List of RKO Pictures films

RKO Pictures (also known as RKO Productions, Radio Pictures, RKO Radio Pictures, and RKO Teleradio Pictures) is an American film production and distribution company. The original company produced films from 1929 through 1957, with releases extending until its dissolution in 1959. On October 23, 1928, RCA announced that it had acquired control of the Film Booking Offices of America studio and Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chain and was merging them under a holding company, Radio-Keith-Orpheum Corp.^[1] Its new production arm was incorporated as RKO Productions Inc. on January 25, 1929.^[2] While RKO Distributing Corp. was originally organized as a distinct business entity, by July 1930 the studio was transitioning into the new, unified RKO Radio Pictures Inc.^[3] In December, RKO announced that it would be acquiring Pathé Exchange, including its studio and backlot in Culver City, film laboratories in New Jersey, distribution exchanges in the United States and Great Britain, and the Pathé News operation.^[4] In 1931–32, RKO Pathé operated as a semiautonomous division of RKO Pictures.^[5][6]

In the 1930s and 1940s, Hollywood's Golden Age, RKO was one of the Big Five studios. Its lineup of acting talent during this period included Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, and Robert Mitchum. Among the studio's most notable films are Cimarron (winner of the 1931 Academy Award for Best Picture), King Kong (1933), Bringing Up Baby (1938), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946—the studio's only other Academy Award for Best Picture), and what some people consider the greatest film of all time, 1941's Citizen Kane.^[7][8]

The studio declined after Howard Hughes acquired ownership in 1948,^[9] and it was sold to the General Tire and Rubber Company in 1955.^[10] After several years of attempting to save the company, in January 1957, General Tire reached an agreement with Universal Pictures, where Universal would distribute the remaining RKO product, but the agreement effectively ended all film production at RKO.^[11] In 1959 General Tire put all of its non-core operations in a holding company, RKO General,^[12] which in 1978 reconstituted RKO Pictures Inc. as a production subsidiary,^[13] although the new company did not release its first film until 1981.^[14] General Tire sold RKO Pictures in 1989, at which point it began operating under new management as a small independent film company, RKO Pictures LLC.^[15][16]

All release dates are from the AFI Database, except as follows: those designated with an (*) are from imdb.com, and those designated with a (**) are from Theiapolis.com; other sources are noted with footnotes. The date listed is the earliest date, whether that be the premiere or the general release date. The order is according to release dates in the United States.

Note: All films released by the original incarnation of RKO are now owned by Warner Bros. through Turner Entertainment Co. (in North America, Latin America, the United Kingdom and France at the least) unless otherwise noted.

1929

RKO's first year of production resulted in the release of 13 films, highlighted by Syncopation, The Vagabond Lover, and Rio Rita.^[17] Two previous films titled Come and Get It (February 3, 1929)^[18] and The Drifter (February 8, 1929)^[19] were listed by AFI as RKO productions, but the copyright claimant is RKO's precursor, F.B.O. Productions, Inc.

Advertisement for The Vagabond Lover

Release date	Film[20]	Notes/References
March 24, 1929	Syncopation	First film released by RKO, but second produced[21]
July 30, 1929	Street Girl	First film produced by RKO; premiered in New York City with wide release on August 21, 1929[22]
August 10, 1929	Half Marriage	Premiered in New York City, wide release on October 13, 1929[23]
August 24, 1929	The Very Idea	Premiered in New York City, wide release on September 15, 1929[24]
September 8, 1929	Side Street	[25]
September 15, 1929	Rio Rita	With Technicolor sequences[26]
September 22, 1929	The Delightful Rogue	[27]
October 27, 1929	Night Parade	[28]
October 30, 1929	Jazz Heaven	Premiered in New York City, wide release on November 3, 1929[29]
November 10, 1929	Tanned Legs	[30]
November 26, 1929	The Vagabond Lover	First talking film for Rudy Vallee; premiered in New York City, wide release on December 1, 1929[31]
December 14, 1929	Dance Hall	Premiered in New York City, wide release December 27, 1929[32]
December 25, 1929	Seven Keys to Baldpate	Premiered in New York City, wide release on January 12, 1930[33]

The 1930s

The first full decade for the fledgling film studio was a mixture of large successes and deep instability, as the studio went through numerous management changes. The studio produced many classic films, such as Gunga Din, Cimarron (the first Western film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, and only one of two RKO films to win that award), King Kong, Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, Top Hat, The Three Musketeers, Bringing Up Baby and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. During this decade, the studio owned the contracts of such notable talents as Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Mary Astor, Joel McCrea and Joan Fontaine, as well as off-screen talent such as Irving Berlin and John Ford.^[34] A major accomplishment for the studio came when they signed an exclusive distribution deal with Walt Disney Productions.^[35]

1930

The studio released 29 films that year, although there were no major critical or financial hits.^[36]

Theatrical poster for Girl of the Port

Theatrical poster for Alias French Gertie

Release date	Film	Notes
January 5, 1930	Love Comes Along	[37]
January 14, 1930	Hit the Deck	With Technicolor sequences;[36] premiered in New York, wide release on February 23, 1930
February 2, 1930	Girl of the Port	[38]
February 9, 1930	Second Wife	[39]
February 23, 1930	The Case of Sergeant Grischa	Oscar nomination for Best Sound Recording[40]
March 2, 1930	Beau Bandit	[41]
March 16, 1930	Framed	[42]
March 21, 1930	Lovin' the Ladies	Premiered in New York City, wide release April 6, 1930[43]
April 11, 1930	Alias French Gertie	Premiered in New York City, wide release April 20, 1930[44]
April 18, 1930	He Knew Women	Premiered in New York City, wide release May 18, 1930[45]
April 25, 1930	The Cuckoos	Premiered in New York City, wide release May 4, 1930[46]
May 4, 1930	The Runaway Bride	[47]
May 30, 1930	Midnight Mystery	Premiered in New York City, wide release May 1, 1930[48]
June 15, 1930	The Fall Guy	[49]
June 20, 1930	She's My Weakness	Premiered in New York City, wide release August 1, 1930[50]
July 5, 1930	Inside the Lines	[51]
July 11, 1930	Lawful Larceny	Premiered in New York City, wide release August 17, 1930[52]
July 20, 1930	Shooting Straight	[53]
August 1, 1930	Dixiana	With Technicolor sequences;[54] currently in the public domain
August 10, 1930	Conspiracy	[55]
September 1, 1930*	Escape	[56]
September 12, 1930	Leathernecking	With Technicolor sequences; premiered in New York City, wide release September 22, 1930[57]
October 4, 1930	Half Shot at Sunrise	[58]
October 15, 1930	The Pay-Off	[59]
October 24, 1930	The Silver Horde	Premiered in New York City, wide release on October 25, 1930[60]
October 25, 1930	Check and Double Check	[61]
November 10, 1930	Sin Takes a Holiday	Produced by Pathé; might have been released on November 20, 1930[62]
November 15, 1930	Danger Lights	Premiered Chicago, wide release December 12, 1930[63]
December 24, 1930	Hook, Line and Sinker	Premiered in New York City, wide release on December 26, 1930[64]

1931

RKO acquired Pathé in January, and released films under both the RKO and RKO Pathé labels. Combined, the studio would release 50 films during the year; its film Cimarron won the Best Picture Oscar. By the end of the year, David O. Selznick took over as the head of production for the studio.^[65]

Poster for The Painted Desert

Poster for White Shoulders

Release date	Film	Notes/References
January 15, 1931	The Royal Bed	[66]
January 16, 1931	Beau Ideal	Premiered in New York City, wide release January 25, 1931[67]
January 18, 1931	The Painted Desert	First talking film for Clark Gable[68]
January 26, 1931	Cimarron	Academy Award for Best Picture, the first for a Western film; premiered in New York City, wide release February 9, 1931[69]
February 6, 1931	Millie	Premiered in New York City, wide release February 8, 1931[70]
February 22, 1931	Lonely Wives	[71]
February 22, 1931	Kept Husbands	[72]
March 8, 1931	The Lady Refuses	[73]
March 15, 1931	Behind Office Doors	[74]
March 15, 1931**	The W Plan	[75]
March 27, 1931	Laugh and Get Rich	Premiered in New York City, wide release April 20, 1931[76]
April 1, 1931	The Perfect Alibi	Aka Birds of Prey[77]
April 4, 1931	Cracked Nuts	Premiered in New York City, wide release April 19, 1931[78]
April 12, 1931	Beyond Victory	[79]
April 15, 1931	Bachelor Apartment	[80]
April 17, 1931	Born to Love	[81]
April 18, 1931	The Sin Ship	[82]
May 22, 1931	Everything's Rosie	Premiered in New York City, wide release June 13, 1931[83]
May 23, 1931	Young Donovan's Kid	Premiered in New York City, wide release June 6, 1931[84]
June 6, 1931	White Shoulders	[85]
June 12, 1931	Transgression	Premiered in New York City, wide release June 27, 1931[86]
June 25, 1931	Sweepstakes	Premiered in New York City, wide release July 10, 1931[87]
July 3, 1931	Three Who Loved	[88]
July 8, 1931	A Woman of Experience	Premiered in New York City, wide release August 7, 1931[89]
July 17, 1931	The Common Law	Premiered in New York City, wide release July 24, 1931[90]
July 18, 1931	Too Many Cooks	[91]
July 31, 1931	The Public Defender	Premiered in New York City, wide release August 1, 1931[92]
August 3, 1931*	The Woman Between	[93][94]
August 7, 1931	Traveling Husbands	Premiered in New York City, wide release August 15, 1931[95]
August 7, 1931	The Runaround	First all-Technicolor RKO production; premiered in New York City, wide release August 22, 1931[96]
August 18, 1931	High Stakes	[97]
August 22, 1931	The Gay Diplomat	[98]
August 28, 1931	Rebound	Premiered in New York City, wide release September 18, 1931[99]
September 4, 1931	The Big Gamble	[100]
September 5, 1931	Caught Plastered	[101]
September 11, 1931	Sundown Trail	[102]
September 12, 1931	Smart Woman	[103]
September 25, 1931	Devotion	[104]
October 2, 1931	Bad Company	[105]
October 3, 1931	Friends and Lovers	[106]
October 10, 1931	Fanny Foley Herself	Second all-Technicolor RKO production[107]
October 15, 1931	Consolation Marriage	Premiered Hollywood, CA; wide release November 21, 1931[108]
October 16, 1931	The Tip-Off	[109]
October 30, 1931	Freighters of Destiny	[110]
November 13, 1931	Are These Our Children	Premiered in New York City, wide release November 14, 1931[111]
November 13, 1931	Way Back Home	[112]
November 14, 1931	Secret Service	[113]
November 20, 1931	Suicide Fleet	[114]
December 18, 1931	The Big Shot	[115]
December 25, 1931	Peach O'Reno	Aka Peach-O-Reno[116]

1932

46 films were produced and released by RKO during the year. Although Selznick was successful in signing major talent like Fred Astaire, Katharine Hepburn and George Cukor, financially, it was one of the worst years for the studio, as it was for many other studios as the Great Depression deepened. The RKO Pathé label was completely abandoned during this year.^[117]

Window card for What Price Hollywood?

