Sono Art-World Wide Pictures was an American

film distribution Film distribution (also known as Film exhibition or Film distribution and exhibition) is the process of making a movie available for viewing by an audience. This is normally the task of a professional film distributor, who would determine the marke ...

and production company in operation from 1927 to 1933. Their first feature film was ''

The Rainbow Man ''The Rainbow Man'' (known as ''La valle delle rose'' in Italy) is a 1929 American pre-Code musical drama film. A copy of ''The Rainbow Man'' is preserved by the Library of Congress Packard Campus. Cast *Eddie Dowling as Rainbow Ryan *Mari ...

'' (1929), while one of their most prominent was '' The Great Gabbo'' (1929) starring

Erich von Stroheim Erich Oswald Hans Carl Maria von Stroheim (born Erich Oswald Stroheim; September 22, 1885 – May 12, 1957) was an Austrian-American director, actor and producer, most noted as a film star and avant-garde, visionary director of the silent era. H ...

and directed by

James Cruze James Cruze (born James Cruze Bosen; March 27, 1884 – August 3, 1942) was a silent film actor and film director. Early years Cruze's middle name came from the battle of Vera Cruz. He was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

for James Cruze Productions, Inc. One of the last films distributed by the company was '' A Study in Scarlet'' (1933) starring

Reginald Owen John Reginald Owen (5 August 1887 – 5 November 1972) was a British actor. He was known for his many roles in British and American films and television programs. Career The son of Joseph and Frances Owen, Reginald Owen studied at Sir Herbert ...

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

. Sono Art was the original U.S. distributor for four

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

-directed films, '' Downhill'' (1927), '' Easy Virtue'' (1928), ''

The Manxman ''The Manxman'' is a 1929 British silent romance film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Anny Ondra, Carl Brisson and Malcolm Keen. The film is based on a popular 1894 romantic novel '' The Manxman'' by Hall Caine, which had previously ...

'' (1929), and ''

Blackmail Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fa ...

'' (1929), as well as the British

Anna May Wong Wong Liu Tsong (January 3, 1905 – February 3, 1961), known professionally as Anna May Wong, was an American actress, considered the first Chinese-American movie star in Hollywood, as well as the first Chinese-American actress to gain interna ...

vehicle ''

Piccadilly Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Cour ...

'' (1929).

Merger

In 1933, Sono-Art merged with Rayart Pictures to form

Monogram Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios i ...

. The original Monogram (including its library) merged into

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City a ...

in 1935; that library is now owned by

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 ...

(through Republic), although all Sono Art-World Wide productions have fallen into the public domain.

Filmography

* '' The Talk of Hollywood'' (1929) * '' The Great Gabbo'' (1929) * '' Blaze o' Glory'' (1929) * ''

'' (1929) * '' Hello Sister'' (1930) * '' Midnight Daddies'' (1930) * '' What a Man'' (1930) * '' Cock o' the Walk'' (1930) * '' The Big Fight'' (1930) * '' The Dude Wrangler'' (1930) * '' Rogue of the Rio Grande'' (1930) * '' Once a Gentleman'' (1930) * ''

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is th ...

'' (1930) * '' The Costello Case'' (1930) * '' Damaged Love'' (1931) * '' Swanee River'' (1931) * '' Mounted Fury'' (1931) * '' Murder at Midnight'' (1931) * '' Air Police'' (1931) * '' In Old Cheyenne'' (1931) * ''

First Aid First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with either a minor or serious illness or injury, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery. It includes initial i ...

'' (1931) * '' Hell-Bent for Frisco'' (1931) * ''

Is There Justice? ''Is There Justice?'' is a 1931 American pre-Code crime film directed by Stuart Paton and starring Rex Lease, Henry B. Walthall and Blanche Mehaffey.Langman & Finn p.125 It is now considered a lost film. Synopsis The brother of woman who di ...

'' (1931) * '' Neck and Neck'' (1931) * '' Law of the West'' (1932) * '' The Last Mile'' (1932) * ''

Texas Buddies ''Texas Buddies'' is a 1932 American Western film written and directed by Robert North Bradbury. The film stars Bob Steele, Nancy Drexel, Francis McDonald, Harry Semels, George "Gabby" Hayes and William Dyer. The film was released on October 1 ...

'' (1932) * '' Riders of the Desert'' (1932) * '' Those We Love'' (1932) * '' The Crooked Circle'' (1932) * '' Son of Oklahoma'' (1932) * '' The Man from Hell's Edges'' (1932) * '' Sunset Trail'' (1932) * '' False Faces'' (1932) * ''

Breach of Promise Breach of promise is a common law tort, abolished in many jurisdictions. It was also called breach of contract to marry,N.Y. Civil Rights Act article 8, §§ 80-A to 84. and the remedy awarded was known as heart balm. From at least the Middle ...

'' (1932) * ''

Trailing the Killer ''Trailing the Killer'', also known as ''Call of the Wilderness'' and ''Lobo'', is a 1932 American film directed by Herman C. Raymaker and released by Sono Art-World Wide Pictures. Premise The film follows a dog in his pursuit of a mountai ...

'' (1932) * '' South of Santa Fe'' (1932) * '' Dynamite Ranch'' (1932) * ''

Tombstone Canyon ''Tombstone Canyon'' is a 1932 American Western film directed by Alan James. Plot The Phantom Killer is on the loose with Ken (Ken Maynard) on his trail. He in turn is chased by a lynch mob. Cast *Ken Maynard as Ken *Tarzan as Tarzan (Ken ...

'' (1932) * '' The Man Called Back'' (1932) * '' Those We Love'' (1932) * '' The Death Kiss'' (1932) * ''

Uptown New York ''Uptown New York'' is a 1932 American Pre-Code film directed by Victor Schertzinger and starring Jack Oakie, Shirley Grey, and Leon Ames. It is based on the story by Vina Delmar. Plot summary Pat and Max are in love and share an intimate r ...

'' (1932) * '' Cannonball Express'' (1932) * '' Devil on Deck'' (1932) * '' Hypnotized'' (1932) * ''

Racetrack A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also use ...

'' (1933) * '' Fargo Express'' (1933) * ''

The Lone Avenger ''The Lone Avenger'' is a 1933 American Western film directed by Alan James and written by Forrest Sheldon and Betty Burbridge. The film stars Ken Maynard, Muriel Gordon, James Marcus, Alan Bridge, Niles Welch and William Bailey. The film was ...

'' (1933) * ''

The Constant Woman ''The Constant Woman'' (1933), also known as ''Auction in Souls'' and ''Hell in a Circus'', is an American Pre-Code film directed by Victor Schertzinger. It is based on the 1913 Eugene O'Neill play ''Recklessness''. Plot Marlene Underwood is a ...

'' (1933) * '' Drum Taps'' (1933) * '' A Study in Scarlet'' (1933)

References

External links

Sono Art-World Wide Pictures at IMDB
Mass media companies established in 1927 Entertainment companies established in 1927 Mass media companies disestablished in 1933 Defunct American film studios Film distributors of the United States Film production companies of the United States Paramount Global subsidiaries 1933 mergers and acquisitions {{US-film-company-stub