M. H. (Maurice Henry) Hoffman (March 21, 1881 – March 6, 1944) was an American studio owner and

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 ...

. In the 1920s and 30s, Hoffman made films for seven different studios. He is particularly associated with

Poverty Row Poverty Row is a slang term used to refer to Hollywood films produced from the 1920s to the 1950s by small (and mostly short-lived) B movie studios. Although many of them were based on (or near) today's Gower Street in Hollywood, the term did n ...

where studios he founded -

Allied Pictures Allied Pictures was an American film production company that operated between 1931 and 1934. Controlled by the producer M.H. Hoffman, it was one of the Poverty Row companies of the era turning out low-budget B pictures. The company's best known f ...

Liberty Pictures Liberty Pictures was an American film production company of the 1930s. Part of Poverty Row, the company produced low-budget B pictures. It was one of two companies controlled by the producer M.H. Hoffman along with Allied Pictures. The company p ...

and

Tiffany Pictures Tiffany Pictures, which also became Tiffany-Stahl Productions for a time, was a Hollywood motion picture studio in operation from 1921 until 1932. It is considered a Poverty Row studio, whose films had lower budgets, lesser-known stars, and overal ...

produced mainly low-budget

B pictures A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

Early Years

Born in Chicago on March 20, 1881, Hoffman earned a Bachelor of Law degree in 1900 from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

. He was admitted to the bar in New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts and practiced law until 1910.

Studio Years

From 1910 to 1917, Hoffman was general manager of the Universal Film Company, a

film exchange A film exchange was a business in film distribution that rented out movies to theaters. They opened up all over the U.S. to handle film reels during the silent film era. Film exchanges were often a separate business from production. Buildings were ...

in New England. He resigned in 1917 to independently produce and distribute pictures. In 1920 Hoffman co-founded Tiffany Pictures (later Tiffany-Stahl Pictures) in Hollywood with

Mae Murray Mae Murray (born Marie Adrienne Koenig; May 10, 1885 – March 23, 1965) was an American actress, dancer, film producer, and screenwriter. Murray rose to fame during the silent film era and was known as "The Girl with the Bee-Stung Lips" and "Th ...

and her then-husband,

Robert Z. Leonard Robert Zigler Leonard (October 7, 1889 – August 27, 1968) was an American film director, actor, producer, and screenwriter. Biography He was born in Chicago, Illinois. At one time, he was married to silent star Mae Murray with the two formin ...

. The largest of the

studios, Tiffany Pictures produced eight Mae Murray pictures, which were considered outstanding productions at the time. Between 1921 and 1932, the studio released at least 70 silent and sound features. Tiffany-Stahl booked its films into nearly 2,500 theaters but was hurt by the lack of a profitable distribution network. In the 1922-1926 period, Hoffman was General Advisory Director. and then Vice President of

Truart Film Corporation Truart Film Corporation was an American film production and distribution company active during the silent era. Actors Larry Semon and Elaine Hammerstein starred in a number of the company's productions.Slide p.210 Filmography * '' Patsy'' (192 ...

, a New York production and film exchange company. In 1930 Hoffman founded and was Acting President and General Manager of Liberty Productions. In 1931 Hoffman founded and was President of Allied Pictures Corporation. His son, M. H. (Paul E.) Hoffman, Jr., was vice president. At Allied, Hoffman signed

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

Lila Lee Lila Lee (born Augusta Wilhelmena Fredericka Appel; July 25, 1905 – November 13, 1973) was a prominent screen actress, primarily a leading lady, of the silent film and early sound film eras. Early life The daughter of Augusta Fredericka Appe ...

and

Hoot Gibson Edmund Richard "Hoot" Gibson (August 6, 1892 – August 23, 1962) was an American rodeo champion, film actor, film director, and producer. While acting and stunt work began as a sideline to Gibson's focus on rodeo, he successfully transitione ...

and used the profits from their films to back literary adoptions that he wanted to make including "Vanity Fair (1932)" and "Unholy Love (1932)." In 1932, Hoffman was president of the Independent Motion Pictures Producers Association (IMPPA). Comparable to the Motion Pictures Producers Association, the organization dealt primarily with production and union problems. A contract dispute with Gibson and growing indebtedness to

Herbert Yates Herbert John Yates (August 24, 1880 – February 3, 1966) was the founder and president of Republic Pictures, who had western stars John Wayne, Gene Autry, and Roy Rogers under contract. Between the years 1935 and 1959, Republic, under Yates' l ...

of Consolidated Film Service for film processing ended Allied in 1934. Hoffman reopened Liberty Pictures and produced thirteen movies, mostly literary adaptions of short stories and popular novels. In 1935, Yates foreclosed on the remaining assets of Allied and Liberty Pictures and merged the studio assets into his newly formed

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City an ...

. Hoffman left Republic shortly after that and produced three more films at Grand National before retiring in 1938.

Personal life

Hoffman and his wife, Mary, had a daughter, Hermine Hoffman Ruskin, and two sons, M. H. Jr. (Paul. E. Hoffman) and George F. (adopted). He died in Los Angeles on March 6, 1944, at age 61. His cremated remains were taken to New York for inurnment.Maurice H. Hoffman, obituaries, ''The Los Angeles Times'', March 8, 1944, p. 11

Selected filmography

* ''

Suspicion Suspicion is a feeling of mistrust. Suspicion(s), The Suspicion, or Suspicious may also refer to: Film and television Film * ''Suspicion'' (1918 film), an American silent film directed by John M. Stahl * ''Suspicion'' (1941 film), an American ...

'' (1918). M.H. Hoffman Productions. Producer * ''

Broadway Gold ''Broadway Gold'' is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Edward Dillon and starring Elaine Hammerstein, Elliott Dexter, and Kathlyn Williams. The film's sets were designed by the art director Cedric Gibbons Austin Cedric Gibbon ...

'' (1923). Truart Pictures. Co-producer * '' The Drums of Jeopardy'' (1923). M.H. Hoffman Inc. Producer * '' Let's Go'' (1923). Carlos Productions and Richard Talmadge Productions. Producer * '' Daring Love'' (1924). M. H. Hoffman Productions. Producer * '' In Fast Company'' (1924). Carlos Productions. Producer * ''

Pals PALS may refer to: * Patient Advice and Liaison Service * Pediatric Advanced Life Support * Periarteriolar lymphoid sheaths * Portraits of American Life Study * Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy * Pouch Attachment Ladder System * Prag ...

'' (1925). Truart Pictures. Producer * ''

Three in Exile ''Three in Exile'' is a 1925 American silent film, silent Western (genre), Western film directed by Fred Windemere and starring Louise Lorraine, Art Acord, and Tom London. Plot As described in a film magazine review, a dog that is chased by a ...

'' (1925). Truart Pictures. Co-producer * ''

Husband Hunters ''Husband Hunters'' is a 1927 American comedy-drama silent film released by Tiffany Productions, directed by John G. Adolfi, and starring Mae Busch, Charles Delaney and Jean Arthur. Plot The film looks at the exploits of chorus girls Marie (Mae ...

'' (1927). Tiffany Productions. Producer * ''

One Hour of Love ''One Hour of Love'' is a 1927 American silent romantic drama film directed by Robert Florey and starring Jacqueline Logan, Robert Frazer and Montagu Love.Munden p.568 It is now considered to be a lost film. The film's sets were designed by the ...

'' (1927). Tiffany Productions. Co-producer * ''

Ex-Flame ''Ex-Flame'' is a 1930 American pre-Code drama film directed by Victor Halperin and starring Neil Hamilton, Marian Nixon, and Norman Kerry. The film is an adaptation of the 1861 Victorian novel ''East Lynne'', but is set in contemporary England ...

'' (1930). Liberty Pictures Corp. Co-producer * '' Forgotten Women'' (1931). Trem Carr Pictures. Co-producer * ''

Hard Hombre ''The Hard Hombre'' is a 1931 American pre-Code Western film directed by Otto Brower and starring rodeo champion Hoot Gibson. The film follows a simpleton rancher who is mistaken for a notorious outlaw known as ''The Hard Hombre''. Cast *Hoot ...