Poster for Bring 'Em Back Alive

Poster for The Most Dangerous Game

Lobby card for The Animal Kingdom

Release date	Film	Notes/References
January 1, 1932	A Woman Commands	First talking film for Pola Negri[118]
January 8, 1932	Men of Chance	Released in January, after premiering in NYC on December 26, 1931[119]
January 8, 1932	Partners	[120]
January 15, 1932	Girl of the Rio	[121]
January 19, 1932	Panama Flo	[122]
January 22, 1932	Prestige	[123]
February 5, 1932	Ladies of the Jury	[124]
February 19, 1932	Lady with a Past	[125]
March 10, 1932	The Lost Squadron	[126]
March 19, 1932	The Saddle Buster	[127]
March 19, 1932	Carnival Boat	[128]
March 27, 1932	Girl Crazy	[129]
March 29, 1932	The Theft of the Mona Lisa	Distribution only, produced by Super-Film GmbH[130]
April 8, 1932	Young Bride	[131]
April 8, 1932	The Office Girl	Aka Sunshine Susie; distribution only[132]
April 14, 1932	Symphony of Six Million	[133]
April 28, 1932	The Roadhouse Murder	[134]
May 5, 1932	State's Attorney	[135]
May 13, 1932	Ghost Valley	[136]
May 27, 1932	Westward Passage	[137]
June 17, 1932	Is My Face Red?	[138]
June 24, 1932	What Price Hollywood?	[139]
July 8, 1932	Beyond the Rockies	[140]
July 8, 1932	Roar of the Dragon	[141]
August 12, 1932	Bird of Paradise	Currently in the public domain[142]
August 19, 1932	The Age of Consent	[143]
August 19, 1932	Bring 'Em Back Alive	[144]
September 9, 1932	The Most Dangerous Game	[145]
September 16, 1932	Hold 'Em Jail	[146]
September 16, 1932	Thirteen Women	[147]
September 23, 1932	Hell's Highway	[148]
September 23, 1932	Come On Danger!	[149]
September 30, 1932	A Bill of Divorcement	[150]
October 7, 1932	Strange Justice	[151]
October 14, 1932	The Phantom of Crestwood	[152]
November 4, 1932	Little Orphan Annie[N 1]	[153]
November 11, 1932	The Sport Parade	[154]
November 18, 1932	Men Are Such Fools	[155]
November 18, 1932	The Conquerors	[156]
November 25, 1932	Renegades of the West	[157]
November 25, 1932	Rockabye	[158]
November 25, 1932	Men of America	[159]
December 2, 1932	Secrets of the French Police	[160]
December 9, 1932	The Penguin Pool Murder	[161]
December 16, 1932	The Half-Naked Truth	[162]
December 23, 1932	The Animal Kingdom	Currently in the public domain[163]

1933

RKO produced and/or distributed 49 films during the year. Selznick left the studio early in 1933 due to in-fighting over production control. As a result of the record losses in 1932, the studio went into receivership. Through all the hardship, and while posting a net loss for the year of just over $4 million, the studio saw some large successes, such as King Kong, Little Women, Flying Down to Rio (the first pairing of Astaire and Rogers), and Morning Glory (which netted Katharine Hepburn her first Oscar for Best Actress).^[164]

Poster for King Kong

Lobby card for Sweepings

Poster for Little Women

Poster for Flying Down to Rio

Release date	Film	Notes
January 6, 1933	No Other Woman	[165]
January 13, 1933	The Monkey's Paw	[166]
January 20, 1933	The Cheyenne Kid	[167]
January 20, 1933	The Past of Mary Holmes	[168]
January 27, 1933	Goldie Gets Along	[169]
January 28, 1933	Lucky Devils	[170]
February 17, 1933	The Great Jasper	[171]
February 23, 1933	Our Betters	[172]
February 24, 1933	Topaze	[173]
March 7, 1933	Sailor Be Good	[174]
March 9, 1933	Christopher Strong	[175]
March 10, 1933	Scarlet River	[176]
April 7, 1933	King Kong	[177]
April 14, 1933	Sweepings	[178]
April 28, 1933	India Speaks	[179]
April 29, 1933	Diplomaniacs	[180]
May 5, 1933	Son of the Border	[181]
May 5, 1933	The Silver Cord	[182]
May 24, 1933	Man Hunt	[183]
June 2, 1933	Tomorrow at Seven	[184]
June 9, 1933	Professional Sweetheart	[185]
June 16, 1933	Melody Cruise	[186]
June 24, 1933	Emergency Call	[187]
June 29, 1933	Bed of Roses	[188]
June 30, 1933	Cross Fire	[189]
July 13, 1933	Double Harness	[190]
July 14, 1933	Flying Devils	[191]
July 28, 1933	Headline Shooter	[192]
August 4, 1933	Before Dawn	[193]
August 5, 1933	The Big Brain	[194]
August 8, 1933	No Marriage Ties	[195]
August 18, 1933	Morning Glory	[196]
August 18, 1933	Blind Adventure	[197]
August 18, 1933	Deluge	[198]
September 1, 1933	Rafter Romance	[199]
September 8, 1933	One Man's Journey	[200]
September 22, 1933	Midshipman Jack	[201]
September 26, 1933	Ann Vickers	[202]
September 29, 1933	Flaming Gold	[203]
October 20, 1933	Ace of Aces	[204]
October 26, 1933	After Tonight	[205]
October 27, 1933	Chance at Heaven	[206]
November 3, 1933	Aggie Appleby, Maker of Men	[207]
November 10, 1933	Goodbye Love	[208]
November 16, 1933	Little Women	Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture[209]
November 17, 1933	The Right to Romance	[210]
December 1, 1933	If I Were Free	[211]
December 22, 1933	Flying Down to Rio	First film teaming of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers[212]
December 22, 1933	Son of Kong	[213]

1934

RKO released 45 films in 1934. While the studio lost money, its losses were far less ($310,000) than they had been in the prior three years. The year saw George Stevens become a major director. Several highlights of the year were The Lost Patrol (the first RKO film directed by John Ford), Of Human Bondage, Anne of Green Gables, and The Little Minister.^[214]

Jimmy Durante, Lupe Vélez, and The Mills Brothers in Strictly Dynamite

Poster for Of Human Bondage

Poster for La Cucaracha

Poster for The Silver Streak

Release date	Film	Notes
January 12, 1934	The Meanest Gal in Town	[215]
January 13, 1934	Man of Two Worlds	[216]
January 19, 1934	Long Lost Father	[217]
January 26, 1934	Two Alone	[218]
February 2, 1934	Hips, Hips, Hooray!	[219]
February 16, 1934	The Lost Patrol	[220]
March 2, 1934	Keep 'Em Rolling	[221]
March 8, 1934	Spitfire	[222]
March 14, 1934	The Crime Doctor	[223]
April 6, 1934	Wild Cargo	[224]
April 13, 1934	This Man is Mine	[225]
April 19, 1934	Where Sinners Meet	[226]
April 20, 1934	Sing and Like It	[227]
May 3, 1934**	Success at Any Price	Some sources, including AFI, have the film opening in March, but the New York Times review is on May 4, which would coincide with the May 3 release date.[228][229]
May 4, 1934	Finishing School	[230]
May 11, 1934	Strictly Dynamite	[231]
May 12, 1934	Stingaree	[232]
June 14, 1934	The Life of Vergie Winters	Premiered in New York City, general release date was June 22, 1934[233]
June 15, 1934	Murder on the Blackboard	[234]
June 22, 1934	Let's Try Again	[235]
June 28, 1934	Of Human Bondage[N 2]	[236]
June 29, 1934	Cockeyed Cavaliers	[237]
July 13, 1934	We're Rich Again	[238]
July 17, 1934	His Greatest Gamble	Premiered in New York City, general release date was August 10, 1934[239]
July 26, 1934	Hat, Coat, and Glove	Premiered in New York City, general release date was July 27, 1934[240]
July 28, 1934	Bachelor Bait	[241]
August 17, 1934	Their Big Moment	[242]
August 17, 1934	Adventure Girl	[243]
August 23, 1934	The Fountain	[244]
August 31, 1934	Down to Their Last Yacht	[245]
September 14, 1934	The Age of Innocence	Premiered on September 1, 1934[246]
September 21, 1934	The Richest Girl in the World	[247]
October 5, 1934	Dangerous Corner	[248]
October 12, 1934	The Gay Divorcee	Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture[249]
October 26, 1934	Gridiron Flash	[250]
October 26, 1934	Wednesday's Child	[251]
November 2, 1934	Kentucky Kernels	[252]
November 9, 1934	By Your Leave	[253]
November 9, 1934	Woman in the Dark	[254]
November 23, 1934	Anne of Green Gables	[255]
December 7, 1934	Lightning Strikes Twice	[256]
December 10, 1934	The Silver Streak	[257]
December 14, 1934	Red Morning	[258]
December 27, 1934	West of the Pecos	Premiered in New York City, general release date was January 4, 1935[259]
December 28, 1934	The Little Minister	[260]

1935

RKO released 42 films in 1935, of which it produced 39. There was yet another shake-up in the management structure of the studio, but the company saw its first profit since 1930, albeit a small one of $684,000. Highlights of the year included Alice Adams, and Becky Sharp (the first full-length feature film made entirely in Technicolor). The studio also saw several major disappointments, including The Last Days of Pompeii.^[261] In addition to the films produced, RKO acquired the distribution rights for The March of Time newsreel series in June 1935, a relationship with Time magazine that continued until July 1942.^[262]: 87 Released monthly, each edition was approximately 20 minutes long.

Poster for The Informer

Lobby card for Break of Hearts

Poster for Becky Sharp

Poster for Top Hat, most successful film of the Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers partnership and Academy Award nominee for Outstanding Production

Release date	Film	Notes
January 11, 1935	Romance in Manhattan	[263]
January 18, 1935	Grand Old Girl	[264]
February 1, 1935	Enchanted April	[265]
February 14, 1935	Murder on a Honeymoon	Wide release date was February 22[266]
February 15, 1935	Gigolette	Distribution only, produced by Select Productions[267]
March 1, 1935	Captain Hurricane	[268]
March 8, 1935	Roberta	[269]
March 15, 1935	The People's Enemy	Distribution only, produced by Select Productions[270]
March 22, 1935	A Dog of Flanders	[271]
April 1, 1935	Strangers All	[272]
April 5, 1935	Laddie	[273]
April 11, 1935	Star of Midnight	Wide release date was April 19[274]
May 3, 1935	Chasing Yesterday	[275]
May 9, 1935	The Informer	Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture; wide release date was May 24[276]
May 10, 1935	Village Tale	[277]
May 16, 1935	Break of Hearts	Wide release date was May 31[278]
June 7, 1935	The Nitwits	[279]
June 13, 1935	Becky Sharp[N 3]	First full-length feature entirely in three-strip Technicolor; wide release date was June 28; distribution only, produced by Pioneer Films[280]
June 14, 1935	Hooray for Love	[281]
June 28, 1935	The Arizonian	[282]
July 12, 1935	She	[283]
August 2, 1935	Old Man Rhythm	[284]
August 9, 1935	Jalna	[285]
August 15, 1935	Alice Adams	Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture; wide release date was August 23[286]
September 6, 1935	Hot Tip	[287]
August 29, 1935	Top Hat	Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture; went into wide release on September 6[288]
September 13, 1935	The Return of Peter Grimm	[289]
September 27, 1935	Powdersmoke Range	[290]
September 29, 1935	His Family Tree	[291]
October 4, 1935	Freckles	[292]
October 11, 1935	Hi, Gaucho!	[293]
October 18, 1935	The Last Days of Pompeii	[294]
October 25, 1935	The Rainmakers	[295]
November 1, 1935	The Three Musketeers	[296]
November 8, 1935	To Beat the Band	[297]
November 15, 1935	Annie Oakley	[298]
November 22, 1935	In Person	[299]
November 27, 1935	I Dream Too Much	[300]
December 13, 1935	Seven Keys to Baldpate	[301]
December 20, 1935	Another Face	[302]
December 20, 1935	Fang and Claw	[303]
December 27, 1935	We're Only Human	[304]

1936

1936 was another profitable year for RKO, which released 39 films. The studio saw the arrival of producer Howard Hawks as well as George and Ira Gershwin. Although the studio did well overall, two of the few outstanding pictures to come out during the year were Follow the Fleet and Swing Time, which were both Astaire and Rogers vehicles. One of the biggest disappointments of the year was Sylvia Scarlett, starring Katharine Hepburn.^[35]

Poster for Dancing Pirate

Poster for Swing Time

George O'Brien and George Regas in Daniel Boone

Release date	Film	Notes
January 3, 1936	Sylvia Scarlett	[305]
January 10, 1936	Two in the Dark	[306]
January 17, 1936	Chatterbox	[307]
February 1, 1936	Muss 'Em Up	Premiered in New York City, wide release on February 14, 1936[308]
February 7, 1936	The Lady Consents	[309]
February 21, 1936	Follow the Fleet	[310]
February 22, 1936	Yellow Dust	Premiered in New York City, wide release on March 13, 1936[311]
March 4, 1936	Love on a Bet	Premiered in New York City, wide release on March 6, 1936[312]
March 6, 1936	The Farmer in the Dell	Premiered in New York City, wide release on March 27, 1936[313]
March 20, 1936	Silly Billies	[314]
April 3, 1936	Two in Revolt	[315]
April 17, 1936	Murder on a Bridle Path	[316]
April 24, 1936	The Witness Chair	[317]
April 24, 1936	Special Investigator	Premiered in New York City, wide release on May 8, 1936[318]
May 15, 1936	The Ex-Mrs. Bradford	[319]
May 22, 1936	Dancing Pirate	[320]
July 10, 1936	The Bride Walks Out	[321]
July 12, 1936	Let's Sing Again	[322]
June 12, 1936	The Last Outlaw	Premiered in New York City, wide release on June 19, 1936[323]
June 26, 1936	Bunker Bean	[324]
July 27, 1936	M'Liss	[325]
July 31, 1936	Grand Jury	Premiered in New York City, wide release on August 7, 1936[326]
August 21, 1936	Second Wife	[327]
August 28, 1936	Mary of Scotland	[328]
September 4, 1936	Swing Time	[329]
September 11, 1936	Walking on Air	[330]
September 18, 1936	Don't Turn 'Em Loose	[331]
October 2, 1936	Mummy's Boys	[332]
October 9, 1936	The Big Game	[333]
October 17, 1936	Daniel Boone	[334]
October 23, 1936	Without Orders	[335]
November 6, 1936	A Woman Rebels	[336]
November 13, 1936	Make Way for a Lady	[337]
November 20, 1936	Winterset	[338]
November 27, 1936	Smartest Girl in Town	[339]
December 4, 1936	Wanted! Jane Turner	[340]
December 11, 1936	The Plot Thickens	[341]
December 18, 1936	Night Waitress	[342]
December 25, 1936	Rainbow on the River	[343]

1937

1937 was the most productive year in RKO's history, with the studio releasing 56 films, as well as entering into an agreement to distribute films produced by Walt Disney Productions, in place of Van Beuren Studios, which subsequently folded its operations. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first Disney film released by RKO, premiered on December 21, 1937, although it underwent wide release on February 4, 1938, and was a huge success. It was one of the few successes of the year for RKO, which again went through yet another management change. Another bright spot for the studio was Stage Door, which was only a small financial success, yet received very good critical notices, including four Oscar nominations.^[344]

Poster for Border Cafe

Release date	Film	Notes
January 1, 1937	That Girl from Paris	[345]
January 8, 1937	We Who Are About to Die	[346]
January 12, 1937	Racing Lady	Premiered in New York, wide release on January 29, 1937[347]
January 15, 1937	The Plough and the Stars	[348]
January 26, 1937	Criminal Lawyer	Premiered in New York, wide release on January 29, 1937[349]
February 5, 1937	They Wanted to Marry	[350]
February 11, 1937	We're on the Jury	Premiered in New York, wide release on February 12, 1937[351]
February 19, 1937	When's Your Birthday?	[352]
February 19, 1937	Sea Devils	[353]
February 26, 1937	Park Avenue Logger	[354]
March 5, 1937	Don't Tell the Wife	[355]
March 12, 1937	China Passage	[356]
March 26, 1937	Quality Street	[357]
April 2, 1937	The Man Who Found Himself	[358]
April 9, 1937	The Soldier and the Lady	[359]
April 9, 1937	Too Many Wives	[360]
April 16, 1937	The Outcasts of Poker Flat	[361]
April 23, 1937	The Woman I Love	[362]
April 30, 1937	You Can't Buy Luck	[357]
May 7, 1937	Shall We Dance	[363]
May 14, 1937	Behind the Headlines	[364]
May 21, 1937	There Goes My Girl	[365]
May 28, 1937	Hollywood Cowboy	[366]
June 4, 1937	Border Cafe	[367]
June 4, 1937	Meet the Missus	[368]
June 18, 1937	Riding on Air	[369]
June 25, 1937	You Can't Beat Love	[370]
July 2, 1937	New Faces of 1937	[371]
July 9, 1937	On Again-Off Again	[372]
July 16, 1937	Super-Sleuth	[373]
July 23, 1937	The Big Shot	[374]
July 30, 1937	The Toast of New York	[375]
August 6, 1937	Windjammer	[376]
August 13, 1937	Hideaway	[377]
August 20, 1937	Flight from Glory	[378]
August 27, 1937	Make a Wish	[379]
September 3, 1937	The Life of the Party	[380]
September 10, 1937	Annapolis Salute	[381]
September 24, 1937	Forty Naughty Girls	[382]
October 8, 1937	Saturday's Heroes	[383]
October 8, 1937	Stage Door	[384]
October 8, 1937	Music for Madame	[385]
October 15, 1937	Fit for a King	[386]
October 22, 1937	Breakfast for Two	[387]
October 29, 1937	There Goes the Groom	[388]
November 5, 1937	Fight for Your Lady	[389]
November 11, 1937	The Rat	Distribution only; premiered in London, wide release on January 21, 1938[390]
November 12, 1937	Living on Love	[391]
November 12, 1937	Victoria the Great[N 4]	Theatrical distribution only[392]
November 19, 1937	A Damsel in Distress	[393]
November 26, 1937	High Flyers	[394]
December 3, 1937	Danger Patrol	[395]
December 10, 1937	Quick Money	[396]
December 21, 1937	Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs[N 5]	Theatrical distribution only; premiered in Los Angeles, wide release on February 4, 1938 ; produced by Walt Disney Productions[397]
December 24, 1937	Hitting a New High	[398]
December 31, 1937	Wise Girl	[399]
December 31, 1937	She's Got Everything	[400]

1938

Profits for the studio fell again in 1938, on the release of 42 films, and the studio lost the talents of Katharine Hepburn, Joan Fontaine and Howard Hawks. However, they did gain the services of Garson Kanin. One of the biggest disappointments of the year was Bringing Up Baby. While today it is considered to be one of the finest comedies ever produced,^{[401][402][403]} at the time it was a box office flop. One of the few bright spots for RKO was the establishment of The Saint film series, which would run successfully through 1941.^[404]

Poster for Bringing Up Baby

Poster for Vivacious Lady

Lobby card for Room Service

Lobby card for A Man to Remember

Release date	Film	Notes
January 7, 1938	Crashing Hollywood	[405]
January 14, 1938	Everybody's Doing It	[406]
January 18, 1938	Inside Nazi Germany	Distributor, The March of Time short[407]: 12
January 28, 1938	Double Danger	[408]
February 11, 1938	Radio City Revels	[409]
February 18, 1938	Bringing Up Baby	[410]
February 25, 1938	Night Spot	[411]
March 4, 1938	Maid's Night Out	[412]
March 11, 1938	Hawaii Calls	[413]
March 18, 1938	Condemned Women	[414]
April 8, 1938	This Marriage Business	[415]
April 22, 1938	Go Chase Yourself	[416]
May 6, 1938	Law of the Underworld	[417]
May 6, 1938	Joy of Living	[418]
May 13, 1938	Vivacious Lady	[419]
May 13, 1938	Gun Law	[420]
May 20, 1938	Blind Alibi	[421]
June 3, 1938	The Saint in New York	[422]
June 17, 1938	Blond Cheat	[423]
June 24, 1938	Border G-Man	[424]
July 1, 1938	Having Wonderful Time	[425]
July 8, 1938	Crime Ring	[426]
July 22, 1938	Sky Giant	[427]
July 29, 1938	Mother Carey's Chickens	[428]
August 5, 1938	I'm From the City	[429]
August 12, 1938	Painted Desert	[430]
August 19, 1938	Smashing the Rackets	[431]
August 26, 1938	Breaking the Ice	[432]
September 2, 1938	Carefree	[433]
September 9, 1938	The Affairs of Annabel	[434]
September 16, 1938	The Renegade Ranger	[435]
September 23, 1938	Fugitives for a Night	[436]
September 30, 1938	Room Service	[437]
October 7, 1938	Mr. Doodle Kicks Off	[438]
October 14, 1938	A Man to Remember	[439]
October 21, 1938	The Mad Miss Manton	[440]
October 28, 1938	Tarnished Angel	[441]
November 4, 1938	Lawless Valley	[442]
November 11, 1938	Annabel Takes a Tour	[443]
November 18, 1938	The Law West of Tombstone	[444]
November 25, 1938	Peck's Bad Boy with the Circus	[445]
December 9, 1938	Next Time I Marry	[446]

1939

One of the biggest events for the studio this year was the signing of an agreement for Orson Welles to produce films for RKO. Even though 1939 was one of RKO's most creative years, with the release of 49 films, it ended the year showing a slight net loss. Highlights were Gunga Din, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Love Affair, Allegheny Uprising, The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (RKO's last Astaire/Rogers film), Five Came Back, In Name Only, Bachelor Mother, Nurse Edith Cavell, and The Flying Deuces.^[447]

Poster for Gunga Din

Release date	Film	Notes
January 6, 1939	Pacific Liner	[448]
January 13, 1939	The Great Man Votes	[449]
January 20, 1939	Arizona Legion	[450]
February 2, 1939	Boy Slaves	[451]
February 3, 1939	Fisherman's Wharf	[452]
February 17, 1939	Gunga Din	[453]
February 24, 1939	Beauty for the Asking	[454]
March 3, 1939	Twelve Crowded Hours	[455]
March 10, 1939	The Saint Strikes Back	[456]
March 24, 1939	Trouble in Sundown	[457]
March 29, 1939	They Made Her a Spy	Premiered in New York, wide release on April 14, 1939[458]
March 31, 1939	Almost a Gentleman	[459]
April 7, 1939	Love Affair	Theatrical distribution only; currently in the public domain[460]
April 7, 1939	The Flying Irishman	[461]
April 21, 1939	Fixer Dugan	[462]
April 28, 1939	The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle	[463]
April 28, 1939	The Rookie Cop	[464]
May 5, 1939	Sorority House	[465]
May 12, 1939	Panama Lady	[466]
May 26, 1939	Racketeers of the Range	[459]
June 2, 1939	The Girl from Mexico	[467]
June 16, 1939	The Girl and the Gambler	[468]
June 23, 1939	Five Came Back	[469]
June 30, 1939	Timber Stampede	[470]
June 30, 1939	The Saint in London	[471]
July 7, 1939	Career	[472]
July 21, 1939	Way Down South	[473]
July 28, 1939	The Spellbinder	[474]
August 4, 1939	Bachelor Mother	[475]
August 8, 1939	The Fighting Gringo	[476]
August 18, 1939	In Name Only	[477]
August 23, 1939	Conspiracy	Premiered in New York, wide release on September 1, 1939[478]
August 28, 1939	Bad Lands	[479]
September 8, 1939	Full Confession	[480]
September 15, 1939	The Day the Bookies Wept	[481]
September 22, 1939	Fifth Avenue Girl	Aka Fifth Avenue Girl[482]
September 22, 1939	Nurse Edith Cavell[N 6]	Premiered in New York, wide release on September 29, 1939[483]
October 6, 1939	Everything's on Ice	[484]
October 13, 1939	Three Sons	[485]
October 27, 1939	Sued for Libel	[486]
November 3, 1939	The Marshal of Mesa City	[487]
November 3, 1939	The Flying Deuces[N 3]	Theatrical distribution only; produced by Boris Morros Productions[488]
November 10, 1939	Allegheny Uprising	[489]
November 17, 1939	Meet Dr. Christian	[490]
November 24, 1939	That's Right – You're Wrong	[491]
December 1, 1939	Reno	[492]
December 8, 1939	Two Thoroughbreds	[493]
December 22, 1939	Escape to Paradise	[494]
December 29, 1939	The Hunchback of Notre Dame[N 7]	[495]

