| Industry | Filmed entertainment |
|---|---|
| Defunct | 1971; 53 years ago (1971) |
| Fate | Broken up and sold |
| Successor | Library: Paramount Pictures (through Melange Pictures) |
| Key people | Milton T. Raynor |
| Owner | Milton T. Raynor (–1967) |
| Parent | Commonwealth United Corporation (1967–1971) |
Commonwealth United Entertainment (generally referred to as Commonwealth United; abbreviated as CUE), formerly known as Television Enterprises Corporation (abbreviated as TEC), was an American film & TV production and distribution company active to 1971. It was headed by Milton T. Raynor.
The company was sometimes considered one of the "instant majors" of the late 1960s. Its parent company briefly operated a record label, Commonwealth United Records (abbreviated as CUR), as well as a TV production & distribution company, Commonwealth United Television (abbreviated as CUT). It produced films through its in-house film studio, Commonwealth United Productions (abbreviated as CUP), which would eventually become Commonwealth United Pictures (abbreviated as CUP).
History
.jpg) The logo of Commonwealth United Corporation, c.1967–1970 | |
| Industry | Entertainment |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Real Properties Corporation |
| Founded | 1965 (1965) |
| Defunct | 1971; 53 years ago (1971) |
| Fate | Dissolved |
| Divisions | Commonwealth United Entertainment Commonwealth United Television Commonwealth United Records Commonwealth United Pictures |
Commonwealth United Corporation (abbreviated as CUC) was originally a real estate holding company formed in 1961 as the Real Properties Corporation. It changed its name to CUC in 1965. In 1967, CUC acquired TEC. Milton T. Raynor moved to California and became vice-president at TEC. Later, Raynor took over ownership.
Commonwealth United Entertainment
In 1967, CUC acquired The Landau-Unger Company, with Ely Landau becoming president and CEO and Oliver A. Unger as executive vice-president. It also acquired TEC and was renamed Commonwealth United. In 1967, Commonwealth United produced 17 theatrical films and purchased publishing and recording interests. The Max Factor family financed That Cold Day in the Park, a movie directed by Robert Altman that Commonwealth United released in 1969. By 1971, Commonwealth United was $80 million in debt. The company's film rights, foreign and domestic, were acquired by National Telefilm Associates and American International Pictures respectively.
Select Credits
- A Black Veil for Lisa (1968)
- 99 Women (1969)
- Venus in Furs (1969)
- Battle of Neretva (1969)
- The Magic Christian (1969)
- It Takes All Kinds (1969)
- That Cold Day in the Park (1969)
- Paranoia (1969)
- Tiger by the Tail (1970)
- Julius Caesar (1970)
- The Ballad of Tam Lin (filmed in 1969)
- Freelance (filmed 1970)
References
- ^ (24 April 2002). Milton Raynor obituary. Variety. accessed September 22, 2012.
- "Commonwealth United Records USA".
A division of Commonwealth United Corporation
- International Television Almanac. Quigley Publishing Company. 1972.
Commonwealth United Television , Inc. ( A division of Commonwealth United Corp- oration . )
- Goudsouzian, Aram (2004). Sidney Poitier: Man, Actor, Icon. Univ of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0-8078-2843-4.
Producer: Ely Landau, Commonwealth United Productions
- "Billboard" (PDF).
- Slide, Anthony The New Historical Dictionary of the American Film Industry Routledge, 25 Feb 2014
- "Commonwealth Buy of Landau-Unger To Give Show Biz Accent to Holding Co". Variety. August 9, 1967. p. 7.
- Cook, David A. (2000). Lost Illusions: American Cinema in the Shadow of Watergate and Vietnam, 1970-1979. University of California Press.