Seymour Nebenzal (22 July 1899 – 23 September 1961) was an American-born Jewish-German

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

. He produced 46 films between 1927 and 1961.

Biography

Germany

He got into film production through his father Heinrich Nebenzahl (1870–1938), who, in the early 1920s, worked with German action star

Harry Piel Heinrich Piel (12 July 1892 – 27 March 1963), known professionally as Harry Piel, was a prolific German actor, film director, screenwriter, and film producer who was involved in over 150 films. Piel became a director in 1912, turning out such ...

. In 1926, Heinrich Nebenzahl and director-producer Richard Oswald founded the company Nero-Film. As head of this company Seymour Nebenzal became one of the most important producers of the transition period from silent to

sound film A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed befo ...

in Germany. He worked with the directors

Georg Wilhelm Pabst Georg Wilhelm Pabst (25 August 1885 – 29 May 1967) was an Austrian film director and screenwriter. He started as an actor and theater director, before becoming one of the most influential German-language filmmakers during the Weimar Republic. ...

, Arthur Ripley,

Douglas Sirk Douglas Sirk (born Hans Detlef Sierck; 26 April 1897 – 14 January 1987) was a German film director best known for his work in Hollywood melodramas of the 1950s. Sirk started his career in Germany as a stage and screen director, but he left f ...

Harold S. Bucquet Harold S. Bucquet (10 April 1891 – 13 February 1946) was an English film director. He directed 26 films between 1936 and 1945. His 1937 film ''Torture Money'' won an Academy Award for the Best Short Subject (Two-Reel). His 1943 short ''T ...

Edgar G. Ulmer Edgar Georg Ulmer (; September 17, 1904 – September 30, 1972) was a Jewish- Moravian, Austrian-American film director who mainly worked on Hollywood B movies and other low-budget productions, eventually earning the epithet 'The King of PRC', ...

Léonide Moguy Léonide Moguy (14 July 1899 – 21 April 1976) was a Ukrainian, French and Italian film director, screenwriter and film editor. Moguy was born Leonid Mohylevskyi () in Odesa, Russian Empire in 1899 in a Jewish family. He lived in Soviet Ukrai ...

Paul Czinner Paul Czinner (30 May 1890 – 22 June 1972) was a Hungarian-born British writer, film director, and producer. Biography Czinner was born to a Jewish family in Budapest, Austria-Hungary. After studying literature and philosophy at the Universi ...

and

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. 6 ...

among others. In 1933, he was forced into exile, fleeing the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hit ...

."Seymour Nebenzal Dead at 63, Produced 'M' and Other Films", ''New York Times'', 28 September 1961: 41.

France

In Paris he produced films by other exiles from Germany such as his cousin

Robert Siodmak Robert Siodmak (; 8 August 1900 – 10 March 1973) was a German film director who also worked in the United States. He is best remembered as a thriller specialist and for a series of films noirs he made in the 1940s, such as '' The Killers'' (19 ...

and

Max Ophüls Maximillian Oppenheimer (; 6 May 1902 – 26 March 1957), known as Max Ophüls (; ), was a German-French film director who worked in Germany (1931–1933), France (1933–1940 and 1950–1957), and the United States (1947–1950). He made near ...

as well as

Anatole Litvak Anatoly Mikhailovich Litvak (russian: Анатолий Михайлович Литвак; 21 May 1902 – 15 December 1974), better known as Anatole Litvak, was a Ukrainian-born American filmmaker who wrote, directed, and produced films in vari ...

, Fedor Ozep, and

Raymond Bernard Raymond Bernard (10 October 1891 – 12 December 1977) was a French film director and screenwriter whose career spanned more than 40 years. He is best remembered for several large-scale historical productions, including the silent films '' Le Mi ...

Hollywood

In 1939, he went on to Hollywood where he became one of the first independent producers. He made films with

, Arthur Ripley, and Albert S. Rogell. He produced remakes of his successes from the early 1930s: ''Siren of Atlantis'' with

Maria Montez María África Gracia Vidal (6 June 1912 – 7 September 1951), known professionally as Maria Montez, was a Dominican motion picture actress who gained fame and popularity in the 1940s starring in a series of filmed-in-Technicolor costume ...

and '' M'' (1951), that was directed by

Joseph Losey Joseph Walton Losey III (; January 14, 1909 – June 22, 1984) was an American theatre and film director, producer, and screenwriter. Born in Wisconsin, he studied in Germany with Bertolt Brecht and then returned to the United States. Blacklisted ...

. In October 1946, he paid $150,000 for the world rights to ''Madame Butterfly''. He signed Jean-Pierre Aumont to a three-film contract following ''Atlantis''. He had screen rights to ''

Look Homeward, Angel ''Look Homeward, Angel: A Story of the Buried Life'' is a 1929 novel by Thomas Wolfe. It is Wolfe's first novel, and is considered a highly autobiographical American coming-of-age story. The character of Eugene Gant is generally believed to be ...

'' but the film was not made.

successfully sued Seymour for unpaid salary for ''Atlantis''."MONTEZ WINS SUIT FOR UNPAID SALARY: $38,000 Judgment Is Awarded to Actress by Coast Court-- Nebenzal Is Defendant" By THOMAS F. BRADY Special to ''THE NEW YORK TIMES''. 3 January 1951: 23. Seymour Nebenzal died of a heart attack at his

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

home. Harold Nebenzal (born 31 March 1922, Berlin – died 14 February 2019 in Los Angeles), associate producer of '' M'' (1951), was his son. Harold became a script writer ('' The Wilby Conspiracy''), film producer (''

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dinin ...

