Hemdale Film Corporation
Industry | Film |
---|---|
Founded | 1967 | (as The Hemdale Company)
Founders | David Hemmings John Daly |
Defunct | 1995 |
Fate | Defunct |
Headquarters | London, England, United Kingdom Los Angeles, California, United States[1] |
Key people | John Daly Derek Gibson Eric Parkinson |
Hemdale Film Corporation, known as Hemdale Communications after 1992, was an independent British-American film production company and distributor. The company was founded in London in 1967 as the Hemdale Company by actor David Hemmings and John Daly, naming the company from a combination of their surnames.[2] The company produced numerous acclaimed films, often in conjunction with companies such as TriStar and Orion Pictures, including Platoon (1986) and The Last Emperor (1987), back-to-back winners of the Academy Award for Best Picture.
History[]
Hemdale began as an investment company to cut the high personal taxes on British actors.[3] Eventually, the company went public as Hemdale Ltd. and began diversifying. Hemdale partnered with Patrick Meehan of Worldwide Artists, who once managed the band Black Sabbath,[4] invested in feature films, financed stage productions such as Grease, and became involved in boxing promotions such as The Rumble in the Jungle match between George Foreman and Muhammed Ali.[3] John Daly was Hemdale's chairman and president. David Hemmings left the company in 1971, and Daly purchased his stock.[3] Hemdale also distributed cable TV to hotels, which, in 1974, was its major source of revenue.[3] After producing and distributing British films throughout the 1970s, Hemdale relocated to Hollywood in 1980 and focused extensively on movie-making.[3][5] A distribution agreement was made with Orion Pictures. In 1981 Derek Gibson joined the company as executive vice president and head of production. Daly and Gibson were then credited together as executive producers on all Hemdale films.[6]
Among Hemdale's best known films are The Terminator, The Return of the Living Dead, Hoosiers, Salvador, River's Edge, Platoon, and The Last Emperor; the latter two were back-to-back recipients of the Academy Award for Best Picture. Hemdale produced and or financed over 80 films during this period.
In 1986, Salvador was the first major film released by Hemdale Distribution in the United States.[7] Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf had received a regional release in December 1985.[8]
In 1991, Hemdale brought in home video executive Eric Parkinson to establish the company's own in-house home video distribution. The new video operation was an immediate success, buoyed in large part to Parkinson's launch of the division with the original "Terminator" feature on the same week that the James Cameron T2 sequel was released to theatres. Hemdale Home Video quickly became the cash locomotive for all operations, and in April of the following year, Hemdale Video was merged with a NASDAQ company called Peerless Productions to form a new entity, Hemdale Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ). In an attempt to attach revenues from the successful home video venture operated by Parkinson, former creditors of Hemdale Films alleged that some of the distribution rights licensed by Hemdale Communications, Inc. were done so an unfair market prices. [9] The video division's success motivated the promotion of Eric Parkinson within the Hemdale family, and ultimately to C.E.O. [10] The Hemdale video division created a collection of many video cassette titles released by Hemdale Home Video around the United States of America. Its first # 1 hit title was the Home Video reissue of the original Terminator in 1991,[11] via a distribution deal it signed with the old Hemdale company, then renamed NSB Film Corporation, to release some films from the latter's 150-title library.[9][12] In 1992, Hemdale Pictures was also merged into the NASDAQ public company, Hemdale Communications, Inc.[9] In 1995, the video rights to some of Hemdale's higher-profile titles were licensed to LIVE Entertainment (now Lionsgate).
In 1992, NSB sued Daly and Gibson for allegedly unfairly selling some Hemdale properties to the public company managed by Parkinson [9] and Crédit Lyonnais Bank Nederland for breach of contract, racketeering, fraud, equitable subordination and contributing to its bankruptcy.[13][14] The NSB claims against Daly and Gibson were dismissed. The next year, Crédit Lyonnais filed a lawsuit against NSB, resulting in the bank foreclosing on both NSB and its Hemdale library and forcing NSB to severe ties with Hemdale Home Video and Hemdale Communications to release some of its titles.[12] In 1994, NSB and Crédit Lyonnais settled their year-old ligation.[14] Most of the titles in the Hemdale film library that were subject to a lien by Credit Lyonais Bank were folded into a multistudio venture with MGM-UA.
