romikgosai/squad_modified huggingface dataset:
Soon, Laemmle and other disgruntled nickelodeon owners decided to avoid paying Edison by producing their own pictures. In June 1909, Laemmle started the Yankee Film Company with partners Abe Stern and Julius Stern. That company quickly evolved into the Independent Moving Pictures Company (IMP), with studios in Fort Lee, New Jersey, where many early films in America's first motion picture industry were produced in the early 20th century. Laemmle broke with Edison's custom of refusing to give billing and screen credits to performers. By naming the movie stars, he attracted many of the leading players of the time, contributing to the creation of the star system. In 1910, he promoted Florence Lawrence, formerly known as "The Biograph Girl", and actor King Baggot, in what may be the first instance of a studio using stars in its marketing.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: What company did Laemmle found in June 1909?
A: Yankee Film Company', "
Q: Who were Laemmle's business partners in the Yankee Film Company?
A: Abe Stern and Julius Stern", '
Q: In what city and state was the Independent Moving Pictures Company based?
A: Fort Lee, New Jersey', '
Q: What was a nickname of Florence Lawrence?
A: The Biograph Girl', '
Q: What actor did Laemmle promote?
A: King Baggot']
The Universal Film Manufacturing Company was incorporated in New York on April 30, 1912. Laemmle, who emerged as president in July 1912, was the primary figure in the partnership with Dintenfass, Baumann, Kessel, Powers, Swanson, Horsley, and Brulatour. Eventually all would be bought out by Laemmle. The new Universal studio was a vertically integrated company, with movie production, distribution and exhibition venues all linked in the same corporate entity, the central element of the Studio system era.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: On what date was the incorporation of the Universal Film Manufacturing Company?
A: April 30, 1912', '
Q: In what state was the Universal Film Manufacturing Company incorporated?
A: New York', '
Q: Who was the president of the Universal Film Manufacturing Company circa July 1912?
A: Laemmle', '
Q: What was the fate of the other partners of the Universal Film Manufacturing Company?
A: bought out by Laemmle', '
Q: Along with exhibition and distribution, what business did the Universal Film Manufacturing Company engage in?
A: movie production']
On March 15, 1915,:8 Laemmle opened the world's largest motion picture production facility, Universal City Studios, on a 230-acre (0.9-km²) converted farm just over the Cahuenga Pass from Hollywood. Studio management became the third facet of Universal's operations, with the studio incorporated as a distinct subsidiary organization. Unlike other movie moguls, Laemmle opened his studio to tourists. Universal became the largest studio in Hollywood, and remained so for a decade. However, it sought an audience mostly in small towns, producing mostly inexpensive melodramas, westerns and serials.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: On what date did Universal City Studios open?
A: March 15, 1915', '
Q: In square kilometers, what was the size of Universal City Studios?
A: 0.9', '
Q: What geographical feature separated Universal City Studios from Hollywood?
A: Cahuenga Pass', '
Q: What was the biggest Hollywood studio during this period?
A: Universal']
In its early years Universal released three brands of feature films — Red Feather, low-budget programmers; Bluebird, more ambitious productions; and Jewel, their prestige motion pictures. Directors included Jack Conway, John Ford, Rex Ingram, Robert Z. Leonard, George Marshall and Lois Weber, one of the few women directing films in Hollywood.:13

