Los Angeles’ iconic seaside diner Patrick’s Roadhouse at the edge of Pacific Palisades may have slung its last hash brown.
Amid a long-term lease negotiation, and after the financial battering of the pandemic, the half-century-old restaurant just off Pacific Coast Highway, known for its bright green exterior and kitsch décor, is attempting to raise $250,000 for back rent and building improvements as it holds discussions with potential new business partners about the possibility of a return.
While off the radar of industry cognoscenti in recent years, it had long been an unpretentious lure for A-listers like Johnny Carson, Sean Penn and Lucille Ball as well as execs including Jeffrey Katzenberg and onetime Paramount Pictures president Ned Tanen. Its most important Hollywood connection, though, may be its namesake: the seasoned character actor Patrick Fischler, son of the original owner Bill Fischler, who has since died.
Patrick Fischler
Fischler, best known for portraying...
Amid a long-term lease negotiation, and after the financial battering of the pandemic, the half-century-old restaurant just off Pacific Coast Highway, known for its bright green exterior and kitsch décor, is attempting to raise $250,000 for back rent and building improvements as it holds discussions with potential new business partners about the possibility of a return.
While off the radar of industry cognoscenti in recent years, it had long been an unpretentious lure for A-listers like Johnny Carson, Sean Penn and Lucille Ball as well as execs including Jeffrey Katzenberg and onetime Paramount Pictures president Ned Tanen. Its most important Hollywood connection, though, may be its namesake: the seasoned character actor Patrick Fischler, son of the original owner Bill Fischler, who has since died.
Patrick Fischler
Fischler, best known for portraying...
- 4/25/2024
- by Gary Baum
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Mark Hamill, Gary Kurtz, and Billy D. Williams in 1980.Photo: Fairfax Media Archives (Getty Images)
Imagine Star Wars without merch. Or Ewoks. Or another Death Star, just two movies after the first. Imagine if Leia and Luke weren’t related, and might have become lovers. Imagine Han Solo dying in...
Imagine Star Wars without merch. Or Ewoks. Or another Death Star, just two movies after the first. Imagine if Leia and Luke weren’t related, and might have become lovers. Imagine Han Solo dying in...
- 5/4/2023
- by Ray Greene
- avclub.com
Rita Lakin, the boundary-pushing TV writer and showrunner who worked on Peyton Place, The Doctors and Mod Squad and created series including The Rookies and Flamingo Road, has died. She was 93.
Lakin died March 23 of natural causes at an assisted living facility in Novato, California, her son, writer-producer Howard Lakin, told The Hollywood Reporter. “Before her, they hadn’t thought about writing television from a woman’s point of view,” he noted.
Lakin also penned a groundbreaking 1975 episode of CBS’ Medical Center centered on a transgender character; served as a showrunner/executive producer on the 1976-77 CBS drama Executive Suite; and wrote such popular telefilms as 1971’s Death Takes a Holiday and 1973’s Message to My Daughter and A Summer Without Boys.
After she met some people from Texas whom she didn’t like, she rejected an offer in 1978 to create the pilot for a show about an oil family in the Lone Star State.
Lakin died March 23 of natural causes at an assisted living facility in Novato, California, her son, writer-producer Howard Lakin, told The Hollywood Reporter. “Before her, they hadn’t thought about writing television from a woman’s point of view,” he noted.
Lakin also penned a groundbreaking 1975 episode of CBS’ Medical Center centered on a transgender character; served as a showrunner/executive producer on the 1976-77 CBS drama Executive Suite; and wrote such popular telefilms as 1971’s Death Takes a Holiday and 1973’s Message to My Daughter and A Summer Without Boys.
After she met some people from Texas whom she didn’t like, she rejected an offer in 1978 to create the pilot for a show about an oil family in the Lone Star State.
- 4/21/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It’s no exaggeration to say that filmmaking legend Brian De Palma has had an eclectic and often spectacular career, spanning over fifty years that have brought audiences many unforgettable and classic movies. 1976’s Carrie remains an often referenced (we’re looking at you Wednesday!) horror masterpiece, crime drama Scarface is all time gangster gold, while his first entry in the Mission: Impossible franchise is still perhaps one of the strongest instalments for a then young and even more sprightly Tom Cruise. However, it’s De Palma’s 1987 The Untouchables, an adaptation of the 1950’s TV serial that focuses on the attempts to bring down crime lord Al Capone, that really shows his versatility as a director. The award winning film features several iconic scenes that are now etched in the minds of movie fans around the globe; from the Union Station shoot-out with full-on baby-in-great-peril slow-mo action shot, to...
- 4/2/2023
- by Adam Walton
- JoBlo.com
Long before the success of "National Lampoon's Animal House" launched careers and a renewed interest in Greek fraternities, it had to get sold as a story. After multiple directors passed on it, John Landis would eventually come on board, telling Indiewire that he "was hired to develop it, basically to supervise the rewrite." The screenplay was a collaborative effort, the work of "The National Lampoon Show" star and writer Harold Ramis, "National Lampoon Magazine" co-founder Douglas Kenney, and Chris Miller, whose "The Night of the Seven Fires" story served as a springboard for what would become the sordid saga of Faber College's Delta Tau Chi house. Early drafts were going long on absurd concepts; one seedling of a story focused on cult leader Charles Manson as he navigated high school.
In Matty Simmons' book "Fat, Drunk, and Stupid," the producer looks back on the writing process for "Animal House," which...
In Matty Simmons' book "Fat, Drunk, and Stupid," the producer looks back on the writing process for "Animal House," which...
- 1/26/2023
- by Anya Stanley
- Slash Film
Part of what makes "The Hunt for Red October" so great is that its focus forgoes the traditional "good guys vs. bad guys" plot for something that's a lot more complex. The film tells the story of Captain Marko Ramius (Sean Connery), the commanding officer of the Red October, a Soviet submarine with the ability to move through the water virtually undetected thanks to the use of a special kind of technology called "the caterpillar." At the start of the film, Ramius' motivations are unclear. At first, it seems that he is planning to utilize the caterpillar to launch a surprise attack on the United States. However, thanks to the smarts of CIA analyst, Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin), it becomes clear that Ramius is not trying to harm the United States at all, but rather he, along with a handful of other crew members on the submarine, are trying to defect.
- 11/15/2022
- by Miyako Pleines
- Slash Film
Moviegoers had never seen anything quite like “Top Gun” when it jetted across screens in the summer of 1986.
