Information
Full name: Radio-Keith-Orpheum Pictures
Years in operation: October 1928-1959
Senior Executives in 1938
RKO Radio Pictures
President: Leo Spitz (succeeded by George J. Schaefer)
Vice President, Distribution: Ned E. Depinet
Foreign Department Executive: Philip H. Reisman
Director, RKO’s British subsidiary: Sir Randle Fynes Wilson Holme
Paris-based European General Manager: Reginald Armour
Walt Disney Productions — European Representatives
European Sales Director, Walt Disney Merchandise: William Banks Levy (W. B. Levy)
Continental European Representative, Walt Disney Productions: Raoul Wallace “Wally” Feignoux
Distribution contract between Walt Disney and RKO:
March 2, 1936 – January 22, 1957
The RKO–Disney Partnership (1936–1957)
RKO Radio Pictures began distributing Walt Disney’s films under an agreement signed on March 2, 1936, bringing Disney’s association with United Artists to an end just as the studio was preparing its first feature-length film.
Disney was now partnered with the Hollywood studio behind King Kong and the celebrated musicals starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. This new relationship was reflected on screen, with the RKO logo incorporated into the opening title sequences of Disney’s films. International versions were also produced, often featuring the distributor’s name adapted to RKO Radio Films.
The partnership gradually came to an end following the establishment of Disney’s own distribution company, Buena Vista, in 1953. RKO ceased distributing Disney’s feature films in 1954, although its agreement covering short subjects remained in effect until January 22, 1957.
The end of the partnership also had consequences for the films themselves. When Disney reissued titles originally distributed by RKO, the original distributor’s name and logo had to be removed or replaced in the opening credits. For the 1958 re-release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, this meant that the opening titles had to be rephotographed, creating a revised version of the film’s original title sequence.
