The Skouras Brothers Enterprises Inc. was an American
movie theater chain from the early days of film-making based in
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
. It was owned and operated by three brothers: Charles, Spyros and George. Even though it never became as important and famous as other family based companies, like the
Warner Brothers
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
, its members came to play important roles in American film industry.
History
The Skouras brothers arrived in St. Louis in 1910 from Greece. Living frugally on wages as busboys and bartenders in downtown hotels, they pooled their savings of $3500 in 1914 and in partnership with two other
Greeks
The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...
, they constructed a modest
nickelodeon (movie theater)
The Nickelodeon was the first type of indoor exhibition space dedicated to showing projected motion pictures in the United States and Canada. Usually set up in converted storefronts, these small, simple theaters charged five cents for admiss ...
at 1420 Market Street on the site of today's
Peabody Opera House
The Stifel Theatre (originally known as the Municipal Opera House and formerly the Kiel Opera House and Peabody Opera House) is a civic performing arts building located in St. Louis, Missouri.
About the venue
Founded as the "Kiel Opera House" (i ...
. This initial property, named the Olympia, was quickly followed by the acquisition of other theaters.
The brothers incorporated in 1924 with $400,000 capital stock. By then more than thirty local theaters belonged to the Skouras Brothers Co. of
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
. The biggest moment for the Skouras empire came when their dream of building a world-class movie palace in downtown St. Louis was grandly realized in 1926 when the $5.5 million
Ambassador Theatre Building opened (this theater re-opened in 1939 as the New
Fox Theatre).
During the depression the company encountered financial trouble. Like many other movie and theater moguls the Skouras Brothers were fighting for their survival. In 1928, control of the Skouras Brothers Enterprises, Inc., and the St. Louis Amusement Company was acquired by
Warner Brothers Pictures, Inc. and the brothers joined the film company as managers of film production. On January 24, 1931, the Skouras Brothers resigned from Warner Brothers.
Spyros Skouras
Spyros Panagiotis Skouras (; gr, Σπύρος Σκούρας; March 28, 1893 – August 16, 1971) was a Greek-American motion picture pioneer and film executive who was the president of 20th Century-Fox from 1942 to 1962. He resigned June 27, 19 ...
became in 1942 president of
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
. During Skouras' tenure (which was the longest in the company's history) he worked to rescue the faltering movie industry from television's lure. 20th Century Fox's famous advertising slogan, ''Movies are Better than Ever'', gained credibility in 1953 when Spyros introduced
Cinemascope in the studio's groundbreaking feature film ''
The Robe
''The Robe'' is a 1942 historical novel about the Crucifixion of Jesus, written by Lloyd C. Douglas. The book was one of the best-selling titles of the 1940s. It entered the ''New York Times'' Best Seller list in October 1942, four weeks later ...
''. With his introduction of
Cinemascope, Skouras did much to save the movie industry from its newly invented competitor, television.
Widescreen Museum
/ref>
Charles Skouras
Charles P. Skouras (; gr, Κάρολος Σκούρας; 1889–1954) was an American movie executive and president of Fox West Coast, born in Skourohorion, Greece. He and his two brothers, George Skouras and Spyros Skouras, came from Greece ...
became president of Fox Coast West. In a late 1950s suit, Samuel Goldwyn
Samuel Goldwyn (born Szmuel Gelbfisz; yi, שמואל געלבפֿיש; August 27, 1882 (claimed) January 31, 1974), also known as Samuel Goldfish, was a Polish-born American film producer. He was best known for being the founding contributor an ...
claimed that Twentieth Century-Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
, Fox West Coast Theatres, National Theatres, Charles P. Skouras, and several affiliated circuits including T & D. Junior Enterprises had intentionally discriminated against independently produced films, and he sought compensation for years of perceived oppression. Charles died before the trial took place.
George Skouras
George P. Skouras (; gr, Γεώργιος Σκούρας; 1896–1964) was an American movie executive and president of United Artists Theatres, born in Skourohorion, Greece. He was one of ten children of a sheep herder and his wife. He and two ...
became president of United Artists Theatres. In 1952 George joined United Artists with Michael Todd and Joe Schenck, former president of Twentieth Century Fox, in order to form the Magna Theatre Corporation for production and distribution of Todd-AO films.
Notes
{{Reflist
References
*Chrissochoidis, Ilias (ed.)
''Spyros P. Skouras, Memoirs (1893-1953).''
Stanford, 2013.
*Curti, Carlo (1967). ''Skouras'', ''King of Fox Studios''. Los Angeles: Holloway House Publishing Company.
Cinemas and movie theaters in Missouri
Movie theatre chains in the United States
Cinema pioneers