Benedict Bogeaus (May 4, 1904, in Chicago – August 23, 1968, in Hollywood), was an independent film producer and former owner of

General Service Studios Sunset Las Palmas Studios, formerly General Service Studios and Hollywood Center Studios, is an American independent entertainment production lot located at 1040 North Las Palmas Avenue in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, providing stage facil ...

Biography and filmography

Bogeaus' business career started when he was seventeen, working as an accountant in a junk yard. He bought into the yard, and used it to get a loan of $2,000 to build an apartment block. "Borrowing money then was as easy as buying a sandwich", he said. He became a property developer in Chicago, accumulating a fortune of $18 million, which he lost during the Great Depression. He went to Europe with what money had had left, looking for new opportunities. He produced a film in France, ''The Virgin Man'' (1932) with

Fernandel Fernand Joseph Désiré Contandin (8 May 1903 – 26 February 1971), better known as Fernandel, was a French actor and singer. Born near Marseille, France, to Désirée Bedouin and Denis Contandin, originating in Perosa Argentina, an Occitan t ...

and another in Germany, '' Daughter of the Regiment'' (1933) and later said both were "very bad". He settled down in Chicago again and in 1935 established the radio manufacturing company, the General Extolite Corporation. In 1939 he bought into the Zitpit Company in Belgium, but had to flee on the advent of World War II. Bogeaus moved to Hollywood in 1940 and went into partnership with Herbert Huston making a portable developing machine. The advent of World War II saw this become a huge success. When

AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile te ...

's Western Electric unit that manufactured sound equipment for film was forced by an antitrust action to divest itself of the General Service Studio complex, Bogeaus outbid producer

Edward Small Edward Small (born Edward Schmalheiser, February 1, 1891, Brooklyn, New York – January 25, 1977, Los Angeles) was a film producer from the late 1920s through 1970, who was enormously prolific over a 50-year career. He is best known for the movi ...

to acquire the studio. He allowed the United States Government to use his complex for film work and leased it out to various independent film producers, keeping his eye on their progress. Eventually he decided to make films himself. Later, in 1946,

William Cagney William Jerome Cagney (March 26, 1905 – January 3, 1988) was an American film producer and actor, remembered for roles in the Monogram Pictures films '' Lost in the Stratosphere'' and '' Flirting with Danger'', both filmed in 1934. Career H ...

's production company brought a substantial interest in the studios.

Early Films

Forming Benedict Bogeaus Productions in 1944, his first film was ''

The Bridge of San Luis Rey ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' is American author Thornton Wilder's second novel. It was first published in 1927 to worldwide acclaim. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1928, and was the best-selling work of fiction that year. Premise ''The Bri ...

'' (1944), directed by Rowland V. Lee and released through

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stud ...

. It was not a financial success but his second film, '' Dark Waters'' (1944), directed by

André de Toth Endre Antal Miksa DeToth, better known as Andre de Toth (born Endre Antal Mihály Tóth; May 15, 1913 – October 27, 2002), was a Hungarian-American film director, born and raised in Makó, Austria-Hungary. He directed the 3D film House of Wa ...

, was. He followed it with ''

Captain Kidd William Kidd, also known as Captain William Kidd or simply Captain Kidd ( – 23 May 1701), was a Scottish sea captain who was commissioned as a privateer and had experience as a pirate. He was tried and executed in London in 1701 for murder a ...

'' (1945), directed by Lee with Charles Laughton and Randolph Scott. He also produced '' The Diary of a Chambermaid'' (1946) along with stars

Paulette Goddard Paulette Goddard (born Marion Levy; June 3, 1910 – April 23, 1990) was an American actress notable for her film career in the Golden Age of Hollywood. Born in Manhattan and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Goddard initially began her career ...

and

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; it was directed by Jean Renoir. Though these films were critically acclaimed, they didn't set the box office on fire. Realising the public's attraction to low and middle budget films with star power, Bogeaus signed George Raft on for a few films, beginning with '' Mr. Ace'' (1946), directed by Edwin Marin. The movie was not a financial success. Bogeaus made '' The Macomber Affair'' (1947) with Gregory Peck directed by

Zoltan Korda Zoltan Korda (June 3, 1895 – October 13, 1961) was a Hungarian-born motion picture screenwriter, director and producer. He made his first film in Hungary in 1918, and worked with his brother Alexander Korda on film-making there and in London ...

. He made two anthology films with multiple stars in different storylines so they could be filmed at different times: '' Christmas Eve'' (1947), with Raft and Scott, directed by Marin; ''

On Our Merry Way ''On Our Merry Way'' is a 1948 American comedy film produced by Benedict Bogeaus and Burgess Meredith and released by United Artists. At the time of its release, King Vidor and Leslie Fenton were credited with its direction, although the DVD lis ...

'' (1948), with Goddard, James Stewart and

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics. Born and ra ...

