Felix Jackson (born Felix Joachimson; June 5, 1902 – December 7, 1992) was a German-born American screenwriter and film producer.

Biography

Jackson was born in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

. He was a city editor in Germany at 21, then a dramatic and music critic, and helped manage three theaters in Berlin. He joined

Joe Pasternak Joseph Herman Pasternak (born József Paszternák; September 19, 1901 – September 13, 1991) was a Hungarian-American film producer in Hollywood. Pasternak spent the Hollywood "Golden Age" of musicals at MGM Studios, producing many successfu ...

as a producer in Budapest in 1933. He began working in the German film industry, before relocating after the rise of the

Nazi party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...

. He moved to Austria and Hungary in the mid-1930s where he frequently collaborated with the director

Henry Koster Henry Koster (born Hermann Kosterlitz, May 1, 1905 – September 21, 1988) was a German-born film director. He was the husband of actress Peggy Moran. Early life Koster was born to Jewish parents in Berlin, Germany. He was introduced to cin ...

. His screenplay for the 1935 film '' Little Mother'' served as the basis for a Hollywood remake ''

Bachelor Mother ''Bachelor Mother'' (1939) is an American romantic comedy film directed by Garson Kanin, and starring Ginger Rogers, David Niven, and Charles Coburn. The screenplay was written by Norman Krasna from an Academy Award-nominated story by Felix Jac ...

'' (1939) which was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

. Jackson moved to Hollywood in the late 1930s, writing the screenplay for ''

Destry Rides Again ''Destry Rides Again'' is a 1939 American Western comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart. The supporting cast includes Mischa Auer, Charles Winninger, Brian Donlevy, Allen Jenkins, Irene Hervey ...

'' (1939) a

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

starring

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality h ...

and

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

. Naturalised U.S. citizen December 13, 1940, he was active in the European Film Fund, which provided support to European emigre filmmakers. He produced several

Deanna Durbin Edna Mae Durbin (December 4, 1921 – April 17, 2013), known professionally as Deanna Durbin, was a Canadian-born actress and singer, who moved to the USA with her family in infancy. She appeared in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s. With t ...

films for

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

and they married in 1945. In November 1946 he asked for and received his release from Universal. In January 1947 Durbin earned $310,728 for the previous year and Jackson earned $114,875. In January 1948 their lawyer announced the couple had come to "a friendly parting of the ways". In September 1949 she filed for divorce. It was revealed that she and Jackson only lived together for 19 months (they married in June 1945 and she claimed he left her to go live in New York in January 1947). Jackson had been divorced in 1944, 1942 and in Europe. He joined the advertising agency

Young and Rubicam VMLY&R is an American marketing and communications company specializing in advertising, digital and social media, sales promotion, direct marketing and brand identity consulting, formed from the merger of VML, founded in 1992, and Young & Rubica ...

in 1946, heading up its dramatic-television department. He served as executive producer of ''

Pulitzer Prize Playhouse ''Pulitzer Prize Playhouse'' is an American television anthology drama series which offered adaptations of Pulitzer Prize-winning plays, novels, and stories. The distinguished journalist Elmer Davis was the host and narrator of this 1950-1952 ...

'' which aired on the ABC television network. In his fifties, Felix Jackson published a few novels."Felix Jackson Is Dead; Film Producer Was 90", in: The New York Times, December 16, 1992
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Selected filmography

Screenwriter

* ''

No More Love "No More Love" is a song by the band God Lives Underwater. It was originally released on their self-titled EP album ''God Lives Underwater'' in 1995, resulting in significant airplay. The song was featured in the 1995 movie ''Johnny Mnemonic ...

'' (1931) * '' Five of the Jazz Band'' (1932) * ''

How Shall I Tell My Husband? ''How Shall I Tell My Husband?'' (german: Wie sag' ich's meinem Mann?) is a 1932 German comedy film directed by Reinhold Schünzel and starring Renate Müller, Georg Alexander, and Ida Wüst. It was shot at the Babelsberg and Tempelhof Studios ...

'' (1932) * ''

Love at First Sight Love at first sight is a personal experience as well as a common trope in literature: a person or character feels an instant, extreme, and ultimately long-lasting romantic attraction for a stranger upon first seeing that stranger. Described by p ...

'' (1932) * ''

Das häßliche Mädchen ''Das häßliche Mädchen'' ("The Ugly Girl", sometimes translated "The Ugly Duckling") is a German comedy film made in early 1933, during the transition from the Weimar Republic to Nazi Germany, and premièred in September that year. It was the ...

'' (1933) * ''

Laughing Heirs ''Laughing Heirs'' (german: Lachende Erben) is a 1933 German comedy film directed by Max Ophüls and starring Heinz Rühmann, Max Adalbert, Lien Deyers and Friedrich Ettel.Kreimeier p. 218 It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios, Babelsberg and Te ...

