Samuel Goldwyn

Samuel Goldwyn (August 27, 1882 (claimed but most likely July 1879) – January 31, 1974) was a Polish-American movie producer who made a lot of movies in America.

Samuel Goldwyn and Frances Howard

Early life

He was born in Warsaw, Poland. His parents died when he was young. He first moved to London, then New York. In New York he worked in a glove factory, then as a glove salesman. After this, he helped his brother-in-law to make movies.

Companies

Trailer from one of Goldwyn's movies

He started the Goldwyn Pictures Corporation in 1917. This became part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1924.

Movies

Some of his famous movies are Wuthering Heights (1939), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) and Porgy and Bess (1959).

Goldwynisms

He often said things that people remembered, such as:

• “I paid too much for it, but it’s worth it.”
• “I had a great idea this morning, but I didn’t like it.”
• “That’s our strongest weak point.”

His sayings are called Goldwynisms.

References

• “Goldwyn, Samuel”, Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition