Tiffany Pictures

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Tiffany Pictures (known for a period as Tiffany-Stahl Productions) was a Hollywood motion picture studio in operation from 1921[1] until 1932.

Tiffany Productions was formed by then superstar Mae Murray and her then director husband Robert Z. Leonard and Maurice H. Hoffman who filmed 8 films together that were released through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Starting in 1925 with Souls for Sables, Tiffany released films under their own name. Tiffany made a total of 70 sound features, twenty which were Westerns.[2] Tiffany booked its films into nearly 2.500 theatres.[3]

To make their films, Tiffany acquired the former Reliance-Majestic Studios lot at 4516 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles in 1927.

John M. Stahl was the director of Tiffany from 1927 until selling out in 1930 renaming the company Tiffany-Stahl Productions. Head of Tiffany was Phil Goldstone with his vice president M.H. Hoffman[4] who later was president of Liberty Films that merged into Republic Pictures. Leonard A Young who similtaneously ran LA Young Spring and Wire Company bought into Tiffany from Hoffman in 1929[5]

Among films produced by Tiffany were:

  • A series of films starring then box office attraction Mae Murray
  • The Lost Zeppelin (1929) an early Arctic disaster film
  • Mamba (1930) that claimed to be the first full-Technicolor drama
  • The Medicine Man (1930) starring Jack Benny
  • Eight Westerns starring Bob Steele
  • Ten Westerns starring Ken Maynard
  • A series of short subjects called The Voice of Hollywood
  • A series of short subject comedies featuring voices dubbed over chimps chewing bubble gum produced by Jack White

They were sued by Tiffany & Co. for trademark infringement, using such slogans as "Another Gem from Tiffany".

One reason for Tiffany's failure was that it did not have a profitable distribution network.[6]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Crafton, Donald The Talkies-American Cinema's Transition to Sound 1926-1931
  2. ^ Fernett, Gene Hollywood's Poverty Row 1930-1950 p.31 1973 Coral Reef Publications
  3. ^ p.215 Crafton, Donald The Talkies: American Cinema's Transition to Sound 1926-1931 University of California Press (1997)
  4. ^ Maas, Frederica Sagor The Shocking Miss Pilgrim: A Writer in Early Hollywood University Press of Kentucky, 1999
  5. ^ Interregnum in Hollywood, Time 15 Feb 1932
  6. ^ p.215 Crafton, Donald The Talkies: American Cinema's Transition to Sound 1926-1931 University of California Press (1997)

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[edit] External links