Theatrical films Lorimar was not restricted to producing television programs. They also sporadically produced theatrical motion pictures, most of which were originally distributed by other studios; these were produced under the banner of
Lorimar Motion Pictures (or sometimes
Lorimar Pictures). Lorimar's entrance into feature films was predominantly sanctioned by Adelson; Rich was vehemently against it. This asset was among the many factors that led to Rich's exit from the studio in 1986. In 1985, it entered into a partnership with
Producers Sales Organization, handling worldwide sales, and
20th Century Fox, which took over North American distribution rights to many of its theatrical films. By 1986, Lorimar Motion Pictures had signed international distribution agreements with a joint venture of TCF and
The Walt Disney Company called U.K. Film Distributors in the
United Kingdom,
France's
UGC and
German's Neue Constantin Film, along with
Toho-Towa in
Japan. In January 1987, the film unit was renamed
Lorimar Film Entertainment to coincide with its newly formed in-house distribution unit; this superseded the previous deal with Fox. That year, New Century/Vista Film Co., a joint venture of The Vista Organization and New Century Entertainment, struck a deal with Lorimar for international distribution. Several Vista productions were distributed by Lorimar, including
Rented Lips,
Pass the Ammo and
Fright Night Part II. Lorimar also acquired international theatrical and other ancillary rights to
Return of the Living Dead Part II. In May 1987, Craig Bamgaurten, who had been with Lorimar Motion Pictures since 1984, announced that he would resign his post as president in December, and
Peter Chernin took over as president of Lorimar Film Entertainment. In 1988, following the announcement of L-T's merger with Warner Communications, Lorimar struck a new distribution deal with
Warner Bros. This deal effectively ended Lorimar's in-house distribution wing. The theatrical film library of Lorimar was subsequently folded into
Warner Bros. Pictures. Warner Bros. now owns most of Lorimar's catalogue, though a few films remained with their original distributors.
Home video In 1984, Lorimar purchased
Karl Video Corporation (KVC), the company behind the ''
Jane Fonda's Workout'' exercise video series. Lorimar continued to license library product (primarily Allied Artists titles) to
CBS/Fox Video (as well as sub-labels Key Video and Playhouse Video) for some time. After the Lorimar buyout, Karl-Lorimar began to expand, first with a deal to distribute movies from Lorimar Motion Pictures. Third-party distribution deals were struck with VCL Communications and
De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, while laying groundwork for international expansion that saw Lorimar titles released in the UK through
Guild Home Video and The Video Collection (the latter company handling children's titles, including titles from the Scholastic-Lorimar Home Video venture). In late 1986, a new broadcast-style home video branding, "KLV-TV" (advertised as being "Your Personal Network") was introduced. Other areas of growth included Karl-Lorimar's distribution of the
Shades of Love direct-to-video romance series (in cooperation with Canada's
Astral Film Enterprises) and
Jazzvisions, featuring jazz concerts from
Herbie Hancock,
Antonio Carlos Jobim,
John Scofield,
George Duke,
Tito Puente and
Etta James, as well as a big-band jazz production of
Porgy and Bess. By early 1987, while the company's expansion (including a deal with international film distributor
Cinecom Entertainment Group) continued, the relationship between Lorimar and Karl had turned sour, primarily thanks to the division racking up financial losses from failed experiments; as a result, Karl resigned in March 1987 due to violating the company's ethical guidelines. Karl-Lorimar continued to exist under the name
Lorimar Home Video, with a new push intended for Lorimar theatrical releases; however, this wouldn't last long, as Lorimar Home Video closed in 1989 following the Warner merger, and was folded into
Warner Home Video. In
Australia, Lorimar joined a venture with
Village Roadshow to create
Roadshow Lorimar Home Video, which distributed movie titles by Lorimar Motion Pictures in that country.
Television stations Record label In 1979, Lorimar formed Lorimar Records, whose first release was the soundtrack to the film
The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh. The label would have very few artists signed to it. It was mainly distributed by
Columbia Records, but it was also distributed for one album from The Coyote Sisters by
Motown via the Morocco subsidiary. Lorimar Records' final release was the soundtrack to
Action Jackson (1988), which in that case was distributed by
Atlantic Records.
Sports broadcasting Advertising Lorimar also expanded into advertising during the 1980s; it first acquired
Kenyon & Eckhardt, an advertising agency, in 1983. It then acquired
Bozell Jacobs in 1985, and merged it with Kenyon to form Bozell, Jacobs, Kenyon & Eckhardt. The firm was renamed to Bozell Worldwide in 1992. == Filmography ==