The propulsive story of a hot shot group of pilots had dazzling aerial sequences that gave audiences a cockpit view of the action, as well as a star on the rise in Tom Cruise, fresh off his role in “Risky Business.” “Top Gun” would go on to make a then-massive $356.8 million, becoming the highest-grossing film of the year and propelling Cruise onto the A-list, where he has remained for decades. He reprises his role in this fall’s long-awaited follow-up, “Top Gun: Maverick.”
To mark the film’s 35th anniversary this week, Paramount is re-releasing “Top Gun” in theaters. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer spoke with Variety about the hurdles of bringing “Top Gun” to the big screen and why Cruise was the only actor he considered to play Maverick.
“Top Gun” is still...
The propulsive story of a hot shot group of pilots had dazzling aerial sequences that gave audiences a cockpit view of the action, as well as a star on the rise in Tom Cruise, fresh off his role in “Risky Business.” “Top Gun” would go on to make a then-massive $356.8 million, becoming the highest-grossing film of the year and propelling Cruise onto the A-list, where he has remained for decades. He reprises his role in this fall’s long-awaited follow-up, “Top Gun: Maverick.”
To mark the film’s 35th anniversary this week, Paramount is re-releasing “Top Gun” in theaters. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer spoke with Variety about the hurdles of bringing “Top Gun” to the big screen and why Cruise was the only actor he considered to play Maverick.
“Top Gun” is still...
- 5/16/2021
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Writer-director John Hughes had just begun to make a name for himself with three films he made for Universal when Ned Tanen lured him over to Paramount with an overall deal designed to turn the filmmaker into a mogul. In less than three years, Hughes wrote, produced, and/or directed five movies for the studio, all of which have now been reissued on Paramount’s “John Hughes 5-Movie Collection” Blu-ray with a generous supply of extra […]
The post "Am I Going to Have to Reshoot Half of This Movie?" Howard Deutch on Some Kind of Wonderful first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post "Am I Going to Have to Reshoot Half of This Movie?" Howard Deutch on Some Kind of Wonderful first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/18/2021
- by Jim Hemphill
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Writer-director John Hughes had just begun to make a name for himself with three films he made for Universal when Ned Tanen lured him over to Paramount with an overall deal designed to turn the filmmaker into a mogul. In less than three years, Hughes wrote, produced, and/or directed five movies for the studio, all of which have now been reissued on Paramount’s “John Hughes 5-Movie Collection” Blu-ray with a generous supply of extra […]
The post "Am I Going to Have to Reshoot Half of This Movie?" Howard Deutch on Some Kind of Wonderful first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post "Am I Going to Have to Reshoot Half of This Movie?" Howard Deutch on Some Kind of Wonderful first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/18/2021
- by Jim Hemphill
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
When Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda’s Easy Rider grossed somewhere around 120 times its cost in 1969, the Hollywood studios took notice and began scrambling to find their own Easy Riders, and their own Hoppers and Fondas. Universal executive Ned Tanen’s approach was to start a division that would give young filmmakers creative control provided they stuck to a one-million-dollar budget; the idea was that at that price Universal couldn’t really lose much, but if just one of the movies broke big it would pay for the rest and then some. The experiment yielded several very interesting films, including Fonda’s […]
The post Silent Running, Year of the Dragon and Rolling Thunder Revue: Jim Hemphill's Home Video Recommendations first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Silent Running, Year of the Dragon and Rolling Thunder Revue: Jim Hemphill's Home Video Recommendations first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/15/2021
- by Jim Hemphill
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
When Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda’s Easy Rider grossed somewhere around 120 times its cost in 1969, the Hollywood studios took notice and began scrambling to find their own Easy Riders, and their own Hoppers and Fondas. Universal executive Ned Tanen’s approach was to start a division that would give young filmmakers creative control provided they stuck to a one-million-dollar budget; the idea was that at that price Universal couldn’t really lose much, but if just one of the movies broke big it would pay for the rest and then some. The experiment yielded several very interesting films, including Fonda’s […]
The post Silent Running, Year of the Dragon and Rolling Thunder Revue: Jim Hemphill's Home Video Recommendations first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Silent Running, Year of the Dragon and Rolling Thunder Revue: Jim Hemphill's Home Video Recommendations first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/15/2021
- by Jim Hemphill
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Much will be said about the memory and accomplishments of Tom Pollock, who passed away at age 77. He presided over Universal Pictures in a strong period in the ’80s and early ’90s when the studio released 200 pictures that globally grossed $10 billion and released Steven Spielberg’s then all time box office champ Jurassic Park and Best Picture Oscar winner Schindler’s List back to back. He and Ivan Reitman built a successful company in The Montecito Picture Company. But Pollock’s singular accomplishment is being the lawyer who made the greatest deal ever for a filmmaker, his first client George Lucas when Pollock started the firm Pollock, Rigrod, and Bloom, which later became Pollock, Bloom and Dekom, and then Bloom Hergott. Back when Star Wars was being relaunched by LucasFilm and JJ Abrams, Deadline got Pollock to explain how it all happened. Here is the interview from 2015:
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Behind many a...
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Behind many a...
- 8/3/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
From too many years in and around the movie business, I’ve consciously kept exactly one souvenir. It’s a smallish chip of concrete, about 3” x 4”, with some daubs of red and blue paint.
Ray Stark gave it to me not quite thirty years ago. He was just back from the Berlin Film Festival, which in February of 1990 had opened with Steel Magnolias, directed by Herbert Ross and produced by Stark.
The Berlin Wall had just come down. Stark said one of the Magnolias stars – Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Daryl Hannah and Olympia Dukakis attended, so it could have been any of them – had nicked this chunk off the tumbling wall in a fit of All-American, freedom-loving exuberance.
How could you throw away something like that? History. The movies. Stars. Ray Stark. All mixed up in one little piece of cement.
There might be other mementos around the house. An...
Ray Stark gave it to me not quite thirty years ago. He was just back from the Berlin Film Festival, which in February of 1990 had opened with Steel Magnolias, directed by Herbert Ross and produced by Stark.
The Berlin Wall had just come down. Stark said one of the Magnolias stars – Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Daryl Hannah and Olympia Dukakis attended, so it could have been any of them – had nicked this chunk off the tumbling wall in a fit of All-American, freedom-loving exuberance.
How could you throw away something like that? History. The movies. Stars. Ray Stark. All mixed up in one little piece of cement.
There might be other mementos around the house. An...
- 8/23/2019
- by Michael Cieply
- Deadline Film + TV
This year, the Library of Congress selected “American Graffiti” to be preserved in the National Recording Registry. But would the George Lucas film classic have met the same fate if it had been called “Burger City”?
