Keller Entertainment Group
| Formerly | Inter Planetary Pictures (1976-1987) American First-Run Studios (1987-1996) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1976 |
| Founder | Max Keller Michelline Keller |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Products | Film Television |
| Website | https://kellerentertainment.com/ |
Keller Entertainment Group (formerly Inter Planetary Pictures and American First Run Studios) is a film and television production company that was founded in 1976 by law attroney and husband and wife duo Max and Micheline Keller.[1] It is best known for the 1990s TV series Tarzan, Acapulco H.E.A.T. and Conan the Adventurer, as well as TV movies like Stranger in Our House and Kent State.
History
The company made its start in 1976 when the Kellers founded Inter Planetary Pictures after the Kellers left the law industry.[1] Its first known venture was a collaboration with Donny and Marie Osmond's Osmond Productions for distributing pictures in partnership.[1] The company got its start as a theatrical distributor.[2][3][4]
After releasing a string of theatrical movies as a distributor, the company made its big break, producing the 1978 TV movie for NBC, Stranger in Our House, directed by a then-unknown Wes Craven.[1] After the success, the company mostly stopped distributing theatrical films, so they turned its focus to a television production subsidiary Inter Planetary Productions Corporation.[5]
After that, the company another big success, with another hit television movie for NBC, Kent State, in partnership with Osmond Productions.[6] The company followed its successes by an endless string of television movies throughout the 1980s, in addition to occasional theatrical releases, such as Deadly Blessing and Now and Forever.[7][8] In 1984, the company entered into a joint venture with Curb Records to produce its only film under the partnership under the name Inter Planetary Curb, Voyage of the Rock Aliens, which became a cult classic.[9][10]
In 1987, the company won another hit with the television movie for HBO, Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8, which was another smash hit that won a Cable Ace Award for Best Dramatic Special.[11] Later that year, the company was renamed from Inter Planetary Productions to American First-Run Studios after executives featured they mistook science fiction works.[1] In 1988, the company licensed the live-action TV rights to the Tarzan series from Edgar Rice Burroughs to develop a pilot film, Tarzan in Manhattan, aired in 1989.[12]
After making exclusively television movies, the company turned its attention to television series.[1] The company first partnered with Balenciaga Productions on the company's first weekly television series, Tarzan, which was syndicated by Worldvision Enterprises. It ended up airing from 1991 to 1994.[13] The company next teamed up on the television series Acapulco H.E.A.T., which was syndicated by All American Television, and aired from 1993 to 1994.[14]
After that the company partnered with SeaGull Entertainment (a company led by Henry Siegel) to start Keller Siegel Entertainment to produce its only TV series, Tarzan: The Epic Adventures, which only aired from 1996 to 1997 due to the bankruptcy of SeaGull Entertainment.[15] The company next made its two more television series, with Balenciaga Productions, Conan the Adventurer,[16] and a second season of Acapulco H.E.A.T., both of these were syndicated by Western International Syndication.[17] In 1996, the company signed a deal with ZDF for its library of television productions.[18] The company went inactive after the last TV show asides from the library of unannounced projects, mostly none of which gone to fruition.
In 2006, it partnered with George Edde to form Keller Edde Studios.[19] The company briefly went out of inactive status, when the company was executive producer of a theatrical film, Hands of Stone, which was released by The Weinstein Company in 2016.[20]
Productions
Theatrical films
| Title | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Let the Balloon Go | March 1977 | U.S. distribution only; produced by Film Australia |
| Twentieth Century Oz | September 14, 1977 | U.S. distribution only; produced by Count Features, Davis Equities Corporation Investment Partnerships, O&O Associates Ltd. and The Australian Film Commission |
| Goin' Coconuts | October 6, 1978 | Distributed by Osmond Entertainment |
| Deadly Blessing | August 14, 1981 | Distributed by United Artists, co-production with PolyGram Pictures |
| Now and Forever | March 18, 1983 | Distribution only; produced by Now & Forever Film Partnership |
| Voyage of the Rock Aliens | March 9, 1984 | Co-production with Curb Entertainment |
| The 13th Alley | June 13, 2008 | Distribution only; produced by Super Chief Films |
