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| awards = '''[[Walk of Fame]] - Motion Picture'''<br>[[Hollywood Blvd|6412 Hollywood Blvd]]
| awards = '''[[Walk of Fame]] - Motion Picture'''<br>[[Hollywood Blvd|6412 Hollywood Blvd]]
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'''Lewis J. Selznick''' (born May 2, 1870 or 1869<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ancestry.com/search/?name=Lewis_Selzick&birth=1869&birth_x=0-0-0|title=Ancestry.com|last=Possible birth year|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref> &ndash; January 25, 1933) was an American [[film producer|producer]] in the early years of the [[film industry]]. After initial involvement with [[World Film]] at [[Fort Lee, New Jersey]], he established [[Selznick Pictures]] in [[California]].
'''Lewis J. Selznick''' (born May 2, 1870 or 1869<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ancestry.com/search/?name=Lewis_Selzick&birth=1869&birth_x=0-0-0 |title=Ancestry.com |last=Possible birth year |first= |date= |website= |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date= }}</ref> – January 25, 1933) was an American [[Film producer|producer]] in the early years of the [[film industry]]. After initial involvement with [[World Film]] at [[Fort Lee, New Jersey]], he established [[Selznick Pictures]] in California.


==Biography==
==Biography==
Lewis J. Selznick was born in 1870 in [[Grinkiškis]], [[Kovno Governorate]], [[Russian Empire]] (now [[Lithuania]]),<ref name="Lambert"/> to Ida (Ringer) and Joseph Zeleznick. He grew up in [[Kiev]] (now [[Ukraine]]) and emigrated to the [[United States]] at age 18.<ref name="Lambert">{{cite book |title=GWTW: The Making of Gone With the Wind |last=Lambert |first=Gavin |authorlink=Gavin Lambert |coauthors= |year=1976 |origyear=1973 |publisher=[[Bantam Books]]|edition=mass market paperback |location=New York |isbn= |oclc= |page= |pages=2–7 |url= |accessdate=}}</ref>
Lewis J. Selznick was born in 1870 in [[Grinkiškis]], [[Kovno Governorate]], [[Russian Empire]] (now in [[Lithuania]]),<ref name="Lambert"/> to Ida (Ringer) and Joseph Zeleznick. He grew up in [[Kiev]] (now in [[Ukraine]]) and emigrated to the United States at the age of 18.<ref name="Lambert">{{cite book |title=GWTW: The Making of Gone With the Wind |last=Lambert |first=Gavin |authorlink=Gavin Lambert |coauthors= |year=1976 |origyear=1973 |publisher=[[Bantam Books]] |edition=mass market paperback |location=New York |isbn= |oclc= |page= |pages=2–7 |url= |accessdate= }}</ref>


Selznick arrived in the United States in 1888 and became a naturalized citizen on September 29, 1894.<ref name="Thomson">{{cite book |last=Thomson |first=David |authorlink=David Thomson (film critic) |date=1992 |title=Showman: The Life of David O. Selznick |location=New York |publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf]] |isbn=0-394-56833-8 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/showmanlifeofdav00thom }}</ref>{{Rp|5}} He settled in [[Pittsburgh]] and built up a successful jewelry retail business. In 1896,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ancestry.com/search/categories/34/?name=Lewis_Seleznick&birth=1871&birth_x=2-0-0&name_x=1_1|title=Ancestry.com|last=Marriage date|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref> he married Florence (Flossie) Sachs.<ref name="Thomson"/>{{Rp|6–7}} They had three sons: Howard Selznick (1897–1980), who suffered some undiagnosed mental disability;<ref name="Thomson"/>{{Rp|7}} [[Myron Selznick]] (1898–1944), who worked as a producer and studio executive before establishing a [[talent agency]]; and [[David O. Selznick]] (1902–1965), a Hollywood filmmaker who produced ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]'' (1939). A daughter, Ruth, was born in 1904 but died before the age of one.<ref name="Thomson"/>{{Rp|8}}
Selznick arrived in the United States in 1888 and became a naturalized citizen on September 29, 1894.<ref name="Thomson">{{cite book |last=Thomson |first=David |authorlink=David Thomson (film critic) |date=1992 |title=Showman: The Life of David O. Selznick |location=New York |publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf]] |isbn=0-394-56833-8 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/showmanlifeofdav00thom}}</ref>{{Rp|5}} He settled in [[Pittsburgh]] and built up a successful jewelry retail business. In 1896,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ancestry.com/search/categories/34/?name=Lewis_Seleznick&birth=1871&birth_x=2-0-0&name_x=1_1 |title=Ancestry.com |last=Marriage date |first= |date= |website= |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date= }}</ref> he married Florence (Flossie) Sachs.<ref name="Thomson"/>{{Rp|6–7}} They had three sons: Howard Selznick (1897–1980), who suffered some undiagnosed mental disability;<ref name="Thomson"/>{{Rp|7}} [[Myron Selznick]] (1898–1944), who worked as a producer and studio executive before establishing a [[talent agency]]; and [[David O. Selznick]] (1902–1965), a Hollywood filmmaker who produced ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]'' (1939). A daughter, Ruth, was born in 1904 but died before the age of one.<ref name="Thomson"/>{{Rp|8}}


