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  • Founded
    Southern California (1931),
    predecessor-in-interest to Allied Artists Pictures Corporation (1946),
    now a subsidiary of Allied Artists International


    Headquarters
    Los Angeles, California
    New York City, New York


    Key People
    Kim Richards, Chairman and CEO,
    Robert Fitzpatrick, President


    Website
    www.monogrampictures.com


    For more information:-
    Monogram Pictures- Wikipedia


    Monogram Pictures Corporation
    is a Hollywood studio that produced and released films,
    most on low budgets, between 1931 and 1953,
    when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists.
    Monogram is considered a leader among the smaller studios sometimes
    referred to collectively as Poverty Row.
    The idea behind the studio was that when the Monogram logo
    appeared on the screen,
    everyone knew they were in for action and adventure.





    By the early 1930’s, only a handful of the independents had configured themselves
    into cheaper versions of the studio system.
    One of the most important was Monogram, which was originally located at 4516 Sunset Blvd.,
    then relocated to 1040 N. Las Palmas Ave.
    In 1935, Monogram merged into Republic, becoming an independent company again one year later,
    and moving, once again, over to Sunset Drive and Hoover Street.
    Monogram made money on the Bowery Boys and the Cisco Kid,
    but under its intended “AA” movie subsidiary, Allied Artists


    Monogram was created in the early 1930s from two earlier companies,
    W. Ray Johnston's Rayart Productions
    (renamed "Raytone" when sound pictures came in)
    and Trem Carr's Sono Art-World Wide Pictures.
    Both specialized in low budget features and, as Monogram Pictures,
    continued that policy until 1935 with Carr in charge of production.
    Another independent, Paul Malvern, released his
    Lone Star western productions
    (starring John Wayne) through Monogram.



    The backbone of the studio in those early days was a father-and-son
    combination: Robert N. Bradbury, writer and director,
    and Bob Steele, cowboy actor, were on their roster.
    Bradbury wrote almost all of the early Monogram and Lone Star westerns.
    While budgets and production values were lean,
    Monogram offered a balanced program, including
    action melodramas, classics, and mysteries.


    Please also see
    Lone Star Productions


    In 1935, Johnston and Carr were wooed by Herbert Yates
    of Consolidated Film Industries; Yates planned to merge Monogram
    with several other smaller independent companies to form
    Republic Pictures.
    But after a short time in this new venture, Johnston and Carr left,
    Carr to produce at Universal and Johnston to restart Monogram in 1937.


    Monogram Ranch
    Monogram Pictures operated the Monogram Ranch,
    See:- Monogram/ Melody Ranch
    their movie ranch in Placerita Canyon near Newhall, California
    in the northern San Gabriel Mountains foothills.
    Tom Mix had used the 'Placeritos Ranch' for location
    shooting for his silent western films.



    Ernie Hickson became the owner in 1936 and reconstructed
    all the 'frontier western town' sets, moved from the nearby
    Republic Pictures Movie Ranch (present day Disney Golden Oak Ranch),
    onto his 110-acre (0.45 km2) ranch.
    A year later in 1937 Monogram Pictures signed a long term lease
    with Hickson for 'Placeritos Ranch', with terms that the ranch be renamed
    'Monogram Ranch.'
    Gene Autry, actor, cowboy singer, and producer,
    purchased the 'Monogram Ranch' property from the Hickson heirs in 1953,
    renaming it after his film 'Melody Ranch'.
    Today it is operated as the 'Melody Ranch Motion Picture Studio'
    and 'Melody Ranch Studios.



    Main Street


    Early Years
    Monogram could seldom afford big-name movie stars
    and would employ either former silent-film actors who were idle
    (Herbert Rawlinson, William Collier, Sr.)
    or young featured players (Ray Walker, Wallace Ford).


    In 1938 Monogram began a long and profitable policy
    of making series and hiring familiar players to star in them.
    Frankie Darro, Hollywood's foremost tough-kid actor of the 1930s,
    joined Monogram and stayed with the company until 1950.
    Comedian Mantan Moreland co-starred in many of the Darros
    and continued to be a valuable asset to Monogram through 1949.