The 1940s

This decade saw a continuation of the revolving door policy regarding management and creative talent at the studio, although RKO made it out of receivership in 1940. The quality of the films also increased overall, the studio receiving its second Oscar for Best Film, for 1946's The Best Years of Our Lives, as well as producing what many consider the greatest film of all time, Citizen Kane in 1941. Howard Hughes' takeover of the studio in 1948 would begin a downward spiral for RKO.^[496]

1940

RKO released 55 pictures during this year, of which they produced 39. The studio also premiered two others, Little Men and Fantasia, which did not go into wide release until 1941 and 1942 respectively. The studio lost the services of director George Stevens this year, and despite emerging from receivership, RKO would post an almost $1 million loss in 1940. Highlights of the year included Abe Lincoln in Illinois, My Favorite Wife, Irene, and Kitty Foyle (which won an Academy Award for Best Actress for Ginger Rogers). In addition, the studio continued its successful Saint series, and released two major successes from Walt Disney: Pinocchio and Fantasia.^[497]

Screen capture from Pinocchio

Lobby card for Primrose Path

Poster for My Favorite Wife

Lobby card for The Saint Takes Over

Lobby card for They Knew What They Wanted

Billie Seward and Jeff York in Li'l Abner

Ginger Rogers in Kitty Foyle

Release date	Film	Notes
January 5, 1940	Legion of the Lawless	[498]
January 12, 1940	Mexican Spitfire	[499]
January 19, 1940	Married and in Love	[500]
January 26, 1940	The Saint's Double Trouble	[501]
February 9, 1940	Vigil in the Night	[502]
February 16, 1940	Swiss Family Robinson[N 5]	Distribution only[503]
February 23, 1940	Pinocchio[N 5]	Theatrical distribution only; produced by Walt Disney Productions[504]
March 1, 1940	Little Orvie	[505]
March 7, 1940	The Marines Fly High	[506]
March 8, 1940	Isle of Destiny	[507]
March 15, 1940	Millionaire Playboy	[508]
March 22, 1940	Primrose Path	[509]
April 5, 1940	The Courageous Dr. Christian	[510]
April 12, 1940	Bullet Code	[511]
April 19, 1940	Abe Lincoln in Illinois	[512]
April 26, 1940	Curtain Call	[513]
May 3, 1940	Irene	[514]
May 10, 1940	Beyond Tomorrow	[515]
May 17, 1940	My Favorite Wife	[516]
May 21, 1940	You Can't Fool Your Wife	[517]
May 31, 1940	A Bill of Divorcement	[518]
June 7, 1940	The Saint Takes Over	[519]
June 14, 1940	Prairie Law	[520]
June 21, 1940	Pop Always Pays	[521]
June 28, 1940	Anne of Windy Poplars	[522]
July 5, 1940	Dr. Christian Meets the Women	[523]
July 12, 1940	Cross-Country Romance	[524]
July 12, 1940	Millionaires in Prison	[525]
July 19, 1940	Tom Brown's School Days	[526]
July 26, 1940	Stage to Chino	[527]
August 2, 1940	Queen of Destiny	[528]
August 2, 1940	Lucky Partners	[529]
August 9, 1940	One Crowded Night	[530]
August 16, 1940	Stranger on the Third Floor	[531]
August 16, 1940	The Ramparts We Watch	[532]
August 23, 1940	Wildcat Bus	[533]
August 30, 1940	Dance, Girl, Dance	[534]
September 6, 1940	Men Against the Sky	[535]
September 13, 1940	Dreaming Out Loud	[536]
September 20, 1940	I'm Still Alive	[537]
September 20, 1940	Triple Justice	[538]
October 4, 1940	Wagon Train	[539]
October 8, 1940	Too Many Girls	[540]
October 11, 1940*	The Villain Still Pursued Her	[541]
October 18, 1940	Laddie	[542]
October 25, 1940	They Knew What They Wanted[N 7]	[543]
November 1, 1940	Li'l Abner	[544]
November 13, 1940	Fantasia[N 5]	Distribution only; produced by Walt Disney Productions; premiered in New York City, followed by a premiere in Los Angeles on January 29, 1941, and went into wide release on April 10, 1942[545]
November 22, 1940	You'll Find Out	[546]
November 29, 1940	Remedy for Riches	[547]
November 29, 1940	Mexican Spitfire Out West	[548]
December 6, 1940	The Fargo Kid	[549]
December 7, 1940	Little Men	Premiered in New York city, wide release on January 10, 1941[550]
December 13, 1940	No, No, Nanette	[551]
December 27, 1940	Kitty Foyle	[552]

1941

Citizen Kane trailer

Robert Montgomery and Carole Lombard in Mr and Mrs Smith

Lobby card for Sunny

Poster for Jungle Cavalcade

Theatrical poster for The Little Foxes

Dumbo from the 1941 Walt Disney animated film Dumbo.

Lobby card for Look Who's Laughing

The main cast of Ball of Fire

RKO's year most likely will always be remembered for its release of Citizen Kane, which many consider to be the greatest film of all time. While the company saw a modest profit for the year, RKO lost the exclusive services of Ginger Rogers, the last great star of the studio, and Garson Kanin departed. Even the one bright spot, the signing of an agreement with the Samuel Goldwyn studios to distribute their films, was a double-edged sword, since the financial arrangements left little room for profits to be garnered by RKO. The studio released 45 films during the year, of which they produced 33. Highlights of the year, other than Citizen Kane, included Mr. and Mrs. Smith (a comedy directed by Alfred Hitchcock), the continuation of RKO's successful Saint franchise, The Devil and Miss Jones, The Little Foxes, Ball of Fire, Suspicion and Walt Disney's productions of The Reluctant Dragon and Dumbo; these last two were made, and one was released, in the midst of an animator strike at the Disney studio. A bit of trivia occurred this year when Bing Crosby's younger brother Bob made his film debut in Let's Make Music.^[553]

Release date	Film	Notes
January 3, 1941*	Convoy	Produced by Ealing Studios and released in 1940 in Great Britain[554]
January 17, 1941	Let's Make Music	[555]
January 24, 1941	The Saint in Palm Springs	[556]
January 31, 1941	Mr. & Mrs. Smith	[557]
February 7, 1941	Along the Rio Grande	[558]
February 21, 1941	Scattergood Baines	[559]
February 22, 1941*	It Happened to One Man	Premiered in Great Britain in October 1940[560]
March 7, 1941*	Play Girl	[561]
March 14, 1941	A Girl, a Guy and a Gob	[562]
March 21, 1941	Footlight Fever	[563]
March 28, 1941	Melody for Three	[564]
April 4, 1941	Repent at Leisure	[565]
April 11, 1941	The Devil and Miss Jones[N 3]	[566]
April 18, 1941	Robbers of the Range	[567]
April 25, 1941	They Met in Argentina	[568]
May 1, 1941	Citizen Kane	Co-produced with Mercury Theatre, premiered NYC, wide release on September 5, 1941[569]
May 9, 1941	The Saint's Vacation	[570]
May 23, 1941	Scattergood Pulls the Strings	[571]
May 30, 1941	Sunny	[572]
June 13, 1941	Tom, Dick and Harry	[573]
June 13, 1941	Cyclone on Horseback	[574]
June 13, 1941	Hurry, Charlie, Hurry	[575]
June 27, 1941	The Reluctant Dragon[N 5]	Distribution only; produced by Walt Disney Productions[576]
June 27, 1941	Jungle Cavalcade	[577]
July 11, 1941	They Meet Again	One of six films in the Dr. Christian series[578]
July 18, 1941	The Story of the Vatican	Distribution, The March of Time short[407]
August 1, 1941	My Life with Caroline	[579]
August 8, 1941	Six-Gun Gold	[580]
August 22, 1941	Scattergood Meets Broadway	[581]
August 29, 1941	The Little Foxes[N 8]	Distribution only; produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions[582]
September 12, 1941	Parachute Battalion	[583]
September 26, 1941	Lady Scarface	[584]
September 1941	Norway in Revolt	Distribution, The March of Time feature[407]
October 3, 1941	Father Takes a Wife	[585]
October 10, 1941	The Bandit Trail	[586]
October 17, 1941	The Devil and Daniel Webster	Aka All That Money Can Buy[587]
October 24, 1941	The Gay Falcon	[588]
October 31, 1941	Dumbo[N 5]	Theatrical distribution only; produced by Walt Disney Productions[589]
November 7, 1941	Unexpected Uncle	[590]
November 14, 1941	Suspicion	[591]
November 21, 1941	Look Who's Laughing	[592]
November 28, 1941	The Mexican Spitfire's Baby	[593]
December 2, 1941	Ball of Fire[N 8]	Theatrical distribution only; produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions released in December, before its premiere in NYC on January 9, 1942[594]
December 12, 1941	Week-End for Three	[595]
December 12, 1941	Dude Cowboy	[596]
December 26, 1941	Playmates	[597]

1942

In 1942, RKO was almost forced back into receivership, before Charles Koerner became head of production in March. The studio released 38 films in 1942, which included several films which they only distributed, such as another Walt Disney production, Bambi, which received mixed reviews at the time of its release, but has since been hailed as one of the hallmarks of Disney's animated canon. The year also saw the termination of the agreement between RKO and Orson Welles. There were few bright spots during the year, although one was the continuation of RKO's The Falcon series.^[598]

Trailer for The Magnificent Ambersons

Chester Lauck in The Bashful Bachelor

Screenshot from Bambi

Publicity shot of Gary Cooper as Lou Gehrig in Pride of the Yankees

Jane Randolph in Cat People

Release date	Film	Notes
January 16, 1942	A Date with the Falcon	[599]
January 23, 1942	Four Jacks and a Jill	[600]
January 30, 1942	Obliging Young Lady	[601]
February 6, 1942	Valley of the Sun	[602]
February 13, 1942	Call Out the Marines	[603]
February 20, 1942	Joan of Paris	[604]
February 27, 1942	Riding the Wind	[605]
March 6, 1942	Sing Your Worries Away	[606]
March 13, 1942	Mexican Spitfire at Sea	[607]
April 17, 1942	Land of the Open Range	[608]
April 20, 1942	Suicide Squadron	Released June 27, 1941 in Great Britain as Dangerous Moonlight[609]
April 24, 1942	The Bashful Bachelor	[610]
May 1, 1942	The Tuttles of Tahiti	[611]
May 8, 1942	Scattergood Rides High	[612]
May 15, 1942	The Mayor of 44th Street	[613]
May 22, 1942	Syncopation[N 9]	[614]
May 29, 1942	The Falcon Takes Over	[615]
June 5, 1942	Come on Danger	[616]
June 12, 1942	My Favorite Spy	[617]
June 19, 1942	Powder Town	[618]
June 26, 1942	Mexican Spitfire Sees a Ghost	[619]
July 10, 1942	The Magnificent Ambersons	Co-produced with Mercury Theatre[620]
July 14, 1942	The Pride of the Yankees[N 8]	Distribution only; produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions Premiered in New York City and went into wide release on March 5, 1943[621]
July 24, 1942*	Thundering Hoofs	[622]
August 21, 1942	Bambi[N 5]	Distribution only; produced by Walt Disney Productions[623]
September 4, 1942	The Big Street	[624]
September 11, 1942	Mexican Spitfire's Elephant	[625]
September 18, 1942	Wings and the Woman	[626]
September 25, 1942	Bandit Ranger	[627]
October 2, 1942	Highways by Night	[628]
October 9, 1942	Here We Go Again	[629]
October 16, 1942	Scattergood Survives a Murder	[630]
October 30, 1942*	The Navy Comes Through	[631]
November 6, 1942	The Falcon's Brother	[632]
November 6, 1942	Red River Robin Hood	[633]
November 13, 1942	Seven Days' Leave	[634]
November 18, 1942	Seven Miles from Alcatraz	Premiered in New York City and went into wide release on January 8, 1943[635]
November 27, 1942	Once Upon a Honeymoon	[636]
November 20, 1942	Pirates of the Prairie	[637]
December 4, 1942	Army Surgeon	[638]
December 17, 1942	The Great Gildersleeve	[639]
December 25, 1942	Cat People	[640]

