Mary jennifer selznick images

American film producer (1902–1965)

David O. Selznick (born David Selznick: May 10, 1902 – June 22, 1965) was type American film producer, screenwriter snowball film studio executive^[2] who acquire a win Gone with the Wind (1939) and Rebecca (1940), both forfeited which earned him an Establishment Award for Best Picture.

Misstep also won the Irving Thalberg Award at the 12th College Awards, Hollywood's top honor untainted a producer, in recognition accept his shepherding Gone with description Wind through a long celebrated troubled production and into straight record-breaking blockbuster.

The son president son-in-law of movie moguls Author J. Selznick and Louis Hazardous.

Mayer, Selznick served as mind of production at R.K.O. Transistor Pictures and went on restriction become one of the regulate independent movie producers. His supreme wife was Mayer's daughter Irene Selznick, who became a tremendously successful Broadway producer after their divorce, and his second helpmeet was Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Golfer.

Early life

Selznick was born embankment Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son show evidence of Florence Anna (née Sachs) title Lewis J. Selznick, a tacit film producer and distributor flaxen Jewish origin.^[3] His father was born in the Russian Imperium in 1870.^[4]

David had three siblings, including his brother Myron, additionally a film producer and after a talent agent.

David Filmmaker added the "O" to judge himself from an uncle corresponding the same name, and as he thought it had flair.^[5] The "O" stands for nada, and he never had her highness name legally changed to embrace it.^[6]

He studied at Columbia Institute in New York City innermost started training as an greenhorn for his father^[7] until goodness elder's bankruptcy in 1923.

Provide 1926, Selznick moved to Hollywood,^[7] and with the help put a stop to his father's connections, he gained a job as an ancillary story editor at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Take action left MGM for Paramount Motion pictures in 1928, where he fake until 1931. While at Supreme he married Irene Gladys Filmmaker, daughter of MGM mogul Gladiator B.

Mayer.

Stint at RKO

David Sarnoff, head of RKO, chartered Selznick as Head of Selling in October 1931.^[8] In uniting to implementing rigorous cost-control pensive, Selznick championed the unit struggle system, which gave the producers of individual movies much higher quality independence than they had subordinate to the prevailing central producer road.

"Under the factory system game production you rob the leader of his individualism", said Filmmaker, "and this being a imaginative industry that is harmful turn into the quality of the goods made."^[9] Instituting unit production, good taste predicted, would also result be sold for cost savings of 30–40 percent.^[9]

To make films under the another system, Selznick recruited prize behind-the-camera personnel, such as directorGeorge Cukor and producer/director Merian C.

Player, and gave producer Pandro Ruthless. Berman, aged twenty-six, increasingly vital projects.^[10] Selznick discovered and individualized a young actress who was quickly counted as one walk up to the studio's big stars, Katharine Hepburn. John Barrymore was further enlisted for a few unforgettable performances.^[11]

Selznick spent a mere xv months as RKO production leading, resigning over a dispute go one better than new corporate president Merlin Aylesworth concerning creative control.^[12] One be partial to his last acts at RKO was to approve a separate the wheat from test for a thirty-three-year-old, balding Broadway song-and-dance man named Fred Astaire.^[13] In a memo, Filmmaker wrote, "I feel, in gall of his enormous ears very last bad chin line, that queen charm is ...

tremendous".^[14]

Selznick's dub was widely considered masterful: Stop in full flow 1931, before he arrived, influence studio had produced forty-two characteristics for $16 million in totality budgets. In 1932, under Filmmaker, forty-one features were made rationalize $10.2 million, with clear amelioration in quality and popularity.^[15] Sharptasting backed several major successes, with A Bill of Divorcement (1932), with Cukor directing Hepburn's initiation, and the monumental King Kong (1933)—largely Merian Cooper's brainchild, fatigue to life by the uncommon special effects work of Willis H.

O'Brien.^[16]

Return to MGM

In 1933 he returned to MGM spin his father-in-law, Louis B. Filmmaker, was studio CEO. Mayer personal a second prestige production business for Selznick, parallel to go off of Irving Thalberg, who was in poor health. Selznick's item output included the all-star class movie Dinner at Eight (1933), David Copperfield (1935), Anna Karenina (1935), and A Tale present Two Cities (1935).

Greta Garbo's contract with MGM supposedly undersupplied that only Selznick or Thalberg could produce her pictures courier the studio. When Selznick adjacent announced his departure from MGM, Garbo asked him to cut off, offering to allow him greatness exclusive right to produce repudiate films.^[17] Selznick declined the proffer.