Lucas had previously wanted to call the movie “Another Quiet Night in Modesto” before changing his mind and offering up “American Graffiti.” The Universal Pictures execs didn’t quite know what that title meant and requested he consider some alternatives. They furnished him with a list of 60 other titles, which he acknowledges are “dreadful.”
In the new Taschen book “The Star Wars Archives,” a photocopy of a page on Lucasfilm stationery includes the full list of 60 possible titles with the following introduction:
“Herewith the suggestions from Universal for possible title for ‘American Graffiti.’ Just file ‘em away somewhere to discuss upon completion of the film. I believe I have convinced [film executive] Ned Tanen to make...
Lucas had previously wanted to call the movie “Another Quiet Night in Modesto” before changing his mind and offering up “American Graffiti.” The Universal Pictures execs didn’t quite know what that title meant and requested he consider some alternatives. They furnished him with a list of 60 other titles, which he acknowledges are “dreadful.”
In the new Taschen book “The Star Wars Archives,” a photocopy of a page on Lucasfilm stationery includes the full list of 60 possible titles with the following introduction:
“Herewith the suggestions from Universal for possible title for ‘American Graffiti.’ Just file ‘em away somewhere to discuss upon completion of the film. I believe I have convinced [film executive] Ned Tanen to make...
- 12/29/2018
- by Hanh Nguyen
- Indiewire
Dennis Hopper’s legendary follow-up to Easy Rider ended his Hollywood directing career for at least fifteen years. Barely seen again after brief premiere bookings, it hasn’t built up a reputation as a suppressed masterpiece. So what is it exactly? A new spotless restoration gives a dazzling rebirth to Hopper’s Perú- filmed deconstruction of Hollywood. The astonishing number of notables in the cast list may in itself demand a viewing.
The Last Movie
Blu-ray
Arbelos
1971 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 108 min. / Street Date November 13, 2018 / 39.99
Starring: Dennis Hopper, Stella García, Tomas Milian, Don Gordon, Julie Adams, Donna Baccala, Sylvia Miles, Rod Cameron, Severn Darden, Sam Fuller, Peter Fonda, Henry Jaglom, Michelle Phillips, Kris Kristofferson, Dean Stockwell, Russ Tamblyn, Clint Kimbrough, John Phillip Law, James Mitchum, Richard Rust, Toni Basil, Michael Anderson Jr.
Cinematography: László Kovács
Production design: Leon Ericksen
Film Editors: David Berlatsky, Antranig Mahakian, Dennis Hopper, [Alejandro Jodorowsky]
Original Music: Severn Darden,...
The Last Movie
Blu-ray
Arbelos
1971 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 108 min. / Street Date November 13, 2018 / 39.99
Starring: Dennis Hopper, Stella García, Tomas Milian, Don Gordon, Julie Adams, Donna Baccala, Sylvia Miles, Rod Cameron, Severn Darden, Sam Fuller, Peter Fonda, Henry Jaglom, Michelle Phillips, Kris Kristofferson, Dean Stockwell, Russ Tamblyn, Clint Kimbrough, John Phillip Law, James Mitchum, Richard Rust, Toni Basil, Michael Anderson Jr.
Cinematography: László Kovács
Production design: Leon Ericksen
Film Editors: David Berlatsky, Antranig Mahakian, Dennis Hopper, [Alejandro Jodorowsky]
Original Music: Severn Darden,...
- 11/10/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
No matter what they do to Los Angeles, and lately they’ve done quite a lot with all the traffic, hyper-development, and electric scooters, they can’t get rid of the movie ghosts. The accumulated haunt of a century-old industry, those pop up in nooks and crannies, sometimes where you least expect them. There are a couple next door to Katy Perry’s coveted convent-house in Los Feliz, for instance. That’s where the Manson family killed the Labiancas a night after murdering Sharon Tate and friends, setting off Hollywood’s Helter Skelter panic. The address on the curb has been changed. But the ghosts are still there.
A mostly gentler sort stalk one of my favorite memory pockets, Santa Monica Canyon. Geographically, that’s a leafy trough that runs between the Pacific Palisades district of Los Angeles and the City of Santa Monica. It has identity issues. The postal addresses,...
A mostly gentler sort stalk one of my favorite memory pockets, Santa Monica Canyon. Geographically, that’s a leafy trough that runs between the Pacific Palisades district of Los Angeles and the City of Santa Monica. It has identity issues. The postal addresses,...
- 9/16/2018
- by Michael Cieply
- Deadline Film + TV
John Hughes' iconic Ferris Bueller's Day Off turns 30 Saturday. The film, which has become a beloved totem of teenage rebellion and a wonderful 1980s time capsule, is also an ode to Chicago - a teenage Hughes moved around the city's suburbs with his family. To celebrate, here are 21 things you (probably) never knew about the film. 1. Ferris' parents got married in real lifeLyman Ward, who played Ferris' father, was married to his onscreen wife Cindy Pickett, from 1986 to 1992. They met on the set of the film and eventually had two children. 2. Hughes pitched the film with one sentence… "I called Ned Tanen [then-head of Paramount films] and said,...
- 6/11/2016
- by Alex Heigl, @alex_heigl
- PEOPLE.com
John Hughes' iconic Ferris Bueller's Day Off turns 30 Saturday. The film, which has become a beloved totem of teenage rebellion and a wonderful 1980s time capsule, is also an ode to Chicago - a teenage Hughes moved around the city's suburbs with his family. To celebrate, here are 21 things you (probably) never knew about the film. 1. Ferris' parents got married in real lifeLyman Ward, who played Ferris' father, was married to his onscreen wife Cindy Pickett, from 1986 to 1992. They met on the set of the film and eventually had two children. 2. Hughes pitched the film with one sentence… "I called Ned Tanen [then-head of Paramount films] and said,...
- 6/11/2016
- by Alex Heigl, @alex_heigl
- PEOPLE.com
Since its release 30 years ago, "Back to the Future" has been everyone's favorite time-travel movie. It's remained a must-see long enough for Marty McFly's own kids to enjoy it.
Even so, there's much you may not know about the beloved sci-fi comedy, from the unused ideas that popped up in other films, to why there has yet to (thankfully) be a reboot. To celebrate Back to the Future Day (October 21), here are 30 things you need to know about Marty McFly's first trip through time.
"Back to the Future 30th Anniversary Trilogy" is available to own now on Blu-ray & DVD.
