S. Sylvan Simon (March 9, 1910 – May 17, 1951) was an American
stage
Stage or stages may refer to:
Acting
* Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions
* Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage"
* ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper
* Sta ...
/film director and producer. He directed numerous
Hollywood films
The cinema of the United States, consisting mainly of major film studios (also known as Hollywood) along with some independent film, has had a large effect on the global film industry since the early 20th century. The dominant style of Ame ...
in the late 1930s to 1940s, and was the producer of '' Born Yesterday'' (1950).
Life and work
Born in Chicago, Simon earned bachelor's and master's degrees at the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
, and later attended
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...
.
Simon began his film career at
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
in 1935, directing screen tests. He became so proficient that
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
assigned him to fashion several tests into a short-subject special titled ''Screen Test''. ''Screen Test'' and a few Universal feature assignments earned him an invitation from
MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...
to direct. He became a comedy specialist, supervising many of the slapstick sequences in the
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act that was successful in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in motion pictures from 1905 to 1949. Five of the Marx Brothers' thirteen feature films were selected by the American Film Institute (AFI) ...
' ''
The Big Store
''The Big Store'' is a 1941 American comedy film starring the Marx Brothers (Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx and Chico Marx) that takes place in a large department store. Groucho appears as private detective Wolf J. Flywheel (a character name originatin ...
''. He directed
Red Skelton
Richard Red Skelton (July 18, 1913September 17, 1997) was an American entertainer best known for his national radio and television shows between 1937 and 1971, especially as host of the television program '' The Red Skelton Show''. He has stars ...
's first starring feature, 1941's ''
Whistling in the Dark
Whistling without the use of an artificial whistle is achieved by creating a small opening with one's lips, usually after applying moisture (licking one's lips or placing water upon them) and then blowing or sucking air through the space. The a ...
'', and in 1948 worked on two more Skelton vehicles, MGM's ''
A Southern Yankee
''A Southern Yankee'' is a 1948 American comedy western film directed by Edward Sedgwick and starring Red Skelton, Brian Donlevy and Arlene Dahl.
The film is loosely based on Buster Keaton's '' The General'' (1926). Skelton plays a Union soldi ...
'' (replacing the scheduled director
Edward Sedgwick
Edward Sedgwick (November 7, 1889 – March 7, 1953) was an American film director, writer, actor and producer.
Early life
He was born in Galveston, Texas, the son of Edward Sedgwick, Sr. and Josephine Walker, both stage actors. At the age ...
) and
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
Wallace Beery
Wallace Fitzgerald Beery (April 1, 1885 – April 15, 1949) was an American film and stage actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Bill in '' Min and Bill'' (1930) opposite Marie Dressler, as General Director Preysing in '' Grand Hotel'' ( ...
in ''
Bad Bascomb
Wilbur D. Bascomb Jr. is an American bass guitarist. He is the son of jazz trumpeter Wilbur "Dud" Bascomb, who played with Erskine Hawkins and Duke Ellington.
Career
In the 1970s, Bascomb worked with James Brown(1974),Glenn Ford
Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was a Canadian-American actor who often portrayed ordinary men in unusual circumstances. Ford was most prominent during Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-offi ...
western, ''
Lust for Gold
''Lust for Gold'' is a 1949 American Western film directed by S. Sylvan Simon and starring Ida Lupino and Glenn Ford. The film is about the legendary Lost Dutchman gold mine, starring Ford as the "Dutchman" and Lupino as the woman he loves. ...
'' (1949).
Simon was the producer of '' Born Yesterday'', a 1950 comedy that was nominated for five Academy Awards.
He died of a heart attack, in Hollywood, California, at the age of 41. His ashes were interred in a small unassuming bronze nameplate niche at Columbarium of Memory (Niche # 20174), in the Great Mausoleum at
Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery
Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries is an American corporation that owns and operates a chain of cemeteries and mortuaries in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties in Southern California.
History
The company was founded by a group of ...
A Girl with Ideas
''A Girl With Ideas'' is a 1937 American comedy-drama film, directed by S. Sylvan Simon for Universal Pictures. It stars Wendy Barrie, Walter Pidgeon, and Kent Taylor.
Cast
* Wendy Barrie - Mary Morton
* Walter Pidgeon - Mickey McGuire
* Kent Ta ...
'' (1937)
* ''
Prescription for Romance
''Prescription for Romance'' is a 1937 American romantic comedy film directed by S. Sylvan Simon for Universal Pictures. It stars Wendy Barrie, Kent Taylor, and Frank Jenks.
Plot
Cast
* Wendy Barrie as Valarie Barry
* Kent Taylor as Steve Ma ...
The Nurse from Brooklyn
''The Nurse from Brooklyn'' is a 1938 American drama film, directed by S. Sylvan Simon for Universal Pictures. It stars Sally Eilers, Paul Kelly, and Larry J. Blake.
Cast
* Sally Eilers as Elizabeth Thomas
* Paul Kelly as Jim Barnes
* Larry J ...
Four Girls in White
''Four Girls in White'' is a 1939 drama film directed by S. Sylvan Simon, starring Florence Rice and Una Merkel. It follows the mostly comical exploits of four nursing students enrolled in a three-year training course.
Plot
Student nurses at a l ...
