PM Entertainment
PM Entertainment Group Inc. was an American independent production, distribution company which produced a distinctive line of low-to-medium budget films mostly targeted for home-video market. The company diversified into television production and larger budgeted star vehicles before being sold by its founders in 2000.
 | |
| Type | Corporation |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motion pictures |
| Fate | Acquired by Platinum Disc Corporation |
| Successor | Echo Bridge Home Entertainment |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Defunct | 2002 |
| Headquarters | |
Key people | Joseph Merhi Richard Pepin George Shamieh |
| Products | Motion Pictures Television Production |
| Owner | Independent (1989–2000) The Harvey Entertainment Group (2000-2002) Echo Bridge Home Entertainment (2002-present) |
History
City Lights Entertainment (1986–1990)
In 1986, Joseph Toufik Merhi, an indie film director and producer, founded the production company City Lights Entertainment with producer Ronald L. Gilchrist for his first movies, the comedy Hollywood In Trouble and slasher film Mayhem.[1] The films were successful and caught the VHS Direct-to-video boom beginning in the mid-late 80s.
However in 1989, the relationship between Merhi and Gilchrist turned sour and their partnership was dissolved with Gilchrist and City Lights keeping the rights to the films already produced or in production.[2] The last films released by City Lights were Payback and Contra Conspiracy in 1990.[3][4] City Lights Enterainment produced eleven films from 1986 to 1990.[5]
PM Entertainment Group Inc. (1989–2000)
Around 1989, after splitting from producer Ronald Gilchrist's City Lights, Merhi started PM Entertainment along with fellow director Richard Pepin (PM Entertainment from surnames Pepin-Merhi). Based on the successful formula pioneered at City Lights Entertainment, PM Entertainment entered into an exclusive distribution contract with HBO and George Shamieh joined as the third partner and head of sales.[6] The first film produced by PM Entertainment was L.A. Heat directed by Merhi and starring Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs and Jim Brown. The film was quickly followed by three sequels Angels of the City (1989), L.A. Vice (1989) and Chance (1990) with Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs reprising his role as Jon Chance in the sequels and also directing Angels of the City.
The company began bringing together a company of actors and directors to work over multiple projects, including Wings Hauser, who directed and starred in three films for the company in the early 90s,[7] and Jeff Conaway, who starred in three films and directed Bikini Summer II.[8]
Although the company focused primarily on the action market and exploitation films, they attempted to diversify into children's films (Magic Kid and Bigfoot: The Unforgettable Encounter) and dramas (Cellblock Sisters: Banished Behind Bars) with limited success. During the 90's, PM Entertainment had success within the kickboxing and martial arts genre and championed Cynthia Rothrock and Don "The Dragon" Wilson in multiple film projects.
In 1996, PM Entertainment diversified into television production with L.A. Heat (TV series). The tv series is largely unrelated their earlier film, L.A. Heat and neither Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs nor his character, Det. Jon Chance, appear in the show. Instead, it focuses on Chester "Chase" McDonald (Wolf Larson) and Detective August Brooks (Steven Williams), two Los Angeles police detectives investigating robbery/homicides. The series aired on TNT for two seasons beginning March 15, 1999.
A second tv series, Hollywood Safari, which acted as a continuation of PM Entertainment's 1997 film of the same name and starred Sam J. Jones and Ted Jan Roberts, ran for one season before its cancellation.