'' (1931). Allied Pictures. Producer * '' The She-Wolf'' (1931). Liberty Pictures. Co-producer * ''The Boiling Point'' (1932). Allied Pictures. Producer * ''

Officer Thirteen ''Officer Thirteen'' is a 1932 American crime film directed by George Melford and starring Monte Blue, Lila Lee and Charles Delaney. The film features an early performance from the future star Mickey Rooney in a supporting role. As of September ...

'' (1932). Allied Pictures. Producer * '' A Parisian Romance'' (1932). Allied Pictures. Producer * ''

The Stoker "The Stoker" (original German language, German: "Der Heizer") is a short story by Franz Kafka. Kafka wrote it as the first chapter of a novel he called ''Amerika (novel), Amerika'', but he abandoned the novel in 1913 and published the one complet ...

'' (1932). Allied Pictures. Co-producer * ''

The Thirteenth Guest ''The Thirteenth Guest'' is a 1932 American pre-Code mystery comedy thriller film, released on August 9, 1932. The film is also known as ''Lady Beware'' in the United Kingdom. It is based on the 1929 novel ''The Thirteenth Guest'' written by cri ...

'' (1932). Monogram Pictures Corp. Producer * ''

Unholy Love ''Unholy Love'' (released in the United Kingdom as ''Deceit'') is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed and produced by Albert Ray. It was the first film adaptation of Gustave Flaubert's 1857 French novel ''Madame Bovary'' produced. T ...

'' (1932). Allied Pictures. Executive Producer * '' Vanity Fair'' (1932). Allied Pictures. Producer * '' The Eleventh Commandment'' (1933). Allied Pictures. Producer * '' The Fighting Parson'' (1933). Allied Pictures. Producer * ''

File 113 ''File 113'' is a 1933 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Chester Franklin and starring Lew Cody, Mary Nolan and June Clyde.Pitts p.25 Monsieur Lecoq, a Parisian detective solves a series of crimes. It is based on a story by the nineteen ...

'' (1933). Allied Pictures. Producer * '' The Intruder'' (1933). Allied Pictures. Producer * ''

One Year Later "One Year Later" is a 2006 comic book storyline running through books published by DC Comics. It involves a narrative jump exactly one year into the future of the DC Universe following the events of the ''Infinite Crisis'' storyline, to explore ...

'' (1933). Allied Pictures. Producer * ''

A Shriek in the Night ''A Shriek in the Night'' is a 1933 American pre-Code mystery crime film with elements of romance directed by Albert Ray and starring Ginger Rogers, Lyle Talbot, and Harvey Clark. It was produced by the independent studio Allied Pictures, and ...

'' (1933). Allied Pictures. Co-producer * ''

West of Singapore ''West of Singapore'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film directed by Albert Ray and starring Betty Compson, Weldon Heyburn and Margaret Lindsay.Doherty, p. 255 Cast * Betty Compson as Lou * Weldon Heyburn as Dan Manton * Margaret Linds ...

'' (1933). Monogram Pictures. Co-producer * ''

Cheaters Cheater or Cheaters may refer to: Arts and entertainment Films * ''The Cheaters'' (1930 film), an Australian silent film * ''Cheaters'' (1934 film), an American film directed by Phil Rosent * ''The Cheaters'' (1945 film), directed by Joseph Ka ...

'' (1934). Liberty Pictures Corp. Producer * ''

No Ransom No Ransom is a 1934 American film directed by Frec C. Newmeyer. Cast *Leila Hymas as Barbra Winfield *Phillips Holmes as Tom Wilson *Jack La Rue as Larry Romero *Robert McWade as John Winfield *Hedda Hopper as Mrs. Winfield *Vince Barnett as Bu ...

'' (1934). Liberty Pictures Corp. Producer * '' Once to Every Bachelor'' (1934). Liberty Pictures Corp. Producer * '' Picture Brides'' (1934). Allied Pictures. Producer * ''

Romance in Rhythm ''Romance in Rhythm'' is a 1934 British mystery film directed by Lawrence Huntington and starring Phyllis Clare and David Hutcheson, David Burns. It was made at Cricklewood Studios. The screenplay concerns a songwriter who is accused of murderin ...

