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Samuel Marx (January 26, 1902, New York City – March 2, 1992, Los Angeles) was an American film producer, screenwriter and book author.


Life

Marx was born to a
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family. and started working in 1919 as an office boy at the New York office of
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 ...
, where he met
Irving Thalberg Irving Grant Thalberg (May 30, 1899 – September 14, 1936) was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. He was called "The Boy Wonder" for his youth and ability to select scripts, choose actors, gather productio ...
, then secretary to Universal boss
Carl Laemmle Carl Laemmle (; born Karl Lämmle ; January 17, 1867 – September 24, 1939) was a German-American film producer and the co-founder and, until 1934, owner of Universal Pictures. He produced or worked on over 400 films. Regarded as one of the ...
. On May 24, 1930, he arrived at the
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
(MGM) Studios and was hired by Thalberg as Story Editor, the executive in charge of the screenwriting department. Following Irving Thalberg's death in 1936, Marx became a producer and was behind a number of popular films, including ''
Lassie Come Home ''Lassie Come Home'' is a 1943 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Technicolor feature film starring Roddy McDowall and canine actor Pal, in a story about the profound bond between Yorkshire boy Joe Carraclough and his rough collie, Lassie. The film was d ...
'' (1943) and ''
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 Lassi ...
'' (1945). During the 1950s he began working as an executive producer for
Desilu Productions Desilu Productions, Inc. () was an American television production company founded and co-owned by husband and wife Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. The company is best known for shows such as ''I Love Lucy'', '' The Lucy Show'', '' Mannix'', '' The ...
, where he was responsible for films and shows such as ''The General Electric Hour''. During the 1970s, he returned to writing books, such as ''Mayer and Thalberg: The Make-Believe Saints'' (1975). Marx also helped Hollywood historians with their research for television shows. One such show, the TNT special series ''MGM: When the Lion Roars'', was telecast in 1992 during the month Marx died of heart failure at age 90.


''Deadly Illusions''

In 1990, Samuel Marx and Joyce Vanderveen published ''Deadly Illusions''. Marx was MGM's Story Editor and a friend of both
Paul Bern Paul Bern (born Paul Levy; December 3, 1889September 5, 1932) was a German-born American film director, screenwriter and film producer, producer for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), where he became the assistant to producer Irving Thalberg. He helped la ...
(husband of actress
Jean Harlow Jean Harlow (born Harlean Harlow Carpenter; March 3, 1911 – June 7, 1937) was an American actress. Known for her portrayal of "bad girl" characters, she was the leading sex symbol of the early 1930s and one of the defining figures of the ...
) and
Irving Thalberg Irving Grant Thalberg (May 30, 1899 – September 14, 1936) was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. He was called "The Boy Wonder" for his youth and ability to select scripts, choose actors, gather productio ...
at the time of Bern's death. In 1932, Marx had gone to Bern's house before the police were informed of the body's discovery. Thalberg told Marx that Bern was dead, and that he should not go inside, but rather he should go home. The next day, Marx was among the studio executives who were told by
Louis B. Mayer Louis Burt Mayer (; born Lazar Meir; July 12, 1884Mayer maintained that he was born in Minsk on July 4, 1885. According to Scott Eyman, the reasons may have been: * Mayer's father gave different dates for his birthplace at different times, so ...
that, to avoid scandal, the death would have to be ruled "suicide because of impotence". In the 1980s, Marx re-investigated the case, scrutinizing the available evidence. He concluded that Louis B. Mayer and Howard Strickling, MGM's head of publicity, with Irving Thalberg's collusion, had ordered the evidence be tampered with before the police arrived. Marx concluded that Bern was murdered by his former common law wife, Dorothy Millette. Two days after Bern's death Millette jumped from the
Delta King ''Delta King'' is a and the sister ship of ''Delta Queen'', built in Glasgow, Scotland and Stockton, California for the California Transportation Company's service between Sacramento and San Francisco, California. She entered service in 1927 and ...
, a ferryboat traveling from San Francisco to
Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...
. Her shoes and her jacket were found on the boat by the place where she jumped from, while her body was found a few days later by men fishing on the
Sacramento River The Sacramento River () is the principal river of Northern California in the United States and is the largest river in California. Rising in the Klamath Mountains, the river flows south for before reaching the Sacramento–San Joaquin River D ...
. Marx also concluded that the alleged "suicide note" had in fact been written by Bern some weeks prior to his death. Bern had given roses to Harlow to apologize for a minor quarrel about the secluded location of their home. With the roses was a note which was later presented as a false suicide note by Los Angeles
District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...
Buron Fitts, whom Mayer bribed to suppress the case.


References

* Samuel Marx and Joyce Vanderveen: ''Deadly Illusions'' (Random House, New York, 1990), re-published as ''Murder Hollywood Style – Who Killed Jean Harlow's Husband?'' (Arrow, 1994, )


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Marx, Samuel American male screenwriters Jewish American screenwriters Film producers from New York (state) Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery 1902 births 1992 deaths Writers from New York City Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer executives 20th-century American businesspeople Screenwriters from New York (state) 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American Jews