Samuel Goldwyn

Samuel Goldwyn was a pioneering and influential American film producer, renowned for his independent spirit and high production standards during the Golden Age of Hollywood. A founder of several major studios, including Paramount Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he later achieved great success with his own independent company, Samuel Goldwyn Productions. Known for his often-misquoted "Goldwynisms" and his commitment to quality, he produced numerous acclaimed films such as Wuthering Heights, The Little Foxes, and The Best Years of Our Lives, the latter winning the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Early life and career

Born Szmuel Gelbfisz in Warsaw to a poor Jewish family, he emigrated alone to England and then to the United States, arriving in New York City in the late 1890s. After working in the glove trade, he entered the nascent film industry in 1913, partnering with his brother-in-law Jesse L. Lasky and vaudeville star Cecil B. DeMille. Their first feature, The Squaw Man, filmed in Hollywood, was a major success and is often cited as the first full-length feature produced in the area. In 1916, their company merged with Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company to form the powerful Famous Players-Lasky, the precursor to Paramount Pictures.

Goldwyn Pictures and MGM

After clashing with partners, he was forced out of Famous Players-Lasky and in 1916 founded Goldwyn Pictures, with the name derived from his own and that of financiers Edgar Selwyn and Archibald Selwyn. The company's logo, the iconic Leo the Lion, was created during this period. Despite initial success, financial struggles led to the company's merger in 1924 with Metro Pictures and Louis B. Mayer's production company to form Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Although his name remained in the studio's title, he had no operational role in the new conglomerate headed by Louis B. Mayer and production chief Irving Thalberg.

Samuel Goldwyn Productions

Establishing himself as a fiercely independent producer, he formed Samuel Goldwyn Productions in 1923, operating outside the studio system and its controlling trade association. He was known for his exacting standards, lavish budgets, and talent development, discovering or nurturing stars like Gary Cooper, David Niven, and Danny Kaye. His company produced a string of prestigious and popular films, many directed by William Wyler and starring his contract player Dana Andrews. Notable productions include the Oscar-winning Technicolor musical The Goldwyn Follies, the Laurence Olivier-starring Wuthering Heights, and the postwar classic The Best Years of Our Lives, which won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. He later had a distribution partnership with RKO Radio Pictures.

Personal life and legacy

He was married twice, first to Blanche Lasky, and later in 1925 to actress Frances Howard, a union that lasted until his death; their son was producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr.. Famous for his mangled aphorisms, termed "Goldwynisms" (e.g., "Include me out," "A verbal contract isn't worth the paper it's written on"), he became a larger-than-life personality in Hollywood. His legacy was honored with an Academy Honorary Award in 1946, the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1947, and the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1973. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences headquarters and the Samuel Goldwyn Foundation are named in his honor.

Filmography

A selective list of films produced by his independent company includes Stella Dallas (1925), The Dark Angel (1935), Dodsworth (1936), Dead End (1937), The Westerner (1940), The Little Foxes (1941), The Pride of the Yankees (1942), The North Star (1943), Up in Arms (1944), The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947), A Song Is Born (1948), Hans Christian Andersen (1952), and Guys and Dolls (1955).

Category:American film producers Category:1879 births Category:1974 deaths