B. P. Schulberg
Encyclopedia
B.P. Schulberg was a pioneer film producer
and movie studio
executive.
Born Percival Schulberg in Bridgeport, Connecticut
, he took the name Benjamin from the boy in front of him when registering for school to avoid mockery for his British name. Schulberg, who started as a publicity manager at Famous Players-Lasky
, but in the aftermath of the power struggle around the formation of United Artists
ended up on the losing side and lost his job.
In 1919, at age 27, he founded Preferred Pictures and built it around "American Beauty", actress Katherine MacDonald
. In 1923, his old school-mate and associate Jack Bachman, convinced him to offer the New York starlet, 18 year old Clara Bow
, a three month trial contract. Within days of her arrival she was made part of the studio permanent stock.
On October 21, 1925, Schulberg's Preferred Pictures filed for bankruptcy, with debts of $820,774 and assets of just $1,420 . Three days later it was announced that Schulberg would join with Adolph Zukor
and became associate producer of Paramount Pictures
, bringing his organization, i.e. Clara Bow.
In an era when the film industry was filled with conservative
studio executives, B.P. Schulberg was a "New Deal
" liberal, described by Moving Pictures magazine as "a political liberal in the reactionary world of Mayer
and Hearst
." His wife Adeline Jaffe-Schulberg founded a talent agency taken over by her brother, producer/talent agent Sam Jaffe
. She spent little time with Hollywood society women, instead working for charities that aided the poor and promoting socialism
. She subsequently had a literary agency in New York. They were the parents of renowned novelist and screenwriter
, Budd Schulberg
, producer Stuart Schulberg, and writer Sonya Schulberg O'Sullivan.
In 1931 Paramount top-star Clara Bow
left the studio, and within a year Schulberg was "squeezed out", and forced back to independent film-production. From 1937 Paramount stopped distributing his films and he remained out of the business until 1940 when he began producing for Columbia Pictures
. He produced six films for Columbia in three years until he retired in 1943. 1950 he unsuccessfully offered his services in the film trade papers.
"I completely supported him for the last five year of his life", his son Budd stated 1981.
B.P. Schulberg died at his home in Key Biscayne, Florida
in 1957.
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, B.P. Schulberg has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 1500 Vine Street.
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and movie studio
Movie studio
A movie studio is a term used to describe a major entertainment company or production company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to film movies...
executive.
Born Percival Schulberg in Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...
, he took the name Benjamin from the boy in front of him when registering for school to avoid mockery for his British name. Schulberg, who started as a publicity manager at Famous Players-Lasky
Famous Players-Lasky
Famous Players-Lasky Corporation was an American motion picture and distribution company created on July 19, 1916 from the merger of Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company -- originally formed by Zukor as Famous Players in Famous Plays -- and Jesse L...
, but in the aftermath of the power struggle around the formation of United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
ended up on the losing side and lost his job.
In 1919, at age 27, he founded Preferred Pictures and built it around "American Beauty", actress Katherine MacDonald
Katherine MacDonald
Katherine Agnew MacDonald was an American actress and film producer. She was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.- Career :...
. In 1923, his old school-mate and associate Jack Bachman, convinced him to offer the New York starlet, 18 year old Clara Bow
Clara Bow
Clara Gordon Bow was an American actress who rose to stardom in the silent film era of the 1920s. It was her appearance as a spunky shopgirl in the film It that brought her global fame and the nickname "The It Girl." Bow came to personify the roaring twenties and is described as its leading sex...
, a three month trial contract. Within days of her arrival she was made part of the studio permanent stock.
On October 21, 1925, Schulberg's Preferred Pictures filed for bankruptcy, with debts of $820,774 and assets of just $1,420 . Three days later it was announced that Schulberg would join with Adolph Zukor
Adolph Zukor
Adolph Zukor , born Adolph Cukor, was a film mogul and founder of Paramount Pictures.-Early life:...
and became associate producer of Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, bringing his organization, i.e. Clara Bow.
