Seymour Nebenzal (22 July 1899 – 23 September 1961) was an American-born Jewish-German
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 produced 46 films between 1927 and 1961.
Biography
Germany
He got into film production through his father
Heinrich Nebenzahl
Heinrich Nebenzahl (1870–1938) was an Austrian-born film producer.Prawer p.7 In 1925 he founded the German production company Nero Film which prospered under the management of his son Seymour Nebenzahl. In 1933 the Jewish Nebenzahls were forced t ...
(1870–1938), who, in the early 1920s, worked with German action star
Harry Piel
Heinrich Piel (12 July 1892 – 27 March 1963), known professionally as Harry Piel, was a prolific German actor, film director, screenwriter, and film producer who was involved in over 150 films.
Piel became a director in 1912, turning out such ...
.
In 1926, Heinrich Nebenzahl and director-producer
Richard Oswald
Richard Oswald (5 November 1880 – 11 September 1963) was an Austrian film director, producer, screenwriter, and father of German-American film director Gerd Oswald.
Early career
Richard Oswald, born in Vienna as Richard W. Ornstein, began h ...
founded the company
Nero-Film. As head of this company Seymour Nebenzal became one of the most important producers of the transition period from silent to
sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...
in Germany. He worked with the directors
Georg Wilhelm Pabst
Georg Wilhelm Pabst (25 August 1885 – 29 May 1967) was an Austrian film director and screenwriter. He started as an actor and theater director, before becoming one of the most influential German-language filmmakers during the Weimar Republic.
...
,
Arthur Ripley
Arthur DeWitt Ripley (January 12, 1897 – February 13, 1961) was an American film screenwriter, editor, producer and director.
Biography
In 1923, he joined the Mack Sennett studio as a comedy writer. In the 1920s, he worked closely with Fr ...
,
Douglas Sirk
Douglas Sirk (born Hans Detlef Sierck; 26 April 1897 – 14 January 1987) was a German film director best known for his work in Hollywood melodramas of the 1950s. Sirk started his career in Germany as a stage and screen director, but he left fo ...
,
Harold S. Bucquet,
Edgar G. Ulmer,
Léonide Moguy,
Paul Czinner
Paul Czinner (30 May 1890 – 22 June 1972) was a Hungarian-born British writer, film director, and producer.
Biography
Czinner was born to a Jewish family in Budapest, Austria-Hungary.
After studying literature and philosophy at the Universi ...
and
Fritz Lang
Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. 6 ...
among others. In 1933, he was forced into exile, fleeing the
Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
.
["Seymour Nebenzal Dead at 63, Produced 'M' and Other Films", ''New York Times'', 28 September 1961: 41.]
France
In Paris he produced films by other exiles from Germany such as his cousin
Robert Siodmak
Robert Siodmak (; 8 August 1900 – 10 March 1973) was a German film director who also worked in the United States. He is best remembered as a thriller specialist and for a series of films noirs he made in the 1940s, such as ''The Killers'' (19 ...
and
Max Ophüls
Maximillian Oppenheimer (; 6 May 1902 – 26 March 1957), known as Max Ophüls (; ), was a German-French film director who worked in Germany (1931–1933), France (1933–1940 and 1950–1957), and the United States (1947–1950). He made near ...
as well as
Anatole Litvak
Anatoly Mikhailovich Litvak (russian: Анатолий Михайлович Литвак; 21 May 1902 – 15 December 1974), better known as Anatole Litvak, was a Ukrainian-born American filmmaker who wrote, directed, and produced films in vari ...
,
Fedor Ozep
Fedor Ozep or Fyodor Otsep (russian: Фёдор Алекса́ндрович О́цеп, ''Fyodor Aleksandrovich Otsep''; February 9, 1895 – June 20, 1949) was a Russian-American film director and screenwriter, born in Moscow. An important earl ...
, and
Raymond Bernard
Raymond Bernard (10 October 1891 – 12 December 1977) was a French film director and screenwriter whose career spanned more than 40 years. He is best remembered for several large-scale historical productions, including the silent films '' Le Mi ...
.
Hollywood
In 1939, he went on to Hollywood where he became one of the first independent producers. He made films with
Edgar G. Ulmer,
Douglas Sirk
Douglas Sirk (born Hans Detlef Sierck; 26 April 1897 – 14 January 1987) was a German film director best known for his work in Hollywood melodramas of the 1950s. Sirk started his career in Germany as a stage and screen director, but he left fo ...
