[Editor's Note: Today we're going to try something really different. Readers of our sister site www.politics.hu may have taken note of a regular commentator with the screen name Farkas László, who is (to put it mildly) one of the few folks on the board there who always has something interesting to say, and who says it in a positive and non-confrontational way. Earlier this week, László volunteered to mark today's birthday anniversary of the great Hungarian-American film impresario Adolph Zukor with a text and video tribute. We had no idea what we'd get - a fantastic stroll through Hollywood history, through the lens of this legendary son of eastern Hungary. More than this, it is a testament to someone who, in László's words, never allowed himself to wallow in negativity, criticism, resentment or defeatism, and embodied the sense of enterprise and possibility that Hungary so sorely needs today. Sprinkled among the nuggets from Zukor's amazing life are clips from classic films he oversaw from his perch atop Paramount Studios. Enjoy, and thanks for the memories, László.]
Adolph Zukor wasn’t an actor, a writer, or a director; he hardly ever produced. Instead, he was the person who hired the people who did all these things. He was one of the founders of the motion picture industry, and started a studio that continues to this very day, as one of the biggest entertainment conglomerates in history. He was a film mogul, (film mágnás).
Unlike today’ professional class of CEO managers, he really knew the nuts and bolts of his business, had gotten his hands dirty and worked his way up from humble beginnings. Zukor put a stamp on his studio and his film output. He provided leadership and direction, thus creating what was known as the “Paramount style.” Entering the film business when it was still mostly just a peep-show arcade novelty, he helped the business grow to what it is today, through a series of important innovations.
The list of his collaborators and subordinates would make any film historian’s head spin! So many brilliant people, so many stars who will always be remembered! So many films that have become immortal classics! The man got to where he got by recognizing talent, as well as creating the product to showcase them in. I can’t imagine any current CEO in Hollywood with his knack for the business, being that nowadays they are just glorified accountants and finance people.
The foundation of his show business savvy was attention to box office returns and audience reaction. Even before he invested in his first film arcade, he would make a habit of observing which machines took in the most money. Later on, he would sit in the 6th row where one of his films was exhibited, not to watch the film (which he had already seen in the screening room), but to observe audience reaction. For him, this became the habit of a lifetime. Zukor provides us with an object lesson in being observant, and how that quality can be turned to big profit.
It is with great pleasure that I commemorate this remarkable man today. By studying his life, one can find good qualities to emulate. In his 1953 autobiography, The Public Is Never Wrong; My 50 Years in the Picture Industry, never once does he wallow in negativity, criticism, resentment or defeatism. At a time when Hungary needs enterprise and leadership, let him serve as an inspiration for us.
Zukor was born Adolph Cukor on January 7, 1873 in Ricse, in the Tokaj region of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, near the border where Hungary, Slovakia and the Ukraine intersect in eastern Hungary. His father, who owned a store and tilled some land, died when he was just a year old, and his mother passed when he was eight. Zukor writes:
In Hungary there was little individual freedom of opportunity of rising in life, but an effort was made to look out for orphans. The Government took a part of the estate of the parents and set it aside for the use of the children. I was apprenticed for three years to Hermann Blau, who had a store in the hamlet of Szanto, a wine growing center about ten miles from Ricse. My duties were to sweep, run errands, and perform other chores while learning to be a clerk. My lot was not a terrible one, for Hermann Blau and his family were kindly people and I did not balk at the hard work. But I looked about me and was able to see no future. After finishing the apprenticeship I would become a clerk at an equivalent of perhaps two dollars in American money a month, plus board and lodging. Many clerks with whom I was acquainted had worked for a long time for little more. And once a clerk, always a clerk. You might have far better qualifications as a tailor or carpenter, but to switch from one trade to another was impossible. I could see nothing but darkness in Hungary for me.
The above passage highlights what was so wrong with the old Hungary, namely the lack of labor mobility. You couldn’t change jobs or occupation, nor move or emigrate without permission from your employer and the authorities. At the age of 15 he made the fateful move that so many Hungarians back then made, and emigrated to America.
