First National

The First National Exhibitors' Circuit was created in 1917 as a merger of 26 regional rental companies under the leadership of Thomas L. Tally. Originally, the purpose of the company to finance films and then to take over the rental, but soon was added its own production. First National was a reaction to the dominant position of Paramount, the business increasingly monopolized (significantly, was WW Hodkinson, who was sacked by the new owners Paramount Adolph Zukor, the director of the new company ).

The plan originally went on well. With the recruitment of Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin for one million dollars a movie you had the main stars on his side and also controlled 1919/1920 3400 cinemas, which corresponded to 15 to 20% of the American market.

Since it did not succeed in the long term to prevent the stars ( they formed in 1919, United Artists, but had to because of the current contracts still some movies are made, why the company in 1920 stood still relatively good), and since the proposed merger with Paramount spectacularly failed it walked with First National downhill fast. Paramount bought out by and by the individual merged firms, to First National merged in September 1928, Warner Bros..

• Former Film Society (United States)
• Company (California )
• Los Angeles County