American film producer and writer (1919?2019)
Edward Lewis
(December 16, 1919 ? July 27, 2019)
[1]
was an American film producer and writer. As producer, he worked on nine films in partnership with actor
Kirk Douglas
; from 1958 to 1966, Lewis was Vice-President of Kirk Douglas film production company,
Bryna Productions
, as well as its subsidiaries,
Brynaprod
,
Joel Productions
and Douglas and Lewis Productions.
[2]
[3]
He also produced nine films directed by
John Frankenheimer
. Lewis also wrote several books.
Biography
[
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]
Lewis was born in
Camden, New Jersey
to Max Klein and Florence (Klein) Lewis. Before graduating, Lewis went to
Bucknell University
, and then to dental school. Before graduating, he served in the
United States Army
in England as a Captain, at a military hospital. After
World War II
, he lived in Los Angeles, where he married Mildred Gerchik; they had two daughters.
[4]
He died at his home in
Los Angeles
,
California
.
[1]
Career
[
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]
In June 1956, Lewis began what would be a ten-year partnership with actor Kirk Douglas and his independent film production company
Bryna Productions
.
[5]
That month, Bryna Productions acquired Lewis' original story and screenplay,
Mavourneen
, a comedy about three girls in an Irish town who conspire to trick the town's most eligible bachelor into marrying one of them.
[5]
Lewis was appointed Associate Producer for both
Mavourneen
(which was never made) and
Lizzie
, a film about a woman with a triple personality complex, in production for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and starring
Eleanor Parker
.
[6]
[5]
Lewis would quickly become a key member for the Bryna Productions organization. In September 1956, Lewis was assigned as producer for Bryna Productions'
The Careless Years
, a teenage drama co-starring
Natalie Trundy
and
Dean Stockwell
.
[7]
In November 1957, Lewis was appointed head of Bryna Productions' television department, charged with producing and developing the series
Tales of the Vikings
for
United Artists Television
.
[8]
In late March 1958, Lewis was appointed Vice-President of Bryna Productions, a position he held for the next five years, until he was made an equal partner in the firm
Douglas and Lewis Productions
in December 1963, holding that position for an additional three years.
[9]
[10]
[11]
[12]
During this time, he worked on such films as
Spartacus
, co-starring Douglas,
Tony Curtis
,
Laurence Olivier
,
Charles Laughton
,
Peter Ustinov
,
John Gavin
and
Jean Simmons
;
The Last Sunset
, co-starring Douglas,
Rock Hudson
,
Joseph Cotten
and
Dorothy Malone
;
Lonely Are the Brave
, co-starring Douglas and
Walter Matthau
;
The List of Adrian Messenger
, co-starring Douglas and
George C. Scott
;
Seven Days in May
; co-starring Douglas,
Burt Lancaster
,
Fredric March
and
Ava Gardner
; Seconds, co-starring Hudson and
Salome Jens
; and
Grand Prix
, co-starring
James Garner
,
Yves Montand
,
Eva Marie Saint
and
Toshiro Mifune
. With
Spartacus
, Lewis contributed to ending the
Hollywood blacklist
by commissioning
Dalton Trumbo
to write the screenplay and 'fronting' for him, only revealing the subterfuge to
Universal-International
when
Spartacus
was nearly completed.
[4]
Trumbo is reported to have written of Lewis that he "risked his name to help a man who'd lost his name".
[13]
In January 1967, Edward Lewis Productions and John Frankenheimer Productions together signed a four-picture financing and distribution deal with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, for the production of several films which the pair had developed during the Douglas and Lewis Productions era.
[14]
Lewis and Frankenheimer co-produced five additional films together, including
The Fixer
,
The Extraordinary Seaman
and
The Gypsy Moths
, as part of their Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer pact, followed by
I Walk the Line
and
The Horsemen
, as part of a subsequent pact with Columbia Pictures.
[14]
[15]
Partial film credits
[
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]
Other work
[
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]
Drama
[
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]
Television
[
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]
Books
[
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]
- Brothers
(1977), co-authored with Mildred Lewis (fictionalized account of the relationship between black activist Angela Davis and George Jackson, a prison inmate).
- Heads You Lose
(2002) co-authored with Mildred Lewis
- Masquerade
(2006)
- I am Spartacus! Making a Film, Breaking the Blacklist.
(2012)
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Barnes, Mike (August 12, 2019).
"Edward Lewis, Producer of
Spartacus
,
Missing
and
Grand Prix
, Dies at 99"
.
The Washington Post
. Retrieved
August 14,
2019
.
- ^
Jay Emanuel Publications, Inc (1957).
Motion Picture Exhibitor (Oct 1957-Apr 1958) New York State Edition
. Media History Digital Library. Philadelphia, Jay Emanuel Publications, Inc.
- ^
Boxoffice; Boxoffice (1962).
Boxoffice (Jan-Mar 1962)
. Media History Digital Library. New York, Boxoffice.
- ^
a
b
Roberts, Sam (August 15, 2019).
"Edward Lewis, 'Spartacus' Producer Who Defied Blacklist, Dies at 99"
.
New York Times
. Retrieved
September 4,
2019
.
- ^
a
b
c
Yumpu.com.
"Boxoffice-July.07.1956"
.
yumpu.com
. Retrieved
2021-06-11
.
- ^
"Los Angeles Evening Citizen News from Hollywood, California on July 2, 1956 · 15"
.
Newspapers.com
. Retrieved
2021-05-19
.
- ^
"The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California on October 11, 1956 · 56"
.
Newspapers.com
. Retrieved
2021-05-19
.
- ^
Variety (1957).
Variety (November 1957)
. Media History Digital Library. New York, NY: Variety Publishing Company.
- ^
"Valley Times from North Hollywood, California on April 2, 1958 · 8"
.
Newspapers.com
. Retrieved
2021-05-20
.
- ^
Boxoffice; Boxoffice (1961).
Boxoffice (Jan-Mar 1961)
. Media History Digital Library. New York, Boxoffice.
- ^
"The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California on January 1, 1964 · 34"
.
Newspapers.com
. Retrieved
2021-06-01
.
- ^
Yumpu.com.
"Boxoffice-February.10.1964"
.
yumpu.com
. Retrieved
2021-06-11
.
- ^
Smith, Harrison (August 13, 2019).
"Edward Lewis,
Spartacus
producer who helped break the blacklist, dies at 99"
.
The Washington Post
. Retrieved
August 14,
2019
.
- ^
a
b
"Los Angeles Evening Citizen News from Hollywood, California on January 27, 1967 · 26"
.
Newspapers.com
. Retrieved
2021-06-03
.
- ^
Jay Emanuel Publications, Inc (1966).
Motion Picture Exhibitor (Nov 1966-Feb 1967)
. Media History Digital Library. Philadelphia, Jay Emanuel Publications, Inc.
External links
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