Questions and answers:
['
Q: What sort of films were produced by Red Feather?
A: low-budget programmers', '
Q: What type of movies came out of Bluebird?
A: more ambitious productions', '
Q: What motion pictures were made by Jewel?
A: prestige motion pictures', '
Q: What was the profession of George Marshall?
A: Directors', '
Q: Who was one of the few female Hollywood directors in this era?
A: Lois Weber']
Despite Laemmle's role as an innovator, he was an extremely cautious studio chief. Unlike rivals Adolph Zukor, William Fox, and Marcus Loew, Laemmle chose not to develop a theater chain. He also financed all of his own films, refusing to take on debt. This policy nearly bankrupted the studio when actor-director Erich von Stroheim insisted on excessively lavish production values for his films Blind Husbands (1919) and Foolish Wives (1922), but Universal shrewdly gained a return on some of the expenditure by launching a sensational ad campaign that attracted moviegoers. Character actor Lon Chaney became a drawing card for Universal in the 1920s, appearing steadily in dramas. His two biggest hits for Universal were The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925). During this period Laemmle entrusted most of the production policy decisions to Irving Thalberg. Thalberg had been Laemmle's personal secretary, and Laemmle was impressed by his cogent observations of how efficiently the studio could be operated. Promoted to studio chief, Thalberg was giving Universal's product a touch of class, but MGM's head of production Louis B. Mayer lured Thalberg away from Universal with a promise of better pay. Without his guidance Universal became a second-tier studio, and would remain so for several decades.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Who directed Blind Husbands?
A: Erich von Stroheim', '
Q: In what year was Foolish Wives produced?
A: 1922', '
Q: Who starred in The Phantom of the Opera?
A: Lon Chaney', '
Q: What year saw a film version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame?
A: 1923', "
Q: Who was at one time Laemmle's personal secretary?
A: Irving Thalberg"]
In 1926, Universal opened a production unit in Germany, Deutsche Universal-Film AG, under the direction of Joe Pasternak. This unit produced three to four films per year until 1936, migrating to Hungary and then Austria in the face of Hitler's increasing domination of central Europe. With the advent of sound, these productions were made in the German language or, occasionally, Hungarian or Polish. In the U.S., Universal Pictures did not distribute any of this subsidiary's films, but at least some of them were exhibited through other, independent, foreign-language film distributors based in New York, without benefit of English subtitles. Nazi persecution and a change in ownership for the parent Universal Pictures organization resulted in the dissolution of this subsidiary.

Questions and answers:
["
Q: What was the name of Universal's German production unit?
A: Deutsche Universal-Film AG", "
Q: Who ran Universal's German production unit?
A: Joe Pasternak", '
Q: In what year did Deutsche Universal-Film AG open?
A: 1926', "
Q: How many films did Universal's German subsidiary make yearly?
A: three to four", '
Q: Along with Germany and Austria, where was Deutsche Universal-Film AG at one time based?
A: Hungary']
In the early years, Universal had a "clean picture" policy. However, by April 1927, Carl Laemmle considered this to be a mistake as "unclean pictures" from other studios were generating more profit while Universal was losing money.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: what was the policy that Universal followed in its early years?
A: "clean picture"', '
Q: By what month and year did Laemmle change his opinion on "unclean pictures"?
A: April 1927', '
Q: Why did Laemmle change his position on "unclean pictures"?
A: Universal was losing money']
Universal owned the rights to the "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit" character, although Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks had created Oswald, and their films had enjoyed a successful theatrical run. After Charles Mintz had unsuccessfully demanded that Disney accept a lower fee for producing the property, Mintz produced the films with his own group of animators. Instead, Disney and Iwerks created Mickey Mouse who in 1928 stared in the first "sync" sound animated short, Steamboat Willie. This moment effectively launched Walt Disney Studios' foothold, while Universal became a minor player in film animation. Universal subsequently severed its link to Mintz and formed its own in-house animation studio to produce Oswald cartoons headed by Walter Lantz.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Along with Walt Disney, who created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit?
A: Ub Iwerks', '
Q: Who owned the rights to Oswald?
A: Universal', '
Q: Who produced an Oswald the Lucky Rabbit motion picture?
A: Charles Mintz', '
Q: What character did Walt Disney create in 1928?
A: Mickey Mouse', '
Q: What was the first animated short with synchronized sound?
A: Steamboat Willie']
In 2006, after almost 80 years, NBC Universal sold all Walt Disney-produced Oswald cartoons, along with the rights to the character himself, back to Disney. In return, Disney released ABC sportscaster Al Michaels from his contract so he could work on NBC's Sunday night NFL football package. However, Universal retained ownership of Oswald cartoons produced for them by Walter Lantz from 1929 to 1943.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Who bought the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons in 2006?
A: Disney', '
Q: Who was 2006 seller of the Oswald cartoons?
A: NBC Universal', '
Q: What notable figure worked as a sportscaster for ABC?
A: Al Michaels', '
Q: Who began producing Oswald cartoons for Universal in 1929?
A: Walter Lantz', '
Q: In what year did Walter Lantz cease producing Oswald cartoons for Universal?
A: 1943']
In 1928, Laemmle, Sr. made his son, Carl, Jr. head of Universal Pictures as a 21st birthday present. Universal already had a reputation for nepotism—at one time, 70 of Carl, Sr.'s relatives were supposedly on the payroll. Many of them were nephews, resulting in Carl, Sr. being known around the studios as "Uncle Carl." Ogden Nash famously quipped in rhyme, "Uncle Carl Laemmle/Has a very large faemmle." Among these relatives was future Academy Award winning director/producer William Wyler.

