Aubrey Schenck (August 26, 1908,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

– April 14, 1999,

Murrieta, California Murrieta is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The population of Murrieta was 110,949 as of the 2020 census. Murrieta experienced a 133.7% population increase between 2000 and 2010, making Murrieta one of the f ...

) was an American film producer from the 1940s through the 1970s.

Biography

The son of George Schenck, a Russian immigrant theatrical manager, and Mary Schenck, Schenck was a nephew of

Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the m ...

and

Nicholas Schenck Nicholas M. Schenck (14 November 1880, Rybinsk, Russia – 4 March 1969, Florida) was a Russian-American film studio executive and businessman. Biography Early life One of seven children, Schenck was born to a Jewish household in Rybinsk, ...

. Father to George Schenck and grandfather to Kirk Schenck. He graduated from Boys High School and

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teac ...

, and was a practicing attorney in New York City. Among Schenck's clients was

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

that led him to be a personal assistant to

Spyros Skouras Spyros Panagiotis Skouras (; gr, Σπύρος Σκούρας; March 28, 1893 – August 16, 1971) was a Greek-American motion picture pioneer and film executive who was the president of 20th Century-Fox from 1942 to 1962. He resigned June 27, 19 ...

. When Schenck submitted a script for a film, Schenck told Skouras he'd prefer to produce the film himself rather than be paid a fee. The film, '' Shock!'' (1946) starring

Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor, art historian, art collector and gourmet cook. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price has two stars on the Hollywood Wal ...

, was a moderate success and launched Schenck's career as a movie producer.Weaver, Tom ''Aubrey Schennck Interview'' pp. 270-276 ''It Came from Horrorwood: Interviews with Moviemakers in the SF and Horror Tradition'' McFarland, 26 Oct. 2004 Later he worked with

Eagle-Lion Films Eagle-Lion Films was a British-American film production company owned by J. Arthur Rank intended to distribute British productions in the United States. In 1947, it acquired Robert R. Young's PRC Pictures, a small American production company ...

and independent productions. When Eagle-Lion was merged into United Artists, Schenck started his own production company Bel-Air Productions producing a variety of action films as second features for UA. Other films made by Schenck include '' Robinson Crusoe on Mars'' (1964), '' Ambush Bay'' (1966) and '' Kill a Dragon'' (1967).

Partial filmography

* '' Shock'' (1946) * '' Repeat Performance'' (1947) * '' It's a Joke, Son!'' (1947) * ''

T-Men ''T-Men'' is a 1947 semidocumentary and police procedural style film noir about United States Treasury agents. The film was directed by Anthony Mann and shot by noted noir cameraman John Alton. The production features Dennis O'Keefe, Mary Mea ...

'' (1947) * '' Mickey'' (1948) * '' Red Stallion in the Rockies'' (1949) * '' Port of New York'' (1949) * ''

Undercover Girl ''Undercover Girl'' is a 1950 American film noir crime film directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Alexis Smith and Scott Brady. This was the second movie for Joseph Pevney as a director. Plot A young woman joins the police, and tries to track ...

'' (1950) * '' The Fat Man'' (1951) * ''

Shield for Murder ''Shield for Murder'' is a 1954 American film noir crime film co-directed by and starring Edmond O'Brien as a police detective who has become malevolent. It was based on the novel of the same name by William P. McGivern. Plot Lieutenant Barney N ...

'' (1954) * '' Rebel in Town'' (1956) (executive producer) * ''

The Black Sleep ''The Black Sleep'' is a 1956 American independent horror film directed by Reginald LeBorg, and written by John C. Higgins from a story by Gerald Drayson Adams. It stars Basil Rathbone, Lon Chaney Jr., John Carradine, Bela Lugosi, and Akim T ...

'' (1956) (executive producer) * ''

The Girl in Black Stockings ''The Girl in Black Stockings'' is an American B-movie mystery film released by United Artists in 1957. Directed by Howard W. Koch, it stars Lex Barker, Anne Bancroft, and Mamie Van Doren. Plot A lodge in Kanab, Utah, is where Los Angeles law ...

'' (1957) * ''

Untamed Youth ''Untamed Youth'' is a 1957 American teen film directed by Howard W. Koch, written by John C. Higgins and Stephen Longstreet, and starring Mamie Van Doren and Lori Nelson as two starstruck sisters who are sentenced to farm labor. Plot Sisters ...

'' (1957) * '' Born Reckless'' (1958) * ''

Up Periscope ''Up Periscope'' is a 1959 World War II submarine film drama directed by Gordon Douglas, produced by Aubrey Schenck and starring James Garner and Edmond O'Brien. The supporting cast features Andra Martin, Alan Hale Jr., Edd Byrnes, Warren ...

'' (1959) * '' Robinson Crusoe on Mars'' (1964) * '' Ambush Bay'' (1966) (executive producer) * '' Kill a Dragon'' (1967) * ''

More Dead Than Alive ''More Dead Than Alive'' is a 1969 American Western film directed by Robert Sparr and produced by Aubrey Schenck. It was filmed at Agua Dulce, California. Plot An incarcerated killer named Cain (Clint Walker) is released from prison after ...

'' (1968) * ''

Impasse A bargaining impasse occurs when the two sides negotiating an agreement are unable to reach an agreement and become deadlocked. An impasse is almost invariably mutually harmful, either as a result of direct action which may be taken such as a s ...

'' (1969) * '' The Alpha Caper'' (1973) * '' Daughters of Satan'' (1972) * '' Superbeast'' (1972)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schenck, Aubrey 1908 births 1999 deaths Film producers from New York (state) 20th-century American lawyers Businesspeople from New York City Boys High School (Brooklyn) alumni Cornell University alumni 20th-century American businesspeople