Zukor started in America working in an upholstery shop, but soon met a boy he knew in Hungary who got him a job as an apprentice in a fur shop. He ended up knowing hundreds of young guys from Hungary, and they hung out together, boxing, playing baseball and singing Hungarian songs. Working in the fur business was very lucrative, and Zukor started making and selling his own merchandise. By the time he visited the 1893 world Columbian Exposition in Chicago, he was employing as many as 25 people.
At the Chicago World’s Fair, he met his future. It was there that he saw demonstrated Thomas Edison’s famed “Kinetoscope” invention, which Edison developed only two years earlier in 1891. The film business started in earnest in 1896.
In the first few years, movies were an arcade phenomenon, seen on coin operated viewing machines that showed a film running on average for two to three minutes, for the price of a penny. Zukor’s first instinct was that they should be projected instead on a large screen, an idea we take for granted today. Back then the objections to the idea came from exhibitors, who felt that showing flicks on peep machines would be more profitable, as well as from those who felt that letting men and women sit together in a darkened room would lead to hanky-panky.
Zukor and a furrier partner of his, Marcus Loew, sized up the arcade business in Manhattan. After observing how much money such places took in, they quickly concluded that film exhibition would be far more profitable than the fur business. Zukor and Loew opened their first penny film arcade in New York City in 1903. The operation featured 100 coin operated film viewing machines, plus a number of coin-op phonograph players. The basement had a shooting gallery. Admission was a penny, as was the cost of a play on the machines. If these amounts sound modest today, keep in mind that weekly wages were often just $5-$10.
Business boomed, and they were able to open three more outlets in other cities within the first year. By 1904, Zukor realized his ambition to project films on a screen, an idea that made perfect sense when films started to run for 10 to 20 minutes. They charged 5 cents for a 15 minute show instead of a penny, and the “Nickleodeon” was born.
Zukor and his Hungarian born wife did everything back then, including sweeping the theater floors. In the front of the arcade was a coin operated mannequin made to look like a fortune telling woman named “Esmerelda”, which dispensed a “fortune” on a slip of paper. Zukor wrote those fortune messages himself, and with typical resourcefulness started making and selling them to Chinese restaurants where they would be inserted into cookies.
(Many years later when he was a big studio head, there was an old Chinese man waiting to see him outside of his office. When asked what he wanted, his visitor told him that 30 years ago Zukor used to write fortunes for his restaurant, and could he kindly write a few more? Zukor asked him “How much did you use to pay me?” “Ten dollars for 50 messages”. Zukor then asked for $10 dollars and wrote 50 more for his visitor!)
Fifteen minute films didn’t satisfy either Zukor or the public, who eventually got tired of them. His next brainstorm was to show full length features, running to an hour in length, and which told more of a story. Again, this is an idea that we take for granted today, but which back then was visionary. Like all visionary ideas, it met with strong resistance.
In those days, all film cameras, projection equipment and film exhibition was controlled by the “Edison Trust”, which owned the patents. The makers of such equipment, as well as the exhibitors had to pay royalties to the “Trust”. This was no joke back then, as American law in those days did not protect small businessmen from pressure and blackmail from bigger interests. Show a film without approval of the “Trust”, and you were put out of business and possibly into jail. The “Trust” had very expensive and powerful lawyers at its disposal, and kept them busy going after wayward exhibitors.
Edison was a brilliant tinkerer and inventor, but had no interest in, or appreciation for films and the film business. Only a few times in his life did he ever go to a theater to witness the deployment of his wonderful invention. He left the management of the “Trust” to corporate sharks. The “Trust” did not approve of Zukor’s idea that films should run for as long as an hour. Their thinking was that within one hour, you could show four shorter films, and make more royalties. This was the logic that caused the Edison people to resist all of Zukor’s innovations, from projection screening to longer films.
When faced with such strong resistance (and it was not to be trifled with), Zukor showed that part of his personality that I admire and think we can all learn from. He didn’t wallow in self pity and resentment, but rather kept faith in himself and wore down the opposition with patience and persistence. It took him 9 years to get his way on feature films!
Feature-length films were being made in Europe, especially France. When they were imported to the US, the “Trust” insisted that they be broken up into three or four separate features. Eventually Zukor got through to Edison himself, and in 1912 obtained his personal approval to import an hour long French film called “Queen Elizabeth”. (youtube link on this to follow). The public response led Zukor to take it to the next level, and so in that year he founded the “Famous Players Film Company”, which was the precursor to Paramount Pictures. The next year, in 1913, his company produced it’s first feature, “The Squaw Man”. After that, there was no stopping the man from Borsod county, and the rest is history.
