United Artists Television: Difference between revisions

United Artists Television, formed in 1956, was an American television production/distribution company of United Artists Corporation. The company is remembered for producing series such as This Man Dawson, The Outer Limits, Gilligan's Island, My Mother the Car, The Fugitive, The New Phil Silvers Show, thirtysomething, and The Patty Duke Show.

Background

UA purchased Associated Artists Productions ('a.a.p.') in 1958, giving UA access to the pre-1950 Warner Bros. library and the Popeye cartoons made by Fleischer Studios and Famous Studios between 1933 and 1957.

In 1960, United Artists purchased Ziv Television Programs, including the 20% share still held by chair of the board, Frederick Ziv, and president, John L. Sinn, for $20 million. The newly merged production company was renamed Ziv-United Artists.

United Artists had never been very successful in television, having placed only two series in prime time, The Troubleshooters (1959—1960) and The Dennis O'Keefe Show (1959—1960). This pattern continued after the merger. Ziv-UA produced 12 pilots during the first year and failed to sell any of them. though Aubrey Schenck's Miami Undercover lasted one season in 1961.

In 1962, the company phased out Ziv Television operations and changed its name back to United Artists Television. In the same year, the American Broadcasting Company premiered a successful prime time television show called The ABC Sunday Night Movie in competition to NBC's successful Saturday Night at the Movies. The first season featured the release of many United Artists films with some episodes containing featurettes promoting upcoming UA cinema releases.

United Artists Television had several shows such as Stoney Burke (1962), The Patty Duke Show (1963), The Outer Limits (1963), Hollywood and the Stars (1963), The Fugitive (1963), The Hollywood Palace (1964), and Gilligan's Island (1964).

After The Hollywood Palace ended in 1970, the company decided to focus presenting their movie library on television and rerunning their classics after years of still being unsuccessful in television.

In 1981, MGM merged with UA to create MGM/UA Entertainment Co. As a result, their respective television units combined as well, becoming MGM/UA Entertainment Co. Television (or just simply MGM/UA Television) in 1982. The "United Artists Television" name was eventually phased out around 1983 in favor of the "MGM/UA Television" banner, although UA itself continued to produce television shows until 1995.

In September 2014, MGM acquired a controlling interest in One Three Media and Lightworkers Media, both operated by Hollywood producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey. The two companies will be consolidated into a new film and television company, United Artists Media Group. Burnett will be UA's CEO and Downey will become president of Lightworkers Media. Hearst Entertainment (an investor in Burnett and Downey's entertainment assets) will also acquire a minority stake in UA through this deal. Through this acquisition, UA now owns Burnett's reality show franchises The Voice Survivor The Apprentice and Shark Tank.

Notable United Artists shows

• The Troubleshooters (1959–1960) starring Keenan Wynn
• Tales of the Vikings (1959-1960)
• The Dennis O'Keefe Show (1959–1960)
• Men into Space (1959–1960)
• World of Giants (1959)
• The Aquanauts (1960)
• Miami Undercover (1961)
• Hollywood and the Stars (1963)
• The New Phil Silvers Show (1963–1964)
• East Side/West Side (1963–1964)
• The Patty Duke Show (1963–1966)
• The Fugitive (1963–1967) (Overall rights to show now owned by CBS Television Distribution due to buyout of original syndicator/owner Worldvision)
• The Outer Limits (1963–1965)
• The Unknown (1964, show was included in syndication package of The Outer Limits)
• The Lawbreakers (1964)
• Gilligan's Island (1964–1967, UA's stake in the show now owned by WB/Turner)
• Kibbee Hates Fitch (1965)
• The Incredible World of James Bond (television special, 1965)
• My Mother The Car (1965–1966)
• O.K. Crackerby! (1965–1966)
• Mona McCluskey (1965–1966)
• The Milton Berle Show (1966–1967)
• It's About Time (1966-1967)
• Hey, Landlord (1966–1967)
• The Pink Panther Show (1969–1979)
• Rat Patrol (1966–1968)
• Welcome to Japan, Mr. Bond (1967, television special)
• The Mothers-In-Law (1967–1969)
• The Pink Panther in: A Pink Christmas (1978, television special)
• James Bond: The First 25 Years (1983, television special)
• Paper Dolls (1984)
• Pink Panther and Sons (1984–1986) (co-produced with Hanna-Barbera and DePatie-Freleng and Mirisch Company)
• thirtysomething (1987–1991)
• James Bond Jr. (1991–1992) (owns the copyright with Danjaq)
• The Pink Panther (1993-1996)

References

• United Artists Television (us) at imdb.com