Sol C. Siegel(March 30, 1903 – December 29, 1982) was an American film producer. Two of the numerous films he produced,A Letter to Three Wives(1949) andThree Coins in the Fountain(1954), were nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Picture.
Sol C. Siegel | |
|---|---|
 Siegel in 1958 | |
| Born | March 30, 1903 Kalvarija, Lithuania |
| Died | December 29, 1982(aged 79) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Education | Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism |
| Occupation | Film producer |
| Years active | 1934–1968 |
| Spouses | Ruth E. Shor
(m.1932; died 1962)Helen J. Waite (m.1972) |
| Children | 3 |
Early life and career
editSol C. Siegel was born on March 30, 1903, in Kalvarija, Lithuania. In the early 1930s, Siegel wassales managerof theBrunswick-Columbiarecord label.[1] In 1934, he began his Hollywood career by assisting his brother, Moe Siegel, with the merger of six small production studios intoRepublic Pictures.He stayed on at Republic as an executive producer, working withGene AutryandJohn Wayne.
Sol C.Siegel was born March 30 or 31st (local records lost during WWII) in Kalvarija, Poland, now Lithuania.
During a contract dispute between Republic Studios and Gene Autry Mr. Siegel brought in a member of a singing group called "The Sons of the Pioneers", whose name was Leonard Slye, and changed his screen name to Roy Rogers.[2]
Producer
editIn October 1940, Siegel left his position as head of Republic Studios to be a producer atParamount Pictures.[3]
In 1946, he moved to20th Century Fox.[4] Two of the films he produced there,A Letter to Three Wives(1949) andThree Coins in the Fountain(1954), were nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Picture.He also producedThe Iron Curtain(1948) and later theMarilyn MonroemusicalGentlemen Prefer Blondes,as well as the star-studdedHigh SocietyforMetro-Goldwyn-MayerstarringFrank Sinatra,Grace Kelly,Bing Crosby,andLouis Armstrong.
MGM
editIn 1956, Siegel joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.[5]Towards the end of the year,Dore Scharywas fired as head of production and Siegel was rumoured to be given his job.[6]HoweverBen Thaugot the job and Siegel remained a producer, makingLes Girls,Man on Fire,Merry Andrew,andSome Came Running.[7]
Siegel was appointed head of studio operations at MGM for three years in April 1958.[8]The following month he was appointed vice president in charge of production.[9]By this stage, the studio had already greenlit a number of movies that would go on to be major successes, includingBen-HurandNorth by Northwest.[10]As part of the deal, MGM bought Siegel's company for over $1 million.[11]
During Siegel's time, MGM produced the majorCineramaepicHow the West Was Won.[4][12]He was also the subject of anextortionattempt.[13]
The success ofBen-Hurencouraged Siegel to authorise a series of remakes at MGM such asCimarron,Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,andMutiny on the Bounty.[14]The idea was to re-release these films every seven years, the way MGM did withGone with the Wind.[15]
In August 1961 Siegel said his formula at MGM was "old hands plus young faces". His key producers at the studio around this time were John Houseman, Arthur Freed, Joseph Pasternak, Pandro Berman and Laurence Weingarten.[16]The following month Siegel announced MGM was "in its strongest position in history from the standpoint of big scale product" adding "it has taken us several years to attain this momentum."[17]Sixteen films were completed and ready for distribution, includingKing of KingsandFour Horsemen of the Apocalypse,along withBridge to the Sun,Thunder of Drums,Bachelor in ParadiseandLight in the Piazza.Filming was taking place onMutiny on the Bounty,How the West Was Won,The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm,Sweet Bird of Youth,A Very Private Affair,I Thank a Fool,All Fall DownandThe Horizontal Lieutenant.Filming was about to start onBilly Rose's Jumbo,Two Weeks in Another Town,andSwordsman of Siena,and projects planned (not all of which were ultimately filmed) includedBoys' Night Out,Damon and Pythias,Seven Seas to Calais,Rififi in Tokyo,The Tartars,Period of Adjustment,The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters(whichbecame a TV series),The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich(eventually adapted for TV),The Prize,The Courtship of Eddie's Father,George Bradshaw'sIt's Only a Paper Moon,Over the Rainbow,Guns in the Afternoon(released asRide the High Country), Peter Matthiessen'sRaditzer,Rona Jaffe'sAway from Home,John Steinbeck'sWinter of Our Discontent,Franz Werfel'sThe Forty Days of Musa Daghand a sequel toSeven Brides for Seven Brothers.[17][18]
However a number of Siegel films were flops withFour HorsemenandMutinybeing particularly expensive box office failures. This led to Siegel being replaced as head of production in January 1962 byRobert M. Weitman.[19]
Independent producer
editSiegel then began working as an independent producer.[5]He ran his own production company from 1964 to 1967.