Retaining his jewelry stores in the Pittsburgh area, Selznick moved his family to [[Brooklyn]] in 1903.<ref name="Thomson"/>{{Rp|8–9}} He opened a large jewelry store,<ref name="Lambert" /> the Knickerbocker, at Sixth Avenue and 23rd Street in [[Manhattan]], but by 1907 he had left the business. The family surname changed from Seleznick to Selznick sometime in 1908 or 1909. In the year 1910 or 1911 the family moved to [[Manhattan]], where Selznick worked as a patent promoter and sold electrical supplies.<ref name="Thomson"/>{{Rp|10–11}}
Retaining his jewelry stores in the Pittsburgh area, Selznick moved his family to [[Brooklyn]] in 1903.<ref name="Thomson"/>{{Rp|8–9}} He opened a large jewelry store,<ref name="Lambert" /> the Knickerbocker, at Sixth Avenue and 23rd Street in [[Manhattan]], but by 1907 he had left the business. The family surname changed from Seleznick to Selznick sometime in 1908 or 1909. In the year 1910 or 1911 the family moved to Manhattan, where Selznick worked as a patent promoter and sold electrical supplies.<ref name="Thomson"/>{{Rp|10–11}}


Through an old acquaintance from Pittsburgh, Selznick became involved with the [[Universal Studios|Universal Film Manufacturing Company]] in 1913<ref name="Thomson"/>{{Rp|13}} but was soon dismissed by [[Carl Laemmle]].<ref name=Photoplay/> In February 1914<ref name="NYT Profit Sharing">{{cite news |last= |first= |date=December 14, 1914 |title=Profit Sharing for Movies |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D05E1DE153AE633A25757C1A9649D946596D6CF |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2015-12-12 }}</ref> he and Chicago [[Spiegel (catalog)|mail-order magnate]] [[Arthur Spiegel]] organized the [[World Film Company|World Film Corporation]],<ref name="NYT Obit">{{cite news |last= |first= |date=January 26, 1933 |title=L. J. Selznick Dies; A Film Pioneer |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D00E0DC1738E333A25755C2A9679C946294D6CF |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=2015-12-12 }}</ref> a distributor of independently produced films<ref name="Katz">{{cite book|last=Katz|first=Ephraim |authorlink=Ephraim Katz|title=The Film Encyclopedia|publisher=HarperPerennial|location=New York|year=1998|edition=3rd|page=1237 |isbn=0-06-273492-X}}</ref> located in [[Fort Lee, New Jersey]],<ref>{{Citation | last = Koszarski | first = Richard | author-link = | last2 = | first2 = | author2-link = | title = Fort Lee: The Film Town | place = Rome, Italy | publisher = John Libbey Publishing -CIC srl | year = 2004 | volume = | edition = | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=5w0r8YKan04C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Fort+Lee:+the+film+town+Door+Richard+Koszarski&hl=en&ei=fyO4TcjINoKeOpr32LsP&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false | doi = | id = | isbn= 0-86196-653-8 | quote = }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Studios and Films | work = | publisher = Fort Lee Film Commission | date = | url = http://www.fortleefilm.org/studios.html | doi = | accessdate = 2011-05-30 | quote = }}</ref><ref>{{Citation | last = Fort Lee Film Commission | first = | author-link = | last2 = | first2 = | author2-link = | title = Fort Lee Birthplace of the Motion Picture Industry | place = | publisher = Arcadia Publishing | year = 2006 | volume = | edition = | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ViR3b72xkK0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Fort+Lee+Birthplace+of+the+Motion+Picture+Industry&hl=en&ei=ah3lTdmHMY7rObrH9bIG&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false | doi = | id = | isbn = 0-7385-4501-5 | quote = }}</ref> with general offices in New York City.<ref name="NYT Profit Sharing"/> Company directors included [[Jules Brulatour]], Briton N. Busch (secretary and treasurer), Van Horn Ely (president), [[Lee Shubert]], and Selznick (vice president and general manager). Film historian [[David Thomson (film critic)|David Thomson]] describes World Film as "a loose gathering of companies and interests engaged in producing films, with a nationwide system of exchanges and theaters where they could be shown". Within a year the company showed a profit of $329,000<ref name="Thomson"/>{{Rp|15}} — more than $7.7 million today.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=329%2C000.00&year1=1915&year2=2015 |title=Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Inflation Calculator |publisher=[[United States Department of Labor]] |accessdate=2015-12-12}}</ref>
