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William Goetz | |
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| Born | William B. Goetz (1903-03-24)March 24, 1903 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | August 15, 1969(1969-08-15) (aged 66) Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Other names | Bill Goetz |
| Occupations | Film producer, studio executive |
| Years active | 1924–1966 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Louis B. Mayer (father-in-law) Irene Mayer Selznick (sister-in-law) David O. Selznick (brother-in-law) |
William B. Goetz (March 24, 1903 – August 15, 1969) was an American film producer and studio executive. Goetz was one of the founders ofTwentieth Century Pictures, and later served as vice president of20th Century Fox after the studio's merger with theFox Film Company. AtUniversal-International, he served as the head of production from 1946 until 1953.
Born to aJewish working-class family inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, Goetz was the youngest of eight children.[1][failed verification] His mother died when he was ten years old and shortly thereafter his father abandoned the family. Raised by older brothers, at the age of twenty-one he followed some of his brothers to Hollywood where he found work as a crew hand at one of the large studios. After a few years, he gained production responsibilities and, in 1930, was made an associate producer at the Fox Company.
In 1932, Goetz received the financial support necessary from his new father-in-law,Louis B. Mayer, to become a minor partner withJoseph Schenck, the former president ofUnited Artists, andDarryl F. Zanuck fromWarner Bros. to createTwentieth Century Pictures.[2] Zanuck was named president, and Goetz served as vice-president.[3]
Successful from the very beginning, their 1934 filmThe House of Rothschild was nominated forAcademy Award for Best Picture. In 1935, Twentieth Century bought the financially strappedFox Films to create20th Century Fox.
Goetz served as vice president of 20th Century Fox, but in 1942, he took charge of the studio temporarily when Zanuck, a veteran of World War I, joined the United States military effort in World War II. Goetz liked the top role in the company, and after Zanuck returned, relationships became strained.
In 1943, Goetz resigned to form his own independent company with Leo Spitz,[4] a former lawyer who worked as a movie company advisor. Their partnership, International Pictures, ended its short-lived existence when they made a deal in July 1946 to merge with the BritishRank Organisation's distribution arm andUniversal Pictures.
Goetz was made president and placed in charge of production for the newly mergedUniversal-International studio.[3] Although one of the studio executives who formulated the 1947Waldorf Statement, Goetz later softened his stand on the issue.
In 1949, Goetz called upon his close friendship withMCA headLew Wasserman, one of the more powerful agents in Hollywood.
They revolutionized the motion picture industry when they agreed to a deal whereJames Stewart was signed to a profit participation deal to act in a Universal film. In lieu of a salary for his performance, Stewart was guaranteed half of the film's profits, and the concept was negotiated for other stars who recognized the value of their own box-office drawing power.
In 1953, two years afterDecca Records acquired the studio, Goetz was replaced byEdward Muhl in his position at Universal-International. Becoming an independent producer and makingSayonara, a 1957 film nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Picture, he signed a six-picture deal withColumbia Pictures and producedMe and the Colonel,They Came to Cordura,The Mountain Road,Song Without End andCry for Happy.[5]
In March 1930, Goetz married Edith Mayer (1905–1988), daughter ofMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio headLouis B. Mayer – who was less than enthusiastic at the match.[6] The couple had two daughters, Judith and Barbara.[7] Goetz and Mayer remained married until his death in 1969.[8]
Goetz's sister-in-law was theatrical producerIrene Mayer Selznick. Goetz's brother-in-law was film producerDavid O. Selznick to whom Irene was married from April 1930 to 1949.[9][10]
Goetz was a liberalDemocrat and enthusiastically campaigned forAdlai Stevenson II in the1952 presidential election. The producer angered hisRepublican Party father-in-law, Louis B. Mayer, when he announced plans to host a party for Stevenson at theBeverly Hills Hotel.
Mayer was further angered when he learned that the party was to be co-hosted by film executiveDore Schary, the man with whom Mayer had worked with (and often fought with) at MGM and who replaced Mayer as the head of Metro in 1951. Although Mayer adored his daughter Edith, he had a difficult relationship with Goetz.
This episode further strained their relationship, and Mayer never spoke to his son-in-law again.[11][12]
A very wealthy man, Goetz raised thoroughbred racehorses. His horseYour Host won the 1950Santa Anita Derby and subsequently siredKelso, aHall of Fame inductee and one of the greatest horses in racing history.
Goetz and his wife also were major investors in art, acquiring a significant collection ofImpressionist andPost-Impressionist works. They owned paintings and sculptures by artists such asEdgar Degas,Paul Gauguin,Claude Monet,Paul Cézanne,Berthe Morisot,Édouard Manet,Pierre-Auguste Renoir,Pablo Picasso,Amedeo Modigliani,Chaïm Soutine,Pierre Bonnard,Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, andHenri Fantin-Latour.
In 1949, a controversy erupted over aVincent van Gogh self-portrait titledStudy by Candlelight that Goetz had purchased two years earlier. The painting was declared a fake by art expertWillem Sandberg and the artist's nephew, V. W. van Gogh, resulting in an international debate among art experts.
The painting remained controversial and was not put up for auction with the rest of the Goetz collection following Edith Goetz's death in 1987. The painting was exhibited April 13–25, 2013 in theNevada Museum of Art in Reno, Nevada.[13][14]
On August 15, 1969, Goetz died of cancer at hisHolmby Hills, Los Angeles home at the age of 66.[8] He was buried inHillside Memorial Park Cemetery inCulver City, California.[15]