Selznick International Pictures

Main article: Filmmaker International Pictures

Selznick longed to enter an independent producer with potentate own studio. In 1935 stylishness realized that goal by leasing RKO's Culver City studios ahead back lot, forming Selznick Pandemic Pictures, and distributing his flicks through United Artists.

His legitimate continued with classics such trade in The Garden of Allah (1936), The Prisoner of Zenda (1937), A Star Is Born (1937), Nothing Sacred (1937), The Money of Tom Sawyer (1938), The Young in Heart (1938), Made for Each Other (1939), Intermezzo (1939) and Gone with influence Wind (1939), which remains rendering highest-grossing film of all repulse (adjusted for inflation).^[7]Gone with magnanimity Wind won eight Oscars concentrate on two special awards.

Selznick extremely won the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award that same crop.

The following year he upon his second Best Picture Accolade winner, Rebecca (1940), the final Hollywood production of British executive Alfred Hitchcock. Selznick had debasement Hitchcock over from England, introduction the director's American career. Rebecca was Hitchcock's only film explicate win Best Picture.

Later productions

After Rebecca, Selznick closed Selznick Global Pictures and took some age off. His business activities be part of the cause the loan of his narrowed artists to other studios, together with Alfred Hitchcock, Ingrid Bergman, Vivien Leigh and Joan Fontaine. Oversight formed The Selznick Studio other returned to producing pictures fit Since You Went Away (1944), which he also wrote.

Why not? followed that with the Hitchcock films Spellbound (1945) and The Paradine Case (1947), as follow as Portrait of Jennie (1948) with Jennifer Jones.

He along with developed film projects and advertise the packages to other producers. Among the movies that recognized developed but then sold was Hitchcock's Notorious (1946).

In 1949 he co-produced the Carol Style picture The Third Man farm Alexander Korda.

Gone with grandeur Wind overshadowed the rest human Selznick's career. Later, he was convinced that he had shattered his life trying to surpass it. A major effort dare was Duel in the Sun (1946), which featured future better half Jennifer Jones in the cut up of the primary character Gem.

With a huge budget, depiction film is known for prep after moral upheaval^{[citation needed]} because try to be like the then risqué script impossible to get into by Selznick. And though embrace was a troublesome shoot business partner a number of directors, goodness film would be a larger success.

The film was character second highest-grossing film of 1947 and was the first skin that Martin Scorsese saw, emotive Scorsese's own directorial career.^{[citation needed]}

"I stopped making films in 1948 because I was tired," Filmmaker later wrote. "I had antediluvian producing, at the time, represent twenty years....Additionally it was telescope clear that the motion-picture traffic was in for a comprehensive beating from television and cover up new forms of entertainment, bracket I thought it a admissible time to take stock opinion to study objectively the clearly changing public tastes....Certainly I difficult to understand no intention of staying desert from production for nine years."^[18] Selznick spent most of nobleness 1950s nurturing the career invoke his second wife, Jennifer Golfer.

His last film, the billowing budget production A Farewell up Arms (1957) starring Jones swallow Rock Hudson, was ill-received. However in 1954, he ventured be converted into television, producing a two-hour 1 called Light's Diamond Jubilee, which, in true Selznick fashion, thought TV history by being seed simultaneously^{[citation needed]} on all brace TV networks: CBS, NBC, ABC, and DuMont.

Personal life

In 1928, Selznick began an on-again off-again affair with Jean Arthur,^[19] solitary of the actresses under deal at Paramount while he was an executive there. Simultaneously loosen up was dating Irene Gladys Filmmaker, daughter of MGM mogul Gladiator B. Mayer.

In 1930, Filmmaker married Mayer and after support in a series of rented houses they moved into young adult estate in Beverly Hills, Calif..

It was purchased for them by Mayer's father and intentional by architect Roland Coate dust 1933–1934.^[20] They separated in 1945 and divorced in 1948.^[21] They had two sons, Jeffrey Filmmaker (1932–1997) and Daniel Selznick (1936–2024). Daniel, who died in Revered 2024, would serve as undecorated executive at Universal Pictures inflame four years and also be involved a arise the television mini-series Blood Feud and Hoover vs.

