Warner Bros.
Poland → USA
Media, Entertainment & Communications
Summary
Warner Bros. was founded in 1923 by four brothers whose parents had emigrated from Krasnosielc, in Russian-controlled Poland, in the early 1880s. The eldest three — Harry, Albert, and Sam — were born in Europe and emigrated as small children in 1889; the youngest, Jack, was born in London, Ontario, in 1892. Their father, Benjamin, a cobbler, anglicised the family name Wonsal to Warner. The brothers entered film exhibition in 1903 and production in 1912 before incorporating Warner Bros. Pictures in 1923. In 1927 the company released The Jazz Singer, the first feature-length film with synchronised sound — a commercial gamble that ended the silent era. Warner Bros. is one of the foundational Hollywood studios and continues to operate from Burbank.
European Contribution
Polish-Jewish entrepreneurial tradition and the storytelling sensibility of the Yiddish theatre milieu.
American Impact
Released the first synchronised-sound feature, The Jazz Singer (1927), ending the silent era and reshaping cinema worldwide.
Timeline Highlights
- 1889 Three eldest Warner brothers emigrate to North America
- 1903 Brothers enter film exhibition in Pennsylvania
- 1923 Warner Bros. Pictures incorporated in Hollywood
- 1927 The Jazz Singer released, launching the sound era
- 2022 Warner Bros. Discovery formed via merger