Through an old acquaintance from Pittsburgh, Selznick became involved with the [[Universal Studios|Universal Film Manufacturing Company]] in 1913<ref name="Thomson"/>{{Rp|13}} but was soon dismissed by [[Carl Laemmle]].<ref name=Photoplay/> In February 1914,<ref name="NYT Profit Sharing">{{cite news |last= |first= |date=December 14, 1914 |title=Profit Sharing for Movies |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D05E1DE153AE633A25757C1A9649D946596D6CF |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2015-12-12}}</ref> he and Chicago [[Spiegel (catalog)|mail-order magnate]] [[Arthur Spiegel]] organized the [[World Film Company|World Film Corporation]],<ref name="NYT Obit">{{cite news |last= |first= |date=January 26, 1933 |title=L. J. Selznick Dies; A Film Pioneer |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D00E0DC1738E333A25755C2A9679C946294D6CF |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=2015-12-12}}</ref> a distributor of independently produced films<ref name="Katz">{{cite book |last=Katz |first=Ephraim |authorlink=Ephraim Katz |title=The Film Encyclopedia |publisher=HarperPerennial |location=New York |year=1998 |edition=3rd |page=1237 |isbn=0-06-273492-X}}</ref> located in [[Fort Lee, New Jersey]],<ref>{{citation |last=Koszarski |first=Richard |author-link= |last2= |first2= |author2-link= |title=Fort Lee: The Film Town |location=Rome |publisher=John Libbey Publishing -CIC srl |year=2004 |volume= |edition= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5w0r8YKan04C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Fort+Lee:+the+film+town+Door+Richard+Koszarski&hl=en&ei=fyO4TcjINoKeOpr32LsP&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false |doi= |id= |isbn=0-86196-653-8 |quote= }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Studios and Films |work= |publisher=Fort Lee Film Commission |date= |url=http://www.fortleefilm.org/studios.html |doi= |accessdate=2011-05-30 |quote= }}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Fort Lee Film Commission |first= |author-link= |last2= |first2= |author2-link= |title=Fort Lee Birthplace of the Motion Picture Industry |location= |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |year=2006 |volume= |edition= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ViR3b72xkK0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Fort+Lee+Birthplace+of+the+Motion+Picture+Industry&hl=en&ei=ah3lTdmHMY7rObrH9bIG&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false |doi= |id= |isbn=0-7385-4501-5 |quote= }}</ref> with general offices in New York City.<ref name="NYT Profit Sharing"/> Company directors included [[Jules Brulatour]], Briton N. Busch (secretary and treasurer), Van Horn Ely (president), [[Lee Shubert]], and Selznick (vice president and general manager). Film historian [[David Thomson (film critic)|David Thomson]] describes World Film as "a loose gathering of companies and interests engaged in producing films, with a nationwide system of exchanges and theaters where they could be shown". Within a year the company showed a profit of $329,000<ref name="Thomson"/>{{Rp|15}} — more than $7.7 million today.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=329%2C000.00&year1=1915&year2=2015 |title=Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Inflation Calculator |publisher=[[United States Department of Labor]] |accessdate=2015-12-12}}</ref>


