United States Pictures (also known as United States Productions) was the name of the motion picture production company belonging to Milton Sperling who was Harry Warner's (of the Warner Bros. studio) son-in-law.
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50 States Song
Transcription
We'll start in California - there are lots of people here. Oregon's our next stop - where it rains throughout the year. Next we'll move to Washington - it's in the far north-west. And then across to Idaho - potatoes are the best! Downwards to Nevada to see Elvis take a bow. And here's the great Grand Canyon - we're in Arizona now. New Mexico, here we go - we'll stay in Santa Fe. Then we're Colorado-bound - we'll for ski for half the day. Utah held Olympic Games - the ones with ice and snow. Wyoming's home to Yellowstone - where all the tourists go. Montana is near Canada - its prairies are so charming. We'll head on over to North Dakota - just the spot for farming. South Dakota's famous for the sculptures at Rushmore. The cornhuskers of Nebraska will be welcoming for sure. We're not in Kansas anymore said Dorothy to Toto. Oklahoma is OK - let's stop and take a photo. It's time to go to Texas now - the mighty lone star state. Louisiana's food's so nice I'm sure you'll clear your plate. Mississippi was the home of Huckleberry Finn. It's not too far from Arkansas where Clinton grew up in. Missouri held Olympic Games in nineteen hundred four. In Iowa look near and far - there's lots and lots of corn. In Minnesota lakes you can gaze at your reflection. Eating cheese in Wisconsin is sampling perfection. Michigan is where they make cars in such great numbers. Ohio is the Buckeye State - its capital is Columbus. Indiana's the place to go if it's racing you enjoy. And now we're not too far away from Chicago, Illinois. If we're lucky in Kentucky our horse might just be winning. Tennessee's the place to be if you like great singing. Down in Alabama, we'll stay in Birmingham. I'll see you next in Georgia with a golf club in my hand. When we visit Florida, let's see the Everglades. And in South Carolina we'll go surfing on the waves. North Carolina's next - Michael Jordan is a resident. Followed by Virginia, the home of the first president. In West Virginian mountains we'll get some elevation. Then we'll jump to Delaware - the first state of the nation. Maryland's where Babe Ruth's from - he hit the ball so well! Then in Pennsylvania we'll see the Liberty Bell. It's now time for New Jersey - I will meet you on the boardwalk. I know you cannot wait to see the famous state of New York. Next stop is Connecticut, and Hartford's where we'll stay. Then beautiful Rhode Island, with a nice view of the bay. Boston, Masachussets is a truly mighty city. And the Vermont scenery is wonderfully pretty. Maple syrup is so nice when it's from New Hampshire. Maine is the seafood state - we'll sure enjoy the clams here. Then it's up to Alaska - the land of ice and snow. Before ending in Hawaii - Hawaii Five-O!
History
Sperling was a highly experienced screenwriter and producer with 20th Century Fox and other studios who had just returned from his World War II service in the U.S. Marine Corps Photographic Unit. Warner Bros. offered Sperling an independent production company that would use Warner Bros. studio resources and financing to make motion pictures that would be released by the studio. In the post World War II era, the Hollywood major studios were beginning to find the idea of purchasing completed motion pictures from independent film production companies more economical than producing the films themselves (although United Artists had done this decades earlier, acting as a distributor for independent films since its establishment in 1919).[1]
Beginning with Fritz Lang's Cloak and Dagger (1946), followed by Raoul Walsh's Pursued (1947), Sperling's United States Pictures made a total of 14 films. The last two, Samuel Fuller's Merrill's Marauders (1962) and Ken Annakin's Battle of the Bulge (1965) were filmed in the Philippines and Spain respectively. Sperling found that the Filipino and Spanish governments and film companies thought they were dealing with a branch of the United States Government due to the name of the company and provided superb cooperation.
Filmography
The United States Pictures marked with an (*) signifies Milton Sperling contributed to the screenplay.
- Cloak and Dagger (1946) - directed by Fritz Lang
- Pursued (1947) - directed by Raoul Walsh
- My Girl Tisa (1948) - directed by Elliott Nugent
- South of St. Louis (1949) - directed by Ray Enright
- Three Secrets (1950) - directed by Robert Wise
- The Enforcer (1951) - directed by Bretaigne Windust & Raoul Walsh (uncredited)
- Distant Drums (1951) - directed by Raoul Walsh
- Retreat, Hell! (1952) - directed by Joseph H. Lewis*
- Blowing Wild (1953) - directed by Hugo Fregonese
- The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955) - directed by Otto Preminger*
- The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960) - directed by Budd Boetticher
- The Bramble Bush (1960) - directed by Daniel Petrie*
- Merrill's Marauders (1962) - directed by Samuel Fuller*
- Battle of the Bulge (1965) - directed by Ken Annakin*
References
- ^ Sperling, Cass Warner, Millner, Cork, and Warner Jr, Jack Hollywood Be Thy Name Prima Publishing (1994)