1. Director Robert Zemeckis and co-screenwriter Bob Gale (pictured above) tried for years to create a time-travel story. The key came in 1980, when Gale was looking over his father's high school yearbook and wondered whether he and his father would have been friends if they'd both been teenagers at the same time.
Even so, there's much you may not know about the beloved sci-fi comedy, from the unused ideas that popped up in other films, to why there has yet to (thankfully) be a reboot. To celebrate Back to the Future Day (October 21), here are 30 things you need to know about Marty McFly's first trip through time.
"Back to the Future 30th Anniversary Trilogy" is available to own now on Blu-ray & DVD.
1. Director Robert Zemeckis and co-screenwriter Bob Gale (pictured above) tried for years to create a time-travel story. The key came in 1980, when Gale was looking over his father's high school yearbook and wondered whether he and his father would have been friends if they'd both been teenagers at the same time.
- 10/21/2015
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
Since its release 30 years ago this week (on July 3, 1985), "Back to the Future" has been everyone's favorite time-travel movie. It's remained a must-see long enough for Marty McFly's own kids to enjoy it.
Even so, there's much you may not know about the beloved sci-fi comedy, from the unused ideas that popped up in other films, to why there has yet to (thankfully) be a reboot. To celebrate the film's 30th anniversary, we're firing up the flux capacitor and traveling back 30 years to learn the secrets of "Back to the Future."
1. Director Robert Zemeckis and co-screenwriter Bob Gale (pictured above) tried for years to create a time-travel story. The key came in 1980, when Gale was looking over his father's high school yearbook and wondered whether he and his father would have been friends if they'd both been teenagers at the same time.
2. Zemeckis and Gale took their idea to Steven Spielberg,...
Even so, there's much you may not know about the beloved sci-fi comedy, from the unused ideas that popped up in other films, to why there has yet to (thankfully) be a reboot. To celebrate the film's 30th anniversary, we're firing up the flux capacitor and traveling back 30 years to learn the secrets of "Back to the Future."
1. Director Robert Zemeckis and co-screenwriter Bob Gale (pictured above) tried for years to create a time-travel story. The key came in 1980, when Gale was looking over his father's high school yearbook and wondered whether he and his father would have been friends if they'd both been teenagers at the same time.
2. Zemeckis and Gale took their idea to Steven Spielberg,...
- 7/3/2015
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
Listening to Hollywood producer Michael Gruskoff talk about his experiences with some of the most legendary directors is an awe-inspiring learning experience. In a business so reluctant to taking chances that might represent financial loss, Gruskoff has placed it all on the line in order to support original voices and talent outside the norm. Although he admits that some of his projects were more successful than others, he remains certain that he always went with his gut in pursuit of talent. In that regard, he has undoubtedly overachieved.
The list of people he has worked with includes acclaimed German filmmaker Werner Herzog , Jean-Jacques Annaud , Mel Brooks , and Stanley Donen. Gruskoff has always had an international taste and is unafraid of searching for stories abroad. Not surprisingly, he is a member of the Academy’s Foreign Language Film branch, to which he returned, invited by Mark Johnson, the head of the Foreign Language Committee, after serving there in the past. Once again he brings his expertise and eclectic global influences to support the Academy in its efforts to highlight World Cinema as a crucial element of the film industry.
Winner of a Cesar Award for the film Quest for Fire , and an outspoken defendant of the filmmaking craft over the cult of celebrity, Mr. Gruskoff is a humble creative person. Still fully in love with cinema despite the ups and downs the industry throws at anyone who attempts to make a living out of its unstable magic, it is incredible to see that passion for a great story is still Michael Gruskoff’s prime motivation. This writer had the privilege to talk to Mr. Gruskoff’s a couple weeks ago in Beverly Hills. Here is what he shared with us.
Carlos Aguilar: Could you tell us how you got started in the film industry?
Michael Gruskoff: I started in the N.Y. mailroom of the William Morris Agency and ended my agency career at Creative Management Associates. While at Cma I was representing Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda during Easy Rider, as well as Robert Redford, Natalie Wood ,Faye Dunaway, amongst others. I started getting the producing "bug" while representing Albert Ruddy and Irwin Winkler, having been instrumental in the packaging of some of their films. It was an exciting time in the industry, with the success of Easy Rider, Midnight Cowboy, and The Graduate, the studios were open to taking chances with new talent and ideas. Ned Tanen at Universal set up an independent division and asked me to run it but I opted to make an overall three picture production deal. I went into business with Douglas Trumbull, Michael Cimino, Sam Shepard and Steven Bochco and independently developed low budget scripts off the studio lot. It kicked off with Dennie Hopper's The Last Movie and Silent Running, a science fiction film dealing with environmental issues. I also developed a script called Conquering Horse with Cimino, which we were going to do in the Sioux language, a predecessor to Dances With Wolves, but it was tabled because of budget issues.
Aguilar: How did your interest in foreign cinema developed?
Gruskoff: Seeing Luis Buñuel , Ingmar Bergman , Vittorio De Sica, and Akira Kurosawa's films got me interested in foreign cinema. Another filmmaker that impressed me was Gillo Pontecorvo the director of The Battle of Algiers, which is one of the great anti-war movies. I was an agent at the time, and asked him if I could represent him. He said "Michael, I don't make that many movies, and you are not going to make any money with me because I'm not interested in working in the Hollywood system" I said, "It’s Ok, you can come to me if you're having trouble raising money for a project/" He said "That could work, but please do not send me any scripts." I was also Anouk Aimée's agent when she did A Man and a Woman with Claude Lelouch. She was responsible for me meeting many people in French and Italian cinema. She's a great lady.
Aguilar : What were your thoughts on the batch of films submitted this past year for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film? Were there any you consider highlights?
Gruskoff : You always look for a diamond that might be there. You have to see films from some 70 countries and many do not work, but being part of the industry I feel it's my way of supporting the Academy. You have to see four films a week, and with the addition of seeing new films. the internet, plus cable, and family etc. It's an overload of information. I did see a jewel of a film from Iceland called Of Horses and Men directed by Benedikt Erlingsson. We have been in touch and are in the process of discussing a project he is writing. He's a bold new voice.
Aguilar: How do you think this category benefits the industry and foreign filmmakers?
Gruskoff: Foreign filmmakers want us to see their films. They have stories they want to tell and we have the ability to make their dreams come through. It benefits us to see what's being made around the world because we are all part of the film community.
It's interesting talking to Bernardo Bertolucci about Italian realism and how those great Italian films and directors came together in the late 40s, 50s and 60s with Rossellini and Fellini , Visconti, etc. After Mussolini and the end of Ww 2 there was such exuberance that filmmakers ran into streets and started making movies. It was a great period in Italian Cinema.
Aguilar: Do you believe this nostalgia for those filmmakers influenced voters to choose The Great Beauty as the winner?
Gruskoff: Sorrentino is s very talented director and he carries the torch of Fellini. I liked The Great Beauty and I also loved his Il Divo
Aguilar: When watching these or any other film, as a producer do you look for something different in them from what a director or an actor might?
Gruskoff: I'm just hoping that when the lights go down I'll see a good film. I want to be entertained and have it not be a waste my time. When I saw 12 Years a Slave it blew me away. Steve McQueen is a great filmmaker because he puts all his passion on the screen and he doesn't cop out. It was real. I like movies that don't pander to the audience.
Aguilar: Would you say all of the 76 films submitted were on a level playing field, despite some of them being obscure titles and not having a festival run?
Gruskoff : I saw a real voice in Benedikt Erlingsson, Sebastian Lelio with Gloria , The Hunt , Omar , The Past , The Missing Picture , or The Broken Circle Breakdown.The directors have something to say and they know how to say it. An interesting thing is when you are seeing that many movies in an environment where the people like films, you really start getting into it. Like being at a Festival.
Aguilar: Now that you mention the Academy wants to promote foreign films, how do you perceive the role of world cinema in Hollywood today? Is it more influential?
Gruskoff: Definitely. 2/3 of the box-office comes from foreign markets. More films will be made with Asian and European talent to bolster their international box-office. Moviegoers in those countries like to see a character they can relate to as long as it's realistically part of the story.
Aguilar: On that note, can you talk about the international filmmakers you've work with throughout your career?
Gruskoff: I met Paul Verhoeven after seeing Soldier Of Orange, one of his earlier films. We developed a screenplay called Harry’s Tale. Unfortunately, it was ahead of its time and the budget was too high.
After seeing The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser by Werner Herzog , I called him. He mentioned Nosferatu the Vampyre , and said he wanted to remake it and it would be a film that "the likes of which the world has never seen before", and I told him "Please be my guest" [Laughs]. I got the financing from Fox and we made it for $900,000 starring Isabelle Adjani , Klaus Kinski and Bruno Ganz. . Werner is a tremendously innovative film director.
I briefly worked with Russian director, Andrey Konchalovskiy , we developed a story that never got to be a screenplay.
Following that, Jean-Jacques Annaud gave me the English translation of a book called “La guerre de feu”, which is Quest for Fire . The film became an international hit and it earned us 5 Cesar Awards including Best Picture. It was a great moment when Orson Welles handed me the award.
Aguilar: One of the great American directors you worked with was Mel Brooks, how did that relationship begin?
Gruskoff: I had briefly met Mel Brooks when I was working in the mail room at William Morris Agency in New York. At the time I was 22 and he was 32, and he had already achieved success in television.
Mike Medavoy worked as an agent at Cma during the early 70s and wanted me to come back and work with him. I wanted to continue producing, and he gave me the treatment for a movie called Young Frankenstein.written by Gene Wilder. I said I wanted to produce it , but Gene said that it was up to Mel Brooks to decide. Having met Mel Brooks earlier and since he actually remembered and liked me, he said "Let's do it ...get the deal." At that point in Mel's career, he made two terrific films, The Twelve Chairs and The Producers, both films did not make money and he was just starting to reignite his career with pre-production on Blazing Saddles.
I set Young Frankensteinn up at Columbia but they passed because the budget was too high and Mel, rightfully so, wanted to make it in Black & White. They were insisting that it should be in color. I gave it to my friend Alan Ladd Jr. at Fox and he said yes with an even bigger budget than we had. Seven years later Mel and I did My Favorite Year based on an idea I had. The original script was written by Norman Steinberg and Mel helped develop and executive produce it.. Peter O'Toole was a dream to work with and I learned a lot about filmmaking working with him.
Aguilar: Going back to the Foreign Language Academy Award, back when the shortlist and eventually the nominees were announced, there was much talk about several films being snubbed, including Gloria and The Past. Why do you think these weren't included?
Gruskoff: Gloria probably didn’t get nominated because it wasn’t as serious as some of the other films. We will be hearing a lot from its director Sebastian Lelio. On the other hand, it's about preferential viewing, Farhadi makes very specific movies. He is a serious filmmaker, and he is a very good storyteller. He is another director that tells it how it is. His films are like reading a book with great characters, It was one of my favorite films but it was a tough movie for some people. He is what he is, take it or leave it. He just does his thing.
Aguilar: Are there any filmmakers you would like to work with in the future? Anyone who has caught your eye?
Gruskoff: Sure, David O. Russell would be great. [Laughs]. Other great directors whom I would love to work with are Steve McQueen, Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan , David Fincher, or Kathryn Bigelow ....who wouldn't!
Aguilar: Where do you think the industry is going, with all the awards campaigns and the more glamorous, less artistic, side of the business becoming so prominent?
Gruskoff: The industry has become more about celebrity. After seeing 12 Years a Slave at the Pacific Designer Center early on, I knew McQueen's work was just beginning. He was going to have to live between L.A. and N.Y.C. to attend press events and Q&As for the next six months....longer than it took to shoot the film. Fashion has also joined the fray to cross-promote films.
Just a few years ago when Sydney Pollack made a movie and the distribution people received the print, the filmmakers promotion schedule was not as arduous. Going to 2 or 3 major cities with the actors before the film opened. Now it has become so celebrity-driven with all the different outlets fighting for space, it has gotten out of hand. If you have Brad Pitt producing or Ben Affleck starring, you have an opportunity to promote your film on every talk show. It cuts your marketing costs, which are very expensive and getting even more expensive, even with the help of the internet.
Aguilar: What are your future plans? Looking back your career are there any regrets?
Gruskoff: As a producer you are always looking for a good story. I did Quest for Fire and my friends said “Don’t you have something better to do with your time? You will never get it made.” Miraculously it did get made. I’d like to do dark comedies in the vein of American Beauty or Fargo. It's about what turns you on, what gives you a rush, because it is such a difficult journey. You never know what's around the corner.
The list of people he has worked with includes acclaimed German filmmaker Werner Herzog , Jean-Jacques Annaud , Mel Brooks , and Stanley Donen. Gruskoff has always had an international taste and is unafraid of searching for stories abroad. Not surprisingly, he is a member of the Academy’s Foreign Language Film branch, to which he returned, invited by Mark Johnson, the head of the Foreign Language Committee, after serving there in the past. Once again he brings his expertise and eclectic global influences to support the Academy in its efforts to highlight World Cinema as a crucial element of the film industry.