The Harvey Entertainment Group. (2000-2002)
PM Entertainment's business model changed in the late 90's to accommodate distributors requirement that films hire bankable names for projects and they began making films such as Inferno with Jean-Claude van Damme which greatly affected their profit margin. Joseph Merhi and Richard Pepin sold the company to The Harvey Entertainment Group in early 2000 $6.5 million in cash and a further $1.45 million in stock[9] George Shamieh remained as head of the company under the new owners.[10] The company continued to produce star vehicles such as Layover with David Hasselhoff and Camouflage with Leslie Nielsen, however Shamieh departed the company in late 200 due to financial restructuring of The Harvey Entertainment Group.[11]
CineTel Films was brought in to market the library of PM Entertainment and sell rights for up coming productions Con Express and Tunnel with Daniel Baldwin.[12] These would be the last films produced under the PM Entertainment banner. Facing liquidation, The Harvey Entertainment Group sold PM Entertainment and it's library of over 150 films and 2 TV series to Platinum Disc Corporation.[13]
Films
| Release date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | L.A. Heat | starring Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs |
| Midnight Warrior | starring Kevin Bernhardt | |
| Shotgun | starring Rif Hutton | |
| Deadly Breed | ||
| Angels of the City | sequel to L.A. Heat | |
| L.A. Vice | sequel to L.A. Heat and Angels of the City | |
| East L.A. Warriors | ||
| 1990 | Sinners | |
| Coldfire | starring and directed by Wings Hauser | |
| Chance | sequel to L.A. Heat, Angels of the City and L.A. Vice Final appearance of Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs as Jon Chance. | |
| Night of the Wilding | starring Erik Estrada | |
| American Born | ||
| Living to Die | starring and directed by Wings Hauser | |
| Repo Jake | starring Dan Haggerty | |
| 1991 | The Killers Edge | starring Wings Hauser, Karen Black and Robert Z'Dar |
| The Killing Zone | ||
| The Art of Dying | starring and directed by Wings Hauser | |
| Quiet Fire | starring and directed by Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs | |
| Ring of Fire | starring Don "The Dragon" Wilson | |
| A Time to Die | starring Traci Lords | |
| Bikini Summer | ||
| 1992 | The Last Riders | starring Erik Estrada |
| Final Impact (film) | starring Lorenzo Lamas | |
| Deadly Bet | starring Jeff Wincott | |
| Maximum Force | starring Sam J. Jones | |
| Street Crimes | ||
| CIA Code Name: Alexa | starring Kathleen Kinmont, Lorenzo Lamas and O. J. Simpson | |
| Intent to Kill | starring Traci Lords and Yaphet Kotto | |
| Out for Blood | starring Don "The Dragon" Wilson | |
| Bikini Summer II | sequel to Bikini Summer | |
| 1993 | Alien Intruder | starring Billy Dee Williams, Jeff Conaway and Maxwell Caulfield |
| Ring of Fire II: Blood and Steel | sequel to Ring of Fire | |
| Fist of Honor | starring Sam J. Jones | |
| Magic Kid | ||
| To Be The Best | ||
| Sunset Strip | starring Jeff Conaway | |
| Private Wars | starring Steve Railsback | |
| Firepower | starring Gary Daniels | |
| Amore! | starring Jack Scalia and Kathy Ireland | |
| CIA II: Target Alexa | sequel to CIA Code Name: Alexa | |
| No Escape, No Return | starring Maxwell Caulfield | |
| 1994 | Storybook | |
| Magic Kid II | ||
| Direct Hit | starring William Forsythe | |
| Forced to Kill | starring Michael Ironside | |
| CyberTracker | starring Don "The Dragon" Wilson | |
| Zero Tolerance | starring Robert Patrick | |
| Ice | starring Traci Lords | |
| Deadly Target | starring Gary Daniels | |
| A Dangerous Place | starring Ted Jan Roberts and Corey Feldman | |
| Guardian Angel | starring Cynthia Rothrock | |
| T-Force | starring Jack Scalia | |
| Ring of Fire III: Lion Strike | sequel to Ring of Fire and Ring of Fire II: Blood and Steel | |
| 1995 | Forbidden Games | |
| Steel Frontier | starring Joe Lara, Bo Svenson, Brion James and Kane Hodder | |
| Bigfoot: The Unforgettable Encounter | starring Matt McCoy and Zachery Ty Bryan | |
| Hologram Man | starring Joe Lara | |
| The Knickerbocker Gang: The Talking Grave | ||
| The Power Within | starring Ted Jan Roberts and William Zabka | |
| To the Limit | starring Anna Nicole Smith, sequel to DaVinci's War | |
| Last Man Standing | starring Jeff Wincott | |
| Rage | starring Gary Daniels | |
| Cyber Racker 2 | sequel to CyberTracker | |
| Caged Hearts | ||
| Cellblock Sisters: Banished Behind Bars | ||
| Sinful Intrigue | ||
| Two Bits & Pepper | starring Joe Piscopo | |
| Under Lock and Key | ||
| 1996 | The Sweeper | starring Jeff Fahey |
| Skyscraper | starring Anna Nicole Smith | |
| Tiger Heart | starring Ted Jan Roberts | |
| The Silencers | starring Jack Scalia | |
| Sword of Honor | ||
| Pure Danger | starring and directed by C. Thomas Howell | |
| Dark Breed | starring Jack Scalia | |
| My Uncle the Alien | ||
| Riot | starring Gary Daniels | |
