Joseph Kaufman (sometimes given as Kaufmann) (1911–1961) was an American

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

. He began his career at

Monogram Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios i ...

, then working for

Roy Del Ruth Roy Del Ruth (October 18, 1893, Delaware – April 27, 1961) was an American filmmaker. Early career Beginning his Hollywood career as a writer for Mack Sennett in 1915, Del Ruth later directed his first short film ''Hungry Lions'' (1919) ...

before moving into independent production.

Biography

Kaufman attended the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

and worked in film as a

salesman Sales are activities related to selling or the number of goods sold in a given targeted time period. The delivery of a service for a cost is also considered a sale. The seller, or the provider of the goods or services, completes a sale in r ...

and

broker A broker is a person or firm who arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller for a commission when the deal is executed. A broker who also acts as a seller or as a buyer becomes a principal party to the deal. Neither role should be confu ...

. He became head buyer for the

Balaban and Katz Balaban and Katz Theater Corporation, or B&K, was a theatre corporation which owned a chain of motion picture theaters in Chicago and surrounding areas. It was founded by Barney Balaban (later long-time President of Paramount Pictures), his six ...

theatre chain in Chicago. In 1944 he joined

as a producer. Katz formed his own production company in 1949 and had a bit-hit with ''

Sudden Fear ''Sudden Fear'' is a 1952 American film noir thriller film directed by David Miller, and starring Joan Crawford and Jack Palance in a tale about a successful woman who marries a murderous man. The screenplay by Lenore J. Coffee and Robert Smit ...

''. In 1953 Katz made a film and

TV series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

about

Long John Silver Long John Silver is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the novel ''Treasure Island'' (1883) by Robert Louis Stevenson. The most colourful and complex character in the book, he continues to appear in popular culture. His missing l ...

, giving an early role to

Rod Taylor Rodney Sturt Taylor (11 January 1930 – 7 January 2015) was an Australian actor. He appeared in more than 50 feature films, including ''The Time Machine'' (1960), ''One Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (1961), '' The Birds'' (1963), and ''In ...

-- who Kafuman put under contract reportedly to make ''Come Away Pearler'' and

Captain Henry Morgan Sir Henry Morgan ( cy, Harri Morgan; – 25 August 1688) was a privateer, plantation owner, and, later, Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica. From his base in Port Royal, Jamaica, he raided settlements and shipping on the Spanish Main, becoming wea ...

-- neither of which were ever made. In 1957 Katz bought the rights to more than 300

Grand Guignol ''Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol'' (: "The Theatre of the Great Puppet")—known as the Grand Guignol–was a theatre in the Quartier Pigalle, Pigalle district of Paris (7, cité Chaptal). From its opening in 1897 until its closing in 1962, it spe ...

plays. In 1958, Katz made '' Another Time Another Place'' with

Lana Turner Lana Turner ( ; born Julia Jean Turner; February 8, 1921June 29, 1995) was an American actress. Over the course of her nearly 50-year career, she achieved fame as both a pin-up model and a film actress, as well as for her highly publicized per ...

in England. Katz died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

in 1961 and was survived by his widow Doris -- whom he married in 1949 -- and his sister.

Filmography

*'' Sensation Hunters'' (1945) *''

The Shadow Returns ''The Shadow Returns'' is a 1946 American comedy crime film directed by Phil Rosen and starring Kane Richmond, Barbara Read and Tom Dugan. It features the pulp character The Shadow, already a popular hero of novels and a radio show. It was the fi ...

'' (1946) *'' Behind the Mask'' (1946) *''

The Missing Lady ''The Missing Lady'' is a 1946 American mystery film directed by Phil Karlson and starring Kane Richmond and Barbara Read. It was the third and final in a series of three films released by Monogram in 1946 starring Richmond as The Shadow, the ot ...

'' (1946) *''

It Happened on Fifth Avenue ''It Happened on 5th Avenue'' is a 1947 American comedy film directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring Victor Moore, Ann Harding, Don DeFore, Charles Ruggles and Gale Storm. Herbert Clyde Lewis and Frederick Stephani were nominated for the Academy Aw ...

'' (1947) *''

The Babe Ruth Story ''The Babe Ruth Story'' is a 1948 biographical film of Babe Ruth, the famed New York Yankees slugger. It stars William Bendix (New York Yankee batboy in the 1920s) as the ballplayer and Claire Trevor as his wife Claire Merritt Hodgson. Critics fa ...

'' (1948) *'' Red Light'' (1949) *'' Lucky Nick Cain'' (1951) *''

Pandora and the Flying Dutchman ''Pandora and the Flying Dutchman'' is a 1951 British Technicolor romantic fantasy drama film directed by Albert Lewin and produced by Lewin and Joseph Kaufman from Lewin's own screenplay, based on the legend of the ''Flying Dutchman''. It wa ...

'' (1951) *''

'' (1952) *''

'' (1954) *''

The Adventures of Long John Silver ''The Adventures of Long John Silver'' is a TV series about the Long John Silver character from Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel ''Treasure Island''. It was made in 1954 in colour in Australia for the American and British markets before the ...

'' (1955–56) (TV series) *'' Another Time, Another Place'' (1958) *''

Black Tights ''Black Tights'' (''1-2-3-4 ou Les Collants noirs'') is a 1961 French anthology film featuring four ballet segments shot in Technirama and directed by Terence Young. The dances in the film were abridged versions of ballets created for the stage ...

'' (1961)

References

External links

Joe Kaufman
at

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

1911 births American film producers 1961 deaths {{US-film-producer-stub