The story
Founded by Eliot Hyman in 1948, in New York City.1
Associated Artists
Associated Artists was founded in 1948 by Eliot Hyman. It handled syndication of around 500 films, including the Republic Pictures and Robert L. Lippert libraries, but both companies soon entered television distribution. It also handled syndication for Monogram Pictures and Producers Releasing Corporation.
In 1951, Hyman sold the company to David Baird's Lansing Foundation, which in turn sold it to the startup company Motion Pictures for Television (MPTV), where Hyman served as a consultant. Hyman also became a partner in Mouline Productions, the producers of Moby Dick, while financing and producing other films and TV projects.
Associated Artists Productions
In July 1954, Hyman launched another TV distribution company which used the Associated Artists name, Associated Artists Productions, Inc., with the purchase of the syndication rights to the Universal Sherlock Holmes films from MPTV. His son Ken served as vice-president. Associated Artists Productions also acquired distribution rights to Johnny Jupiter, Candid Camera, thirteen Artcinema Associates feature films, thirty-seven Western films, and three serials. In March 1956, Hyman's company was acquired by PRM, Inc., an investment firm headed by Lou Chesler.
PRM closed the purchase of the entire pre-December 1949 Warner Bros. Pictures library in February 1956 for $21 million, with a.a.p. and its theatrical subsidiary Dominant Pictures handling distribution sales. On December 5, 1956, PRM changed its name to Associated Artists Productions Corp.
A.A.P. also purchased the Popeye the Sailor cartoons produced by Fleischer Studios and Famous Studios from Paramount Pictures on June 11, 1956. This purchase and the Warner Bros. cartoon package combined gave A.A.P. a library of over 568 theatrical cartoon shorts, which would be staples of children's television for many years. Warner Bros. and King Features Syndicate retained merchandising rights to the characters in each respective cartoon package.
In January 1957, A.A.P. announced plans to purchase the short subject library of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for $4.5 million. Around 900 shorts would be included in the package such as the Tom and Jerry cartoons and Pete Smith comedies, among others. Although the deal was nearly finalized, it fell through, reportedly due to the price of the sale. MGM would then distribute the shorts themselves through their own in-house television subsidiary Metro TV.
National Telefilm Associates announced plans to buy control of AAP Corp. on November 18, 1957. By December 16, 1957, control of A.A.P. was the subject of litigation which was passed on to the New York Supreme Court between the parties of A.A.P., NTA, and Harris minority shareholder group.
United Artists Associated
The company was acquired by United Artists (UA) in 1958, with UA borrowing the full amount $27 million from Manufacturers Trust when A.A.P. shareholders needed cash quickly. The A.A.P. purchase did come with the uncollected accounts' receivable amount around the purchase price. Several employers left AAP, including employer Ray Stark, so the group formed Seven Arts Productions. The resulting division was named United Artists Associated, Inc. (styled as u.a.a.). U.A.A. made a deal to distribute Beany and Cecil internationally. With the twin syndicated packages of Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies and Popeye, U.A.A. took a look at a number of shorts in the A.A.P./pre-1950 WB library that appealed to children and packaged them in a third group known as The Big Mac Show, which has a cartoon wrap around.
From Wikipedia’s article on Associated Artists Productions, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4