In March 1995, Daly and Gibson left the company, to be succeeded in their positions by Eric Parkinson as C.E.O. handling all Hemdale related activities and affiliates, including Hemdale Holdings, Hemdale Pictures and Hemdale Film Sales.[15][16] That November, the company was reorganized as a preplanned step for a general shut-down of operations. [17][18]
Aftermath[]
After the studio closed, the Hemdale library was then incorporated into Consortium de Réalisation, a French holding company set up by Crédit Lyonnais to handle the rights to titles acquired by Credit Lyonnais Bank (this was otherwise known as the “Epic” library). In 1999, the library was incorporated into the Orion Pictures output now owned by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer via PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, after MGM acquired the Consortium de Réalisation/“Epic” library from PolyGram (ironically, Orion was the theatrical distributor for a number of Hemdale's films). One significant exception is The Last Emperor, a Hemdale production whose rights are now held by its producer, Jeremy Thomas. Hemdale licensed each of the US media rights to different companies; for example, Columbia Pictures handled US theatrical distribution only. Most of the foreign productions Hemdale distributed have subsequently returned to their original owners (such as Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland, which producer Tokyo Movie Shinsha now controls worldwide). In the late '80s and early '90s, the television rights to the Hemdale library lay with Carolco Pictures.[19]
The company's last new credit was the Virgin Games video game adaptation The Terminator, which showed up on the game's start up screen as Hemdale's The Terminator.
Films[]
Release Date | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
December 18, 1972 | Images | distributed by Columbia Pictures |
March 19, 1975 | Tommy | distributed by Columbia Pictures |
August 19, 1979 | Sunburn | distributed by Paramount Pictures |
April 24, 1981 | Cattle Annie and Little Britches | distributed by Universal Pictures |
September 25, 1981 | Carbon Copy | co-production with RKO Pictures; distributed by Avco Embassy Pictures |
October 16, 1981 | Strange Behavior | distributed by World Northal |
October 14, 1982 | Turkey Shoot | distributed by New World Pictures |
June 24, 1983 | Yellowbeard | distributed by Orion Pictures |
April 1984 | Race for the Yankee Zephyr | Distributed by Film Ventures International |
June 1984 | A Breed Apart | distributed by Orion Pictures |
September 28, 1984 | Irreconcilable Differences | co-production with Warner Bros. |
October 26, 1984 | The Terminator | distributed by Orion Pictures |
November 16, 1984 | Special Effects | distributed by New Line Cinema |
November 1984 | Perfect Strangers | distributed by New Line Cinema |
January 25, 1985 | The Falcon and the Snowman | distributed by Orion Pictures |
August 16, 1985 | The Return of the Living Dead | distributed by Orion Pictures |
December 1985 | Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf | |
March 5, 1986 | Salvador | |
April 18, 1986 | At Close Range | distributed by Orion Pictures |
November 14, 1986 | Hoosiers | distributed by Orion Pictures |
November 21, 1986 | Body Slam | distributed by De Laurentiis Entertainment Group |
November 21, 1986 | Defense of the Realm | |
December 19, 1986 | Platoon | distributed by Orion Pictures |
May 8, 1987 | River's Edge | distributed by Island Pictures |
May 15, 1987 | Made in U.S.A. | distributed by TriStar Pictures |
May 1987 | My Little Girl | |
June 12, 1987 | Burke & Wills | |
July 10, 1987 | The Whistle Blower | |
August 1, 1987 | Love at Stake | distributed by TriStar Pictures |
August 21, 1987 | Inside Out | |
September 18, 1987 | Hotel Colonial | distributed by Orion Pictures |
September 25, 1987 | Best Seller | distributed by Orion Pictures |
November 20, 1987 | The Last Emperor | distributed by Columbia Pictures |
November 1987 | Slate, Wyn & Me | |
December 18, 1987 | High Tide | distributed by TriStar Pictures |
1987 | Scenes from the Goldmine | |
February 5, 1988 | The Supergrass | |
March 25, 1988 | High Season | |
May 25, 1988 | The Tale of Ruby Rose | |
July 15, 1988 | A Killing Affair | |
September 15, 1988 | War Party | |
November 23, 1988 | Buster | |
December 23, 1988 | The Boost | |
January 13, 1989 | Ha-Holmim | |
January 27, 1989 | Cohen and Tate | |
March 3, 1989 | Out Cold | |
April 28, 1989 | Criminal Law | |
May 19, 1989 | Miracle Mile | |
June 2, 1989 | Vampire's Kiss | |
July 21, 1989 | Shag | |
August 18, 1989 | Blood Red | |
September 22, 1989 | The Time Guardian | |
October 6, 1989 | The Everlasting Secret Family | |
November 10, 1989 | Staying Together | |
January 5, 1990 | Love or Money | |
January 26, 1990 | Incident at Raven's Gate | |
April 20, 1990 | Chattahoochee | |
May 6, 1990 | The Belly of an Architect | |
??, 1990 | Wishful Thinking | |