1943

1943 was a very profitable year for the studio, with 43 of the 46 films that were released during the year showing profits. The year also saw a few critical successes, such as Mr. Lucky, They Got Me Covered, Hitler's Children, and Behind the Rising Sun.^[641]

Dolores del Río and Joseph Cotten in Journey Into Fear

Poster for Spitfire

Ann Harding in The North Star

Release date	Film	Notes
January 14, 1943	Hitler's Children	Premiered in Cincinnati, OH; wide release March 19, 1943[642]
January 15, 1943	Fighting Frontier	[643]
January 22, 1943*	Cinderella Swings It	[644]
January 27, 1943	They Got Me Covered[N 8]	Distribution only; produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions; premiered in San Francisco, wide release February 5, 1943[645]
February 6, 1943	Saludos Amigos[N 5]	World premiere in Rio de Janeiro, August 24, 1942; US premiere in Boston, with wide release on February 19, 1943; distribution only; produced by Walt Disney Productions[646]
February 12, 1943	Journey into Fear	[647]
February 19, 1943	Tarzan Triumphs	[648]
February 26, 1943	Two Weeks to Live	[649]
March 26, 1943	Forever and a Day	[650]
March 26, 1943	Ladies' Day	Premiered in New York City, wide release April 9, 1943[651]
April 1, 1943	The Falcon Strikes Back	Premiered in New York City, wide release May 7, 1943[652]
April 2, 1943	Flight for Freedom	[653]
April 2, 1943	Sagebrush Law	[654]
April 21, 1943	I Walked with a Zombie	Premiered in New York City, wide release April 30, 1943[655]
May 8, 1943	The Leopard Man	[656]
May 10, 1943	Squadron Leader X	Premiered March 1, 1943 in the U.K.[657]
May 14, 1943	Bombardier	[658]
May 20, 1943*	The Avenging Rider	[659]
May 28, 1943	Mr. Lucky	[660]
June 10, 1943	Gildersleeve's Bad Day	[661]
June 12, 1943	Spitfire	Premiered in the U.K. (as The First of the Few) on September 14, 1942[662]
July 17, 1943*	The Falcon in Danger	[663]
July 17, 1943*	Mexican Spitfire's Blessed Event	[664]
July 17, 1943*	Petticoat Larceny	[665]
July 29, 1943	The Saint Meets the Tiger	[666]
August 1, 1943*	Behind the Rising Sun	[667]
August 17, 1943	So This is Washington	[668]
August 19, 1943	The Fallen Sparrow	[669]
August 20, 1943	The Adventures of a Rookie	[670]
August 21, 1943	The Seventh Victim	[671]
September 2, 1943	The Sky's the Limit	[672]
September 15, 1943	A Lady Takes a Chance	[673]
October 25, 1943	The Iron Major	[674]
October 28, 1943*	Gildersleeve on Broadway	[675]
November 4, 1943*	The North Star[N 8]	Distribution only; produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions[676]
November 10, 1943*	The Falcon and the Co-eds	[677]
December 16, 1943	Gangway for Tomorrow	[678]
December 24, 1943	The Ghost Ship	[679]
December 26, 1943	Tarzan's Desert Mystery	[680]
December 29, 1943	Tender Comrade	[681]
November 24, 1943	Around the World	[682]
December 1943*	Rookies in Burma	[683]
May 7, 1943	This Land Is Mine	[684]

1944

Lobby card for The Curse of the Cat People

Gregory Peck's title card from Days of Glory

Robert Ryan in Marine Raiders

John Wayne and Ward Bond in Tall in the Saddle

Ethel Barrymore and Cary Grant in None but the Lonely Heart

1944 was another profitable year for the studio, which released 36 films. In addition, there were quite a few notable occurrences for RKO that year. First, they entered into an agreement to release the films by the independent production house, International Pictures; second, two major stars would make their film debuts — Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck; and third, several notable writers would make their initial foray into directing: Clifford Odets, Howard Estabrook, and Herbert Biberman. The studio's film highlights of 1944 included Higher and Higher (Frank Sinatra's first film lead), The Princess and the Pirate, Tall in the Saddle, Murder, My Sweet, The Woman in the Window, and None But the Lonely Heart.^[685]

Release date	Film	Notes
January 1, 1944	Higher and Higher	[686]
January 6, 1944	Government Girl	[687]
February 14, 1944	Escape to Danger	World premiere in London on July 22, 1943[688]
February 18, 1944	Action in Arabia	[689]
February 17, 1944	Up in Arms[N 8]	Distribution only; produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions[690]
February 25, 1944	Passport to Destiny	[691]
March 2, 1944	The Curse of the Cat People	[692]
March 17, 1944	The Falcon Out West	[693]
April 13, 1944	Yellow Canary	World premiere in London on October 19, 1943[694]
April 18, 1944	Coastal Command	[695]
April 25, 1944	Seven Days Ashore	[696]
May 10, 1944	Show Business	[697]
June 8, 1944	Days of Glory	[698]
June 9, 1944	A Night of Adventure	[699]
June 30, 1944	Marine Raiders	[700]
July 26, 1944	Step Lively	[701]
July 28, 1944	Mademoiselle Fifi	[702]
August 23, 1944	Casanova Brown[N 9]	World premiere in Western France, just after its liberation in World War II, on August 5, 1944[703]
September 1, 1944	Youth Runs Wild	[704]
September 5, 1944	Gildersleeve's Ghost	[705]
September 15, 1944	Bride by Mistake	[706]
September 29, 1944	Tall in the Saddle	[707]
September 1944	Goin' to Town	[708]
October 6, 1944	Music in Manhattan	[709]
October 8, 1944	My Pal Wolf	[710]
October 17, 1944	None but the Lonely Heart	[711]
October 18, 1944	The Master Race	[712]
October 20, 1944	Heavenly Days	[713]
October 25, 1944	Girl Rush	[714]
November 3, 1944	The Woman in the Window[N 9]	Distribution only; produced by International Pictures[715]
November 4, 1944	The Falcon in Mexico	[716]
November 17, 1944	The Princess and the Pirate[N 8]	Distribution only; produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions[717]
December 8, 1944	The Falcon in Hollywood	[718]
December 9, 1944	Murder, My Sweet	[719]
December 20, 1944	Nevada	[720]
December 27, 1944	Belle of the Yukon	[721]
December 29, 1944	Experiment Perilous	[722]

1945

Hampered by an industry-wide strike, RKO released only 34 films in 1945, but managed another profitable year. Two more independents agreed to distribution deals with the studio: Rainbow Productions and Liberty Films (Frank Capra's film company). The studio signed numerous stars during the year, such as John Wayne, Cary Grant, Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman, Rosalind Russell and Paul Henreid, and the year also marked the return of Ginger Rogers to the studio. Some of RKO's cinematic highlights of 1945 included Along Came Jones, The Enchanted Cottage, Johnny Angel, and The Spanish Main. Two notable films RKO released during 1945 were produced by outside companies: Walt Disney's The Three Caballeros and a film from Leo McCarey's Rainbow Productions named The Bells of St. Mary's; the latter film of the two would become the biggest grossing film in RKO's history.^[723]

Gary Cooper's title card from Along Came Jones

Maureen O'Hara and Paul Henreid in The Spanish Main

Bing Crosby in The Bells of St. Mary's

Poster for Dick Tracy

Release date	Film	Notes
January 27, 1945	What a Blonde
February 22, 1945	The Three Caballeros[N 5]	World premiere in Mexico City on December 21, 1944; distribution only; produced by Walt Disney Productions[724]
March 3, 1945	It's a Pleasure	[725]
March 22, 1945	Pan-Americana	[726]
April 12, 1945	Having Wonderful Crime	[727]
April 13, 1945	Two O'Clock Courage	[728]
April 24, 1945	Betrayal from the East	[729]
April 26, 1945	Zombies on Broadway	[730]
April 28, 1945	The Enchanted Cottage	[731]
April 29, 1945	Tarzan and the Amazons	[732]
May 10, 1945	The Brighton Strangler	[733]
May 24, 1945	China Sky	[734]
May 25, 1945	The Body Snatcher	[735]
June 8, 1945*	Wonder Man[N 8]	Distribution only; produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions[736]
June 19, 1945	Those Endearing Young Charms	[737]
June 20, 1945	Along Came Jones[N 9]	Distribution only; produced by International Pictures[738]
June 25, 1945	Back to Bataan	[739]
July 25, 1945	The Falcon in San Francisco	[740]
August 1, 1945	Radio Stars on Parade	[741]
August 8, 1945*	Mama Loves Papa	[742]
August 11, 1945	West of the Pecos	[743]
September 7, 1945	Isle of the Dead	[744]
September 11, 1945	First Yank into Tokyo	[745]
September 28, 1945	Wanderer of the Wasteland	[746]
October 4, 1945	The Spanish Main	[747]
October 10, 1945	George White's Scandals	[748]
October 25, 1945	Johnny Angel	[749]
November 14, 1945*	Sing Your Way Home	[750]
November 16, 1945	Man Alive	[751]
November 23, 1945	A Game of Death	[752]
December 6, 1945	The Bells of St. Mary's[N 3]	Theatrical distribution only[753]
December 20, 1945	Dick Tracy	[754]
December 22, 1945	Hotel Reserve	World premiere in London on June 1, 1944[755]
December 25, 1945	Cornered	[756]

1946

Perhaps the best overall year for the studio, it would rake in over $12M in profits, and release 38 films, some of which received high critical acclaim. Unfortunately for RKO, studio head Charles Koerner, the man responsible for this success, died of leukemia early in the year. Highlights of the year included The Spiral Staircase, The Kid from Brooklyn, Till the End of Time, Notorious, The Best Years of Our Lives, It's a Wonderful Life and Nocturne.^[757] During the year, RKO also released a film that would haunt its producer's studio in years to come: Walt Disney's Song of the South.^{[758][759][760][761][762][763][764][765]}

Dorothy McGuire in The Spiral Staircase

Mikhail Rasumny and Basil Rathbone in Heartbeat

Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman in Notorious

Hoagy Carmichael, Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews and Teresa Wright in The Best Years of Our Lives

