Producers Distributing Corporation was a short-lived Hollywood film distribution company, organized in 1924 and dissolved in March 1927. In its brief heyday, film director

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cine ...

was its primary shareholder and major talent.

Corporate history

PDC's beginnings lay with film pioneer

William Wadsworth Hodkinson William Wadsworth Hodkinson (August 16, 1881 – June 2, 1971), known more commonly as W. W. Hodkinson, was born in Independence, Kansas. Known as ''The Man Who Invented Hollywood'', he opened one of the first movie theaters in Ogden, Utah in 190 ...

, founder of

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 ...

in 1912. In late 1924 Hodkinson sold one of his struggling distribution companies to Jeremiah Millbank, a "wealthy, extremely religious, and politically conservative financier."Empire of dreams: the epic life of Cecil B. DeMille, Scott Eyman, page 212 Millbank partnered with DeMille and renamed the company Producers Distributing Corporation. Part of Millbank's investment went to purchase the former

Thomas H. Ince Thomas Harper Ince (November 16, 1880 – November 19, 1924) was an American silent film - era filmmaker and media proprietor. Ince was known as the "Father of the Western" and was responsible for making over 800 films. He revolutionized the mo ...

Culver Studios The Culver Studios is a movie studio in Culver City, California. Originally created by silent movie pioneer Thomas H. Ince, classics from Hollywood's Golden Age were filmed there. It is currently owned by Hackman Capital Partners, which completel ...

, the property whose main building is a replica of

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...

. In March 1927,

Pathe Exchange Pathe or Pathé may refer to: * Pathé, a French company established in 1896 * Pathé Exchange, U.S. division of the French film company that was spun off into an independent entity * Pathé News, a French and British distributor of cinema news ...

and Producers Distributing Corporation merged under the control of the

Keith-Albee-Orpheum The Keith-Albee-Orpheum Corporation was the owner of a chain of vaudeville and motion picture theatres. It was formed by the merger of the holdings of Benjamin Franklin Keith and Edward Franklin Albee II and Martin Beck's Orpheum Circuit. Hist ...

chain of theaters. In early 1928,

Joseph P. Kennedy Joseph Patrick Kennedy (September 6, 1888 – November 18, 1969) was an American businessman, investor, and politician. He is known for his own political prominence as well as that of his children and was the patriarch of the Irish-American Ken ...

merged

Film Booking Offices of America Film Booking Offices of America (FBO), registered as FBO Pictures Corp., was an American film studio of the silent era, a midsize producer and distributor of mostly low-budget films. The business began in 1918 as Robertson-Cole, an Anglo-Americ ...

(FBO) and KAO, in part to promote the new

RCA Photophone RCA Photophone was the trade name given to one of four major competing technologies that emerged in the American film industry in the late 1920s for synchronizing electrically recorded audio to a motion picture image. RCA Photophone was an opt ...

sound-on-film system, and created

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orphe ...

. PDC is unrelated to the company of the same name organized by Ben Judell in 1939, and which produced four films then evolved into the

Poverty Row Poverty Row is a slang term used to refer to Hollywood films produced from the 1920s to the 1950s by small (and mostly short-lived) B movie studios. Although many of them were based on (or near) today's Gower Street in Hollywood, the term did n ...

studio

Producers Releasing Corporation Producers Releasing Corporation was the smallest and least prestigious of the Hollywood film studios of the 1940s. It was considered a prime example of what was called "Poverty Row": a low-rent stretch of Gower Street in Hollywood where shoest ...

. PDC is also unconnected to the Producers Distribution Agency founded in 2010 by John Sloss and Bart Walker.

Filmography

* '' The Hoosier Schoolmaster'' (1924) * ''

Try and Get It ''Try and Get It'' is a 1924 American silent comedy film directed by Cullen Tate and starring Bryant Washburn, Billie Dove, and Edward Everett Horton. Plot As described in a film magazine review, Larry Donovan, owner of a printing business, t ...

