RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.

RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
U.S. film studio.

It was created in 1928 as Radio-Keith-Orpheum when the Radio Corp. of America (RCA Corp.) acquired the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theatre chain and a production firm. In the 1930s RKO was noted for producing a series of musicals starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers and Katharine Hepburn's early movies, as well as films such as Cimarron (1931), The Informer (1935), and Citizen Kane (1941). It was bought by Howard R. Hughes in 1948; his inattention doomed the company, and it ceased production in 1953 and was sold to Desilu Productions (1957). After numerous reorganizations, it continued as RKO General, operating radio and television stations and theatres.

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▪ American film company
      American motion-picture studio that made some notable films in the 1930s and '40s. Radio-Keith-Orpheum originated in 1928 from the merger of the Radio Corporation of America, the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theatre chain, and the American Pathé production firm. Though it was one of the major studios in Hollywood, RKO spent much of its 25 years' existence struggling for financial stability.

      During the 1930s RKO produced the well-known Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers series of musicals and the early films of Katharine Hepburn, including Bringing Up Baby (1938). Among RKO's other better-known films were Cimarron (1931), from the novel by Edna Ferber; King Kong (1933), one of the first monster films; John Ford's The Informer (1935); and Orson Welles's Citizen Kane (1941), now considered a masterpiece in cinema techniques. Jacques Tourneur and Alfred Hitchcock directed several well-known psychological thrillers for the studio in the 1940s.

      In 1948 the businessman and producer Howard Hughes (Hughes, Howard) bought RKO, but his inattention and growing reclusiveness doomed the company; it ceased production in 1953, and was sold to Desilu Productions in 1957. After numerous corporate reorganizations, the firm continued under the name RKO General, Inc., owning and operating radio and television stations, theatres, and related enterprises.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • RKO Radio Pictures — RKO Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc. Création 1929, Radio Pictures Inc., subsidiary of Radio Keith Orpheum Corp …   Wikipédia en Français

  • RKO — Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc. Création 1929, Radio Pictures Inc., subsidiary of Radio Keith Orpheum Corp …   Wikipédia en Français

  • RKO Pictures — RKO Radio Pictures Inc. Création 1929, Radio Pictures Inc., subsidiary of Radio Keith Orpheum Corp. Siège social …   Wikipédia en Français

  • inc — ☆ inc for 5, now often [ iŋk] abbrev. 1. inclosure 2. including 3. inclusive 4. income 5. incorporated: also ☆ Inc …   Universalium

  • RKO Pictures — Infobox Company company name = RKO Radio Pictures Inc. company company type = Corporation foundation = 1929 (as Radio Pictures Inc., subsidiary of Radio Keith Orpheum Corp.) location = 1270 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY key people =… …   Wikipedia

  • Pictures — (as used in expressions) Columbia Pictures Entertainment Inc. RKO Radio Pictures Inc. pictures of the floating world Universal Pictures * * * …   Universalium

  • Pictures — (as used in expressions) Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc. RKO Radio Pictures, Inc. Universal Pictures …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • radio — /ray dee oh /, n., pl. radios, adj., v., radioed, radioing. n. 1. wireless telegraphy or telephony: speeches broadcast by radio. 2. an apparatus for receiving or transmitting radio broadcasts. 3. a message transmitted by radio. adj. 4. pertaining …   Universalium

  • Radio — I (Del lat. radius, varita, rayo de luz.) ► sustantivo masculino 1 GEOMETRÍA Distancia o línea recta que une un punto de una circunferencia o de la superficie de una esfera con su centro. 2 Espacio circular definido por esta línea: ■ en un radio… …   Enciclopedia Universal

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