Sol M. Wurtzel

Sol M. Wurtzel
Sol M. Wurtzel in 1933
Born	Solomon Max Wurtzel (1890-09-12)September 12, 1890 New York City, New York, US
Died	April 9, 1958(1958-04-09) (aged 67) Los Angeles, California, US
Occupation	Motion picture producer

Sol Wurtzel (born Solomon Max Wurtzel, September 12, 1890 – April 9, 1958) was an American film producer.

Contents

• 
  1 Life and career
  


• 
  2 Personal life and death
  


• 
  3 Select filmography
  


• 
  4 References
  


• 
  5 External links
  

Life and career

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Tom Mix, actor; Sol Wurtzel, West Coast manager for Fox Film Corporation; and Winfield R. Sheehan, Fox Film general manager (1919)

William Farnum, Helen and Babe Ruth and Wurtzel on the Fox Studios lot in Hollywood (1920)

Born in New York City; his parents were both German Jews (Surname Wurtzel is a variant spelling of German and Yiddish wurzel, root in English). Wurtzel worked as an executive assistant to William Fox, founding owner of the Fox Film Corporation. In 1911, Wurtzel hired Alan E. Freedman as a bookkeeper for Fox's fledgling film processing laboratory. Freedman would remain for over 50 years, eventually turning the operation into the gargantuan "Color by DeLuxe" DeLuxe Laboratories. In 1917, Fox sent Wurtzel to California to oversee the studio's West Coast productions. He developed a formula for creating consistently profitable B movies that are heralded today. (source-Early Fox Film Corporation-letters)

Wurtzel eventually became involved in production and between 1932 and 1949 he produced more than 159 films including a large number of both the Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto series as well as other successes such as Bright Eyes in 1934, starring Shirley Temple and featuring her enduring trademark song: "On The Good Ship Lollipop".

He discovered young director John Ford who later went on to earn four Academy Awards. He also discovered and made a star of famous cowboy Will Rogers. (source: Early Fox Film Company- letters)

Wurtzel cast dancer Rita Hayworth (then Rita Cansino) in her first film role, the 1935 production Dante's Inferno. He gave an unknown Marilyn Monroe her first walk-on in his 1947 production of Dangerous Years.

He produced several of Laurel and Hardy's later comedies in the 1940s, including Great Guns (1941), A-Haunting We Will Go (1942), Jitterbugs (1943) and The Big Noise (1944). In 1943, he produced Chetniks! The Fighting Guerrillas on the guerrilla resistance movement in Serbia.

Personal life and death

Ill for many years following a stroke in 1952, Wurtzel died at his home in Hollywood April 9, 1958.^[1] John Ford delivered the eulogy at his funeral. Wurtzel was interred in the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Wurtzel served as the first President of Temple Israel of Hollywood.^[2]

Much of Wurtzel's family continued to work at Fox Studios until the late 1980s.

Select filmography

Year	Title	Notes
1926	Rustling for Cupid	[3]
1926	The Shamrock Handicap	[3]
1931	Once a Sinner	[3]
1931	Body and Soul	[3]
1933	Charlie Chan's Greatest Case	[3]
1933	The Man Who Dared	[3]
1933	Smoke Lightning	[3]
1933	The Last Trail	[3]
1933	Life in the Raw	[3]
1933	Walls of Gold	[3]
1933	Smoky	[3]
1934	Judge Priest	[3]
1934	Handy Andy	[3]
1934	Bright Eyes	[3]
1935	Charlie Chan in Paris	[3]
1935	Dante's Inferno	[3]
1936	Ramona	[3]
1936	Thank You, Jeeves!	[3]
1936	Gentle Julia	[3]
1937	Think Fast, Mr. Moto	[3]
1937	Thank You, Mr. Moto	[3]
1939	Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation	[3]
1940	The Man Who Wouldn't Talk	[3]
1941	Charlie Chan in Rio	[3]
1941	Dressed to Kill	[3]
1941	Michael Shayne, Private Detective	[3]
1942	A Haunting We Will Go	[3]
1942	The Lone Star Ranger	[3]
1943	Chetniks! The Fighting Guerrillas	[3]
1944	The Big Noise	[3]
1947	Backlash	[3]
1947	Roses Are Red	[3]
1947	The Invisible Wall	[3]
1947	Second Chance	[3]
1948	Half Past Midnight	[3]
1949	Miss Mink of 1949	[3]
1949	Tucson	[3]

References

1. 
   ^ "Sol M. Wurtzer, 67, Long a Film-Maker". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-07-23..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
   


2. 
   ^ Jewish Journal: "Paul Wurtzel, Son of Hollywood Legendary Producer Sol Wurtzel, Dies at 92" by Rabbi John Rosove June 3, 2014
   


3. 
   ^ ^{abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabacadaeafagahaiajak} "Sol M. Wurtzel". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved 2017-02-21.
   

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sol M. Wurtzel.

• 
  Works by or about Sol M. Wurtzel at Internet Archive
  


• 
  Sol M. Wurtzel on IMDb


• 
  Sol M. Wurtzel at Find a Grave
  


• Sol Wurtzel: The Forgotten Mogul


• "William Fox, Sol M. Wurtzel, and the Early Fox Film Corporation" (McFarland and Company, February 2001)
  ISBN 0-7864-0857-X
  

Authority control	WorldCat Identities GND: 123002303 ISNI: 0000 0000 8382 8065 LCCN: n87847827 VIAF: 52585502

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