In an era when the film industry was filled with conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
studio executives, B.P. Schulberg was a "New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
" liberal, described by Moving Pictures magazine as "a political liberal in the reactionary world of Mayer
Louis B. Mayer
Louis Burt Mayer born Lazar Meir was an American film producer. He is generally cited as the creator of the "star system" within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in its golden years. Known always as Louis B...
and Hearst
William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...
." His wife Adeline Jaffe-Schulberg founded a talent agency taken over by her brother, producer/talent agent Sam Jaffe
Sam Jaffe (producer)
Sam Jaffe was, at different points in his career in the motion picture industry, an agent, a producer and a studio executive. He was brother-in-law to B.P...
. She spent little time with Hollywood society women, instead working for charities that aided the poor and promoting socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
. She subsequently had a literary agency in New York. They were the parents of renowned novelist and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, Budd Schulberg
Budd Schulberg
Budd Schulberg was an American screenwriter, television producer, novelist and sports writer. He was known for his 1941 novel, What Makes Sammy Run?, his 1947 novel The Harder They Fall, his 1954 Academy-award-winning screenplay for On the Waterfront, and his 1957 screenplay for A Face in the...
, producer Stuart Schulberg, and writer Sonya Schulberg O'Sullivan.
In 1931 Paramount top-star Clara Bow
Clara Bow
Clara Gordon Bow was an American actress who rose to stardom in the silent film era of the 1920s. It was her appearance as a spunky shopgirl in the film It that brought her global fame and the nickname "The It Girl." Bow came to personify the roaring twenties and is described as its leading sex...
left the studio, and within a year Schulberg was "squeezed out", and forced back to independent film-production. From 1937 Paramount stopped distributing his films and he remained out of the business until 1940 when he began producing for Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
. He produced six films for Columbia in three years until he retired in 1943. 1950 he unsuccessfully offered his services in the film trade papers.
"I completely supported him for the last five year of his life", his son Budd stated 1981.
B.P. Schulberg died at his home in Key Biscayne, Florida
Key Biscayne, Florida
Key Biscayne is a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States on the island of Key Biscayne. The population was 10,507 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 10,324....
in 1957.
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, B.P. Schulberg has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 1500 Vine Street.
Selected filmography
- Meet Nero WolfeMeet Nero WolfeMeet Nero Wolfe is a 1936 mystery film based on the 1934 novel Fer-de-Lance, written by Rex Stout. Set in New York, the story introduced the detective genius Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin...
(19361936 in filmThe year 1936 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 29 - Fritz Lang's first Hollywood film Fury, starring Spencer Tracy and Bruce Cabot, is released.*November 6 - first Porky Pig animated cartoon...
) - She Couldn't Take ItShe Couldn't Take ItShe Couldn't Take It is a 1935 comedy film made at Columbia Pictures, directed by Tay Garnett, written by C. Graham Baker, Gene Towne and Oliver H.P...
(19351935 in film-Events:*Judy Garland signs a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer .*Seven year old Shirley Temple wins a special Academy Award.*The Bantu Educational Kinema Experiment started in order to educate the Bantu peoples.-Top grossing films:-Academy Awards:...
) - Little Miss MarkerLittle Miss MarkerLittle Miss Marker is a 1934 American drama film directed by Alexander Hall. The screenplay was written by William R. Lipman, Sam Hellman, and Gladys Hellman after a short story by Damon Runyon. The film stars Shirley Temple, Adolphe Menjou, and Dorothy Dell in a story about a little girl held...
(19341934 in film-Events:*January 26 - Samuel Goldwyn purchases the film rights to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the L. Frank Baum estate for $40,000.*February 19 - Bob Hope marries Dolores Reade...
) - Thirty Day Princess (1934)
- Three-Cornered MoonThree-Cornered MoonThree-Cornered Moon is a 1933 film directed by Elliot Nugent, and written by Ray Harris and S.K. Lauren, based on play by Gertrude Tonkonogy Friedberg. The film reached No...
(19331933 in film-Events:* March 2 - King Kong premieres in New York City.* June 6 - The first drive-in theater opens, in Camden, New Jersey.* British Film Institute founded....
) - Red HairRed Hair (1928 film)Red Hair is a 1928 silent film starring Clara Bow and Lane Chandler, directed by Clarence G. Badger, based on a novel by Elinor Glyn, and released by Paramount Pictures....
