Edward L. Alperson Bio/Wiki, Net Worth, Married 2018
Edward R. Alperson was an ambitious 39-year old manager of a film exchange when he decided to organize a new studio he called Grand National in 1936. The company headquartered in New York City with the First Division Picture Exchange as it's distribution arm and received a tremendous boost when Warner Brothers' prime star, James Cagney, walked ...
Alperson's Grand National had 29 film exchanges in the U.S. and 6 in Canada. These exchanges were territorial and serviced independent theaters operating, literally, on a film per flat fee basis and then exchanged for another one. During the 1930's an independent theater might completely change their bills 3 times weekly and would typically screen films from other B-movie studios (Monogram, Republic, Chesterfield, Educational, Mascot, Big 4, Puritan, etc.) that would often include re-releases and a short subject. Film exchanges would purchase a film's distribution rights for a determinate period, pay for and repair prints and distribute promotional material. Since an exchange would almost always make money, even on flops, it was more consistently lucrative than independent film production.
$950,000
