Editing United Artists (section)

===Transamerica subsidiary===
[[File:United Artists logo 1975.svg|thumb|United Artists' second logo, used during the company's sale to Transamerica from 1967 until 1982|class=skin-invert]]
On the basis of its film and television hits, in 1967, [[Transamerica Corporation]] purchased 98% of UA's stock. Transamerica selected [[David V. Picker|David]] and [[Arnold Picker]] to lead its studio.<ref name="fu"/> UA debuted a new logo incorporating the parent company's striped T emblem and the tagline "Entertainment from Transamerica Corporation". This wording was later shortened to "A Transamerica Company". The following year, in 1968, United Artists Associated was reincorporated as United Artists Television Distribution. In 1970, UA lost $35&nbsp;million, and the Pickers were pushed aside for the return of Krim and Benjamin.<ref name="fu"/>

UA released another Best Picture Oscar winner in 1967, ''[[In the Heat of the Night (film)|In the Heat of the Night]]'' and a nominee for Best Picture, ''[[The Graduate]]'', an [[Embassy Pictures|Embassy]] production that UA distributed overseas.

Other successful pictures included the [[Fiddler on the Roof (film)|1971 screen version]] of ''[[Fiddler on the Roof]]''. However, [[Man of La Mancha (film)|the 1972 film version of ''Man of La Mancha'']] was a failure. New talent was encouraged, including [[Woody Allen]], [[Robert Altman]], [[Sylvester Stallone]], [[Saul Zaentz]], [[Miloš Forman]], and [[Brian De Palma]]. With UA being the distributor for Woody Allen's ''[[Bananas (film)|Bananas]]'' (1971),<ref>{{Cite web |title=AFI{{!}}Catalog |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/54031 |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=catalog.afi.com}}</ref> it started as the distributor for a series of Woody Allen films. With the James Bond, Pink Panther, and Woody Allen films, UA had a series of films based on well known characters in the 1970s.

In 1973, United Artists took over the sales and distribution of [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]]'s films in [[Anglo-America]]. [[Cinema International Corporation]] assumed international distribution rights for MGM's films and carried on to United International Pictures (made from CIC and UA's International assets being owned by partner MGM) in the 1980s. As part of the deal, UA acquired MGM's music publishing operation, Robbins, Feist, Miller.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LwkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA3 |title=Big 3 Sold to UA; Plus 1/2 Can. Co. |newspaper=Billboard Magazine |date=October 27, 1973 |page=3 |access-date=September 1, 2019 |archive-date=March 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307172223/https://books.google.com/books?id=LwkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA3 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1975, Harry Saltzman sold UA his 50% stake in [[Danjaq]], the holding-company for the Bond films.

UA released ''[[One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (film)|One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]]'' in 1975, which won the Best Picture Academy Award and was UA's highest-grossing film, with a gross of $163&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=November 17, 1976|page=3|title=Hi-Flying 'Cuckoo' At $163,250,000; Best Ever of UA}}</ref> UA followed with the next two years' Best Picture Oscar winners, ''[[Rocky]]'' and ''[[Annie Hall]]'', becoming the first studio to win the award for three years running and also to become the studio with the most Best Picture winners at that time, with 11.<ref name="fu"/><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=April 12, 1978|page=31|title=UA: 11 Times With, Best Pic'}}</ref>

However, Transamerica was not pleased with UA's releases such as ''[[Midnight Cowboy]]'' and ''[[Last Tango in Paris]]'' that were [[X rating|rated&nbsp;X]] by the [[MPAA|Motion Picture Association of America]]. In these instances, Transamerica demanded the byline "A&nbsp;Transamerica Company" be removed on the prints and in all advertising. At one point, the parent company expressed its desire to phase out the UA name and replace it with Transamerica Films. Krim tried to convince Transamerica to spin off United Artists, but he and Transamerica's chairman could not come to an agreement.<ref name="Medavoy">{{cite book| last1=Medavoy| first1=Mike| last2=Young| first2=Josh| title=You're Only as Good as Your Next One: 100 Great Films, 100 Good Films, and 100 for Which I Should Be Shot| date=June 25, 2013| publisher=Simon and Schuster| location=New York|isbn=9781439118139| pages=85–86| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GQe4nFeemPMC&q=krim+transamerica| access-date=October 1, 2017}}</ref> Finally in 1978, following a dispute with Transamerica chief [[John R. Beckett]]<ref name="fu"/> over administrative expenses,{{citation needed|date=December 2014}} UA's top executives, including chairman Krim, president [[Eric Pleskow]], Benjamin and other key officers walked out. Within days they announced the formation of [[Orion Pictures]],<ref name="fu"/> with backing from [[Warner Bros. Pictures|Warner Bros]]. The departures concerned several Hollywood figures enough that they took out an ad in a trade paper warning Transamerica that it had made a fatal mistake in letting them go.{{Citation needed|date=September 2017}} Later that year, it entered into a partnership with [[Lorimar Television|Lorimar Productions]], whereas United Artists would distribute Lorimar's feature films theatrically, while Lorimar was planning to produce television series and miniseries adaptations from UA's feature film library.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 16, 1978 |title=Lorimar, UA pact |pages=44 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting Magazine]] |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/78-OCR/1978-10-16-BC-OCR-Page-0044.pdf |access-date=September 8, 2023}}</ref>