Winner of a Cesar Award for the film Quest for Fire , and an outspoken defendant of the filmmaking craft over the cult of celebrity, Mr. Gruskoff is a humble creative person. Still fully in love with cinema despite the ups and downs the industry throws at anyone who attempts to make a living out of its unstable magic, it is incredible to see that passion for a great story is still Michael Gruskoff’s prime motivation. This writer had the privilege to talk to Mr. Gruskoff’s a couple weeks ago in Beverly Hills. Here is what he shared with us.
Carlos Aguilar: Could you tell us how you got started in the film industry?
Michael Gruskoff: I started in the N.Y. mailroom of the William Morris Agency and ended my agency career at Creative Management Associates. While at Cma I was representing Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda during Easy Rider, as well as Robert Redford, Natalie Wood ,Faye Dunaway, amongst others. I started getting the producing "bug" while representing Albert Ruddy and Irwin Winkler, having been instrumental in the packaging of some of their films. It was an exciting time in the industry, with the success of Easy Rider, Midnight Cowboy, and The Graduate, the studios were open to taking chances with new talent and ideas. Ned Tanen at Universal set up an independent division and asked me to run it but I opted to make an overall three picture production deal. I went into business with Douglas Trumbull, Michael Cimino, Sam Shepard and Steven Bochco and independently developed low budget scripts off the studio lot. It kicked off with Dennie Hopper's The Last Movie and Silent Running, a science fiction film dealing with environmental issues. I also developed a script called Conquering Horse with Cimino, which we were going to do in the Sioux language, a predecessor to Dances With Wolves, but it was tabled because of budget issues.
Aguilar: How did your interest in foreign cinema developed?
Gruskoff: Seeing Luis Buñuel , Ingmar Bergman , Vittorio De Sica, and Akira Kurosawa's films got me interested in foreign cinema. Another filmmaker that impressed me was Gillo Pontecorvo the director of The Battle of Algiers, which is one of the great anti-war movies. I was an agent at the time, and asked him if I could represent him. He said "Michael, I don't make that many movies, and you are not going to make any money with me because I'm not interested in working in the Hollywood system" I said, "It’s Ok, you can come to me if you're having trouble raising money for a project/" He said "That could work, but please do not send me any scripts." I was also Anouk Aimée's agent when she did A Man and a Woman with Claude Lelouch. She was responsible for me meeting many people in French and Italian cinema. She's a great lady.
Aguilar : What were your thoughts on the batch of films submitted this past year for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film? Were there any you consider highlights?
Gruskoff : You always look for a diamond that might be there. You have to see films from some 70 countries and many do not work, but being part of the industry I feel it's my way of supporting the Academy. You have to see four films a week, and with the addition of seeing new films. the internet, plus cable, and family etc. It's an overload of information. I did see a jewel of a film from Iceland called Of Horses and Men directed by Benedikt Erlingsson. We have been in touch and are in the process of discussing a project he is writing. He's a bold new voice.
Aguilar: How do you think this category benefits the industry and foreign filmmakers?
Gruskoff: Foreign filmmakers want us to see their films. They have stories they want to tell and we have the ability to make their dreams come through. It benefits us to see what's being made around the world because we are all part of the film community.
It's interesting talking to Bernardo Bertolucci about Italian realism and how those great Italian films and directors came together in the late 40s, 50s and 60s with Rossellini and Fellini , Visconti, etc. After Mussolini and the end of Ww 2 there was such exuberance that filmmakers ran into streets and started making movies. It was a great period in Italian Cinema.
Aguilar: Do you believe this nostalgia for those filmmakers influenced voters to choose The Great Beauty as the winner?
Gruskoff: Sorrentino is s very talented director and he carries the torch of Fellini. I liked The Great Beauty and I also loved his Il Divo
Aguilar: When watching these or any other film, as a producer do you look for something different in them from what a director or an actor might?
Gruskoff: I'm just hoping that when the lights go down I'll see a good film. I want to be entertained and have it not be a waste my time. When I saw 12 Years a Slave it blew me away. Steve McQueen is a great filmmaker because he puts all his passion on the screen and he doesn't cop out. It was real. I like movies that don't pander to the audience.
Aguilar: Would you say all of the 76 films submitted were on a level playing field, despite some of them being obscure titles and not having a festival run?
Gruskoff : I saw a real voice in Benedikt Erlingsson, Sebastian Lelio with Gloria , The Hunt , Omar , The Past , The Missing Picture , or The Broken Circle Breakdown.The directors have something to say and they know how to say it. An interesting thing is when you are seeing that many movies in an environment where the people like films, you really start getting into it. Like being at a Festival.
Aguilar: Now that you mention the Academy wants to promote foreign films, how do you perceive the role of world cinema in Hollywood today? Is it more influential?
Gruskoff: Definitely. 2/3 of the box-office comes from foreign markets. More films will be made with Asian and European talent to bolster their international box-office. Moviegoers in those countries like to see a character they can relate to as long as it's realistically part of the story.
Aguilar: On that note, can you talk about the international filmmakers you've work with throughout your career?
Gruskoff: I met Paul Verhoeven after seeing Soldier Of Orange, one of his earlier films. We developed a screenplay called Harry’s Tale. Unfortunately, it was ahead of its time and the budget was too high.
After seeing The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser by Werner Herzog , I called him. He mentioned Nosferatu the Vampyre , and said he wanted to remake it and it would be a film that "the likes of which the world has never seen before", and I told him "Please be my guest" [Laughs]. I got the financing from Fox and we made it for $900,000 starring Isabelle Adjani , Klaus Kinski and Bruno Ganz. . Werner is a tremendously innovative film director.
I briefly worked with Russian director, Andrey Konchalovskiy , we developed a story that never got to be a screenplay.
Following that, Jean-Jacques Annaud gave me the English translation of a book called “La guerre de feu”, which is Quest for Fire . The film became an international hit and it earned us 5 Cesar Awards including Best Picture. It was a great moment when Orson Welles handed me the award.
Aguilar: One of the great American directors you worked with was Mel Brooks, how did that relationship begin?
Gruskoff: I had briefly met Mel Brooks when I was working in the mail room at William Morris Agency in New York. At the time I was 22 and he was 32, and he had already achieved success in television.