,
Léonide Moguy,
Arthur Ripley
Arthur DeWitt Ripley (January 12, 1897 – February 13, 1961) was an American film screenwriter, editor, producer and director.
Biography
In 1923, he joined the Mack Sennett studio as a comedy writer. In the 1920s, he worked closely with Fr ...
, and
Albert S. Rogell
Albert S. Rogell (August 21, 1901 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - April 7, 1988 Los Angeles, California) was an American film director.
Rogell directed more than a hundred movies between 1921 and 1958. He was the uncle of producer Sid Rogell.
Filmogr ...
. He produced remakes of his successes from the early 1930s: ''Siren of Atlantis'' with
Maria Montez
María África Gracia Vidal (6 June 1912 – 7 September 1951), known professionally as Maria Montez, was a Dominican motion picture actress who gained fame and popularity in the 1940s starring in a series of filmed-in-Technicolor costume ...
and ''
M'' (1951), that was directed by
Joseph Losey
Joseph Walton Losey III (; January 14, 1909 – June 22, 1984) was an American theatre and film director, producer, and screenwriter. Born in Wisconsin, he studied in Germany with Bertolt Brecht and then returned to the United States. Blackliste ...
.
In October 1946, he paid $150,000 for the world rights to ''Madame Butterfly''. He signed
Jean-Pierre Aumont
Jean-Pierre Aumont (born Jean-Pierre Philippe Salomons; 5 January 1911 – 30 January 2001) was a French actor, and holder of the Légion d'Honneur and the Croix de guerre 1939–1945, Croix de Guerre for his World War II military service.
Ea ...
to a three-film contract following ''Atlantis''. He had screen rights to ''
Look Homeward, Angel
''Look Homeward, Angel: A Story of the Buried Life'' is a 1929 novel by Thomas Wolfe. It is Wolfe's first novel, and is considered a highly autobiographical American coming-of-age story. The character of Eugene Gant is generally believed to be a ...
'' but the film was not made.
Maria Montez
María África Gracia Vidal (6 June 1912 – 7 September 1951), known professionally as Maria Montez, was a Dominican motion picture actress who gained fame and popularity in the 1940s starring in a series of filmed-in-Technicolor costume ...
successfully sued Seymour for unpaid salary for ''Atlantis''.
["MONTEZ WINS SUIT FOR UNPAID SALARY: $38,000 Judgment Is Awarded to Actress by Coast Court-- Nebenzal Is Defendant" By THOMAS F. BRADY Special to ''THE NEW YORK TIMES''. 3 January 1951: 23.]
Seymour Nebenzal died of a heart attack at his
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
home.
Harold Nebenzal
Harold may refer to:
People
* Harold (given name), including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name
* Harold (surname), surname in the English language
* András Arató, known in meme culture as "Hide the Pain Harold"
Art ...
(born 31 March 1922, Berlin – died 14 February 2019 in Los Angeles), associate producer of ''
M'' (1951), was his son. Harold became a script writer (''
The Wilby Conspiracy
''The Wilby Conspiracy'' is a 1975 British adventure thriller film directed by Ralph Nelson and starring Michael Caine, Sidney Poitier, and Nicol Williamson. Filmed in Kenya, it was written by Rodney Amateau, based on the 1972 novel by Peter D ...
''), film producer (''
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...
'', ''
Gabriela Gabriela may refer to:
* Gabriela (given name), a Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian feminine given name
* ''Gabriela'' (1942 film), a Czech film
* ''Gabriela'' (1950 film), a German film
* ''Gabriela'' (1983 film), a Brazilian film
* ''Gabriela' ...
'') and novelist (''Cafe Berlin''). Harold, husband of actress
Rita Corday
Rita Corday (born Jeanne Paule Teipo-Ite-Marma Croset; October 20, 1920 – November 23, 1992) was an American actress. She appeared in 30 films during the 1940s and 1950s. She was sometimes billed as Paula Corday or Paule Croset.
Biography ...
, was in charge of foreign film production for many years for MGM, and also worked on many of the films of
Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-American filmmaker. His career in Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Classic Holl ...
including ''
Fedora
A fedora () is a hat with a soft brim and indented crown.Kilgour, Ruth Edwards (1958). ''A Pageant of Hats Ancient and Modern''. R. M. McBride Company. It is typically creased lengthwise down the crown and "pinched" near the front on both sides ...
