Warner Bros History

Warner Bros. studios was the brain child of brothers Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack L. Warner. Harry, Albert, and Sam began in the exhibition business in 1903 after acquiring a projector with which they showed films in the mining towns of Pennsylvania and Ohio. In 1904 they founded the Pittsburgh-based Duquesne Amusement & Supply Company and with in a few years they distributed pictures across a four-state area. In 1918 the brothers opened Warner Bros. Studio on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood California. Sam and Jack produced the pictures, while Harry and Albert handled the finances and distribution. In 1932 they formally incorporated as Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.

Rin Tin Tin, a German Shepard dog, is credited for turning the fledgling studio in a success and was so popular that he stared in 26 films. As the studio prospered, it gained backing from Wall Street, and in 1924 Goldman Sachs arranged a major loan. With this money the brothers were able to plunge into radio, a nation-wide distribution system, and were even able to build theaters.

In October of 1927, Warner Bros. revolutionized the movie business with the success of the fist "talkie" The Jazz Singer. The early 1930's at Warner Bros. was the era of the gangster dramas, musical extravaganzas, as well as the birth of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, and Sylvester and Tweety.

Warner Bros. continued to prosper and today they are one the largest producers of film and television entertainment that includes several subsidiary companies such as: WB Television, Warner Home Movies, Turner Entertainment and Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, inc. to name a few.