'' (1924) * '' Hold Your Breath'' (1924) * ''

Another Scandal ''Another Scandal'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Edward H. Griffith and distributed by W. W. Hodkinson. Based on a 1923 novel ''Another Scandal'' by Cosmo Hamilton, the film stars Lois Wilson and Holmes Herbert. Plot As de ...

'' (1924) * ''

Her Own Free Will ''Her Own Free Will'' is a 1924 American silent film, silent drama film directed by Paul Scardon and starring Helene Chadwick, Holmes Herbert, and Violet Mersereau. It was based on a novel of the same name by the British writer Ethel M. Dell. Ca ...

'' (1924) * ''

Legend of Hollywood ''The Legend of Hollywood'' is a 1924 American silent romantic drama film directed by Renaud Hoffman and starring Percy Marmont, Zasu Pitts, and Alice Davenport.Munden p. 428 Plot As described in a review in a film magazine, a boarding house ...

'' (1924) * ''

The Wise Virgin ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1924) * ''

Welcome Stranger The Welcome Stranger is the biggest alluvial gold nugget that has ever been found, which had a calculated refined weight of .Potter, Terry F. (1999) ''The Welcome Stranger: a definitive account of the worlds largest alluvial gold nugget''. I ...

'' (1924) * '' Another Man's Wife'' (1924) * ''

Trouping with Ellen ''Trouping with Ellen'' is a 1924 American silent comedy film starring Basil Rathbone, Gaston Glass, Helene Chadwick, and Mary Thurman. Based on a short story by Earl Derr Biggers that appeared in ''The Saturday Evening Post'', this was Rathb ...

'' (1924) * ''

The House of Youth ''The House of Youth'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Ralph Ince and starring Jacqueline Logan, Malcolm McGregor and Gloria Grey.Munden p.366 Cast * Jacqueline Logan as Corinna Endicott * Malcolm McGregor as Spike Blaine * ...

'' (1924) * ''

Reckless Romance ''Reckless Romance'' is a 1924 American silent comedy film directed by Scott Sidney and starring T. Roy Barnes, Harry Myers, and Wanda Hawley. Plot As described in a review in a film magazine, Jerry Warner (Barnes) and Edith Somers (Breamer) a ...

'' (1924) * ''

The Chorus Lady ''The Chorus Lady'' is a 1915 American comedy silent film directed by Frank Reicher. The screenplay was by Marion Fairfax and James Forbes. The film stars Cleo Ridgely, Marjorie Daw, Wallace Reid, Richard Grey and Mrs. Lewis McCord. It is bas ...

'' (1924) * ''

The Flaming Forties ''The Flaming Forties'' is a 1924 American silent Western film, the sixth of seven features which short-lived motion picture company Stellar Productions released in 1924–1925 as Producers Distributing Corporation vehicles for Harry Carey. Ca ...

'' (1924) * ''

Roaring Rails ''Roaring Rails'' is a 1924 American silent Western film directed by Tom Forman and featuring Harry Carey. Cast * Harry Carey as Big Bill Benson * Frankie Darro as Little Bill * Edith Roberts as Nora Burke * Wallace MacDonald as Malcolm Gre ...

'' (1924) * ''

The Siren of Seville ''The Siren of Seville'' is a 1924 American silent adventure film directed by Jerome Storm and Hunt Stromberg Hunt Stromberg (July 12, 1894 – August 23, 1968) was a film producer during Hollywood's Golden Age. In a prolific 30-year career b ...

'' (1924) * ''

Ramshackle House ''Ramshackle House'' is a 1924 American silent romantic drama film directed by F. Harmon Weight and starring Betty Compson. It is based on the novel ''Ramshackle House'' by Hulbert Footner. It was released by Producers Distributing Corporation (P ...

