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Producers Releasing Corporation was the smallest and least prestigious of the 11 Hollywood film companies of the 1940s. It was considered a prime example of what was called "Poverty Row": a low-rent stretch of Gower Street in Hollywood where shoestring film producers based their operations. However, PRC was more substantial than the usual independent companies that made only a few low-budget movies and then disappeared. PRC was an actual Hollywood studio – albeit the smallest – with its own production facilities and distribution network, and it even accepted imports from the UK. PRC lasted from 1939 to 1947, churning out low-budget B movies for the lower half of a double bill or the upper half of a neighborhood theater showing second-run films. The studio was originally located at 1440 N. Gower St. from 1936 to 1943. PRC then occupied the former Grand National Pictures physical plant at 7324 Santa Monica Blvd., from 1943 to 1947. This address is now an apartment complex.
Poverty Row is a slang term for small Hollywood studios that produced B movies from the 1920s to the 1950s, typically with much smaller budgets and lower production values than those of the major studios. Although many of these studios were based in the vicinity of Gower Street in Hollywood, the term does not necessarily relate to any specific physical location.
The Oil Raider is a 1934 American action film directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet and starring Buster Crabbe, Gloria Shea and George Irving. It was produced on Poverty Row as a second feature and was distributed by independent company Mayfair Pictures.
Majestic Pictures was an American film production and distribution company active during the 1930s. Under the control of Larry Darmour, the company specialized in low-budget productions and was one of the more stable Poverty Row outfits during the period. It also gained a reputation for producing higher quality films than was common amongst similar studios, possibly due to a business arrangement the company had with the major studio MGM.
Chesterfield Motion Picture Corporation, generally shortened to Chesterfield Pictures, was an American film production company of the 1920s and 1930s. The company head was George R. Batcheller, and the company worked in tandem with its sister studio, Invincible Pictures Corporation, which was led by Maury Cohen. The production company never owned its own studio and rented space at other studios, primarily Universal Pictures and RKO.
Notorious but Nice is a 1933 pre-Code American sound film drama directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Marian Marsh, Betty Compson and Don Dillaway. It was produced and distributed by B movie studio Chesterfield Motion Pictures.
August Weekend or August Week End or Week-End Madness is a 1936 American drama film directed by Charles Lamont and starring Valerie Hobson, Paul Harvey and G. P. Huntley. The screenplay was adapted by Paul Perez from a story by Faith Baldwin. It was produced by Chesterfield Motion Pictures and distributed by Grand National Distributors.
George R. Batcheller (1892–1938) was an American film producer. He ran the low-budget studio Chesterfield Pictures in the 1930s.
M. A. Anderson was an American cinematographer. He worked for the Poverty Row studio Chesterfield Pictures during the 1930s.
Roland D. Reed was an American film editor, producer and director. He worked on many films for the low-budget Chesterfield Pictures and later started Roland Reed Productions, Inc. that shut down in November 1956. In addition to TV series, Reed made industrial and Christian films as well as television commercials that were filmed at Hal Roach Studios.
City Park is a 1934 American comedy drama film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Sally Blane, Henry B. Walthall and Matty Kemp. It was produced and distributed by the independent studio Chesterfield Pictures, which was later merged into Republic Pictures.
Strange People is a 1933 American mystery film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring John Darrow, Gloria Shea and Hale Hamilton. It was produced by the independent Chesterfield Pictures.
The Secrets of Wu Sin is a 1932 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Lois Wilson, Grant Withers and Dorothy Revier. It was made by the Poverty Row studio Chesterfield Pictures.
Liberty Pictures was an American film production company of the 1930s. Part of Poverty Row, the company produced low-budget B pictures. It was one of two companies controlled by the producer M.H. Hoffman along with Allied Pictures.
Fighting Lady is a 1935 American drama film directed by Carlos F. Borcosque and starring Peggy Shannon, Jack Mulhall and Marion Lessing. The film was a low-budget Poverty Row production, distributed in some regions by Majestic Pictures.
Topa Topa is a 1938 American Western film directed by Charles Hutchison and Vin Moore and starring Joan Valerie, James Bush and LeRoy Mason. The film was originally distributed by the Poverty Row company Pennant Pictures, but was rereleased the following year by Grand National Pictures with the alternative title Children of the Wild.
Beggar's Holiday is a 1934 American drama film directed by Sam Newfield and starring Hardie Albright, J. Farrell MacDonald and Sally O'Neil. It was produced on Poverty Row as a second feature. Scenes were shot at the Talisman Studios. In Britain it was distributed by Universal Pictures.
The Quitter is a 1934 American drama film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Charley Grapewin, Emma Dunn and Barbara Weeks. It was produced and distributed by the Poverty Row studio Chesterfield Pictures, later absorbed into Republic.
Wings of Adventure is a 1930 American pre-Code action adventure film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Rex Lease, Armida and Clyde Cook. It was produced and distributed by Tiffany Pictures.
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- ↑ Pitts p.83