Samuel Z. Arkoff | |
|---|---|
 Arkoff in 2000 | |
| Born | Samuel Zachary Arkoff June 12, 1918 Fort Dodge, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | September 16, 2001(2001-09-16) (aged 83) Burbank, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Occupation | Film producer |
| Known for | co-founder ofAmerican International Pictures |
| Spouse | Hilda Rusoff |
| Children | 2,Louis andDonna |
Samuel Zachary Arkoff (June 12, 1918 – September 16, 2001) was an Americanfilm producer, known as the co-founder ofAmerican International Pictures.[1]
Arkoff was born inFort Dodge, Iowa, toRussian Jewish parents. He was the son of Helen (Lurie) and Louis Arkoff, who ran his Louis Clothing Co.[2][3] Arkoff first studied to be a lawyer. He began his career in Hollywood as a producer ofThe Hank McCune Show, a seminal sitcom produced in 1951.
In 1954,James H. Nicholson founded theAmerican Releasing Corporation, which later became known asAmerican International Pictures, and made Arkoff the vice-president. AIP films were mostly low-budget, with production completed in a few days, though nearly all of them became profitable. Along with business partnerJames H. Nicholson and producer-directorRoger Corman, he produced eighteen films.
Arkoff is also credited with starting a few genres, such as theBeach Party andoutlaw biker movies, and his company played a substantial part in bringing the horror film genre to a novel level with successes such asBlacula,I Was a Teenage Werewolf andThe Thing with Two Heads. American International Pictures movies starred many established actors in principal or cameo roles, such asBoris Karloff,Elsa Lanchester,Peter Lorre, andVincent Price, as well as others who later became household names, includingDon Johnson,Nick Nolte,Diane Ladd, and most notablyJack Nicholson. A number of actors shunned or overlooked by most of Hollywood during the 1960s and 1970s, such asBruce Dern andDennis Hopper, also found work in one or more of Arkoff's productions. Arkoff's most financially successful film was the 1979 adaptation ofJay Anson's bookThe Amityville Horror.
Following the sale of AIP toFilmways in 1979 for $30 million, Arkoff was unhappy with the direction of the company and resigned in December 1979 to set up his own production company,Arkoff International Pictures.,[4] receiving a payout worth $1.4 million.[5][6]
Arkoff's 1992 autobiography was titledFlying Through Hollywood by the Seat of my Pants: From the Man who Brought You I was a Teenage Werewolf and Muscle Beach Party.[7][8]
In 2000, Arkoff was featured alongside former collaborators includingRoger Corman,Dick Miller andPeter Bogdanovich in the documentarySCHLOCK! The Secret History of American Movies, a film about the rise and fall of American exploitation cinema.
He was married to Hilda Rusoff until her death in July 2001. They had two children:Louis "Lou" Arkoff, who was also his producing partner; andDonna Roth, who is a movie producer married to the former chairman of Walt Disney StudiosJoe Roth.[1] He also had five grandchildren and a great-grandson.
Arkoff died inBurbank, California, on September 16, 2001, at the age of 83.[1]
During a 1980s television talk show appearance, Arkoff shared with viewers his "ARKOFF Formula" for making successful, memorable films.[citation needed] The formula—or, more accurately, the checklist—forms anacronym of his surname, and it identifies the content elements that should be considered and included in a movie, especially in a low-budget production:[9]
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