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| Sol
M. Wurtzel
1881 - 1954 |
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. The producer Sol M. Wurtzel belonged to the most influential movie producers of the golden era of Hollywood in the 30s. He began his film career as an executive assistent of William Fox. Fox sent him to California in 1917 in order to overview the studios of "West Coast Productions". There he soon was able to set priorities and as a workaholic he had a huge influence to the production. He also came in touch with stars like Theda Bara and Tom Mix. His first active corporation as a producer came for the silent movie "7th Heaven" (27) into being and from 1932 he raised to one of the most successful producers for Fox. Sol M. Wurtzel was especially responsible for the so-called B pictures of the 30s and 40s. But he realised them so professionally that these productions did´t need to fear the comparison with the A productions. Quite the contrary, because he was able to produce these B pictures with few money, still the movies were very successful at cinema which contributed a formidable benefit for the Fox studios and ensured their existence. To Sol M. Wurtzel's well-known movies of the early 30s belong "Hello, Sister!" (33), "Frontier Marshal" (34), "Orient Express" (34), "Bright Eyes" (34) with Shirley Temple, "Charlie Chan in Paris" (35) and "This Is the Life" (35). In the second part of the 30s came other movies into being with the best paid star of the 30s - Shirley Temple - but he also launched other successful movies in other genres, among them movies with the figures Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto. Th his movies of those years belong "Gentle Julia" (36), "Human Cargo" (36), "High Tension" (36), "36 Hours to Kill" (36), "Born Reckless" (37), "Think Fast, Mr. Moto" (37), "Change of Heart" (38), "Mr. Moto's Gamble" (38), "Mr. Moto Takes a Chance" (38), "Charlie Chan in Honolulu" (38), "Frontier Marshal" (39) and "The Escape" (39). Sol M. Wurtzel continued his film career in the 40s and was very successful with some movies with Laurel & Hardy which presented the duo in top form again to an enthusiatic audience. To his most popular productions of the 40s belong "Charlie Chan in Panama" (40), "Manhattan Heartbeat" (40), "Murder Over New York" (40), "Great Guns" (41), ""Scotland Yard" (41), "Dressed to Kill" (41), "Charlie Chan in Rio" (41), "A-Haunting We Will Go (42)", "The Man Who Wouldn't Die" (42), "Time to Kill" (42), "Jitterbugs" (43), "The Big Noise" (44), "Dangerous Millions" (46), "Dangerous Years" (47), "Night Wind" (48) and "Tucson" (49). The intuition for stars and film makers cropped up time and again during his career. He helped John Ford to his great career and he spotted stars like Will Rogers, Rita Cansino - who became famous as Rita Hayworth and of course Norma Jean Baker who became an iconic figure as Marilyn Monroe. Other stars he helped for their breakthrough were Humphrey Bogart, Ray Milland, Glenn Ford, Ginger Rogers and Robert Taylor. Other movies from Sol M. Wurtzel:
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