Siegel died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on December 29, 1982, aged 79.[4]
Personal life
editHe was married to Ruth (Shor) Siegel until her death in 1962; together they had three sons, Andrew, Norman, and Richard.[4]
Selected filmography as producer
edit- The Iron Curtain(1948) - 20th Century Fox
- A Letter to Three Wives(1949) - 20th Century Fox
- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes(1953) - 20th Century Fox
- Three Coins in the Fountain(1954) - 20th Century Fox
- High Society(1956) - MGM
- Man on Fire(1957) - MGM
- Les Girls(1957) - MGM
- Merry Andrew(1958) - MGM
- Some Came Running(1959) - MGM
- The World, the Flesh and the Devil(1959) - MGM
- Home From the Hill(1960) - MGM
- Walk Don't Run(1966) - Columbia
- Alvarez Kelly(1966) - Columbia
- No Way to Treat a Lady(1968) - Paramount
Filmography as head of MGM
editIncludes MGM profits/losses based on Eddie Mannix ledger:[20]
- Ben Hur(1959) (November 1959) - profit of $20,409,000
- The Wreck of the Mary Deare(November 1959)
- Never So Few(December 1959) - loss of $1,155,000
- The Gazebo(December 1959) - profit of $628,000
- The Last Voyage(February 1960) - loss of $551,000
- Home from the Hill(March 1960) - loss of $122,000
- Please Don't Eat the Daisies(March 1960) - profit of $1,842,000
- Platinum High School(May 1960) - loss of $270,000
- The Day They Robbed the Bank of England(May 1960) - loss of $57,000
- The Gallant Hours
- The Subterraneans[21]- loss of $1,311,000
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn(August 1960) - loss of $99,000
- The Time Machine(August 1960)[22]- profit of $245,000
- All the Fine Young Cannibals(September 1960) - loss of $1,108,000
- Key Witness(October 1960) - loss of $496,000
- BUtterfield 8(November 1960) - profit of $1,857,000
- Cimarron(December 1960) - loss of $3,618,000
- The Village of the Damned(December 1960) - profit of $860,000
- Where the Boys Are(December 1960)
- Go Naked in the World(March 1961) - loss of $1,462,000
- The Green Helmet(1961) - profit of $124,000
- Atlantis, the Lost Continent(May 1961)[23]
- Two Loves(June 1961)[24]- loss of $1,773,000
- The Honeymoon Machine(August 1961) - profit of $122,000
- Ada(August 1961) - loss of $2,372,000
- A Thunder of Drums(Septembe 1961) - loss of $42,000
- Bridge to the Sun(August 1961)[25]
- King of Kings(October 1961) - profit of $1,621,000
- Bachelor in Paradise(November 1961) - lost $344,000
- Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse(February 1962) - loss of $5,853,000
- Light in the Piazza(February 1962) - loss of $472,000
- Sweet Bird of Youth(March 1962)
- All Fall Down(April 1962) - loss of $1,048,000
- The Tartars(June 1962) - profit of $34,000
- Damon and Pythias(1962) - profit of $6,000
- Boys' Night Out(June 1962) - loss of $262,000
- The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm(August 1962)
- Two Weeks in Another Town(August 1962) - loss of $2,969,000
- I Thank a Fool(Sept 1962) - lost $1,207,000
- Period of Adjustment(October 1962) - profit of $558,000
- Mutiny on the Bounty(November 1962) - loss at least $10 million
- How the West Was Won(November 1962)
- Billy Rose's Jumbo(December 1962) - loss of $3,956,000
- In the Cool of the Day(March 1963)
- The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters(1963) (TV series)
Unmade films
edit- adaptation ofThe Martian ChroniclesbyRay Bradbury[26]
- And Seven from Americaabout theOlympic Games[27]
- adaptation ofThe AlligatorsbyMolly Kazan[28]
- The Secret Classroom[29]
- County Fair– drama set against backdrop ofharness racing[30]
- Only in Americaplay byHarry Golden[31]
- Charlemagne[32]
- Lady L– film postponed[33]
- The Winter of Our Discontentbased on book byJohn Steinbeck[34]
- Inamortaby Richard Brooks[35]
- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reichbased on the book byWilliam L. Shirer[36]
References
edit- ^"Sales Mgrs.: There's Hope".Billboard.May 5, 1958.ISSN0006-2510.RetrievedDecember 28,2013.
- ^Sol C. Siegel, as told to Andrew Siegel, Mr. Siegel's youngest son
- ^SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD.New York Times9 Oct 1940: 30.
- ^abcd"SOL C. SIEGEL DEAD; HEADED PRODUCTION OF FILMS AT M-G-M".The New York Times.December 31, 1982.
- ^abSandra Brennan (2014)."Sol C Siegel".Movies & TV Dept.The New York Times.Archived fromthe originalon January 16, 2014.RetrievedDecember 28,2013.