Donna Reed, James Stewart, and Karolyn Grimes in It's a Wonderful Life

Release date	Film	Notes
February 7, 1946	The Spiral Staircase	[766]
February 13, 1946	Riverboat Rhythm	[767]
February 18, 1946	Tarzan and the Leopard Woman	[768]
February 20, 1946	Tomorrow Is Forever[N 9]	World premiere in London on January 18, 1946; distribution only; produced by International Pictures[769]
March 21, 1946	The Kid from Brooklyn	Theatrical distribution only; produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions [N2] owned by The Samuel Goldwyn Family Trustee[770]
April 3, 1946	Deadline at Dawn	[771]
April 15, 1946	Ding Dong Williams	[772]
April 19, 1946	From This Day Forward	[773]
April 20, 1946	Make Mine Music[N 5]	Premiered in New York City, wide release on August 15, 1946; distribution only; produced by Walt Disney Productions[774]
April 22, 1946	The Falcon's Alibi	[775]
April 25, 1946	Partners in Time	[776]
April 22, 1946	Badman's Territory	[777]
May 10, 1946	Bedlam	[778]
May 10, 1946	Heartbeat	[779]
May 13, 1946	Without Reservations	[780]
July 2, 1946	The Stranger[N 10]	[781]
July 15, 1946	The Bamboo Blonde	[782]
July 23, 1946	Till the End of Time	[783]
July 26, 1946	The Truth About Murder	[784]
August 15, 1946	Notorious[N 11]	Premiered in New York City, wide release on September 6, 1946[785]
August 30, 1946	Step by Step	[786]
September 6, 1946	Crack-Up	[787]
September 29, 1946	Sister Kenny	Premiered in New York City, wide release on October 10, 1946[788]
October 1, 1946	Sunset Pass	[789]
October 15, 1946	Child of Divorce	[790]
October 18, 1946	Lady Luck	[791]
October 20, 1946	Genius at Work	[792]
October 29, 1946	Nocturne	[793]
October 30, 1946	Great Day	World premiere in London on April 13, 1945[794]
November 12, 1946	Song of the South[N 5]	Premiered in Atlanta, GA, wide release on November 20, 1946; Distribution only; produced by Walt Disney Productions[795]
November 15, 1946	Criminal Court	Premiered in New York City, wide release on November 20, 1946[796]
November 21, 1946	The Best Years of Our Lives[N 8]	Distribution only; produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions[797]
November 22, 1946	Dick Tracy vs. Cueball	Premiered in New York City, wide release on December 18, 1946[798]
December 5, 1946	San Quentin	Premiered in Boston, wide release on December 17, 1946[799]
December 10, 1946	Vacation in Reno	[800]
December 13, 1946	The Falcon's Adventure	[801]
December 20, 1946	It's a Wonderful Life[N 3]	Theatrical distribution only; produced by Liberty Films[802]
December 20, 1946	The Locket	[803]

1947

This year saw the beginning of activity by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in the film industry. Two of the infamous "Hollywood Ten" were the only director and producer among that group (Edward Dmytryk and Adrian Scott, respectively), and were also two of RKO's top talent. In addition, production costs were rising at the same time that revenues, both domestically and overseas, were declining. Despite those challenges, the studio saw another profitable year, releasing 35 films. Some of more notable films released during 1947 included Trail Street, The Farmer's Daughter, The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, Crossfire (the last picture of Scott and Dmytryk before their blacklist), Out of the Past, and the Samuel Goldwyn efforts The Bishop's Wife, and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Two of the largest disappointments (artistically and financially) were Mourning Becomes Electra and Tycoon.^[804]

Poster for Crossfire

Lobby card for Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome

Jane Greer and Robert Mitchum in Out of the Past

Cary Grant, Loretta Young, and David Niven, and Karolyn Grimes in The Bishop's Wife

Release date	Film	Notes
January 13, 1947	Sinbad the Sailor	[805]
February 19, 1947	Beat the Band	[806]
February 19, 1947	Trail Street	[807]
February 20, 1947	The Devil Thumbs a Ride	[808]
February 20, 1947	Code of the West	[809]
April 5, 1947	Tarzan and the Huntress	[810]
April 16, 1947	A Likely Story	[811]
May 3, 1947	Born to Kill	[812]
May 14, 1947	Thunder Mountain	[813]
May 15, 1947	Banjo	[814]
May 17, 1947	Desperate	[815]
May 17, 1947	Honeymoon	[816]
May 25, 1947	The Farmer's Daughter	Premiered in New York City, wide release on May 26, 1947[817]
June 7, 1947	The Woman on the Beach	[818]
June 28, 1947	Riff-Raff	Premiered in New York City, wide release on September 15, 1947[819]
July 12, 1947	Dick Tracy's Dilemma	[820]
July 16, 1947*	They Won't Believe Me	[821]
July 22, 1947	Crossfire	Premiered in New York City, wide release on August 15, 1947[822]
July 24, 1947	The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer	Premiered in New York City, wide release on September 1, 1947[823]
July 30, 1947	Seven Keys to Baldpate	Premiered in Los Angeles, wide release on October 1, 1947[824]
August 1, 1947	Under the Tonto Rim	[825]
August 4, 1947	The Secret Life of Walter Mitty[N 8]	Distribution only; produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions;premiered in Chicago, wide release on September 1, 1947[826]
August 6, 1947	The Long Night	[827]
September 26, 1947	Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome	[828]
September 27, 1947	Fun and Fancy Free[N 5]	Distribution only; produced by Walt Disney Productions[829]
October 7, 1947	Magic Town[N 3]	Premiered in New York City, wide release on October 12, 1947[830]
October 21, 1947	Man About Town	World premiere in Paris, May 21, 1947[831]
November 4, 1947	So Well Remembered	Premiered in London on July 8, 1947[832]
November 3, 1947	The Fugitive	[833]
November 13, 1947	Wild Horse Mesa	[834]
November 13, 1947	Out of the Past	[835]
November 19, 1947	Mourning Becomes Electra	[836]
December 9, 1947	The Bishop's Wife[N 8]	Premiered in New York City, wide release on February 16, 1948; distribution only; produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions[837]
December 27, 1947	Tycoon	[838]

1948

Grant Withers in Fort Apache

Cary Grant and Myrna Loy in a promotional shot for Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House

Randolph Scott and Jacqueline White in Return of the Bad Men

Franchot Tone's title card from Every Girl Should Be Married

David Niven publicity photo from Enchantment

1948 marked the beginning of the slow end of the studio when Howard Hughes purchased enough stock to gain control of RKO. This precipitated another shake-up in the creative control at the production company, which in turn led to seventy-five percent of the studio's workforce being terminated in July, and production coming to a virtual standstill. RKO managed to release 32 films during the year, but most were either through distribution deals, or had been finished prior to Hughes' takeover. Despite the light release schedule, the studio did have a few highlights, which included Fort Apache, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, Rachel and the Stranger, A Song Is Born, and Every Girl Should Be Married. In addition, I Remember Mama and The Pearl were critical, if not financial, successes. The biggest disappointment was Joan of Arc.^[839]

Release date	Film	Notes
January 20, 1948	Night Song	[840]
January 24, 1948	Western Heritage	[841]
February 7, 1948	If You Knew Susie	[842]
February 17, 1948	The Pearl	Spanish version premiered in Mexico City on September 12, 1947, English version premiered in New York City[843]
March 11, 1948	I Remember Mama	Premiered in New York City, wide release on March 17, 1948[844]
March 16, 1948	The Miracle of the Bells[N 3]	Premiered in New York City, wide release on March 27, 1948[845]
March 23, 1948	The Arizona Ranger	[846]
March 27, 1948	Fort Apache	[847]
April 14, 1948	Design for Death	Academy Award Winner for Best Documentary of 1947[848][849]
April 27, 1948	Tarzan and the Mermaids	Premiered in Los Angeles, wide release on May 15, 1948[850]
May 7, 1948	Berlin Express	[851]
May 27, 1948	Melody Time[N 5]	Distribution only; produced by Walt Disney Productions[852]
June 4, 1948	Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House	[853]
June 19, 1948	Fighting Father Dunne	[854]
June 18, 1948	Guns of Hate	[855]
June 22, 1948	Race Street	[856]
July 1, 1948	Mystery in Mexico	[857]
July 17, 1948	Return of the Bad Men	[858]
August 21, 1948	Variety Time	[859]
August 25, 1948	The Velvet Touch	[860]
September 1, 1948	Good Sam	[861]
September 4, 1948	Bodyguard	[862]
September 18, 1948	Rachel and the Stranger	Premiered in New York City, wide release on October 2, 1948[863]
October 19, 1948	Station West	[864]
October 19, 1948	A Song is Born[N 8]	Distribution only; produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions; premiered in New York City, wide release on November 6, 1948[865]
November 9, 1948	Blood on the Moon	[866]
November 9, 1948	Every Girl Should Be Married	[867]
November 11, 1948	Joan of Arc	[868]
December 2, 1948	The Green Promise	Premiered in Chicago, wide release on March 22, 1949[869]
December 11, 1948	Indian Agent	[870]
December 11, 1948	Enchantment[N 8]	Distribution only; produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions[871]
December 27, 1948	The Boy With Green Hair	[872]
December 28, 1948	Gun Smugglers	[873]

1949

This was not a banner year for the studio, as Hughes continued to interfere with the creative people underneath him. RKO only began production on 12 films during the year, although they would release 34. The few highlights of 1949 included The Set-Up, The Big Steal, Mighty Joe Young, and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. They Live by Night was a critical success, but it did poorly at box office.^[874]

John Wayne and Joanne Dru in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

Release date	Film	Notes
January 19, 1949	So Dear to My Heart[N 5]	Premiered in Indianapolis, wide release on January 30, 1949; distribution only; produced by Walt Disney Productions[875]
February 5, 1949	Tarzan's Magic Fountain	[876]
February 7, 1949	A Woman's Secret	[877]
February 8, 1949	Brothers in the Saddle	[878]
February 11, 1949	Riders of the Range	[879]
February 14, 1949	The Clay Pigeon	[880]
March 29, 1949	The Set-Up	Premiered in New York City, wide release on April 2, 1949[881]
April 19, 1949	Adventure in Baltimore	[882]
May 4, 1949	Arctic Fury	Premiered in New York City, wide release on April 2, 1949[883]
May 14, 1949	Rustlers	[884]
May 17, 1949	The Window	Premiered in Los Angeles, wide release on October 1, 1949[885]
June 11, 1949	The Judge Steps Out	[886]
June 16, 1949	Roughshod	[887]
June 27, 1949	Stagecoach Kid	[888]
July 1, 1949	The Big Steal	[889]
July 7, 1949	Follow Me Quietly	[890]
July 26, 1949	She Wore a Yellow Ribbon	Premiered in Kansas City, KS, wide release on October 22, 1949[891]
July 27, 1949	Mighty Joe Young	Premiered in New York City, wide release on July 30, 1949[892]
August 11, 1949	Make Mine Laughs	[893]
August 18, 1949	Roseanna McCoy[N 8]	Premiered in Wheeling, WV, wide release on August 20, 1949; distribution only; produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions[894]
September 10, 1949	The Mysterious Desperado	[895]
September 17, 1949	Savage Splendor	[896]
September 29, 1949	Strange Bargain	Premiered in New York, wide release on November 5, 1949[897]
October 5, 1949	The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad[N 5]	Distribution only; produced by Walt Disney Productions[898]
October 7, 1949	The Woman on Pier 13	Previewed in Los Angeles, wide release on June 3, 1950[899]
October 8, 1949	Easy Living	[900]
October 15, 1949	Masked Raiders	[901]
November 3, 1949	They Live by Night	Premiered in London in August 1948[902]
November 12, 1949	Bride for Sale	Distribution only; produced by Crest Productions[903]
November 23, 1949	Holiday Affair	Premiered in New York, wide release on December 24, 1949[904]
November 26, 1949	The Threat	[905]
November 26, 1949	A Dangerous Profession	[906]
December 25, 1949	My Foolish Heart[N 8]	Distribution only; produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions; premiered in Los Angeles, wide release on January 21, 1950[907]

1950s

The decade would be the last for the original RKO Studio. The downward spiral which had begun upon Hughes' gaining control in 1948 continued. In addition, the studio suffered from a sequence of other difficulties, from which it was unable to overcome. These included a failed sale of the studio to several racketeers, the loss of RKO's chain of movie theaters (due to government regulation), and a multitude of lawsuits. The setbacks ultimately led, in 1955, to the studio's sale to General Teleradio, Inc., the entertainment subsidiary of General Tire and Rubber Company. Ironically, General Teleradio was basically a radio and television company, and it was competition with television which put the final nails in RKO's coffin. RKO ended production in 1958.^[908]

1950

Of the 30 films released by the studio during the year, approximately half were actually produced by the studio. In addition, not a single picture would generate profits greater than $100,000, the first time this happened in the history of RKO, and this resulted in the first net loss for the studio ($5.8M) in over a decade. Hope was raised when Hughes hired what many considered the top producer-writer team in Hollywood, Jerry Wald and Norman Krasna, who were contracted to produce 60 films over the next five years. The few highlights were all films which were not produced by RKO: The Outlaw (Jane Russell's debut — and a re-release of the film which had seen limited release as an independent Hughes' production in 1943 and 1946, so is not included in the below list), along with Walt Disney's productions of Cinderella and Treasure Island, the first project he made which was entirely live-action.^[909]