Those early films did not satisfy our boy genius, he sensed something was missing. In those early days, anybody could get into the movies. “Actors” were sometimes hired off the street. Zukor came to sense that name appeal and recognition was what would really sell movies with audiences and generate returns. A young woman named Mary Pickford helped him to understand this. The public flocked to movies that featured her, and wrote thousands of fan letters to her every week. Zukor came to understand that “stars” make pictures successful, and so started the famed “star system.” Like with so many of Zukor’s brainstorms, we take such an idea for granted today, but then it was revolutionary. He paid his stars in proportion to their contribution to the business. By 1916, Pickford was making $60,000 per picture, an unearthly sum (A doctor made about $2,000-$3,000 a year back then!)
The list of famous directors and stars that Paramount worked with are a film history Who’s Who: director DW Griffith, director Cecil B. De Mille, director Erich von Stroheim, director Josef von Sternberg, Rudolf Valentino, Gloria Swanson, Pola Negri (Hitler’s favorite, if that is any recommendation), Marlene Dietrich, Clara bow, Mae West, WC Fields etc. It’s a list of greats that can go on for pages.
With the advent of sound, Paramount developed a “Paramount style”. Zukor’s studio specialized in continental talent and settings, sophisticated comedies, cutting edge style, manners and music. His studio also pushed the boundaries, as you will see further in the youtube links I have provided.
Throughout the 1920′s Zukor used to receive about 40 letters a day from a Hungarian nation proud of his fame and stature. He never forgot the land of his birth, and was never ashamed to let people know where he was from. He hired many Hungarians to work in his studio.
Zukor ended his day-to-day oversight of film production in 1936, when he became Chairman of the Board, a position he kept until the end of his life. He died in 1976, at the incredible age of 103. Not bad for a man who decided to “cut back” his smoking to five cigars a day!
The empire that Zukor built is running strong today, and is a multi-billion dollar mega conglomerate. It is the last film studio actually located in Hollywood, which is a suburb of Los Angeles. If you are in the area, it is worth a studio tour:
Paramount Studio Tour, 5555 Melrose Ave.
Hollywood, CA. / (323) 956-5575
Advance Reservations: 323-956-1777
Dear Erik D’Amato,
I am emotionally overcome with feeling and gratitude for how you have put over my material! It far exceeded what I was expecting! As some of you may know, I started my “Hungarians In Hollywood” series on politics.hu, first commemorating the birthday Lugosi Béla back in October, and on December 24 with a birthday tribute to Michael Curtiz, famed director of “Casablanca”(1941). Then, I was posting my biographical material and youtube links in the conventional posting format, but what you have assembled here is a vast upgrade in terms layout and presentation.
I see great value in recounting such history. These early Hungarian film industry pioneers were a very potent force in Hollywood and in the history of film. They are a role model to us, especially to our youth, to think in terms of creativity and enterprise. I also hope that Hungary’s current crop of film students and film production people will be inspired by the lives and works of these greats!
With your indulgence, I am prepared to offer up some more installments involving other greats. Hungarians really kicked ass in the early film industry, and many more deserve to be mentioned.
These films are also just great entertainment, which is what they were designed to be! It is my sincerest hope that many of you will bookmark this thread, and I hope that it will continue to offer entertainment to you, your friends and family for months and years to come!
Thanks again Erik. You have allowed Adolph Zukor, who left his homeland so many years ago, to return! If he is in heaven now, I’m sure he is most happy and grateful! May we never forget him.
Farkas László
For those of you who missed my tributes to Lugosi and Curtiz, I am providing the links for you to view them:
For Lugosi
http://www.politics.hu/20091019/news-flash-not-everything-that-happened-since-89-is-worth-celebrating
For Curtiz:
http://www.politics.hu/20091223/politicians-prestige-suffers-in-2009-but-pecking-order-remains-stable
As a “post press” update, I found a link to the entire film, “Blonde Venus” (1932):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87ki82x-0Rg&feature=PlayList&p=D9564FDB7B40FA32&index=0&playnext=1
In 9 parts.
