Samuel Zachary Arkoff (June 12, 1918 – September 16, 2001) was an American film producer, known as the co-founder of

American International Pictures American International Pictures, LLC (AIP or American International Productions) is an American film production company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution c ...

Life and career

Arkoff was born in

Fort Dodge, Iowa Fort Dodge is a city in and the county seat of Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. The population was 24,871 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a decrease from 25,136 in 2000 United States Census, 2000. F ...

, to

Russian Jewish The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest po ...

parents. He was the son of Helen (Lurie) and Louis Arkoff, who ran his Louis Clothing Co. Arkoff first studied to be a lawyer. He began his career in Hollywood as a producer of ''

The Hank McCune Show ''The Hank McCune Show'' is an American television sitcom. Filmed without a studio audience, the series is notable for being the first television program to incorporate a laugh track. The series began as a local program in New York in 1949. NBC ...

'', a seminal sitcom produced in 1951. In 1954, James H. Nicholson founded the American Releasing Corporation, which later became known as

, and made Arkoff the vice-president. AIP films were mostly low-budget, with production completed in a few days, though nearly all of them became profitable. Along with business partner James H. Nicholson and producer-director

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he w ...

, he produced eighteen films. Arkoff is also credited with starting a few genres, such as the ''

Beach Party ''Beach Party'' is a 1963 American film and the first of seven beach party films from American International Pictures (AIP) aimed at a teen audience.Smith, Gary A. Smith (2009) ''The American International Pictures Video Guide'', McFarland ...

'' and

outlaw biker An outlaw motorcycle club, known colloquially as a biker club or club (in Australia), is a motorcycle subculture generally centered on the use of cruiser motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and choppers, and a set of ideals that purpo ...

movies, and his company played a substantial part in bringing the horror film genre to a novel level with successes such as ''

Blacula ''Blacula'' is a 1972 American blaxploitation horror film directed by William Crain. It stars William Marshall in the title role about an 18th-century African prince named Mamuwalde, who is turned into a vampire (and later locked in a coffin) ...

'', ''

I Was a Teenage Werewolf ''I Was a Teenage Werewolf'' is a 1957 American science fiction horror film directed by Gene Fowler Jr., and starring Michael Landon as a troubled teenager, Yvonne Lime, and Whit Bissell. Co-written and produced by cult film producer Herma ...

'' and '' The Thing with Two Heads''. American International Pictures movies starred many established actors in principal or cameo roles, such as

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), known professionally as Boris Karloff () and occasionally billed as Karloff the Uncanny, was a British actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstei ...

Elsa Lanchester Elsa Sullivan Lanchester (28 October 1902 – 26 December 1986) was a British actress with a long career in theatre, film and television.Obituary '' Variety'', 31 December 1986. Lanchester studied dance as a child and after the First World ...

Peter Lorre Peter Lorre (; born László Löwenstein, ; June 26, 1904 – March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian and American actor, active first in Europe and later in the United States. Known for his timidly devious characters, his appearance, and accented vo ...

, and

Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor. He was known for his work in the horror film genre, mostly portraying villains. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price ...

, as well as others who later became household names, including

Don Johnson Don Wayne Johnson (born December 15, 1949) is an American actor and singer-songwriter. He played the role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s television series '' Miami Vice'', for which he won a Golden Globe, and received a Primetime Emm ...

Nick Nolte Nicholas King Nolte (; born February 8, 1941) is an American actor. Known for his leading man roles in both dramas and romances, he has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for three Academy Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award. Nol ...

Diane Ladd Diane Ladd (born Rose Diane Ladner; November 29, 1935) is an American actress. She has appeared in over 200 films and television shows. She received three Academy Award nominations for her roles in '' Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'' (1974), '' ...

, and most notably

Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. Nicholson is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, often playing rebels fighting against the social structure. Over his five-de ...