(19281928 in film-Events:Although some movies released in 1928 had sound, most were still silent.* July 28 - Lights of New York is released by Warner Brothers. It is the first "100% Talkie" feature film, in that dialog is spoken throughout the film...
) - UnderworldUnderworld (1927 film)Underworld is a 1927 silent crime film directed by Josef von Sternberg.-Plot:Boisterous gangster kingpin Bull Weed rehabilitates his former lawyer from his alcoholic haze, but complications arise when he falls for Weed's girlfriend.-Cast:* George Bancroft as "Bull" Weed* Evelyn Brent as "Feathers"...
(19271927 in film-Events:*January 10 - Fritz Lang's science-fiction fantasy Metropolis premieres in Germany.*April 7 - Abel Gance's Napoleon often considered his best known and greatest masterpiece, premiers at the Paris Opéra and would demonstrate techniques and equipment that would not be used for years to...
) - Special DeliverySpecial Delivery (1927 film)Special Delivery is a 1927 silent comedy film directed by Fatty Arbuckle.-Cast:* Eddie Cantor - Eddie, The Mail Carrier* Jobyna Ralston - Madge, The Girl* William Powell - Harold Jones* Donald Keith - Harrigan, The Fireman...
(1927) - Wings (19271927 in film-Events:*January 10 - Fritz Lang's science-fiction fantasy Metropolis premieres in Germany.*April 7 - Abel Gance's Napoleon often considered his best known and greatest masterpiece, premiers at the Paris Opéra and would demonstrate techniques and equipment that would not be used for years to...
) - ItIt (1927 film)It is a 1927 silent romantic comedy film which tells the story of a shop girl who sets her sights on the handsome and wealthy boss of the department store where she works. Because of this film, actress Clara Bow became known as the "It girl"...
(19271927 in film-Events:*January 10 - Fritz Lang's science-fiction fantasy Metropolis premieres in Germany.*April 7 - Abel Gance's Napoleon often considered his best known and greatest masterpiece, premiers at the Paris Opéra and would demonstrate techniques and equipment that would not be used for years to...
) - The Eagle of the SeaThe Eagle of the SeaThe Eagle of the Sea is a 1926 silent drama film directed by Frank Lloyd, starring Florence Vidor and featuring Boris Karloff in an uncredited role.-Cast:* Florence Vidor - Louise Lestron* Ricardo Cortez - Captain Sazarac...
(19261926 in film-Events:*August - Warner Brothers debuts the first Vitaphone film, Don Juan. The Vitaphone system used multiple 33⅓ rpm disc records developed by Bell Telephone Laboratories and Western Electric to play back audio synchronized with film....
) - MantrapMantrap (film)Mantrap is a 1926 American black-and-white silent film based on the novel of the same name by Sinclair Lewis...
(1926) - The Plastic AgeThe Plastic Age (film)The Plastic Age is a black-and-white silent film starring Clara Bow and Gilbert Roland. The film survives today not only on 16 mm film, but also on video and DVD. The film was based on the best-selling 1924 novel The Plastic Age by Percy Marks...
(19251925 in film-Events:*November 5: The Big Parade holds its Grand Premier*December 30: premier of Ben-Hur the most expensive silent film ever made costing 4-6 million dollars -Top grossing films :...
) - White ManWhite Man (film)White Man is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Louis J. Gasnier. The film set in a diamond mine in South Africa. The film marked Clark Gable's debut on the silver screen.-Cast:*Kenneth Harlan ... White Man...
(19241924 in film-Events:* Entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer Pictures to create Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
) - The Woman ConquersThe Woman ConquersThe Woman Conquers is a 1922 drama film directed by Tom Forman and featuring Boris Karloff.-Cast:* Katherine MacDonald - Ninon Le Compte* Bryant Washburn - Frederick Van Court, III* Mitchell Lewis - Lazar* June Elvidge - Flora O'Hare...
(19221922 in film-Events:* June 11 - United States première of Robert J. Flaherty's Nanook of the North, the first commercially successful feature length documentary film....
)