'' (1924) * '' A Cafe in Cairo'' (1924) * ''

Barbara Frietchie ''Barbara Frietchie, The Frederick Girl'' is a play in four acts by Clyde Fitch and based on the heroine of John Greenleaf Whittier's poem "Barbara Frietchie" (based on a real person: Barbara Fritchie). Fitch takes a good bit of artistic libe ...

'' (1924) * ''

The Mirage The Mirage is a casino resort on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, Paradise, Nevada, United States. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by Hard Rock International. The 65-acre property includes a casino and 3,044 rooms. Mirage R ...

'' (1924) * ''

Chalk Marks ''Chalk Marks'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by John G. Adolfi and starring Marguerite Snow and June Elvidge. It was distributed by Producers Distributing Corporation. Cast Preservation With no prints of ''Chalk Marks'' locat ...

'' (1924) * ''

Let Women Alone ''Let Women Alone'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by Paul Powell and starring Pat O'Malley, Wanda Hawley and Wallace Beery.Munden p.430 Plot After her husband is reportedly drowned at sea, his wife supports herself and their c ...

'' (1925) * ''

The Million Dollar Handicap ''The Million Dollar Handicap'' is a 1925 American silent sports drama film directed by Scott Sidney and starring Edmund Burns, Ralph Lewis, and Ward Crane. It is based on the 1902 novel ''Thoroughbreds'' by William Alexander Fraser. The film w ...

'' (1925) * ''

On the Threshold ''On the Threshold'' ( no, Lars i porten) is a 1984 Norwegian drama film directed by Leif Erlsboe. It was entered into the 14th Moscow International Film Festival where it won a Special Prize. Plot synopsis An apartment house courtyard on the e ...

'' (1925) * '' The Crimson Runner'' (1925) * '' Friendly Enemies'' (1925) * ''

Beauty and the Bad Man ''Beauty and the Bad Man'' is a 1925 American silent Western film directed by William Worthington and starring Mabel Ballin, Forrest Stanley, and Russell Simpson. Plot As described in a film magazine review, Cassie, an orphan with vocal abil ...

'' (1925) * ''

Stop Flirting ''Stop Flirting'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by Scott Sidney and starring Wanda Hawley, John T. Murray, and Ethel Shannon. It is based on the 1923 play of the same title by Frederick J. Jackson.Hell's Highroad'' (1925) * ''

Steel Preferred ''Steel Preferred'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by James P. Hogan and starring Vera Reynolds, William Boyd, and Hobart Bosworth. The film portrays a power struggle at a steelworks. Plot As described in a film magazine review, ...

'' (1925) * ''

Off the Highway ''Off the Highway'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Tom Forman and starring William V. Mong, Marguerite De La Motte and John Bowers.Goble p.892 Plot Cast * William V. Mong as Caleb Fry / Tatterly * Marguerite De La Motte a ...

'' (1925) * '' Seven Days'' (1925) * '' The Girl on the Stairs'' (1925) * ''

Silent Sanderson ''Silent Sanderson'' is a 1925 American silent Western film featuring Harry Carey. Plot As described in a film magazine review, Joel had loved Judith but had given her up to his brother, who asked her to marry him. The brother is found dead, ...

'' (1925) * ''

The Bad Lands ''The Bad Lands'' is a 1925 American silent Western film directed by Dell Henderson George Delbert "Dell" Henderson (July 5, 1877 – December 2, 1956) was a Canadian-American actor, director, and writer. He began his long and prolific fil ...

'' (1925) * ''

The Texas Trail ''The Texas Trail'' is a 1925 American silent Western film directed by Scott R. Dunlap and featuring Harry Carey. Plot As described in a film magazine reviews, when Betty Foster comes West, she finds that real cowboys are not a match to what ...

'' (1925) * '' Beyond the Border'' (1925) * '' Without Mercy'' (1925) * ''

The Coming of Amos ''The Coming of Amos'' is a 1925 American silent romantic drama film directed by Paul Sloane, produced by Cecil B. DeMille and distributed by his Producers Distributing Corporation. Copies of this film survive and can be found on home video an ...

