Events

• 1892 – Jack L. Warner, Canadian-born American production manager and producer, co-founded Warner Bros. (d. 1978).

Jack L. Warner

Jack Leonard Warner (born Jacob Warner; 02 August 1892 to 09 September 1978) was a Canadian-American film executive, born in Canada, who was the president and driving force behind the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. Warner’s career spanned some 45 years, its duration surpassing that of any other of the seminal Hollywood studio moguls.

As co-head of production at Warner Bros. Studios, he worked with his brother, Sam Warner, to procure the technology for the film industry’s first talking picture, The Jazz Singer (1927). After Sam’s death, Jack clashed with his surviving older brothers, Harry and Albert Warner. He assumed exclusive control of the film production company in the 1950s, when he secretly purchased his brothers’ shares in the business after convincing them to participate in a joint sale of stocks.

Although Warner was feared by many of his employees and inspired ridicule with his uneven attempts at humour, he earned respect for his shrewd instincts and tough-mindedness. He recruited many of Warner Bros.’ top stars and promoted the hard-edged social dramas for which the studio became known. Given to decisiveness, Warner once commented, “If I’m right fifty-one percent of the time, I’m ahead of the game.”

Throughout his career, he was viewed as a contradictory and enigmatic figure. Although he was a staunch Republican, Warner encouraged film projects that promoted the agenda of Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. He opposed European fascism and criticised Nazi Germany well before America’s involvement in World War II. An opponent of communism, after the war Warner appeared as a friendly witness before the House Un-American Activities Committee, voluntarily naming screenwriters who had been fired as suspected communists or sympathizers. Despite his controversial public image, Warner remained a force in the motion picture industry until his retirement in the early 1970s.

Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment company headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Founded in 1923 by four brothers, Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack Warner, the company established itself as a leader in the American film industry before diversifying into animation, television, and video games and is one of the “Big Five” major American film studios, as well as a member of the Motion Picture Association (MPA).

The company is known for its film studio division the Warner Bros. Pictures Group, which includes Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, the Warner Animation Group, Castle Rock Entertainment, and DC Films. Among its other assets include the television production company Warner Bros. Television Studios; video game development and publishing arm Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment; and a 50% interest in broadcast television network The CW, which is co-owned with Paramount Global. Warner Bros. also operates various divisions specialising in publishing, merchandising, music, theatre, and theme parks. Bugs Bunny, a cartoon character created by Tex Avery, Ben Hardaway, Chuck Jones, Bob Givens and Robert McKimson as part of the Looney Tunes series, is the company’s official mascot.