Churchill Films
Film production company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Churchill Films, also called Churchill Media, was an American Film producer and distributor of direct-to-video/educational films founded by Robert Churchill (1911-1997)[1] and Sy Wexler (1916–2005)[2] in 1948 as Churchill Wexler Film Productions.[3] They have produced The Mouse and the Motorcycle (1986) based on the 1965 book by Beverly Cleary and many other award-winning children's films.[4]
| Formerly | Churchill Wexler Film Productions (1948–1961) |
|---|---|
| Type | Private |
| Industry | 16mm Films |
| Founded | 1948 |
| Founders | Robert Churchill Sy Wexler |
| Defunct | 1996 |
| Fate | Folded into Discovery |
| Successor | Discovery Education |
Churchill Films was acquired by American Educational Products in 1994.[3] The Churchill Films catalog is now part of Discovery Education.[5]
In December 2009, The Jungle (1967), a film distributed by Churchill Films in 16mm for the educational film market, was named to the National Film Registry.[6]
History
Origins
Churchill Films was Founded in 1948, by Robert Churchill and Sy Wexler. Churchill was a Harvard law graduate and former fashion photographer who pivoted to cinematography during World War II, making training films for the U.S. Army Signal Corps.[7]
The studio originally launched under the name Churchill Wexler Film Productions when Both Churchill and Wexler met
Operating out of Los Angeles, California, the duo produced their first educational short, Wonders in Your Own Backyard, in 1948 on a budget of $836 ($11,583 adjusted for inflation)
In 1961, the partnership dissolved, and the company was officially rebranded as Churchill Films.
Buyouts
In 1994, co-founder Robert Churchill sold the company to American Educational Products.
In 1996, Churchill Media was integrated under AMEP and was merged into another major acquisition to form SVE & Churchill Media, continuing to distribute 16mm films, multimedia, and direct-to-video educational content to schools and libraries.
In 2004, SVE & Churchill Media was merged with another educational media distributor, Clearvue/eav. Following this merger, the "Churchill" name was dropped from the corporate branding, and the new entity operated under the name Clearvue & SVE.
By 2008, Discovery Bought the Combined entity and it was merged into Discovery's Operations between 2008 and 2009.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Starring | Director | Producer(s) | Runtime | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | The Jungle | Charlie "Brown" Davis,
Reginald "Reggie" Ackridge David "Bat" Williams Jimmy "Country" Robinson [8] |
Charlie "Brown" Davis,
Jimmy "Country" Robinson David "Bat" Williams |
22:00 | Made under the direction of the Temple University professor Harold Haskins. | |
| 1971 | Hopscotch | June Foray,
Kimie Calvert, Joan Drake, Barbara Baldwin, Lillian Peel, Faith Peel |
Spencer Peel,
Robert Churchill[9] |
Robert Churchill | 12:00 | |
| 1975 | Sooper Goop | Robert Ridgely,
Julie McWhirther |
Charles Swenson[10] | Robert Churchill | 13:00
10:00 (1989 short version) |
The music is composed by Joseph Byrd[11] who is known as a composer and the leader of the short-lived experimental band The United States of America. It was considered for an Academy Award in 1976, which did not make the cut.[12] |
| 1983[13] | Curious George Goes to the Hospital | Ruth Buell,
Bobbie Speidel[14] |
John Clark Matthews | Robert Churchill,
George McQuilkin |
15:15 | Based on Curious George Goes to the Hospital (1966) by Margret Rey and H. A. Rey. |
| 1984[13] | Curious George | Corey Burton, | 14:33 | Based on Curious George (1941) by Margret Rey and H. A. Rey. | ||
| 1985[13] | Frog and Toad Are Friends | Hal Smith,
Jan Colmar[16] |
17:54 | Based on Frog and Toad Are Friends (1970) by Arnold Lobel. | ||
| Frog and Toad: Behind the Scenes | John Clark Matthews[17] | 9:23 | Based on Frog and Toad Are Friends (1985) by Churchill Films | |||
| 1986
1987 (Home video)[13] |
The Mouse and the Motorcycle | Philip Waller,
Thom Sharp[18] |
Ron Underwood | George McQuilkin,
John Clark Matthews |
40:54 | Based on The Mouse and the Motorcycle (1970) by Beverly Cleary |
| 1987[13] | Frog and Toad Together | Hal Smith (Toad),
Will Ryan (Frog) |
John Clark Matthews | Robert Churchill,
George McQuilkin |
17:34 | Based on Frog and Toad Together (1971, 1972) by Arnold Lobel. |
| 1988[13] | Runaway Ralph | Fred Savage,
Conchata Ferrell, Sara Gilbert[19] |
Ron Underwood | George McQuilkin,
John Clark Matthews |
40:11 | Based on Runaway Ralph (1970) by Beverly Cleary |
| 1989[13] | Morris Goes to School | Will Ryan,
Diane Michelle |
John Clark Matthews | George McQuilkin | 14:37 | Based on Morris Goes to School (1970) by Bernard Wiseman. |
| Stanley and the Dinosaurs | Will Ryan,
Corey Burton[20] |
John Clark Matthews | 15:42 | Based on Stanley (1962) by Syd Hoff. | ||
| 1990[13] | Ralph S. Mouse | Robert Oliveri,
Britt Leach, |
Thomas G. Smith | George McQuilkin,
John Clark Matthews |
41:35 | Based on Ralph S. Mouse (1982) by Beverly Cleary |
| 1991[13] | Uncle Elephant | Will Ryan,
June Foray, Corey Burton [22] |
John Clark Matthews | John Clark Matthews | 25:53 | Based on Uncle Elephant (1981) by Arnold Lobel.
Made with WGBH Educational Foundation |
| 1992[13] | Mouse Soup | Buddy Hackett,
Will Ryan, Pat Musick, |
25:48 | Based on Mouse Soup (1977) by Arnold Lobel. | ||
| 1993[13] | Commander Toad in Space | Cory Miller,
Mary McDonald Lewis [24] |
23:21 | Based on Commander Toad in Space (1980) by Jane Yolen
Made for the ABC Weekend Specials TV show | ||
| Morris Has a Cold | Will Ryan,
Hal Smith, |
13:39 | Based on Morris Has a Cold (1978) by Bernard Wiseman |
