World Wide Pictures
Encyclopedia
World Wide Pictures is a film distributor
and production company
established as a subsidiary
of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
(BGEA) in 1951
. It is involved in the production and distribution of evangelistic
film
s, the production of Graham crusade films, and publicity
for Graham crusades.
WWP got its start after Graham met Dick Ross, who had produced a documentary film
of Graham's 1950 crusade in Portland, Oregon
. That film's success led the BGEA to buy Ross's production company, and hire him as the president of a new BGEA subsidiary incorporated as the Billy Graham Evangelistic Film Ministry (which was to be WWP's official name until 1980).
WWP's first feature film
was Mr. Texas
, produced during Graham's 1951 Fort Worth, Texas
Crusade. It was also during the 1950s that WWP established production facilities in Burbank, California
.
Perhaps WWP's best-known production was the 1965 film
The Restless Ones, featuring Kim Darby
. According to an October 14, 1966 issue of Christianity Today
more than 120,000 professions of faith were recorded after more than two million people viewed the film. Other major feature films included Two a Penny
(1965
), which starred Cliff Richard
. Both The Hiding Place
(1975
) (with Julie Harris
) and Time to Run (1973
) received Golden Globe nominations for Most Promising Newcomer.
WWP stopped national releases of its films in the late 1980s. The company sold its Burbank studio, moved its headquarters to Minneapolis
, and switched to working with independent producers and distributing films to churches, on home video, and as made-for-TV movies
.
They cautiously returned to feature films in 2001
, with the limited national release of Road to Redemption, WWP's first comedy after over 125 films (including nine major motion pictures). The film starred Pat Hingle
. It was followed by The Climb
, which starred Jason Winston George
, Ned Vaughn
, and Dabney Coleman
, and featured Todd Bridges
. In 2003, the company released its latest film Last Flight Out.
Film distributor
A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for releasing films to the public either theatrically or for home viewing...
and production company
Production company
A production company provides the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.- Tasks and functions :...
established as a subsidiary
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is an organization started by Billy Graham in 1950. The main focus of the BGEA is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible...
(BGEA) in 1951
1951 in film
The year 1951 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Sweden - May Britt is scouted by Italian film-makers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:...
. It is involved in the production and distribution of evangelistic
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s, the production of Graham crusade films, and publicity
Publicity
Publicity is the deliberate attempt to manage the public's perception of a subject. The subjects of publicity include people , goods and services, organizations of all kinds, and works of art or entertainment.From a marketing perspective, publicity is one component of promotion which is one...
for Graham crusades.
WWP got its start after Graham met Dick Ross, who had produced a documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
of Graham's 1950 crusade in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. That film's success led the BGEA to buy Ross's production company, and hire him as the president of a new BGEA subsidiary incorporated as the Billy Graham Evangelistic Film Ministry (which was to be WWP's official name until 1980).
WWP's first feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
was Mr. Texas
Mr. Texas
*Shawn Hernandez is an American professional wrestler known as 'Mr. Texas', among other ring names*There is a Mr. Texas bodybuilding competition.*Mr. Texas is the title of a film produced by World Wide Pictures...
, produced during Graham's 1951 Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
Crusade. It was also during the 1950s that WWP established production facilities in Burbank, California
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
.
Perhaps WWP's best-known production was the 1965 film
1965 in film
The year 1965 in film involved some significant events, with The Sound of Music topping the U.S. box office.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:...
The Restless Ones, featuring Kim Darby
Kim Darby
Kim Darby is an American actress perhaps best known for co-starring with John Wayne and country singer/actor Glen Campbell in the 1969 western True Grit.-Early life and film career:...
. According to an October 14, 1966 issue of Christianity Today
Christianity Today
Christianity Today is an Evangelical Christian periodical based in Carol Stream, Illinois. It is the flagship publication of its parent company Christianity Today International, claiming circulation figures of 140,000 and readership of 290,000...
more than 120,000 professions of faith were recorded after more than two million people viewed the film. Other major feature films included Two a Penny
Two a Penny
Two a Penny is a British film released in 1967, featuring singer Cliff Richard. The film was directed by James F. Collier and produced by Frank R. Jacobson for Billy Graham's film distribution and production company World Wide Pictures...
