Shapiro-Glickenhaus Entertainment
Encyclopedia
Shapiro-Glickenhaus Entertainment was a company formed at the height of the home video
industry in 1984 by producer Leonard Shapiro and director James Glickenhaus
to produce and distribute low-budget horror and action films. The company known also as SGE and whose video unit was known as SGE Home Video would produce 14 films and distribute more than 100 pick-up
films in its 12 years of operation. SGE's home video titles were distributed by the Video Sales Organization (VSO) until 1991 when MCA/Universal began to distribute the SGE catalog.
Although SGE would never create a breakout or blockbuster
film, cult film
fans may recognize some of SGE's works. Films such as Basket Case 2
, Frankenhooker
, Maniac Cop
, McBain
, and Red Scorpion
were released theatrically and often found a wider audience when released on home video and on cable television. Maniac Cop and Red Scorpion proved successful in the video era, each spawning sequels while SGE also launched a third Basket Case film, Basket Case 3. Red Scorpion was SGE's most widely released theatrical feature on 1,268 screens in the U.S. and bringing in over $4 million at the box office
.
SGE was involved in two high-profile controversies. Though Red Scorpion was the distributor's most widely released theatrical film, it was also its most controversial. The Jack Abramoff
produced feature was dropped by Warner Brothers when protest groups claimed that the involvement of the South African government in the film's creation violated the United Nations cultural boycott against the Pretoria government. The tumult hadn't died down when the film was picked up by SGE and released in April 1989. Five protest groups picketed at the film's opening weekend in Washington, D.C. Protesters carried placards that read "Red Scorpion No! Freedom Yes!" and shouting "Red Scorpion is no good. Send it back to Pretoria!" Less than a year later, controversy also surrounded SGE's feature film, Frankenhooker, one of the last in a group of films to receive an X-rating. The company appealed twice with two editorial changes and could not persuade the MPAA to drop the X-rating to an R-rating. As a result, SGE released the X-rated film in 1990 with a self-attached "A" label in protest of the X-rating. The controversy surrounding the X-ratings assigned to releases in 1990 including Frankenhooker, Life Is Cheap . . . But Toilet Paper Is Expensive
, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, and Leatherface led the MPAA to make a change in the ratings system. The X-rating was changed to NC-17 in September 1990.
As the home video industry evolved in the mid-1990s, SGE disbanded. Leonard Shapiro left the company in 1996 to form Rootbeer Films Inc. while James Glickenhaus would join a finance firm started by his father, Glickenhaus & Co. The company's final film, Timemaster, released in 1995, was directed and written by James Glickenhaus and starred his son, Jesse Cameron-Glickenhaus. Synapse Films
acquired the rights to some SGE film titles and scheduled the releases of Frankenhooker and Maniac Cop on Blu-Ray in Fall of 2011.
Home video
Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or rented/hired for home cinema entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into current optical disc formats like DVD and Blu-ray Disc and, to a lesser extent, into methods of digital...
industry in 1984 by producer Leonard Shapiro and director James Glickenhaus
James Glickenhaus
James Glickenhaus is an American investment professional at Glickenhaus & Co., the finance firm started by his father, Seth Glickenhaus. He was formerly a movie director before entering the finance world....
to produce and distribute low-budget horror and action films. The company known also as SGE and whose video unit was known as SGE Home Video would produce 14 films and distribute more than 100 pick-up
Negative pickup deal
In film production, a negative pickup is a contract entered into by an independent producer and a movie studio wherein the studio agrees to purchase the movie from the producer at a given date and for a fixed sum...
films in its 12 years of operation. SGE's home video titles were distributed by the Video Sales Organization (VSO) until 1991 when MCA/Universal began to distribute the SGE catalog.
Although SGE would never create a breakout or blockbuster
Blockbuster (entertainment)
Blockbuster, as applied to film or theatre, denotes a very popular or successful production. The entertainment industry use was originally theatrical slang referring to a particularly successful play but is now used primarily by the film industry...
film, cult film
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
fans may recognize some of SGE's works. Films such as Basket Case 2
Basket Case 2
Basket Case 2 is a 1990 American comedy horror film written and directed by Frank Henenlotter. It was released on DVD by Synapse Films on October 30, 2007.-Cast:* Kevin Van Hentenryck as Duane Bradley* Judy Grafe as News Woman...
