(Radio Keith Orpheum) US film production and distribution company, formed 1928 through mergers and acquisitions. It was the most financially unstable of the major Hollywood studios, despite the success of many of its films, including King Kong 1933 and the series of musicals starring US dancers Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. In 1948, Howard Hughes bought the studio and accelerated its decline by poor management. The company ceased production 1957.