Preferred Pictures was an American

film production Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, casti ...

company of the

silent era A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, wh ...

. Founded in 1920 by the producer

B. P. Schulberg B. P. Schulberg (born Percival Schulberg, January 19, 1892 – February 25, 1957) was an American pioneer film producer and film studio executive. Biography Born Percival Schulberg in Bridgeport, Connecticut, he took the name Benjamin from the ...

following his departure from

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

, it was an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

, either distributing its own films or releasing them through

First National Pictures First National Pictures was an American motion picture production and distribution company. It was founded in 1917 as First National Exhibitors' Circuit, Inc., an association of independent theatre owners in the United States, and became the count ...

. Schulberg's partners were J.G. Bachmann and

Al Lichtman Alexander Lichtman (April 9, 1888 – February 20, 1958) was a film salesman, occasionally working as a film producer. He was president of United Artists in 1935. He proposed the process of block booking to Adolph Zukor, which became industry sta ...

, and many of the company's earliest productions featured the actress

Katherine MacDonald Katherine Agnew MacDonald (December 14, 1891–June 4, 1956) was an American stage and film actress, film producer, and model. She was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and was the older sister of actresses Miriam MacDonald and Mary MacLaren. ...

. She was replaced as the company's leading star by

Clara Bow Clara Gordon Bow (; July 29, 1905 – September 27, 1965) was an American actress who rose to stardom during the silent film era of the 1920s and successfully made the transition to "talkies" in 1929. Her appearance as a plucky shopgirl in the ...

. In 1925 the company ran into financial trouble. Schulberg was lured back to Paramount and brought Bow with him. The final few releases under the Preferred Pictures label were released in 1926.Slide p.162 Many of these were released by the company only in certain states, with other distributors handling them in other regions.

Filmography

* ''

The Beautiful Liar ''The Beautiful Liar'' is a 1921 American comedy film directed by Wallace Worsley and written by Ruth Wightman. The film stars Katherine MacDonald, Charles Meredith, Joseph J. Dowling, Kate Lester, and Wilfred Lucas. The film was released on ...

'' (1921) * ''

The Woman's Side ''The Woman's Side'' is a 1922 American silent film, silent drama film directed by J.A. Barry and starring Katherine MacDonald, Edmund Burns and Henry A. Barrows.Munden p.922 Cast * Katherine MacDonald as Mary Gray * Edmund Burns as Theodore Van ...

'' (1922) * '' The Infidel'' (1922) * ''

Rich Men's Wives ''Rich Men's Wives'' is a lost 1922 American silent drama film directed by Louis J. Gasnier and starring House Peters, Claire Windsor and Gaston Glass. Synopsis A bored wife of a wealthy man is irritated by his neglect, and is drawn into a flirt ...

'' (1922) * '' Heroes and Husbands'' (1922) * ''

White Shoulders ''White Shoulders'' is a lost 1931 American pre-Code comedy-drama film directed by Melville W. Brown and starring Mary Astor and Jack Holt, with major supporting roles by Ricardo Cortez and Sidney Toler. The film was produced and distributed b ...

'' (1922) * ''

Shadows A shadow is a dark area where light from a light source is blocked by an opaque object. It occupies all of the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two-dimensional silhouette, ...

'' (1922) * ''

Domestic Relations In the common law tradition, the law of domestic relations is a broad category that encompasses: * divorce; * property settlements; * alimony, spousal support, or other maintenance; * the establishment of paternity; * the establishment or termina ...

'' (1922) * ''

Thorns and Orange Blossoms ''Thorns and Orange Blossoms'' is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Louis J. Gasnier and starring Estelle Taylor, Kenneth Harlan, and Edith Roberts Edith Roberts may refer to: * Edith Roberts (actress), American silent film actress ...

'' (1922) * ''

The Woman Conquers ''The Woman Conquers'' is a 1922 American silent drama film written by Violet Clark and directed by Tom Forman. It starred Katherine MacDonald and Bryant Washburn and featured a young Boris Karloff. The film is considered lost. Plot Young soc ...

'' (1922) * ''

The Hero The Hero may refer to: Books * "The Hero" (poem), a poem written by Rabindranath Tagore * ''The Hero'' (novel), a science fiction novel by John Ringo and Michael Z. Williamson * '' The Hero: A Study in Tradition, Myth and Drama'', a book by Fi ...

'' (1923) * '' Are You a Failure?'' (1923) * '' April Showers'' (1923) * ''

Poor Men's Wives ''Poor Men's Wives'' is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Louis J. Gasnier and starring Barbara La Marr, David Butler and Betty Francisco.Connelly p.216 The previous year Gasnier had directed a film called ''Rich Men's Wives''. Syno ...

'' (1923) * ''

Money! Money! Money! ''Money, Money, Money'' is a lost 1923 silent film drama directed by Tom Forman and starring Katherine MacDonald. It was produced by B. P. Schulberg under his production company Preferred Pictures and released through Associated First National, ...

'' (1923) * '' Refuge'' (1923) * '' The Girl Who Came Back'' (1923) * '' The Lonely Road'' (1923) * ''

Daughters of the Rich ''Daughters of the Rich'' is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Louis J. Gasnier and starring Miriam Cooper, Gaston Glass, and Ethel Shannon based upon the 1900 novel of the same name by Edgar Saltus. Cast * Miriam Cooper as Maud Bar ...