'' (1925) * ''

The Prairie Pirate ''The Prairie Pirate'' is a 1925 American silent Western film directed by Edmund Mortimer and featuring Harry Carey Harry Carey may refer to: *Harry Carey (actor) (1878–1947), American actor * Harry Carey Jr. (1921–2012), American actor * ...

'' (1925) * '' The People vs. Nancy Preston'' (1925) * '' Simon the Jester'' (1925) * '' Private Affairs'' (1925) * '' Her Market Value'' (1925) * ''

The Man from Red Gulch ''The Man from Red Gulch'' is a 1925 American silent Western film featuring Harry Carey. Copies of the film are held at Cineteca Italiana, Milan and the UCLA Film and Television Archive. Cast * Harry Carey as Sandy * Harriet Hammond as Betse ...

'' (1925) * '' The Girl of Gold'' (1925) * ''

Soft Shoes ''Soft Shoes'' is a 1925 American drama film directed by Lloyd Ingraham and featuring Harry Carey. Plot As described in a film magazine review, Pat Halahan, Sheriff of Boulder, goes to San Francisco to see the sights. He meets Faith O’Day, i ...

'' (1925) * '' The Wedding Song'' (1925) * ''

Braveheart ''Braveheart'' is a 1995 American historical drama film directed and produced by, and starring Mel Gibson. Gibson portrays Sir William Wallace, a late-13th century Scottish warrior who led the Scots in the First War of Scottish Independence ag ...

'' (1925) * ''

The Awful Truth ''The Awful Truth'' is a 1937 American screwball comedy film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Irene Dunne and Cary Grant. Based on the 1923 play ''The Awful Truth'' by Arthur Richman, the film recounts how a distrustful rich couple begins d ...

'' (1925) * ''

Madame Behave ''Madame Behave'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by Scott Sidney starring cross-dressing actor Julian Eltinge. The film is an adaptation of the play ''Madame Lucy'' by Jean Arlette and was produced by Al Christie with distribut ...

'' (1925) * ''

The Road to Yesterday ''The Road to Yesterday'' is a 1925 American silent romantic drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. The film is significant because it was Cecil B. DeMille's first release from his new production company, DeMille Pictures Corporation. It wa ...

'' (1925) * '' The Flame of the Yukon'' (1926) * ''

Red Dice ''The Red Dice'' is a 1926 American silent crime drama film directed by William K. Howard and produced by Cecil B. DeMille. It stars Rod La Rocque and Marguerite De La Motte and was released through Producers Distributing Corporation. Cast ...

'' (1926) * ''

Jim, the Conqueror ''Jim, the Conqueror'' is a 1926 American silent Western film directed by George B. Seitz and starring William Boyd and Elinor Fair. Cast Preservation A print of ''Jim, the Conqueror'' survives in the French archive Centre national du ciné ...

'' (1926) * ''

Eve's Leaves ''Eve's Leaves'' is a 1926 American silent romantic comedy film starring Leatrice Joy and William Boyd. The film was produced and distributed by Cecil B. DeMille and directed by Paul Sloane

'' (1926) * ''

The Danger Girl ''The Danger Girl'' is a 1916 American silent comedy film directed by Clarence G. Badger and starring Bobby Vernon and Gloria Swanson. Plot Reggie's sister disguises herself as a boy to prove to her brother and sweetheart that a vamp is on ...

'' (1926) * '' Cruise of the Jasper B'' (1926) * '' Pals in Paradise'' (1926) * ''

Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue is a major and prominent thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It stretches north from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village to West 143rd Street in Harlem. It is one of the most expensive shopping stre ...

'' (1926) * ''

The Clinging Vine ''The Clinging Vine'' is a 1926 American silent comedy film produced by Cecil B. DeMille and Paul Slone and directed by Sloane. It was distributed by DeMille's Producers Distributing Corporation.

