What if RCA kept RKO Radio Pictures in 1948?

Eccentric aviation tycoon and occasional movie producer Howard Hughes spent $8.8 million to gain control of the company, beating out British film magnate J. Arthur Rank for Odlum's stake. During Hughes's tenure, RKO suffered its worst years since the early 1930s, as his capricious management style took a heavy toll. Production chief Schary quit almost immediately due to his new boss's interference and Rathvon soon followed. Within weeks of taking over, Hughes had dismissed three-fourths of the work force; production was virtually shut down for six months as the conservative Hughes shelved or canceled several of the "message pictures" that Schary had backed. All of the Big Five saw their profits dwindle in 1948—from Fox, down 11 percent, to Loew's/MGM, down 62 percent—but at RKO they virtually vanished: from $5.1 million in 1947 to $0.5 million, a drop of 90 percent. The production-distribution end of the RKO business, now deep in the red, would never make a profit again.

Offscreen, Robert Mitchum's arrest and conviction for marijuana possession—he served two months in jail—was widely assumed to mean career death for RKO's most promising young star, but Hughes surprised the industry by announcing that his contract was not endangered. Of much broader significance, Hughes decided to get the jump on his Big Five competitors by being the first to settle the federal government's antitrust suit against the major studios, which had won a crucial Supreme Court ruling in *United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc.* Under the consent decree he signed, Hughes agreed to dissolve the old parent company, Radio-Keith-Orpheum Corp., and split RKO's production-distribution business and its exhibition chain into two entirely separate corporations—RKO Pictures Corp. and RKO Theatres Corp.—with the obligation to promptly sell off one or the other. While Hughes delayed the divorcement procedure until December 1950 and didn't actually sell his stock in the theater company for another three years, his decision to acquiesce was one of the crucial steps in the collapse of classical Hollywood's studio system. But in the alternate universe, what if RCA kept RKO Radio Pictures in 1948 instead of sold it.

This theory is interconnected to What if DreamWorks Pictures was founded in 1980 as The Geffen Film Company?