Enjoy!
@Erik and Laszlo:
Thanks a lot for that treasure trove from old Hollywood!
Everybody will be thankful for this – I will also recommend it to my friends in Germany …
As a long term reader of Erik’s sites I have to say thank you for this really interesting piece László. Considering how much Hollywood helped to shape the C20th, I often wonder why the Hungarian pioneers who were so integral to Hollywood’s early success are not praised and lauded more widely here (in Hungary, not on this site).
(I say this only in comparison to how much the US and UK make of their contributions to cinema, not as a criticism of Hungary).
It’s been a true pleasure to read your account and watch these clips.
May you long continue to raise the game for those who post on this site and always retain your calm and positive demeanor.
And thanks to Erik as well for hosting this terrific piece.
Dear Wolfi!
Thank you much! There is also a lot of German talent in these films, von Stroheim, Lubitsch, von Sternberg, Dietrich and others!
Look at “Wings”; real WW1 German planes- Gothas and others. After WW1 and WW2, few people thought to save these things. Today these German aircraft would be worth many millions per plane in flying condition.
Thanks for your support and there will be another installment coming soon!
Laci
Kedves Pip!
My participation and style on this website is purposeful and driven by patriotic concerns; concerns about our upliftment and morale. We have a hard time feeling good about ourselves after so many cruel regimes and so much economic and political restriction and stagnation. My Hungarians in Hollywood series is part of a deliberate attempt to make us appreciate that so many of us were brilliant, talented and could make a lot out of a little. Those are attitudes we need at the present time.
You ask a wonderful question when you wonder why this legacy isn’t better remembered today in Hungary. I think there are several factors. Under Communism, classic American films were hardly given any showing because the regime had deep ideological and political differences with America. Soviet films, or films with a pro-communist viewpoint were given precedence. After 1989, most Hungarians couldn’t afford $20-$30 to buy an American video, or cable TV, and so the post 1989 period had it’s problems, mostly economic. Also these films are in English, and until someone bothers to subtitle them into Hungarian, they will remain unknown to a lot of the population.
Also problematic is that the whole subject reminds many of our inadequacies. The Hungarian nation never had the capital or the size of domestic market that could compete with Hollywood. Our best and brightest, like today, ended up emigrating to countries that could better use their talents and pay them better. I fear that these very films could provoke a reactive response from many Hungarians, rooted in insecurity, envy and xenophobia. Like Zukor, I will believe in myself and be patient, as I think the level of appreciation will change for the better.
I am working actively to make these films better known in Hungary, and that is why I do what I do. I will continue, with Erik’s generous support and blessings, and we will once again regard these film greats as our own national heroes! Meanwhile you can support these efforts by spreading the word and gathering around your computer screens. It’s showtime!
Laci
Although I definitely should have been in bed at least 2 hours ago, I would like to thank you both for some great entertainment and cinema history. Laci, well done.
I seriously dont understand this thing about Hungary living in the
past; people constantly yapping about that silly piece of plastic the
whatever-cube, goddamn boring ’56, territory before 1914, poets
and classical music (take a look at the program for the so-called
cultural capital 2010, Pecs, its like sooo 1850!).
But perhaps this is because the Hungary of today has absolutely
nothing to offer!
Well-well…
Fantastic piece, F. Laszlo. The Magyar contribution to cinema cannot be extolled enough (sad how inadequate Hungarian cinema has been since WWII compared to Czech and Polish cinema).
I personally consider ‘Trouble In Paradise’ one of the greatest Pre-Code films (pre-1934). Ernst Lubitsch would travel to Budapest at least once a year to soak up the latest plays, adapting them with his own famous ‘touch’ which included rewriting the ending as “they always seemed to come undone in the third act”.
But that contribution is by no means limited to Hollywood. Here’s a brief overview of Magyars in the UK film industry written up by Sight and Sound writer and occasional British Film Institute (BFI) DVD producer Michael Brooke:
http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/899958/index.html
Excellent bit of work. 10 out of 10 for Mr Farkas.