Mike Medavoy worked as an agent at Cma during the early 70s and wanted me to come back and work with him. I wanted to continue producing, and he gave me the treatment for a movie called Young Frankenstein.written by Gene Wilder. I said I wanted to produce it , but Gene said that it was up to Mel Brooks to decide. Having met Mel Brooks earlier and since he actually remembered and liked me, he said "Let's do it ...get the deal." At that point in Mel's career, he made two terrific films, The Twelve Chairs and The Producers, both films did not make money and he was just starting to reignite his career with pre-production on Blazing Saddles.
I set Young Frankensteinn up at Columbia but they passed because the budget was too high and Mel, rightfully so, wanted to make it in Black & White. They were insisting that it should be in color. I gave it to my friend Alan Ladd Jr. at Fox and he said yes with an even bigger budget than we had. Seven years later Mel and I did My Favorite Year based on an idea I had. The original script was written by Norman Steinberg and Mel helped develop and executive produce it.. Peter O'Toole was a dream to work with and I learned a lot about filmmaking working with him.
Aguilar: Going back to the Foreign Language Academy Award, back when the shortlist and eventually the nominees were announced, there was much talk about several films being snubbed, including Gloria and The Past. Why do you think these weren't included?
Gruskoff: Gloria probably didn’t get nominated because it wasn’t as serious as some of the other films. We will be hearing a lot from its director Sebastian Lelio. On the other hand, it's about preferential viewing, Farhadi makes very specific movies. He is a serious filmmaker, and he is a very good storyteller. He is another director that tells it how it is. His films are like reading a book with great characters, It was one of my favorite films but it was a tough movie for some people. He is what he is, take it or leave it. He just does his thing.
Aguilar: Are there any filmmakers you would like to work with in the future? Anyone who has caught your eye?
Gruskoff: Sure, David O. Russell would be great. [Laughs]. Other great directors whom I would love to work with are Steve McQueen, Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan , David Fincher, or Kathryn Bigelow ....who wouldn't!
Aguilar: Where do you think the industry is going, with all the awards campaigns and the more glamorous, less artistic, side of the business becoming so prominent?
Gruskoff: The industry has become more about celebrity. After seeing 12 Years a Slave at the Pacific Designer Center early on, I knew McQueen's work was just beginning. He was going to have to live between L.A. and N.Y.C. to attend press events and Q&As for the next six months....longer than it took to shoot the film. Fashion has also joined the fray to cross-promote films.
Just a few years ago when Sydney Pollack made a movie and the distribution people received the print, the filmmakers promotion schedule was not as arduous. Going to 2 or 3 major cities with the actors before the film opened. Now it has become so celebrity-driven with all the different outlets fighting for space, it has gotten out of hand. If you have Brad Pitt producing or Ben Affleck starring, you have an opportunity to promote your film on every talk show. It cuts your marketing costs, which are very expensive and getting even more expensive, even with the help of the internet.
Aguilar: What are your future plans? Looking back your career are there any regrets?
Gruskoff: As a producer you are always looking for a good story. I did Quest for Fire and my friends said “Don’t you have something better to do with your time? You will never get it made.” Miraculously it did get made. I’d like to do dark comedies in the vein of American Beauty or Fargo. It's about what turns you on, what gives you a rush, because it is such a difficult journey. You never know what's around the corner.
- 6/2/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
“No one wants to make this movie.” That’s what studio chief Ned Tanen told John Landis in the mid-70s about this vulgar frat house comedy called Animal House. Thursday night, Landis was reminiscing at the movie’s 35th anniversary at Toronto’s Tiff Bell Lightbox with producers Ivan Reitman and Matty Simmons, plus co-stars Stephen Furst (Dorfman) and Martha Smith (Babs). Based on stories that ran in The National Lampoon magazine, Animal House pits a dysfunctional fraternity against an uptight university administration. Made for $2.7 million in 1978, Animal House was a box-office smash that made a star of John Belushi and …...
- 7/22/2013
- by Allan Tong
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
The wonderful sci-fi geek site i09.com recently linked out to an La Times interview with producer Gary Kurtz, and i09 believed it to be the first time that Kurtz had spoken in-depth, on the record, about the creation of Star Wars and the issues he had with George Lucas during the making of The Empire Strikes Back that led to a massive falling out between the two creative partners.
Well, not so.
I’d done a massive interview with Kurtz back in 2002, which goes into a lot more detail about the falling out, plus Kurtz’s other work on American Graffiti and with Jim Henson on The Dark Crystal.
Here is that interview…
-Ken Plume
Originally Published November 11, 2002
In many projects, there are “unsung heroes”… people whose contributions are extensive, but have been overshadowed by the passage of time (or the bluster of others).
One of those “unsung heroes” is producer Gary Kurtz,...
Well, not so.
I’d done a massive interview with Kurtz back in 2002, which goes into a lot more detail about the falling out, plus Kurtz’s other work on American Graffiti and with Jim Henson on The Dark Crystal.
Here is that interview…
-Ken Plume
Originally Published November 11, 2002
In many projects, there are “unsung heroes”… people whose contributions are extensive, but have been overshadowed by the passage of time (or the bluster of others).
One of those “unsung heroes” is producer Gary Kurtz,...
- 8/13/2010
- by UncaScroogeMcD
Dennis Hopper began as a nervous young man reduced to tears by Old Hollywood and became a wild star who transformed and sometimes terrorised his industry. A close colleague remembers a man of genius, humour and real warmth
In 1986 I was commissioned by the recently set up Channel 4 to direct two hour-long documentaries about the Hollywood-based production company Bbs. This was set up by legendary producer, Bert Schneider, director Bob Rafelson and accountant Steve Blauner. They blew a giant hole in the studio-based Hollywood system by making movies for under $1m.
Their best-known productions were The Last Picture Show, Five Easy Pieces and The King of Marvin Gardens. Dennis had come upon Bbs in the late 1960s via Peter Bogdanovich, who had made a terrific thriller, Targets, about a pathological gunman who killed, without motive, the drivers of cars on motorways.
This was financed by Roger Corman who wanted...
In 1986 I was commissioned by the recently set up Channel 4 to direct two hour-long documentaries about the Hollywood-based production company Bbs. This was set up by legendary producer, Bert Schneider, director Bob Rafelson and accountant Steve Blauner. They blew a giant hole in the studio-based Hollywood system by making movies for under $1m.
Their best-known productions were The Last Picture Show, Five Easy Pieces and The King of Marvin Gardens. Dennis had come upon Bbs in the late 1960s via Peter Bogdanovich, who had made a terrific thriller, Targets, about a pathological gunman who killed, without motive, the drivers of cars on motorways.
This was financed by Roger Corman who wanted...