. A number of actors shunned or overlooked by most of Hollywood during the 1960s and 1970s, such as

Bruce Dern Bruce MacLeish Dern (born June 4, 1936) is an American actor. He has received several accolades, including the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor and the Silver Bear for Best Actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Suppo ...

and

Dennis Hopper Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker, photographer and visual artist. He was considered one of the key figures of New Hollywood. He earned prizes from the Cannes Film Festival and Venice Internatio ...

, also found work in one or more of Arkoff's productions. Arkoff's most financially successful film was the 1979 adaptation of

Jay Anson Jay Anson (November 4, 1921 – March 12, 1980) was an American author whose most famous work was '' The Amityville Horror''. After the runaway success of that novel, he wrote ''666'', which also dealt with a haunted house. He died in 1980. Hi ...

's book ''

The Amityville Horror ''The Amityville Horror'' is a book by American author Jay Anson, published in September 1977. It is also the basis of a series of films released from 1979 onward. The book is based on the claims of paranormal experiences by the Lutz family b ...

''. Following the sale of AIP to

Filmways Filmways, Inc. (also known as Filmways Pictures and Filmways Television) was a television and film production company founded by American film executive Martin Ransohoff and Edwin Kasper in 1952. It is probably best remembered as the production c ...

in 1979 for $30 million, Arkoff was unhappy with the direction of the company and resigned in December 1979 to set up his own production company, Arkoff International Pictures., receiving a payout worth $1.4 million. Arkoff's 1992 autobiography was titled ''Flying Through Hollywood by the Seat of my Pants: From the Man who Brought You I was a Teenage Werewolf and Muscle Beach Party''. In 2000, Arkoff was featured alongside former collaborators including

Dick Miller Richard Miller (December 25, 1928 – January 30, 2019) was an American character actor who appeared in more than 180 films, including many produced by Roger Corman. He later appeared in the films of directors who began their careers with Corm ...

and

Peter Bogdanovich Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022) was an American director, writer, actor, producer, critic, and film historian. He started out his career as a young actor studying under Stella Adler before working as a film critic for ''Fi ...

in the documentary '' SCHLOCK! The Secret History of American Movies'', a film about the rise and fall of American exploitation cinema.

Personal life and death

He was married to Hilda Rusoff until her death in July 2001. They had two children: Louis "Lou" Arkoff, who was also his producing partner; and Donna Roth, who is a movie producer married to the former chairman of Walt Disney Studios

Joe Roth Joseph Emanuel Roth (born June 13, 1948) is an American film executive, producer and director. He co-founded Morgan Creek Entertainment in 1988 and was chairman of 20th Century Fox (1989–1993), Caravan Pictures (1993–1994), and Walt Dis ...

. He also had five grandchildren and a great-grandson. Arkoff died in

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...

, on September 16, 2001, at the age of 83.

The "ARKOFF Formula"

During a 1980s television talk show appearance, Arkoff shared with viewers his "ARKOFF Formula" for making successful, memorable films. The formula—or, more accurately, the checklist—forms an

acronym An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with the initial Letter (alphabet), letter of each wor ...

of his surname, and it identifies the content elements that should be considered and included in a movie, especially in a low-budget production:Ferrara, Greg
"FILM ARTICLE: Wild in the Streets"

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcas ...

Retrieved September 17, 2018. * Action (exciting, entertaining drama) * Revolution (novel or controversial themes and ideas) * Killing (a modicum of violence) * Oratory (notable dialogue and speeches) * Fantasy (acted-out fantasies common to the audience) * Fornication (

sex appeal Sexual attraction is attraction on the basis of sexual desire or the quality of arousing such interest. Sexual attractiveness or sex appeal is an individual's ability to attract other people sexually, and is a factor in sexual selection or m ...

, for young adults)

References

External links

Article about Samuel Arkoff on the Horror-Wood Webzine
* *
Samuel Z. Arkoff Papers

at

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

Obituary
at

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arkoff, Samuel 1918 births 2001 deaths People from Fort Dodge, Iowa Businesspeople from Iowa American people of Russian-Jewish descent American film production company founders Film producers from Iowa Jewish American film people Film distributors (people) 20th-century American businesspeople Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery