Founded: 1930

Defunct: 1963

Fate: Went out of business

Successor: Library acquired by Paramount Pictures (through Melange Pictures)

Astor Pictures was a motion picture distribution company in the United States, operating from 1930 to 1963. Founded by Robert M. Savini (August 29, 1886 – April 29, 1956), Astor specialized in re-releasing films before moving on to distribute independently made productions, including some of its own films during the 1950s.

History

Savini had worked in the film industry, including operating his own Savini Films in Atlanta, Georgia, which his brother eventually took over. His career included roles in film exhibition for Columbia Pictures, Sono Art-World Wide Pictures, and KBS Film Company (which included Burt Kelly, Samuel Bischoff, and William Saal), with World Wide handling the releases. He also worked with Tiffany Pictures. In May 1933, Savini partnered with Saal to form Amity Pictures, which released films from Tiffany and other Poverty Row studios, as well as produced their own films. By October 1933, Savini left his position as sales manager with Amity to start Astor Pictures.

During its early years, Astor, based at 130 West 46th Street in New York City, primarily invested in other companies' films to build capital. It also became the parent company to Savini's previous business, Atlantic Pictures, a film distribution exchange system covering the Southern United States. In 1939, Savini acquired the rights to films from other companies for profitable national re-release, using the Astor name and logo. Initial releases included revised sound versions of "Wings" and "Tumbleweeds," as well as the complete library of Educational Pictures short subjects, 1930s Poverty Row westerns, and various non-western titles from Grand National Pictures.

Astor later began producing a limited number of B-films, including some race films, and co-financed other productions, including British B-mysteries, while continuing select reissues. The company's focus on distribution to rural, small-town, and neighborhood theaters allowed it to remain solvent throughout World War II. A Billboard magazine article from June 8, 1946, reported that Astor had 26 branch offices across the United States. In the 1950s, Astor launched a subsidiary, Atlantic Television Corporation, for TV syndication of its earlier films and continued producing new pictures like "Cat-Women of the Moon" while distributing others like "Robot Monster."

However, by the late 1950s, Astor's fortunes declined, mirroring the struggles of other companies such as Republic Pictures and RKO Radio Pictures. Despite efforts to stay afloat by distributing art films like "La Dolce Vita" and "Peeping Tom," Astor could not overcome the financial difficulties facing the American motion picture industry at that time or shake its reputation for marketing lesser films. By 1963, Astor Pictures was out of business.

Types of Releases

• Re-released films from the defunct Grand National Pictures.

• Secured re-release rights for many films originally from United Artists, RKO Radio Pictures, and Educational Pictures.

• Compiled short subjects into feature films, such as The Road to Hollywood and It Pays to Be Funny.

• Re-released William S. Hart's Tumbleweeds (1925) with added sound effects and a new prologue by Hart in 1939.

• Released an unfinished 1940 Cornel Wilde film with new sequences as Stairway for a Star (1947).

• Distributed race films, producing only one, Beware! (1946) starring Louis Jordan.

• Acquired re-release rights to Sam Katzman’s East Side Kids films and Sunset Carson's post-Republic westerns.

• Released early Hammer Films in the U.S. through a deal with Hammer's parent company, Exclusive Films.

• Distributed low-budget sci-fi films such as Cat-Women of the Moon and Missile to the Moon.

Subsidiaries

• Atlantic Television: Established in the late 1940s to distribute films to television.

• Comedy House: Operated to release edited versions of Bing Crosby and other Educational Pictures comedy shorts for 16mm home viewing.

Art House Releases

After Robert M. Savini's death, Astor Pictures and Atlantic Television were acquired by George F. Foley, Jr. and Franklin Bruder, who focused on bringing European films to the U.S. market. This period saw Astor release several cinematic classics to American theaters in the early 1960s. The company's greatest success came with Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita (1960), a major box-office hit that enabled further releases of notable films, including Michael Powell's Peeping Tom (1960), François Truffaut's Shoot the Piano Player (1960), Alain Resnais' Last Year at Marienbad (1961), and Orson Welles' The Trial (1962). Despite these achievements, Astor Pictures went bankrupt in 1963.