'' (1926) * ''

The Speeding Venus ''The Speeding Venus'' is a 1926 American silent film, silent drama film directed by Robert Thornby and starring Priscilla Dean, Robert Frazer and Dale Fuller (actress), Dale Fuller.Munden p.754 Cast * Priscilla Dean as Emily Dale * Robert Fraz ...

'' (1926) * ''

Her Man o' War ''Her Man o' War'' is a 1926 American silent war drama film directed by Frank Urson and starring Jetta Goudal, William Boyd and Jimmie Adams.Goble p.240 The film's sets were designed by the art director Max Parker. Synopsis After being captur ...

'' (1926) * '' West of Broadway'' (1926) * ''

Gigolo A gigolo () is a male escort or social companion who is supported by a person in a continuing relationship, often living in her residence or having to be present at her beck and call. The term ''gigolo'' usually implies a man who adopts a lifest ...

'' (1926) * ''

Paris at Midnight ''Paris at Midnight'' is a 1926 American silent drama film starring Jetta Goudal and Lionel Barrymore and was directed by E. Mason Hopper. It was distributed by Producers Distributing Corporation. It was based on the novel '' Le Père Goriot'' ...

'' (1926) * '' Wild Oats Lane'' (1926) * ''

For Alimony Only ''For Alimony Only'' is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by William C. deMille and starring Leatrice Joy, Clive Brook, and Lilyan Tashman. The film's sets were by the art director Max Parker while the costumes were designed by Adrian ...

'' (1926) * ''

Silence Silence is the absence of ambient audible sound, the emission of sounds of such low intensity that they do not draw attention to themselves, or the state of having ceased to produce sounds; this latter sense can be extended to apply to the ce ...

'' (1926) * ''

The Dice Woman ''The Dice Woman'' is a 1926 American silent action adventure film directed by Eddie Dillon and starring Priscilla Dean. No known prints of it exist, and it is presumed lost. No longer a Universal contract star in 1926, Dean was in her career' ...

'' (1926) * ''

For Wives Only ''For Wives Only'' is a 1926 American silent comedy film directed by Victor Heerman and starring Marie Prevost, Victor Varconi and Charles K. Gerrard.Munden p.265 Cast * Marie Prevost as Laura Rittenhaus * Victor Varconi as Dr. Rittenhaus * ...

'' (1926) * ''

Corporal Kate ''Corporal Kate'' is a 1926 silent film comedy romance directed by Paul Sloane and starring Vera Reynolds and Julia Faye. The film was produced by C. Gardner Sullivan, with production at De Mille Pictures Corp., and released by Producers Distr ...

'' (1926) * ''

The Sea Wolf Seawolf, Sea wolf or Sea Wolves may refer to: Animals * Sea wolf, a wolf subspecies found in the Vancouver coastal islands * Seawolf (fish), a marine fish also known as wolffish or sea wolf * A nickname of the killer whale * South American sea ...

'' (1926) * '' Forbidden Waters'' (1926) * ''

The Nervous Wreck ''The Nervous Wreck'' is a 1926 American silent film, silent comedy film, comedy adventure film directed by Scott Sidney and starring Harrison Ford (silent film actor), Harrison Ford, Phyllis Haver and Chester Conklin.Connelly p.182 It is based ...

'' (1926) * '' The Last Frontier'' (1926) * ''

Whispering Smith ''Whispering Smith'' is a 1948 American Western film directed by Leslie Fenton and starring Alan Ladd as a railroad detective assigned to stop a gang of train robbers. The supporting cast includes Robert Preston, Brenda Marshall and Donald C ...

