Sam Warner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sam Warner
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| Born |
Szmuel Wonsal
August 10, 1887 Krasnosielc, Congress Poland, Russian Empire
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| Died | October 5, 1927 (aged 40) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Resting place | Home of Peace Cemetery |
| Other names | S.L. Warner Samuel L. Warner |
| Occupation | Film executive Co-founder of Warner Bros. |
| Years active | 1907–1927 |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | brothers Harry, Albert, and Jack L. Warner |
Samuel Louis Warner (born Szmuel Wonsal, August 10, 1885 – October 5, 1927) was an American film producer. He helped start Warner Bros. with his brothers Harry, Albert, and Jack L. Warner. Sam Warner is famous for finding the technology that allowed Warner Bros. to make the first full-length movie with sound, The Jazz Singer. He passed away in 1927, just one day before this very successful movie was shown for the first time.
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Sam Warner's Early Life
Samuel "Wonsal" was born in Krasnosielc, a town in Poland. He was one of eleven children. His parents, Benjamin and Pearl Leah, were Polish Jews. Benjamin was a shoemaker.
In October 1889, Sam's family moved to Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States. His father had moved there a year earlier. The family changed their last name to Warner. Like many immigrant families, some children changed their names to sound more American. Szmuel became Samuel, and people called him Sam.
Life was hard for the Warner family in Baltimore. Benjamin Warner tried to make enough money. They even moved to Canada for two years, where Benjamin traded tin goods for furs. But it was tough, so they returned to Baltimore. In 1896, the family moved to Youngstown, Ohio. Sam's older brother, Harry, had opened a shoe repair shop there. Sam worked many different odd jobs as a child to help out.
Sam Warner's Career in Movies
Starting in Entertainment
Sam Warner was the first in his family to get into the entertainment business. In the early 1900s, he teamed up with someone in Youngstown. They took over the Old Grand Opera House. They used it for cheap shows and early movies. This idea didn't work out.
Then, Sam got a job as a projectionist at Idora Park. He saw how exciting movies could be. He convinced his family that movies had a future. He bought a movie projector called a Model B Kinetoscope for $1,000. Sam's interest in film grew after seeing Thomas Edison's The Great Train Robbery.
In 1905, Sam's brother Harry joined them. Harry sold his bicycle shop in Youngstown. With that money, the three brothers bought a building in New Castle, Pennsylvania. They opened a movie theater called The Cascade Movie Palace. It was very popular. They even bought a second theater in New Castle. They used chairs borrowed from a local funeral home for this one!
Moving into Film Distribution
In 1907, the Warner brothers started a film distribution company. It was called Duquesne Amusement Company, based in Pittsburgh. Sam went to New York to buy films for their company. Harry and Albert stayed in Pittsburgh to run the business.
Their business did well until Thomas Edison's Motion Picture Patents Company (Edison Trust) started charging high fees. In 1909, the brothers sold the Cascade Theater for $40,000. They opened another film company in Norfolk, Virginia. Their younger brother, Jacob (known as "Jack"), joined them there. In 1910, the Warners sold their family business for $52,000.
Creating Warner Bros.
In 1910, the Warner brothers decided to start making their own movies. They supported filmmaker Carl Laemmle's company, which was fighting against Edison's control. The Warners helped distribute Laemmle's films. In 1912, Sam helped the brothers make a $1,500 profit with his film Dante's Inferno.
After this success, Harry Warner decided they should start their own film production company, Warner Features. Harry and Albert worked in New York. Sam and Jack went to Los Angeles and San Francisco to set up film offices. Sam managed the Los Angeles office, and Jack managed San Francisco. They were ready to take advantage of the growing movie business in California.
Their first big chance to make a major film came in 1918. They bought the rights to a book called My Four Years in Germany. This book talked about bad things Germany did during the war. The money from this film helped the four brothers build a studio near Hollywood. In the new Hollywood studio, Sam became a co-head of production with Jack. They found new stories, managed film making, and tried to save money.
