Batjac Productions

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  • Founded
    John Wayne
    Robert Fellows
    1953


    Originally
    Wayne/Fellows Productions.


    Headquarters
    Beverly Hills, California, United States


    Owner
    Gretchen Wayne (Owner/ President)


    For more information;-
    Batjac Productions- Wikipedia


    Batjac Productions. Inc.
    is an independent film production company
    founded by John Wayne in the early 1950s as a vehicle
    for Wayne to produce as well as star in movies.
    Its first release was Big Jim McLain with Warner Brothers in 1952,
    and its final film was also with Warner Brothers, McQ, in 1974.
    Today, Gretchen Wayne, wife of the actor’s late son,
    Michael Wayne, who managed and owned the company
    for over 30 years before his death in 2003, is its owner and president.


    About the Company
    Wayne and producer Robert Fellows founded Batjac in 1952 as
    Wayne/Fellows Productions.
    When Fellows left the company several years later,
    Wayne re-named the corporation after a fictitious trading company
    mentioned in the 1948 film Wake of the Red Witch.
    The company name in Wake of the Red Witch was spelled Batjak,
    but Wayne's secretary misspelled it as Batjac on the corporation papers,
    and Wayne let it stand.
    Having his own company gave Wayne artistic control over the films he made.


    The most famous of all Batjac's films is Wayne's 1960 version of The Alamo,
    a project he had planned for several years.
    It was an account of the battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution of 1836.
    A labor of love for Wayne, The Alamo cost Wayne much of his personal fortune.



    The "Lost" Wayne films
    Because of a production/distribution deal with Warner Bros.
    and United Artists, Batjac was allowed to retain all rights to four Wayne films:
    the WB-distributed The High and the Mighty, Hondo, and Island in the Sky,
    and the UA-distributed McLintock!.
    It also held full copyright ownership in several non-John Wayne movies,


    Seven Men From Now,
    Man in the Vault,
    Ring of Fear,
    Plunder of the Sun,
    Track of the Cat,
    China Doll,
    Escort West
    Gun the Man Down.


    After Wayne's death, his son Michael assumed full ownership
    and managed the company for over 30 years.
    He meticulously managed the release pattern of his films and restored
    Hondo and McLintock! in the early 1990s for release on VHS and television.
    His passion was to restore the other two films,
    but water damage to the original elements made it impossible during his lifetime.
    Taking advantage of the new digital restoration processes,
    Michael's widow Gretchen restored these films in 2004
    and released them through a distribution deal with Paramount Pictures in 2005.



    Production Company - Filmography
    1. McQ (1974) ... Production Company (as A Batjac and Levy-Gardner Production)
    2. Cahill (1973) ... Production Company
    3. The Train Robbers (1973) ... Production Company
    4. Big Jake (1971) ... Production Company
    5. Rio Lobo (1970) ... Production Company (uncredited)
    6. Swing Out, Sweet Land (1970) (TV) ... Production Company
    7. Chisum (1970) ... Production Company (as A Batjac Production)
    8. The Green Berets (1968) ... Production Company (as A Batjac Production)
    9. "Hondo: Hondo and the Gladiators (#1.15)" (1967) ... Production Company
    10. "Hondo: Hondo and the Death Drive (#1.13)" (1967) ... Production Company
    11. "Hondo: Hondo and the War Hawks (#1.7)" (1967) ... Production Company
    12. "Hondo: Hondo and the Superstition Massacre (#1.4)" (1967) ... Production Company
    13. "Hondo" (1967) ... Production Company
    14. Hondo and the Apaches (1967) (TV) ... Production Company
    15. The War Wagon (1967) ... Production Company (as A Batjac Presentation)
    16. Cast a Giant Shadow (1966) ... Production Company
    17. McLintock! (1963) ... Production Company (presents) (as Batjac)
    18. The Alamo (1960) ... Production Company
    19. Escort West (1958) ... Production Company
    20. China Doll (1958) ... Production Company
    21. Legend of the Lost (1957) ... Production Company
    22. Man in the Vault (1956) ... Production Company
    23. Gun the Man Down (1956) ... Production Company
    24. Seven Men from Now (1956) ... Production Company
    25. Good-bye, My Lady (1956) ... Production Company
    26. Blood Alley (1955) ... Production Company (as A Batjac Production)
    27. Island in the Sky (1953) ... Production Company (uncredited)


    Address:-
    Batjac Productions Inc.
    9595 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 610
    Beverly Hills, CA 90212
    Phone: (310) 278-9870
    FAX: (213) 272-7381


    For more information;-
    Batjac Productions- Wikipedia


    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited 41 times, last by ethanedwards ().

  • Duke starred in his own films:-


    1952. BIG JIM McLAIN- (Wayne-Fellows/WB)
    1953. ISLAND IN THE SKY- (Wayne-Fellows/WB)
    1953. HONDO- (Wayne-Fellows/WB)
    1954. THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY- (Wayne-Fellows/WB)
    1955. BLOOD ALLEY- (Batjac/WB)
    1960. THE ALAMO- (Batjac/UA)
    1963. McLINTOCK- (Batjac/UA)
    1966. CAST A GIANT SHADOW- (Mirisch-Lenroc-Batjac/UA)
    1967. THE WAR WAGON- (Marvin-Schwartz/Batjac/Universal)
    1968. THE GREEN BERETS- (Batjac/WB/Seven Arts)
    1969. CHISUM- (Batjac/WB)
    1971. BIG JAKE- (Batjac-National General for Cinema Centre)
    1973. THE TRAIN ROBBERS- (Batjac/WB)
    1973. CAHILL:- U.S. MARSHAL- (Batjac/WB)
    1974. McQ- (Batjac/Levy-Gardner/WB)


    Duke was Producer on:-


    1951. Bullfighter and the Lady. (Wayne-Fellows/Republic)
    1953. Hondo (Wayne-Fellows/WB) 3D television Broadcast 1991 with introduction by Marissa Wayne
    1953. Plunder of the Sun.(Wayne-Fellows/WB)
    1954. Ring of Fear. (Wayne-Fellows/WB)
    1954. Track of the Cat.(Wayne-Fellows/WB)
    1956. Goodbye My Lady.(Batjac/WB)
    1956. 7 Men from Now. (Batjac/WB)
    1956. Gun the Man Down aka Arizona Mission. (Batjac/UA)
    1956. Man in the Vault.(Batjac/RKO)
    1958. China Doll.(Batjac/Romina/UA)
    1958. Escort West(Batjac/Romina/UA)

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited 8 times, last by ethanedwards ().

  • Although we are aware Duke got Batjac from this movie,
    whilst updating the Review of
    Wake Of The Wild Witch
    there is this piece of trivia explaining more
    about the name

    Quote

    John Wayne took the name of his production company, Batjac, from this film's shipping firm.
    The original spelling though was "Batjak", a likely portmanteau of "Batavia" and "Jayakarta",
    both being the old names of the capital of the Dutch East Indies at the time
    (as of 2009 it is Jakarta, Indonesia).

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England