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Charles K. Feldman

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Charles K. Feldman (April 26, 1905 – May 25, 1968) was a Hollywood attorney, film producer and talent agent.

Charles K. Feldman
Born
Charles Kenneth Gould

(1905-04-26)April 26, 1905
New York City, New York
DiedMay 25, 1968(1968-05-25) (aged 63)
Occupation(s)Producer and celebrity agent
Notable workThe Glass Menagerie,
A Streetcar Named Desire,
The Seven Year Itch
Spouse(s)Jean Howard
(1935 m.–1947 div.)[1]
Clotilde Barot
(April 1968 m.–death)

Early life

Charles Kenneth Gould was born in New York City on April 26, 1905.[2] His father was a diamond merchant who immigrated to New Jersey. Both of his parents, however, died of cancer[3] and he was orphaned at age six, along with his five siblings.[4] He was taken in by Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Feldman at age seven.[5] Feldman was from Bayonne, New Jersey and was a furniture-store owner.[3] A few years later, the Feldmans moved permanently to California.[5]

Career

Charles Feldman studied at the University of Michigan[6] and later became a lawyer, earning his degree from the University of Southern California. He earned money to put himself through college by working as a mail carrier and a cameraman in a movie studio.[4] He became a lawyer for talent agencies,[6] and by age 30, he had become known as a Hollywood attorney; however, he became an agent instead.[4] In 1932, Feldman founded the Famous Artists corporation and left his job as a lawyer.[6] He was joined by Ad Schulberg.[5] Felder combined his background as a lawyer with his celebrity connections to help find and contract jobs.[4] Among his first clients were Charles Boyer and Joan Bennett.[5] Feldman's Famous Artists which was bought by Ashley-Steiner Famous in 1962.[7]

Feldman began using new tactics in his field. He would buy story ideas contract them to unemployed writers to make into a screenplay.[4] He would also negotiating one-picture deals for a star, not a long-term studio contract, as was the custom. This way clients could work at multiple studios simultaneously. Feldman also combined several clients into one package and selling them to a producer or studio as one unit.[8] Another tactic was the use of overlapping nonexclusive contracts with clients like Irene Dunne and Claudette Colbert,[7] demonstrating flexible alternatives to the so-called iron-clad studio contract in the classical Hollywood era.[8]

In 1942, Feldman was in charge of the Hollywood Victory Caravan for Army and Navy Relief.[5] As an agent, he became friends with celebrities like Jack Warner, Sam Goldwyn,[4] Gary cooper, Greta Garbo, John Wayne, and many others.[6] This idea was the beginning of Hollywood's "package deal."[4] One of his greatest successes was The Bishop's Wife which was produced in 1948. He bought the rights to the book by Robert Nathan for $15,000 and sold the screen play for $200,000.[4]

Feldman held considerable sway in the making of some films. It was Feldman who suggested to Jack L. Warner (as a friend) that he recut Howard Hawks's Big Sleep and add scenes to enhance Bacall's performance,[9] which he felt was more or less a "bit part" in the 1945 cut.[10]

He later went on to produce his own movies instead of selling the screenplays[4] and created the Charles K. Feldman Productions in 1945. This company produced A Streetcar Named Desire and The Seven Year Itch.[3] He was the agent of Marilyn Monroe from 1951 to 1955.[11]

Notable films

Personal life and death

In 1935 Feldman married actress Jean Howard. They fought frequently, and divorced in 1947; however, they remained good friends and even continued to share a house for some time.[4][3] He also gave up gambling in 1947.[4] Throughout his life, his biological siblings often sent him letters asking for money. Although he preferred to not have contact with them, he did send money and old clothes.[5] He married Clotilde Barot on April 14, 1968[1] just six weeks before he died of pancreatic cancer.[3][2] He died May 25, 1968, although no funeral was held for him.[6] C. K. Feldman was interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b "Charles K. Feldman". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Ellenberger, Allan R. (May 2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company Inc., Publishers. pp. 126–127. ISBN 9780786409839.
  3. ^ a b c d e Brantley, Ben. "Pictures of Jean". Vanity Fair. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Havemann, Ernest (April 17, 1950). "Packages of Stars: Agent Charles Feldman gambles on bundles of actors, directors, scripts". LIFE: 107–116. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Biskind, Peter (April 2003). "The Man Who Minted Style". Vanity Fair.
  6. ^ a b c d e "C. K. Feldman, Movie Mogul, Dies; Aged 63: A Talent Agent Who Became Producer". Chicago Tribune. May 26, 1968. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  7. ^ a b Rose, Frank (1995). The Agency: William Morris and the Hidden History of Show Business. New York: Harper Business. p. 104,263. ISBN 9780887307492.
  8. ^ a b Kemper, Tom. "Collaborating Agent: Charles Feldman and Clients". Questia. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  9. ^ Grimes, William (January 9, 1997). "Mystery of 'The Big Sleep' Solved". The New York Times. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  10. ^ Irwin, John T. (2006). Unless the Threat of Death is Behind Them: Hard-boiled Fiction and Film Noir. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 232. ISBN 9780801884351. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  11. ^ Spoto, Donald. Marilyn Monroe: The Biography. Cooper Square Press. p. 610. ISBN 9780815411833. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
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