Joseph M. Schenck

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For the vaudeville star, Joseph Thuma Schenck (1891–1930), see Van and Schenck.

Joseph M. Schenck
Schenck in 1928
Born
Joseph Michael Schenck

(1876-12-25)December 25, 1876
Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Governorate, Russian Empire
DiedOctober 22, 1961(1961-10-22) (aged 84)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeMaimonides Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York
Other namesOssip Schenker
OccupationFilm studio executive
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1916; div. 1934)​
RelativesNicholas Schenck (brother)

Joseph Michael Schenck (/ˈskɛŋk/; December 25, 1876[1] – October 22, 1961) was a Russian-born American film studio executive.

Life and career

Schenck was born to a Jewish family[2] in Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Oblast, Russian Empire. He emigrated to New York City on July 19, 1892, under the name Ossip Schenker;[3] and with his younger brother Nicholas eventually got into the entertainment business, operating concessions at New York's Fort George Amusement Park. Recognizing the potential, in 1909 the Schenck brothers purchased Palisades Amusement Park and afterward became participants in the fledgling motion picture industry in partnership with Marcus Loew, operating a chain of movie theaters.

In 1916, through his involvement in the film business, Joseph Schenck met and married Norma Talmadge, a top young star with Vitagraph Studios. He would be the first of her three husbands, but she was his only wife. Schenck supervised, controlled and nurtured her career in alliance with her mother.[4] In 1917, the couple formed the Norma Talmadge Film Corporation, which became a lucrative enterprise. They divorced in 1934; Schenck then built a home in Palm Springs, California.[4][5]

After parting ways with his brother, Joseph Schenck moved to the West Coast where the future of the film industry seemed to lie. Within a few years Schenck was made the second president of the new United Artists.[6]

The Political Graveyard reports that he was an alternate delegate from California to the 1928 Republican National Convention.[citation needed]

In 1933, he partnered with Darryl F. Zanuck to form Twentieth Century Pictures to produce motion pictures for United Artists, until 20th Century merged with Fox Film in 1935. As chairman of the new 20th Century Fox, he was one of the most powerful and influential people in the film business. Caught in a payoff scheme to buy peace with the militant unions, he was convicted of income tax evasion and spent time in prison. He was granted a presidential pardon by Harry Truman in 1945.[7] Following his release, he returned to 20th Century Fox where he became infatuated with the then unknown Marilyn Monroe, and played a key role in launching her career.[8]

Honors

One of the founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in 1952 he was given a special Academy Award in recognition of his contribution to the development of the film industry. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6757 Hollywood Blvd.

Death

Schenck retired in 1957 and shortly afterwards suffered a stroke, from which he never fully recovered. He died in Los Angeles, California, in 1961 at the age of 84, and was interred in Maimonides Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.

References

  1. ^ "All Citizenship & Naturalization Records results for Joseph Schenck". Ancestry.com. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018.
  2. ^ Brook, Vincent (December 15, 2016). From Shtetl to Stardom: Jews and Hollywood: Chapter 1: Still an Empire of Their Own: How Jews Remain Atop a Reinvented Hollywood. Purdue University Press. p. 17. ISBN 9781557537638. Archived from the original on December 14, 2020.
  3. ^ "Ossip Scheincker". Ancestry.com. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Basinger, Jeanine (2000). Silent Stars. Wesleyan University Press. p. 144. ISBN 0-8195-6451-6.
  5. ^ Meeks, Eric G. (2012). The Best Guide Ever to Palm Springs Celebrity Homes. Horatio Limburger Oglethorpe. p. 163. ISBN 978-1479328598.
  6. ^ Schickel, Richard. D.W. Griffith His Life and Work, 1985.
  7. ^ "The Big Rich, Part Two | San Diego Reader". www.sandiegoreader.com. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  8. ^ Pener, Degen (October 29, 2011). "Drugs, Affairs and Secret Divorces: Inside the Scandalous History of the Holmby Hills Estate Once Owned by Tony Curtis, Cher and Sonny Bono". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
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