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Gordon Stulberg

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Gordon T. Stulberg (17 December 1923 – 12 October 2000) was a Canadian-American film executive and lawyer, best known for a long stint as president and chief operating officer of 20th Century Fox and Cinema Center Films and PolyGram Pictures.[1]

Gordon T. Stulberg
BornDecember 17, 1923
Toronto
DiedOctober 12, 2000(2000-10-12) (aged 76)
NationalityCanadian
American
EducationUniversity of Toronto
Cornell University
Known forpresident and chief operating officer of 20th Century Fox, Cinema Center Films, PolyGram Pictures
SpouseHelen Applebaum
Children4

Early life and education

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Stulberg was born into a Jewish family[2][1] in Toronto, the son of a labor organizer.[1] He graduated with a B.A. from the University of Toronto and a J.D. from Cornell University before moving to Los Angeles.[1] He became a naturalized citizen of the US in 1951.[1]

Career

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After school, he worked in entertainment law with the firm Pacht, Ross, Warne & Bernhard and represented among others the Writers Guild of America.[1] In the 1954 writers strike he served as chief counsel and negotiator for the guild helping to establish the concept of "separation of rights and residuals". This concept ensured that all writers would receive payment for their work regardless of the format in which it was used, be it in plays, radio, television, film, or simply for sales promotion.[1] In 1956, Stulberg joined Columbia Pictures as an executive assistant to Ben Kahane, second in charge to Harry Cohn,[3][1] and worked his way up through the company, becoming in 1960, vice president and chief studio administrative officer.[1]

Studio Head

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In 1967, Stulberg was hired by CBS president William S. Paley to run CBS' new motion picture division, called Cinema Center Films[4] where he oversaw 26 films including Little Big Man (1970) and The Boys in the Band (1971).[1]

In 1971, he was approached by 20th Century Fox to be president and chief operating officer when Fox's future was threatened by banks intending to call in their loans, which they offered to extend only if Stulberg was hired. He worked with chairman and CEO Dennis Stanfill.[5] Stulberg worked to turn around the studio's financial performance.[6][7] He had some notable successes and some failures as well but over all opinion on Stulberg's tenure was quite positive. This was due to his efforts in salvaging and reallocating misused funds, revamping the studio's sagging image, and his foresight in making such films as the epic classic Star Wars (1977) and cult favorites like Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), Young Frankenstein (1974) and Sounder (1972).[8] In 1974, Stulberg left Fox after differences with Stanfill and returned to practicing law at the entertainment law firm of Mitchell, Silberberg and Knupp for five years.[1]

He returned to the film business in 1980 and became president of PolyGram Pictures, making Endless Love (1981) and An American Werewolf in London (1981).[1] He later became head of American Interative Media, chairman of the board of Philips Interactive Media of America and a director of Trimark Pictures.[1]

Personal life

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Stulberg was married to Helen (née Applebaum) Stulberg (1925–2010). They had four children: Jac Stulberg (from Helen's first marriage), Sita Stulberg, Scott Stulberg and Lysienne "Lysa" Stulberg.[1][9] Stulberg died from complications related to diabetes.[1]

Selected filmography

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Films made under Stulberg at Cinema Center Films

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Films made under Stulberg at 20th Century Fox

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Films made under Stulberg at Polygram

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Gordon Stulberg obituary at Los Angeles Times
  2. ^ Erens, Patricia (1998). The Jew in American Cinema. Indiana University Press. p. 392. ISBN 978-0-253-20493-6.
  3. ^ Pryor, Thomas M. (Mar 8, 1956). "TATELMAN BUYS NOVEL FOR MOVIE: Independent Producer Gets Rights to Robert Wilder's 'Wait for Tomorrow' Of Local Origin". New York Times. p. 32.
  4. ^ Gent, George (Mar 17, 1967). "C.B.S. FORMS UNIT TO PRODUCE FILMS: Full-Length Features to Be Distributed to Theaters". New York Times. p. 83.
  5. ^ "Stulberg Headed for Top Job at Fox?". Los Angeles Times. Aug 23, 1971. p. f12. - Clipping at Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Dallos, Robert E. (Oct 29, 1971). "Fox Posts $4.3 Million Profit for 3rd Quarter in Turnaround: FOX PROFIT". Los Angeles Times. p. d13, d15. - Clipping of first and of second page at Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Dallos, Robert E. (Nov 14, 1971). "Reality Enters Fox Dream Factory: Can a Businessman Create Movies---and Money? Reality Enters the Fox Dream Factory". Los Angeles Times. pp. i1, i9. - Clipping of first and of second page at Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Farber, Stephen (Jan 19, 1975). "Film Notes: Rising Stars and Falling Moguls". New York Times. p. 119.
  9. ^ Los Angeles Times: "Helen Stulberg Obituary" February 18, 2010
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