Carl Laemmle Jr. (born Julius Laemmle; April 28, 1908 – September 24, 1979) was an American
film producer,
studio executive
A studio executive is an employee of a film studio or a corporation doing business in the entertainment industry.
A studio executive may be a chief executive officer (CEO), a chief financial officer (CFO), or a chief operating officer (COO), or be ...
and heir of
Carl Laemmle
Carl Laemmle (; born Karl Lämmle ; January 17, 1867 – September 24, 1939) was a German-American film producer and the co-founder and, until 1934, owner of Universal Pictures. He produced or worked on over 400 films.
Regarded as one of the ...
, who had founded
Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to:
* Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate
** Universal Pictures, an American film studio
** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex
* Various theme parks operat ...
.
He was head of production at the studio from 1928 to 1936.
Early life
Laemmle was born on April 28, 1908, in Chicago, the son of
Carl Laemmle
Carl Laemmle (; born Karl Lämmle ; January 17, 1867 – September 24, 1939) was a German-American film producer and the co-founder and, until 1934, owner of Universal Pictures. He produced or worked on over 400 films.
Regarded as one of the ...
, the founder of
Universal Pictures
Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
, and Recha Stern Laemmle, who died in 1919 when he was eleven years old.
Carl Jr. had a sister Rosabelle, and a cousin
Carla, an actress and dancer. His mother was buried in Salem Fields Cemetery,
Glendale, New York
Glendale is a neighborhood in the west-central portion of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded by Forest Hills to the east, Ridgewood to the west, Woodhaven to the south, and Middle Village to the north.
Glendale was built on ...
. His family was
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
, and during the 1930s Carl Laemmle Sr. assisted Jewish people in leaving Germany.
The Laemmle family shared a large New York City apartment located at 465
West End Avenue before moving to
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
.
Career

During his tenure as head of production, beginning in 1928 in the early years of
talkie movies, the studio had great success with films such as ''
All Quiet on the Western Front'' (1930), ''
Dracula
''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...
'' (1931), ''
Waterloo Bridge
Waterloo Bridge () is a road and foot traffic bridge crossing the River Thames in London, between Blackfriars Bridge and Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges. Its name commemorates the victory of the British, Dutch and Prussians at the ...
'' (1931), ''
Frankenstein
''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 Gothic novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a Sapience, sapient Frankenstein's monster, crea ...
'' (1931), ''
East of Borneo'' (1931), ''
A House Divided'' (1931), ''
The Mummy'' (1932), ''
The Old Dark House'' (1932), ''
The Invisible Man
''The Invisible Man'' is an 1897 science fiction novel by British writer H. G. Wells. Originally serialised in '' Pearson's Weekly'' in 1897, it was published as a novel the same year. The Invisible Man to whom the title refers is Griffin, a s ...
'' (1933), ''
Imitation of Life'' (1934), and ''
Bride of Frankenstein
''Bride of Frankenstein'' is a 1935 American Gothic science fiction horror film, and the first sequel to Universal Pictures' 1931 film ''Frankenstein''. As with the first film, ''Bride of Frankenstein'' was directed by James Whale starring ...
'' (1935).
Laemmle (often referred to as "Junior") developed a reputation during this period for spending too much money on films that did not earn back their cost. By the end of 1935, Universal Studio had spent so much money, and had so many flops, that
J. Cheever Cowdin offered to buy the Laemmles out. The notable success, both financially and critically, of the 1936 film ''
Show Boat
''Show Boat'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 Show Boat (novel), novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the per ...
'', was not enough to stem the downslide, and father and son were both forced out of the company. Neither worked on another film again, although Laemmle Jr. lived for 43 more years.
Charles R. Rogers became the new head of production at the studio.
Personal life
Laemmle resided at 1641 Tower Grove Drive in
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...
. He died from a
stroke
Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...
at the age of 71 on September 24, 1979, 40 years to the day of his father's death. He was buried in the Chapel Mausoleum at
Home of Peace Cemetery.
Filmography
References
External links
Official Laemmle Family YouTube ChannelOfficial Laemmle family website*
*
Carl Laemmle Jr. Virtual History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laemmle, Carl Jr.
1908 births
1979 deaths
20th-century American Jews
Film people from Beverly Hills, California
American people of German-Jewish descent
20th-century American businesspeople
Burials at Home of Peace Cemetery
Film producers from Illinois
Film people from Chicago
Jewish American film people