Some completely missed the mark
The brothers' first foray into the movie industry was by acquiring their own film projector and then using it for traveling shows, usually taking place in storefronts.
Jack Warner, the youngest of the brothers, was born in London, Ontario, in Canada. They all soon moved to Ohio, however.
The brothers were not born into money and instead were the sons of Benjamin Eichelbaum, an immigrant Polish cobbler and peddler.
In around 1913, they began producing their own films, and in 1917 they made the pivotal decision to shift their production headquarters to Hollywood, California.
Harry, Albert, and Sam Warner (born in that order) were all born in Poland and emigrated to North America in the late 19th century.
In the mid-1920s, Sam Warner persuaded his brothers to implement revolutionary synchronized sound technology, which made the “talkies” possible. The studio's 'Don Juan' (1926) was the first film to open with a completely synchronized musical soundtrack.
As vice president in charge of production, Jack is said to have run the studio with great discipline and order, personally supervising the selection of story material, producers, directors, and actors. He was good with money and knew how to reuse sets, costumes, and props.
Warner Brothers Pictures, Inc. was established in 1923. The eldest of the brothers, Harry, was the president and ran the headquarters in New York City. Albert was its treasurer and head of sales and distribution, and Sam and Jack managed the studio in Hollywood. They're pictured here with golfer Bobby Jones (center).
Sam died suddenly of cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 40 in 1927, only 24 hours before the premiere of 'The Jazz Singer,' tragically unable to celebrate the fruits of his own labor.
The studio made the first full-length all-talking film, 'Lights of New York' (1928), and the first all-talking color movie, 'On with the Show' (1929). It was the money generated from these early sound films that propelled the studio on towards the major motion pictures we know today.
In 1923, Warner Bros. had their first box-office sensation with the silent film 'Where the North Begins,’ which starred Rin Tin Tin, a dog rescued by an American soldier who became beloved by audiences. Jack Warner signed the dog (via his owner) to appear in subsequent films for a price of US$1,000 per week, marking the first instance of Warner Bros. contracting a huge star, as they would continue to do with many actors.
The Warner Brothers were known for their tough business practices and competitiveness. Jack specifically was feared by many of his employees, but still earned respect for his keen instincts.
During World War II, the Warner Brothers studio produced many patriotic and propaganda films like 'Wings for the Eagle,' as well as cartoons, including 'Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips' and 'Tokio Jokio.'
The studio expanded into television with the premiere of the Western series 'Cheyenne' in 1955. Little did they know that the studio would go on to make historic shows like 'Friends,' 'ER,' and 'The Big Bang Theory.'
The studio would contract actors exclusively for several movies and turn them into mega stars, which contributed to how we look at A-listers today. Some early stars at Warner Bros. included Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Errol Flynn, John Barrymore, Edward G. Robinson, Bette Davis, Cary Grant, Doris Day, Henry Fonda, and more.
The Warner Brothers studio made an early legacy producing many classic movies, including 'The Maltese Falcon' (1941), 'Casablanca' (1942), 'A Streetcar Named Desire' (1951), and 'Rebel Without a Cause' (1955). Whereas their competition MGM went for bright, colorful musicals, Warner Bros. went for the darker, grittier stories.
Jack interestingly became notorious for his poor attempts at humor. "Jack Warner would rather tell a bad joke than make a good movie,” comedian Jack Benny, who once worked at Warner Bros., is quoted as saying.
After Sam's death, Jack often clashed with his surviving older brothers, Harry and Albert. Things turned really sour in the 1950s after Jack sneakily purchased his brothers' shares in the business after convincing them to participate in a joint sale of stocks. He then assumed exclusive control of the company, and his brothers are said to have stopped speaking to him.
Spurred by the success of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoons, Warner Brothers contracted Leon Schlesinger, who subcontracted the work to animators Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising, to create the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoon series, which featured beloved characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig.
The historic water tower located at the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank was built in 1927, stands 133 feet tall, and used to hold 100,000 gallons of water in case of fire on the set—a common feature of Hollywood studios of the era. But it was emptied after the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, when the Warners realized that if the tower had fallen, it would have ironically crashed onto the Fire Department.
The last remaining film set of Casablanca is located on the street of Any Town, USA in Warner Brothers Studios. It was on this corner that Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman's characters learned the Germans were approaching Paris. If only Lorelai Gilmore knew that the only remaining set of her favorite movie was just right down the road in Stars Hollow!
Schlesinger's unit produced the enormously popular and enduring Looney Tune cartoon shorts, however the animation division was set up in a bungalow nicknamed the “Termite Terrace” thanks to the insect infestation (and the studio's relatively low budget given to them to do anything about it).
Three Best Picture winners—'The Life of Emile Zola,' 'My Fair Lady' and 'Casablanca' (most but not all of it)—and a further 10 Best Picture nominees were filmed on Stage 7 in Burbank, which is how it earned its nickname as Lucky Seven.
Harry Warner died in 1958, and Albert died in early 1967. Jack was the last to go, and he eventually passed in 1978. The Warner Brothers were posthumously inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1986.
So many Warner Bros. films have perpetuated the popular narrative of the American Dream, and it's no wonder since the brothers had left their homes in search of a better future, then built an empire from the ground up.
Sources: (Britannica) (Discover Walks) (The Odyssey Online) (The Washington Post) (Screen Rant)
See also: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: curious facts about the series
In around 1903, they opened their first movie theater in New Castle, Pennsylvania (pictured). They even organized a system of film distribution among fellow theater owners, which became so successful that film producers tried to impede on it. The Warner Brothers then decided to produce their own movies.
The final installment of the Harry Potter film series, 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2' (2011), is the studio's highest-grossing film worldwide with US$1.3 billion.
In 1927, the Warner Brothers released 'The Jazz Singer,' which was the first feature-length movie with synchronized dialogue.
Warner Brothers sold their studio to Seven Arts Productions in 1967, and Elliot and Ken Hyman renamed it Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, but the Warner Bros. brand continues to be one of the most recognizable names in the entertainment industry and most people don't even remember Seven Arts. Jack remained with Warner Brothers until 1972, when he retired after falling ill.
It would be quite a feat to have never heard or seen the name Warner Bros. before because they’re everywhere—written across the entire history of Hollywood and attached to our favorite shows and movies to this day. The American entertainment conglomerate was founded in 1923, and yet as a company that relies so heavily upon sharing stories, their own has been quite obscured over time.
How much do you really know about this ultimate rags to riches story that informed so much of the cinema we enjoy today? Click through to brush up on the little-known but fascinating facts behind the Warner Brothers.
The hidden tale of Warner Bros.: The untold story behind this iconic Hollywood studio
The fascinating story behind the four brothers and the legacy they left behind
MOVIES Hollywood
It would be quite a feat to have never heard or seen the name Warner Bros. before because they’re everywhere—written across the entire history of Hollywood and attached to our favorite shows and movies to this day. The American entertainment conglomerate was founded in 1923, and yet as a company that relies so heavily upon sharing stories, their own has been quite obscured over time.
How much do you really know about this ultimate rags to riches story that informed so much of the cinema we enjoy today? Click through to brush up on the little-known but fascinating facts behind the Warner Brothers.