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Nicholas Schenck

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team and many others. Schenck's adroit business sense made him a wealthy man. In 1927, he and Joseph were reported to be worth about $ 20 million (approximately $ 500 million in today's money, possibly more), with a combined yearly income of at least a million. By some estimates, Nicholas Schenck was
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Although Schenck's power and prestige were at their peak after World War II, times were changing, as television loomed on the horizon. Like many in the motion picture industry, however, Schenck adamantly refused to get involved with the new medium. In 1951, Louis B. Mayer had a falling out with
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By 1932, Schenck was running an entertainment empire that consisted of a thriving theater circuit and MGM. The conglomerate, which Schenck continued to manage closely from New York City, employed 12,000 people. Schenck, by demanding a tight production schedule, created tension with Mayer and
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with Mayer as studio chief. For reasons that remain unknown, Mayer and Schenck disliked each other intensely; Mayer reportedly called Schenck "Mr. Skunk" in private. It was the start of a testy relationship that would last for almost four decades.
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Loew soon realized he needed someone in Hollywood to run his studio interests. Schenck seemed the obvious choice, but Loew concluded that he needed Schenck in New York to help run the theaters. He bought a studio headed by independent producer
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Schenck eventually became Loew's right-hand man, helping him manage what rapidly grew into a vast theater chain. In 1919, Schenck was named as vice president and general manager of
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In 1910, the Schencks' theaters were grouped into Loew's Consolidated Enterprises. Loew, having noted the brothers' success, advanced them capital, permitting them to purchase
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had nearly wiped out his fortune. Schenck blamed Mayer for costing him millions, and this made an already icy relationship even worse. However, due to the
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By the middle of the decade, the price of MGM shares was sagging and stockholders were growing restive. On December 14, 1955,
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Shortly afterward, in the summer of 1929, Fox was seriously injured in a car accident. By the time he had recovered, the
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worked as a team running errands and selling newspapers while studying at the New York College of Pharmacy at night.
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Nicholas Schenck's first marriage ended in divorce. In 1927, he married socialite and former vaudeville entertainer
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became president, Schenck was named honorary chairman, but retired altogether later that same year.
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Under Schenck's leadership, the studio produced a great quantity of films, and the
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In 1927, Marcus Loew died suddenly, leaving control of Loew's to Schenck. In 1929,
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and, through his political connections, managed to get the deal stalled on
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the eighth richest individual in the United States during the 1930s.