| Natural Enemy | starring Donald Sutherland | |
| Stormy Nights | starring Shannon Tweed | |
| Earth Minus Zero | starring Pat Morita and Sam J. Jones | |
| 1997 | The Big Fall | starring and directed by C. Thomas Howell |
| Busted | starring Corey Feldman, Corey Haim and Elliott Gould | |
| Little Bigfoot | starring P.J. Soles | |
| Executive Target | starring Michael Madsen, Roy Schieder, Keith David and Angie Everhart | |
| Hollywood Safari | starring John Savage, Ted Jan Roberts and Don "The Dragon" Wilson | |
| Catherine's Grove | starring Jeff Fahey | |
| Dinner at Fred's | ||
| Safehouse | starring Dennis Hopper, Peter Coyote and Chris Sarandon | |
| The Underground | starring Jeff Fahey | |
| Bikini Summer III: South Beach Heat | sequel to Bikini Summer and Bikini Summer II | |
| Heaven Before I Die | starring Giancarlo Giannini and Omar Sharif | |
| Dumb Luck in Vegas | ||
| 1998 | Recoil | starring Gary Daniels |
| The Sender | starring Michael Madsen and Robert Vaughn | |
| The Lake | starring Yasmine Bleeth | |
| Little Bigfoot 2: The Journey Home | sequel to Little Bigfoot | |
| Buck and the Magic Bracelet | starring Matt McCoy | |
| Wilbur Falls | starring Sally Kirkland | |
| Land of the Free | starring Jeff Speakman and William Shatner | |
| Extramarital | starring Traci Lords and Jeff Fahey | |
| Anna Nicole Smith: Exposed | documentary starring Anna Nicole Smith | |
| Welcome to Hollywood | mockumentary directed by Adam Rifkin | |
| Renegade Force | aka Counterforce and Rogue Force | |
| Malaika | ||
| The Gardener | aka Garden of Evil starring Malcolm McDowell | |
| Sand Trap | unofficial remake of Inferno | |
| 1999 | When Justice Fails | starring Jeff Fahey |
| Can't Stop Dancing | starring Janeane Garofalo | |
| The Long Kill | starring Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson | |
| Running Red | starring Jeff Speakman and Angie Everhart | |
| Clubland | starring Lori Petty, directed by Mary Lambert | |
| Undercover Angel | starring Yasmine Bleeth | |
| No Tomorrow | starring Gary Busey, Pam Grier and Gary Daniels | |
| Inferno | starring Jean-Claude van Damme, Danny Trejo and Pat Morita | |
| Avalanche | starring Thomas Ian Griffith, R. Lee Ermey and C. Thomas Howell | |
| Y2K | starring Louis Gossett Jr., Sarah Chalke and Malcolm McDowell | |
| 2000 | The Spring | starring Kyle MacLachlan |
| The Stray | starring Michael Madsen and Angie Everhart | |
| The Chaos Factor | starring Fred Ward, R. Lee Ermey, and Kelly Rutherford | |
| Hot Boyz | aka Gang Law | |
| Epicenter | starring Gary Daniels, Traci Lords and Jeff Fahey Final film produced by Richard Pepin and Joseph Merhi for PM Entertainment | |
| Jailbait | ||
| High Noon | starring Tom Skerritt | |
| Little Heroes 2 | sequel to Little Heroes | |
| Backyard Dogs | starring Bree Turner | |
| 2001 | Camouflage | starring Leslie Neilsen |
| The Elite | starring Jurgen Prochnow | |
| Firetrap | starring Dean Cain and Lori Petty | |
| Layover | starring David Hasselhoff | |
| 2002 | Con Express | starring Arnold Vosloo |
| Tunnel | starring Daniel Baldwin |
Television programs
| Title | Original run | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| L.A. Heat | 1996–1999 | TNT | starring Wolf Larson and Steven Williams |
| Hollywood Safari | 1998 | Animal Planet | starring Ted Jan Roberts and Sam J. Jones |
References
- "Joseph Merhi". imdb.com. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
- "An oral history of PM Entertainment, a low-budget high-octane American dream". hopesandfears.com. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
- "Release Date for Payback". imdb.com. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
- "Release Date for Contra Conspiracy". imdb.com. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
- "Company Credits for City Lights Entertainment Group". imdb.com. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
- "An oral history of PM Entertainment, a low-budget high-octane American dream". hopesandfears.com. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
- "Feature Film/TV Episode/Video/TV Movie/TV Special/TV Mini-Series/Documentary/Video Game/Short Film, with Joseph Merhi, Wings Hauser". imdb.com. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
- "Feature Film/TV Episode/Video/TV Movie/TV Special/TV Mini-Series/Documentary/Video Game/Short Film, with Joseph Merhi, Jeff Conaway". imdb.com. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
- "Harvey Goes PM". awn.com. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
- "Harvey Entertainment completes acquisition of PM". Screen International. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
- "Cinetel to o'see library of Harvey subsid PM". Variety. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
- "Cinetel to o'see library of Harvey subsid PM". Variety. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
- "Harvey Entertainment Is Facing Liquidity Shortfall in Next Year". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2020-12-01.