Transamerica inserted Andy Albeck as UA's president. United had its most successful year with four hits in 1979: ''[[Rocky II]]'', ''[[Manhattan (1979 film)|Manhattan]]'', ''[[Moonraker (film)|Moonraker]]'', and ''[[The Black Stallion (film)|The Black Stallion]]''.<ref name="fu"/>

The new leadership agreed to back ''[[Heaven's Gate (film)|Heaven's Gate]]'', a project of director [[Michael Cimino]], which vastly overran its budget and cost $44&nbsp;million. This led to the resignation of Albeck, who was replaced by Norbert Auerbach.<ref name="fu"/> United Artists recorded a major loss for the year due almost entirely to the box-office failure of ''Heaven's Gate''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Welkos |first1=Robert W. |title='Heaven's Gate': The film flop that reshaped Hollywood |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-heavens-gate-flop-archive-20040612-snap-story.html |access-date=25 December 2018 |work=Los Angeles Times |archive-date=December 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225175430/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-heavens-gate-flop-archive-20040612-snap-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It destroyed UA's reputation with Transamerica and the greater Hollywood community. However, it may have saved the United Artists name; UA's final head before the sale, [[Steven Bach]], wrote in his book ''Final Cut'' that there had been talk about renaming United Artists to Transamerica Pictures.

In 1980, Transamerica decided to exit the film making business, and put United Artists on the market. [[Kirk Kerkorian]]'s Tracinda Corp. purchased the company in 1981.<ref>{{cite news |last=Cole |first=Robert J. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/16/world/m-g-m-is-reported-purchasing-united-artists-for-350-million.html |title=M-G-M is Reported Purchasing United Artists for $350 Million |newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 16, 1981 |access-date=August 17, 2015 |archive-date=September 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160908011627/http://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/16/world/m-g-m-is-reported-purchasing-united-artists-for-350-million.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Fleming">{{cite news| last1=Fleming| first1=Mike Jr| last2=Busch| first2=Anita| title=MGM Buys 55% Of Roma Downey And Mark Burnett's Empire; Relaunches United Artists| url=https://deadline.com/2014/09/mgm-roma-downey-and-mark-burnetts-united-artists-838595/| access-date=November 4, 2014| website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]| date=September 22, 2014| archive-date=October 21, 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021200446/http://deadline.com/2014/09/mgm-roma-downey-and-mark-burnetts-united-artists-838595/| url-status=live}}</ref> Tracinda also owned Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.<ref name=nyt>{{cite news |last1=Fabrikant |first1=Geraldine |title=Turner Acquiring MGM Movie Empire |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/08/business/turner-acquiring-mgm-movie-empire.html |access-date=November 4, 2014 |work=The New York Times |date=August 8, 1985 |archive-date=October 11, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011124244/http://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/08/business/turner-acquiring-mgm-movie-empire.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

====United Artists Classics====
In 1981, United Artists Classics, which formerly re-released library titles, was turned into a first-run [[art film]] distributor by Nathaniel T. Kwit, Jr. [[Tom Bernard]] was hired as the division director, as well as handling theatrical sales, and [[Ira Deutchman]]<ref>{{cite news| title=Handle With Care| newspaper=[[American Film (magazine)|American Film]]| date=Winter 1980}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| last=Siskel| first=Gene| author-link=Gene Siskel| title=Hellow, Sweet Art: Small Films Big Success in Chicago| newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]| page=141| url=http://chicagotribune.newspapers.com/search/#query=Hello%2C+Sweet+Art%3A+Small+Films+Big+Success+in+Chicago&ymd=1982-05-16| date=May 16, 1982| url-access=subscription| access-date=October 2, 2017| archive-date=October 2, 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002120630/http://chicagotribune.newspapers.com/search/#query=Hello%2C+Sweet+Art%3A+Small+Films+Big+Success+in+Chicago&ymd=1982-05-16| url-status=live}}</ref> was hired as head of marketing. Later the division added [[Michael Barker (film distributor)|Michael Barker]] and [[Donna Gigliotti]]. Deutchman left to form [[Cinecom]], and Barker and Bernard formed [[Orion Classics]] and [[Sony Pictures Classics]]. The label mostly released foreign and independent films such as ''[[Cutter's Way]]'', ''[[Ticket to Heaven]]'' and ''[[The Grey Fox]]'', and occasional first-run reissues from the UA library, such as director's cuts of ''[[Head Over Heels (1979 film)|Head Over Heels]]''. When Barker and Bernard left to form Orion Classics, the label was briefly rechristened in 1984 as MGM/UA Classics before it ceased operating in the late 1980s.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1984-02-22|title=UA Classics Heads West, Alters Logo|page=26|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>
[[File:United Artists logo 1982.svg|thumb|class=skin-invert|Logo used from 1982 to 1987]]