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The General Film Company was a
motion picture distribution company
Distribution (or place) is one of the four elements of the marketing mix. Distribution is the process of making a product or service available for the consumer or business user who needs it. This can be done directly by the producer or service p ...
in the United States. Between 1909 and 1920, the company distributed almost 12,000
silent era motion pictures.
Formation
The General Film Company was formed by the
Motion Picture Patents Company (MPPC) in an attempt to monopolize distribution. In 1909, the General Film Company tried to seize the equipment of independent distribution companies to discourage their activities.
Conflict
Using their control over several film patents, the General Film Company and MPPC tried to force independent distribution companies to sell out or lose their patent licenses. Competing organizations, such as the
Motion Picture Distributing and Sales Company, the
National Independent Moving Picture Alliance
National may refer to:
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and the
Film Service Association
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
, emerged to challenge the trust. By 1912, the power of the General Film Company had declined and the
U.S. Justice Department
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United States ...
started prosecution of the MPPC and the General Film Company under the
Sherman Act.
Sold
On March 30, 1918, the General Film Company was sold, along with the MPPC, to the Lincoln & Parker Film Company of
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
.
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventi ...
reacquired these assets when the Lincoln & Parker Company went bankrupt and sold them to producer
Robert L. Giffen in October 1919.
''Chronology: 1879-1931''
Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...
References
External links
General Film Company
at the Internet Movie Database
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
* https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/culture-magazines/general-flimco-and-pushcart-peddlers
* https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/culture-magazines/detours-way-hollywood
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