'' (1926) * '' Rocking Moon'' (1926) * '' Shipwrecked'' (1926) * '' Three Faces East'' (1926) * '' The Unknown Soldier'' (1926) * '' Up in Mabel's Room'' (1926) * '' The Volga Boatman'' (1926) * ''

Young April ''Young April'' is a 1926 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Donald Crisp, and starring Bessie Love, Joseph Schildkraut, and Rudolph Schildkraut. The film was produced by Cecil B. DeMille and distributed by Producers Distributing ...

'' (1926) * ''

Meet the Prince ''Meet the Prince'' is a lost 1926 American comedy-drama silent film directed by Joseph Henabery and starring Joseph Schildkraut and Marguerite De La Motte. It was produced by Metropolitan Pictures Corporation and distributed by Producers Distri ...

'' (1926) * ''

Bachelor Brides ''Bachelor Brides'' is a 1926 American silent comedy film directed by William K. Howard and starring Rod La Rocque, Elinor Fair and Eulalie Jensen. It is based on a 1925 British-set stage play by Charles Horace Malcolm.Goblp.303/ref> The film ...

'' (1926) * ''

Risky Business ''Risky Business'' is a 1983 American teen comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Brickman (in his directorial debut) and starring Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay. Best known as Cruise's breakout film, ''Risky Business'' was a critical ...

'' (1926) * '' Made for Love'' (1926) * '' The Prince of Pilsen'' (1926) * '' Almost a Lady'' (1926) * '' Sunny Side Up'' (1926) * '' The Rejuvenation of Aunt Mary'' (1927) * ''

Rubber Tires A tire (American English) or tyre (British English) is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide traction on the surface over which t ...

'' (1927) * ''

Nobody's Widow ''Nobody's Widow'' is a 1927 American silent comedy film directed by Donald Crisp and starring Leatrice Joy, Charles Ray and Phyllis Haver. It is an adaptation of a 1910 play of the same title by Avery Hopwood.The A to Z of American Theater: Mo ...

'' (1927) * ''

Fighting Love ''Fighting Love'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Nils Olaf Chrisander and starring Jetta Goudal, Victor Varconi and Henry B. Walthall. The film survives complete. It is based on the 1925 novel '' If the Gods Laugh'' by the B ...

'' (1927) * '' Jewels of Desire'' (1927) * ''

Vanity Vanity is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness to others. Prior to the 14th century it did not have such narcissistic undertones, and merely meant ''futility''. The related term vainglory is now often seen as an archaic s ...

'' (1927) * '' The Little Adventuress'' (1927) * '' Man Bait'' (1927) * '' No Control'' (1927) * '' The King of Kings'' (1927) * ''

The Heart Thief ''The Heart Thief'' is a 1927 American silent romantic drama film directed by Nils Olaf Chrisander and starring Joseph Schildkraut, Lya De Putti, and Robert Edeson.Bock & Bergfelder, p. 83 Cast * Joseph Schildkraut as Paul Kurt * Lya De Pu ...

'' (1927) * ''

White Gold Pure gold is slightly reddish yellow in color, but colored gold in various other colors can be produced by alloying gold with other elements. Colored golds can be classified in three groups: * Alloys with silver and copper in various proportions ...

'' (1927) * '' Getting Gertie's Garter'' (1927) * ''

The Night Bride ''The Night Bride'' is a 1927 American silent comedy film directed by E. Mason Hopper and starring Marie Prevost, Harrison Ford and Franklin Pangborn.Munden p.543 Cast * Marie Prevost as Cynthia Stockton * Harrison Ford as Stanley Warringto ...

'' (1927) * '' The Yankee Clipper'' (1927) * ''

Turkish Delight Turkish delight or lokum ( ota, لوقوم) is a family of confections based on a gel of starch and sugar. Premium varieties consist largely of chopped dates, pistachios, hazelnuts or walnuts bound by the gel; traditional varieties are often f ...

'' (1927)

References

Mass media companies established in 1924 Mass media companies disestablished in 1927 Film distributors of the United States Defunct American film studios 1925 establishments in California 1927 disestablishments in California {{US-film-company-stub