 1924	A Self-Made Failure	Distribution
July 20, 1924	The Girl in the Limousine	Distribution
July 27, 1924	Single Wives	Distribution
September 1, 1924	In Hollywood with Potash and Perlmutter	Distribution
October 1, 1924	Her Night of Romance	Distribution
October 5, 1924	The Silent Watcher	Distribution
October 26, 1924	The Only Woman	Distribution
November 23, 1924	Classmates	Distribution
November 30, 1924	Inez from Hollywood	Distribution
December 28, 1924	So Big	Production and distribution
January 11, 1925	As Man Desires	Production and distribution
January 18, 1925	A Thief in Paradise	Distribution
February 1, 1925	Enticement	Distribution
February 2, 1925	The Lost World	Production and distribution
March 15, 1925	Heart of a Siren	Distribution
March 22, 1925	Déclassée	Distribution
March 29, 1925	Sally	Production and distribution
April 12, 1925	His Supreme Moment	Distribution
April 30, 1925	Playing with Souls	Distribution
May 3, 1925	Soul-Fire	Distribution
May 10, 1925	Chickie	Production and distribution
May 17, 1925	The Necessary Evil	Production and distribution
June 16, 1925	Just a Woman	Production and distribution
July 12, 1925	The Lady Who Lied	Production and distribution
July 26, 1925	The Scarlet West	Distribution
August 16, 1925	The Half-Way Girl	Production and distribution
August 16, 1925	Winds of Chance	Production and distribution
September 6, 1925	Shore Leave	Distribution
September 13, 1925	What Fools Men	Production and distribution
September 27, 1925	The Dark Angel	Distribution
October 4, 1925	The Pace That Thrills	Production and distribution
October 11, 1925	Classified	Distribution
October 18, 1925	Why Women Love	Distribution
November 8, 1925	Scarlet Saint	Production and distribution
November 15, 1925	We Moderns	Distribution
November 25, 1925	Clothes Make the Pirate	Distribution
December 6, 1925	The Splendid Road	Distribution
December 13, 1925	Joanna	Distribution
January 10, 1926	Just Suppose	Distribution
January 13, 1926	Bluebeard's Seven Wives	Production and distribution
January 31, 1926	The Girl from Montmartre	Distribution
February 14, 1926	The Far Cry	Production and distribution
February 21, 1926	Irene	Production and distribution
February 28, 1926	The Dancer of Paris	Production and distribution
March 14, 1926	High Steppers	Distribution
March 21, 1926	Mademoiselle Modiste	Distribution
March 21, 1926	Tramp, Tramp, Tramp	Distribution
March 28, 1926	Her Second Chance	Production
April 4, 1926	Kiki	Distribution
April 11, 1926	Old Loves and New	Distribution
May 2, 1926	The Greater Glory	Production and distribution
May 23, 1926	The Wise Guy	Distribution
May 30, 1926	Ranson's Folly	Distribution
June 6, 1926	Ella Cinders	Distribution
June 17, 1926	The Sporting Lover	Distribution
June 27, 1926	Miss Nobody	Production and distribution
July 25, 1926	Great Deception	Distribution
July 26, 1926	Mismates	Production and distribution
August 8, 1926	The Duchess of Buffalo	Distribution
August 8, 1926	Into Her Kingdom	Distribution
August 15, 1926	The Amateur Gentleman	Distribution
September 4, 1926	Don Juan's Three Nights	Distribution
September 5, 1926	The Strong Man	Distribution
September 12, 1926	Subway Sadie	Distribution
September 26, 1926	Paradise	Distribution
October 17, 1926	Prince of Tempters	Distribution
October 25, 1926	Midnight Lovers	Distribution
October 31, 1926	Syncopating Sue	Distribution
November 20, 1926	The Blonde Saint	Distribution
November 28, 1926	Twinkletoes	Distribution
December 12, 1926	Just Another Blonde	Distribution
December 12, 1926	The White Black Sheep	Distribution
January 1, 1927	The Lady in Ermine	Distribution
January 16, 1927	The Masked Woman	Production and distribution
February 6, 1927	McFadden's Flats	Production and distribution
February 13, 1927	An Affair of the Follies	Distribution
February 20, 1927	Easy Pickings	Production and distribution
February 27, 1927	The Sea Tiger	Production and distribution
March 5, 1927	Three Hours	Distribution
March 6, 1927	Orchids and Ermine	Distribution
March 13, 1927	High Hat	Distribution
March 26, 1927	Long Pants	Distribution
