Editing Embassy Pictures (section)

==History==
===From founding to success===
The company was founded in 1942{{Sfn|Dick|2001|p=79}} by [[Joseph E. Levine]], initially to distribute foreign films in the United States. The company entered film production in 1945, co-producing with Maxwell Finn the documentary ''Gaslight Follies'', a compilation of silent film clips narrated by [[Ben Grauer]].<ref name=varobit/>

Embassy found success in 1956 bringing the Japanese film ''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]'' to the American general public (in a re-edited version), acquiring the rights for $12,000 and spending $400,000 promoting it under the title ''[[Godzilla, King of the Monsters!]]'', and earning $1 million in [[theatrical rental]]s.<ref name=varobit/> They then made a $100,000 deal to bring the French-Italian film ''[[Attila (1954 film)|Attila]]'' (1954) to the United States in 1958 and spent $600,000 promoting it, which returned $2 million in rentals.<ref name=varobit/> Their breakthrough came the following year with ''[[Hercules (1958 film)|Hercules]]'', starring [[Steve Reeves]] and released by [[Warner Bros.]] Levine invested $120,000 on [[dubbing (filmmaking)|dubbing]], [[sound effects]] and new titles and spent $1.25 million on promoting the film. It was one of the highest-grossing films of the year, with rentals of $4.7 million, starting a growth in the [[sword-and-sandal]] genre.<ref name=varobit/>

===Art house releases===
After releasing the ''Hercules'' sequel, ''[[Hercules Unchained]]'' (1960), Embassy expanded to add 13 offices nationally as well as offices in Rome, London and Paris and signed deals with Italian production company [[Titanus]] and producer [[Carlo Ponti]] and began distributing [[art film]]s, often European ones. In 1961, Embassy bought North American distribution rights for ''[[Two Women]]'' after Levine seeing no more than three minutes of its "rushes". The film, based on a novella written by [[Alberto Moravia]], had been directed by [[Vittorio de Sica]], and starred [[Sophia Loren]] (Ponti's wife) and [[Eleanora Brown]], who acted out the respective roles of a mother and her young daughter whom [[World War II]] had displaced from their home. Levine's promotional campaign focused on one still photograph, which showed Loren, as the mother, wearing a torn dress, kneeling in the dirt, and weeping with rage and grief. Predicting that she would win the [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] for her performance, Levine brought Loren to the United States for interviews, bought space for, and placed, large advertisements in newspapers, and saw to it that ''Two Women'' appeared in the cities of residence of Academy Award jury members.

Levine's efforts paid off when the film was a hit and Loren became the first cast member of a foreign-language film to win the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]].<ref name=varobit/> Embassy also acquired rights to and distributed ''[[Divorce Italian Style]]'' (1961); ''[[Salvatore Giuliano (film)|Salvatore Giuliano]]'' (1962); [[Federico Fellini]]'s film ''[[8½]]'' (1963), as well as Ponti's producing credits including ''[[Boccaccio '70]]'' (1962), and de Sica's ''[[Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow]]'' (1963) and ''[[Marriage Italian Style]]'' (1964).<ref name=varobit/> Embassy also produced an adaptation of ''[[The Thief of Baghdad (1961 film)|The Thief of Baghdad]]'' (1961), also with Reeves in the lead, and Rick Carrier's ''[[Strangers in the City (1962 film)|Strangers in the City]]'' (1962).

On the back of the success of [[Ingmar Bergman]], Embassy released some of his earlier films in the United States, his film ''[[The Devil's Wanton]]'' (1949) in 1962 and his film ''[[Night Is My Future]]'' (1948) in 1963. Embassy also released two 1961 films produced by [[Robert S. Baker]] and [[Monty Berman]] - ''[[What a Carve Up! (film)|What a Carve Up!]]'' (released in 1962) and ''[[The Hellfire Club (film)|The Hellfire Club]]'' (released in 1963). Other Ponti-produced films released by Embassy include ''[[Landru (film)|Landru]]'' (1963), directed by [[Claude Chabrol]]; ''[[Contempt (film)|Contempt]]'' (1963), directed by [[Jean-Luc Godard]]; ''[[The Empty Canvas]]'' starring [[Bette Davis]]; ''[[The Ape Woman]]'' (1964); ''[[Casanova 70]]'' (1965); ''[[The 10th Victim]]'' (1965); and de Sica's ''[[Sunflower (1970 film)|Sunflower]]'' (1970).<ref name=varobit/>