- ^O'Neill Drama Terrific in Impact, Real Triumph for March and Eldridge Schallert, Edwin.Los Angeles Times16 Nov 1956: B7.
- ^"Berman, Weingarten to produce as partners in Metro's new setup".Variety.February 27, 1957. p. 4.RetrievedAugust 18,2024.
- ^"Sol C. Siegel Chosen to Head MGM Studio"Los Angeles Times23 Apr 1958: 5.
- ^"Siegel Made Loew's V-P"Los Angeles Times22 May 1958: C9.
- ^"MGM to Make Huge Schedule of New Films"Los Angeles Times;Jan 22, 1958; Los Angeles Times. B20
- ^"Sol Siegel Terms".Variety.April 16, 1958. p. 3.RetrievedAugust 18,2024.
- ^"MGM, With 44 Films, Maps Plans Into 1960"Los Angeles Times08 July 1959: C10.
- ^"CHIEF AT MGM TARGET OF $100,000 EXTORTION: Suspect Seized by FBI"Los Angeles Times16 Jan 1959: 1.
- ^"Studio Mutiny Over 'Bounty' Film Quelled" Hopper, Hedda.Los Angeles Times01 Mar 1961: B7.
- ^"Metro's bincoluars on tomorrow".Variety.June 28, 1961. p. 3.
- ^"Sol Siegel sketches MGM formula".Variety.August 23, 1961. p. 3.RetrievedAugust 18,2024.
- ^ab"MGM hits momentum for its 1961-62 season".The Los Angeles Times.September 13, 1961. p. 37.
- ^"Bounty leads MGM's big slate".Los Angeles Mirror.January 2, 1962. p. 29.
- ^MGM Undergoes Change of Guard: Weitmain Replaces Sol Siegel; Sullivan, Crawford to Spain Hopper, Hedda.Los Angeles Times06 Jan 1962: A6.
- ^Figures fromThe Eddie Mannix Ledger,Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study
- ^Martin Will Star in 'Subterraneans': Freed Plans Modern Jazz Tale; Martha Hyer Sought for 'Dolls' Scott, John L.Los Angeles Times8 Dec 1958: C15.
- ^'Defiant Ones' Is Festival Favorite: Kramer and Stars in Berlin; Webb Readies Newspaper Tale' Scheuer, Philip K.Los Angeles Times02 July 1958: B7.
- ^'Atlantis' Will Be Conceived by Pal: Moulin Rouge to Go Legit; Two McIntires Sipt at U-I, Scheuer, Philip K.Los Angeles Times4 May 1960: B10.
- ^Dick Clark to Star in Theater Movies: 'Spinster' Grabbed by MGM; India Sends Unique Feature, Scheuer, Philip K.Los Angeles Times25 Mar 1959: C11.
- ^Shaggy Dog' Cast Will Kid Monsters: Jean Hagen Completes Roster; New Film Faster, Less Distorted, Scheuer, Philip K.Los Angeles Times30 July 1958: A9.
- ^Conquest of Mars Told by Bradbury: MGM Will Picturize Novel; Walters Explains 'Jumbo' Yen Scheuer, Philip K.Los Angeles Times15 Feb 1960: C9.
- ^MGM Reactivates True Olympic Tale: It's 'Seven From America'; Single Projector Hits 360 Deg. Scheuer, Philip K.Los Angeles Times18 Mar 1960: A9.
- ^Kazan 'Alligators' Acquired by MGM: Barry Jr. Assigns 'Widower;' Presley as Siegel's Mr. Adam? Scheuer, Philip K.Los Angeles Times09 Dec 1960: C11.
- ^New Impetus Lent Activity at MGM: Siegel Cites Impressive List of Stories, Stars, New Faces, Scheuer, Philip K.Los Angeles Times09 Apr 1959: B9.
- ^FILM LAND EVENTS: Lyons Assigned to 'County Fair'Los Angeles Times25 June 1959: B9.
- ^'Only in America' Secured by MGM: Newman Plans Chekhov Novelty; Fox Wilshire Takes 'Sheba', Scheuer, Philip K.Los Angeles Times22 Oct 1959: B11.
- ^MGM Has 30 Films Ready or in Production: Successful Year Seen With 'Charlemagne,' Cinerama in Story Form, Heading Offerings,Los Angeles Times16 Feb 1960: 16.
- ^Five Pictures Put on Bresler's S1ate: 'Lonely Londoners' to Parrish; Production in Spurt at MGM, Scheuer, Philip K.Los Angeles Times07 July 1960: C9.
- ^MGM Buys Rights To Steinbeck Novel The Washington Post and Times-Herald19 Dec 1960: B8.
- ^MGM Record Picture Schedule Set for 1961,Los Angeles Times09 Jan 1961: A9.
- ^Shirer Best Seller on Nazis Bought: MGM Secures 'Third Reich'; Of Puppets and Improvising, Scheuer, Philip K.Los Angeles Times09 Jan 1961: C13.