340: 260: 248: 439: 190: 606:; they had three children. She acted under the name Niki Dantine. 189:, emigrated to the United States in 1892 where they settled in a 170: 145: 137: 84: 58: 699:"Nick Schenck, L.B. Mayer's Boss, Dies Three Days After Vogel". 591:. Her sister was actress Ruth Selwyn (1905–1954), wife of 299:
Joseph relocated to Hollywood, eventually becoming president of
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Upon his arrival in the United States, he and his older brother
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Nicholas Schenck divided his last years between his estates at
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allowed it to retain a wide array of talent under its roof:
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Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States
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They subsequently began working in a drugstore in the
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Cobul, who raced under his wife's name, won the 1958
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in 1924, merging the Loew's Hollywood interests into
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in 1924 to keep the theaters supplied with product.
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and began casting about for other business ventures.
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One summer day, the Schencks took a trolley ride to
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Subsequently, he relocated to 795:American film studio executives 709: 667: 16:American film studio executive 1: 636: 160: 855:Loews Cineplex Entertainment 155: 7: 865:Film producers from Florida 815:Businesspeople from Florida 10: 886: 301:United Artists Corporation 257:Fort George Amusement Park 235:front row, left to right: 19:For the screenwriter, see 18: 629:Schenck died following a 288:Bergen County, New Jersey 226: 148:) was a Russian-American 110: 100: 92: 73: 44: 35: 28: 723:MGM: When the Lion Roars 624: 609:Schenck owned and raced 284:Palisades Amusement Park 845:People from Long Island 727:. Turner Publications. 674:Jewish Standard Letters 653:Naturalization papers. 331:, head of rival studio 252: 144:– 4 March 1969, 234: 179:Yaroslavl Governorate 150:film studio executive 105:Film studio executive 63:Yaroslavl Governorate 633:in Florida in 1969. 462:improve this section 333:Fox Film Corporation 835:People from Rybinsk 752:Nicholas M. Schenck 321:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 136:(14 November 1880, 134:Nicholas M. Schenck 830:People from Harlem 481:"Nicholas Schenck" 430:After World War II 419:Jeanette MacDonald 352:stock market crash 348:stock market crash 337:Justice Department 253: 734:978-1-878685-04-9 542: 541: 534: 516: 407:Katharine Hepburn 275:, and eventually 152:and businessman. 131: 130: 115:Joseph M. Schenck 55:November 14, 1880 877: 739: 738: 726: 713: 707: 706: 696: 677: 671: 665: 664: 650: 537: 530: 526: 523: 517: 515: 474: 442: 434: 364:Great Depression 309:Goldwyn Pictures 173:, a town on the 127:(brother-in-law) 96:Russian American 80: 54: 52: 40: 30:Nicholas Schenck 26: 25: 885: 884: 880: 879: 878: 876: 875: 874: 770: 769: 748: 743: 742: 735: 714: 710: 698: 697: 680: 672: 668: 651: 644: 639: 627: 581: 558:Joseph R. Vogel 538: 527: 521: 518: 475: 473: 459: 443: 432: 360:Irving Thalberg 277:motion pictures 229: 195:Lower East Side 163: 158: 123: 122:(sister-in-law) 118: 88: 82: 78: 69: 56: 50: 48: 31: 24: 17: 12: 11: 5: 883: 873: 872: 867: 862: 857: 852: 847: 842: 837: 832: 827: 822: 817: 812: 807: 802: 797: 792: 787: 782: 768: 767: 758: 747: 746:External links 744: 741: 740: 733: 708: 678: 666: 655:"Ancestry.com" 641: 640: 638: 635: 626: 623: 619:Astoria Stakes 604:Helmut Dantine 589:Fred M. Wilcox 580: 577: 554:Arthur M. Loew 540: 539: 446: 444: 437: 431: 428: 317:Louis B. Mayer 305:Metro Pictures 237:Barney Balaban 228: 225: 193:on