'' (1923) * '' The Scarlet Lily'' (1923) * '' Mothers-in-Law'' (1923) * ''

Don't Marry for Money ''Don't Marry for Money'' is a 1923 American silent film, silent drama film directed by Clarence Brown and starring House Peters, Rubye De Remer, and Aileen Pringle.

'' (1923) * '' The Virginian'' (1923) * '' Maytime'' (1923) * '' The Broken Wing'' (1923) * ''

Chastity Chastity, also known as purity, is a virtue related to temperance. Someone who is ''chaste'' refrains either from sexual activity considered immoral or any sexual activity, according to their state of life. In some contexts, for example when mak ...

'' (1923) * '' Poisoned Paradise'' (1924) * '' The Breath of Scandal'' (1924) * ''

White Man White is a racialized classification of people and a skin color specifier, generally used for people of European origin, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, and point of view. Description of populations as ...

'' (1924) * '' The Triflers'' (1924) * ''

Capital Punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

'' (1925) * '' The Mansion of Aching Hearts'' (1925) * ''

North Star Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude that ...

'' (1925) * ''

The Blind Trail ''Blind Trail'' (also ''The Blind Trail'') is a 1926 American silent Western film directed by Leo D. Maloney and starring Maloney, Josephine Hill and Nelson McDowell.Connelly p.324 Cast * Leo D. Maloney as Bob Carson * Josephine Hill as Alice ...

'' (1925) * ''

The Boomerang ''The Boomerang'' was a weekly newspaper published in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. History The newspaper was established by William Lane in 1887, publishing its first issue on 19 November 1887. James Drake, future Attorney-General of Au ...

'' (1925) * ''

Faint Perfume ''Faint Perfume'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Louis J. Gasnier and starring Seena Owen, William Powell, and Mary Alden Mary Maguire Alden (June 18, 1883 – July 2, 1946) was an American motion picture and stage actress ...

'' (1925) * ''

My Lady's Lips ''My Lady's Lips'' (also known as ''My Ladies' Lips'') is a 1925 American silent drama film written by John F. Goodrich and directed by James P. Hogan for B.P. Schulberg and his company Preferred Pictures. The film stars Alyce Mills, and rep ...

'' (1925) * '' The Parasite'' (1925) * ''

The Lawful Cheater ''The Lawful Cheater'', sometimes referred to as ''Lawful Cheaters'', is a 1925 American silent crime drama film written by Frank O'Connor and Adele Buffington. The film was directed by O'Connor for B.P. Schulberg Productions, and starred Clar ...

'' (1925) * '' Go Straight'' (1925) * ''

Parisian Love ''Parisian Love'' is a black and white 1925 American silent romantic crime drama film directed by Louis J. Gasnier and starring Clara Bow Clara Gordon Bow (; July 29, 1905 – September 27, 1965) was an American actress who rose to stardom ...

'' (1925) * '' Perils of the Rail'' (1925) * ''

The Other Woman's Story ''The Other Woman's Story'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by B.F. Stanley and starring Alice Calhoun, Robert Frazer, and Helen Lee Worthing. In America it was distributed by the independent outfit Preferred Pictures while its Brit ...

'' (1925) * '' The Girl Who Wouldn't Work'' (1925) * '' With This Ring'' (1925) * ''

Free to Love ''Free to Love'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Frank O'Connor. The film stars Clara Bow and Donald Keith. Plot As described in a film magazine review, after threatening him with a gun but relenting, Marie Anthony, who was r ...

'' (1925) * ''

The Plastic Age ''The Plastic Age'' (1924 in literature, 1924) is a novel by Percy Marks that tells the story of Hugh Carver, a student at a fictional men's college called Sanford. With contents that covered or implied hazing, smoking, drinking, partying, and " ...

'' (1925) * ''

Lew Tyler's Wives ''Lew Tyler's Wives'' is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Harley Knoles. Based on a novel by Wallace Irwin, it was produced and released by independent production company Preferred Pictures. Cast Preservation With no prints of '' ...

'' (1926) * ''

The Romance of a Million Dollars '' The Romance of a Million Dollars'' is a 1926 American drama film directed by Tom Terriss and starring Glenn Hunter, Alyce Mills and Gaston Glass.Langman p.177 Cast * Glenn Hunter as Breck Dunbarton * Alyce Mills as Marie Moore * Gast ...

'' (1926) * ''

Dancing Days "Dancing Days" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It appears on their 1973 album, ''Houses of the Holy'', and was released as a single in the US. It was recorded at Stargroves, England in 1972. It was inspired by an Indian tune tha ...

'' (1926) * '' His New York Wife'' (1926) * ''

Exclusive Rights In Anglo-Saxon law, an exclusive right, or exclusivity, is a de facto, non-tangible prerogative existing in law (that is, the power or, in a wider sense, right) to perform an action or acquire a benefit and to permit or deny others the right to p ...

'' (1926) * ''

Shameful Behavior? ''Shameful Behavior?'' is a 1926 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Albert H. Kelley and starring Edith Roberts, Richard Tucker and Martha Mattox.Connelly p.408 It is based on a 1910 short story of the same name by Marie Belloc Low ...

'' (1926)

References

Bibliography

* Slide, Anthony. ''The New Historical Dictionary of the American Film Industry''. Routledge, 2014. American film studios Film distributors of the United States {{US-film-company-stub