Screen Gems
Screen Gems is an American film production company and division company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation.
Animation studio: 1939–1946
For an entire decade, Charles Mintz distributed his Krazy Kat, Scrappy, and Color Rhapsody animated film shorts through Columbia Pictures. When Mintz became indebted to Columbia in 1939, he ended up selling his studio to them. Under new management, the studio assumed a new name, Screen Gems. The name was derived from an early Columbia Pictures slogan, "Gems of the Screen"; itself a takeoff on the song "Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean". James Bronis, Mintz's production manager became the studio head, but was shortly replaced by Mintz's brother-in-law, George Winkler. After this, Columbia decided to "clean house" by ousting the bulk of the staff (including Winkler) and hiring creative cartoonist, Frank Tashlin. After Tashlin's short stay came Dave Fleischer, formerly of the Fleischer Studios, and after several of his successors came Ray Katz and Henry Binder from Warner Bros. Cartoons (previously Leon Schlesinger Productions). Animators, directors, and writers at the series included people such as Art Davis, Sid Marcus, Bob Wickersham, and, during its latter period, Bob Clampett.
Screen Gems (album)
Screen Gems is a 1984 album by Elkie Brooks comprising Brooks' interpretations of songs from the movies from the 20s and 30s the album's title references all of the selections being introduced or prominently featured in mid-20th century movie releases.
Background
Screen Gems had its release October 1 1984 on CD being the first CD formatted album release manufactured in the UK: vinyl and cassette versions of the album were issued a month into its release. Brooks' label A&M Records assigned marketing of Screen Gems to EMI who had recently set up a "television exploitation" department, a national televised advertising campaign commencing at the end of October 1984 when the album had its release in vinyl and cassette formats. It was anticipated that Screen Gems would "prove Brook's biggest seller to date"; however the album failed to chart until December 1984 and was not one of Brooks' most successful albums with a #35 peak - matching that of Brook's precedent album release Minutes - during an 11 week chart run. With Screen Gems Brooks' association with A&M who had released all of her seven albums would end. The original CD version of Screen Gems is now a collectors' item due to its rarity, selling on eBay for prices in excess of £50.
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