    Juvenile actors Marcia Mae Jones and Jackie Moran carried
    a series of homespun romances.
    Crime themes dominated the roster at Monogram
    in the late thirties and early forties.
    For example, the very forgettable though endearing
    Riot Squad (1941) cast Richard Cromwell as a doctor
    working covertly for the police department to catch the mobsters
    before his girlfriend Rita Quigley breaks their engagement.



    Boris Karloff brought a touch of class to the Monogram
    release schedule with his "Mr. Wong" mysteries.
    This prompted producer Sam Katzman to engage Bela Lugosi
    for a follow-up series of Monogram thrillers.



    Katzman hit the bull's-eye with his street-gang series
    The East Side Kids, which ran from 1940 to 1945.
    East Side star Leo Gorcey then took the reins himself
    and transformed the series into The Bowery Boys,
    which became the longest-running feature-film series
    in movie history (48 titles).
    During this run, Gorcey became the highest paid actor
    in Hollywood on an annual basis.


    Westerns
    Monogram always catered to western fans.
    The studio released sagebrush sagas with Bill Cody, Bob Steele,
    John Wayne, Tom Keene, Tim McCoy, Tex Ritter,
    and Jack Randall before hitting on the "trio" format teaming veteran saddle pals.


    ..


    Buck Jones, Tim McCoy, and Raymond Hatton
    became The Rough Riders;


    Ray (Crash) Corrigan, John 'Dusty' King, and Max Terhune
    were The Range Busters,


    and Ken Maynard, Hoot Gibson, and Bob Steele
    teamed as The Trail Blazers.


    When Universal Pictures allowed Johnny Mack Brown's
    contract to lapse, Monogram grabbed him
    and kept him busy through 1952.


    The studio was a launching pad for stars of the future Preston Foster,
    Randolph Scott, Lionel Atwill, Alan Ladd, Edith Fellows and Robert Mitchum.
    The studio was also a haven for established stars whose careers had stalled:
    Edmund Lowe, John Boles,Ricardo Cortez, Kay Francis Bruce Cabot



    Gale Storm


    Monogram did create and nurture its own stars like Gale Storm .
    Another of Monogram's finds during this time was British skating star Belita,
    who conversely starred in musical revues first and then graduated to dramatic roles,
    including Suspense (1946), the only A-budget picture to be produced
    under the Monogram name.
    _______________________________________________________________________________________
    BACKLOT


    Many of Duke's Lone Star westerns made here


    The following pictures are from the Allied Artists brochure.
    that advertised the Western Street.



    The western street looking north

    The western street looking south.









    These pictures are by Chuck Anderson.


    For more information
    Studios, Backlots and Ranches


    For more information:-
    Monogram Pictures- Wikipedia


    N.B
    All information correct at original posting, for updated information
    please click on Wikipedia link

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited 39 times, last by ethanedwards ().

  • In the spring of 1933, Duke was to return to Poverty Row,
    when he signed a contract with Lone Star Productions,
    to play lead in a series of westerns produced by Paul Malvern.
    They were to be distributed by Monogram,
    so considered a step up from Mascot


    The director of the westerns starting with Riders of Destiny,
    was Robert North Bradbury, father of Duke's friend Bob Steele.
    If not for Robert North Bradbury, Duke would have been lost forever!


    See here:-
    Pals Of The Saddle- Robert North Bradbury


    Monogram Pictures were, like Mascot swallowed up by Herbert Yates,
    and the new company formed called Republic Pictures
    Including Mascot and Monogram Pictures,
    which became the biggest component of Republic,
    Duke made the following 16 movies with Lone Star/Monogram:-


    1933. RIDERS OF DESTINY
    1933. SAGEBRUSH TRAIL
    1933. WEST OF THE DIVIDE
    1934.-THE LUCKY TEXAN
    1934. BLUE STEEL
    1934. THE MAN FROM UTAH
    1934. RANDY RIDES ALONE
    1934. THE STAR PACKER-
    1934. THE TRAIL BEYOND
    1934. 'NEATH ARIZONA SKIES
    1934. LAWLESS FRONTIER
    1935. TEXAS TERROR-
    1935. RAINBOW VALLEY
    1935. THE DESERT TRAIL
    1935. THE DAWN RIDER
    1935. PARADISE CANYON

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited 8 times, last by ethanedwards ().