Jerry Wald facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jerry Wald
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Jerry Wald (facing away from camera) during rehearsals for the 1958 Academy Awards, with John Wayne, Maurice Chevalier and Anthony Quinn
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Jerome Irving Wald
September 16, 1911 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
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| Died | July 13, 1962 (aged 50) |
| Occupation | Screenwriter; motion picture/radio program producer |
| Years active | 1932–1962 |
| Spouse(s) | Constance M. Polan (1941–1962; his death; 2 children) |
Jerome Irving Wald (born September 16, 1911 – died July 13, 1962) was an American writer and producer. He was known for creating many popular movies and radio shows. He worked in Hollywood for about 30 years.
Contents
Jerry Wald's Early Life and Career
Growing Up in Brooklyn
Jerry Wald was born into a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York. He had a brother and two sons who also worked in the entertainment business. He went to James Madison High School.
Starting in Radio and Film
He began his career by writing a radio column for a newspaper called the New York Evening Graphic. At the same time, he was studying journalism at New York University. This led him to produce short films for Vitaphone, a part of Warner Brothers. These short films were called Rambling 'Round Radio Row and he worked on them from 1932 to 1933.
His first full-length movie as a writer was Twenty Million Sweethearts (1934) for Warner Brothers. He also helped write the story for Universal's Gift of Gab (1934).
Jerry Wald as a Screenwriter
After his early success, Jerry Wald signed a long-term contract with Warner Brothers. He worked on many movie scripts there. Some of his early writing projects included Maybe It's Love (1935) and the musical Sweet Music (1935).
Working with Julius Epstein
Jerry Wald often worked with other writers. One of his frequent partners was Julius J. Epstein. Together, they wrote several films like the drama Living on Velvet (1935) and Little Big Shot (1935). They also worked on Stars Over Broadway (1935) and Sons o' Guns (1936).
He also wrote with Sig Herzig and Warren Duff on movies such as Sing Me a Love Song (1937).
Collaborating with Richard Macaulay
Another important writing partner for Wald was Richard Macaulay. They worked on many films together, including Ready, Willing and Able (1937). They also teamed up with Duff and Herzig for Varsity Show (1937).
Wald and Macaulay wrote the scripts for popular movies like Hollywood Hotel (1937) and Brother Rat (1938). They also wrote Hard to Get (1938) starring Dick Powell.
They had a big hit with the gangster film The Roaring Twenties (1939), which starred James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart. They wrote this film with Robert Rossen.
Their other films included Torrid Zone (1940) with Cagney and Ann Sheridan, and They Drive by Night (1940) with George Raft and Bogart. They also wrote the comedy Million Dollar Baby (1941) and Manpower (1941) with Raft and Marlene Dietrich.
Jerry Wald as a Producer
Jerry Wald was so good at his job that he was promoted to a producer. This meant he would oversee the making of films, not just write them. His first movie as a producer was Navy Blues (1941), which he also co-wrote.
Early Producing Success
He became an associate producer on films like The Man Who Came to Dinner (1941) and All Through the Night (1942) starring Bogart.
Soon, Wald became a full producer and was known as one of the best filmmakers at Warner Brothers. He produced Across the Pacific (1942) with Bogart and director John Huston. He also produced The Hard Way (1943).
Wald produced many important films during this time. These included Action in the North Atlantic (1943) with Bogart, and Destination Tokyo (1943) with Cary Grant. He also produced Objective, Burma! (1945) starring Errol Flynn.
Producing for Joan Crawford
Jerry Wald produced Joan Crawford's first film at Warner Brothers, Mildred Pierce (1945). This movie was a huge success and won Joan Crawford an Oscar. Wald himself was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture. He then produced her next film, Humoresque (1946).
He continued to produce many classic films, such as Possessed (1947) with Crawford, and Dark Passage (1947) with Bogart and Lauren Bacall.
More Hit Films
Wald produced a series of very famous movies. These included Key Largo (1948) with Bogart, Bacall, and Edward G. Robinson. He also produced Johnny Belinda (1948), which won an Oscar for its star Jane Wyman.
Other notable films he produced were Flamingo Road (1949) with Crawford, and Task Force (1949) with Gary Cooper. He also produced The Inspector General (1949) starring Danny Kaye.
In 1950, he produced Young Man with a Horn with Kirk Douglas, and The Glass Menagerie (1950). He also produced Storm Warning (1951), a film against the Ku Klux Klan.
Wald-Krasna Productions
Jerry Wald later teamed up with Norman Krasna to form their own company, Wald/Krasna Productions. They planned to make many films for RKO Radio Pictures.
Their movies together included the musical Two Tickets to Broadway (1951) and The Blue Veil (1951) with Jane Wyman. They also made The Lusty Men (1952), a rodeo drama, and Clash by Night (1953). However, their partnership ended because of problems with Howard Hughes, who was in charge of RKO at the time.
Working at Columbia Pictures
In 1952, Wald moved to Columbia Pictures. He became a vice president in charge of film production there.
At Columbia, he produced Miss Sadie Thompson (1953) starring Rita Hayworth. He also produced Queen Bee (1955) with Joan Crawford, and The Harder They Fall (1956), which was Humphrey Bogart's last movie.
Jerry Wald Productions at 20th Century Fox
Wald then signed a deal with 20th Century Fox and started his own company, Jerry Wald Productions. He had a big hit with An Affair to Remember (1957) starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. He also produced Peyton Place (1957), which was one of the biggest successes of his career.
Other films he produced during this time included The Long, Hot Summer (1958) with Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. He also produced The Sound and the Fury (1959).
Jerry Wald believed that filmmakers should "Don't offend the innocent but don't frustrate the intelligent." This meant making movies that were interesting and smart, but also suitable for a wide audience.
He produced The Best of Everything (1959) with Joan Crawford, and Beloved Infidel (1959) with Deborah Kerr and Gregory Peck.
Final Films and Legacy
One of Wald's last films was Sons and Lovers (1960), which he made in England.
Besides movies, Jerry Wald also produced the Academy Awards TV show twice, in 1957 and 1958. At the time of his death, he was working on adapting several books into movies, including Ulysses.
Awards and Recognition
Jerry Wald was nominated for an Academy Award four times for Best Picture. These nominations were for Mildred Pierce, Johnny Belinda, Peyton Place, and Sons and Lovers. Even though he didn't win a competitive Oscar, he received the special Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1949. This award is given to producers who have made many high-quality films.
Some people believe that Jerry Wald was the real-life inspiration for the character Sammy Glick in the famous novel What Makes Sammy Run by Budd Schulberg.
Jerry Wald was a close friend of actress Joan Crawford. He offered her many roles, including the main part in Mildred Pierce, which he produced. He convinced the director, Michael Curtiz, that she would be perfect for the role, and she won an Oscar for it. Wald produced many of Crawford's best films, helping her career.
Family Life
Jerry Wald married Constance Emily "Connie" Polan on Christmas Day in 1941. They had two sons together. Connie Wald became a well-known socialite in California, famous for her dinner parties. Her friend Audrey Hepburn often attended these parties, which continued even after Jerry Wald passed away.
Death
Jerry Wald had been unwell for a few years before his death. He died at his home in Beverly Hills, California, on July 13, 1962, at the age of 50, from a heart attack.
Images for kids
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Jerry Wald (facing away from camera) during rehearsals for the 1958 Academy Awards.
