History Creator / FourStarTelevision

'''Four Star Television''' (initially known as Four Star Productions and later known as Four Star International) was an American production company founded in 1952 that produced and created several popular American television shows throughout the 1950s and '60s. The "Four Star" name came from its four founders being notable Hollywood actors: Creator/DickPowell, Creator/DavidNiven, Creator/CharlesBoyer and Creator/IdaLupino, all of which sometimes starred in their own productions. [[note]]The company initially consisted of Powell, Boyer, Creator/JoelMcCrea and Creator/RosalindRussell, but [=McCrea=] and Russell dropped out before production on their very first series, ''Four Star Playhouse'', began and Niven and Lupino were brought in. Lupino was included as the "fourth star" only to keep the name; she never owned any stock in the company.[[/note]]

!!Four Star Television productions with Wiki/TVTropes pages:

Notable production alumni included Creator/GeneRoddenberry and Creator/AaronSpelling, who infamously left in 1963 to create Thomas Spelling Productions.

Much of the shows produced were notable for their {{retroactive|recognition}} [[AllStarCast All-Star Casts]], mostly full of actors from UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood that had either retired from the movies or were friends with the founders, whereas the new youngsters that they were sharing the screen with would later become big television stars in their own ways (notable ones are Creator/LeeMajors, Creator/AdamWest, [[Series/{{Dynasty}} Linda Evans]], etc.).

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!!Four Star Television productions with their own pages

* ''Series/WantedDeadOrAlive''
* ''Series/TheRifleman''
* ''Series/BurkesLaw''

* The company itself is still owned by the spin-off company Fox Corporation, but its sole purpose now is to handle all pre-existing liabilities held by New World as well as to handle ownership claims to the New World stations that Fox still own.

* The company itself is still owned by the spin-off company Fox Corporation, but it sole purpose is to handle all pre-existing liabilities held by New World as well as to handle ownership claims to the New World stations that Fox still own.

Unfortunately for the company, its heydays were very brief. Dick Powell, who became the company's president a few years after its foundation, died suddenly in January 1963. With no clear direction, profits dried up: several shows were cancelled after one season and rivals were destroying it in television ratings. Eventually, Four Star Television was sold to businessman David Charnay, and then sold again to Ron Perelman, who folded the company into [[Creator/RogerCorman New World Television]]. The business went defunct in 1997, two years after [[LastOfHerKind former producer]] Ida Lupino's death, when News Corporation fully absorbed New World.

Unfortunately for the company, its heydays were very brief. Dick Powell, who became the company's president a few years after its foundation, died suddenly in January 1963. With no clear direction, profits dried up: several shows were cancelled after one season and rivals were destroying it in television ratings. Eventually, Four Star Television was sold, and then sold again, and went defunct in 1997, two years after [[LastOfHerKind former producer]] Ida Lupino's death.

The Four Star library is now owned by {{Creator/Disney}}, with the following exceptions:

The Four Star library is now owned by [[Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox 20th Television]], with the following exceptions:

* Shows that were only distributed by Four Star, such as

* ''PDQ'' -- owned by [[Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer MGM Television]], who acquired the library of producer [[Creator/MerrillHeatter Heatter-Quigley]] (Four Star was only the distributor).

'''Four Star Television''' (also known as Four Star International) was an American production company that produced and created several popular American television shows throughout the 1950s and '60s. It is best known for its Hollywood star founders: Creator/DickPowell (the president), Creator/DavidNiven, Creator/CharlesBoyer, and Creator/JoelMcCrea, with Creator/IdaLupino taking over after [=McCrea=] dropped out; a few of them even starred in their own television productions.

Unfortunately for the company, its heydays were very brief. Dick Powell, who had been president since 1959, died suddenly in January 1963. With no clear direction, profits dried up: several shows were cancelled after one season and rivals were destroying it in television ratings. Eventually, Four Star Television was sold, and then sold again, and went defunct in 1997, two years after [[LastOfHerKind former producer]] Ida Lupino's death.

!!Notable television shows

* ''Series/BurkesLaw''
* ''Series/HawkeyeAndTheMochicans''
* ''Series/JohnnyRingo''
* ''Series/TheRogues''

Much of the shows produced were notable for their {{retroactive|recognition}} [[AllStarCast All-Star Casts]], mostly full of actors from UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood that had either retired from the movies or were friends with the founders, whereas the new youngsters that they were sharing the screen with would later become big television stars in their own ways.