Selznick had been dabbling in theatrical production, and his company put popular plays on film.<ref name="Thomson"/>{{Rp|15}} World Films releases in 1915 included [[Lew Fields]] in ''Old Dutch'', [[Alice Brady]] and [[Holbrook Blinn]] in ''[[The Boss (1915 film)|The Boss]]'', [[Wilton Lackaye]] and [[Clara Kimball Young]] in ''[[Trilby (1915 film)|Trilby]]'', and [[Lillian Russell]] and [[Lionel Barrymore]] in ''[[Wildfire (1915 film)|Wildfire]]''.<ref name="NYT Obit"/>
Selznick had been dabbling in theatrical production, and his company put popular plays on film.<ref name="Thomson"/>{{Rp|15}} World Films releases in 1915 included ''Old Dutch'' featuring [[Lew Fields]], ''[[The Boss (1915 film)|The Boss]]'' starring [[Alice Brady]] and [[Holbrook Blinn]], ''[[Trilby (1915 film)|Trilby]]'' starring [[Wilton Lackaye]] and [[Clara Kimball Young]], and ''[[Wildfire (1915 film)|Wildfire]]'' starring [[Lillian Russell]] and [[Lionel Barrymore]].<ref name="NYT Obit"/>


He soon merged with the [[Peerless Pictures]] Studios and the [[Shubert Brothers]], Shubert Pictures Co. Selznick's company became very successful, in 1915 hiring [[Sidney Olcott]] away from [[Kalem Studios]] plus the French director [[Maurice Tourneur]] away from the American arm of the giant, [[Pathé]]. By 1916, personality conflicts with his partners saw him ousted from the firm by the Board of Directors.<ref name=Photoplay>{{cite news|work=[[Photoplay]]|author=[[Terry Ramsaye]]|date=January 1925|pages=119–124|title=The Romantic History of the Motion Picture|url=https://archive.org/stream/pho28chic#page/n122/mode/1up}}</ref>
He soon merged with the [[Peerless Pictures]] Studios and the [[Shubert Brothers]], Shubert Pictures Co. Selznick's company became very successful, in 1915 hiring [[Sidney Olcott]] away from [[Kalem Studios]] plus the French director [[Maurice Tourneur]] away from the American arm of the giant, [[Pathé]]. By 1916, personality conflicts with his partners saw him ousted from the firm by the Board of Directors.<ref name=Photoplay>{{cite news |work=[[Photoplay]] |author=[[Terry Ramsaye]] |date=January 1925 |pages=119–124 |title=The Romantic History of the Motion Picture |url=https://archive.org/stream/pho28chic#page/n122/mode/1up}}</ref>


Selznick took with him World Film Corporation's biggest star, [[Clara Kimball Young]], and became president and general manager of the newly formed Clara Kimball Young Film Corporation. He then launched the film career of [[Nazimova]] with her first film [[War Brides (film)|War Brides]], which was a success.<ref name=Photoplay/>
Selznick took with him World Film Corporation's biggest star, Clara Kimball Young, and became president and general manager of the newly formed Clara Kimball Young Film Corporation. He then launched the film career of [[Nazimova]] with her first film ''[[War Brides (film)|War Brides]]'', which was a success.<ref name=Photoplay/>