Regarding the MURDER AT THE VANITIES movie
comments, another nice example is the 1933
Paramount movie International House which featured
Cab Calloway singing about marijuana in the song
“Reefer Man”. I wonder however if this was really
confined to Parammount, because the wikipedia
links below refer to the Hays Code censorship
guidelines which started to be enforced during
1934 and were responsible for ending drug
references and nudity in the movies, amongst other
undesirables. Until then it was pretty much a free
market. These articles are really good reading for
a quick overview of the roots of movie censorship.
Another interesting point of note is that it was
the Catholic Church which was instrumental in the
development of these censorship guidelines, which
I guess is a contrast to nowadays where the
dominant conservative element in US society is
largely protestant.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_House_(
1933_film
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Code_Hollywood
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hays_Code
Ooops. Regarding my previous comment. I missed that
you had already included International House in the
article. I must have clicked over that one somehow.
Dear Stefan,
Thanks for your feedback! I am aware of the impact of the Kordas on British cinema, and will be doing birthday commemoratives to them later this year. The Kordas did much to elevate the level of prestige in which Hungarians were held in Great Britain back then.
Dear Bernie,
Nice feedback, thanks. The “Reefer Man” number and the “Sweet Marihuana” segment could only have come from Paramount back then. MGM would certainly never have done it, that’s for sure. (L. B. Mayer would have probably fired anyone who would even have suggested it!)
Bernie has brought up something that not all of you may have known about. “Pre-Code” is a reference to early 30′s films that pre-dated a tough Motion Picture Code put in force in 1934. Church groups and politicians were complaining about the movies were pushing the limits of good taste and morality. All the studios contributed to this perception, but Paramount led the pack. The studios set up a self-regulating body led by Will Hays a few years earlier, and Hays was pressured to start doing his job. There was also fear that the govt. might step in and impose some kind of formal censorship. Thus the studios agreed to a tough code, supposedly running for a 1000 pages, that outlined all “don’ts” in 1934. This remained in effect until the 1960′s.
Protestant groups rallied around Will Hays, but the Catholic church also took it’s own militant stand. Mae West had provoked a reaction, and Cardinal Mundelein of Chicago organised a “Catholic Legion of Decency” to combat what it saw as immorality in film. The Legion was a film censorship board seperate from the Hays office, and would routinely screen all pictures and pass a rating on them. The results were regularly posted in diocesan newspapers, and Catholics were expected to take note. A rating of “C” meant condemned, and to see a “C” picture was officially a “mortal sin”. In that more trusting and socially conservative era, millions of Catholics heeded such warnings.
@FL:
Thanks again!
Your last posting reminds of something that happened when I was a child/young man.
The local cinema in my small mainly catholic hometown wouldn’t show the Ingmar Bergman film “The Silence” so many people went to see it in the neighbouring larger protestant town Friends of mine told me they met at the cinema sevral of our catholic teachers – who of course would only see the film to check whether it was really as devilish as they had been told …
PS: I think films were also added to the catholic index of forbidden books, of which we did get a copy which made for interesting reading…
PPS: I hated the catholic church before that, but during those days it got worse.
dear Wolfi,
The dilemma with the church is centuries old, actually going back to the days of Emperor Constantine when it became the state sponsored religion. The history of Europe is one long runnng battle with organised religion.
In America the social conservatism and religious mindset was offset by a relentless commercialism, whose guiding principle was that what “sells” is good. The govt. was often stuck in the middle between these two powerful forces. Today the Catholic hierarchy has other worries besides what films are damaging your soul, like child molestation lawsuits. Pass the collection basket!
Great stuff! I’ve passed by Paramount Studios a few times while visiting LA, but I had no idea of the fascinating history behind the place. Thanks for the detailed description and your commitment to this subject.
People have reported to me streaming problems when playing the videos, something that I first encountered myself. I suggest that when done with a certain film, hit the “refresh” button before moving on to another film title.
If you go from film to film without hitting refresh, I believe your computer keeps all those extra windows “open”, even though you may not see them on your screen. This is a big strain on computer memory and may affect your streaming.
Enjoy!
Wonderful. Just wonderful. We salute you, Farkas
László!
Anikó & Alan
http://www.facebook.com/anikob
Thank you Alan!
I submitted some refresher links for the missing youtube footage, hope it gets posted.