'', '' Gabriela'') and novelist (''Cafe Berlin''). Harold, husband of actress Rita Corday, was in charge of foreign film production for many years for MGM, and also worked on many of the films of

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-American filmmaker. His career in Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Classic Holl ...

including ''

Fedora A fedora () is a hat with a soft brim and indented crown.Kilgour, Ruth Edwards (1958). ''A Pageant of Hats Ancient and Modern''. R. M. McBride Company. It is typically creased lengthwise down the crown and "pinched" near the front on both sides ...

''. Seymour Nebenzal had, many years earlier, made possible Wilder's first film, '' People on Sunday'', by borrowing the needed funds to make the picture from his own father, Heinrich Nebenzahl, the first Nebenzal film producer.

Selected filmography

* '' His Greatest Bluff'' (1927) * ''

The Prisoners of Shanghai ''The Prisoners of Shanghai'' (german: Die Gefangene von Shanghai) is a 1927 German silent drama film directed by Géza von Bolváry and Augusto Genina and starring Carmen Boni, Jack Trevor, and Bernhard Goetzke. Cast * Carmen Boni as Maria *Ja ...

'' (1927) * '' Night of Mystery'' (1927) * '' The Last Fort'' (1928) * '' Love's Masquerade'' (1928) * '' The Story of a Little Parisian'' (1928) * '' Tragedy at the Royal Circus'' (1928) * '' Scampolo'' (1928) * '' Die Büchse der Pandora'' (1929) * ''

Perjury Perjury (also known as foreswearing) is the intentional act of swearing a false oath or falsifying an affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to an official proceeding."Perjury The act or an inst ...

'' (1929) * '' Diary of a Coquette'' (1929) * ''

Marriage in Trouble ''Marriage in Trouble'' (German: ''Ehe in Not'') is a 1929 German silent drama film directed by Richard Oswald and starring Elga Brink, Walter Rilla and Evelyn Holt. It was shot at the EFA Studios in Berlin. The film's art direction was by Franz ...

'' (1929) * '' People on Sunday'' (1930) * ''

Westfront 1918 ''Westfront 1918'' is a German war film, set mostly in the trench warfare, trenches of the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during World War I. It was directed in 1930 by G. W. Pabst, from a screenplay by Ladislaus Vajda based on the n ...

'' (1930) * '' Scandalous Eva'' (1930) * '' The Widow's Ball'' (1930) * '' Kohlhiesel's Daughters'' (1930) * '' Die 3-Groschen-Oper'' (1931) * ''

Ariane Ariane may refer to: *Ariana (name), also Ariane, Arianne Arts * ''Ariane'' (Martinů), an opera by Bohuslav Martinů, first performed 1961 * ''Ariane'' (Massenet), an opera by Jules Massenet, first performed 1906 * ''Ariane'' (film), a 1931 ...

'' (1931) * ''

A Night at the Grand Hotel ''A Night at the Grand Hotel'' (german: Eine Nacht im Grandhotel) is a 1931 German drama film directed by Max Neufeld and starring Mártha Eggerth, Ulrich Bettac, and Kurt Gerron.Bock & Bergfelder p. 156 It was shot at the Johannisthal Studi ...

'' (1931) * '' M'' (1931) * ''

'' (1931) * '' 24 Hours in the Life of a Woman'' (1931) * ''

Kameradschaft ''Kameradschaft'' ( en, Comradeship, known in France as ''La Tragédie de la mine'') is a 1931 dramatic film directed by Austrian director G. W. Pabst. The French-German co-production drama is noted for combining expressionism and realism.Butle ...

'' (1931) * '' L'Atlantide'' (1932) three versions: German, French, and English * '' Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse'' (1933) * '' Le sexe faible'' (1933) * ''

Three Lucky Fools ''Three Lucky Fools'' (Italian: ''Tre uomini in frack'') is a 1933 French-Italian comedy film directed by Mario Bonnard and starring Tito Schipa, Eduardo De Filippo, and Fred Pasquali. It marked the film debut of Assia Noris, who went on to be a ...

'' (1933) * ''

The Crisis is Over ''The Crisis is Over'' (French: ''La crise est finie'') is a 1934 French musical comedy film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Albert Préjean, Danielle Darrieux and Marcel Carpentier. Many of those who worked on the film were exiles fro ...

'' (1934) * '' Parisian Life'' (1936) * ''

Mayerling Mayerling is a small village (pop. 200) in Lower Austria belonging to the municipality of Alland in the district of Baden. It is situated on the Schwechat river, in the Wienerwald (''Vienna woods''), southwest of Vienna. From 1550, it was in t ...

'' (1936) * ''

White Cargo ''White Cargo'' is a 1942 film drama starring Hedy Lamarr and Walter Pidgeon, and directed by Richard Thorpe. Released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it is based on the 1923 London and Broadway hit play by Leon Gordon, which was in turn adapted from t ...

'' (1937) * '' The Novel of Werther'' (1938) * '' Princess Tarakanova'' (1938) * '' Les ôtages'' (1939) * '' We Who Are Young'' (1940) * '' Hitler's Madman'' (1943) * '' Summer Storm'' (1944) * ''

Whistle Stop In public transport, a request stop, flag stop, or whistle stop is a stop or station at which buses or trains, respectively, stop only on request; that is, only if there are passengers or freight to be picked up or dropped off. In this way, s ...

'' (1945) * '' The Chase'' (1946) * '' Siren of Atlantis'' (1948) * '' M'' (1951) * '' Girl from Hong Kong'' (1961)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nebenzal, Seymour 1899 births 1961 deaths German film producers American people of Austrian-Jewish descent Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States Businesspeople from New York City 20th-century American businesspeople