Marcus Loew | |
|---|---|
 Loewc. 1924 | |
| Born | (1870-05-07)May 7, 1870 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | September 5, 1927(1927-09-05) (aged 57) Glen Cove, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Film exhibitor |
| Known for | Founder ofLoews Inc. andMGM |
| Title | President |
| Successor | Nicholas Schenck |
| Spouse | Carrie Loew |
| Children | 2, includingDavid |
| Family | Arthur Loew Jr. (grandson) Adolph Zukor (son’s father-in-law) |
Marcus Loew (/loʊ/LOH;[1] May 7, 1870 – September 5, 1927)[2] was an Americanbusiness magnate and a pioneer of themotion picture industry who formedLoew's Theatres and theMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio (MGM).
Loew was born inNew York City on May 7, 1870, into a poorJewish[3] family, who had emigrated to New York City a few years previously fromAustria andGermany.[4] He was forced by circumstances to work at a very young age and had little formal education. Beginning with a small amount of money saved from menial jobs, he invested in thepenny arcade business. Shortly after, in partnership withAdolph Zukor and others, he founded the successful but short-livedAutomatic Vaudeville Company which established a chain of arcades across several cities. After the company dissolved in 1904 Loew converted his share of the business intonickelodeons and over time he turned Loew's Theatres into a leading chain of vaudeville andmovie theaters in the United States.
By 1905, Marcus Loew was on his own and his success eventually meant that he needed a steady flow of films for his theaters. In 1904, he founded the People's Vaudeville Company, a theater chain showcasing one-reel films and live variety shows. In 1910, the company had considerably expanded and was renamed Loew's Consolidated Enterprises.[5] His associates includedAdolph Zukor,Joseph Schenck, andNicholas Schenck. In addition to theaters, Loew and the Schencks expanded theFort George Amusement Park in upper Manhattan.
By 1913, Loew operated a large number of theaters in New York City including theAmerican Music Hall, Avenue A Theatre, Avenue B Theatre,Broadway Theatre (41st St.), Circle Theatre, and the Columbia Theatre in Brooklyn. Other Loew-operated theaters were the Delancey St. Theatre, Greeley Sq. Theatre,Herald Square Theatre, Liberty Theatre, Brooklyn, Lincoln Sq. Theatre, National Theatre (149th St.), Plaza Theatre, 7th Ave. Theatre (124th St.), Shubert Theatre, Brooklyn, and the Yorkville Theatre.[6] Outside of New York, he managed the Columbia Theatres of bothWashington, D.C.,[7][8] andBoston and Philadelphia’sMetropolitan Opera House.[6]
Loew found himself faced with a serious dilemma: his merged companies lacked a central managerial command structure. Loew preferred to remain in New York overseeing the growing chain of Loew's Theatres. Film production had been gravitating toward southern California since 1913. By 1917 he oversaw a number of enterprises: Borough Theatre Co., Empress Amusement Corp., Fort George Amusement Co., Glendive Amusement Corp., Greeley Square Amusement Co., Loew's Consolidated Enterprise, Loew's Theatrical Enterprises, Mascot Amusement Co., Natonia Amusement Co., People's Vaudeville Co.[9] In 1919, Loew reorganized the company under the name Loew's, Inc.[10]
In 1920, Loew purchasedMetro Pictures Corporation. A few years later, he acquired a controlling interest in the financially troubledGoldwyn Picture Corporation which at that point was controlled by theater impresarioLee Shubert. Goldwyn Pictures owned the "Leo the Lion" trademark and studio property inCulver City, California. But without its founderSamuel Goldwyn, the Goldwyn studio lacked strong management. With Loew's vice presidentNicholas Schenck needed in New York City to help manage the largeEast Coast movie theater operations, Loew had to find a qualified executive to take charge of this newLos Angeles entity.
Loew recalled meeting a film producer namedLouis B. Mayer who had been operating a successful, modest studio in east Los Angeles. Mayer had been making low budget melodramas for a number of years, marketing them primarily to women. Since he rented most of his equipment and hired most of his stars on a per-picture basis, Loew wasn't after Mayer's brick and mortar business; he wanted Mayer and his Chief of Production, the formerUniversal Pictures executive,Irving Thalberg. Nicholas Schenck was dispatched to finalize the deal that ultimately resulted in the formation of Metro-Goldwyn Pictures in April 1924 with Mayer as the studio head and Thalberg chief of production.
Mayer's company folded into Metro Goldwyn with two notable additions: Mayer Pictures' contracts with keydirectors such asFred Niblo andJohn M. Stahl, and up-and-coming actressNorma Shearer, later married to Thalberg. Mayer would eventually be rewarded by having his name added to the company. Loews Inc. would act as MGM's financier and retain controlling interest for decades.
Loew died in 1927 of aheart attack at the age of 57 at his country home inGlen Cove, New York. Reporting his death,Variety called him "the most beloved man of all show business of all time".[11] He was interred in the Maimonides Cemetery inBrooklyn.[12] He left only one public gift in his will which was toMidtown Hospital.[13]
For his very significant contribution to the development of the motion picture industry, Marcus Loew has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame at 1617 Vine Street.
He and his wife, Carrie Loew, had twin sons,David L. Loew (1897–1973) and Arthur Marcus Loew Sr (1897–1977).[11] Arthur married Mildred Zukor, daughter ofAdolph Zukor[14] and became president of MGM. Their son,Arthur Loew Jr. (1925–1995), was an actor, producer and writer.[15]
E. M. (Elias Moses) Loew (1897–1984), also a major theater operator, to a lesser degree, and race track owner, is often assumed to be related to Marcus Loew. They weren't even distantly related. Among other things, E. M. Loew was, withLou Walters (father ofBarbara Walters), co-owner of theLatin Quarter night clubs in Boston, New York, andMiami Beach.[16]
... as he began to expand his movie empire. In October 1919, Loew and Walter Brownley of Washington purchased the Columbia and two buildings on 12th Street for half a million dollars. The Columbia was one of the big moneymakers among ...
LCCN 98-641840;ISSN 0040-5531,ISSN 2832-0441;OCLC 4046918 (all editions) &OCLC 32098816 (all editions).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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