===Paramount Pictures deal-era===
By the 1960s, Levine had transformed Embassy into a production company. In 1963, Levine was offered a $30 million deal with [[Paramount Pictures]] to produce films in the vein of his previous successes. Paramount would finance the films and Embassy would receive part of its profits.{{Sfn|Dick|2001|p=80-81}} Under the deal, Levine produced [[Harold Robbins]]'s ''[[The Carpetbaggers (film)|The Carpetbaggers]]'' (1964) and its prequel ''[[Nevada Smith]]'' (1966), which were successes, along with flops such as ''[[Harlow (Paramount film)|Harlow]]'' (1965), starring [[Carroll Baker]]. A third film based on a novel by Harold Robbins was also released as part of three-picture deal with Robbins, ''[[Where Love Has Gone (film)|Where Love Has Gone]]'' (1964).<ref name=varobit/>

Embassy also released several films produced by or starring [[Stanley Baker]] including ''[[Zulu (1964 film)|Zulu]]'' (1964), ''[[Dingaka]]'' (1965) and ''[[Robbery (1967 film)|Robbery]]'' (1967).<ref name=varobit/>

Later in the decade, Embassy functioned on its own with many [[Rankin/Bass Productions]] animated features, including ''[[The Daydreamer (film)|The Daydreamer]]'' (1966) and ''[[Mad Monster Party?]]'' (1967), and successful live-action productions including ''[[The Graduate]]'', by second-time film director [[Mike Nichols]], ''[[The Producers (1967 film)|The Producers]]'', by first-time director [[Mel Brooks]] (both 1967), and ''[[The Lion in Winter (1968 film)|The Lion in Winter]]'' (1968), which won an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] for [[Katharine Hepburn]].<ref name=varobit/>

===New ownership under Avco===
[[File:AVCO Embassy Logo.jpg|thumb|Avco Embassy Pictures logo, used from 1968 to 1982]]
Embassy enjoyed its greatest success with ''The Graduate'', which became the [[1967 in film#North America|highest-grossing film of the year]]. This enabled Levine to sell his company to [[Avco]] for a deal worth $40 million, although he stayed on as chief executive.<ref name="times">{{cite news|title=Perenchio Lear to Purchase Avco Embassy Pictures: EMBASSY: Sale May Be $25 Million|last=Harris|first=Kathryn|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=November 25, 1981|page= e1}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Avco to Buy Embassy Pictures From Levine For $40 Million of Common, Preferred Stock|first=STANLEY|last=PENN|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|date=May 6, 1968|page=8}}</ref>

In 1969, Embassy appointed Mike Nichols to the board of directors and acquired his film production company, Friwaftt.<ref name=friwaftt>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=March 19, 1969|page=1|title=Mike Nichols On Avco Embassy Board; Joe Levine's Peace With Ponti-Loren|first=Abel|last=Green|author-link=Abel Green}}</ref> Levine also ended a four-year feud with Ponti and Loren and produced Loren's first film since she became a mother, ''[[Sunflower (1970 film)|Sunflower]]'' (1970).<ref name=friwaftt/>

Levine also started a [[record label]] with music industry executives [[Hugo Peretti]] and [[Luigi Creatore]], '''Avco Embassy Records''', later shortened to [[Avco Records]]. In 1969, the company bought out Mike Nichols' production company and signed him to make two movies.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mergers Set in Show Business: Avco Buys Nichols Unit MERGERS SHAPED IN SHOW BUSINESS|first=LEONARD|last=SLOANE|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=March 19, 1969|page=61}}</ref>

The company became less successful in the 1970s and only had hits with Mike Nichols' ''[[Carnal Knowledge (film)|Carnal Knowledge]]'' (1971) and ''[[A Touch of Class (film)|A Touch of Class]]'' (1973).<ref name=varobit>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=August 5, 1987|page=4|last=McCarthy|first=Todd|author-link=Todd McCarthy|title=Joseph E. Levine Dead At 81; Leading Indie Producer Of '60s}}</ref> In 1972, the company had begun cutting back on production and in 1973 recorded a loss of $8.1 million. Levine resigned as president on May 28, 1974, to re-enter independent production and was replaced by Bill Chaikin.<ref>{{cite news|title=Levine, Producer, Quits as President Of Avco Embassy: Amicable Resignation|first=A. H.|last=Weiler|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=30 May 1974|page=33}}</ref> By 1975, Avco Embassy stopped making movies altogether.<ref>{{cite news|title=Avco Apparently Will Produce Movies After 5-Year Hiatus: Concern Would Likely Work With Others Instead of Making Films on Its Own|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|date=6 December 1977|page=10}}</ref>