'' (1933) * ''

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

'' (1934) * ''

A Precocious Girl ''A Precocious Girl'' (German title: ''Csibi, der Fratz'' aka ''Früchtchen'') is a 1934 Austrian comedy film directed by Max Neufeld and Richard Eichberg and starring Franciska Gaal, Leopoldine Konstantin and Herbert Hübner. The film's sets we ...

'' (1934) * ''

Four and a Half Musketeers 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

'' (1935) * '' Little Mother'' (1935) * ''

Catherine the Last ''Catherine the Last'' (German: ''Katharina, die Letzte'') is a 1936 Austrian romantic comedy film directed by Henry Koster and starring Franciska Gaal, Hans Holt and Hans Olden.Bock & Bergfelder p.257 It was made by the Austrian subsidiary of Univ ...

'' (1936) * ''

Bubi BuBi (officially: MOL BuBi) is a bicycle sharing network in Budapest, Hungary. Its name is a playful contraction Budapest and Bicikli (bicycle in Hungarian), meaning "bubble" in an endearing manner. As of May 2019 the network consists of 143 dock ...

'' (1937) * ''

Mad About Music ''Mad About Music'' is a 1938 American musical film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Deanna Durbin, Herbert Marshall, and Gail Patrick. Based on a story by Marcella Burke and Frederick Kohner, the film is about a girl at an exclusive boardin ...

'' (1938) * ''

The Rage of Paris ''The Rage of Paris'' is a 1938 American comedy film made by Universal Pictures. The movie was directed by Henry Koster, and written by Bruce Manning and Felix Jackson. It won the Venice Film Festival for Special Recommendation. Re-issued by Re ...

'' (1938) * ''

The Girl Downstairs ''The Girl Downstairs'' is a 1938 American romantic comedy film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Franciska Gaal, Franchot Tone and Walter Connolly. It is a remake of the 1936 Austrian film ''Catherine the Last'' directed by Henry Koster, whi ...

'' (1938) * ''

Three Smart Girls Grow Up ''Three Smart Girls Grow Up'' is a 1939 American musical comedy film directed by Henry Koster, written by Felix Jackson and Bruce Manning, and starring Deanna Durbin, Nan Grey, and Helen Parrish. Durbin and Grey reprise their roles from ''Three Sm ...

'' (1939) * ''

Spring Parade ''Spring Parade'' is a 1940 American musical comedy film directed by Henry Koster and starring Deanna Durbin. It is a remake of the 1934 film. Plot Based on a story by Ernst Marischka, the film is about a Hungarian woman who attends a Viennese ...

'' (1940) * ''

Appointment for Love ''Appointment for Love'' is a 1941 romantic comedy film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Charles Boyer and Margaret Sullavan. It was made by Universal Pictures. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound, Recording ( Bern ...

'' (1941) * '' Back Street'' (1941) * ''

I'll Be Yours ''I'll Be Yours'' is a 1947 American musical comedy film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Deanna Durbin. Based on the play '' A jó tündér'' by Ferenc Molnár, the film is about a small-town girl who tells a fib to a wealthy business ...

'' (1947)

Producer

* ''

Hers to Hold ''Hers to Hold'' (aka ''Three Smart Girls Join Up'') is a 1943 American romantic musical comedy film and is the third film in the unofficial '' Three Smart Girls'' trilogy. In ''Hers to Hold'', Deanna Durbin reprises her role as Penny Craig, wh ...

'' (1943) * '' His Butler's Sister'' (1943) * ''

Christmas Holiday ''Christmas Holiday'' is a 1944 American film noir crime film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Deanna Durbin and Gene Kelly. Based on the 1939 novel of the same name by W. Somerset Maugham, the film is about a woman who marries a South ...

'' (1944) * ''

Sensations of 1945 ''Sensations of 1945'' is a 1944 American musical-comedy film directed by Andrew Stone and starring Eleanor Powell. Released by United Artists, the film was an attempt to recapture the ensemble style of films such as ''Broadway Melody of 1936'' ...

'' (1944) * ''

Lady on a Train ''Lady on a Train'' is a 1945 American film noir crime film directed by Charles David and starring Deanna Durbin, Ralph Bellamy, and David Bruce. Based on a story by Leslie Charteris, the film is about a woman who witnesses a murder in a nea ...

'' (1945) * '' Because of Him'' (1946)

Novels

* ''So Help Me God'' (1955) * ''Maestro'' (1957).

References

Bibliography

* Bach, Stephen. ''Marlene Dietrich: Life and Legend''. University of Minnesota Press, 2011.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Felix Film people from Hamburg American male screenwriters American film producers Emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States German male writers 1902 births 1992 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters