Joe Pasternak
| Joe Pasternak | |
|---|---|
Joe Pasternak
|
|
| Born |
Joseph Herman "Joe" Pasternak September 19, 1901 Szilágysomlyó, Austria-Hungary |
| Died |
September 13, 1991 (aged 89) Beverly Hills, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | film producer |
Joseph Herman "Joe" Pasternak (September 19, 1901 – September 13, 1991) was an Hungarian-born American film producer in Hollywood.
Born to a Jewish family in Szilágysomlyó, Austria-Hungary (now Șimleu Silvaniei, Sălaj County, Romania), Pasternak was a successful film producer in Germany and Austria by the time he was 28 years old. He worked for Universal Pictures in Europe, where he made German-language musicals for the international market. He hit upon a successful formula, building light musical comedies around an adolescent soprano (Franciska Gaal).
Following the establishment of the Nazi regime, Pasternak emigrated to the United States.
At Universal's Hollywood studio in 1936. Pasternak cast 14-year-old Canadian singer Deanna Durbin in Three Smart Girls (1936). The film became a huge hit and reputedly saved Universal from bankruptcy. Pasternak produced a string of Durbin musicals, and soon discovered another talented soprano, Gloria Jean. who began her own series in 1939. Pasternak proved to be a real asset for the studio, generating a number of popular films, including Destry Rides Again (1939) and Seven Sinners (1940).
In 1941 he moved to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where he sat on the executive committee and was regarded one of the three most important persons in the company, alongside Louis B. Mayer and Vice President Sam Katz. At MGM he continued to produce operetta films, featuring the rich singing voices of Kathryn Grayson and Jane Powell, although his biggest MGM success came with The Great Caruso (1951), a vehicle for Mario Lanza.
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