Albert Zugsmith
Encyclopedia
Albert Zugsmith was an American film producer
, film director
and screenwriter
who specialized in low-budget exploitation film
s through the 1950s and 1960s.
years. Zugsmith's most significant credits are a string of four genre masterpieces produced in the late 1950s, all for Universal Studios
: the science-fiction classic The Incredible Shrinking Man
, Orson Welles' Touch of Evil
, Douglas Sirk
's Written on the Wind
, and the camp exploitation films High School Confidential
and The Girl in the Kremlin
. An archive of some of his shooting scripts and screen plays are housed in the Special Collections department at the University of Iowa
.
His older sister, Leane Zugsmith
, was a leading proletarian novelist in the 1930s.
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
who specialized in low-budget exploitation film
Exploitation film
Exploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. These films then need something to exploit, such as a big star, special effects, sex,...
s through the 1950s and 1960s.
Career
With a background in journalism, Zugsmith became independently wealthy and began producing films at RKO during the Howard HughesHoward Hughes
Howard Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American business magnate, investor, aviator, engineer, film producer, director, and philanthropist. He was one of the wealthiest people in the world...
years. Zugsmith's most significant credits are a string of four genre masterpieces produced in the late 1950s, all for Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
: the science-fiction classic The Incredible Shrinking Man
The Incredible Shrinking Man
The Incredible Shrinking Man is a 1957 science fiction film directed by Jack Arnold and adapted for the screen by Richard Matheson from his novel The Shrinking Man ....
, Orson Welles' Touch of Evil
Touch of Evil
Touch of Evil is a 1958 American crime thriller film, written, directed by, and co-starring Orson Welles. The screenplay was loosely based on the novel Badge of Evil by Whit Masterson...
, Douglas Sirk
Douglas Sirk
Douglas Sirk was a Danish-German film director best known for his work in Hollywood melodramas in the 1950s.-Life and work:...
's Written on the Wind
Written on the Wind
Written on the Wind is a 1956 American drama film directed by Douglas Sirk. It stars Rock Hudson, Lauren Bacall, Robert Stack and Dorothy Malone....
, and the camp exploitation films High School Confidential
High School Confidential (film)
High School Confidential is a 1958 crime drama film directed by Jack Arnold. It stars Mamie Van Doren, Russ Tamblyn, Jan Sterling, John Drew Barrymore, Jackie Coogan. The film also features a cameo by Jerry Lee Lewis who opens the movie singing a song of the same name, which Lewis co-wrote with Ron...
and The Girl in the Kremlin
The Girl in the Kremlin
The Girl in the Kremlin is a 1957 American thriller which puts forth the premise that Joseph Stalin faked his own death in 1953 and then moved to Greece with a fortune in Soviet currency. Zsa Zsa Gabor plays a dual role, Stalin’s nurse and lover as well as her twin sister who, unaware of...
. An archive of some of his shooting scripts and screen plays are housed in the Special Collections department at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
.
His older sister, Leane Zugsmith
Leane Zugsmith
-Biography:Leane Zugsmith was born in Louisville, Kentucky on 18 January 1903. She was married the playwright Carl Randau and lived in New York City, where she became a leftist journalist, proletarian writer and activist. She wrote novels and short stories. In her salon, she entertained guests as...
, was a leading proletarian novelist in the 1930s.