September 21, 1990 | Don't Tell Her It's Me | |
November 2, 1990 | Vincent & Theo | |
November 21, 1990 | Hidden Agenda | |
April 12, 1991 | Impromptu | |
April 19, 1991 | Kill Line | |
June 14, 1991 | Bright Angel | |
September 27, 1991 | Prime Target | distribution |
November 15, 1991 | Cheap Shots | |
November 1991 | Thousand Pieces of Gold | distribution |
February 28, 1992 | Complex World | distribution |
March 13, 1992 | Highway to Hell | distribution |
May 29, 1992 | Cold Heaven | distribution |
June 15, 1992 | Beautiful Dreamers | distribution |
??, 1992 | Round Numbers | distribution |
August 7, 1992 | Bed & Breakfast | distribution |
August 21, 1992 | Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland | distribution |
August 26, 1992 | Knock Outs | distribution |
September 1, 1992 | The Legend of Wolf Mountain | distribution |
October 14, 1992 | Murder Blues | distribution |
??, 1992 | Merlin - The True Story of Magic | distribution |
March 1, 1993 | Breakfast of Aliens | distribution |
March 5, 1993 | Love Your Mama | distribution |
April 25, 1993 | The Magic Voyage | distribution |
September 10, 1993 | The Seventh Coin | distribution |
September 15, 1993 | Laser Moon | distribution |
October 6, 1993 | In a Moment of Passion | distribution |
January 5, 1994 | Quest of the Delta Knights | distribution |
January 19, 1994 | Future Shock | distribution |
??, 1994 | The Polar Bear King | distribution |
May 4, 1994 | Confessions of a Hitman | distribution |
June 3, 1994 | The Princess and the Goblin | distribution |
September 13, 1994 | Savage Land | distribution |
October 19, 1994 | The Story of Christmas | distribution |
January 3, 1995 | The Littlest Viking | distribution |
March 28, 1995 | Across the Moon | distribution |
May 20, 1995 | Mosquito | distribution |
October 24, 1996 | One More Shot | co-distribution with Tapeworm Video Distributors |
October 31, 1997 | Grizzly Mountain | co-distribution with Legacy Releasing and LIVE Entertainment |
References[]
- ^ "Release date not set for movie shot in S.C." Associated Press (November 6, 1988). Retrieved on April 1, 2011.
- ^ "High-risk Movie Mogul". tribunedigital-chicagotribune. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Lambie, Ryan (7 April 2015). "The Rise and Fall of Hemdale". Den of Geek.
- ^ John Daly biography - Yahoo Movies Archived February 24, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Thomas, Bob. "Independent filmmakers may produce over half of releases." Associated Press (October 23, 1986). Retrieved on April 1, 2011.
- ^ "High-risk Movie Mogul". tribunedigital-chicagotribune. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
- ^ Todd McCarthy (March 5, 1986). "Film reviews - Salvador". Variety.
- ^ "1986 U.S. Film Releases by Company". Variety. February 19, 1986. p. 283.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Former Hemdale exex target of NSB lawsuit". Variety. 1994-03-02. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
- ^ Brennan, Judy (1992-10-27). "Creditors file request to put NSB Corp. into default". Variety. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
- ^ "Hemdale Sets Up Homevid Division". Variety. 1991-05-06. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Ayscough, Suzan (1993-05-12). "CL, guilds pact against Hemdale". Variety. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
- ^ Brennan, Judy (1993-03-26). "Hemdale haunts Lyonnais". Variety. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Cox, Dan (1994-04-04). "Former Hemdale unit settles Guild/Bank suit". Variety. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
- ^ Allbusiness.com Hemdale Communications Inc. announces resignation of chairman John Daly and president Derek Gibson; March 6, 1995 Archived January 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Shakeup At Hemdale". Variety. 1995-03-13. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
- ^ Nielsen Business Media (1995-11-25). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 86.
eric parkinson hemdale.
- ^ "TCR_Public/951109.MBX". www.bankrupt.com. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
- ^ "Carolco I: Cleared for Action!" (PDF). American Radio History. 27 March 1989. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
External links[]
- Hemdale Film Corporation at IMDb (as Hemdale)
- Hemdale Film Corporation at IMDb (as Hemdale Film Distribution)
- Hemdale Film Corporation at IMDb (under full name)
- Dubbing (filmmaking)
- Film distributors of the United Kingdom
- Film production companies of the United Kingdom
- Film production companies of the United States
- Film distributors of the United States
- Mass media companies established in 1967
- Mass media companies disestablished in 1995
- 1967 establishments in England
- 1995 disestablishments in California
- Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1995
- American independent film studios