Astor Pictures

In 1939, Savini acquired the rights to other companies' motion pictures for profitable national re-release and put these out under the Astor name and logo.The company focused on distribution to rural, small-town, and neighborhood theatres, not setting its sights too high, and thereby remained solvent throughout the Second World War years.In the 1950s, Astor created a subsidiary, Atlantic Television Corporation, for TV syndication of much of its earlier product, while continuing to engage in making new pictures, such as Cat-Women of the Moon, and picking up others for distribution, like Robot Monster.After Savini's death, Astor and Atlantic Television were acquired by George F. Foley, Jr. and Franklin Bruder, who released European films in the US.Astor's biggest success was undoubtedly Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita (1960), which was a huge box-office hit for the company, and allowed it to continue to release foreign films such as Michael Powell's Peeping Tom (1960), François Truffaut's Shoot the Piano Player (1960), Alain Resnais' Last Year at Marienbad (1961), and Orson Welles' The Trial (1962).
Film distributorParamount PicturesMelange PicturesNew York CityRobert M. Savinimotion picture distributionColumbia PicturesSono Art-World Wide PicturesTiffany PicturesPoverty RowSouthern United StatesTumbleweedsEducational PicturesGrand National Picturesrace filmsneighborhood theatresSecond World WarCat-Women of the MoonRobot MonsterRepublic PicturesRKO Radio Picturesart filmsLa Dolce VitaPeeping TomWesternUnited Artistsshort subjectsShirley TempleBaby BurlesksBing CrosbyThe Road to HollywoodRoad toBetty GrableDanny KayeBob HopeMilton BerleBert LahrWillie HowardWilliam S. HartCornel WildeLouis JordanBeware!Sam KatzmanMonogram PicturesEast Side KidsBowery BoysSunset CarsonHammer Filmsscience fictionMissile to the MoonFederico FelliniFrançois TruffautShoot the Piano PlayerAlain ResnaisLast Year at MarienbadOrson WellesThe Trial