Teresa Wright and Lew Ayres in The Capture

Poster for Wagon Master

Joan Fontaine in Born to Be Bad

Faith Domergue, Donald Buka, and George Dolenz in a publicity still for Vendetta

Release date	Film	Notes
January 28, 1950	The Man on the Eiffel Tower	World premiere in Montreal, Quebec on January 19, 1950, premiered in New York City in the US, with wide release on February 4, 1950[910]
February 9, 1950	The Tattooed Stranger	[911]
February 15, 1950	Stromboli	Premiered in New York City, wide release on February 18, 1950[912]
February 21, 1950	The Secret Fury	[913]
March 4, 1950	Cinderella[N 5]	Distribution only; produced by Walt Disney Productions[914]
April 8, 1950	The Capture	[915]
April 8, 1950	The Golden Twenties	[916]
April 22, 1950	Wagon Master	[917]
April 22, 1950	Storm Over Wyoming	[918]
June 6, 1950	Destination Murder	[919]
June 7, 1950	Rider from Tucson	[920]
June 8, 1950	Armored Car Robbery	[921]
June 15, 1950	Dynamite Pass	[922]
June 23, 1950	Tarzan and the Slave Girl	[923]
June 24, 1950	The White Tower	[924]
July 19, 1950	Treasure Island[N 5]	World premiere in London on June 22, 1950; distribution only; produced by Walt Disney Productions[925]
July 27, 1950	Our Very Own[N 8]	Distribution only; produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions
August 3, 1950	Edge of Doom[N 8]	Distribution only; produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions[926]
August 5, 1950*	Border Treasure	[927]
August 31, 1950	Born to Be Bad	[928]
September 1, 1950	Bunco Squad	[929]
September 27, 1950	Outrage	[930]
October 14, 1950	Walk Softly, Stranger	Premiered in New York City, wide release on November 4, 1950[931]
October 21, 1950*	Rio Grande Patrol	[932]
November 16, 1950	Where Danger Lives	[933]
November 21, 1950	Experiment Alcatraz	[934]
November 21, 1950	Never a Dull Moment	Premiered in New York City, wide release on November 22, 1950[935]
December 1, 1950	Double Deal	[936]
December 25, 1950	Vendetta	[937]
December 27, 1950	Law of the Badlands	[938]

1951

Rhonda Fleming title card from Cry Danger

Janis Carter in My Forbidden Past

Alice from the 1951 Walt Disney animated film Alice in Wonderland.

John Wayne in Flying Leathernecks

Francis L. Sullivan in Behave Yourself!

Poster for On Dangerous Ground

The studio's slow slide to oblivion continued in 1951, exacerbated by the government requirement that they split off their theater operations from their film operations. The RKO Story, by Richard Jewell with Vernon Harbin, states that RKO had "... become the combination laughing stock and pariah of the entire industry."^[939] Barely showing a profit, the studio released 39 films, the highlights being: Payment on Demand, The Racket, The Thing from Another World (aka The Thing), Flying Leathernecks, and The Blue Veil. The biggest financial and critical disappointment RKO had during the year was a film from Walt Disney that would ironically be hailed as an animated classic: Alice in Wonderland.^[940]

Release date	Film	Notes
January 6, 1951	The Company She Keeps	[941]
January 20, 1951	Gambling House	[942]
February 3, 1951	Payment on Demand	[943]
February 22, 1951	Cry Danger[N 3]	[944]
	Nor Orchids for Miss Blandish	[945]
February 16, 1951	Hunt the Man Down	[946]
March 10, 1951	Tarzan's Peril	[947]
March 21, 1951	Footlight Varieties	[948]
April 3, 1951	Kon-Tiki	Received Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature[949]
April 20, 1951	Saddle Legion	[950]
April 21, 1951	My Forbidden Past	[951]
April 24, 1951	Gunplay	[952]
April 29, 1951	The Thing from Another World	Co-produced with Winchester Pictures Corporation[953]
May 4, 1951	Jungle Headhunters	[954]
May 5, 1951	Tokyo File 212	[955]
May 19, 1951	Sealed Cargo	[956]
May 23, 1951	Hard, Fast and Beautiful	Premiered in San Francisco, wide release on June 9, 1951[957]
July 23, 1951*	Lilli Marlene	[958]
July 8, 1951	Happy Go Lovely[N 4]	World premiere in London on June 7, 1951; U.S. distribution only; produced by Excelsior Films[959]
July 27, 1951	Pistol Harvest	[960]
July 28, 1951	Alice in Wonderland[N 5]	World premiere in London on July 26, 1951; distribution only; produced by Walt Disney Productions[961]
July 30, 1951	Roadblock	[962]
June 9, 1951	Best of the Badmen	[963]
August 15, 1951	His Kind of Woman	Premiered in Philadelphia, wide release on August 25, 1951[964]
August 28, 1951	Flying Leathernecks	[965]
September 5, 1951	The Blue Veil	[966]
September 19, 1951	Behave Yourself!	[967]
September 28, 1951	On the Loose	[968]
October 4, 1951	Tembo	Documentary; premiered in Dallas, wide release on January 4, 1952[969]
October 11, 1951	Slaughter Trail	[970]
October 16, 1951	Drums in the Deep South	[971]
October 24, 1951	The Whip Hand	[972]
October 25, 1951	The Racket	[973]
October 30, 1951	Hot Lead	[974]
November 20, 1951	Two Tickets to Broadway	[975]
December 15, 1951*	Overland Telegraph	[976]
December 17, 1951	On Dangerous Ground	[977][978]
December 22, 1951	I Want You[N 8]	Distribution only; produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions[979]
December 25, 1951	Double Dynamite	[980]
December 25, 1951*	Rashomon[N 12]	Distribution only, produced by Daiei Film; received an Academy Honorary Award for Foreign Film

1952

According to The RKO Story, "... 1952 was the most tempestuous year in the history of an altogether tempestuous enterprise."^[981] The studio was plagued by lawsuits, and Howard Hughes would eventually sell his stock in the company. However, the group he sold it to was involved in scandal, and was forced to back out of the deal prior to year's end, leaving the studio virtually without an owner. RKO lost over $10 million on the release of 31 films, half of which were not produced by the studio. In fact, the studio only produced one film in the last five months of the year. 1952 saw few cinematic highlights, and the company's only successes that year came in Rashomon (a Japanese film which had opened in December of the prior year) and Samuel Goldwyn's production of Hans Christian Andersen.^[982] The last Goldwyn production to be distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, in fact.

Poster for The Las Vegas Story

Poster for The Lusty Men

Poster for Macao

Marilyn Monroe and Keith Andes in Clash by Night

Release date	Film	Notes
January 8, 1952	A Girl in Every Port	[983]
January 30, 1952	The Las Vegas Story	[984]
February 4, 1952	At Sword's Point	[985]
February 13, 1952*	Trail Guide	[986]
February 14, 1952*	Road Agent	[987]
March 6, 1952	Rancho Notorious	[988]
March 14, 1952*	Tarzan's Savage Fury	[989]
March 20, 1952*	Whispering Smith vs. Scotland Yard	Premiered in London on January 31, 1952; aka Whispering Smith Hits London[990]
March 21, 1952	The Pace That Thrills	[991]
April 7, 1952*	The Faithful City	[992]
April 11, 1952*	Target	[993]
April 30, 1952	Macao	[994]
May 2, 1952	The Narrow Margin	[995]
May 4, 1952*	The Half-Breed	[996]
May 13, 1952*	Desert Passage	[997]
May 28, 1952	The Wild Heart
June 6, 1952	Clash by Night	[998]
June 26, 1952	The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men[N 5]	World premiere in London on March 22, 1952; distribution only; produced by Walt Disney Productions[999]
July 29, 1952	The Big Sky	Premiered in Chicago, wide release August 19, 1952[1000]
July 21, 1952*	One Minute to Zero	[1001]
August 7, 1952*	Sudden Fear[N 6]	Distribution only[1002]
September 12, 1952	Beware, My Lovely	[1003]
October 2, 1952*	Under the Red Sea	[1004]
October 10, 1952*	Captive Women	[1005]
October 24, 1952	The Lusty Men	[1006]
October 30, 1952	Androcles and the Lion[N 13]	Premiered in Los Angeles, wide release January 9, 1953[1007]
November 7, 1952	Montana Belle	Premiered in New York City, wide release November 11, 1952[1008]
November 14, 1952	Face to Face	[1009]
November 25, 1952	Hans Christian Andersen[N 8]	Premiered in New York City, wide release December 19, 1952; distribution only; produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions[1010]
December 24, 1952	Blackbeard the Pirate	[1011]
December 25, 1952	No Time for Flowers	Premiered in New York City, wide release January 31, 1953[1012]

1953

The year was another disaster for the studio, which was mired in lawsuits. The company returned to the control of Howard Hughes, but the studio released only 24 films during the year, the fewest total since their inaugural year of 1929, which had not been a full year. Of those 24 films, only 8 were actual RKO productions. Disney's Peter Pan, the Academy Award-winning documentary The Sea Around Us, and the 3-D Second Chance comprised the trio of highlights for the studio during 1953.^[1013] On June 23, 1953, Walt Disney severed ties with RKO after a heated dispute with Hughes over the distribution of his True-Life Adventures series of nature documentaries,^[1014] opting to form his own distribution company.^[1015]

Frank Lovejoy, William Talman, and Edmond O'Brien in The Hitch-Hiker

Arthur Hunnicutt in Split Second

Release date	Film	Notes
January 13, 1953	Decameron Nights[N 1]	Premiered London, wide release on November 16, 1953[1016]
January 21, 1953	Sword of Venus	Premiered Los Angeles, wide release on February 20, 1953[1017]
January 28, 1953	Never Wave at a WAC	[1018]
February 4, 1953	Angel Face	Premiered Los Angeles, wide release on February 11, 1953[1019]
February 5, 1953	Peter Pan[N 5]	Distribution only; produced by Walt Disney Productions[1020]
March 20, 1953	The Hitch-Hiker	[1021]
April 1, 1953	Count the Hours	[1022]
April 3, 1953	Port Sinister	Premiered Los Angeles, wide release on April 10, 1953[1023]
April 25, 1953*	The Big Frame	[1024]
May 2, 1953	Split Second	[1025]
May 23, 1953	Sea Devils	[1026]
June 8, 1953	Tarzan and the She-Devil	[1027]
June 20, 1953	Affair with a Stranger	[1028]
July 5, 1953*	Night Without Stars
July 7, 1953*	The Sea Around Us	[1029]
July 18, 1953	Second Chance	[1030]
July 23, 1953	The Sword and the Rose[N 5]	Distribution only; produced by Walt Disney Productions[1031]
July 29, 1953	Below the Sahara	Premiered Los Angeles, wide release on September 1, 1953[1032]
August 15, 1953	Devil's Canyon	[1033]
September 23, 1953	Marry Me Again	Premiered in Seattle, wide release on October 22, 1953[1034]
October 14, 1953	Louisiana Territory	Premiered in New Orleans, wide release on October 16, 1953[1035]
October 16, 1953	Appointment in Honduras	[1036]
December 29, 1953	The French Line	Premiered London, wide release on February 8, 1954[1037]

1954

Although Howard Hughes purchased all the outstanding shares of stock of the company, becoming the first individual to own a major studio since the era of silent films, the downward trajectory of RKO continued. Only 14 films were released, and there was not a single notable one among them.^[1038]

Publicity photo from Killers from Space

Publicity photo of Debbie Reynolds for Susan Slept Here

Release date	Film	Notes
January 23, 1954	Killers from Space	[1039]
February 15, 1954	She Couldn't Say No	[1040]
February 27, 1954	Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue[N 5]	Premiered London, wide release on October 26, 1953; distribution only; produced by Walt Disney Productions[1041]
March 6, 1954	Dangerous Mission	[1042]
April 15, 1954	The Saint's Girl Friday	[1043]
April 16, 1954	Carnival Story	[1044]
June 1954*	Sins of Rome
June 24, 1954	Silver Lode	[1045]
July 14, 1954	Susan Slept Here	[1046]
September 28, 1954	Africa Adventure	[1047]
October 6, 1954	Passion	[1048]
November 3, 1954	This Is My Love[N 3]	Premiered Los Angeles, wide release on November 11, 1954[1049]
November 18, 1954	Cattle Queen of Montana	[1050]
October 10, 1954	Hansel and Gretel	Premiered in New York City, wide release on December 25, 1954; distribution only[1051]
December 14, 1954	Naked Sea	Premiered Long Beach, CA, wide release on December 13, 1955[1052]

1955

Howard Hughes sold RKO to General Teleradio in the middle of the year. Teleradio was the entertainment arm of the General Tire and Rubber Company, and had purchased the studio to gain access to its film library, which it intended to air on its small network of television stations. RKO became a division in the new company, RKO Teleradio Pictures. While the studio came up with its own version of the wide screen format, called Superscope, they would only release 14 films during the year, the only one of which was notable was the musical, Oklahoma!, which RKO distributed.

