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Lewis Robert Wasserman (22 mars 1913 - 3 Junin 2002) était un Américain et directeur de studio honoré avec la première création et prenant part au système des studios dans une carrière couvrant plus de 6 décennies. Il était le seul manager de MCA pour l'équipe de Martin et Lewis. Biographie Wasserman est né dans le Cleveland, Ohio de Russie immigrants Isaac Wasserman et Minnie Chernick. Il a commencé son buisness comme huissier au théâtre de Cleveland en 1933. Wasserman a commencé comme agent de réservation de société musiocal d'Amérique MCA en vertu de son fondateur Dr. Jules Stein. Carrière En vertu Wasserman montre, MCA ramifie dans la repr&ésentation des acteurs et actrices en plus des musiciens et dans le procésus de création du système des studios qui a fait grimper le pris des studios. MCA a du mal à gagner du terrain à Hollywood car les organismes majeurs tel que ceux appartenant à Charles Feldam, Myon Selznick, et Leland Haywaerd a déjà saisi plus de grands talents. Cependant, dans le milieux des années 1940 quand il achète l'agence d'Hayward, il a finallement obtenu un pouvoir de négociation avec les stuidos. En tant qu'organisme, Wasserman MCA est venu dominer Hollywood, représentant ces stars comme Bette David et Ronald Reagan. Wasserman a contribué à l'aide pour devenir président de Screen Actors Guild. Wasserman était un joueur influant et collectait des fonds pour le parti Démocratique,mais il était aussi un avocat, un mentor et un ami proche de Reagan. The Newsmeat Power Rankings identifie Wasserman et son ami proche Jack Valenti comme deux des cinq "les plus célèbre et les plus puissant des américains dont les contributions de campagne résultent le plus souvent dans la victoire."

De plus, sur une procédure de gestion, Wasserman MCA comprend un film ( quelque chose établit par Feldman and Selznick).Depuis que les studios ont réduit la production après la second guerre mondial, ils laissent des contrats à long terme alors que MCA pouvait négocier de lourds contrats pour leurs clients.

Lewis Robert Wasserman (22 March 1913 – 3 June 2002) was an American talent agent and studio executive credited with first creating and then taking apart the studio system in a career spanning more than six decades. He was also the manager of MCA for the Martin and Lewis comedy team.

Biography[modifier | modifier le code]

Wasserman was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Russian Jewish immigrants Isaac Wasserman and Minnie Chernick. He began his show business career as an usher in a Cleveland theater in 1933. Wasserman started out as a booking agent for the Music Corporation of America (MCA) under its founder Dr. Jules Stein.

Career[modifier | modifier le code]

Under Wasserman's watch, MCA branched out into representing actors and actresses in addition to musicians and in the process created the studio system, which drove up prices for studios. MCA struggled to gain ground in Hollywood since major agencies like those belonging to Charles Feldman, Myron Selznick, and Leland Hayward had already grabbed up most of the major talent. However, in the mid-1940s, when it purchased Hayward's agency, MCA finally gained bargaining leverage with the studios. As an agency, Wasserman's MCA came to dominate Hollywood, representing such stars as Bette Davis and Ronald Reagan, whom Wasserman was instrumental in helping to become president of the Screen Actors Guild. Wasserman was an influential player and fund-raiser in the Democratic Party,[1] but was also a life-long and instrumental advocate, mentor, and close friend of Reagan. The Newsmeat Power Rankings identify Wasserman and his close friend Jack Valenti as two of the top five "most famous and powerful Americans whose campaign contributions result most often in victory."[2]

Additionally, at MCA Wasserman expanded upon a business practice known as film packaging (something established by earlier agents like Feldman and Selznick). Since studios reduced output after WWII, they let more actors off of long-term contracts and big agencies like MCA could negotiate stronger terms for their clients. Agents like Wasserman would pitch packages (say, a writer client, director client, and actor or actress) to the studios, who only needed to finance it. Agencies therefore began doing the job the studios used to in some respects- namely, assembling films.

Known as "The Pope of Hollywood," Wasserman also expanded on practices established by earlier agents. For example, Feldman and Selznick realized in the late 1930s that an actor could pay much less tax by turning himself into a corporation. The corporation, which would employ the actor, would own part of a motion picture the actor appeared in, and all monies would accrue to the corporation, which was taxed at a much lower rate than was personal income. Wasserman used this tax avoidance scheme with his client James Stewart, beginning with the Anthony Mann western Winchester '73 (1950). It made Stewart enormously rich as he became a top box office draw in the 1950s after the success of Winchester and several more Mann-directed westerns, all of which he had an ownership stake in. This marked the first time an onscreen talent ever received "points in the film" - a business tactic that skyrocketed after Wasserman's negotiation and Stewart's ensuing success.

Following the rising postwar popularity of television and the resulting near bankruptcy of many studios, Wasserman purchased Universal Studios and Decca Records in 1962 and merged them with MCA. In 1966, he singlehandedly installed Jack Valenti as head of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). Together they orchestrated and controlled much of how Hollywood operated, and was allowed to do business, for the next several decades. Wasserman ran the combined company for nearly 30 years before selling it to Japanese consumer electronics conglomerate Matsushita Electric in 1990.

Wasserman pocketed an estimated $350 million from the sale and remained as manager, but with vastly diminished power and influence, until Seagram bought controlling interest in 1995, which then resulted in his role becoming even more marginalized. Wasserman served on the board of directors until 1998.

On September 29, 1995, Lew Wasserman was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton.

Wasserman died of complications from a stroke in Beverly Hills in 2002 and was interred in Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City. He was honored posthumously with 2,349th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 5, 2007.

Personal life[modifier | modifier le code]

His grandson, Casey Wasserman, carries on the family name in the agency business with Wasserman Media Group (WMG), which he started in 1998. Casey Wasserman also acts as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Wasserman Foundation, a charitable organization founded by Lew Wasserman and his wife Edie in 1952 in Beverly Hills, California.

Portrayals[modifier | modifier le code]

Wasserman was portrayed by Stewart Bick in the 2003 TV film The Reagans and by David Eisner in the 2002 CBS film Martin and Lewis. Wasserman was also immortalized in a highly successful biography film entitled "The Last Mogul" in 2005 by director Barry Avrich.

References[modifier | modifier le code]

  1. ↑ « Newsmeat », Hall of Fame>Celebrities, Lew Wasserman (consulté le )
  2. ↑ « NEWSMEAT Power Rankings » (consulté le )

External links[modifier | modifier le code]

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