In 1968, Avco Embassy launched Avco Embassy Television, to syndicate films from the Avco Embassy library on television. In 1976, Avco Embassy sold their broadcasting division and Avco Program Sales to [[Multimedia, Inc.]], becoming [[Multimedia Entertainment]] (since folded into what is now [[NBCUniversal Syndication Studios]]).

===Robert Rehme years===
In late 1977, Avco Embassy announced its intention to resume production. In 1978, [[Robert Rehme]] was appointed president and chief operating officer and he convinced the company to give him $5 million for a production fund.

Under his stewardship, Avco Embassy concentrated on lower budgeted genre films, six of which were successful: ''[[The Manitou]]'' (1978), ''[[Phantasm (film)|Phantasm]]'' (1979), ''[[The Fog]]'' (1980), ''[[Scanners]]'' (1981), ''[[Time Bandits]]'' (1981) and ''[[The Howling (film)|The Howling]]'' (1981). They benefited in part from the fact that [[American International Pictures]] recently left the exploitation field, lessening competition in this area.{{citation needed|date=September 2019}}

Rehme left the company in 1981, having seen it increase its revenue from $20 million to $90 million.<ref name="Straits"/><ref>Aljean Harmetz, 'Robert Rehme, King of the Low Budget Shocker', ''The New York Times'', 30 Nov 1981 Section C p. 13</ref>

In 1981, [[Tom Laughlin]] offered to buy the company for $24 million but withdrew his offer.<ref name="times"/>

===Norman Lear and Jerry Perenchio===
{{redirect-distinguish|Charter Entertainment|Charter Communications}}
[[File:Embassy Television.jpg|thumb|Embassy Television logo, used from 1982 to 1984]]
In January 1982, television producer [[Norman Lear]] and his partner [[Jerry Perenchio]] bought the studio for $25 million,<ref name="Straits">[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1309&dat=19811206&id=YedLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=140DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5701,1259340 'Avco's Way to Lick the Movie Giants of Hollywood', ''New Straits Times'', 6 Dec1981 p 8]</ref> reverted the name to the previous Embassy Pictures by dropping  off "Avco", and renamed T.A.T. Communications Company as Embassy Communications, Inc. and [[ELP Communications|T.A.T. Communications]] Productions as Embassy Television and its distributor as Embassy Telecommunications. The company was producing such hits as ''[[The Jeffersons]]'', ''[[One Day at a Time (1975 TV series)|One Day at a Time]]'' and ''[[The Facts of Life (TV series)|The Facts of Life]]'', and by Tandem, ''[[Diff'rent Strokes]]'' and ''[[Archie Bunker's Place]]''. During this period, they launched ''[[Silver Spoons]]'', ''[[Square Pegs]]'', ''[[Who's the Boss?]]'', ''[[It's Your Move]]'' and ''[[Gloria (American TV series)|Gloria]]''. They also expanded into making made-for-TV movies, including ''[[Eleanor Roosevelt|Eleanor, First Lady of the World]]'' (1982) and ''[[Grace Kelly (1983 film)|Grace Kelly]]'' (1983).

In late 1982, Embassy bought out Andre Blay Corporation and renamed the company as Embassy Home Entertainment; prior releases from its film catalog (as Avco Embassy Picture Corporation) had been handled through [[Magnetic Video]], as well as reissues of the Blay Video catalog. 

In 1984, Embassy Pictures was renamed as Embassy Films Associates. That same year, ''[[Fanny and Alexander]]'', which it distributed in the United States, received the [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]]. 