, Frankenhooker
Frankenhooker
Frankenhooker is an American black comedy horror film that was released in 1990. Very loosely inspired by Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, the film was directed by Frank Henenlotter and stars James Lorinz as medical school drop-out Jeffrey Franken and former Penthouse Pet Patty Mullen as the...
, Maniac Cop
Maniac Cop
Maniac Cop is a 1988 action/horror film directed by William Lustig and written by Larry Cohen. The film spawned two sequels, Maniac Cop 2 and Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence .-Synopsis:...
, McBain
McBain (film)
McBain is a 1991 action film written and directed by James Glickenhaus. It is about an ex-soldier who reunites his old army buddies in order to get revenge on a Colombian dictator who killed his old friend, a freedom fighter. McBain starred Christopher Walken, María Conchita Alonso and Michael...
, and Red Scorpion
Red Scorpion
Red Scorpion is a 1989 film directed by Joseph Zito starring Dolph Lundgren.-Plot:The plot centers on Lundgren's character Nikolai, a Soviet Spetsnaz-trained KGB agent who is sent to an African country where Soviet, Czechoslovakian and Cuban forces are helping the government fight an anti-communist...
were released theatrically and often found a wider audience when released on home video and on cable television. Maniac Cop and Red Scorpion proved successful in the video era, each spawning sequels while SGE also launched a third Basket Case film, Basket Case 3. Red Scorpion was SGE's most widely released theatrical feature on 1,268 screens in the U.S. and bringing in over $4 million at the box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
.
SGE was involved in two high-profile controversies. Though Red Scorpion was the distributor's most widely released theatrical film, it was also its most controversial. The Jack Abramoff
Jack Abramoff
Jack Abramoff is an American former lobbyist and businessman. Convicted in 2006 of mail fraud and conspiracy, he was at the heart of an extensive corruption investigation that led to the conviction of White House officials J. Steven Griles and David Safavian, U.S. Representative Bob Ney, and nine...
produced feature was dropped by Warner Brothers when protest groups claimed that the involvement of the South African government in the film's creation violated the United Nations cultural boycott against the Pretoria government. The tumult hadn't died down when the film was picked up by SGE and released in April 1989. Five protest groups picketed at the film's opening weekend in Washington, D.C. Protesters carried placards that read "Red Scorpion No! Freedom Yes!" and shouting "Red Scorpion is no good. Send it back to Pretoria!" Less than a year later, controversy also surrounded SGE's feature film, Frankenhooker, one of the last in a group of films to receive an X-rating. The company appealed twice with two editorial changes and could not persuade the MPAA to drop the X-rating to an R-rating. As a result, SGE released the X-rated film in 1990 with a self-attached "A" label in protest of the X-rating. The controversy surrounding the X-ratings assigned to releases in 1990 including Frankenhooker, Life Is Cheap . . . But Toilet Paper Is Expensive
Life Is Cheap... But Toilet Paper Is Expensive
Life Is Cheap... But Toilet Paper Is Expensive is a 1989 film directed by Wayne Wang. It stars Cheng Wan Kin and John Chan. It won an award at the 1990 Rotterdam International Film Festival.-Cast:*Cheng Wan Kin as Duck Killer*John Chan as The Son In Law...
, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, and Leatherface led the MPAA to make a change in the ratings system. The X-rating was changed to NC-17 in September 1990.
As the home video industry evolved in the mid-1990s, SGE disbanded. Leonard Shapiro left the company in 1996 to form Rootbeer Films Inc. while James Glickenhaus would join a finance firm started by his father, Glickenhaus & Co. The company's final film, Timemaster, released in 1995, was directed and written by James Glickenhaus and starred his son, Jesse Cameron-Glickenhaus. Synapse Films
Synapse Films
Synapse Films is a DVD/Blu-ray label owned and operated by Don May, Jr. and his business partners Jerry Chandler and Charles Fiedler. The company specializes in cult horror, science fiction, and exploitation films....
acquired the rights to some SGE film titles and scheduled the releases of Frankenhooker and Maniac Cop on Blu-Ray in Fall of 2011.
External links
- http://www.imdb.com/company/co0169402/ IMDB page on SGE
- http://www.imdb.com/company/co0019636/ IMDB page on SGE Home Video