March 27, 1927	The Notorious Lady	Distribution
April 21, 1927	Camille	Distribution
April 24, 1927	Convoy	Distribution
May 15, 1927	Broadway Nights	Distribution
May 22, 1927	Babe Comes Home	Production and distribution
June 5, 1927	Sunset Derby	Production and distribution
June 26, 1927	Naughty but Nice	Distribution
July 9, 1927	The Prince of Headwaiters	Distribution
July 31, 1927	For the Love of Mike	Distribution
August 14, 1927	The Stolen Bride	Production and distribution
September 1, 1927	The Patent Leather Kid	Production and distribution
September 3, 1927	The Life of Riley	Production and distribution
September 25, 1927	The Drop Kick	Production and distribution
September 25, 1927	Rose of the Golden West	Production and distribution
October 9, 1927	American Beauty	Production and distribution
October 23, 1927	Breakfast at Sunrise	Distribution
November 13, 1927	The Gorilla	Production and distribution
December 4, 1927	A Texas Steer	Production and distribution
December 4, 1927	The Valley of the Giants	Production and distribution
December 9, 1927	The Private Life of Helen of Troy	Production and distribution
December 10, 1927	French Dressing	Production and distribution
December 18, 1927	The Love Mart	Production and distribution
December 25, 1927	Her Wild Oat	Production and distribution
January 22, 1928	Sailors' Wives	Production and distribution
January 29, 1928	The Noose	Production and distribution
February 5, 1928	The Whip Woman	Production and distribution
April 15, 1928	Chinatown Charlie	Production and distribution
May 6, 1928	Lady Be Good	Production and distribution
May 20, 1928	Yellow Lily	Production and distribution
June 10, 1928	Three-Ring Marriage	Production and distribution
June 24, 1928	Happiness Ahead	Production and distribution
July 22, 1928	Heart to Heart	Production and distribution
August 19, 1928	Out of the Ruins	Production and distribution
August 26, 1928	Oh, Kay!	Production and distribution
September 9, 1928	Night Watch (1928 film)	Production and distribution
September 16, 1928	Waterfront	Production and distribution
September 23, 1928	Show Girl	Production and distribution
October 14, 1928	Do Your Duty	Production and distribution
October 18, 1928	Lilac Time	Production and distribution
October 21, 1928	Companionate Marriage	Distribution
November 4, 1928	The Haunted House (1928 film)	Production and distribution
November 11, 1928	Outcast	Production and distribution
December 2, 1928	Adoration	Production and distribution
December 5, 1928	The Barker	Production and distribution
December 16, 1928	Naughty Baby	Production and distribution
December 29, 1928	Scarlet Seas	Production and distribution
January 6, 1929	Synthetic Sin	Production and distribution
February 10, 1929	Weary River	Production and distribution
February 17, 1929	Seven Footprints to Satan	Production and distribution
March 3, 1929	Children of the Ritz	Production and distribution
March 12, 1929	Why Be Good?	Production and distribution
March 24, 1929	Love and the Devil	Production and distribution
March 31, 1929	The Divine Lady	Production and distribution
April 2, 1929	His Captive Woman	Production and distribution
April 28, 1929	House of Horror (1929 film)	Production and distribution
May 5, 1929	Hot Stuff	Production and distribution
May 8, 1929	The Squall	Production and distribution
May 12, 1929	Two Weeks Off	Production and distribution
June 2, 1929	Careers	Production and distribution
June 21, 1929	Broadway Babies	Production and distribution
July 7, 1929	The Man and the Moment	Production and distribution
July 20, 1929	Drag	Production and distribution
July 28, 1929	Smiling Irish Eyes	Production and distribution
August 4, 1929	Hard to Get	Production and distribution
August 25, 1929	Her Private Life	Production and distribution
August 31, 1929	The Girl from Woolworth's	Production and distribution
September 15, 1929	The Great Divide (1929 film)	Production and distribution
October 1, 1929	Young Nowheres	Production and distribution
October 25, 1929	The Isle of Lost Ships (1929 film)	Production and distribution
November 4, 1929	Paris	Production and distribution

