Joyce Selznick (February 12, 1925 – September 17, 1981) was a talent agent, casting director, and screenwriter. She was the niece of film producer David O. Selznick (''
Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind most often refers to:
* ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell
* ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel
Gone with the Wind may also refer to:
Music
* ''Gone with the Wind'' ...
'', 1939), providing her with early exposure to the industry. Her career spanned three decades and began with her discovery of a New York truck driver named Bernie Schwartz whom she developed him into a matinee idol and future actor
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor whose career spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s (Kansas Raiders, 1950) and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 f ...
. and climaxed with the casting of ''
The Buddy Holly Story
''The Buddy Holly Story'' is a 1978 American biographical film which tells the life and career of rock and roll musician Buddy Holly. It features an Academy Award-winning musical score, adapted by Joe Renzetti and Oscar-nominated lead perfor ...
'', released in 1978. Her work ended with her premature death in 1981 at age 56 from breast cancer.
Career
Born in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, Joyce Selznick was raised in the Hollywood culture. In the late 1940s, she discovered New York truck driver Bernie Schwartz, who became actor
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor whose career spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s (Kansas Raiders, 1950) and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 f ...
.
She discovered
James Darren
James William Ercolani (born June 8, 1936) known by his stage name James Darren, is an American television and film actor, television director, and singer. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had notable starring and supporting roles in fi ...
around 1955 when he was about 19, recognizing his talent when he contacted her based on the recommendation of a photographer's secretary, Yvonne Bouvier, in 1959. Darren recalls:
"I was studying acting in New York City with
Stella Adler
Stella Adler (February 10, 1901 – December 21, 1992) was an American actress and acting teacher. ''
vonne Bouvierset up a meeting between me and Joyce Selznick, who worked for
Screen Gems
Screen Gems is an American brand name used by Sony Pictures' Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, a subsidiary of Japanese multinational conglomerate, Sony Group Corporation. It has served several different purposes for its parent ...
. I went down to 1650 Broadway, the
Brill Building
The Brill Building is an office building at 1619 Broadway on 49th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, just north of Times Square and further uptown from the historic musical Tin Pan Alley neighborhood. It was built in 1931 as t ...
. On my way to hemeeting with Joyce, we just happened to get on the elevator at the same time. She kept staring at me. I never met her. She never met me. We got off at the same floor and walked to the same office. That was our meeting. Joyce brought me over to
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
about a week later and got me a contract there.""Gary James' Interview With James Darren" classicbands.com. Accessed November 12, 2022.
Darren was cast in ''
Rumble on the Docks
''Rumble on the Docks'' is a 1956 American crime film noir directed by Fred F. Sears and starring James Darren.
Plot
Jimmy Smigelski, living near the docks of Brooklyn, is quick to help when a neighborhood girl, Della, and her little brother ar ...
'', released in 1956, and after receiving hundreds of fan letters for a non-lead role, his casting and fame continued to flourish.
While working as the eastern talent scout for
Colpix Records
Colpix Records was the first recording company for Columbia Pictures–Screen Gems. Colpix got its name from combining Columbia (Col) and Pictures (Pix). CBS, which owned Columbia Records, then sued Columbia Pictures for trademark infringement ov ...
, a division of Columbia Pictures in 1959, she signed the emerging pianist/singer
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, ...
The Buddy Holly Story
''The Buddy Holly Story'' is a 1978 American biographical film which tells the life and career of rock and roll musician Buddy Holly. It features an Academy Award-winning musical score, adapted by Joe Renzetti and Oscar-nominated lead perfor ...
''. She was responsible for selecting
Gary Busey
Gary Busey (; born 1944) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Buddy Holly in ''The Buddy Holly Story'' (1978), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and won the National Society of Film Critics ...
to play Holly, in what was an Oscar-nominated performance.
Critics praised Busey's singing and acting, the recognizing of talent in both being something in which Selznick was experienced. Selznick served as the casting director for 13 films during her career and was a screenwriter for three other films.
Death
Selznick was diagnosed with breast cancer, which claimed her life on September 17, 1981 in Hollywood, California.
In the 1988 TV movie ''The Ann Jillian Story'', Selznick was portrayed by
Pam Hyatt
Pamela "Pam" Hyatt (born April 9, 1936) is a Canadian actress who played Noble Heart Horse in 1986's '' The Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation'' and the voice of Kaede in the English version of ''Inuyasha'', guest-starred in USA Network's '' ...