New York's 183:Tsarist Russia 162: 159: 157: 154: 129: 128: 125:Fred M. Wilcox 112: 108: 107: 102: 98: 97: 94: 90: 89: 83: 81:(aged 88) 75: 71: 70: 67:Russian Empire 57: 46: 42: 41: 33: 32: 29: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 882: 871: 868: 866: 863: 861: 858: 856: 853: 851: 848: 846: 843: 841: 838: 836: 833: 831: 828: 826: 823: 821: 818: 816: 813: 811: 808: 806: 803: 801: 798: 796: 793: 791: 788: 786: 783: 781: 778: 777: 775: 766: 762: 759: 757: 753: 750: 749: 736: 730: 725: 724: 718: 712: 704: 703: 695: 693: 691: 689: 687: 685: 683: 675: 670: 662: 661: 656: 649: 647: 642: 634: 632: 622: 620: 616: 612: 607: 605: 601: 596: 594: 590: 586: 579:Personal life 576: 574: 570: 566: 561: 559: 555: 550: 548: 545:Schenck over 536: 533: 525: 514: 511: 507: 504: 500: 497: 493: 490: 486: 483: –  482: 478: 477:Find sources: 471: 467: 463: 457: 456: 452: 447:This section 445: 441: 436: 435: 427: 424: 420: 416: 415:Robert Taylor 412: 408: 404: 403:Spencer Tracy 400: 399:Mickey Rooney 396: 392: 391:Wallace Beery 388: 384: 380: 379:Joan Crawford 376: 372: 371:studio system 367: 365: 361: 355: 353: 349: 344: 342: 338: 334: 330: 325: 322: 318: 312: 310: 306: 302: 297: 296: 291: 289: 285: 280: 278: 274: 270: 266: 262: 258: 250: 246: 242: 239:, Paramount; 238: 233: 224: 222: 218: 214: 209: 207: 202: 200: 196: 192: 188: 184: 180: 176: 172: 169:household in 168: 153: 151: 147: 143: 139: 135: 126: 121: 116: 113: 109: 106: 103: 99: 95: 91: 86: 77:March 4, 1969 76: 72: 68: 64: 60: 47: 43: 39: 34: 27: 22: 840:Russian Jews 722: 711: 705:. p. 4. 700: 669: 660:Ancestry.com 658: 628: 613:horses. His 611:Thoroughbred 608: 597: 593:Edgar Selwyn 585:Pansy Wilcox 582: 562: 551: 543: 528: 522:October 2021 519: 509: 502: 495: 488: 476: 460:Please help 448: 411:Judy Garland 368: 356: 345: 326: 313: 307:in 1920 and 298: 292: 281: 269:nickelodeons 259:, in uptown 254: 245:Will H. Hays 221:110th Street 217:Third Avenue 210: 203: 164: 133: 132: 79:(1969-03-04) 785:1969 deaths 780:1880 births 573:Miami Beach 569:Long Island 565:Sands Point 547:Dore Schary 423:Nelson Eddy 395:Clark Gable 387:Jean Harlow 383:Greta Garbo 329:William Fox 295:Loew's Inc. 265:Marcus Loew 175:Volga River 120:Ruth Selwyn 93:Nationality 21:Nick Schenk 774:Categories 717:Háy, Peter 637:References 492:newspapers 375:Lon Chaney 273:vaudeville 241:Harry Cohn 161:Early life 101:Occupation 51:1880-11-14 449:does not 343:grounds. 341:antitrust 261:Manhattan 249:Leo Spitz 156:Biography 117:(brother) 111:Relatives 719:(1991). 191:tenement 702:Variety 506:scholar 470:removed 455:sources 177:in the 171:Rybinsk 146:Florida 138:Rybinsk 85:Florida 59:Rybinsk 731:  631:stroke 571:, and 508:  501:  494:  487:  479:  417:, the 247:, and 227:Career 213:Bowery 206:Joseph 199:Harlem 187:Joseph 167:Jewish 142:Russia 87:, U.S. 625:Death 615:filly 600:Marti 513:JSTOR 499:books 765:IMDb 756:IMDb 729:ISBN 485:news 453:any 451:cite 74:Died 45:Born 763:at 754:at 595:. 464:by 385:, 286:in 219:at 181:of 776:: 681:^ 657:. 645:^ 621:. 567:, 413:, 409:, 405:, 401:, 397:, 393:, 389:, 381:, 377:, 366:. 279:. 271:, 140:, 65:, 61:, 737:. 663:. 535:) 529:( 524:) 520:( 510:· 503:· 496:· 489:· 472:. 458:. 421:– 53:) 49:( 23:.

Index

Nick Schenk

Rybinsk
Yaroslavl Governorate
Russian Empire
Florida
Film studio executive
Joseph M. Schenck
Ruth Selwyn
Fred M. Wilcox
Rybinsk
Russia
Florida
film studio executive
Jewish
Rybinsk
Volga River
Yaroslavl Governorate
Tsarist Russia
Joseph
tenement
Lower East Side
Harlem
Joseph
Bowery
Third Avenue
110th Street
front row, left to right: Barney Balaban, Paramount; Harry Cohn, Columbia Pictures; Nicholas M. Schenck, Lowe's; Will H. Hays, and Leo Spitz, RKO. artists; Sidney Kent, 20th Century Fox; N.J. Blumberg, Universal; and Albert Warner, Warner Bros. in 1938
Barney Balaban
Harry Cohn

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