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Essence Wright
Mrs. Funk
Inquiry Skills, 1-2
16 April 2014
The Contributions of Warner Brothers Pictures
Synchronized audio tracks in movies may not seem extraordinary until there is a movie
without it. Incorporated in 1923, Warner Brothers Pictures were the first to put sound into
silent films, which were the only movies available at that time. The first movie to have audio
was Don Juan in 1926 and a year later with The Jazz Singer. Although these contributions are
unnoticed by todays’ audience, Warner Brothers Pictures have impacted the film industry by
adding sound to silent films, rebooting the ‘gangster’ movie genre, contributing to WWII
propaganda, and making Rin Tin Tin the first animal to star in a movie.
A Brief Company History
The company was controlled by four young brothers, Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack
Warner. According to Warner Brothers Pictures, it became incorporated in 1923, under the
name of “Warner Brothers Pictures, Inc.” (“Company History”). The company decided it
would be best to become incorporated after their success with Rin Tin Tin in 1923, which put
its name on the Hollywood roadmap along with Rin Tin Tin himself. Niles McCarthy, a writer
for Gale, states that the company was still unable to achieve top star status so Warner Brothers
hired John Barrymore to star in Beau Brummel, which was named one of the top ten films of
the year by the New York Times, making the company the biggest independent film studio in
Hollywood by the end of 1924 (McCarthy, “Warner Brothers-Their History”). This success,
however, was not enough to compete with “The Big Three” film studios, which were First
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National, Paramount Pictures, and MGM. Andrew Behring, an expert at the National Museum
of American History, states that two more companies, RKO (Radio-Keith-Orpheum) Pictures
and Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, joined “The Big Three” and this situation nearly put
Warner Brothers Pictures into bankruptcy (Behring, “Warner Brothers Theatre”). It was until
after The Jazz Singer debuted that the company became out of debt and part of the major film
studios.
A New Realm of Film
All motion pictures were silent up until 1926, when Warner Brothers Pictures left their
mark on film history. According to Thomas Doherty, a film professor at George Mason
University, the company quickly discovered an element was missing to many of its films
(Doherty, “The Saga of Warner Bros, Hollywood’s Studio Family”). This realization resulted
in Don Juan, the first film with audio. In the article, Warner Brothers Project, it states that “in
1926, Vitaphone [a process that made the “talkies” possible] began making films with music
and effects tracks, most notably, in the feature Don Juan starring John Barrymore. The film
was silent, but it featured a large number of Vitaphone shorts at the beginning (Gerry, qtd. in
“Warner Brothers Project”).” This significance led to Warner Brothers Pictures wanting to
have a synchronized audio track, which allowed actors’ voices sync with the actors’ motions,
creating The Jazz Singer, the first “talkie.” According to Drew Gerry, sound in movies let them
become easier to follow what was happening in the storyline. Because of this, and the fact that
it had audio, movies gained popularity. This helped the economy before the crash of the stock
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market in October 1929 (Gerry, “Warner Brothers Project”). Across the nation, movies with
audio became more popular even throughout the Great Depression.
The Gangster Genre
Warner Brother Pictures began the craze for the “gangster” genre, which started in the
silent film era and became almost extinct until Warner Brothers added a synchronized audio
track. According to Miguel Bigueur, a film expert at Illinois University, the “gangster” genre
centers around the “criminal actions of bank robbers, hoodlums, and petty theft” while
ignoring the law without “the concern of the safety of human life. (Bigueur, “The Gangster
Genre [Impact on American Cinema and Culture]).” Based on this, Warner Brothers Pictures
created Little Caesar in 1931, which made a huge box office success. According to Yamini
Chauhan, a writer for Britannica, along with others, these movies were intriguing to the
audience, gaining popularity through the 1930s. (Chauhan et al, “Warner Brothers [American
film studio]”). This popularity helped multiple companies, for example, Paramount, MetroGoldwyn-Mayer, and 20th Century Fox, from going bankrupt throughout the Great Depression.
Because of the success of Little Caesar, these companies continued to become some of the
most influential film studios along with Warner Brothers Pictures to create phenomenal films
later in their history.
World War II Propaganda
Warner Brothers Pictures made propaganda against World War II. According to PBS,
the company struggled with economic problems, but mainly societal pressures (“Warner Bros.You Must Remember This”). With the founders coming from an Eastern European Jewish
family, the Warner Brothers were concerned when Hitler came into control in Germany.
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According to Britannica, Warner Brothers Pictures stopped doing business with Germany
when Hitler was named chancellor in 1934, unlike many film studios at that time (Chauhan et
al, “Warner Brothers [American film studio]”). As the war began to form, so did propaganda.
Cartoon comedy and caricatures are an extremely effective form of propaganda, which allowed
it to change public attitudes towards the war and the enemy and educate audiences on the part
to be played by the allies and by those at home. According to Shumann Chung of U. C. Davis
University, Warner Brothers Pictures began to make cartoon propaganda in 1940 to make their
voice heard by the public (Shumann, “Jack Warner”). As a result, this made the people of the
United States more aware of what was happening in World War II, helping them find a role to
play.
The Company’s Big Shot
Throughout its history, Warner Brothers Pictures have brought out the best of
performers, making some of the most well-known actors in the film industry, like Rin Tin Tin.
According to Gerald Segen, the first successful “actor” to put the name of Warner on the
Hollywood roadmap was Rin Tin Tin, a German Shepard Dog (Segen, “Warner Bros.
Timeline”). The dog’s first movie appearance was extremely popular because at that point in
history, no one has seen a dog act in a movie. According to Paul Katz, a writer for Huffington
Post, the movie that made Rin Tin Tin’s name was Where the North Begins in 1923, acting
with actress Claire Adams (Katz, “The Brothers Warner”). The dog’s popularity allowed the
him to appear in 27 Hollywood films, gaining worldwide fame. Because of the love for Rin
Tin Tin, the number of German Shepard Dogs as a household pet increased dramatically.
Conclusion
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In conclusion, these “little” contributions of Warner Brothers Pictures, Inc. have made
them, other companies, and as well as their actors very successful in their history. Warner
Brothers Pictures have left their mark on the film industry by adding sound to silent films,
creating the “gangster” movie genre, contributing to World War II propaganda, and making
Rin Tin Tin the first animal to star in a movie. Without Warner Brothers Productions, modern
movies would be what they are today.