- 5/30/2010
- The Guardian - Film News
Universal's premiere of the comedy "Couples Retreat," held Monday night at the Hammer Museum in Westwood, inevitably turned into a coronation of sorts. Earlier in the day, the studio, reacting to a prolonged boxoffice slump, ushered its chairmen Marc Shmuger and David Linde out the door -- even though they presided over record-grossing years in 2007 and 2008 -- and promoted executives Adam Fogelson and Donna Langley to chairman and co-chairman, respectively.
So, at the Polynesian-themed afterparty, the movie's filmmakers found themselves taking a back seat to the new studio heads.
Langley was barraged with air kisses, and Fogelson found himself at the head of a long receiving line of patiently waiting supplicants.
As he watched the evening play out, Jon Favreau, who stars opposite Vince Vaughn in "Couples," observed that talent -- in front of and behind the camera -- has long known their Hollywood careers are unpredictable. But amid the...
So, at the Polynesian-themed afterparty, the movie's filmmakers found themselves taking a back seat to the new studio heads.
Langley was barraged with air kisses, and Fogelson found himself at the head of a long receiving line of patiently waiting supplicants.
As he watched the evening play out, Jon Favreau, who stars opposite Vince Vaughn in "Couples," observed that talent -- in front of and behind the camera -- has long known their Hollywood careers are unpredictable. But amid the...
- 10/8/2009
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Make this blog item your home page for the rest of Oscar day. Tom O'Neil and Paul Sheehan are blogging live continuously all day. Keep hitting "refresh" for constant updates about what's happening at the Kodak Theatre.
9:06 p.m. — As with all of the past seven Oscars held at the Kodak Theater, the Governors Ball takes place in the adjoining Grand Ballroom which is 25,090 square feet. The menu for the Governors Ball was created by Wolfgang Puck for the fifteenth consecutive year. He promises the return of old favorites like tuna tartare in sesame miso cones and Maine lobster as well as, of course, caviar. And pastry chef Sherry Yard will once more be creating her gold-dusted chocolate Oscars as consolation prizes for those who didn’t get one of the real ones. Music will be spun by Kcrw radio host Jason Bentley who will alternate with The Impulse...
9:06 p.m. — As with all of the past seven Oscars held at the Kodak Theater, the Governors Ball takes place in the adjoining Grand Ballroom which is 25,090 square feet. The menu for the Governors Ball was created by Wolfgang Puck for the fifteenth consecutive year. He promises the return of old favorites like tuna tartare in sesame miso cones and Maine lobster as well as, of course, caviar. And pastry chef Sherry Yard will once more be creating her gold-dusted chocolate Oscars as consolation prizes for those who didn’t get one of the real ones. Music will be spun by Kcrw radio host Jason Bentley who will alternate with The Impulse...
- 2/22/2009
- by tomoneil
- Gold Derby
Former president of Universal Pictures Ned Tanen has died. He was 77.
The Hollywood producer passed away on Monday from natural causes at his home in Santa Monica, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Tanen took the helm of two of Hollywood's biggest studios and presided over a string of huge box office hits.
In his time at Universal, from 1976 to 1982, Tanen oversaw two record box office years for the studio, with the release of Oscar winners On Golden Pond and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.
He left Universal at the height of E.T.'s success, but quickly took on producing roles on a trio of Brat Pack films: The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles and St. Elmo's Fire.
He took on the head role at Paramount in 1984 and continued his stellar box office record, with hits including Top Gun and Ghost being produced by the studio under his watch.
After leaving the studio, he finished his career with producing credits on Guarding Tess, Cops and Robbersons and Mary Reilly.
Tanen started his career as a talent agent and worked with entertainers such as Neil Diamond, Elton John, Bill Cosby and Olivia Newton-John.
He moved into movies, and was propelled up the ladder after spotting the potential of huge successes Jaws and Animal House.
He is survived by his partner, Donna Dubrow, two daughters and three grandchildren.
The Hollywood producer passed away on Monday from natural causes at his home in Santa Monica, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Tanen took the helm of two of Hollywood's biggest studios and presided over a string of huge box office hits.
In his time at Universal, from 1976 to 1982, Tanen oversaw two record box office years for the studio, with the release of Oscar winners On Golden Pond and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.
He left Universal at the height of E.T.'s success, but quickly took on producing roles on a trio of Brat Pack films: The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles and St. Elmo's Fire.
He took on the head role at Paramount in 1984 and continued his stellar box office record, with hits including Top Gun and Ghost being produced by the studio under his watch.
After leaving the studio, he finished his career with producing credits on Guarding Tess, Cops and Robbersons and Mary Reilly.
Tanen started his career as a talent agent and worked with entertainers such as Neil Diamond, Elton John, Bill Cosby and Olivia Newton-John.
He moved into movies, and was propelled up the ladder after spotting the potential of huge successes Jaws and Animal House.
He is survived by his partner, Donna Dubrow, two daughters and three grandchildren.
- 1/6/2009
- WENN
Ned Tanen, the former president of Universal Pictures who championed such groundbreaking filmmakers as George Lucas, Robert Zemeckis and John Hughes, died Monday of natural causes at his home in Santa Monica. He was 77.
The exec, who began his career as an agent with McA, first moved into the music business, founding Universal City Records, before joining Uni's motion picture arm. Between subsequent stints as a producer, he also served as president of Paramount's Theatrical Motion Picture Group.
Tanen was president of Universal from 1976-82. He presided over two record boxoffice years: 1980 and 1982, which included "On Golden Pond," "Coal Miner's Daughter," "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" and "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial."
Born in Los Angeles on Sept. 20, 1931, Tanen graduated from UCLA in 1951 in international relations. He landed a mailroom job at McA and in 1954 was promoted to agent. During the 1960s, Tanen supervised three of McA's record labels. He created Uni Records,...
The exec, who began his career as an agent with McA, first moved into the music business, founding Universal City Records, before joining Uni's motion picture arm. Between subsequent stints as a producer, he also served as president of Paramount's Theatrical Motion Picture Group.
Tanen was president of Universal from 1976-82. He presided over two record boxoffice years: 1980 and 1982, which included "On Golden Pond," "Coal Miner's Daughter," "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" and "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial."
Born in Los Angeles on Sept. 20, 1931, Tanen graduated from UCLA in 1951 in international relations. He landed a mailroom job at McA and in 1954 was promoted to agent. During the 1960s, Tanen supervised three of McA's record labels. He created Uni Records,...
- 1/5/2009
- by By Duane Byrge
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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