Title: Files on the Motion Picture Export Association: United Artists Corporation Records, Series 5F
Inclusive Dates: 1946-1958

Creator:

• United Artists Corporation

Call Number: U.S. Mss 99AN/5F

Quantity: 0.8 cubic feet (2 archives boxes)

Repository:

Housed at the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives and Museum Collections; owned by the Wisconsin Center for Film & Theater Research

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Minutes, correspondence, and subject files on the Motion Picture Export Association (MPEA), an organization formed to distribute the films of ten major American film companies in post-war Austria, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, East Indies, Poland, Romania, the USSR, and Yugoslavia. The majority of the materials were created before 1950.

Note:

Forms part of the United Artists Corporation collection.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-99an005f

 ↑ Bookmark this ↑

 ↑ Bookmark this ↑

The overt reasons for the formation of the MPEA were to cope with various monopolies and cartels which were beginning to solidify in the foreign territories, to propagandize the American way of life and thus aid in the rehabilitation of war-torn areas, and to prevent the indiscriminate “dumping” of the backlog of American films which had been unavailable in many areas for almost a decade. The MPEA held exclusive distribution rights for the films of its member companies and operated exchanges in the various territories, paying all distribution and advertising expenses. Profits from each picture were divided among the members according to a pre-arranged schedule.

There were other, less publicized, advantages for the member companies. The Association provided its members with data on the motion picture industries in foreign countries on subjects such as tax rates, commerce laws, and market potentials for films, but often on more political topics: economic developments abroad, strikes, changes in governments, and current and projected developments of local film production and distribution industries. The Association acted to protect the interests of its members, maximizing profits, lobbying for favorable legislation, and furnishing legal aid when necessary. More pointedly, according to a telegram dated 20 September, 1946, “...the purpose of [the] Export Corporation is to operate film exchanges in countries...so we can develop [a] free market for individual companies at a later date.”

United Artists was a member of the MPEA on behalf of both itself and its independent producers. Gradwell Sears sat on the MPEA Board until August of 1947, and was succeeded by Arthur W. Kelly. While materials in the series are dated as late as 1958, the majority were created before 1950, by which time most distribution in the foreign territories ceased to be handled through the MPEA and had been assumed on a free enterprise basis by the individual distribution companies. Materials dated prior to 1946 usually refer to pre-war matters of later concern to the MPEA.

The series consists of two parts. The first part, filed by country, contains information concerning the film industry and distribution in each country. The second part, filed by subject, contains general information relating to MPEA distribution plus financial information, including reports on income from specific pictures and countries, and on the profits of each member company. Part two also contains such miscellaneous material as minutes of meetings of the MPEA board of directors, continental managers, and stockholders; year-end reports; financial working papers; audit reports; contracts; and correspondence between United Artists and the MPEA, between UA and its member producers, and between UA departments. Scattered items refer to dealings in non-MPEA countries, reflecting the realities of the Association's world-wide activities.

Further MPEA materials can be found in the files of the two UA executives who sat on its Board, Gradwell Sears (Series 8B) and Arthur W. Kelly (Series 6B) and passim in foreign sales and distribution files for the period in question. Brief articles on the activities of the MPEA are to be found in the Film Daily Yearbook, 1947, p. 826; 1948, pp. 883-5; 1949, pp. 926-7; and 1950, pp. 919-20.

U.S. Mss 99AN/5F	Series: Part I - By Country
Box   1 Folder   1	Austria, Australia, Argentina, 1948 July-1955 July
Box   1 Folder   2	Belgium, Brazil, British Guiana, Burma, 1948 March-1951 November
Box   1 Folder   3	Chile, Colombia, China, Czechoslovakia, 1948 August-October
Box   1 Folder   4	Denmark, 1948 October-1951 November
Box   1 Folder   5	Ecuador, Egypt, 1948 July-1951 September
Box   1 Folder   6	England, 1948 March-1952 July
Box   1 Folder   7	Finland, France, 1948 January-1951 August
Box   1 Folder   8	Germany, Greece, 1936 July-1952 September
Box   1 Folder   9	Holland, 1948 August-1951 October
Box   1 Folder   10	India, Indonesia, 1951 June-November
Box   1 Folder   11	Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, 1948 August-1952 September
Box   1 Folder   12	Mexico, Norway, 1948 October-1953 April
Box   1 Folder   13	Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Phillippines, Puerto Rico, 1948 September-1953 February
Box   1 Folder   14	Saar, Singapore, Spain, Suez Canal, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa, 1948 August-1951 November
Box   1 Folder   15	Uruguay, Venezuela, Yugoslavia, 1948 December-1951 November
	Series: Part II - By Subject	⇧
Box   1 Folder   16	Account sheets - MPEA, 1947 November-1948 October
Box   1 Folder   17	Export Corporation Agreement, 1946 July-1948 December
Box   2 Folder   1	Minutes - MPEA meetings of Board of Directors, and Continental Managers, 1948 June-1949 June
Box   2 Folder   2	Minutes - MPEA, 1951 March-June
Box   2 Folder   3	Minutes - MPEA, 1951 July-October
Box   2 Folder   4	Minutes - MPEA, 1952 February-1953 February
Box   2 Folder   5	Miscellaneous correspondence - United Artists and MPEA, 1946 May- 1947
Box   2 Folder   6	Miscellaneous correspondence, 1948
Box   2 Folder   7	Miscellaneous correspondence, 1949-1958
Box   2 Folder   8	Miscellaneous - MPEA, 1947 February-1952 June
Box   2 Folder   9	Stockholders meetings, 1953-1954
Box   2 Folder   10	Summary statements, 1949 December-1956 July
Box   2 Folder   11	Working papers - all countries - finances by picture and country
Box   2 Folder   12	Working papers - Japan