Selznick's business practices such as special preview functions, putting his name up in lights, signing stars for big salaries, upset others in the industry<ref name=Variety>{{cite news|url=https://archive.org/stream/variety109-1933-01#page/n283/mode/1up|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title=Lewis J. Selznick|date=January 31, 1933|page=2}}</ref> and [[Adolph Zukor]] purportedly offered him a salary of $5,000 a week for life to go to China and stay there.<ref name=Photoplay/> He later invented an advance deposit system whereby his productions were financed by selling the rights to exhibitors.<ref name=Photoplay/>
Selznick's business practices such as special preview functions, putting his name up in lights, signing stars for big salaries, upset others in the industry<ref name=Variety>{{cite news |url=https://archive.org/stream/variety109-1933-01#page/n283/mode/1up |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |title=Lewis J. Selznick |date=January 31, 1933 |page=2}}</ref> and [[Adolph Zukor]] purportedly offered him a salary of $5,000 a week for life to go to China and stay there.<ref name=Photoplay/> He later invented an advance deposit system whereby his productions were financed by selling the rights to exhibitors.<ref name=Photoplay/>


Although he had annoyed other film industry people, he had a friendship with [[Marcus Loew]] who helped him with loans. Following [[Norma Talmadge]]'s marriage to [[Joseph Schenck]], the booking manager for the [[Loews Cineplex Entertainment|Loew circuit]], Talmadge signed for Selznick and the first film of hers he distributed, ''Panthea'', set her on the road to becoming a star. Talmadge's sister, [[Constance Talmadge|Constance]] also signed for Selznick.<ref name=Photoplay/>
Although he had annoyed other film industry people, he had a friendship with [[Marcus Loew]] who helped him with loans. Following [[Norma Talmadge]]'s marriage to [[Joseph Schenck]], the booking manager for the [[Loews Cineplex Entertainment|Loew circuit]], Talmadge signed for Selznick and the first film of hers he distributed, ''Panthea'', set her on the road to becoming a star. Talmadge's sister [[Constance Talmadge|Constance]] also signed for Selznick.<ref name=Photoplay/>


In 1917, Zukor acquired a 50% interest in Selznick's Select Pictures, however it led to Selznick's name no longer appearing in lights or on the screen with Constance Talmadge asking for his name to be removed from her pictures.<ref name=Photoplay/>
In 1917, Zukor acquired a 50% interest in Selznick's Select Pictures; however, this led to Selznick's name no longer appearing in lights or on the screen. Constance Talmadge then asked for his name to be removed from her pictures.<ref name=Photoplay/>


Following this, Selznick's son [[Myron Selznick|Myron]] signed [[Olive Thomas]] in December 1918 and put the Selznick name up in lights again. Selznick then bought out Zukor to take control of Select Pictures again.<ref name=Photoplay/>
Following this, Selznick's son Myron signed [[Olive Thomas]] in December 1918, and put the Selznick name up in lights again. Selznick then bought out Zukor to take control of Select Pictures again.<ref name=Photoplay/>


Selznick continued in film on the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]] until 1920 when he moved to [[Hollywood, California]] where he teamed up with Adolph Zukor and [[Jesse L. Lasky]]. However, within a few years his company, Lewis J. Selznick Productions, Inc., began to lose stars<ref name=Photoplay/> and experienced severe financial difficulties and went bankrupt in 1925. He re-entered the industry in 1926 and managed [[Associated Exhibitors]]<ref name=Variety/> before retiring from the film business.
Selznick continued in film on the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]] until 1920 when he moved to Hollywood, where he teamed up with Zukor and [[Jesse L. Lasky]]. However, within a few years his company, Lewis J. Selznick Productions, Inc., began to lose stars;<ref name=Photoplay/> Selznick experienced severe financial difficulties, and went bankrupt in 1925. He re-entered the industry the following year, and managed [[Associated Exhibitors]]<ref name=Variety/> before retiring from the film business.


Selznick died January 25, 1933 from a heart attack,<ref name=Variety/> at his home in [[Los Angeles, California]], with his wife and sons at his bedside.<ref name="NYT Obit"/> He is interred at [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)|Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery]] in Glendale, California.
Selznick died at his home in Los Angeles on January 25, 1933, from a heart attack,<ref name=Variety/> with his wife and sons at his bedside.<ref name="NYT Obit"/> He is interred at [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)|Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery]] in Glendale, California.


