Sol Lesser | |
|---|---|
 Sol Lesser ca. 1920 | |
| Born | (1890-02-17)February 17, 1890 Spokane, Washington, U.S. |
| Died | September 19, 1980(1980-09-19) (aged 90) Hollywood,California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Hillside Memorial Park,Culver City, California |
| Occupation | Film producer |
| Years active | 1913–1958 |
| Spouse | Fay Grunauer Lesser (1913–?) (2 children)[1] |
| Children | Julian Lesser (1915–2005)[2] Marjorie Lesser Fasman |
Sol Lesser (February 17, 1890 – September 19, 1980) was an American film producer. He received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 and was awarded theJean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1961.
In 1913, while living in San Francisco, Sol Lesser learned that the authorities were about to clean out theBarbary Coast district, a raucous area of gambling houses,saloons andbrothels. He grabbed a camera and a friend, future Hollywood cameramanHal Mohr, and roamed the area, especially the parts that were best-known before the area was shut down. (The Barbary Coast was not actually closed down until 1917.) This film is now considered alost film.
The resulting film wasThe Last Night of the Barbary Coast, an early example of anexploitation film that was sold directly to movie theater owners by Lesser. With the profits from the film, he bought several theaters, and soon owned a cinema chain.
Sol Lesser signedJackie Coogan to a movie contract in 1922, establishing both as major Hollywood names. The Coogan-Lesser hits includedOliver Twist andPeck's Bad Boy. Lesser made a successful transition to sound films, with his own Principal Pictures company; he would either distribute his productions himself under the Principal name, or arrange for a major studio to release them under their own trademarks (as with hisBuck Jones westerns and his 1938 novelty westernThe Terror of Tiny Town, all released byColumbia). In 1933, Lesser producedThunder Over Mexico a compilation film made fromEisenstein'sQue Viva Mexico! with the permission ofUpton Sinclair, who had commissioned the Soviet film maker, and his wife.
His productions usually had higher budgets than the usual independent features; Lesser was able to produce entire series with name stars likeGeorge O'Brien andBobby Breen. He also producedserials in 1933 and 1934. Lesser was very successful as an independent producer, later releasing throughUnited Artists. notably with the filmsOur Town (1940) and the all-star wartime revueStage Door Canteen (1943).
In 1933 Lesser succeeded in buying screen rights toEdgar Rice Burroughs'Tarzan character. ATarzan the Fearless serial with screen newcomerBuster Crabbe resulted, but Burroughs, deciding to make his own Tarzan films, refused to renegotiate with Lesser. Burroughs's own movie enterprises were short-lived, and the rights passed toMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Burroughs sold Lesser options on all his Tarzan novels for seven years, with Lesser producing one Tarzan film a year for20th Century-Fox. Only one Tarzan film was produced under this arrangement:Tarzan's Revenge (1938) featuring athletesGlenn Morris andEleanor Holm. MGM objected to Lesser competing with its own Tarzan series, and Lesser agreed to sell the rights back to MGM.[3] When MGM relinquished the rights in 1942, Lesser regained the Tarzan property. Lesser's new Tarzan films were produced forRKO and starredJohnny Weissmuller and laterLex Barker andGordon Scott, and Lesser devoted himself to these jungle adventures for the rest of his career. Lesser sold the Tarzan rights to producerSy Weintraub in 1958, and retired.[4] "I had reached the age that one either finishes on top or far below. I decided I would end on top, and I was satisfied," he said.
Toward the end of his life he was actively involved in restoring many of his early productions, often in association with film preservationists atBlackhawk Films. Blackhawk reprinted many of Lesser's silent and sound films for the home-movie market.
Sol Lesser died in 1980, and was buried atHillside Memorial Park inCulver City, California.
Sol Lesser was the recipient ofThe Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1960. He has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame.
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