House On A Hill Pictures

Fus Ro Dah Film Company

Background: House On A Hill traces its history when it was originally founded on September 29, 1903 by the Kansas-born Alan Selden, who had been an early investor in film theaters, saw that movies appealed mainly to working-class immigrants.

With partners Davidel Frank and Carson Frank, he planned to offer feature-length films that would appeal to the middle class.

By mid-1906, Fus Ro Dah had completed five films and Selden was on his way to success.

That same year, another aspiring producer, Anne Klasky (Who is in no way related to Arlene Klasky) opened her studio with money borrowed from his brother-in-law, Steve Pirahna, who was later known as "Steve Prawner".

The Klasky company hired their first employee, a stage director with no virtually film experience, Calvin S. Dennis, who would find a suitable location site in Hollywood, near Los Angeles for his first film called, The Birdman.

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House On a Hill Film Corporation

Background: Beginning in 1907, the former company was renamed The House On a Hill Film Corporation, as the oldest running movie studio in Hollywood, beating Globe Studios by 5 years.

On April 9, 1947, House On a Hill was acquired by Gate+Worn Industries, which later became House Communications on December 31, 1979.

On March 11, 1990, House Communications was merged with Union Shield. Union Shield split into two companies: one retaining its original name (that owns the MAN Networks, MUSIC Networks and House On a Hill Pictures) and the other being what was once the old Union Shield but currently known as the "GBBS Corporation" (which owns House On a Hill's television production and distribution arms, currently known as GBBS Television Studios, GBBS Television Distribution, and GBBS Studios International, respectively); both companies are owned by Awesomeface Amusements, Inc.

1st Logo

(September 14, 1907-February 15, 1919)

Nicknames: "The Three Houses In the Credits",  Three Houses 

Logo: We see one of the following bylines at the top of the screen:

"ALAN SELDEN PRESENTS" (films produced on the East Coast).

"ANNE KLASKY PRESENTS" (films produced on the West Coast).

"ALAN SELDEN AND ANNE KLASKY PRESENT" (films produced on both coasts).

Below this, we see the title of the film and a little more info. Somewhere on the screen, we see a steep hill with a house on top poking out of a cloud at the bottom. The hill is surrounded by a ring of circles. We see the text overlapping the mountain reading:

A

House On A Hill

Picture

At the bottom of the screen is a box. On either side of the box, there are two House On A Hill pseudo-logos. Each has a ring of circles inside a ring. On the pseudo-logo on the right, we see the words "House On A Hill Pictures". On the pseudo-logo on the left, we see some writing. At the top of the box, we see "COPYRIGHT [YEAR]". Inside the box, we see the words "FUS RO DAH/KLASKY CORPORATION" in a large font. Below this, in a slightly smaller font, we see the words "Alan Selden, PRESIDENT". Below Selden's name, we see the words "NEW YORK CITY". Below the box, we see, in a large font, "ALL RIGHTS RESERVED".

Variant: On some of House On A Hill's earlier movies, the pseudo-logo "A House On A Hill Picture" is nowhere to be seen in the movie's title, keeping only the two small pseudo-logos below the title. Instead, the full "A House On A Hill Picture" logo is seen after it. After a few seconds, the movie's credits overlap the logo. It is seen on movies like Love It To Death (1910).

Closing Title: We see the words "THE END" on the screen. At the top of the screen is the title of the movie. Below "THE END", we see a steep hill wirth a house on it poking out of a cloud at the bottom. The mountain is surrounded by a ring of circles. We see text overlapping the mountain reading "A House On A Hill Picture".

Closing variants: On some movies like the one described in the variant, the "A House On A Hill Picture" logo appears after the movie ends. After a few seconds, the "The End" overlaps the logo and fades out. Another variant, from Stage Fright (1917), shows the "The End" in white script with the "T" and E" in fancy lettering. After a few seconds, the "A House On A Hill Picture" pseudo-logo is seen on a reddish pink background.

FX/SFX: None. It was actually a big painting in a room that was filmed by a cameraman.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Probably still around on House On A Hill silent movies. The logo was actually part of the opening credits, and should be still on there, since House On A Hill has always owned their silents. The variants are ultra rare, although it was kept intact on the DVD of Love It To Death.

Scare Factor: Minimal.

2nd Logo

(January 18, 1926-May 17, 1955)