Edward Alperson formed Grand National in 1936,with
Carl Lesserman and W. Bright serving as company officers.
Grand National had it's own very large studio
and lot.Some of the more prominent producers at Grand National were
George Hirliman Zion Meyers and Douglas MacLean.Edward Finney, head
of advertising,also produced and directed many films.
Grand's singing cowboy was Tex Ritter, was turned
out to be very popular.
At that time, James Cagney was having contract
disputes with Warner Brothers. Alperson quickly signed Cagney and
proceeded to make 'Great Guy'.
With Cagney as his star, Alperson wanted to make
a major production entitled 'Something to Sing About'. Even his
officers tried to talk him out of it. This decision was the demise
of Grand National. The cost overruns were huge and when the film
was finally released, it was not that well received by the public.
Deep in debt, Alperson resigned in 1939 and Grand
National went bankrupt.