| Hands of Stone | August 26, 2016 | Distributed by The Weinstein Company, produced by Fuego Films, Vertical Media, Panama Film Commission and Epicentral Studios |
Television films
| Title | Air date | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stranger in Our House | October 31, 1978 | NBC | co-production with Finnegan Associates |
| Kent State | February 8, 1981 | co-production with Osmond Productions | |
| Grambling's White Tiger | October 4, 1981 | ||
| A Summer to Remember | March 27, 1985 | CBS | |
| Betrayed by Innocence | March 1, 1986 | ||
| Dreams of Gold: The Mel Fisher Story | November 15, 1986 | co-production with La Rosh Productions | |
| Women of Valor | November 23, 1986 | co-production with Jeni Productions and Pendragon Entertainment | |
| Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8 | May 16, 1987 | HBO | co-production with HBO Showcase |
| The Secret Life of Kathy McCormick | October 7, 1988 | NBC | co-production with Tamara Asseyev Productions and New World Television |
| Swimsuit | February 19, 1989 | co-production with Musifilm Productions | |
| Tarzan in Manhattan | April 15, 1989 | CBS | |
| Casey's Gift: For Love of a Child | September 24, 1990 | NBC | |
| 1362: The Kensington Enigma | April 14, 2007 | International syndication | Distribution only; produced by United International Film Corp. |
Direct-to-video film
| Title | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Buck Naked Arson | April 24, 2001 | distributed by Velocity Home Entertainment; co-production with Redwood Shires Productions |
Television series
| Title | Network | Distributor | Air dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tarzan | First-run syndication | Worldvision Enterprises | October 6, 1991-May 1994 | co-production with Balenciaga Productions, Dune, TF1, Producciones Telemex, Producciones UINIC and William F. Cooke Productions |
| Acapulco H.E.A.T. | All-American Television (season 1) Western International Syndication (season 2) |
September 28, 1993-May 21, 1994 September 23, 1998-June 5, 1999 |
co-production with Balenciaga Productions, M6 Films, CNC, Les Films du Triangle Film Groupe S. A. (season 1) and France Triangle Films (season 2) | |
| Cyberkidz | International syndication | Keller Entertainment Group | 1994 | co-production with United Productions |
| Tarzan: The Epic Adventures | First-run syndication | SeaGull Entertainment | August 28, 1996-May 25, 1997 | |
| Conan the Adventurer | Western International Syndication | September 22, 1997-May 25, 1998 | co-production with Balenciaga Entertainment |
References
- ^ a b c d e f Apodaca, Patrice (1990-03-20). "TV Producers Married to Idea of Creating Series". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2026-03-01.
- ^ "Inter Planetary". Boxoffice. 1978-01-23.
- ^ "Inter Planetary". Boxoffice. 1978-02-27.
- ^ "Inter Planetary". Boxoffice. 1978-03-06.
- ^ "The Business of Film | Keller Entertainment Group". www.kellerentertainment.com. Retrieved 2026-03-01.
- ^ Pollafico, Chuck (February 2, 1981). "'Kent State' actors hope to visit campus". Daily Kent Stater. p. 3.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (1981-08-15). "'DEADLY BLESSING'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-01.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (1983-07-16). "'NOW AND FOREVER'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-01.
- ^ "Blu-ray Review: Voyage of the Rock Aliens". Inside Pulse. 2022-06-23. Retrieved 2026-03-01.
- ^ DeYoung, Bill (February 19, 2018). Phil Gernhard, Record Man. University Press of Florida. ISBN 9780813063423.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "THREE-RING 'TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 8' ON HBO". Los Angeles Times. 1987-05-16. Retrieved 2026-03-01.
- ^ "New York's a Jungle!". Los Angeles Times. 1988-08-21. Retrieved 2026-03-01.
- ^ "NATPE Sellers Scorecard" (PDF). Broadcasting Magazine. January 21, 1991. p. 29. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
- ^ Freeman, Mike (November 23, 1992). "All American turns on the 'H.E.A.T.'" (PDF). Broadcasting Magazine. p. 26. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
- ^ "'Tarzan' swings into production" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. November 4, 1995. p. 101. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
- ^ "Closed circuit" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. November 9, 1996. p. 18. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
- ^ "Legends & Heroes" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. December 22, 1997. p. 66. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
- ^ Hils, Miriam (1996-12-18). "ZDF TO PUMP 'CONAN'". Variety. Retrieved 2026-03-01.
- ^ "George Edde - KELLER EDDE STUDIOS". LinkedIn.
- ^ Jr, Mike Fleming (2015-05-14). "Edgar Ramirez-Robert De Niro Boxing Pic 'Hands Of Stone' Won By Weinstein Company – Cannes". Deadline. Retrieved 2026-03-01.