These Glamour Girls
''These Glamour Girls'' is a 1939 comedy-drama film directed by S. Sylvan Simon and starring Lew Ayres and Lana Turner, with Tom Brown, Jane Bryan, Richard Carlson, Anita Louise and Ann Rutherford in featured roles.
Plot summary
A drunken co ...
'' (1939)
* ''
Dancing Co-Ed
''Dancing Co-Ed'' is a 1939 American romantic comedy film directed by S. Sylvan Simon and starring Lana Turner in the titular role, Richard Carlson as an inquisitive college reporter, and bandleader Artie Shaw as himself.
Plot
When a dancer's ...
'' (1939)
* ''
Two Girls on Broadway
''Two Girls on Broadway'' is a 1940 musical film directed by S. Sylvan Simon and starring Lana Turner and Joan Blondell. The film is a remake of ''The Broadway Melody'' (1929).
Plot
Molly Mahoney (Joan Blondell) forms a vaudeville act with her fi ...
Whistling in the Dark
Whistling without the use of an artificial whistle is achieved by creating a small opening with one's lips, usually after applying moisture (licking one's lips or placing water upon them) and then blowing or sucking air through the space. The a ...
'' (1941)
* ''
The Bugle Sounds
''The Bugle Sounds'' is a 1942 American World War II movie starring Wallace Beery as a cavalry sergeant resistant to replacing horses with tanks. The supporting cast includes Marjorie Main, Lewis Stone, George Bancroft, Donna Reed, and Chill ...
Grand Central Murder
''Grand Central Murder'' is a comedy/mystery film released in 1942. It was based on Sue MacVeigh's 1939 novel of the same name, and stars Van Heflin as a private investigator who is one of the suspects in a murder on a private train car in Gran ...
'' (1942)
* ''
Tish
''TISH'' was a Canadian poetry newsletter founded by student-poets at the University of British Columbia in 1961. The publication was edited by a number of Vancouver poets until 1969. The newsletter's poetics were built on those of writers associa ...
Salute to the Marines
''Salute to the Marines'' is a 1943 World War II propaganda war film drama in Technicolor from MGM, produced by John W. Considine Jr., directed by S. Sylvan Simon, and starring Wallace Beery. The film co-stars Fay Bainter, Reginald Owen, Ray Co ...
'' (1943)
* ''
Whistling in Brooklyn
''Whistling in Brooklyn'' is a 1943 film directed by S. Sylvan Simon and starring Red Skelton, Ann Rutherford, and Jean Rogers. It is the third and last film starring Skelton as radio personality and amateur detective Wally "The Fox" Benton, fol ...
'' (1943)
* ''
Song of the Open Road
''Song of the Open Road'' is a 1944 Musical film, musical comedy film directed by S. Sylvan Simon, from a screenplay by Irving Phillips and Edward Verdier. It was the debut film of teenage singer Jane Powell. Powell's real name was Suzanne Burce ...
'' (1944)
* ''
Son of Lassie
''Son of Lassie'' (also known as ''Laddie, Son of Lassie'') is a 1945 American Technicolor feature film produced by MGM based on characters created by Eric Knight, and starring Peter Lawford, Donald Crisp, June Lockhart and Pal (credited as L ...
'' (1945)
* ''
Abbott and Costello in Hollywood
''Abbott and Costello in Hollywood'' is a 1945 American black-and-white comedy film directed by S. Sylvan Simon and starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello alongside Frances Rafferty. Made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it was produced by Marti ...
'' (1945)
* ''
Bad Bascomb
Wilbur D. Bascomb Jr. is an American bass guitarist. He is the son of jazz trumpeter Wilbur "Dud" Bascomb, who played with Erskine Hawkins and Duke Ellington.
Career
In the 1970s, Bascomb worked with James Brown(1974),The Thrill of Brazil'' (1946)
* '' The Cockeyed Miracle'' aka ''The Return of Mr. Griggs'' (1946)
* '' Her Husband's Affairs'' (1947)
* '' I Love Trouble'' (1948)
* '' The Fuller Brush Man'' (1948)
* ''
Lust for Gold
''Lust for Gold'' is a 1949 American Western film directed by S. Sylvan Simon and starring Ida Lupino and Glenn Ford. The film is about the legendary Lost Dutchman gold mine, starring Ford as the "Dutchman" and Lupino as the woman he loves. ...
'' (1949)
Producer
* ''
Abbott and Costello in Hollywood
''Abbott and Costello in Hollywood'' is a 1945 American black-and-white comedy film directed by S. Sylvan Simon and starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello alongside Frances Rafferty. Made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it was produced by Marti ...
Lust for Gold
''Lust for Gold'' is a 1949 American Western film directed by S. Sylvan Simon and starring Ida Lupino and Glenn Ford. The film is about the legendary Lost Dutchman gold mine, starring Ford as the "Dutchman" and Lupino as the woman he loves. ...
The Fuller Brush Girl
''The Fuller Brush Girl'' is a 1950 slapstick comedy starring Lucille Ball and directed by Lloyd Bacon. Animator Frank Tashlin wrote the script. Ball plays a quirky door-to-door cosmetics saleswoman for the Fuller Brush Company. The film also sta ...