. and Bogeaus featured

Dorothy Lamour Dorothy Lamour (born Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton; December 10, 1914 – September 22, 1996) was an American actress and singer. She is best remembered for having appeared in the '' Road to...'' movies, a series of successful comedies starring Bing ...

and George Montgomery in two films, '' Lulu Belle'' (1948) and '' The Girl from Manhattan'' (1948). He ventured into film noir with '' The Crooked Way'' (1949) and '' Johnny One-Eye'' (1950), both directed by

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:. Bogeaus produced '' My Outlaw Brother'' (1951), a Western with Mickey Rooney, and ''

One Big Affair ''One Big Affair'' is a 1952 American comedy film directed by Peter Godfrey and written by Leo Townsend and Francis Swann. The film stars Evelyn Keyes, Dennis O'Keefe, Mary Anderson, Connie Gilchrist, Thurston Hall and Gus Schilling. The film ...

'' (1952), a comedy with

Evelyn Keyes Evelyn Louise Keyes (November 20, 1916 – July 4, 2008) was an American film actress. She is best known for her role as Suellen O'Hara in the 1939 film ''Gone with the Wind''. Early life Evelyn Keyes was born in Port Arthur, Texas, to Omar Do ...

RKO

Most of Bogeaus' films had been released through United Artists. He signed a deal with RKO for '' Count the Hours'' (1952) and '' Appointment in Honduras'' (1953). Bogeous produced some action films with Allan Dwan, all for RKO: '' Silver Lode'' (1954), '' Passion'' (1954), ''

Cattle Queen of Montana ''Cattle Queen of Montana'' is a 1954 American Western film shot in Technicolor directed by Allan Dwan and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Ronald Reagan. The supporting cast includes Gene Evans, Lance Fuller, Jack Elam, Chubby Johnson, and Morris ...

'' (1955), ''

Escape to Burma ''Escape to Burma'' is a 1955 American Technicolor adventure film directed by Allan Dwan starring Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Ryan and David Farrar (actor), David Farrar. The film was based on the short story "Bow Tamely to Me" by Kenneth Perkins, ...

'' (1955), '' Pearl of the South Pacific'' (1955), ''

Tennessee's Partner ''Tennessee's Partner'' is a 1955 American Western film directed by Allan Dwan, written by Graham Baker, D. D. Beauchamp, Milton Krims, and Teddi Sherman, with uncredited rewrites by Dwan, and starring John Payne, Ronald Reagan, Rhonda Fl ...

'' (1955), and '' Slightly Scarlet'' (1955). RKO collapsed and Bogeaus made '' The River's Edge'' (1957) with Dwan for Fox, and '' Enchanted Island'' (1958) for Warners.

Final Films

Bogeaus' final films included two directed by

Byron Haskin Byron Conrad Haskin (April 22, 1899 – April 16, 1984) was an American film and television director, special effects creator and cinematographer. He is best known for directing '' The War of the Worlds'' (1953), one of many films where he ...

in Mexico: ''

From the Earth to the Moon ''From the Earth to the Moon: A Direct Route in 97 Hours, 20 Minutes'' (french: De la Terre à la Lune, trajet direct en 97 heures 20 minutes) is an 1865 novel by Jules Verne. It tells the story of the Baltimore Gun Club, a post-American Civil W ...

'' (1958) and '' Jet Over the Atlantic'' (1959). The latter was the first production from Inter-Continent Films and Inter-Continent Releasing, two companies formed by Bogeaus and James R. Grainger. They announced a series of films, including ''Jet Over the Atlantic'', ''The Gold Bug'', ''Shoot Out!'', ''Early Autumn'' and ''The Glass Wall''. However, only ''Jet'' was made. His last production was '' Most Dangerous Man Alive'' directed by Dwan that was filmed in 1958 in Mexico but not released until 1961. Dwan and Bogeaus cooperated in three unfilmed projects, a remake of ''The Bridge at San Luis Rey'', ''Will You Marry Me'', written by Dwan, and ''The Glass Wall''.

Personal life

Bogeaus was married from 1928 to 1931 to Broadway star Ethelind Terry, from 1939 to 1944 to actress Mimi Forsythe and from 1944 to 1962 to actress

Dolores Moran Dolores Jean Moran (January 27, 1926 – February 5, 1982) was an American film actress and model. Early years Moran was born in Stockton, California, and attended elementary and secondary schools there. She won the Northern California O ...

. He died of a heart attack, aged 64.

Quotes

"All independent producers go broke sooner or later. It's because they try and make artistic pictures. I make good commercial ones. It pays off".

Notes

References

*''Variety'' Obituaries August 28, 1968 * Fandango profil

External links

* *''Benedict Bogeaus and The General Service Studio'' http://www.cobbles.com/simpp_archive/benedict_bogeaus.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Bogeaus, Benedict 1904 births 1968 deaths Businesspeople from Chicago Film producers from Illinois Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery 20th-century American businesspeople