During this period, [[Rob Reiner]], who up to that point had been most famous for playing Michael "Meathead" Stivic on ''[[All in the Family]]'', began his directorial career with two Embassy releases, ''[[This is Spinal Tap]]'' (1984) and ''[[The Sure Thing]]'' (1985). His third film, ''[[Stand by Me (film)|Stand By Me]]'' (1986), started at Embassy, but it almost got cancelled because of the sale to Columbia days before filming was to begin. Norman Lear ended up putting up his own money for completion funds.<ref name="Stand By Me">{{cite web|last1=Lang|first1=Brent|title='Stand by Me' Oral History: Rob Reiner and Cast on River Phoenix and How Coming-of-Age Classic Almost Didn't Happen|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/news/stand-by-me-30th-anniversary-oral-history-corey-feldman-1201824490/|website=Variety|date = July 28, 2016 |access-date=2019-12-15| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181215110426/https://variety.com/2016/film/news/stand-by-me-30th-anniversary-oral-history-corey-feldman-1201824490/ | archive-date = 2018-12-15 | url-status = live }}</ref>

===Coca-Cola and others===
Lear and Perenchio sold Embassy Communications (including Tandem Productions) to [[The Coca-Cola Company]] for $485 million on June 18, 1985.<ref>"Norman Lear" [https://www.normanlear.com/backstory_press.html Coke Buys Embassy & Tandem] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502052811/http://www.normanlear.com/backstory_press.html |date=2013-05-02 }} normanlear.com Michael Schrage ''The Washington Post'', Retrieved on January 25, 2013.</ref><ref>"Norman Lear" [https://www.normanlear.com/backstory_press_2.html Lear, Perenchio Sell Embassy Properties] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518112723/http://www.normanlear.com/backstory_press_2.html |date=2013-05-18 }} normanlear.com AL DELUGACH and KATHRYN HARRIS, ''Los Angeles Times'', Retrieved on January 25, 2013</ref><ref>"Norman Lear" [https://www.normanlear.com/backstory_press_3.html Coke buys Embassy: 485 million.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518122313/http://www.normanlear.com/backstory_press_3.html |date=2013-05-18 }} normanlear.com CHRISTOPHER VAUGHN and BILL DESOWITZ ''The Hollywood Reporter'', Retrieved on January 25, 2013</ref> Coca-Cola, which also owned [[Columbia Pictures]] at the time, sold Embassy Pictures to [[Dino De Laurentiis]] on November 1, 1985,<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=November 13, 1985|page=3|title=Dino Cleans House At Embassy; 70 Staffers Are Canned On Coast|last=Greenberg|first=James}}</ref> but kept Embassy's television division active. De Laurentiis folded the company into his [[De Laurentiis Entertainment Group]], and the home video division became [[Nelson Entertainment]], run by executives who had previously worked at DEG before it went bankrupt. 

Although De Laurentiis was now owner of Embassy, he was not given rights to then-upcoming films such as ''[[Crimewave]]'' and ''[[Saving Grace (1986 film)|Saving Grace]]'' (both 1986), and an adaptation of [[Stephen King]]'s ''[[The Body (novella)|The Body]]'', which became ''[[Stand by Me (film)|Stand by Me]]'' (1986), which became properties of Lear and Perenchio.<ref>"De Laurentiis to Market Own Films" Aljean Harmetz. ''The New York Times''  4 Oct 1985: C3.</ref><ref>"DE LAURENTIIS' EPIC PLAN FOR EMBASSY: FILM CLIPS FILM CLIPS" Mathews, Jack. ''Los Angeles Times'' 9 Oct 1985: h1.</ref> 

By the early 1990s, key rights to the Embassy library transferred from company to company due to the bankruptcies of the companies that separately owned them (De Laurentiis for theatrical, Nelson for home video). Dino De Laurentiis's assets went to Parafrance International, in conjunction with [[Village Roadshow]], while Nelson's assets were acquired by [[Crédit Lyonnais]] Bank and later sold to [[PolyGram]]. Nelson's parent company, NHI continued to exist well into the mid-1990s. In 1994, Parafrance's assets were acquired by the French production company [[StudioCanal]] which today owns ancillary rights to the majority of the Embassy theatrical library. However, North American video rights to the majority of Embassy's film library are owned by [[Amazon MGM Studios]] via its [[Orion Pictures]] subsidiary due to them acquiring most of [[Polygram Filmed Entertainment|PolyGram]]'s pre-March 31, 1996 film library which included the [[Trans World Entertainment (film company)|Epic]] catalog, which in turn incorporated the [[Nelson Entertainment|Nelson]] catalog, while [[Sony Pictures Television]] owns worldwide television syndication rights to the theatrical library as well as full ancillary and distribution rights to the Embassy Television library.