Understanding 100 years of Columbia Pictures

Legendary movie director Frank Capra, left, puts a gentle squeeze on the face of veteran actor Jimmy Stewart at a Los Angeles luncheon honoring Capra on Wednesday, Jan. 23, 1985. Capra and Stewart made several classic movies together, including “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” for Columbia Pictures. (AP Photo/Wally Fong)

For many of us, movies are such an important part of our lives that they may shape the way we think, communicate, and remember eras past. However, less familiar is the understanding of the mysterious studio industry that creates our favorite films.

This year marks the centennial of Columbia Pictures, one of film history’s most fascinating and prolific studios, so we decided to have a conversation with two experts about the wild ride of Columbia’s last 100 years and what might lie ahead.

Emory University professor Matthew Bernstein and film historian Eddy Von Mueller recently joined “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes to discuss what 100 years of Columbia really means.