Jerry Wald(1911-1962)
- Producer
- Writer
- Director
The son of a dry goods salesman, Jerry Wald was the go-getting
Hollywood writer-producer of popular imagination: charismatic,
ambitious, shrewd, frequently brilliant, and filled with a nervous
energy driving him from one project to another. An avid reader, with an
innate sense of literary judgement, Wald began in the industry in 1929
as a radio columnist with a less-then-glamorous publication, The New
York Evening Graphic. At the same time, he completed his studies in
journalism at New York University. Before long, his skills as a writer
for popular radio stars, such as crooner
Russ Columbo, led to further work
writing short features for RKO which, in turn, attracted the attention
of Warner Brothers. Signed to a contract in 1934, Wald started as a
screenwriter, often in collaboration with
Julius J. Epstein,
Mark Hellinger or
Richard Macaulay. He worked on such
seminal films noir as
Les fantastiques années 20 (1939),
Torrid Zone (1940) and
Une femme dangereuse (1940),
his role being essentially that of the 'ideas man', who comes up with a
catchy title, original storyline, twists and plot devices. Never
without pad or pencil, Wald constantly brainstormed ideas. He
eventually acquired a reputation of being able to promote a picture
before it had even left the drawing board. Once he had a clear vision,
shooting could well commence within a week.
By 1941, Wald had taken the departing Hellinger's place as associate producer and, a year later, was promoted again, to producer. During the next decade, he turned out a brace of hits for Warner Brothers, which spanned every genre, from war (Griffes jaunes (1942)), to melodrama (Boulevard des passions (1949)), to swashbucklers (Les aventures de Don Juan (1948)). In keeping with his credo, that there were "no washed up actors, only washed up stories", he rejuvenated the careers of some of Warner's biggest female stars by casting them in some of the best-written films of the period: Joan Crawford in Le roman de Mildred Pierce (1945) and Humoresque (1946); Claire Trevor - in Key Largo (1948); and Jane Wyman - in Johnny Belinda, l'enfant du silence (1948)). For the latter, Wald received the Irving Thalberg Award at the Oscars in 1948. For all his ebullience and larger-than-life personality, Wald appeared to most as easygoing, jovial and affable. Unlike a lot of other producers, he was rather well-liked within the industry. Of course, when it came to the financial side of things, he was - and needed to be - uncompromisingly tough.
In 1950, the ever-restless Wald left Warners to form an independent production company with Norman Krasna at RKO. The resulting co-production deal with Howard Hughes, rather grandiosely, stipulated some sixty films. In the event, only four were ever made by the time Wald moved on to become vice president in charge of production under Harry Cohn at Columbia. He lasted three years. In 1956, he formed another company, Jerry Wald Productions, releasing through 20th Century Fox. He worked out of his own lot, referred to by the New York Times as 'a one man studio'. Unlike his intensely realist, gritty, primarily black & white output at Warners, Wald's films during this period were mostly lavish and glamorous, frequently shot in Technicolor. Among the most successful of these with critics and public alike, were the archetypal romantic weepie Elle et lui (1957); the hugely popular melodrama Les Plaisirs de l'enfer (1957), based - and improving on - a 'scandalous' best-seller; and the film that launched Paul Newman's road to stardom, Les feux de l'été (1958). Jerry Wald's astonishing resume of hits may well have extended into the 1960's, if not for his untimely death at the age of fifty in July 1962.
By 1941, Wald had taken the departing Hellinger's place as associate producer and, a year later, was promoted again, to producer. During the next decade, he turned out a brace of hits for Warner Brothers, which spanned every genre, from war (Griffes jaunes (1942)), to melodrama (Boulevard des passions (1949)), to swashbucklers (Les aventures de Don Juan (1948)). In keeping with his credo, that there were "no washed up actors, only washed up stories", he rejuvenated the careers of some of Warner's biggest female stars by casting them in some of the best-written films of the period: Joan Crawford in Le roman de Mildred Pierce (1945) and Humoresque (1946); Claire Trevor - in Key Largo (1948); and Jane Wyman - in Johnny Belinda, l'enfant du silence (1948)). For the latter, Wald received the Irving Thalberg Award at the Oscars in 1948. For all his ebullience and larger-than-life personality, Wald appeared to most as easygoing, jovial and affable. Unlike a lot of other producers, he was rather well-liked within the industry. Of course, when it came to the financial side of things, he was - and needed to be - uncompromisingly tough.
In 1950, the ever-restless Wald left Warners to form an independent production company with Norman Krasna at RKO. The resulting co-production deal with Howard Hughes, rather grandiosely, stipulated some sixty films. In the event, only four were ever made by the time Wald moved on to become vice president in charge of production under Harry Cohn at Columbia. He lasted three years. In 1956, he formed another company, Jerry Wald Productions, releasing through 20th Century Fox. He worked out of his own lot, referred to by the New York Times as 'a one man studio'. Unlike his intensely realist, gritty, primarily black & white output at Warners, Wald's films during this period were mostly lavish and glamorous, frequently shot in Technicolor. Among the most successful of these with critics and public alike, were the archetypal romantic weepie Elle et lui (1957); the hugely popular melodrama Les Plaisirs de l'enfer (1957), based - and improving on - a 'scandalous' best-seller; and the film that launched Paul Newman's road to stardom, Les feux de l'été (1958). Jerry Wald's astonishing resume of hits may well have extended into the 1960's, if not for his untimely death at the age of fifty in July 1962.
