Editing United Artists (section)

===Early years===
[[File:Fairbanks - Pickford - Chaplin - Griffith.jpg|thumb|left|[[Douglas Fairbanks]], [[Mary Pickford]], [[Charlie Chaplin]], and [[D.&nbsp;W. Griffith]] in 1919]]

In 1918, [[Charlie Chaplin]] could not get his parent company [[First National Pictures]] to increase his production budget despite being one of their top producers. [[Mary Pickford]] and [[Douglas Fairbanks]] had their own contracts, with First National and [[Famous Players–Lasky]] respectively, but these were due to run out with no clear offers forthcoming. Sydney Chaplin, brother and business manager for Charlie, deduced something was going wrong, and contacted Pickford and Fairbanks. Together they hired a private detective, who discovered a plan to merge all production companies and to lock in "exhibition companies" to a series of five-year contracts.<ref name=uacbs/>

Chaplin, Pickford, Fairbanks, and [[D. W. Griffith]] incorporated United Artists as a joint venture company on February 5, 1919. Each held a 25% stake in the [[Preferred stock|preferred shares]] and a 20% stake in the [[Common stock|common shares]] of the joint venture, with the remaining 20% of common shares held by lawyer and advisor [[William Gibbs McAdoo]].<ref name="siklos">{{cite news|last1=Siklos|first1=Richard|title=Mission Improbable: Tom Cruise as Mogul|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/04/business/yourmoney/04cruise.html|access-date=October 2, 2017|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=March 4, 2007|archive-date=October 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002115739/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/04/business/yourmoney/04cruise.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The idea for the venture originated with Fairbanks, Chaplin, Pickford and cowboy star [[William&nbsp;S. Hart]] a year earlier. Already Hollywood veterans, the four stars talked of forming their own company to better control their own work.

They were spurred on by established Hollywood producers and distributors who were tightening their control over actor salaries and creative decisions, a process that evolved into the [[studio system]]. With the addition of Griffith, planning began, but Hart bowed out before anything was formalized. When he heard about their scheme, [[Richard A. Rowland]], head of [[Metro Pictures]], apparently said, "The inmates are taking over the asylum."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://medium.com/@devonjames/the-inmates-are-taking-over-the-asylum-3b6ffd8a66c4|title=The inmates are taking over the asylum.|last=james|first=devon|date=2016-06-02|website=devon james|access-date=2018-04-26|archive-date=April 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180427045157/https://medium.com/@devonjames/the-inmates-are-taking-over-the-asylum-3b6ffd8a66c4|url-status=live}}</ref> The four partners, with advice from McAdoo (son-in-law and former [[U.S. Secretary of the Treasury|Treasury Secretary]] of then-President [[Woodrow Wilson]]), formed their distribution company. [[Hiram Abrams]] was its first managing director, and the company established its headquarters at 729 Seventh Avenue in New York City.<ref name=uacbs>{{cite book| last1=Balio| first1=Tino| title=United Artists, Volume 1, 1919–1950: The Company Built by the Stars, Volume 1| date=March 2, 2009| publisher=University of Wisconsin Press| location=Madison, Wisconsin| isbn=9780299230036| page=29| edition=2nd| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QljKdIYzncoC&pg=PA29| access-date=September 2, 2017}}</ref>

[[File:United Artists Stockholders.jpg|thumb|List of UA stockholders in 1920|class=skin-invert]]

The original terms called for each star to produce five pictures a year. By the time the company was operational in 1921, feature films were becoming more expensive and polished, and running times had settled at around ninety minutes (eight reels). The original goal was thus abandoned.

[[File:United Artists contract signature 1919.jpg|thumb|[[D. W. Griffith|Griffith]], [[Mary Pickford|Pickford]], [[Charlie Chaplin|Chaplin]] (seated), and [[Douglas Fairbanks|Fairbanks]] at the signing of the contract establishing the United Artists motion-picture studio in 1919.<br>Lawyers Albert Banzhaf (left)<br>and Dennis F. O'Brien (right)<br>stand in the background.]]

UA's first production, ''[[His Majesty, the American]]'', written by and starring Fairbanks, was a success. Funding for movies was limited. Without selling stock to the public like other studios, all United had for finance was weekly prepayment installments from theater owners for upcoming movies. As a result, production was slow, and the company distributed an average of only five films a year in its first five years.<ref name="fu">{{cite web| title=History of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.| url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/metro-goldwyn-mayer-inc-history/| website=Funding Universe| access-date=December 20, 2014| language=en| archive-date=February 13, 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213144356/http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/metro-goldwyn-mayer-inc-history/| url-status=live}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=September 2017}}

By 1924, Griffith had dropped out, and the company was facing a crisis.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}} Veteran producer [[Joseph Schenck]] was hired as president.<ref name="fu" /> He had produced pictures for a decade,{{citation needed|date=December 2014}} and brought commitments for films starring his wife, [[Norma Talmadge]],<ref name="fu" /> his sister-in-law, [[Constance Talmadge]],{{citation needed|date=December 2014}} and his brother-in-law, [[Buster Keaton]].<ref name="fu" /> Contracts were signed with independent producers, including [[Samuel Goldwyn]], and [[Howard Hughes]].<ref name="fu" /> In 1933, Schenck organized a new company with [[Darryl&nbsp;F. Zanuck]], called [[Twentieth Century Pictures]], which soon provided four pictures a year, forming half of UA's schedule.<ref name="fu" />

Schenck formed a separate partnership with Pickford and Chaplin to buy and build theaters under the United Artists name. They began international operations, first in Canada, and then in Mexico. By the end of the 1930s, United Artists was represented in over 40 countries.

When he was denied an ownership share in 1935, Schenck resigned. He set up [[Twentieth Century Pictures|20th Century Pictures]]' merger with [[Fox Film|Fox Film Corporation]] to form [[20th Century Studios|20th Century-Fox]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cobbles.com/simpp_archive/zanuck-schenck.htm|title=The Formation of Twentieth Century-Fox (20th Century Fox)|website=www.cobbles.com|access-date=2018-04-26|archive-date=April 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180421065654/http://www.cobbles.com/simpp_archive/zanuck-schenck.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Al Lichtman]] succeeded Schenck as company president. Other independent producers distributed through United Artists in the 1930s including [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Walt Disney Productions]], [[Alexander Korda]], [[Hal Roach]], [[David O. Selznick]], and [[Walter Wanger]].<ref name="fu"/> As the years passed, and the dynamics of the business changed, these "producing partners" drifted away. [[Samuel Goldwyn Productions]] and [[Disney]] went to [[RKO Pictures|RKO]] and Wanger to [[Universal Pictures]].

In the late 1930s, UA turned a profit. Goldwyn was providing most of the output for distribution. He sued United several times for disputed compensation leading him to leave. MGM's 1939 hit ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]'' was supposed to be a UA release except that Selznick wanted [[Clark Gable]], who was under contract to MGM, to play [[Rhett Butler]]. Also that year, Fairbanks died.<ref name="fu"/>

UA became embroiled in lawsuits with Selznick over his distribution of some films through RKO. Selznick considered UA's operation sloppy, and left to start his own distribution arm.<ref name="fu" />

In the 1940s, United Artists was losing money because of poorly received pictures.{{Citation needed|date=September 2017}} Cinema attendance continued to decline as television became more popular.<ref name="fu"/> The company sold its Mexican releasing division to Crédito Cinematográfico Mexicano, a local company.