Sunn Classic Pictures
Encyclopedia
Sunn Classic Pictures, also known as Schick Sunn Classic Pictures is an independent U.S.-based film distributor, founded in 1971. The company was notable for family films and documentaries, and was bought by Taft Broadcasting
in 1980.
, with offices in nearby Salt Lake City; its company name added an extra "n" to the word "Sun" for legal reasons. The founder, Rayland Jensen, previously handled distribution of American National Enterprises' 1968 release, Alaskan Safari, which spent five years at the North American box office. In 1971, Jensen began his new company at the request of employees from the Schick razor company
, at the time a subsidiary of Warner-Lambert
.
During its tenure, Sunn Classic spent US$85,000 in pre-production research on each of its films, conducting phone surveys and interviews with potential viewers. According to Bruce A. Austin, "Sunn identified as its market working-class families
who rarely went to the movies more than twice a year". In the midst of the research, it released films with an MPAA rating of G
, and in heavily-marketed limited engagements. Through a process called four wall distribution
(or "four-walling"), the company would rent out theaters to show its films in, and earned all of the box office receipts.
Sunn Classic specialized in family entertainment such as 1974's The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, and its subsequent spin-off television series on the NBC
network. By 1977, domestic sales for Grizzly Adams reached upwards of US$24 million; another Sunn release, In Search of Noah's Ark, made US$26 million. Among its other titles were 1977's The Lincoln Conspiracy
and 1979's In Search of Historic Jesus. The company also ran a television unit in tandem with its film department.
Later that decade, Rayland Jensen also served time at a rival company called TriStar Pictures (not to be confused with the Sony Pictures subsidiary of the same name
). Jensen and another fellow employee, Clair Farley, formed Jensen Farley Pictures; one of their early releases was 1981's Private Lessons.
In July 1980, the company and two Schick divisions were purchased by Cincinnati-based Taft Enterprises
for over US$2.5 million. Eventually, the new owner christened Sunn Classic as Taft International Pictures. However, after Carl Lindner, Jr.
purchased Taft &restructured it into Great American Broadcasting, it shut down. By the 2000s, the media and property assets of the original Sunn Classics were under new management.
Taft Broadcasting
The Taft Broadcasting Company, also known as Taft Television and Radio Company, Incorporated, was an American media conglomerate based in Cincinnati, Ohio....
in 1980.
History
Sunn Classic was located in Park City, UtahPark City, Utah
Park City is a town in Summit and Wasatch counties in the U.S. state of Utah. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake City's east edge of Sugar House along Interstate 80. The population was 7,558 at the 2010 census...
, with offices in nearby Salt Lake City; its company name added an extra "n" to the word "Sun" for legal reasons. The founder, Rayland Jensen, previously handled distribution of American National Enterprises' 1968 release, Alaskan Safari, which spent five years at the North American box office. In 1971, Jensen began his new company at the request of employees from the Schick razor company
Schick (razors)
Schick is a brand of safety razors by Wilkinson Sword, a subsidiary of Energizer Holdings. It was founded in 1926 by Jacob Schick as the Magazine Repeating Razor Company. In 1934, Schick introduced its highly successful single blade safety razor system, that stored ten blades in a steel injector...
, at the time a subsidiary of Warner-Lambert
Pfizer
Pfizer, Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical corporation. The company is based in New York City, New York with its research headquarters in Groton, Connecticut, United States...
.
During its tenure, Sunn Classic spent US$85,000 in pre-production research on each of its films, conducting phone surveys and interviews with potential viewers. According to Bruce A. Austin, "Sunn identified as its market working-class families
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
who rarely went to the movies more than twice a year". In the midst of the research, it released films with an MPAA rating of G
MPAA film rating system
The Motion Picture Association of America's film-rating system is used in the U.S. and its territories to rate a film's thematic and content suitability for certain audiences. The MPAA system applies only to motion pictures that are submitted for rating. Other media may be rated by other entities...
, and in heavily-marketed limited engagements. Through a process called four wall distribution
Four wall distribution
In the film industry, four wall distribution is a process through which a studio or distributor rents movie theaters for a period of time and receives all of the box office revenue. The four walls of a movie theater give the term its name...
(or "four-walling"), the company would rent out theaters to show its films in, and earned all of the box office receipts.
Sunn Classic specialized in family entertainment such as 1974's The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, and its subsequent spin-off television series on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
network. By 1977, domestic sales for Grizzly Adams reached upwards of US$24 million; another Sunn release, In Search of Noah's Ark, made US$26 million. Among its other titles were 1977's The Lincoln Conspiracy
The Lincoln Conspiracy (film)
The Lincoln Conspiracy is a 1977 film directed by James L. Conway that dramatizes certain conspiracy theories concerning the 1865 assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. The film, which is based on the 1977 book of the same name by David W. Balsiger and Charles E. Sellier Jr., stars Robert...
and 1979's In Search of Historic Jesus. The company also ran a television unit in tandem with its film department.
Later that decade, Rayland Jensen also served time at a rival company called TriStar Pictures (not to be confused with the Sony Pictures subsidiary of the same name
TriStar Pictures
TriStar Pictures, Inc. is an American film production/distribution studio and subsidiary of Columbia Pictures, itself a subdivision of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, which is owned by Sony Pictures...
). Jensen and another fellow employee, Clair Farley, formed Jensen Farley Pictures; one of their early releases was 1981's Private Lessons.
In July 1980, the company and two Schick divisions were purchased by Cincinnati-based Taft Enterprises
Taft Broadcasting
The Taft Broadcasting Company, also known as Taft Television and Radio Company, Incorporated, was an American media conglomerate based in Cincinnati, Ohio....
for over US$2.5 million. Eventually, the new owner christened Sunn Classic as Taft International Pictures. However, after Carl Lindner, Jr.
Carl Lindner, Jr.
Carl Henry Lindner, Jr. was a Cincinnati businessman and one of the world's richest people. According to the 2006 issue of Forbes Magazine's 400 list, Lindner was ranked 133 and was worth an estimated $2.3 billion...
purchased Taft &restructured it into Great American Broadcasting, it shut down. By the 2000s, the media and property assets of the original Sunn Classics were under new management.