Questions and answers:
["
Q: How many of Carl Laemmle, Sr.'s relatives were working for Universal as of 1928?
A: 70", "
Q: What was Carl Laemmle, Sr.'s nickname at Universal?
A: Uncle Carl", '
Q: What poet wrote a notable rhyme about Laemmle?
A: Ogden Nash', '
Q: At what age did Carl Laemmle, Jr. become president of Universal?
A: 21', "
Q: What Academy Award-winning director was a relative of Carl Laemmle's?
A: William Wyler"]
"Junior" Laemmle persuaded his father to bring Universal up to date. He bought and built theaters, converted the studio to sound production, and made several forays into high-quality production. His early efforts included the critically mauled part-talkie version of Edna Ferber's novel Show Boat (1929), the lavish musical Broadway (1929) which included Technicolor sequences; and the first all-color musical feature (for Universal), King of Jazz (1930). The more serious All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), won its year's Best Picture Oscar.

Questions and answers:
["
Q: What was Carl Laemmle Jr.'s nickname?
A: Junior", '
Q: What movie was based on an Edna Ferber novel?
A: Show Boat', '
Q: In what year was the musical Broadway produced?
A: 1929', '
Q: What movie won the 1930 Academy Award for Best Picture?
A: All Quiet on the Western Front', '
Q: What all-color musical did Universal make in 1930?
A: King of Jazz']
Laemmle, Jr. created a niche for the studio, beginning a series of horror films which extended into the 1940s, affectionately dubbed Universal Horror. Among them are Frankenstein (1931), Dracula ( also in 1931), The Mummy (1932) and The Invisible Man (1933). Other Laemmle productions of this period include Imitation of Life (1934) and My Man Godfrey (1936).

Questions and answers:
['
Q: In what year did Universal make a film version of Dracula?
A: 1931', '
Q: In what year was The Invisible Man made?
A: 1933', '
Q: What film was produced by Laemmle in 1934?
A: Imitation of Life', '
Q: In what year did My Man Godfrey premiere?
A: 1936', "
Q: When was Universal's version of Frankenstein made?
A: 1931"]
Universal's forays into high-quality production spelled the end of the Laemmle era at the studio. Taking on the task of modernizing and upgrading a film conglomerate in the depths of the depression was risky, and for a time Universal slipped into receivership. The theater chain was scrapped, but Carl, Jr. held fast to distribution, studio and production operations.

Questions and answers:
["
Q: What part of Universal's business was terminated while it was in bankruptcy?
A: The theater chain", '
Q: Along with distribution and studio operations, what part of Universal was retained by Carl Laemmle, Jr. during bankruptcy?
A: production operations']
The end for the Laemmles came with a lavish version of Show Boat (1936), a remake of its earlier 1929 part-talkie production, and produced as a high-quality, big-budget film rather than as a B-picture. The new film featured several stars from the Broadway stage version, which began production in late 1935, and unlike the 1929 film was based on the Broadway musical rather than the novel. Carl, Jr.'s spending habits alarmed company stockholders. They would not allow production to start on Show Boat unless the Laemmles obtained a loan. Universal was forced to seek a $750,000 production loan from the Standard Capital Corporation, pledging the Laemmle family's controlling interest in Universal as collateral. It was the first time Universal had borrowed money for a production in its 26-year history. The production went $300,000 over budget; Standard called in the loan, cash-strapped Universal could not pay, Standard foreclosed and seized control of the studio on April 2, 1936.

