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A Guy Doing Things
(Continued from page 10)
assignment of adapting Fox pic
tures to various languages. It was
during this stage of his career that
Goetz demonstrated the organiza
tional showmanship which later
elevated him to industry leader
ship.
» * •
William Goetz was graduated to
a full producership. Meanwhile, he
married Edith Mayer, daughter of
Louis B. Mayer, film magnate and
chief executive of Metro Goldwyn
Mayer. In 1932, Goetz moved to
RKO where he occupied a produc
tion berth until a year later when
he joined Joseph M. Schenck and
Darryl F. Zanuck in the founding
of 20th Century-Fox Pictures
The new 20th Century screen
trademark, soon familiar to thea
tre audiences throughout the world,
was later linked with another fam
ous symbol of movie identification,
Fox, the two firms having been
merged to form one of Hollywood’s
great film producing institutions.
Like the eventual auspicious
launching of Universal-Inter
national, 20th Century-Fox won
quick recognition and industry re
spect. Goetz was vice-president in
charge of studio operations. Few
Hollywood production records
have been more consistent than the
one set by Goetz during his tenure
of office at 20th. His unprecen-
dented policy of purchasing and
filming great works of published
fiction and stage plays of proved
audience appeal, gave the screen
a new significance and the box-
office an added stimulant.
When Darryl Zanuck was com
missioned and stationed overseas
with the U. S. Army, Goetz was
chosen by the board of directors to
serve as vice-president in full
charge of production. He resigned
in 1943 to form International Pic
tures in partnership with another
keen judge of popular entertain
ment taste, Leo Spitz, formerly
president of RKO and one of the
foremost legal authorities in the
motion picture industry. Goetz was
president; Spitz, chairman of the
board.
In the brief period of three years
William Goetz established Inter
national Pictures as one of Holly
wood’s leading exponents of quality
motion pictures and achieved dis
tinction with such profitable attrac
tions as “Woman in the Window,”
“Tomorrow is Forever,” Casanova
Brown,” “Along Came Jones” and
“The Stranger.”
At Universal-International, after
the consolidation in 1 9 4 6, the
changeover to an exclusive top
quality film policy was expidited
with typical Goetz enthusiasm and
showmanship, for Bill had already
proved that he was born a show
man.
• • •
During my exclusive interview
with him, Goetz told me: “It is a
hard rule of life, and I believe a
healthy one, that no great plan is
ever carried out without meeting
and overcoming endless obstacles
that come up to try the skill of
man’s hand, the quality of his cour
age and the endurance of his faith.”
Those were not idle words. Goetz
was speaking from the heart — out
of the recollection of his own great
struggle. He was thinking of the
endless obstacles he had had to
meet and overcome in carrying out
the great plan he had envisioned
for world screen entertainment.
Throughout all his many motion
picture achievements, Goetz has
remained the same sincere, earnest
man — the same careful, painstak
ing producer — he was in the be
ginning. Fame and fortune have
not weaned him one iota from his
devotion to his original personal
and business philosophy, have only
increased his certainty that hon
esty, fair-dealing, forthrightness
and faith are not outmoded, and
that the simple old formula: “Be
sure you’re right, then go ahead”
is as valid now as ever before.
There is no mystery concerning
how Bill Goetz got to the very top
of the ladder. It wasn’t by luck or
chance or pull, or any other form of
“magic carpet." It was by limit
less energy, persistence, courage,
faith — plus unswerving determi
nation and plain, old-fashioned
hard work. Also, when he started
out, he knew exactly where he
wanted to go and refused to be di
verted by either big obstacles or
small gains.
Conversations with some of
Goetz’s “right-hand men” at the
studio drew attention to some addi
tional reasons for their chief’s suc
cess. Among them were: fore
sight — unusual ability to see and
plan ahead; enthusiasm, which he
shows in everything he undertakes
and for every branch of the busi
ness; a genuine liking for people;
a confident, optimistic approach to
motion picture problems; a remark
able memory; ability to pick the
right person for a responsibility
and willingness to give him a free
hand.
Best proof of the doctor’s skill
is the patient’s progress. Universal-
International is thriving. Its pic
tures are filled with popular screen
entertainment for the whole fam
ily; its production volume is larger
than ever before; and some of the
most important as well as enter
taining novels, plays and original
stories, now belong ing to Univer
sal-International, are scheduled for
early screen adaptation.
• • •
One of Bily Goetz’s greatest as
sets, undeniably, is his personality.
This is not to suggest he has risen
to the top because of this asset
alone, for his accomplishments in
the film world all combine to at
test to his manysided abilities. But
he has earned and gained the re
spect of not only his own studio’s
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