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Educational Pictures (or Educational Film Exchanges, Inc. or Educational Films Corporation of America) was a film distribution company founded in 1916 by Earle (E. W.) Hammons (1882–1962). Educational primarily distributed short subjects, and today is probably best known for its series of 1930s comedies starring Buster Keaton,〔The theater and cinema of Buster Keaton, by Robert Knopf〕 as well as for a series of one-reel comedies featuring the earliest screen appearances of Shirley Temple. The studio also distributed short comedies starring Lloyd Hamilton, who employed the blacklisted Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle as a writer-director under the pseudonym William Goodrich. == Business history == Earle Hammons originally established the company to make instructional films for schools, but making comedies for theatrical release proved more lucrative.〔The Great Movie Shorts, by Leonard Maltin〕 Educational did indeed issue many educational, travelogue, and novelty shorts, but its main enterprise was comedy.〔Stereoscopic cinema & the origins of 3-D film, 1838-1952, By Ray Zone〕 Educational's heyday was the 1920s, when the popular silent comedies of Al St. John, Lupino Lane, Lige Conley, Lloyd Hamilton,〔Lloyd Hamilton: Poor Boy Comedian of Silent Cinema, By Anthony Balducci〕 and Monty Collins complemented many a moviehouse bill as "the spice of the program." Educational also released silent cartoons including the Felix the Cat series. In 1930, cartoonist Paul Terry signed with Educational to distribute his cartoons. Educational made a smooth transition to sound movies by handling the early talking comedies of pioneer producer Mack Sennett. Sennett also introduced singing star Bing Crosby to movie audiences. But Sennett soon became plagued by financial problems, and he left Educational in 1932.〔A History of the Hal Roach Studios, By Richard Lewis Ward〕 Most of Educational's silent stars made only a few talkies for the studio: Lupino Lane left the company in 1930, followed by Lloyd Hamilton in 1931. Most of the earliest Educational talkies feature silent-comedy veterans with stage experience: Vernon Dent, Harry Gribbon, Raymond McKee, Edward Everett Horton, Daphne Pollard, and Ford Sterling. Educational's most prolific comedian in the 1930s was undoubtedly the Sennett star Andy Clyde, who made 54 comedies. Educational replaced the Sennett films with star-name comedians.〔Stardust and shadows: Canadians in early Hollywood, by Charles Foster〕 Andy Clyde and Harry Langdon led Educational's release schedule for a few years, then Buster Keaton headlined a series that yielded 16 popular two-reel comedies.〔The theater and cinema of Buster Keaton by Robert Knopf〕 For a time Educational maintained studios on both coasts. The Hollywood productions, in addition to those of Clyde, Langdon, and Keaton, hosted comedy stars Moran and Mack, Edgar Kennedy, and Ernest Truex. New York-based talent from vaudeville and radio starred in Educational's East Coast productions based at the Astoria Studios: Joe Cook, Tim and Irene Ryan, Sylvia Froos, Warren Hull, Tom Howard and George Shelton, Stoopnagle and Budd, Bert Lahr, and Willie Howard. Many stars made debuts in Educational shorts: Bob Hope, The Ritz Brothers, Milton Berle, June Allyson, Imogene Coca, and Danny Kaye in New York; and Shirley Temple, Joan Davis, and Roy Rogers in Hollywood. During its last year of production, Educational showcased the young comedy/dance team of Herman Timberg, Jr. and Pat Rooney, Jr., singers Niela Goodelle and Lee Sullivan, comic Charles Kemper, and comedienne Harriet Hutchins. Twentieth Century-Fox and its predecessor, Fox Film Corporation, had been distributing Educational product to theaters. In 1937 Fox dropped its line of short comedies and withdrew its support from Educational. Earle Hammons tried to keep his company going while trying to enter the feature-film market with the financially troubled Grand National Pictures. The drain on his finances forced both companies into bankruptcy. The final Educational comedies (with radio and screen comic F. Chase Taylor as "Col. Stoopnagle") were released in January 1939, and the film library was sold at auction in 1940. Most were obtained by Astor Pictures, which shrewdly timed its re-releases to cash in on certain performers' popularity. Astor compiled four feature-length comedies showcasing Shirley Temple (in 1942), Danny Kaye (in 1945), and Bing Crosby Bob Hope, Betty Grable and Milton Berle all in 1947. Much of Educational's silent film library was lost in a laboratory fire in 1937,〔This film is dangerous:a celebration of nitrate film〕 but the sound comedies survive today. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Educational Pictures」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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