'' (1934). Allied Pictures. Producer * ''

School for Girls ''School for Girls'' is a 1935 American drama film directed by William Nigh and starring Sidney Fox, Paul Kelly and Lois Wilson.

'' (1934). Liberty Pictures Corp. Producer * '' Take the Stand'' (1934). Liberty Pictures Corp. Producer * ''

Two Heads on a Pillow ''Two Heads on a Pillow'' is a 1934 American romance film directed by William Nigh and written by Albert DeMond. The film stars Neil Hamilton, Miriam Jordan, Henry Armetta, Hardie Albright, Dorothy Appleby and Mary Forbes. The film was released ...

(Love Can't Lose)'' (1934). Liberty Pictures Corp. Producer * ''

When Strangers Meet ''When Strangers Meet'' is a 1934 American drama film directed by Christy Cabanne and starring Richard Cromwell, Arline Judge, and Lucien Littlefield. It was released on July 20, 1934. Cast * Richard Cromwell as Paul Tarman * Arline Judge as Ru ...

'' (1934). Liberty Pictures Corp. Producer * ''

Born to Gamble ''Born to Gamble'' (1935) is an American film directed by Phil Rosen and released by Republic Pictures. Plot Four brothers feel cursed by their family's gambling bug. All four try to overcome the addiction: only one, the youngest, is successful ...

'' (1935). Liberty Pictures Corp. Producer * ''

Champagne for Breakfast ''Champagne for Breakfast'' is a 1935 American comedy-drama film, directed by Melville Brown. It stars Mary Carlisle, Hardie Albright, and Joan Marsh, and was released on June 18, 1935. Cast list * Mary Carlisle as Edie Reach * Hardie Albright ...

'' (1935). Liberty Pictures Corp. Producer * ''

The Crime of Dr. Crespi ''The Crime of Dr. Crespi'' is a 1935 American horror film starring Erich von Stroheim, Paul Guilfoyle, Jeanne Kelly, Dwight Frye, Harriet Russell, and John Bohn. It was released by Republic Pictures.Dizzy Dames ''Dizzy Dames'' is a 1935 American musical film directed by William Nigh and written by George Waggner. The film stars Marjorie Rambeau, Florine McKinney, Lawrence Gray, Inez Courtney, Berton Churchill and Fuzzy Knight. The film was released on ...

'' (1935). Liberty Pictures Corp. Producer * '' The Old Homestead'' (1935). Liberty Pictures Corp. Producer * '' The Spanish Cape Mystery'' (1935). Liberty Pictures Corp./ Republic Pictures Corp. Producer * ''

Sweepstake Annie ''Sweepstake Annie'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by William Nigh and starring Tom Brown, Marian Nixon and Wera Engels Wera Engels (12 May 1905 – 16 November 1988) was a German actress. After successful leading roles in producti ...

'' (1935). Liberty Pictures Corp. Producer * '' Without Children (Penthouse Party)'' (1935). Liberty Pictures Corp. Producer * ''

King of the Sierras ''King of the Sierras'' is a 1938 American western directed by Samuel Diege and Arthur Rosson and distributed by Grand National Pictures. The film is also known as ''Black Stallion'' (alternative American title) and ''Killers of the Prairie'' ...

'' (1938). Grand National Pictures. Producer

References

Bibliography

* Donald Crafton. ''The Talkies: American Cinema's Transition to Sound 1926–1931''. The University of California Press, 1997. * E.J. Stephens and Marc Wanamaker, Marc. ''Early Poverty Row Studios''. Arcadia Publishing. 2014 * Michael R. Pitts. ''Poverty Row Studios, 1929–1940: An Illustrated History of 55 Independent Film Companies, with a Filmography for Each.'' McFarland & Company, 2005. * Robert J. Read, ''A Squalid-Looking Place: Poverty Row Films of the 1930s''. Ph.D. Thesis. McGill University, Montreal. August 2010.

External links

* 1881 births 1944 deaths American film producers Businesspeople from Illinois 20th-century American businesspeople {{US-film-producer-stub