Editing Run Run Shaw (section)

===Early ventures===

In 1925, Shaw's brothers, led by the eldest brother [[Runje Shaw]], established [[Tianyi Film Company]] (also called Unique Film Productions) in Shanghai,<ref name="The Hollywood Reporter"/> and Run Run Shaw began his film career doing odd jobs for the company.<ref name="chinadaily"/> In 1927, Run Run Shaw, then 19 years old, went to Singapore to assist his third elder brother [[Runme Shaw]] in their business venture there, initially to market films to Southeast Asia's [[Overseas Chinese|Chinese community]]. They established the company that would later become the [[Shaw Organisation]], and were involved in distributing and producing films in Southeast Asia.<ref name="The Hollywood Reporter"/> Tianyi produced what is considered the first [[sound-on-film]] Chinese [[talkie]] in 1931,<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gDRxR-wb-fsC&pg=PT262|title=A Companion to Chinese Cinema|editor=Yingjin Zhang|publisher= Wiley-Blackwell|chapter=Chapter 24 – Chinese Cinema and Technology |author=Gary G. Xu|year=2012|isbn=978-1444330298|access-date=16 January 2014}}</ref> and made the first Cantonese sound film in 1932. It was highly successful, and Tianyi established a branch in Hong Kong in 1934.<ref name="The Hollywood Reporter">{{cite news |last=Coonan |first=Clifford |date=6 January 2014 |title=Legendary Producer Run Run Shaw Dies at 106 |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/run-run-shaw-dies-at-668752 |access-date=2025-03-15 |newspaper=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref>

Just before the [[Battle of Shanghai|Japanese invasion of Shanghai]] in 1937, Tianyi moved its operation to Hong Kong, shipping its equipment from Shanghai.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9_OfkubWaEwC&pg=PA76 |title=Chinese National Cinema|author=Yingjin Zhang|page=76|publisher=Routledge|year=2004|isbn=978-0415172905|access-date=16 January 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O8cWK5kYS9MC&pg=PA30|title=Hong Kong Cinema: Coloniser, Motherland and Self|author=Yingchi Chu|page=30|publisher=Routledge|year=2009|isbn=978-0415546331|access-date=16 January 2014}}</ref> Its studio in Shanghai was destroyed when the Japanese occupied the city.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gDRxR-wb-fsC&pg=PT308|title=A Companion to Chinese Cinema|author=Yingjin Zhang|page=308|publisher=John Wiley & Sons |year=2012 |isbn= 9781444355970 |access-date= 16 January 2014}}</ref> In Hong Kong, Tianyi was reorganised as Nanyang Studio, which later became [[Shaw Brothers Studio]].<ref>{{cite web |title=About Shaw – Japanese Occupation – Nanyang Studio, Hong Kong |url=http://www.shaw.sg/sw_abouthistory.aspx?id=125%20239%20190%20213%2051%2058%20124%20113%20112%20169%2024%2045%20230%20240%20249%20136 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321045302/http://www.shaw.sg/sw_abouthistory.aspx?id=125%20239%20190%20213%2051%2058%20124%20113%20112%20169%2024%2045%20230%20240%20249%20136 |archive-date=2015-03-21 |access-date=16 January 2014 |work=Shaw Online}}</ref> Run Run Shaw was credited with scripting and directing the 1937 comedy film ''Country Bumpkin Visits His In-laws''.<ref name="ST"/>