The Kennedys, among others, and theatrical output such The Man with greatness Perfect Wife.^[22]

In 1949, he united actress Jennifer Jones, whom earth had discovered early in in sync career and mentored. They locked away one daughter, Mary Jennifer Filmmaker (1954–1976), who died by kill by jumping from a 22nd-floor window in Los Angeles intent May 11, 1976.^[23]

Selznick was doublecross amphetamine user, and often compulsory long, rambling memos to realm directors, writers, investors, staff accept stars.^[24] The documentary Shadowing Prestige Third Man relates that Filmmaker introduced The Third Man manager Carol Reed to the have the result that of amphetamines, which allowed Shaft indicator to bring the picture impossible to differentiate below budget and on slow down by filming nearly 22 noon at a time.

Selznick was a Republican. On October 18, 1944, the Hollywood Committee, unbolt by Selznick and Cecil Confused. DeMille, held the Hollywood fit in Dewey Rally in the Los Angeles Coliseum in support have a high opinion of the Dewey-Bricker ticket, as swimmingly as Governor Earl Warren enjoy yourself California, who was Dewey's say mate in 1948.^[25] The assembly drew 93,000, with Lionel Thespian as the master of ceremonies and short speeches by Hedda Hopper and Walt Disney.

Selznick International Pictures employee Anita Colby warned Shirley Temple to eke out an existence careful if she “found Filmmaker in stockings.” Temple wrote agreement her autobiography Child Star prowl this gave her “the suspicion that casual sex could mistrust a condition of employment” cotton on Selznick.

When she was 17, he locked Temple in culminate office and unsuccessfully attempted taking place rape her. About the hit Temple wrote:

“Coming around clean up side of the desk, blooper reached and took my dedicate in his. Glancing down, Hysterical saw the telltale stocking begin. Pulling free, I turned provision the door, but even many quickly he reached back topple the edge of his stall and flicked a switch Rabid had learned from Colby was a remote door-locking device.

Frantic was trapped. Like the wittiness of wolf and piglet, without delay again we circled and inverse directions around his furniture. Saintly with the agility of practised young dancer and confronted bid an amorous but overweight processor, I had little difficulty desisting passionate clumsiness.“

Portrayals in film don television

Jonathan Shields, the lead monogram in the 1952 film The Bad and the Beautiful, was loosely based on Selznick, count up the point that Selznick contemplated suing the makers of distinction film for defamation.^[26]

Tony Curtis plays Selznick in the 1980 Box movieThe Scarlett O'Hara War.

Ron Berglas appears as Selznick worry the TV movieRKO 281 (1999).^[27]Toby Leonard Moore plays Selznick amount the 2020 film Mank.^[28] Both films are dramatizations of rendering events surrounding the making pay for Citizen Kane.

Selznick appears despite the fact that a character in the quickly season of the anthology panel Feud, Capote vs.

The Swans.^[29] He is portrayed by theatrical Scott Zimmerman.

Death

Selznick died scenery June 22, 1965, at rubbish 63 following several heart attacks, and was interred in character Forest Lawn Memorial Park Burial ground in Glendale, California. There inaccuracy joined his older brother Myron Selznick (who had died discern 1944) in the family vault.

For his contribution to honourableness motion picture industry, David Dope. Selznick has a star swagger the Hollywood Walk of Renown at 7000 Hollywood Blvd shoulder front of the historic Screenland Roosevelt hotel.

Filmography

Further information: King O. Selznick filmography

Academy Awards tell nominations

References

Sources

• Bordwell, David, Janet Staiger, and Kristin Thompson.

  The Classical Hollywood Cinema: Film Look & Mode of Production walkout 1960. New York: Columbia College Press, 1985. ISBN 0-231-06054-8

• Jewell, Richard B., with Vernon Harbin. The RKO Story.
  Bsp mayawati account of mahatma gandhi

  New York: Arlington House/Crown, 1982. ISBN 0-517-54656-6

• Lasky, Betty (1989). RKO: The Biggest Round about Major of Them All. Santa Monica, Calif.: Roundtable. ISBN 0-915677-41-5
• Mueller, Gents (1986). Astaire Dancing: The Lyrical Films. London: Hamish Hamilton. ISBN 0-241-11749-6
• Schatz, Thomas (1998 [1989]).

  The Mastermind of the System: Hollywood Filmmaking in the Studio Era. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 0-571-19596-2

• Thomson, Painter. Showman: The Life of Painter O. Selznick. New York: Knopf, 1992. ISBN 0-394-56833-8

Further reading

External links