Sol Wurtzel: The Forgotten Mogul (2006 Video) User Reviews

This Guy Had Some Eye For Talent And Making 'B' Films Look Great

[ccthemovieman-1 · 9/10 · 17 January 2008]

Most Hollywood "moguls" are pretty famous: men like Jack Warner, David O. Selznick and the like. Hence, we get this history and inside look at one man who also qualified for that status but is little-known today. This was a bonus feature documentary on the "Thank You, Mr. Moto" DVD.

Sol Wurtzel was not a nice guy. That is stated early on in this documentary and mentioned because, if his personality had been better he might have been a lot more famous as head of a big studio. He came close, anyway, being the head of Fox "B" studio.

This documentary traces Wurtzel's film history, beginning in 1913 when he was a bookkeeper from New York City who was sent out west by Fox mogul William Fox. The latter had no interest moving 3,500 miles to other coast so he had Wurtzel handle things out there. After socializing with silent film greats like Theda Bara, Tom Mix and many more, Wurtzel's film business career started rising.

The story of the confrontations between Wurtzel, in Hollywood, and his boss, Fox, in New York City, were interesting, as was all the other data telling us about Wurtzel trying to make it on his own, then becoming an actual "mogul" and producing some really good movies on a cheap budget: up to 24 a year. These were "B" movies that had the look of "A" material. These films, starring the likes of Shirley Temple, Warner Oland, Peter Lorre, Will Rogers and more, had good production values and featured wonderful entertainment. These films - not the "A" ones put out at the time by 20th Century Fox - made the company profitable.

With a great eye for talent, Wurtzel introduced such famous people as Ginger Rogers, Robert Taylor, Glenn Ford, Alice Faye, Ray Milland, Jane Withers, Rita Hayworth, Humphrey Bogart and a number of a great directors.

There is an absolute ton of information in this documentary, and very interesting material.

not a "bonus"

[tiggerteen_07 · 14 August 2009]

By today's standards, Sol M. Wurtzel would have been a CEO at Fox Films. Therefore the comments of the previous reviewer are rather simplistic. Firstly, because during Wurtzel's tenure at Fox Films (pre-20th merger) he was answerable only to William Fox with whom he corresponded daily.

Wurtzel developed a chronic facial tic and poor health due to the stress of running (almost) single-handedly a major West-coast studio whose boss was based on the East-coast and who refused to travel.

The previous reviewer says that Wurtzel was "not a nice guy". And that had he been "nicer" he would have been more famous. Nonsense.

This mini-documentary features Paul Wurtzel (the irascible son of Sol). Perhaps it is the opinion of the previous reviewer that his son (too) was not a "nice guy".

Perhaps Harry Cohn was not a "nice guy" Perhaps Jack Warner was not a "nice guy" Perhaps Louis B. Mayer was not a "nice guy"

Profitable films make for successful studios. Most studio heads were not known as being "nice". Being "nice" didn't make for profitable box-office returns.

Sol Wurtzel churned out the bulk of Fox's profitable films (pre-Zanuck) When William Fox himself (also not a "nice guy") was ousted from the very business,that bore his name, it was Wurtzel who remained.

Darryl Zanuck saw fit to keep him on after the merger with 20th Century.

It is to be assumed the reviewer of this mini-documentary did not read "William Fox, Sol M. Wurtzel, and the Early Fox Film Corporation". It is questionable whether the producer of the mini-documentary read it.

The inaccuracies contained in the mini-documentary are not a "bonus" and did nothing to enhance the purchase of the Mr. Moto boxed-set nor indeed, the viewing pleasure of same.

Only the title of the mini-documentary rings true.