Questions and answers:
["
Q: In what year was Universal's ill-fated film version of Show Boat released?
A: 1936", '
Q: In what year had Universal previously made a version of Show Boat?
A: 1929', '
Q: What was the amount of the production loan Universal sought to complete Show Boat?
A: $750,000', '
Q: Who granted Universal the production loan?
A: the Standard Capital Corporation', '
Q: When did the Standard Capital Corporation take control of Universal?
A: April 2, 1936']
Universal's 1936 Show Boat (released a little over a month later) became a critical and financial success, it was not enough to save the Laemmles' involvement with the studio. They were unceremoniously removed from the company they had founded. Because the Laemmles personally oversaw production, Show Boat was released (despite the takeover) with Carl Laemmle and Carl Laemmle Jr.'s names on the credits and in the advertising campaign of the film. Standard Capital's J. Cheever Cowdin had taken over as president and chairman of the board of directors, and instituted severe cuts in production budgets. Gone were the big ambitions, and though Universal had a few big names under contract, those it had been cultivating, like William Wyler and Margaret Sullavan, left.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Who became president of Universal after the Standard Capital takeover?
A: J. Cheever Cowdin', '
Q: What notable female star left Universal after the Standard Capital takeover?
A: Margaret Sullavan', "
Q: Who was Universal's chairman of the board of directors after the Standard Captial takeover?
A: J. Cheever Cowdin", '
Q: Along with Margaret Sullavan, what notable film talent left Universal after the Standard Capital takeover?
A: William Wyler', '
Q: In what year was Show Boat released?
A: 1936']
Meanwhile, producer Joe Pasternak, who had been successfully producing light musicals with young sopranos for Universal's German subsidiary, repeated his formula in America. Teenage singer Deanna Durbin starred in Pasternak's first American film, Three Smart Girls (1936). The film was a box-office hit and reputedly restored the studio's solvency. The success of the film led Universal to offer her a contract, which for the first five years of her career produced her most successful pictures.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Who produced the film Three Smart Girls?
A: Joe Pasternak', '
Q: Who starred in the film Three Smart Girls?
A: Deanna Durbin', '
Q: In what year was Three Smart Girls made?
A: 1936', "
Q: Prior to his work in America, where was Joe Pasternak employed?
A: Universal's German subsidiary", '
Q: What type of films did Joe Pasternak produce in Germany?
A: light musicals']
When Pasternak stopped producing Durbin's pictures, and she outgrew her screen persona and pursued more dramatic roles, the studio signed 13-year-old Gloria Jean for her own series of Pasternak musicals from 1939; she went on to star with Bing Crosby, W. C. Fields, and Donald O'Connor. A popular Universal film of the late 1930s was Destry Rides Again (1939), starring James Stewart as Destry and Marlene Dietrich in her comeback role after leaving Paramount Studios.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: How old was Gloria Jean in 1939?
A: 13', "
Q: Along with Donald O'Connor and Bing Crosby, with whom did Gloria Jean star?
A: Bing Crosby", '
Q: Who played Destry in Destry Rides Again?
A: James Stewart', '
Q: Prior to working at Universal, what studio employed Marlene Dietrich?
A: Paramount Studios', '
Q: In what year was Destry Rides again produced?
A: 1939']
By the early 1940s, the company was concentrating on lower-budget productions that were the company's main staple: westerns, melodramas, serials and sequels to the studio's horror pictures, the latter now solely B pictures. The studio fostered many series: The Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys action features and serials (1938–43); the comic adventures of infant Baby Sandy (1938–41); comedies with Hugh Herbert (1938–42) and The Ritz Brothers (1940–43); musicals with Robert Paige, Jane Frazee, The Andrews Sisters, and The Merry Macs (1938–45); and westerns with Tom Mix (1932–33), Buck Jones (1933–36), Bob Baker (1938–39), Johnny Mack Brown (1938–43); Rod Cameron (1944–45), and Kirby Grant (1946–47).

Questions and answers:
['
Q: During what period were the Little Tough Guys films produced?
A: 1938–43', '
Q: Over what span were the Baby Sandy films made?
A: 1938–41', '
Q: In what period did Universal produce Hugh Herbert comedies?
A: 1938–42', '
Q: When did Universal make Tom Mix westerns?
A: 1932–33', '
Q: In what span did Universal produce westerns with Kirby Grant?
A: 1946–47']
Universal could seldom afford its own stable of stars, and often borrowed talent from other studios, or hired freelance actors. In addition to Stewart and Dietrich, Margaret Sullavan, and Bing Crosby were two of the major names that made a couple of pictures for Universal during this period. Some stars came from radio, including Edgar Bergen, W. C. Fields, and the comedy team of Abbott and Costello (Bud Abbott and Lou Costello). Abbott and Costello's military comedy Buck Privates (1941) gave the former burlesque comedians a national and international profile.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: What two performers were known as the team Abbott and Costello?
A: Bud Abbott and Lou Costello', '
Q: What military comedy did Bud Abbott and Lou Costello star in?
A: Buck Privates', '
Q: Along with Abbott and Costello and Edgar Bergen, what radio star appeared in Universal films?
A: W. C. Fields']
During the war years Universal did have a co-production arrangement with producer Walter Wanger and his partner, director Fritz Lang, lending the studio some amount of prestige productions. Universal's core audience base was still found in the neighborhood movie theaters, and the studio continued to please the public with low- to medium-budget films. Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in new Sherlock Holmes mysteries (1942–46), teenage musicals with Gloria Jean, Donald O'Connor, and Peggy Ryan (1942–43), and screen adaptations of radio's Inner Sanctum Mysteries with Lon Chaney, Jr. (1943–45). Alfred Hitchcock was also borrowed for two films from Selznick International Pictures: Saboteur (1942) and Shadow of a Doubt (1943).