Films as a Warner Bros. subsidiary

As a subsidiary of Warner Bros., First National Pictures, Inc., continued to be a copyright claimant and trademark on motion pictures through 1936. Notable examples of First National Pictures titles are listed below.

1929

• Footlights and Fools
• The Forward Pass
• The Love Racket
• The Painted Angel
• Sally
• Wedding Rings

1930

• Back Pay
• The Bad Man
• Bride of the Regiment
• Bright Lights
• College Lovers
• The Dawn Patrol
• The Flirting Widow
• The Furies
• The Girl of the Golden West
• Going Wild
• The Gorilla
• In the Next Room
• Kismet
• The Lash
• Lilies of the Field
• Loose Ankles
• Mothers Cry
• Murder Will Out
• No, No, Nanette
• A Notorious Affair
• Numbered Men
• One Night at Susie's
• The Other Tomorrow
• Playing Around
• Road to Paradise
• Scarlet Pages
• Show Girl in Hollywood
• Son of the Gods
• Song of the Flame
• Spring Is Here
• Strictly Modern
• Sunny
• Sweet Mama
• Sweethearts and Wives
• Top Speed
• The Truth About Youth
• The Way of All Men
• The Widow from Chicago

1931

• The Bargain
• Big Business Girl
• Broadminded
• Chances
• Compromised
• Father's Son
• The Finger Points
• Five Star Final
• Her Majesty, Love
• Honor of the Family
• The Hot Heiress
• I Like Your Nerve
• Kiss Me Again
• The Lady Who Dared
• The Last Flight
• Little Caesar
• Local Boy Makes Good
• Men of the Sky
• Misbehaving Ladies
• The Naughty Flirt
• Party Husband
• Penrod and Sam
• The Reckless Hour
• The Right of Way
• The Ruling Voice
• Safe in Hell
• Too Young to Marry
• Woman Hungry

1932

• Alias the Doctor
• Cabin in the Cotton
• Central Park
• The Crash
• Crooner
• The Dark Horse
• Doctor X
• The Famous Ferguson Case
• Fireman, Save My Child
• The Hatchet Man
• It's Tough to Be Famous
• Life Begins
• Love Is a Racket
• The Match King
• Miss Pinkerton
• The Rich Are Always with Us
• Silver Dollar
• The Strange Love of Molly Louvain
• The Tenderfoot
• They Call It Sin
• Three on a Match
• Tiger Shark
• 20,000 Years in Sing Sing
• Two Seconds
• Union Depot
• Week-End Marriage
• The Woman from Monte Carlo
• You Said a Mouthful

1933

• Blondie Johnson
• Bureau of Missing Persons
• Central Airport
• Convention City
• Elmer, the Great
• Employees' Entrance
• Female
• Frisco Jenny
• Goodbye Again
• Grand Slam
• Havana Widows
• Heroes for Sale
• I Loved a Woman
• Lilly Turner
• The Little Giant
• The Mind Reader
• She Had to Say Yes
• Son of a Sailor
• Wild Boys of the Road
• The World Changes

1934

• Babbitt
• Bedside
• The Big Shakedown
• British Agent
• The Church Mouse
• The Circus Clown
• Dark Hazard
• The Dragon Murder Case
• Fashions of 1934
• Flirtation Walk
• Fog Over Frisco
• Gentlemen Are Born
• Happiness Ahead
• I Sell Anything
• Journal of a Crime
• A Lost Lady
• The Man with Two Faces
• Mandalay
• Massacre
• The Merry Frinks
• Midnight Alibi
• Murder in the Clouds
• Registered Nurse
• Return of the Terror
• Side Streets
• 6 Day Bike Rider
• Twenty Million Sweethearts
• A Very Honorable Guy
• Wonder Bar

1935

• Black Fury
• The Case of the Curious Bride
• G Men
• The Girl from 10th Avenue
• Go into Your Dance
• Gold Diggers of 1935
• In Caliente
• The Irish in Us
• Living on Velvet
• Maybe It's Love
• Oil for the Lamps of China
• Red Hot Tires
• Traveling Saleslady
• While the Patient Slept
• The Woman in Red

1936

• The Case of the Velvet Claws
• Here Comes Carter
• Earthworm Tractors

References

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