==Legacy==
==Legacy==
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Lewis J. Selznick was inducted into the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] February 8, 1960. His star is located at 6412 Hollywood Blvd.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.walkoffame.com/lewis-j-selznick |title=Lewis J. Selznick |last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date= |website=[[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] |publisher=Hollywood Chamber of Commerce |access-date=2015-12-11}}</ref>
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Lewis J. Selznick was inducted into the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] on February 8, 1960. His star is located at 6412 Hollywood Blvd.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.walkoffame.com/lewis-j-selznick |title=Lewis J. Selznick |last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date= |website=[[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] |publisher=Hollywood Chamber of Commerce |access-date=2015-12-11}}</ref>


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Revision as of 07:06, 24 February 2020

Lewis J. Selznick
Born
Lewis Zeleznick

(1870-05-02)May 2, 1870
Grinkiškis, Kovno Governorate, Russian Empire
DiedJanuary 25, 1933(1933-01-25) (aged 62)
Los Angeles, California
Occupation(s)Motion picture producer and distributor
Years active1913–1923
Spouse(s)
Florence Sachs
​
​
(m. 1896; "his death" is deprecated; use "died" instead. 1933)​
ChildrenMyron Selznick
David O. Selznick
AwardsWalk of Fame - Motion Picture
6412 Hollywood Blvd

Lewis J. Selznick (born May 2, 1870 or 1869[1] – January 25, 1933) was an American producer in the early years of the film industry. After initial involvement with World Film at Fort Lee, New Jersey, he established Selznick Pictures in California.

Biography

Lewis J. Selznick was born in 1870 in Grinkiškis, Kovno Governorate, Russian Empire (now in Lithuania),[2] to Ida (Ringer) and Joseph Zeleznick. He grew up in Kiev (now in Ukraine) and emigrated to the United States at the age of 18.[2]

Selznick arrived in the United States in 1888 and became a naturalized citizen on September 29, 1894.[3]: 5  He settled in Pittsburgh and built up a successful jewelry retail business. In 1896,[4] he married Florence (Flossie) Sachs.[3]: 6–7  They had three sons: Howard Selznick (1897–1980), who suffered some undiagnosed mental disability;[3]: 7  Myron Selznick (1898–1944), who worked as a producer and studio executive before establishing a talent agency; and David O. Selznick (1902–1965), a Hollywood filmmaker who produced Gone with the Wind (1939). A daughter, Ruth, was born in 1904 but died before the age of one.[3]: 8 

Retaining his jewelry stores in the Pittsburgh area, Selznick moved his family to Brooklyn in 1903.[3]: 8–9  He opened a large jewelry store,[2] the Knickerbocker, at Sixth Avenue and 23rd Street in Manhattan, but by 1907 he had left the business. The family surname changed from Seleznick to Selznick sometime in 1908 or 1909. In the year 1910 or 1911 the family moved to Manhattan, where Selznick worked as a patent promoter and sold electrical supplies.[3]: 10–11 

Through an old acquaintance from Pittsburgh, Selznick became involved with the Universal Film Manufacturing Company in 1913[3]: 13  but was soon dismissed by Carl Laemmle.[5] In February 1914,[6] he and Chicago mail-order magnate Arthur Spiegel organized the World Film Corporation,[7] a distributor of independently produced films[8] located in Fort Lee, New Jersey,[9][10][11] with general offices in New York City.[6] Company directors included Jules Brulatour, Briton N. Busch (secretary and treasurer), Van Horn Ely (president), Lee Shubert, and Selznick (vice president and general manager). Film historian David Thomson describes World Film as "a loose gathering of companies and interests engaged in producing films, with a nationwide system of exchanges and theaters where they could be shown". Within a year the company showed a profit of $329,000[3]: 15  — more than $7.7 million today.[12]

Selznick had been dabbling in theatrical production, and his company put popular plays on film.[3]: 15  World Films releases in 1915 included Old Dutch featuring Lew Fields, The Boss starring Alice Brady and Holbrook Blinn, Trilby starring Wilton Lackaye and Clara Kimball Young, and Wildfire starring Lillian Russell and Lionel Barrymore.[7]

