Gracie Films

Gracie Films is an American independent film and television production company created by James L. Brooks in 1986. The company is primarily responsible for producing the long-running animated series The Simpsons, as well as the films Big, Broadcast News, and Jerry Maguire.

Overview
James L. Brooks founded Gracie Films at 20th Century Fox in 1986, with Polly Platt as executive vice president. Named for comedian Gracie Allen, the company was established to "provide real writers with a vehicle to get their movies made". Its primary distributor is currently Sony Pictures Entertainment, though it continues to produce The Simpsons at Fox's studios in Century City, Los Angeles.

According to Simpsons Confidential, Brooks gave The Simpsons' writing staff free rein, as he firmly believed they were the most important part of the process, and "in the legal battles over The Simpsons, it was Fox that was being sued, not Gracie Films". The company also coordinates international distribution and dubbing for The Simpsons, "in Italy, in particular... [finding] voices for dubbing that would match those of the original American actors as closely as possible."

Gracie Films' production logo depicts noisy patrons in a movie theater being shushed by a woman before the company's name appears on the screen, accompanied by its nine-note musical signature. Treehouse of Horror episodes often have the jingle played in minor key on a pipe organ, with the shush replaced by a woman screaming. Other audio variations exist on The Simpsons, often with dialogue from the episode or characters such as Homer responding to the shush.