Eddie Mannix
Encyclopedia
Edgar Joseph "Eddie" Mannix (25 February 1891, Fort Lee, New Jersey
– 30 August 1963, Beverly Hills, California
) was an American
film studio executive.
Mannix became the Vice-President of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
. He allegedly had connections to gangs and the underworld
; gossip purported that he murder
ed his first wife Bernice Fitzmaurice (in a make-believe high speed car crash) in 1937. He was also rumored to be complicit in cover-ups involving the deaths of film producer
Paul Bern
and Superman
actor George Reeves
, with whom his second wife Toni Mannix
had a long open affair. Mannix was never formally charged as Reeves's death was ruled a suicide
(as was Bern's), and no credible evidence has ever been cited to confirm the rumors. However, the 2006 film Hollywoodland
(in which he was portrayed by Bob Hoskins
) speculates on three theories, one of which is that one or both of the Mannixes might have caused Reeves' death.
Mannix and fellow MGM executive Howard Strickling
are the subject of E. J. Fleming's book The Fixers: Eddie Mannix, Howard Strickling and the MGM Publicity Machine (2004), which also suggests that Wallace Beery
, gangster Pat DiCicco, and Albert R. Broccoli
beat comedian
and original Three Stooges
chief Ted Healy
to death in the parking lot
of the Trocadero
nightclub
in 1937, after which the studio sent Beery to Europe
for several months until the heat was off. Mannix and Strickling, in their capacity as MGM's "fixers," arranged the deft cover-up, and mythical "college students" were always blamed for Healy's early death, according to the book.
Despite such unsavory rumors, Mannix was much-beloved in the film community, a gregarious and fun-loving man whose word was considered his bond by many of the stars who worked for him. Clark Gable
, asked whether he had signed a new contract with MGM, famously replied, "I don't need a contract. I shook Eddie Mannix's hand."
Mannix died in Beverly Hills, California
in 1963, aged 72, and was buried at the Holy Cross Cemetery
in Culver City, Los Angeles County. James Stewart
and Robert Taylor
were pallbearers.
Fort Lee, New Jersey
Fort Lee is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 35,345. Located atop the Hudson Palisades, the borough is the western terminus of the George Washington Bridge...
– 30 August 1963, Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film studio executive.
Mannix became the Vice-President of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
. He allegedly had connections to gangs and the underworld
Underworld
The Underworld is a region which is thought to be under the surface of the earth in some religions and in mythologies. It could be a place where the souls of the recently departed go, and in some traditions it is identified with Hell or the realm of death...
; gossip purported that he murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed his first wife Bernice Fitzmaurice (in a make-believe high speed car crash) in 1937. He was also rumored to be complicit in cover-ups involving the deaths of film producer
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...
Paul Bern
Paul Bern
Paul Bern was a German-born American film director, screenwriter and producer for MGM.-Early life and career:...
and Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
actor George Reeves
George Reeves
George Reeves was an American actor best known for his role as Superman in the 1950s television program Adventures of Superman....
, with whom his second wife Toni Mannix
Toni Mannix
Toni Mannix was an American actress and dancer in the early talkies. She became notorious for an extramarital relationship with actor George Reeves during her marriage to MGM studio head Eddie Mannix.-Early life:...
had a long open affair. Mannix was never formally charged as Reeves's death was ruled a suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
(as was Bern's), and no credible evidence has ever been cited to confirm the rumors. However, the 2006 film Hollywoodland
Hollywoodland
Hollywoodland is a 2006 American biographical docudrama film directed by Allen Coulter in his feature directorial debut. The film documents a fictional account of the investigation surrounding the death of actor George Reeves , the star of the 1950s television series Adventures of Superman. Adrien...
(in which he was portrayed by Bob Hoskins
Bob Hoskins
Robert William "Bob" Hoskins, Jr. is an English actor known for playing Cockney rough diamonds, psychopaths and gangsters, in films such as The Long Good Friday , and Mona Lisa , and lighter roles in family films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Hook .- Early life :Hoskins was born in Bury St...
) speculates on three theories, one of which is that one or both of the Mannixes might have caused Reeves' death.
Mannix and fellow MGM executive Howard Strickling
Howard Strickling
Howard Strickling served as head of publicity for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer pictures from the late 1920s into the early 1950s....
are the subject of E. J. Fleming's book The Fixers: Eddie Mannix, Howard Strickling and the MGM Publicity Machine (2004), which also suggests that Wallace Beery
Wallace Beery
Wallace Fitzgerald Beery was an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Bill in Min and Bill opposite Marie Dressler, as Long John Silver in Treasure Island, as Pancho Villa in Viva Villa!, and his titular role in The Champ, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
, gangster Pat DiCicco, and Albert R. Broccoli
Albert R. Broccoli
Albert Romolo Broccoli, CBE , nicknamed "Cubby", was an American film producer, who made more than 40 motion pictures throughout his career, most of them in the United Kingdom, and often filmed at Pinewood Studios. Co-founder of Danjaq, LLC and EON Productions, Broccoli is most notable as the...
beat comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
and original Three Stooges
Three Stooges
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the early to mid–20th century best known for their numerous short subject films. Their hallmark was physical farce and extreme slapstick. In films, the Stooges were commonly known by their first names: "Moe, Larry, and Curly" and "Moe,...
chief Ted Healy
Ted Healy
Ted Healy was an American vaudeville performer, comedian, and actor. He is chiefly remembered today as the original creator of the Three Stooges, but had a successful stage and film career of his own.- Early life :...
to death in the parking lot
Parking lot
A parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....
of the Trocadero
Trocadero (Los Angeles)
In West Hollywood, California, the Cafe Trocadero was the center of jitterbug in the 1930s. Today, a " new" Trocadero stands as a nightclub at 8610 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip...
nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
in 1937, after which the studio sent Beery to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
for several months until the heat was off. Mannix and Strickling, in their capacity as MGM's "fixers," arranged the deft cover-up, and mythical "college students" were always blamed for Healy's early death, according to the book.
Despite such unsavory rumors, Mannix was much-beloved in the film community, a gregarious and fun-loving man whose word was considered his bond by many of the stars who worked for him. Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
, asked whether he had signed a new contract with MGM, famously replied, "I don't need a contract. I shook Eddie Mannix's hand."
Mannix died in Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
in 1963, aged 72, and was buried at the Holy Cross Cemetery
Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City
Holy Cross Cemetery is a Roman Catholic cemetery at 5835 West Slauson Avenue in Culver City, California, operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles....
in Culver City, Los Angeles County. James Stewart
James Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
and Robert Taylor
Robert Taylor (actor)
Robert Taylor was an American film and television actor.-Early life:Born Spangler Arlington Brugh in Filley, Nebraska, he was the son of Ruth Adaline and Spangler Andrew Brugh, who was a farmer turned doctor...
were pallbearers.