Historic Films Purchases Over 1,000 Titles from Pathe News Inc.

Historic Films Archive recently completed the purchase of over 1,000 copyright renewed titles from Pathe News Inc. The titles document the first half of the 20th Century, and include over 700 “Musical Telescriptions,” encompassing the Pop, R&B, Jazz and Country Music of the 1950s.

The U.S. version of the Pathé Newsreel was acquired by Warner Brothers from RKO in 1931 and rebranded RKO Pathé News. When Warner discontinued production of the weekly Pathé Newreel in 1956 it was purchased, along with 38 short theatrical films, produced by Robert Youngston, by Joseph P. Smith and partners. Smith also acquired from Warner the Pathé crowing rooster trademark and a film newsreel library consisting of over seven million feet of film and over 100 educational and news-oriented shorts. Pathé News Inc. was created and incorporated by Smith in 1956 and all of its assets, except the newsreel film library, were held by the Smith family until the Historic Films purchase.

Also purchased from Pathé News, Inc. are the musical films created by Studio Films who produced the Snader Musical Telescriptions library and a series of thirteen groundbreaking live Rhythm & Blues programs, filmed in 1954-55 titled Showtime at the Apollo. To this day the Showtime at the Apollo series is considered the most comprehensive library of American Rhythm & Blues music in existence.

While the Sherman Grinberg Film Library continues marketing the original Pathé Newsreel film library, (the actual cut-original Pathé Newsreels and outtakes), Historic Films now owns all of the other titles and series that makes up the Pathé News, Inc. film library.

Historic Films CEO Joe Lauro states “While we have repped this collection for a number of years, our purchase of it now makes way for us to go back to the original 35mm fine grain prints and negatives, long in storage, and scan them in 4K. This will enable us to offer footage of key events of the first half of the twentieth century in extraordinary picture quality. I am also excited that Historic Films now owns, in my opinion, the largest and best library of African American Rhythm and Blues music filmed during its heyday. We will be giving that footage the same 4K makeover!”