“Forgotten Hollywood”- Republic Celebrates 75th Anniversary!

Posted on September 24, 2010 by raideoman1 | No Comments

Manny P. here…1 republic pictures logo

   Thanks to Gary Lycan of the Orange County Register for telling me about the 75th Anniversary celebration of Republic Pictures to be held this Saturday from 11a-5p at the CBS Studio Center at 4024 Radford Ave. in Studio City, CA. (its original site). This FREE day of fun is sponsored by The Cultural Affairs Committee of the Studio City Neighborhood Council and the Museum of the San Fernando Valley. Leonard Maltin will be the official emcee of some of the festivities.

   According to their website:

Festivities include screenings of Republic films, serials and trailers, live performances of swing and western music, entertainment by gun spinners, rope twirlers, trick horses, cowboy poets, and a diverse collection of memorabilia. In addition, a speakers forum with prominent industry experts and Republic celebrities will discuss a range of topics from creating sci-fi special effects to tales of working at Republic Pictures. A special Republic Pictures stamp cancellation ceremony of the U.S. Postal Service’s Cowboys of the Silver Screen postage stamps will take place and be available for purchase.

Republic Picture’s former stars Theodore Bikel, Adrian Booth, Michael Chapin, Ben Cooper, Robert Easton, Coleen Gray, Eilene Janssen, Anne Jeffreys, Dick Jones, Jane Kean, Joan Leslie, Marjorie Lord, Jimmy Lydon, Hugh O’Brian, Peggy Stewart, Jane Withers and others are slated to attend this very special event.

Founded in 1935 by Herbert J. Yates, Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities. Republic exploded into national prominence with its focus in westerns, movie serials and B-films emphasizing mystery and action, the staples of Saturday afternoon matinees. The studio launched the careers of John Wayne, Gene Autry, Rex Allen, Roy Rogers, and rocketed serials like The Adventures of Captain Marvel and Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe into the public imagination. Notable Republic Pictures include Under Western Stars (1938), Flying Tigers (1942), Macbeth (1948), Sands of Iwo Jima (1949), The Red Pony (1949), The Quiet Man (1952) and Johnny Guitar (1954).

   I plan on visiting this FREE event, soaking in Republic Pictures rich history. I’ll also have Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History to share with attendees. My paperback features some of the actors who worked their craft at Republic including Ward Bond and John Carradine. This should be a worthwhile experience.

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ontario library2

   I’m proud to announce the 39th copy of my book has been added to another library shelf. The city of Ontario is nestled in San Bernardino County, the largest county-by-area in the nation, and their public library has acquired Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History. This marks the 4th official county in Southern California to add my work (joining Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura counties).

   According to their website:

Ontario pic 1885 <————- (photo of Ontario – circa 1880’s)

On the afternoon of Sunday, November 15, 1885 a handful of settlers gathered in the parlor of the Ontario Hotel to discuss their need for a library. This informal meeting has been regarded as the founding of Ontario City Library.

Established as a City department in 1891, the Ontario City Library’s Main and Colony High Branch contain over 257,000 books, 545 magazine subscriptions, 12 newspaper subscriptions, 6,900 videocassettes, 7,500 compact discs, 12,400 DVDs,  a partial government document depository, and 12 online resource subscriptions.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

This entry was posted on Friday, September 24th, 2010 at 1:28 am and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


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