Edward Ellsworth Muhl (February 17, 1907 – April 22, 2001) was an American businessman and
executive best known for being head of production for
Universal Pictures
Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
from 1953 until his retirement in 1973.
According to one writer, he played key roles in some of the studio's most important decisions. Muhl's contributions range from the technical (he was instrumental in persuading studio heads to shoot most of their films in Technicolor rather than the cheaper black-and-white) to the purely business (he made the deal that allowed
MCA to purchase Universal in the early 1960s).
Career
Muhl began his career at Universal in 1927 in the
cost accounting department. He became studio business manager and remained in the role until 1934 when he became head of the legal department, despite not being a lawyer. He moved into production in 1936. When
William Goetz and
Leo Spitz's International Pictures merged with Universal to form Universal-International in 1947, Muhl was appointed general
manager of studio operations.
In 1953, Muhl was appointed general production executive under Goetz. Later that year he became
vice president
A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
in charge of
production for the studio, replacing Goetz and Spitz, who had run Universal for seven years.
Muhl oversaw a period of expansion for Universal. The studio enjoyed a successful run of films, primarily comedies (such as those starring
Doris Day) and melodramas. When
MCA Inc. took over Universal in 1962, other executives shared responsibility for production
[ although the phrase "Edward Muhl In Charge Of Production" appeared on the new Universal logo starting in 1963, a throwback to an industry practice that had largely faded since the 1940s. He was also credited with influential support of the films of Douglas Sirk and Ross Hunter, as well as supporting the blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo's right to screenplay credit on '']Spartacus
Spartacus (; ) was a Thracians, Thracian gladiator (Thraex) who was one of the Slavery in ancient Rome, escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a major Slave rebellion, slave uprising against the Roman Republic.
Historical accounts o ...
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Personal life
Muhl's granddaughter is Taylor Muhl. She is a singer/songwriter known as a public advocate
An advocate is a professional in the field of law. List of country legal systems, Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a ba ...
for human Chimerism.
Death
Muhl died on April 22, 2001, at the age of 94. His death took place at his Los Angeles, CA home, surrounded by his family.
Selected films produced in the Muhl period
* '' Touch of Evil'' (1958)
* '' Operation Petticoat'' (1959)
* '' Imitation of Life'' (1959)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muhl, Edward
1907 births
2001 deaths
20th-century American businesspeople
American film studio executives