RKO Pictures facts for kids
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| Industry | Motion pictures |
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| Predecessors |
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| Founded | October 23, 1928 (as RKO Productions Inc.) |
| Founder | David Sarnoff |
| Headquarters | 1270 Avenue of the Americas,
Manhattan, New York City, US
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| Parent |
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RKO Pictures is a famous company in the United States. It makes and sells movies. The company was first called RKO Radio Pictures, Inc. RKO is short for Radio-Keith-Orpheum. This was the name of the original parent company.
RKO was one of the "Big Five" movie studios in Hollywood during its "Golden Age." This was a time when many classic movies were made. The company started in October 1928. It was formed when two companies joined together: the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chain and the Film Booking Offices of America movie studio. David Sarnoff from RCA helped create RKO. He wanted a way to sell RCA's "photophone" technology. This was their system for adding sound to movies. By the mid-1940s, an investor named Floyd Odlum was in charge of the studio.
Famous RKO Movies and Stars
RKO is well known for its amazing musicals from the 1930s. These movies starred the famous dancing duo, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Many other well-known actors started their careers at RKO. These included Katharine Hepburn, Robert Mitchum, and Cary Grant.
Movie experts often praise RKO's work on "film noir" movies. These are dark and moody crime films. They also liked Val Lewton's low-budget horror movies. RKO made two of the most famous movies ever. These are King Kong and Citizen Kane.
RKO also worked with other studios on movies. Some of these well-known films include It's a Wonderful Life and Notorious. RKO also helped sell movies made by Walt Disney. This was from 1937 until the mid-1950s. They also sold movies for Samuel Goldwyn.
Changes and Revival
In 1948, a businessman named Howard Hughes took over RKO. This started a difficult time for the company. In 1955, the General Tire and Rubber Company bought RKO.
RKO stopped making new movies in 1957. The company mostly closed down two years later. In 1959, RKO's assets (its movies and property) moved to a new company. This company was called RKO General.
In 1981, RKO was brought back to life. It was called RKO Pictures Inc. In 1989, new owners bought the company. Today, they run it under the name RKO Pictures LLC.
Images for kids
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Radio Pictures ad in The Film Daily, 1929
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Early Radio-Keith-Orpheum logo
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Rio Rita (1929), the first big hit for RKO (then called "Radio Pictures")
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King Kong (1933), a huge movie spectacle
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Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in Top Hat (1935). They were the only stars at RKO to make the list of top box office performers.
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Katharine Hepburn's last film for RKO, Bringing Up Baby (1938). It was not popular then, but now it's a famous comedy.
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Orson Welles in Citizen Kane (1941). Many people say this is the greatest movie ever made.
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Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman in Notorious (1946). RKO made a lot of money from this movie.
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Low-budget horror film art: I Walked with a Zombie (1943), made by Val Lewton.
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Crossfire (1947) was a hit movie. Its director and producer were later blacklisted (not allowed to work).
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Jet Pilot, a movie Howard Hughes worked on for a long time. It was released in 1957 by Universal-International.
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The classic ending logo of RKO Radio Pictures
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See also
In Spanish: RKO Pictures para niños
