Sony Pictures History (cont'd)

With Columbia’s increased respect and prestige during the ’30’s and ’40’s, the Cohn brothers were able to expand their studio acreage in Hollywood. In 1935, they purchased additional property in Burbank to use as a back lot for location filming. Among the many stars under contract at the time were Rosalind Russell, Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford and William Holden, all adding luster to the Columbia name.

Today, the motion picture library is one of the company’s most valuable assets with more than 3,500 films—from timeless classics to long-running franchises, including 12 Best Picture Academy Award® winners.

Although its films were successful, Columbia didn’t know the meaning of the word "blockbuster" until the mid ’40’s when THE JOLSON STORY became its biggest-grossing movie to date. That set the stage for the company’s most profitable decade yet, culminating in another Best Picture Oscar® ) for its 1949 film, ALL THE KING’S MEN.

Columbia Pictures was one of the first studios to venture into the television business with the creation of a division called Screen Gems in 1948. With Screen Gems came a lucrative new income stream for the company. The television division was later named Columbia Pictures Television, then became Columbia TriStar Television before being renamed Sony Pictures Television in 2002. Today, the company’s classic television library is filled with more than fifty years of the world’s favorite programs with such titles as BEWITCHED, I DREAM OF JEANNIE, and CHARLIE’S ANGELS and includes more than 35,000 television episodes, 275 television series and more than 22,000 episodes of game show programming.

The late ’50’s saw the death of both Cohn brothers and, with it, the end of an era. Crowning that decade were three more Oscar®-winning successes: FROM HERE TO ETERNITY, ON THE WATERFRONT and THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI.

During the 1960’s, Columbia changed with the times by expanding the scope and appeal of its films to include youth-oriented themes (BYE BYE BIRDIE, FUNNY GIRL, DR. STRANGELOVE, TO SIR WITH LOVE) as well as Academy Award®-winning classics (LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS and OLIVER!).