Editing Columbia Pictures (section)

===Reorganization and new name===
CBC was reorganized as '''Columbia Pictures Corporation''' by brothers [[Harry Cohn|Harry]] and [[Jack Cohn]] and best friend [[Joe Brandt]] on January 10, 1924.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=de&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sonypictures.de%2F|via=Google Translate|title = Home|website = Sony Pictures Germany}}</ref> Harry Cohn became president in 1932 and remained head of production as well, thus concentrating enormous power in his hands. He would run Columbia for a total of 34 years, one of the longest tenures of any studio chief ([[Warner Bros.]]' [[Jack L. Warner]] was head of production ''or'' CEO longer but did not become CEO until 1956). Even in an industry rife with nepotism, Columbia was particularly notorious for having a number of Harry and Jack's relatives in high positions. Humorist [[Robert Benchley]] called it the Pine Tree Studio, "because it has so many Cohns".<ref>Thomas, Bob (1967). ''King Cohn: The Life and Times of Harry Cohn''. London: Barrie and Rockliff. p. 40.</ref>

Brandt eventually tired of dealing with the Cohn brothers, and in 1932 sold his one-third stake to Jack and Harry Cohn, who took over from him as president.

Columbia's product line consisted mostly of moderately budgeted features and short subjects including comedies, sports films, various serials, and cartoons. Columbia gradually moved into the production of higher-budget fare, eventually joining the second tier of Hollywood studios along with [[United Artists]] and [[Universal Pictures|Universal]]. Like United Artists and Universal, Columbia was a horizontally integrated company. It controlled production and distribution; it did not own any theaters.

Helping Columbia's climb was the arrival of an ambitious director, [[Frank Capra]]. Between 1927 and 1939, Capra constantly pushed Cohn for better material and bigger budgets. A string of hits he directed in the early and mid 1930s solidified Columbia's status as a major studio. In particular, ''[[It Happened One Night]]'', which nearly swept the 1934 Oscars, put Columbia on the map. Until then, Columbia's business had depended on theater owners willing to take its films, since it did not have a theater network of its own. Other Capra-directed hits followed, including the original version of ''[[Lost Horizon (1937 film)|Lost Horizon]]'' (1937), with [[Ronald Colman]], and ''[[Mr. Smith Goes to Washington]]'' (1939), which made [[James Stewart]] a major star.{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}}

In 1933, Columbia hired [[Robert Kalloch]] to be its chief fashion and women's costume designer. He was the first contract costume designer hired by the studio,{{sfn|Chierichetti|1976|page=155}} and he established the studio's wardrobe department.{{sfn|Smyth|2018|page=183}} Kalloch's employment, in turn, convinced leading actresses that Columbia Pictures intended to invest in their careers.{{sfn|Jorgensen|Scoggins|2015|page=183}}

In 1938, the addition of [[B. B. Kahane]] as vice president would produce [[Charles Vidor]]'s ''[[Those High Grey Walls]]'' (1939), and ''[[The Lady in Question]]'' (1940), the first joint film of [[Rita Hayworth]] and [[Glenn Ford]]. Kahane would later become the President of [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] in 1959, until his death a year later.

Columbia could not afford to keep a huge roster of contract stars, so Jack Cohn usually borrowed them from other studios. At [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]], the industry's most prestigious studio, Columbia was nicknamed "Siberia", as [[Louis B. Mayer]] would use the loan-out to Columbia as a way to punish his less-obedient signings. In the 1930s, Columbia signed [[Jean Arthur]] to a long-term contract, and after ''[[The Whole Town's Talking]]'' (1935), Arthur became a major comedy star. [[Ann Sothern]]'s career was launched when Columbia signed her to a contract in 1936. [[Cary Grant]] signed a contract in 1937 and soon after it was altered to a non-exclusive contract shared with [[RKO Pictures|RKO]].

Many theaters relied on [[Western film|westerns]] to attract big weekend audiences, and Columbia always recognized this market. Its first cowboy star was [[Buck Jones]], who signed with Columbia in 1930 for a fraction of his former big-studio salary. Over the next two decades Columbia released scores of outdoor adventures with Jones, [[Tim McCoy]], [[Ken Maynard]], [[Jack Luden]], Bob Allen ([[Robert Allen (actor)|Robert (Tex) Allen]]), [[Russell Hayden]], [[Tex Ritter]], [[Ken Curtis]], and [[Gene Autry]]. Columbia's most popular cowboy was [[Charles Starrett]], who signed with Columbia in 1935 and starred in 131 western features over 17 years.{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}}