Paramount Pictures: Difference between revisions

|founded=May 8, 1912 ({{age|1912|5|8}} years ago)

|formerly={{w|Famous Players Film Company}} (1912-1916)<br>{{w|Famous Players–Lasky Corporation}} (1916-1927)<br>Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation (1927-1930)<br>Paramount Publix Corporation (1930-1935)<br>Paramount Pictures Inc. (1935-1950)

|founder={{unbulleted list|Adolph Zukor|Jesse Lasky}}

|parent={{w|Gulf and Western Industries}}<br>(1966-1989)<br>{{w|Paramount Communications}}<br>(1989-1994)<br>{{w|Viacom (1952-2006)}}<br>(1994-2005)<br>{{w|Viacom (2005-2019)}}<br>(2005-2019)<br>{{w|ViacomCBS}}<br>(2019-2022)<br>{{w|Paramount Global}}<br>(2022-)<!--Do not uncomment this until the merger is completed:{{w|Skydance Media}}(2025-)-->

'''Paramount Pictures''' is the second oldest-running movie studio in Hollywood (second only to [[Universal Pictures]], which was founded eight days earlier). It traces its history back to May 8, 1912, when it was originally founded as '''Famous Players Film Company''' by Hungarian-born Adolph Zukor. He had been an early investor in nickelodeons (film theaters that cost 5 cents for admission; oddly enough, Paramount owns a company named "[[Nickelodeon]]"), and saw that movies appealed mainly to working-class immigrants. With partners Daniel Frohman and Charles Frohman, he planned to offer motion pictures that would appeal to the middle class by featuring leading theatrical players of the time (leading to the slogan "famous players in famous plays"). By 1913, Famous Players had completed five films and Zukor was on his way to success. That same year, fellow aspiring producer Jesse L. Lasky opened the Lasky Feature Play Company with money borrowed from his brother-in-law Samuel Goldfish (later known as Samuel Goldwyn), founder of [[Goldwyn Pictures]] (later part of [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios|Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]). The Lasky company hired Cecil B. DeMille, a stage director with virtually no film experience, as their first employee; DeMille would find a suitable location site in Hollywood for his first film ''The Squaw Man'' (1914).

In 1914, Famous Players was renamed '''Paramount Pictures Corporation'''. Lasky left Paramount in 1932, with Zukor blaming him for the studio's financial issues at the time. In 1948, Paramount was taken to the United States Supreme Court. This case, known as ''United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc.'', resulted in studios being forced to divest themselves of their theater holdings and, in addition to the concurrent rise of television, would mark the beginning of the end for the old "studio system". In 1959, Adolph Zukor stepped down from running the studio and assumed the role of chairman, which he held until 1964. On March 24, 1966, Paramount was acquired by Gulf+Western Industries, which later became Paramount Communications on June 5, 1989. As part of the acquisition by Gulf+Western, Lucille Ball's Desilu Productions and the Desilu lot were brought under Paramount's control, and in 1967, Desilu was renamed [[Paramount Television (1967-2006)|Paramount Television]].

On March 11, 1994, Paramount Communications was merged with [[Viacom Productions|Viacom]]. On December 31, 2005, Viacom split into two companies: one retaining its original name (inheriting Paramount, MTV Networks and BET Networks) and the other being named CBS Corporation (inheriting Paramount's television production and distribution arms, currently known as [[CBS Studios]], [[CBS Media Ventures]] and [[Paramount Global Content Distribution]], respectively), with both companies owned by [[National Amusements]]. Television rights to Paramount's library are currently handled by [[Trifecta Entertainment & Media]]. Paramount relaunched its [[Paramount Television Studios|Paramount Television]] division (now known as "Paramount Television Studios") on March 4, 2013. On August 13, 2019, it was announced that Viacom and CBS would reunite and merge to form ViacomCBS; the merger was completed on December 4, 2019. On February 16, 2022, ViacomCBS was renamed Paramount Global (or simply Paramount for short), named after the studio.

'''Trivia:''' The 2022 bylineless version marks the first time since 1968 that the logo has been bylineless.

*December 16, 2011-November 8, 2019: "<small>A VI</small>a<small>COM COMPANY</small>" (set in the 2006 Viacom font).

*January 10, 2020-February 11, 2022: "'''A ViacomCBS Company'''" (set in Gotham Bold).

*March 25, 2022-: Bylineless.

*<u>December 16, 2011-December 21, 2012:</u> For the logo's debut and its first official year (2012, even though it actually debuted in 2011), a bright light shines to reveal the text "<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">'''''100 Years'''''</span>", with "<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">'''''100'''''</span>" bigger and "<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">'''''Years'''''</span>" smaller, before a smaller Viacom byline fades in underneath. The lens flare is also different, in which can also be seen in the [[Paramount Players]] logo.

* [[w:Paramount Pictures|Paramount Pictures]] on Wikipedia

<!-- Until confirmed that they made the 1999 remaster of the 1986 logo, please do not add the "Logos made by Pixar Animation Studios" category to this page -->

[[Category:American film logos]]{{American film logos}}