Between 1919 and 1920, the studio didn't make much money. A banker named Motley H. Flint helped them pay off their debts. The brothers moved their studio to Sunset Boulevard. In 1921, the studio became successful again with the film Why Girls Leave Home. On April 4, 1923, after another successful film, Where the North Begins, Warner Brothers, Inc. was officially started.
One of the new company's first big stars was a dog named Rin Tin Tin. The studio also found success with German director Ernst Lubitsch. His first film with Warner Bros., The Marriage Circle, was named one of the best films of 1924. It was also the studio's most successful film that year. Even with this success, Warner Bros. struggled to compete with bigger studios like Paramount and Universal.
Bringing Sound to Movies
In 1925, Sam Warner bought a radio station, KFWB. He then wanted to try adding sound to Warner Bros. movies. He visited Bell Laboratories, where they were working on new sound technology. Sam urged his brother Harry to work with Western Electric to make short "talking" films with sound. Harry Warner was not sure about using sound in movies at first.
By early 1926, the studio was losing money. Harry finally agreed to use sound in shorts, but only for background music. Harry visited Bell Laboratories and was very impressed. Sam Warner worked hard to convince Western Electric to sign a deal with Warner Bros. Harry Warner then signed an agreement to test sound-on-film. Sam and Jack decided to make a big movie with sound, Don Juan.
In May 1926, Sam created a company called Vitaphone. Through Vitaphone, the studio released musical shorts and the movie Don Juan, which had synchronized music. Sam also became Vice President of Warner Bros. Even though Don Juan made money, it didn't cover the high costs of making it. Harry became even more against using sound.
Around this time, another studio offered Sam a job if he brought Vitaphone with him. Sam thought about it because Harry kept refusing to use sound in more movies. But the deal fell through. By April 1927, Warner Bros. was in financial trouble. Western Electric renewed their contract, allowing other companies to use their sound technology too.
Finally, Harry Warner agreed to Sam's ideas. The Warner brothers moved forward with The Jazz Singer, a new Vitaphone movie starring Al Jolson. The Jazz Singer broke box-office records! It made Warner Bros. a major studio in Hollywood and started the "talkie" revolution.
Sam Warner's Personal Life
In 1925, Sam Warner met Lina Basquette, an 18-year-old actress. They fell in love and got married on July 4, 1925. Sam's younger brother Jack didn't mind that Lina was Catholic, but the rest of the Warner family did. They didn't accept her as part of the family. On October 6, 1926, Sam and Lina had their only child, a daughter named Lita.
After Sam Warner passed away in 1927, his brother Harry asked Lina to give up custody of Lita. Harry was worried Lita would be raised Catholic. Harry and his wife offered Lina money to give up custody. Lina eventually agreed, and Harry and his wife became Lita's legal guardians in 1930. Lina later regretted her decision.
Sam Warner's Passing
In September 1927, Sam Warner started having bad headaches and nosebleeds. He was working very hard with Jack on The Jazz Singer. He became very sick and had trouble walking. Doctors found he had a serious infection in his brain. After several surgeries, Sam went into a coma. He passed away on October 5, 1927, due to the infection. This was just one day before The Jazz Singer was shown for the first time.
Many movie stars came to Sam Warner's funeral. A private service was also held at the Warner Bros. studio. He is buried in the Warner family tomb at Home of Peace Cemetery in East Los Angeles, California.
Even though the family was sad about Sam's death, the huge success of The Jazz Singer made Warner Bros. a very important studio. The movie cost $500,000 to make but earned $3 million in profits. Other big studios tried to stop "talking pictures" at first. But Warner Bros. made twelve more "talkies" in 1928 alone. The next year, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences honored Warner Bros. for changing the movie industry with sound.
Sam Warner's Legacy
Sam Warner was a true pioneer. He believed sound could make movies better, even if he first thought it was mainly for music and effects. His work with Vitaphone changed how movies were made forever.
For his important contributions to the motion picture industry, Sam Warner has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6201 Hollywood Boulevard.
The Warner Brothers family also donated a gymnasium to the Hebrew Orphan Asylum in New York City in 1928. It was named in memory of Sam L. Warner and Milton Warner. This gym can still be seen today on 138th Street in New York City.