He soon merged with the Peerless Pictures Studios and the Shubert Brothers, Shubert Pictures Co. Selznick's company became very successful, in 1915 hiring Sidney Olcott away from Kalem Studios plus the French director Maurice Tourneur away from the American arm of the giant, Pathé. By 1916, personality conflicts with his partners saw him ousted from the firm by the Board of Directors.[5]

Selznick took with him World Film Corporation's biggest star, Clara Kimball Young, and became president and general manager of the newly formed Clara Kimball Young Film Corporation. He then launched the film career of Nazimova with her first film War Brides, which was a success.[5]

Selznick's business practices such as special preview functions, putting his name up in lights, signing stars for big salaries, upset others in the industry[13] and Adolph Zukor purportedly offered him a salary of $5,000 a week for life to go to China and stay there.[5] He later invented an advance deposit system whereby his productions were financed by selling the rights to exhibitors.[5]

Although he had annoyed other film industry people, he had a friendship with Marcus Loew who helped him with loans. Following Norma Talmadge's marriage to Joseph Schenck, the booking manager for the Loew circuit, Talmadge signed for Selznick and the first film of hers he distributed, Panthea, set her on the road to becoming a star. Talmadge's sister Constance also signed for Selznick.[5]

In 1917, Zukor acquired a 50% interest in Selznick's Select Pictures; however, this led to Selznick's name no longer appearing in lights or on the screen. Constance Talmadge then asked for his name to be removed from her pictures.[5]

Following this, Selznick's son Myron signed Olive Thomas in December 1918, and put the Selznick name up in lights again. Selznick then bought out Zukor to take control of Select Pictures again.[5]

Selznick continued in film on the East Coast until 1920 when he moved to Hollywood, where he teamed up with Zukor and Jesse L. Lasky. However, within a few years his company, Lewis J. Selznick Productions, Inc., began to lose stars;[5] Selznick experienced severe financial difficulties, and went bankrupt in 1925. He re-entered the industry the following year, and managed Associated Exhibitors[13] before retiring from the film business.

Selznick died at his home in Los Angeles on January 25, 1933, from a heart attack,[13] with his wife and sons at his bedside.[7] He is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery in Glendale, California.

Legacy

For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Lewis J. Selznick was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 8, 1960. His star is located at 6412 Hollywood Blvd.[14]

References

  1. ^ Possible birth year. "Ancestry.com".
  2. ^ a b c Lambert, Gavin (1976) [1973]. GWTW: The Making of Gone With the Wind (mass market paperback ed.). New York: Bantam Books. pp. 2–7. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Thomson, David (1992). Showman: The Life of David O. Selznick. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-394-56833-8.
  4. ^ Marriage date. "Ancestry.com".
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Terry Ramsaye (January 1925). "The Romantic History of the Motion Picture". Photoplay. pp. 119–124.
  6. ^ a b "Profit Sharing for Movies". The New York Times. December 14, 1914. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  7. ^ a b c "L. J. Selznick Dies; A Film Pioneer". The New York Times. January 26, 1933. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  8. ^ Katz, Ephraim (1998). The Film Encyclopedia (3rd ed.). New York: HarperPerennial. p. 1237. ISBN 0-06-273492-X.
  9. ^ Koszarski, Richard (2004), Fort Lee: The Film Town, Rome: John Libbey Publishing -CIC srl, ISBN 0-86196-653-8
  10. ^ "Studios and Films". Fort Lee Film Commission. Retrieved 2011-05-30. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  11. ^ Fort Lee Film Commission (2006), Fort Lee Birthplace of the Motion Picture Industry, Arcadia Publishing, ISBN 0-7385-4501-5
  12. ^ "Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Inflation Calculator". United States Department of Labor. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  13. ^ a b c "Lewis J. Selznick". Variety. January 31, 1933. p. 2.
  14. ^ "Lewis J. Selznick". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 2015-12-11.

External links

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