''. Seymour Nebenzal had, many years earlier, made possible Wilder's first film, ''
People on Sunday
''People on Sunday'' (german: Menschen am Sonntag) is a 1930 German silent drama film directed by Robert Siodmak and Edgar G. Ulmer from a screenplay by Robert and Curt Siodmak. The film follows a group of residents of Berlin on a summer's day d ...
'', by borrowing the needed funds to make the picture from his own father,
Heinrich Nebenzahl
Heinrich Nebenzahl (1870–1938) was an Austrian-born film producer.Prawer p.7 In 1925 he founded the German production company Nero Film which prospered under the management of his son Seymour Nebenzahl. In 1933 the Jewish Nebenzahls were forced t ...
, the first Nebenzal film producer.
Selected filmography
* ''
His Greatest Bluff
''His Greatest Bluff'' (German: ''Sein größter Bluff'') is a 1927 German silent comedy film directed by Henrik Galeen and Harry Piel and starring Piel, Toni Tetzlaff and Lotte Lorring. Its title is sometimes translated as ''His Biggest Bluff'' ...
'' (1927)
* ''
The Prisoners of Shanghai'' (1927)
* ''
Night of Mystery'' (1927)
* ''
The Last Fort
''The Last Fort'' (german: Das letzte Fort) is a 1928 German silent war filmKoepnick p. 68 directed by Curtis Bernhardt and starring Rolla Norman, Maria Paudler and Albert Steinrück.
Cast
* Rolla Norman as Major Leblanc
* Maria Paudler as Yvo ...
'' (1928)
* ''
Love's Masquerade'' (1928)
* ''
The Story of a Little Parisian
''The Story of a Little Parisian'' (French: ''Totte et sa chance'', German: ''Der Sprung ins Glück'', Italian: ''La storia di una piccola Parigina'') is a 1928 silent film directed by Augusto Genina.Parish p.52 It was made as a co-production bet ...
'' (1928)
* ''
Tragedy at the Royal Circus
''Tragedy at the Royal Circus'' (german: Tragödie im Zirkus Royal) is a 1928 German silent drama film directed by Alfred Lind and starring Bernhard Goetzke, Ellen Kürti, and Werner Pittschau.
The film's art direction was by Willi Herrmann a ...
'' (1928)
* ''
Scampolo
''Scampolo'' is a 1958 German film directed by Alfred Weidenmann and starring Romy Schneider, Paul Hubschmid, and Georg Thomalla. Schneider plays the title role.
Plot
Scampolo is a young, poor girl who lives on the island of Ischia. She falls ...
'' (1928)
* ''
Die Büchse der Pandora'' (1929)
* ''
Perjury
Perjury (also known as foreswearing) is the intentional act of swearing a false oath or falsifying an affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to an official proceeding."Perjury The act or an inst ...
'' (1929)
* ''
Diary of a Coquette
''Diary of a Coquette'' (German:''Tagebuch einer Kokotte'') is a 1929 German silent drama film directed by Constantin J. David and starring Fee Malten, Ernst Stahl-Nachbaur and Alfred Döderlein.Bock & Bergfelder p.258
Cast
* Fee Malten as ...
'' (1929)
* ''
Marriage in Trouble'' (1929)
* ''
People on Sunday
''People on Sunday'' (german: Menschen am Sonntag) is a 1930 German silent drama film directed by Robert Siodmak and Edgar G. Ulmer from a screenplay by Robert and Curt Siodmak. The film follows a group of residents of Berlin on a summer's day d ...
'' (1930)
* ''
Westfront 1918'' (1930)
* ''
Scandalous Eva
''Scandalous Eva'' (german: Skandal um Eva) is a 1930 German comedy film directed by G. W. Pabst and starring Henny Porten, Oskar Sima, and Ludwig Stössel. The film's sets were designed by the art director Franz Schroedter.
Cast
* Henny Por ...
'' (1930)
* ''
The Widow's Ball
''The Widow's Ball'' (german: Der Witwenball) is a 1930 German comedy film directed by Georg Jacoby and starring Lucie Englisch, Fritz Kampers, and Sig Arno.
The film's sets were designed by the art director Franz Schroedter.
Cast
* Lucie Eng ...
'' (1930)
* ''
Kohlhiesel's Daughters'' (1930)
* ''
Die 3-Groschen-Oper'' (1931)
* ''
Ariane'' (1931)
* ''
A Night at the Grand Hotel
''A Night at the Grand Hotel'' (german: Eine Nacht im Grandhotel) is a 1931 German drama film directed by Max Neufeld and starring Mártha Eggerth, Ulrich Bettac, and Kurt Gerron.Bock & Bergfelder p. 156 It was shot at the Johannisthal Studios i ...
