- Country: USA
- Genres: Documentary
- Release: 1996-04-01
- Director: David Heeley
- Writers: Joan Kramer , David Heeley
- Language: English
- Stars: Richard Dreyfuss , Lew Ayres , Kirk Douglas
- Runtime: 120 min
- Awards: N/A
- AKA: La historia de Universal (Venezuela) , The Universal Story , The Universal Story (India) , The Universal Story (United States of America) , Die Universal-Story (Germany) , Wyprawa w świat filmu (Poland)
- Plot: Richard Dreyfuss hosts a celebration of the 80 year history of Universal Studios. Founded as IMP by Carl Leammle to oppose Edison's Motion Picture Tust, it soon grew under the leadership of 21 year old production head Irving Thalberg with classic silents from artists like John Ford, Erich Von Stroheim, and Lon Chaney and prospered further in the Sound Era under the leadership of Carl Leammle Jr. with such classics as "All Quiet on The Western Front," "Showboat," and the studio's signature monster franchises, "Frankenstein" and "Dracula." The Leammle's loss of the studio is covered up through it's merger with International pictures in the 40s The 1950s ushered in the studio's star development program with Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis and its star/studio profit-sharing policy that began with James Stewart. The evolution into the modern Universal of today began in the early 60s with its takeover by MCA and the creative leadership of Lew Wasserman and its partnerships with creative filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock, Stephen Spielberg, Spike Lee, Ron Howard, Clint Eastwood, and Bob Zemeckis.
- IMDB:tt0114793
The Universal Story Cast · · · ALL
David Heeley
Director
Richard Dreyfuss
Himself
Kirk Douglas
Himself (archive footage)
Michael J. Fox
Himself (archive footage)
Tom Hanks
Himself (archive footage)
Alfred Hitchcock
Himself (archive footage)
Boris Karloff
Himself (archive footage)
Spike Lee
Self (archive footage)
Steven Spielberg
Self (archive footage)