## Changes

* RKO Radio Pictures would've kept it's pre-1959 library.
* The Van Beuren Corporation would've still been open in 1938.
	+ The Van Beuren Corporation would've been reorganized as RKO Cartoon Studios in 1974.
* RKO Radio Pictures would've still been owned by RCA in 1948 until 1986.
	+ RKO Radio Pictures would've still become a major film studio in 1959 until 2004.
	+ RCA would've been still reacquired and folded into General Electric in 1986.
	+ RKO Pictures would've become a subsidiary of General Electric in 1986 until 2004.
		- RKO Pictures would've become a subsidiary of Universal Pictures and leave the big majors in 2004 due to this studio become a minor film studio after General Electric acquired 80% of Vivendi Universal in 2004.
	+ NBC Productions would've still existed in 1947.
		- NBC Productions film arm would've never existed
* RCA via RKO Pictures Company, Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. via Republic Pictures, MCA Inc. via Universal Pictures and Gulf and Western Industries via Paramount Pictures would've been created Cinema International Corporation as a Joint venture in 1970.
	+ Taft Broadcasting via Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, RCA via RKO Pictures Company, Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. via Republic Pictures, MCA Inc. via Universal Pictures and Gulf and Western Industries via Paramount Pictures would've merged with United Artists International and MGM International with Cinema International Corporation to form United International Pictures in 1981.
		- As a result Turner Broadcasting System would've sold MGM's stake of United International Pictures to Viacom, Westinghouse, Seagram, General Electric and DreamWorks Pictures in October 9, 1996.
* RKO Pictures would've still kept the rights to Felix the Cat.
	+ Felix the Cat would've been the mascot of RKO Pictures.
	+ Felix the Cat would've appeared in *Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue* (1990) and *Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue 2000* (2000).
	+ Molly Moo-Cow and Scotty the Dog from *Rainbow Parade* would've appeared as babies in *Baby Felix and Friends* (2000-2001).
	+ *Baby Felix and Friends* (2000-2001) would've been co-produced by RKO Television Animation Japan.
		- It would've aired on RKO Kids on NBC and RKO Kids' preschool block RKO Jr. and later air reruns on Sprout Universal/Universal Junior since 2004 in the United States.
* General Electric via RKO Pictures would've launched RKO Kids in 1992.
* RKO Pictures would've still kept the rights to King Kong.
	+ *King Kong vs. Godzilla* and *King Kong Escapes* would've been US released by RKO Radio Pictures (along with Universal-International for *King Kong vs. Godzilla* and instead of Universal Pictures for *King Kong Escapes*).
		- In *Destory All Monsters*, Gorosaurus would've been replaced by Maguma (from *Gorath*).
		- *Mighty Joe Young* (1998) would've been fully released by RKO Pictures instead of Walt Disney Pictures.
		- King Kong would've become part of Universal Monsters in 2004.
		- *King Kong* (2005) would've been released by RKO Pictures instead of Universal Pictures production arm.
		- *Kong: Skull Island* would've been released by Universal Pictures via RKO Pictures instead of Warner Bros. Pictures and *Godzilla vs. Kong* would've been released by Universal Pictures via RKO Pictures instead of Warner Bros. Pictures.
* Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988) would've been released by RKO Pictures instead of New World Pictures.
	+ Elvira would've become part of Universal Monsters in 2004.
* RCA would've form RKO Home Video as a Home Video distribution arm of RKO Pictures in 1976.
	+ RKO Home Video would've use FBI Warning Screen from 1981-2004.
	+ RKO Home Video would've use Modest Mussorgsky's "Promenade from Isao Tomita's Pictures at an Exhibition on it's logo in 1978 until 1983 and RCA SelectaVision 1982 fanfare in 1982 until 1992.
	+ *King Kong* (1933) would've been first RKO Home Video release ever made in 1978.
* RCA would've acquired both Random House and Dr. Seuss Enterprises in 1979.
	+ *The Butter Battle Book* (1989) would've been aired and produced by NBC and RKO Television Animation instead of TNT.
	+ *Daisy-Head Mayzie* (1995) would've been aired and produced by NBC and RKO Television Animation instead of TNT and Hanna-Barbera.
	+ Conrad would've actually appeared in *The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!* (2010-2018)
		- *The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!* (2010-2018) would've aired on Sprout Universal (now Universal Junior).
	+ *Green, Eggs and Ham* (2019-2022) would've been aired and produced by Universal Kids, RKO Television Animation and Imagine Kids+Family instead of Netflix and Warner Bros. Animation.
	+ Warner Communications via Warner Bros. Pictures would've gradually sold the rights to *Horton Hatches the Egg* (1942) to RCA via RKO Radio Pictures in 1979.
