Burt Kelly

Burt Kelly
BornOctober 6, 1898
Died1983
Occupation(s)Film producer, writer
Known forBlondie movie series
Spouse
​
(m. 1933)​

Burt Kelly (October 6, 1898 – 1983) was an American film producer and writer.[1] He was best known for Columbia Pictures' Blondie series.[2] He founded KBS Productions Inc. in 1932, along with Sam Bischoff and William Saal.[3]

Career

Kelly was a former stock company manager who entered the film industry as a booking agent for the Paramount Publix theater chain. He later functioned as an executive with Educational Pictures, a purveyor of comedy two-reelers, and then Poverty Row’s Tiffany Pictures. In 1932, Kelly founded KBS Productions with Sam Bischoff and William Saal.[4][3] The company thats name was derived from the initials of its three founders took over the former production facilities of Tiffany Pictures where they produced low budget Ken Maynard Westerns, and films such as The Death Kiss with Bela Lugosi, and Sherlock Holmes’ A Study in Scarlet. KBS (also known as Admiral Productions) lasted until late 1933, after which he joined Republic Pictures as an associate producer. In the early 1940s he joined Universal, producing his last movie Blondie's Secret in 1948.

Personal life

He married actress Adrienne Dore in 1933.

Select filmography

References

  1. ^ Gordon, Bernard (2013-04-15). Hollywood Exile, or How I Learned to Love the Blacklist. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-75641-0.
  2. ^ Institute, American Film (1999). AFI Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-21521-4.
  3. ^ a b Pitts, Michael R. (2005-07-25). Poverty Row Studios, 1929-1940: An Illustrated History of 55 Independent Film Companies, with a Filmography for Each. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-2319-4.
  4. ^ Pitts, Michael R. (2019-04-25). Astor Pictures: A Filmography and History of the Reissue King, 1933-1965. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-7649-4.
  5. ^ a b "Burt Kelly". BFI. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  6. ^ "Crew Member : Burt Kelly". threestooges.net. Retrieved 2022-04-26.