In his early days in Singapore, Run Run Shaw supervised the company's business while Runme travelled north to [[British Malaya|Malaya]] to establish ties with local theatre owners.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shaw.sg/sw_abouthistory.aspx?id=226%2096%2067%2081%20169%20126%20184%2095%20198%20238%20168%20224%2068%20250%20107%20155|title=About Shaw – Shaw Films, Malaya, Pre War|work=Shaw Online|access-date=16 January 2014}}</ref> In 1927, having noticed that there were few cinemas in Malaya, Runme decided to open four cinemas there to show their films.<ref name="Asiaweek">{{cite web |last=Siu Lan |first=Law |date=11 October 1996 |title=Movie Magic |url=http://www-cgi.cnn.com/ASIANOW/asiaweek/96/1011/cs6.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623154832/http://www-cgi.cnn.com/ASIANOW/asiaweek/96/1011/cs6.html |archive-date=23 June 2012 |access-date=16 January 2014 |work=[[Asiaweek]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shaw.sg/sw_abouthistory.aspx?id=59%2035%20193%2039%2078%20227%20238%20144%20186%20229%20185%2078%20181%20196%2042%2031 |title= About Shaw – The Beginning 1924–1933 |work=Shaw online |access-date=16 January 2014}}</ref> By 1939, the brothers owned a chain of 139 cinemas across the region;<ref>{{cite news |date=7 January 2014 |title=Run Run Shaw dies |url=http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=45022&icid=a&d_str= |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112221311/http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=45022&icid=a&d_str= |archive-date=12 January 2014 |access-date=2025-03-15 |newspaper=[[The Standard (Hong Kong)|The Standard]] |agency=[[RTHK]]}}</ref> the chain would later include Singapore's first air-conditioned cinema, at [[Beach Road, Singapore|Beach Road]]. They also established a number of amusement parks throughout the region, including [[Borneo]], Thailand and [[Java]], such as the [[Great World Amusement Park]] at [[Kim Seng|Kim Seng Road]].<ref name="ST">{{cite news |last=Li |first=Xueying |date=7 January 2014 |title=Hong Kong movie mogul Run Run Shaw dies |url=http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/lifestyle/story/hong-kong-movie-mogul-run-run-shaw-dies-aged-107-20140107 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107050311/http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/lifestyle/story/hong-kong-movie-mogul-run-run-shaw-dies-aged-107-20140107 |archive-date=2014-01-07 |access-date=2025-03-15 |newspaper=[[The Straits Times]]}}</ref><ref name="HKU">{{cite web|url=http://www4.hku.hk/hongrads/index.php/archive/graduate_detail/122|title=108th Congregation (1980) – Sir Run Run SHAW|publisher=The University of Hong Kong|access-date=16 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131128015953/http://www4.hku.hk/hongrads/index.php/archive/graduate_detail/122|archive-date=28 November 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The brothers began to make Malay films in Singapore in 1937.<ref name="malay films1">{{cite web|url=http://www.shaw.sg/sw_abouthistory.aspx?id=155%20228%20232%2026%20251%20183%2049%2096%20185%2092%2072%20190%2094%20180%20241%20241|title=About Shaw – Shaw Studio, Pre War – The Great Depression 1930|work=Shaw Online}}</ref> Inspired by the success of films intended for [[Ethnic Malays|Malay]] audiences, for example ''Leila Majnun'' in 1934,<ref name="malay films1"/> and other films from the [[Dutch East Indies]], the brothers established [[Malay Film Productions]] (MFP).<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qWklvbDlYc4C|title=Reclaiming Adat: Contemporary Malaysian Film and Literature|isbn=978-0-7748-1172-9|last1=Khoo|first1=Gaik Cheng|year=2006|page=90|publisher=University of British Columbia Press|location=Vancouver|access-date=16 January 2014}}</ref> This company would eventually produce over 160 Malay films,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shaw.sg/sw_abouthistory.aspx?id=197%20196%20218%20218%20206%20123%20148%2056%20176%20223%20143%20102%20239%20236%20231%20228|title=About Shaw – Malay Film Productions|work=Shaw Online|access-date=16 January 2014}}</ref> many of them starring and directed by [[P. Ramlee]], until their studio at [[Jalan Ampas]] ceased production in 1967.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shaw.sg/sw_abouthistory.aspx?id=159%2044%20235%20173%209%20160%20105%20230%2012%20182%2038%20136%2092%20107%2021%2088|title=The Last Days of Malay Film Productions|work=Shaw Online|access-date=16 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=http://www.establishmentpost.com/sir-run-run-shaw-man-ushered-golden-age-malay-film-industry|title=Sir Run Run Shaw: The Man Who Ushered the Golden Age of Malay Film Industry|author=Vanitha Nadaraj|date=7 January 2014|work=The Establishment Post|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108010657/http://www.establishmentpost.com/sir-run-run-shaw-man-ushered-golden-age-malay-film-industry/|archive-date=8 January 2014}}</ref> The period between the end of the 1940s and the beginning of the 1960s is known as the Golden Age of Malay Cinema, with over 300 films made between MFP and [[Cathay Organisation|Cathay Keris]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thelongnwindingroad.wordpress.com/tag/golden-age-of-malay-film|title=A night when the stars shone|work=The Long and Winding Road|access-date=16 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shaw.sg/sw_abouthistory.aspx?id=60%20132%20174%2095%2023%2029%20238%20253%20100%2085%2040%205%20246%20152%20129%2074 |title=About Shaw – Malay Film Productions|work=Shaw Online|access-date=16 January 2014}}</ref> In 1941, the Japanese invaded Singapore and Malaya and confiscated their film equipment. According to Run Run Shaw, he and his brother went into hiding during the war{{Citation needed|reason=Nothing in the NYT obituary about hiding|date=October 2017}} and buried more than $4&nbsp;million in gold, jewellery and cash in their backyard, digging it up after the war and using it to rebuild their business.<ref name="NYT"/>