		- General Electric via RKO Pictures would've restore *Horton Hatches the Egg* (1942) back into it's original negatives on the 2000 VHS and DVD of *The Best of Dr. Seuss*. and the 2008 DVD of *Horton Hears a Who! (*1970).
	+ Columbia Pictures Industries would've sold the rights to *Gerald McBoing-Boing* and *The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.* (1953) to RCA via RKO Radio Pictures in 1979.
	+ Taft Broadcasting via Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer would've sold the rights to *How the Grinch Stole Christmas!* (1966) and *Horton Hears a Who!* (1970) to RCA via RKO Television in 1979.
	+ CBS, Inc. via Republic Pictures Television would've sold the rights to the CBS-produced Dr. Seuss television specials from 1971-1975 to RCA via RKO Television in 1979.
	+ *How the Grinch Lost Christmas!* would've been released in 1993 instead of 2023.
	+ *The Busy World of Richard Scarry* (1994-1997) would've been co-produced by RKO Television with Paramount Television Animation and Paramount Family Entertainment instead of Cinar in 1994.
		- Paramount Family Entertainment logo with Little Audrey wearing blue dress would've been used before The Busy World of Richard Scarry theme song instead of regular Paramount Television logo.
* General Electric via RKO Pictures would've also acquired Western Publishing (including Golden Books) in 2001.
	+ Viacom via Paramount Pictures would've gradually sold the rights to Little Lulu (1943–1962) to General Electric via RKO Pictures in 2001.
		- As a result Little Lulu: The Complete 1943-1962 Collection would've been only Little Lulu (1943–1962) VHS release released by Universal Studios Home Video under RKO Home Video under Golden Books Family Entertainment in 2005.
		- Paramount Home Entertainment would've release only Little Lulu: Classic Cartoon Collection as final Little Lulu (1943–1962) VHS release in 1999.
	+ Cinar would've sold The Little Lulu Show (1995–1999), *A Bunch of Munsch*, *The Real Story of...* specials, *the* 1990-1991 *Madeline*specials and Something Good, Plus Mortimer to General Electric via RKO Pictures in 2001.
	+ Apple Computer, Inc. via Disney-ABC Enterprises via DIC Entertainment would've sold *Madeline* (1993-2001 TV series) and *Madeline: Lost in Paris* (1999) to General Electric via RKO Television in 2001.
	+ As a result, Golden Books Family Entertainment releases would've moved to RKO Home Video in 2001 and later Universal Studios Home Video in 2004.
	+ Universal Pictures, RKO Pictures and Imagine Entertainment would've been making Golden Books live-action film called *The Little Golden Book* (starring with Eddie Murphy) in 2004.
	+ Rankin Bass would've kept it's pre-1974 library.
* *How the Grinch Stole Christmas* (2000) would've been co-released by DreamWorks Pictures via RKO Pictures with Imagine Entertainment.
* *The Cat in the Hat* (2003) would've been co-released by RKO Pictures with Imagine Entertainment.
	+ The Cat in the Hat would've been recasted with Robin Williams and the Fish with Billy Crystal while Sean Hayes is still playing Mr. Humberfloob.
		- As a result, this would've make him better and as much more funny as the Jim Carrey Grinch.
		- Removed all the adult humor.
		- The Cat, Thing 1 and Thing 2 aren't creepy.
	+ *The Mean One* (2022) would've never existed.
* RCA would've acquired Total Television in 1969 instead of closed down.
	+ *Underdog* (2007) would've been released by Universal Pictures via RKO Pictures instead of Walt Disney Pictures.
* NBC Universal, Inc. via RKO Pictures would've acquired IDW Publishing in 2007.
	+ As a result, NBC Universal, Inc. via RKO Pictures via Random House would've take over publishing and distribution for IDW Publishing after NBC Universal, Inc. via RKO Pictures would've acquired IDW Publishing in 2007.
* RCA would've acquired Koei in 1980.
	+ General Electric via RKO Pictures via Koei would've acquired Tecmo in 1999.
		- *DOA: Dead or Alive* (2007) would've been released and produced by Universal Pictures via RKO Pictures and Rogue Pictures instead of The Weinstein Company and Dimension Films.
* General Electric via RKO Pictures would've acquired Broadway Video in 1996.
	+ As a result *Coneheads* (1993) would've been released by RKO Pictures instead of Paramount Pictures.
	+ Viacom via Paramount would've sold rights to *Wayne's World* (1992) to General Electric via RKO Pictures in 1996.
	+ *Mean Girls* (2004) would've been released by Universal Pictures via RKO Pictures instead of Paramount Pictures.
	+ *MacGruber* (2010) would've released by Universal Pictures via RKO Pictures with Rogue Pictures.
* General Electric would've kept RCA Records in 1987.
	+ As a result, RCA Records would've become a subsidiary of Universal Music Group in 2004 after General Electric acquired 80% of Vivendi Universal in 2004.