With October approaching it is Béla Lugosi’s birthday and Holloween coming up! Tune in then, it should be fun!
@ Farkas Laszlo
I keep coming back to this posting and watch the videos one by one – I actually find Zukor’s bio as interesting as the films and really appreciate all the work you put into the whole project.
Zukor should be a dream for professionals who enjoy debating the “nature vs nurture” theories; the odds were rather low for someone with his background to succeed the way he did.
You dealt with his Hollywood career so I can safely assume he did not make any films in Hungary – if my assumption is wrong, please let me know if he made any movies in Hungary in the Hungarian language.
Dear FL:
Shouldn’t your readers also be told that Zukor, the Kordas and Michael Curtiz (Casablanca) like many others in Hollywood were Jews ?
Could that be a reason why they’re not talked about much in Hungary ?
Hi Olga!
I am very pleased that you find it interesting!
No, Zukor did not make films in Hungary. In those days before transcontinental air travel, traveling from Hollywood to Budapest would have involved a five day train ride to NY, a week long passage by ship followed by another day or two of train travel! (And that’s just one way!) Even if he had wanted to build a Paramount studio branch in Hungary, it would not have been economically feasible then. The time and cost of moving staff back and forth would have sunk him.
Zukor and Korda represent an interesting study in contrasts. What Zukor built lasts to this day! What Korda built did not survive him. Zukor hired geniuses, Korda wanted to be one. Korda got wrapped up in the films themselves, often directing and producing them. Zukor knew that geniuses are a dime a dozen when you are paying people 50-100 times what a doctor earns! Zukor delegated, Korda wanted to do it all. Zukor knew that he was running a production factory and had a real CEO mentality. A part of Korda remained an artist and bohemian all his life. Zukor’s one compass, that pointed to his “magnetic north” was box office returns, and he never felt that he knew better than the public. Korda on the other hand, wanted to lead his audience, both artistically and intellectually. You can see which is the more enduring business model, at least when it comes to film…
Let’s talk about some of these great films! Do you have any favorites?
Erik has kindly refreshed some of the links as you can see. These film articles are high maintenance and time consuming to produce, present and maintain. Those of you who appreciate this effort should not forget to communicate your thanks to Erik D’Amato for hosting these pieces and for the wonderful presentation and formatting!
Dear Wolfi,
I was aware of that, and I anticipated the issue and excercised a writer’s judgment. By bringing it up, you run the chance that the discourse would then be like what goes on on the other website. These articles deal with culture and I would prefer that the discussion remain focused on that. Not all of my film tributes are about “Juden”; I did a Lugosi tribute last year, which I hope to repaet, and submitted a Vilma Bánky article to Erik as well.
Hungarians have not had access to a lot of this classic film heritage until recently, with the advent of cable, DVD and internet. Under the communist regime interest in American films was regarded with hostility and suspicion. What I’m doing here is allowing Hungarians to catch up on what they have been deprived of knowing about for so long! I’m celebrating Hungarian achievement and heritage, and hope that all can join in.
Here is an Adolph Zukor article on http://www.slate.com:
“The Great American Information Emperors- Adolph Zukor, the Architect of Hollywood”:
http://www.slate.com/id/2272941/entry/2272943/
Dear László
I live in New Zealand, and the other day I was telling to a friend of mine how we Hungarians played a big part in Hollywood…
Well, he just gave the ‘yeah right’ look, if you know what I mean…
Long story short, this guy invited me to his radio show to talk about Adolph Zukor and of course Bela Lugosi (these were my random examples especially since I adore Lugosi) but I would like to be prepared as much as I can, and I was just wondering if you could help me out a little.
I would really appreciate any comments or articles on the topic.
Thanks in advance and I really liked this article by the way!
Vera
Dear Vera!
Thanks you so much for your interest, your enquiry and for you representing this subject to a listening audience in your country! I knew the scope of these webpages is global, extending to over 90 countries, and it is nice to hear from one of the readers!
I too have spoken on the radio before (the BBC), and it is an incredible opportunity to reach people and to make a more personal impression than you can in just print. For you, this will be a great chance to raise public awareness about Hungary’s unique contribution to the film industry. I would prepare and stick to a few “talking points”:
1)Hungarians had a passion for film from the get go, and there was a film industry in Hungary just a gew short years after Edison invented his Kinetoscope. I really think there something in the national character that contributes to this in some way.