Mala Powers and Randolph Scott in Rage at Dawn

Publicity shot of Barbara Lawrence and Eddie Albert for Oklahoma!

Release date	Film	Notes
January 29, 1955	The Americano[N 3]	[1053]
February 9, 1955	Underwater!	[1054]
February 16, 1955	Tarzan's Hidden Jungle	[1055]
March 26, 1955	Rage at Dawn	[1056]
April 9, 1955	Escape to Burma	[1057]
May 4, 1955	Quest for the Lost City	[1058]
June 1, 1955	Son of Sinbad	[1059]
June 29, 1955	Wakamba!	[1060]
July 4, 1955	Pearl of the South Pacific	[1061]
September 14, 1955	Bengazi	[1062]
September 21, 1955	Tennessee's Partner	[1063]
October 11, 1955	Oklahoma![N 14]	Distribution only, and only for its first run; distributed for its second run by 20th Century Fox[1064]
October 19, 1955	The Treasure of Pancho Villa	[1065]
November 30, 1955	Texas Lady	[1066]

1956

Theatrical poster for The Conqueror

Publicity still of director Allan Dwan, Arlene Dahl, and cinematographer John Alton for Slightly Scarlet

Beulah Bondi in Back from Eternity

While the studio increased its number of releases to 20 in 1956, by year's end the fact that RKO was looking to sell part of its distribution arm was a signal that the death knell was tolling for the studio. There were, however, a few notable films released, such as Fritz Lang's final two American films, While the City Sleeps, and Beyond a Reasonable Doubt. The studio's highest-grossing film of the year, The Conqueror, was also its biggest financial flop, since its $4.5 million in North American rentals did not come close to covering its $6 million cost.^[1067][1068]

Release date	Film	Notes
January 11, 1956	Glory	[1069]
January 18, 1956	Postmark for Danger	Released in Great Britain as Portrait of Alison[1070]
January 25, 1956	Cash on Delivery	Released in Great Britain as To Dorothy a Son[1071]
February 8, 1956	Slightly Scarlet	[1072]
February 22, 1956	The Conqueror[N 15]	Premiered Los Angeles, wide release on March 28, 1956[1073]
February 1956*	The Brain Machine
April 11, 1956	The Way Out	[1074]
April 18, 1956	The Bold and the Brave	[1075]
May 16, 1956	While the City Sleeps	Premiered in New York City, wide release on May 30, 1956; distribution only[1076]
May 16, 1956	Great Day in the Morning	[1077]
May 30, 1956*	Murder on Approval
August 15, 1956*	The First Traveling Saleslady	[1078]
September 8, 1956	Back from Eternity	[1079]
September 13, 1956	Beyond a Reasonable Doubt	[1080]
October 3, 1956*	Tension at Table Rock	[1081]
October 17, 1956*	Finger of Guilt	Released in Great Britain as The Intimate Stranger
October 26, 1956	The Brave One	[1082]
November 5, 1956	Death of a Scoundrel	[1083]
December 19, 1956	Bundle of Joy	[1084]
December 21, 1956	Man in the Vault[N 16]	[1085] Distribution only; produced by Batjac Productions

1957

This was the end of production for the original RKO Radio Pictures. All production was halted in January, and distribution was handled by Universal-International. Only 11 films were released, and none were noteworthy.^[1086]

James Daly and James Gregory in The Young Stranger

Poster for Jet Pilot

Release date	Film	Notes
April 7, 1957	The Young Stranger	[1087]
May 17, 1957	Public Pigeon No. 1	Premiered in Los Angeles, wide release June 5, 1957[1088]
September 2, 1957*	Cartouche
July 25, 1957	Run of the Arrow	[1089]
September 25, 1957	Jet Pilot[N 15]	Premiered in Los Angeles, wide release October 4, 1957[1090]
August 22, 1957	That Night!	[1091]
October 1957	The Unholy Wife	[1092]
November 13, 1957	All Mine to Give	Premiered in Oshkosh, Wisconsin; wide release January 1958[1093]
November 27, 1957	The Violators	[1094]
October 17, 1957	Escapade in Japan	Premiered in San Francisco, wide release November 1957[1095]
1957	Guilty?

1958–60

While the studio was no longer producing films, it would release the 12 it had already made over the three-year period from 1958 to 1960.^[1096]

Cliff Robertson, Jane Powell, and Keith Andes in the 1958 film, The Girl Most Likely

Diana Dors title card from I Married a Woman

Release date	Film	Notes
February 5, 1958	The Girl Most Likely	Production only; distributed by Universal Pictures[1097]
March 6, 1958*	Stage Struck	Production only; distributed by Buena Vista Distribution[1098]
May 14, 1958	I Married a Woman	Production only; distributed by Universal Pictures[1099]
August 6, 1958	The Naked and the Dead	Production only; distributed by Warner Bros.; final RKO release[1100]
November 6, 1958*	From the Earth to the Moon	Production only; distributed by Warner Bros.[1101]
November 8, 1958	Enchanted Island	Production only; distributed by Warner Bros.[1102]
March 13, 1959	Verboten!	Production only; distributed by Columbia Pictures[1103]
May 15, 1959*	The Mysterians	Production only; made in Japan in 1957 by Toho; distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
June 1959	Home Is the Hero	Production only[1104]
July 16, 1959*	Desert Desperadoes	Distribution only; produced by Venturini Express and Nasht Productions[1105]
August 1959*	City After Midnight[N 3]	Production only[1106]
February 15, 1960*	The Poacher's Daughter[N 6]	Production only

1960s–1970s

RKO Pictures dissolved in 1959, and was reconstituted in 1978 by its parent corporation RKO General.

1980s: RKO Pictures Inc.

In 1978, RKO General created a subsidiary, RKO Pictures Inc. Three years later they began to produce a number of feature films and television projects.^[1107][13] In collaboration with Universal Studios, RKO put out half a dozen films during the first half of the decade, although none met with much success. from 1985 to 1987 the studio produced several more films on their own, some with more acclaim such as Plenty (1985), Half Moon Street (1986) and Hamburger Hill (1987), but production ended when RKO General underwent a massive reorganization following an attempted hostile takeover,^[1108] and the production company was eventually sold to Wesray Capital Corporation in late 1987.^[1109][1110]

Release date	Film	Notes
September 25, 1981	Carbon Copy	Co-production with Hemdale Film Corporation; distributed by AVCO Embassy Pictures
January 31, 1982	The Border	co-production with Universal Pictures
July 23, 1982	The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas	co-production with Universal Pictures
July 23, 1982	Cat People	co-production with Universal Pictures; remake of the 1942 film Cat People
December 16, 1983	D.C. Cab	co-production with Universal Pictures
1983	The Brass Ring	Television film
June 1, 1984	Streets of Fire	co-production with Universal Pictures
September 20, 1985	Plenty[N 4]	Co-production with Pressmen Productions; distributed by 20th Century Fox
August 13, 1986	Half Moon Street	Co-production with Pressmen Productions; distributed by 20th Century Fox
1986	My Letter to George	Also released under the titles Mesmerized and Shocked
April 10, 1987	Campus Man	distributed by Paramount Pictures
May 8, 1987	Hot Pursuit	distributed by Paramount Pictures
August 28, 1987	Hamburger Hill	distributed by Paramount Pictures
September 10, 1987	The Lighthorsemen	Released in the United States: April 8, 1988
1987	Dark Age	Australian release

1990s–current: RKO Pictures LLC

In 1989, Wesray sold the company to Pavilion Communications, which renamed the entity RKO Pictures LLC.^[15][16] In its latest incarnation, the studio has been involved with several notable films, including Mighty Joe Young (1998), Shade (2003), Are We Done Yet? (2007), A Late Quartet (2012), and Barely Lethal (2015).

Release date	Film	Notes
June 8, 1990	False Identity
October 17, 1991	It's All True	Documentary; co-producer
March 21, 1992	Laws of Gravity
June 24, 1992	The Elegant Criminal	Distribution only
October 23, 1992	Frozen Assets	Distribution only
October 19, 1996	Milk & Money	co-producer
December 15, 1996	Holiday Affair	Television film
December 25, 1998	Mighty Joe Young	co-production with Walt Disney Pictures and The Jacobson Company
January 13, 2002	The Magnificent Ambersons	television film
May 4, 2003	The Gin Game	television film
June 21, 2003	Shade	co-production with Dimension Films
September 22, 2006	Laura Smiles	television film
April 4, 2007	Are We Done Yet?	co-production with Revolution Studios, Cube Vision and Columbia Pictures; remake of Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
August 15, 2009	The Ritual	in the U.S., directly to cable
September 11, 2009	Beyond a Reasonable Doubt	Distributed by Anchor Bay Films and After Dark Films; a remake of the 1956 film of the same name
November 2, 2012	A Late Quartet	co-production with Entertainment One
April 30, 2015	Barely Lethal	Distributed by A24, co-production with RatPac Entertainment

Bibliography

• Jewell, Richard B. (2012). RKO Radio Pictures: A Titan Is Born. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-27178-4.
• Jewell, Richard B.; Harbin, Vernon (1982). The RKO Story. New York: Arlington House. ISBN 0-517-54656-6.

Notes

1. Owned by Sony Pictures (via Columbia Pictures)
2. Owned by Warner Bros. (via Turner Entertainment Co.) in some international territories, but currently in the public domain in the United States. Kino Lorber issued a restoration by the Library of Congress in 2012
3. Owned by Paramount Pictures (via Melange Pictures)
4. Owned by StudioCanal
5. Owned by Disney (via Walt Disney Pictures)
6. Owned by Cohen Media Group
7. Currently in the public domain in the United States, although copyright is registered to Warner Bros. (via Turner Entertainment Co.)
8. Owned by the estate of Samuel Goldwyn, with U.S. distribution handled by Warner Bros. and international distribution handled by Miramax; Samuel Goldwyn Films also holds certain distribution rights
9. Owned by MGM (via United Artists)
10. Owned by MGM (via United Artists), but currently in the public domain in the United States
11. Owned by Disney (via ABC)
12. Owned by Kadokawa Pictures, with U.S. distribution rights currently licensed to Janus Films and The Criterion Collection
13. Owned by Valerie Delacorte and the Society of Authors, representing George Bernard Shaw, with U.S. distribution rights currently licensed to Janus Films and The Criterion Collection under the Eclipse brand
14. Owned by Concord Originals and the estates of Rodgers and Hammerstein, with distribution rights currently licensed to Samuel Goldwyn Films
15. Owned by Universal Pictures
16. Owned by Batjac Productions, with distribution rights owned by Paramount Pictures