Questions and answers:
['
Q: Who was the directorial partner of Walter Wanger?
A: Fritz Lang', '
Q: In what period did Basil Rathbone star in a series of Sherlock Holmes films?
A: 1942–46', '
Q: In what period did film versions of Inner Sanctum Mysteries appear?
A: 1943–45', '
Q: What was the studio that Alfred Hitchcock normally worked for?
A: Selznick International Pictures', '
Q: In what year was Shadow of a Doubt produced?
A: 1943']
As Universal's main product had always been low-budget film, it was one of the last major studios to have a contract with Technicolor. The studio did not make use of the three-strip Technicolor process until Arabian Nights (1942), starring Jon Hall and Maria Montez. The following year, Technicolor was also used in Universal's remake of their 1925 horror melodrama, Phantom of the Opera with Claude Rains and Nelson Eddy. With the success of their first two pictures, a regular schedule of high-budget, Technicolor films followed.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: What was the first Universal film to use the three-strip Technicolor process?
A: Arabian Nights', '
Q: What actress starred in Arabian Nights?
A: Maria Montez', '
Q: Along with Nelson Eddy, who starred in the Phantom of the Opera?
A: Claude Rains', "
Q: When was Universal's first version of the Phantom of the Opera made?
A: 1925", '
Q: In what year was Arabian Nights produced?
A: 1942']
In 1945, the British entrepreneur J. Arthur Rank, hoping to expand his American presence, bought into a four-way merger with Universal, the independent company International Pictures, and producer Kenneth Young. The new combine, United World Pictures, was a failure and was dissolved within one year. Rank and International remained interested in Universal, however, culminating in the studio's reorganization as Universal-International. William Goetz, a founder of International, was made head of production at the renamed Universal-International Pictures Inc., which also served as an import-export subsidiary, and copyright holder for the production arm's films. Goetz, a son-in-law of Louis B. Mayer decided to bring "prestige" to the new company. He stopped the studio's low-budget production of B movies, serials and curtailed Universal's horror and "Arabian Nights" cycles. Distribution and copyright control remained under the name of Universal Pictures Company Inc.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: In what year was United World Pictures founded?
A: 1945', '
Q: What producer was involved in the founding of United World Pictures?
A: Kenneth Young', '
Q: How long did United World Pictures last?
A: one year', '
Q: Who was the head of production at Universal-International Pictures?
A: William Goetz', "
Q: Who was William Goetz's father-in-law?
A: Louis B. Mayer"]
Goetz set out an ambitious schedule. Universal-International became responsible for the American distribution of Rank's British productions, including such classics as David Lean's Great Expectations (1946) and Laurence Olivier's Hamlet (1948). Broadening its scope further, Universal-International branched out into the lucrative non-theatrical field, buying a majority stake in home-movie dealer Castle Films in 1947, and taking the company over entirely in 1951. For three decades, Castle would offer "highlights" reels from the Universal film library to home-movie enthusiasts and collectors. Goetz licensed Universal's pre–Universal-International film library to Jack Broeder's Realart Pictures for cinema re-release but Realart was not allowed to show the films on television.

Questions and answers:
['
Q: In what year was the Olivier version of Hamlet made?
A: 1948', "
Q: Who directed 1946's Great Expectations?
A: David Lean", '
Q: In 1947, what company did Universal buy a stake in?
A: Castle Films', '
Q: Who ran Realart Pictures?
A: Jack Broeder', '
Q: In what year did Universal-International take over Castle Films?
A: 1951']