2)That Hungarians played a role in the development and growth of the industry, especially in America, that was disproportionate to their numbers. This included the founding and managment of TWO major Hollywood studios, Paramount and Twentieth Century Fox, by Hungarian born immigrants! The influence and involvement continued down from the studio boss level to all phases of production, both in front of and behind the camera, as well as all types of studio support jobs. A whole book can be written about the subject, and could include hundreds of names.
3)Because Hungary experienced so many upheavals due to war, revolution and regime changes in the 20th century, many of our pioneering film people have had to emmigrate and involve themselves with the German, British and American film industry. Also inhibiting was the smallness of the national and linguistic market.
4)That there is likely to always be a film industry in Hungary, and that the new generation of filmakers and producers is now better able than ever to plug in to the opportunities that modern technology, capital and the global market offers. There are many opportunities for co-production, contracting, distribution, location shooting, consulting, you name it. It always has been and always will be a big money business, with plenty to go around for those who are really in it! The best days of the Hungarian fim industry might yet still be before it.
I hope this helps! Let us know how you braodcast goes!
Best wishes,
Laci
Hey there!
Awesome article and one that I have been looking for for some
time in an attempt to get a better picture of the Hungarian
community in Hollywood.
I am researching the life of Olga Grey, stage name for Anna
Zacsek, an Hungarian-American actresss who played in
Intolerance and Birth of a Nation, before becoming a prominent
Civil Rights Defense Lawyer in Los Angeles.
If the author or anyone who gets this knows anything about her,
or can point me in the right direction, I’d very much like to speak
with you.
Thanks much for the article!
Rory
Hi Rory!
I am sorry I missed your post. The actress is obscure and you will not find out much about her through the usual means. The films you mention her appearing in were made in 1915 and 1916, which will also make finding documentation a bit difficult, as that was a period when the film business did not keep such thorough records as it did later.
The source of last and ultimate resort is the library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles- the most comprehensive archive of the film business is the world. (The size of their collection blows my mind!) Their website is:
http://www.oscars.org
If you can’t go there in person, contact their librarian. Ask if they have scanned copies of film fan magazines from that early period- they are an excellent contemporary source- but keep in mind that a lot of what was written about stars in those magazines was, in the Americanese of that period, “press agent ballyhoo”!
You may also want to contact the Los Angeles Bar Association (if she precticed in LA), and they may have an archive that could shed light on her professional past. Also go to the website of the Los Angeles Times and see if a search turns up anything. The Los Angeles Public Library may also be of help, as they may have other old LA newspapers scanned or on microfilm. (They have a great website) If she was active in civil rights, then I am sure you will find something. The American Hungarian Association may also have information.
You caould also contact the local cultural center for Hungarians in LA:
United Magyar House
1975 West Washington Blvd.
Los Angeles, California 90018 USA
1-323-734-1453
She sounds like a very distinguished Hungarian American. Not many actresses transition into law! (The main reason being that the years someone spends in college and law school are an actress’ “peak” years for trying to get employment in the entertainment field.)
Good luck! This may not be an easy research project- it’s not like trying to find out more about Gloria Swanson or Rudolf Valentino whose lives are much better documented. You will have fun though. Film research is almost always fun!
Hi Farkas!
I’ve continued researching the life of Anna Zacsek over these
past months, and I’ve found quite a bit of information on her.
As it turns out, she was the defense attorney in some of the
most controversial and racially charged cases in the California
History including the Pedro Gonzalez case, the Zoot Suit Riots,
etc.
She fought for the rights of minorities and the oppressed her
whole life, and I am seeking a way to commemorate her life.
I’m currently attempting to get ahold of anyone who might have
known Anna Zacsek.
Whoever answered the phone at the Hungarian House didn’t
seem too interested in her, but it would be nice to find someone
in the Hungarian community who might be interested in joining
me on this one.
Thanks for your reply, if by any chance you receive this, please
drop me an e-mail at valleyspringlane (at) gmail com.
Thanks much!
Best,
Rory