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Eddie Mannix

Eddie Mannix
Mannix in 1935
Born
Joseph Edgar Allen John Mannix

(1891-02-25)February 25, 1891
DiedAugust 30, 1963(1963-08-30) (aged 72)
Resting placeHoly Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California
Other namesEdgar Joseph Mannix
Occupation(s)Film studio executive, producer
Spouse(s)
Bernice Fitzmaurice
(m. 1916; died 1938)

(m. 1951)

Joseph Edgar Allen John Mannix (February 25, 1891 – August 30, 1963) was an American film studio executive and producer. He is remembered for his work as a "fixer", who was paid to cover up Hollywood stars' often colorful private lives to protect their public image and profitability for the studio.[1][2]

Among his most lasting contributions to Hollywood was a ledger he maintained that listed the costs and revenues of every MGM film produced from 1924 to 1962, an important reference for film historians.

Early life

Mannix was born in Fort Lee, New Jersey, the son of John and Lizzie (née Striker) Mannix. Christened Joseph Edgar Allen John Mannix, he used Edgar Joseph Mannix as his official name, but was known to most associates as Eddie. He was of Irish Catholic descent.

Career

After working as a bouncer and then treasurer of the Palisades Amusement Park, he became involved in motion picture exhibition, then was sent to Hollywood in 1925.[2] He eventually worked his way up to general manager within MGM in the 1920s.[3][4]

The Eddie Mannix Ledger is in the Margaret Herrick Library at Fairbanks Center for Motion Picture Study.[5][6]

Mannix left MGM in August 1958, after having suffered several heart attacks, although he stayed on as adviser, particularly in the area of industrial relations.[7][2]

Personal life

Mannix was married twice and had no children. He married Bernice Fitzmaurice in 1916. Mannix had numerous affairs during the marriage, but the couple remained married due to their Catholicism.[8] However, in late 1937, Bernice petitioned for divorce, claiming that Mannix physically abused her and citing the affairs. Before the divorce was officially filed, Bernice died in a car accident outside Palm Springs, California on November 18, 1937.[9]

After Bernice's death, Mannix began living with actress and Ziegfeld Follies dancer Toni Lanier, with whom he had been having an affair. They married in May 1951 and remained married until Mannix's death in 1963.[10]

Mannix was suspected of involvement in the death of actor George Reeves, the star of the series Adventures of Superman.[11] Reeves had begun having an affair with Mannix's wife Toni in 1951.[12] Mannix reportedly approved of the affair,[13] which was an open secret in Hollywood. Eddie Mannix was simultaneously having a long-term affair with a Japanese woman.[14] As Mannix and his wife were Catholics who did not believe in divorce[citation needed], the arrangement continued for the next several years.[12] Reeves, however, ended the affair in early 1959 and soon became engaged to socialite Leonore Lemmon, which devastated Toni. Reeves died of a gunshot wound to the head at his home on June 16, 1959. His death was ruled a suicide, but controversy has surrounded that ruling ever since. Rumors arose that Mannix, who was rumored to have had connections to organized crime, had arranged for Reeves to be murdered by a hitman.[15] Kashner and Schoenberger's partially fictionalized biography Hollywood Kryptonite alleged, without citing any sources, that Toni Lanier Mannix, using her husband's criminal connections, ordered George Reeves' murder.[citation needed]

Later years and death

Mannix suffered from a heart condition. By 1959, he had survived several heart attacks and used a wheelchair.[14] On August 30, 1963, he died of a heart attack at his Beverly Hills, California home at age 72.[16] He is buried at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, Los Angeles County.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ Wood, Gaby (April 7, 2014). "Mickey Rooney's amazing sex life". The Telegraph. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "Eddie Mannix, 72, Vet Metro Topper, Dies in Beverly Hills After a Long Illness". Variety. September 4, 1963. p. 4. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  3. ^ Eyman, Scott (June 23, 2008). Lion of Hollywood: The Life and Legend of Louis B. Mayer. Simon and Schuster. p. 130. ISBN 978-1-4391-0791-1.
  4. ^ Longworth, Karina (November 6, 2015). "The Fixer: MGM's Eddie Mannix and the lives he ruined". Slate.
  5. ^ The E.J. Mannix ledger. 1962. OCLC 801258228.
  6. ^ Glancy, H. Mark (1992). "MGM film grosses, 1924–1948: The Eddie Mannix Ledger". Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. 12 (2): 127–144. doi:10.1080/01439689200260081.
  7. ^ "After 40 years Mannix unloads". Variety. August 6, 1958. p. 11. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  8. ^ Fleming, E. J. (2004). The Fixers: Eddie Mannix, Howard Strickling and the MGM Publicity Machine. McFarland. pp. 24–25. ISBN 0-786-45495-4.
  9. ^ (Fleming 2004, pp. 173–174)
  10. ^ a b "Edgar Mannix is Dead' Retired MGM Veteran". Motion Picture Herald. Associated Publications. September 9, 1963. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  11. ^ Signature Entertainment Memorabilia Auction. Heritage Capital Corporation. 2006. p. 28. ISBN 978-1-59967-036-2.
  12. ^ a b Tye, Larry (2013). Superman: The High-Flying History of America's Most Enduring Hero. Random House Trade Paperbacks. p. 153. ISBN 978-0-812-98077-6.
  13. ^ Ward, Larry Thomas. Truth, Justice, & The American Way: The Life and Times of Noel Neill, The Original Lois Lane, Nicholas Lawrence Books, 2003. ISBN 0-9729466-0-8. p. 83
  14. ^ a b Wood, Gaby (January 11, 2015). "Was the original Superman typecast to death?". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  15. ^ Patterson, John (November 18, 2006). "Who killed Superman?". The Guardian. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  16. ^ "End Of An Era". The Evening Independent. August 31, 1963. pp. 3–A. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  17. ^ a b Childs, Ben (June 10, 2014). "Josh Brolin joins George Clooney for Coen brothers' Hail Caesar". theguardian.com. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  18. ^ "When Garbo Talks".
  19. ^ "When Garbo Talks! Comes To ICT, Previews Begin 10/12 2010/09/20".
  20. ^ Blake, Emily (October 29, 2014). "George Clooney's Coen brothers comedy 'Hail, Caesar!' gets February 2016 release". ew.com. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  21. ^ Bahr, Lindsey (June 9, 2014). "Josh Brolin to star with George Clooney in Coen brothers' 'Hail, Caesar!'". ew.com. Retrieved February 8, 2015.