(1965
1965 in film
The year 1965 in film involved some significant events, with The Sound of Music topping the U.S. box office.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:...
), which starred Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
. Both The Hiding Place
The Hiding Place (film)
The Hiding Place is a 1975 film based on the autobiographical book of the same name by Corrie ten Boom recounting her and her family's experiences before and during their imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust in World War II.-Plot:...
(1975
1975 in film
The year 1975 in film involved some significant events, with Steven Spielberg's thriller Jaws topping the box office.-Events:*March 26 - The film version of The Who's Tommy premieres in London....
) (with Julie Harris
Julie Harris
Julia Ann "Julie" Harris is an American stage, screen, and television actress. She has won five Tony Awards, three Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award, and was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1994, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts. She is a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame...
) and Time to Run (1973
1973 in film
The year 1973 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces his second wife, Barbara Blakely. Blakely would later marry actor/singer Frank Sinatra....
) received Golden Globe nominations for Most Promising Newcomer.
WWP stopped national releases of its films in the late 1980s. The company sold its Burbank studio, moved its headquarters to Minneapolis
Companies based in Minneapolis-St. Paul
The Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area is the 15th-largest agglomeration in the United States, and is home to many corporations, companies, and divisions. The core cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul host many companies, but a number are in suburban cities....
, and switched to working with independent producers and distributing films to churches, on home video, and as made-for-TV movies
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
.
They cautiously returned to feature films in 2001
2001 in film
The year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
, with the limited national release of Road to Redemption, WWP's first comedy after over 125 films (including nine major motion pictures). The film starred Pat Hingle
Pat Hingle
Martin Patterson "Pat" Hingle was an American actor.-Early life:Hingle was born Martin Patterson Hingle in Miami, Florida, the son of Marvin Louise , a schoolteacher and musician, and Clarence Martin Hingle, a building contractor. Hingle enlisted in the U.S. Navy in December 1941, dropping out of...
. It was followed by The Climb
The Climb (2002 film)
The Climb is a 2002 film directed by John Schmidt, distributed by World Wide Pictures.-Plot summary:Christian film about Two free solo climbers, who meet each other during a rescue get a chance to realize a climb of a lifetime, but with an unexpected change: they have to work together...
, which starred Jason Winston George
Jason Winston George
Jason Winston George is an American actor and model He is best known for his roles as Michael Bourne on the NBC daytime soap opera Sunset Beach, and as J.T. Hunter on the UPN television sitcom Eve...
, Ned Vaughn
Ned Vaughn
Ned Vaughn is an American actor known for his television work. He attended Lee High School in Huntsville, AL and Birmingham-Southern College.-Filmography:*The Rescue, 1988 - Shawn Howard...
, and Dabney Coleman
Dabney Coleman
Dabney Wharton Coleman is an American actor, best known for his roles in 9 to 5, WarGames, You've Got Mail, Sworn to Silence, The Beverly Hillbillies and as the voice of Principal Peter Prickly in Recess and Recess: School's Out.-Early life:Coleman was born in Austin, Texas, the son of Mary...
, and featured Todd Bridges
Todd Bridges
Todd Anthony Bridges is an American actor. He is best known for his childhood role as Willis Jackson on the NBC/ABC sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, and for his recurring role as Monk on the UPN/CW sitcom Everybody Hates Chris...
. In 2003, the company released its latest film Last Flight Out.
External links
- World Wide Pictures, from Billy Graham's website, including a list of films
- IMDb entries:
- Records of World Wide Pictures from the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College
- A History of Christian Films, from a "Christian Headlines" blogBlogA blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
written in Asheville, North CarolinaAsheville, North CarolinaAsheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active... - Road to Redemption released in 2001, one of 2001's most censored press releases according to McSweeney'sMcSweeney'sMcSweeney's is an American publishing house founded by editor Dave Eggers.Apart from its book list, McSweeney's is responsible for four regular publications: the quarterly literary journal,...