The Mirisch Company

The Mirisch Companywas an American filmproduction companyowned byWalter Mirischand his brothers,MarvinandHarold Mirisch.The company also had sister firms known at various times asMirisch Production Company,Mirisch Pictures Inc.,Mirisch Films,andThe Mirisch Corporation.

History

Walter Mirischbegan to work as a producer atMonogram Picturesbeginning withFall Guy(1947), the profitableBomba the Jungle Boyseries,Wichita(1955), andThe First Texan(1956), by which time the company was known as Allied Artists. Walter Mirisch was in charge of production at the studio when it madeInvasion of the Body Snatchers(1956) andLove in the Afternoon(1957).

The Mirisch Company was founded in 1957at which time it signed a 12-picture deal withUnited Artists(UA) that was extended to 20 films two years later. Its first production wasMan of the West(1958) starringGary Cooper.UA acquired the company on March 1, 1963, but the Mirisch brothers continued to produce for their distribution, under other corporate names, in rented space at theSamuel Goldwyn Studio.

It produced many successful motion pictures forUnited Artists,beginning with the release ofFort Massacre(1958) but later includingSome Like It Hot(1959),The Horse Soldiers(1959),The Apartment(1960),The Magnificent Seven(1960),West Side Story(1961),Follow That Dream(1962 withElvis Presley),The Great Escape(1963),The Pink Panther(1963),Hawaii(1966),In the Heat of the Night(1967),The Thomas Crown Affair(1968),Fiddler on the Roof(1971), and many others.

In 1964Mirisch FilmsLtd, or Mirisch Films GB was formed in the United Kingdom for the production of633 Squadron,A Shot in the Darkand several other films.The Pink Pantherfeatured an animatedPink Panther,which soon became a star of a series of theatrical cartoons made byDePatie–Freleng Enterprisesand released by Mirisch/UA. The cartoon series earned the partnership name ofMirisch-Geoffrey-DePatie-Frelengfor the copyright of The Pink Panther and is used to this day by special arrangement through MGM for new cartoon specials and series.

Mirisch first entered television in 1959 with the series,Wichita Townfor NBC. It also co-produced live-action television shows such asThe Rat Patrol,Hey LandlordandThe Magnificent Seventelevision series, as well as a number of television movies and cartoon shows ofThe Super 6andThe Pink Panther Show.In 1965, the company, along withLee RichstartedMirisch-Rich Television Productions,with the intent to produce shows for network television and it maintains headquarters in the Samuel Goldwyn Studios.Rich left in 1967 and it was soon renamedMirisch Television Productions.

The company forged long-term associations with directors such asBilly Wilder,Blake Edwards,Robert Wise,George Roy Hill,William Wyler,J. Lee Thompson,John Sturges,andNorman Jewison,who directed three consecutive successes for it:The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming(1966),In the Heat of the Night(1967), andThe Thomas Crown Affair(1968).

Films and series

The following were fromMirisch Companies:

• Fort Massacre(1958)
• Man of the West(1958)
• Some Like it Hot(1959)
• The Man in the Net(1959)
• The Gunfight at Dodge City(1959)
• The Horse Soldiers(1959)
• Cast a Long Shadow(1959)
• The Apartment(1960)
• The Magnificent Seven(1960)
• By Love Possessed(1961)
• Town Without Pity(1961)
• West Side Story(1961)
• One, Two Three(1961)
• The Children's Hour(1961)
• 'Follow that Dream(1962)
• Kid Galahad(1962)
• Two for the See Saw (1962)
• Irma La Douce(1963)
• The Great Escape(1963)
• Toys in the Attic(1963)
• Stolen Hours(1963)
• Kings of the Sun(1963)
• The Pink Panther(1964)
• 633 Squadron(1964)
• A Shot in the Dark(1964)
• Kiss Me Stupid(1964)
• The Satan Bug(1965)
• The Hallelujah Trail(1965)
• A Rage to Live(1965)
• Return from the Ashes(1965)
• Cast a Giant Shadow(1966)
• The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming(1966)
• What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?(1966)
• Hawaii(1966)
• The Fortune Cookie(1966)
• The Return of the Seven(1966)
• How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying(1967)
• In the Heat of the Night(1967)
• Hour of the Gun(1967)
• Fitzwilly(1967)
• Attack on the Iron Coast(1968)
• The Party(1968)
• Submarine X-1(1968)
• Inspector Clouseau(1968)
• The Thomas Crown Affair(1968)
• The First Time(1969)
• Sinful Davey(1969)
• Guns of the Magnificent Seven(1969)
• Submarine X-1(1969)
• Some Kind of a Nut(1969)
• The Thousand Plane Raid(1969)
• Gaily, Gaily(1969)
• Hell Boats(1970)
• Halls of Anger(1970)
• The Last Escape(1970)
• Mosquito Squadron(1970)
• The Landlord(1970)
• The Hawaiians(1970)
• They Call me MISTER Tibbs!(1970)
• Cannon for Cordoba(1970)
• The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes(1970)
• The Organization(1971)
• Fiddler on the Roof(1971)
• The Magnificent Seven Ride!(1972)
• Avanti!(1972)
• Scorpio(1973)
• The Spikes Gang(1974)
• Mr. Majestyk(1974)
• Midway(1976)
• Gray Lady Down(1978)
• Same Time, Next Year(1979)
• The Prisoner of Zenda(1979)
• Dracula(1979)
• Romantic Comedy(1983)
• VariousDePatie–FrelengandUnited Artistsanimated cartoons
  • The Pink Panther
  • The Inspector
  • Roland and Rattfink
  • The Ant and the Aardvark
  • Tijuana Toads/Texas Toads
  • The Blue Racer
  • Hoot Kloot
  • The Dogfather
  • Misterjaw
  • Crazylegs Crane
  • Dennis the Menace in Mayday for Mother(1981)
  • Goldilocks(1970)

Television series:

• Wichita Town(1959–1960)
• Peter Loves Mary(1960)
• The Super 6(1966–1967)
• Hey Landlord(1966–1967)
• The Rat Patrol(1966–1968)
• Super President(1967–1968)
• Here Comes the Grump(1969–1970)
• The Pink Panther Show(1969–1971)
• The New Pink Panther Show(1971–1974)
• The Pink Panther and Friends(1974–1976)
• The Pink Panther Laugh-and-a-Half Hour-and-a-Half Show(1976–1977)
• Think Pink Panther(1977–1978)
• The All New Pink Panther Show(1978)
• The Pink Panther and Sons(1984–1985)
• The Pink Panther(1993–1994)
• The Magnificent Seven(1998–1999)
• Pink Panther and Pals(2010)

Television films:

• High Midnight(1979)
• Desperado: Outlaw Wars(1989)
• Desperado: Badlands Justice(1989)
• Tagget(1990)