Nicholas Schenck | |
|---|---|
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| Born | (1880-11-14)November 14, 1880 |
| Died | March 4, 1969(1969-03-04) (aged 88) Florida, U.S. |
| Nationality | Russian American |
| Occupation | Film studio executive |
| Relatives | Joseph M. Schenck (brother) Ruth Selwyn (sister-in-law) Fred M. Wilcox (brother-in-law) |
Nicholas M. Schenck (14 November 1880,[1]Rybinsk,Russia – 4 March 1969,Florida) was a Russian-Americanfilm studio executive and businessman.
One of seven children, Schenck was born to aJewish household[2] inRybinsk, a town on theVolga River in theYaroslavl Governorate ofTsarist Russia. With his parents, he and his brothers, George andJoseph, emigrated to the United States in 1892[1] where they settled in atenement on New York'sLower East Side. Subsequently, he relocated toHarlem, the population of which at that time consisted primarily of Jewish and Italian immigrants.
Upon his arrival in the United States, he and his older brotherJoseph worked as a team running errands and selling newspapers while studying at the New York College of Pharmacy at night.[3]
They subsequently began working in a drugstore in theBowery. Within two years they had saved up enough money to buy out the drugstore's owner and opened another store onThird Avenue at110th Street[3] and began casting about for other business ventures.
One summer day, the Schencks took a trolley ride toFort George Amusement Park, in uptownManhattan, and noticed that thousands of people were milling around idly waiting for the return trains. The brothers rented a beer concession and also provided some vaudeville entertainment. It was at this time that the Schencks made the acquaintance ofMarcus Loew, a theater operator. Loew persuaded them to buy two film theaters and the brothers started to work with Loew in the theater business.[3] Between approximately 1907 and 1919, they reinvested in real estate fornickelodeons,vaudeville, and eventuallymotion pictures.
In 1910, the Schencks' theaters were grouped into Loew's Consolidated Enterprises.[3] Loew, having noted the brothers' success, advanced them capital, permitting them to purchasePalisades Amusement Park inBergen County, New Jersey, directly across the river from Manhattan, in 1910. It remained in operation until 1971, although the brothers sold their interest in 1934.[citation needed]
Schenck eventually became Loew's right-hand man, helping him manage what rapidly grew into a vast theater chain. In 1919, Schenck was named as vice president and general manager ofLoew's Inc.[3]
Joseph relocated to Hollywood, eventually becoming president ofUnited Artists Corporation. He helped shepherd Loew's acquisition ofMetro Pictures in 1920 andGoldwyn Pictures in 1924 to keep the theaters supplied with product.[3]
Loew soon realized he needed someone in Hollywood to run his studio interests. Schenck seemed the obvious choice, but Loew concluded that he needed Schenck in New York to help run the theaters. He bought a studio headed by independent producerLouis B. Mayer in 1924, merging the Loew's Hollywood interests intoMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer with Mayer as studio chief. For reasons that remain unknown, Mayer and Schenck disliked each other intensely; Mayer reportedly called Schenck "Mr. Skunk" in private.[4] It was the start of a testy relationship that would last for almost four decades.
In 1927, Marcus Loew died suddenly, leaving control of Loew's to Schenck. In 1929,William Fox, head of rival studioFox Film Corporation, arranged to buy controlling interest from Schenck. When Mayer found out about the sale, he was outraged; although he was a Loew's vice president, he was not a shareholder and had no say in the deal. Mayer went to theJustice Department and, through his political connections, managed to get the deal stalled onantitrust grounds.[citation needed]
Shortly afterward, in the summer of 1929, Fox was seriously injured in a car accident. By the time he had recovered, thestock market crash had nearly wiped out his fortune. Schenck blamed Mayer for costing him millions, and this made an already icy relationship even worse.However, due to thestock market crash, the Loew's–Fox deal would have been dead even if the Justice Department had given the deal its blessing.[citation needed]
By 1932, Schenck was running an entertainment empire that consisted of a thriving theater circuit and MGM. The conglomerate, which Schenck continued to manage closely from New York City, employed 12,000 people. Schenck, by demanding a tight production schedule, created tension with Mayer andIrving Thalberg, who was production chief until his early death in 1936. Nonetheless, thanks to Schenck's stringent management, MGM was successful, becoming the only film company that continued to pay dividends during theGreat Depression.[citation needed]
Under Schenck's leadership, the studio produced a great quantity of films, and thestudio system allowed it to retain a wide array of talent under its roof:Lon Chaney,Joan Crawford,Greta Garbo,Jean Harlow,Wallace Beery,Clark Gable,Mickey Rooney,Spencer Tracy,Katharine Hepburn,Judy Garland,Robert Taylor, theJeanette MacDonald–Nelson Eddy team and many others. Schenck's adroit business sense made him a wealthy man. In 1927, he and Joseph were reported to be worth about $20 million (approximately $500 million in today's money, possibly more), with a combined yearly income of at least a million. By some estimates, Nicholas Schenck was the eighth richest individual in the United States during the 1930s.[citation needed]
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Although Schenck's power and prestige were at their peak after World War II, times were changing, as television loomed on the horizon. Like many in the motion picture industry, however, Schenck adamantly refused to get involved with the new medium. In 1951, Louis B. Mayer had a falling out with Schenck overDore Schary's position at MGM and Mayer was forced out of the studio.
By the middle of the decade, the price of MGM shares was sagging and stockholders were growing restive. On December 14, 1955,Arthur M. Loew, the son of Marcus Loew, succeeded Nicholas Schenck as the company's president, although Schenck remained chairman of the board. The following year, when Arthur Loew resigned for health reasons, Schenck defied the other directors in the efforts to secure a new president. WhenJoseph R. Vogel became president, Schenck was named honorary chairman, but retired altogether later that same year.
Nicholas Schenck divided his last years between his estates atSands Point,Long Island, andMiami Beach. The former, which he had purchased in 1942, consisted of a 20-acre (81,000 m2) property with a main house of 30 rooms, luxuriously appointed. It included a private movie theater and a 200-foot dock.
Nicholas Schenck's first marriage ended in divorce. In 1927, he married socialite and former vaudeville entertainerPansy Wilcox (1898–1987), whose brother was directorFred M. Wilcox. Her sister was actress Ruth Selwyn (1905–1954), wife ofEdgar Selwyn.
Nicholas and Pansy had three daughters:Marti, who acted under the name Marti Stevens, Joanne (born August 1, 1932) and Nicola (born December 13, 1933, in New York). Nicola married actorHelmut Dantine; they had three children. She acted under the name Niki Dantine.[citation needed]
Schenck owned and racedThoroughbred horses. Hisfilly Cobul, who raced under his wife's name, won the 1958Astoria Stakes.
Schenck died following astroke in Florida in 1969.[3]