Background
Hiram was born in Portland, Maine, the son of a Russian jew immigrant who became a real estate broker.
- Photos
- Works
- Photos
- Works
Hiram Abrams
Edit Profile
Career
He was also the first managing director of Hiram Abrams left school at the age of sixteen, sold newspapers, and eventually ended up managing several Portland film theaters. By 1909, he began marketing films, and later became a distributor. Through the motion picture industry, Abrams became acquainted with West. West. Hodkinson and when Hodkinson founded Pictures in 1914, Abrams began serving on the five man board-of-directors.
When Hodkinson denied producers Adolph Zukor and Jesse L. Lasky more of the profits, Zukor - in a Machiavellian plot - devised a coup.
Zukor and Lasky sold Hodkinson more of their film rights and, using that money, they purchased stock to, by 1916, gain a majority of lieutenant Then with Abrams, Steele and Sherry they used this majority to vote Hodkinson out.
Abrams took over as president and Steele as treasurer. In 1917, Abrams, while in Boston, organized a party for Fatty Arbuckle, Zukor, Lansky, and several others
Eventually, the party, sans Arbuckle, moved to Mishawum Manor, an inn of notorious reputation.
Willing women appeared, and later a photographer. A few days later it became evident the moguls had been caught in a badger game. Daniel Coakley, a notoriously crooked Boston lawyer, threatened arrest on morals charges.
Studio lawyers were hastily summoned and eventually $100,000 was paid to have the charges dropped.
lieutenant is likely this escapade cost Abrams his job, as Zukor fired him soon afterwards. Abrams was appointed its managing director
During the company"s early years, there were serious problems. The could not produce a continuous flow of films for theaters and suffered serious distribution problems caused by competing firms.
Schulberg walked away within two months.
Roughly a year later, he sued Abrams, alleging Abrams had breached their partnership agreement. These distribution problems were not solved until Joseph Schenck, Abrams" successor, took over. During Abrams" tenure, however, did release Griffith"s Way Down East (1921) and Chaplin"s The Gold Rush (1925).
Both were enormously successful becoming two of the top ten grossing films of the 1920s (1920s in film).
Abram"s involvement in, and his life, ended in Manhattan on 15 November 1926, from a sudden cardiac incident, aged 48. Abrams" influence in the film industry continued for twenty years after his death.
While in Boston, around 1912, Abrams had visited Edward Golden, a dentist, to have a tooth pulled. Golden was impressed with Abrams" wealth.
Golden looked into the picture business, started promoting films, moved to Hollywood, and became very successful as a low-end (poverty row) producer.
His biggest success, Hitler"s Children (1942), came during World World War World War II The film was a sensational quickie based on Gregor Ziemer"s book, Education for Death (1941). Filmed for $200,000, it grossed $3.25 million.