'' (1931)
* ''
M'' (1931)
* ''
Ariane'' (1931)
* ''
24 Hours in the Life of a Woman'' (1931)
* ''
Kameradschaft'' (1931)
* ''
L'Atlantide'' (1932) three versions: German, French, and English
* ''
Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse
''The Testament of Dr. Mabuse'' (german: Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse), also called ''The Last Will of Dr. Mabuse'', is a 1933 German crime-thriller film directed by Fritz Lang. The movie is a sequel to Lang's silent film ''Dr. Mabuse the Gambl ...
'' (1933)
* ''
Le sexe faible'' (1933)
* ''
Three Lucky Fools
''Three Lucky Fools'' (Italian: ''Tre uomini in frack'') is a 1933 French-Italian comedy film directed by Mario Bonnard and starring Tito Schipa, Eduardo De Filippo, and Fred Pasquali. It marked the film debut of Assia Noris, who went on to be a ...
'' (1933)
* ''
The Crisis is Over
''The Crisis is Over'' (French: ''La crise est finie'') is a 1934 French musical comedy film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Albert Préjean, Danielle Darrieux and Marcel Carpentier. Many of those who worked on the film were exiles from ...
'' (1934)
* ''
Parisian Life'' (1936)
* ''
Mayerling
Mayerling is a small village (pop. 200) in Lower Austria belonging to the municipality of Alland in the district of Baden. It is situated on the Schwechat river, in the Wienerwald (''Vienna woods''), southwest of Vienna. From 1550, it was in the ...
'' (1936)
* ''
White Cargo
''White Cargo'' is a 1942 film drama starring Hedy Lamarr and Walter Pidgeon, and directed by Richard Thorpe. Released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it is based on the 1923 London and Broadway hit play by Leon Gordon, which was in turn adapted from ...
'' (1937)
* ''
The Novel of Werther
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (1938)
* ''
Princess Tarakanova
Princess Tarakanova (c. 1745 – ) was a pretender to the Russian throne. She styled herself, among other names, ''Knyazhna Yelizaveta Vladimirskaya'' (Princess of Vladimir), ''Fräulein Frank'', and ''Madame Trémouille''. Tarakanova ('' ...
'' (1938)
* ''
Les ôtages'' (1939)
* ''
We Who Are Young
''We Who Are Young'' is a 1940 American drama film directed by Harold S. Bucquet, written by Dalton Trumbo and starring Lana Turner, John Shelton and Gene Lockhart.
Plot
Cast
* Lana Turner as Margy Brooks
* John Shelton as William Brooks
* ...
'' (1940)
* ''
Hitler's Madman
''Hitler's Madman'' is a 1943 World War II drama directed by Douglas Sirk. It is a highly fictionalized account of the 1942 Operation Anthropoid, assassination of Nazi official Reinhard Heydrich and the resulting Lidice massacre, which the Nazi G ...
'' (1943)
* ''
Summer Storm'' (1944)
* ''
Whistle Stop
In public transport, a request stop, flag stop, or whistle stop is a stop or station at which buses or trains, respectively, stop only on request; that is, only if there are passengers or freight to be picked up or dropped off. In this way, st ...
'' (1945)
* ''
The Chase'' (1946)
* ''
Siren of Atlantis
''Siren of Atlantis'', also known as ''Atlantis the Lost Continent'', is a 1949 American black-and-white fantasy-adventure film, distributed by United Artists, that stars Maria Montez and her husband Jean Pierre Aumont. It was the first feature sh ...
'' (1948)
* ''
M'' (1951)
* ''
Girl from Hong Kong
''Girl from Hong Kong'' (german: Bis zum Ende aller Tage) is a 1961 West German romance film directed by Franz Peter Wirth and starring Hanns Lothar, Helmut Griem and Akiko Wakabayashi.Schrader & Winkler p. 175
The film's sets were designed by th ...
'' (1961)
Further reading
* Erika Wottrich (Ed.), ''M wie Nebenzahl. Nero - Filmproduktion zwischen Europa und Hollywood'', Munich, edition text + kritik, 2002
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nebenzal, Seymour
1899 births
1961 deaths
German film producers
American people of Austrian-Jewish descent
Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States
Businesspeople from New York City
20th-century American businesspeople