Cinema Center Films

Cinema Center Films (CCF) was the theatrical film production company of the CBS Television Network from 1967 to 1972. Its films were distributed by National General Pictures. The production unit was located at the Republic Pictures lot, Hollywood and produced 30 films.

History
CBS chairman William S. Paley and Frank Stanton founded the network's first film division, Cinema Center Films, in 1967 with Gordon T. Stulberg as its first chief.

In February 1967 CBS had bought the studios of Republic Pictures (which would be renamed CBS Studio Center) for $9.5 million. The following month they announced Stulberg's appointment, stating they intended to make ten films a year at a cost of $3.5 million each on average. Paley and Stulberg met with Gulf & Western chairman Charles Bluhdorn, who had just acquired Paramount Pictures, in a search for a distributor but Bluhdorn's over chumminess turned off Paley. Stulberg reported to John A. Schneider, CBS network president. The studio's first notable talent signing was with Doris Day which resulted in their first movie With Six You Get Eggroll. Initially, CCF was generally termed by the film community as a maker only of "fluffy films" that seemed designed for rebroadcast on CBS.

Their second signing was with Bob Banner Associates, who were to make a series of projects that did not come to fruition. National General Pictures agreed to distribute their films in August 1967, agreeing to provide $60 million for 22 movies.

They signed a four picture deal in 1967 with Jalem, Jack Lemmon's company worth $21 million – Jalem was to produce four films, two in which Lemmon was to appear. Other people who signed deals with the company include producer William Graf, and actor Steve McQueen via his company Solar Productions. Robert Culp's company also signed.

Ogilvy Mather was hired in July 1969 to provide advertising for the division. To counter act the film community's perception of being a "fluffy films" producer Stulberg recommended making The Boys in the Band to Paley. Little Big Man was CCF's biggest hit at the box office despite a cost overrun. CCF also financed a Broadway production, Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?, a Don Petersen drama that opened in February 1970. Paley moved responsibility at CBS for CCF from Schneider to Goddard Lieberson, president of what at the time was their record division.

Twenty-six films were produced under Stulberg until he left to work at 20th Century Fox in 1971. CBS closed the unit in 1972; its last film was the Peanuts animated musical Snoopy, Come Home. The studio never reported a profit in any year of its operation losing money on the 20 out of 27 films for a total loss of $30 million.

Postscript
Distribution of Cinema Center's films were transferred from General Cinema Pictures to Warner Bros. in a November 1973 deal that also included those of First Artist Productions.

CBS sold 28 CCF films to Viacom in 1979 for $30 million. Another look at Cinema Center Films found that it was profitable. Since its closure, its films had been generating income via network and pay TV ancillary markets. Thus CBS attempted another return to the theatrical film production business in 1982, with a unit known as CBS Theatrical Films, as well as with Tri-Star Pictures, the joint venture between CBS, HBO and Columbia Pictures. CBS ended CBS Theatrical and dropped out of Tri-Star in 1985.

CBS would later fall under common ownership with Paramount Pictures after being bought by Viacom (Paramount's parent since 1994 and originally the syndication arm of CBS) in 1999. CBS and Viacom split again in 2005, but both are still owned by National Amusements. CBS eventually launched a new film unit independent of Viacom and Paramount in 2007, called CBS Films (which Lionsgate took over CBS Films' theatrical distribution functions in 2015).

Filmography

 * Hail, Hero! (1969) Halcyon Productions
 * The April Fools (May 28, 1969) Jalem Productions, Inc.
 * Me, Natalie (13 July 1969) Nob Hill Productions
 * With Six You Get Eggroll (September 1968) Arwin Productions, Inc.
 * The Reivers (25 December 1969) Duo Productions, Solar Productions, Inc.
 * The Royal Hunt of the Sun (1969)
 * Charro! (March 1969)
 * A Boy Named Charlie Brown (December 4, 1969) United Features Syndicate
 * ''Homer (September 1970) Palomar Pictures
 * The Boys in the Band (1970)
 * Little Big Man (1970)
 * Something for Everyone (1970) Media Productions
 * A Man Called Horse (29 April 1970) Sandy Howard Productions Corp.
 * Big Jake western (June 1971) Batjac Productions, Inc.
 * Rio Lobo Western (December 16, 1970) Malabar Productions
 * Le Mans (June 1971) Solar Productions
 * Blue Water, White Death documentary (June 1971) Blue Water Film Corporation Productions
 * Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? (15 June 1971)
 * Figures in a Landscape (July 1971) Cinecrest Film Ltd.
 * The African Elephant documentary (October 1971) Dartmouth Productions
 * Something Big (November 1971) Stanmore Productions, Inc., Penbar Productions, Inc.
 * The Christian Licorice Store (December 1971)
 * Come to Your Senses (December 1971) Prana-Mendelson Productions
 * The War Between Men and Women (May 1972) Jalem Productions, Inc., Lienroc Productions
 * The Little Ark (March 1972) Robert B. Radnitz Productions Ltd.
 * Prime Cut (June 1972) Wizan Productions
 * The Revengers (June 1972)
 * Snoopy, Come Home (July 1972) Lee Mendelson Film Productions, Inc., Sopwith Productions, Inc.
 * Cutting Loose - unreleased documentary

Unmade projects
The following projects were announced but not made:
 * The Apollo of Bellac (1967) based on the play by Jean Giradou
 * Contrast (circa 1967) based on two short stories by W. Somerset Maugham
 * Nelly Bly (circa 1967) a biopic of the famous reporter
 * musical adaptation of Treasure Island by Elliot Kastner and Jerry Gershwin''
 * Yucatan (1971) a motorcycle adventure starring Steve McQueen
 * Man on a Nylon String (1971) an adventure tale to be made by Solar Productions but not starring Steve McQueen set in the Alps
 * Applegate's Gold (circa 1971) a Western for Solar Productions