- For the unfinished MGM musical, see The March of Time (film).
The March of Time is a newsreel series that was shown in movie theaters from 1935 to 1951. It was created by Time, Inc. executive Roy Edward Larsen, and was produced and written by Louis de Rochemont and his brother Richard de Rochemont for most of its 16-year run.
History
The March of Time was launched on February 1, 1935 in over 500 theaters. Each entry in the series was either a two- or three-reel film (20 or 30 minutes), with Westbrook Van Voorhis as narrator. The series, which finally totalled close to 200 segments, was an immediate success with audiences. However, because of its high production costs -- estimated at $50,000 per episode, released at the rate of about one episode per month -- the series was a money loser.
The series ultimately ended when the widespread adoption of television and daily TV news shows made the newsreel format obsolete. Other newsreel series such as Pathé News (1910-1956), Paramount News (1927-1957), Fox Movietone News (1928-1963), Hearst Metrotone News/News of the Day (1914-1967), and Universal Newsreel (1929-1967) continued for a while longer.
The March of Time included reporting, on-location shots, and dramatic reenactments.
The series was satirized in Orson Welles' film Citizen Kane (1941) with the News on the March segment showing the life and funeral of the fictional Charles Foster Kane.
From 1931 to 1945, The March of Time was presented as a radio show.
See also
External links
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