Jerome Leonard Epstein (January 17, 1922 – November 16, 1991) was an American director, screenwriter and producer known for his nearly 30-year professional collaboration and friendship with Charlie Chaplin and his son Sydney Chaplin.
Early life
editEpstein was born on January 17, 1922, in Cleveland, Ohio.[1] Epstein's father had come to America in 1905 to escape anti-Jewish pogroms in Vilkomir, Lithuania. Epstein's childhood was spent in Brooklyn, New York. During World War II, Epstein served in the Army Air Corps.[2]
After his military service, Epstein used the GI Bill to study drama at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), where he met Sydney Chaplin, the second son of English actor Charlie Chaplin. After UCLA, his first job was as road manager for close harmony singing group The Andrews Sisters.[2]
Career
editCircle Theater
editIn 1946, Epstein, Sydney Chaplin, actress Kathleen Freeman, and several UCLA students founded the Circle Theatre, now known as El Centro Theatre, in Hollywood. The troupe's first performances were held in a living room, but later moved to a converted corner store.[3]
The theater became a meeting place for Hollywood's avant-garde. Contemporary comedic actors such as Charlie Chaplin, Groucho Marx, and Fanny Brice attended shows at the theater. Katharine Hepburn, George Cukor, and Edward G. Robinson were also frequent visitors.[3] Chaplin was an enthusiastic supporter of the theater. He attended Sydney's performances in Elmer Rice's play The Adding Machine[2] and also directed his son in three productions at the theater.[4] Chaplin also helped Epstein obtain the rights to and direct Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright William Saroyan's 1949 play Sam Ego's House at the Circle Theater.[2] According to Epstein, all that Chaplin asked in return for his assistance to the theater was "35 cents and a cup of black coffee."[5]
Charlie Chaplin's assistant and collaborator
editEpstein began working as Charlie Chaplin's assistant in 1951, working on Chaplin's Limelight.[2] A movie executive counselled Epstein not to take a credit on Limelight, made during the period in which Chaplin had become a target of McCarthyism.[6] Chaplin was thereafter banned from reentry into the United States, and asked Epstein in 1952 to join him in Switzerland. Epstein would live in Europe for the rest of his life.[2]
In Europe, Epstein teamed up with Chaplin as an associate producer on A King in New York, shot in London. During production, Epstein and Chaplin visited the places where Chaplin grew up.[2][7][8] Epstein was listed as Chaplin's assistant in the crew listing for The Chaplin Revue in 1959.[9]
Chaplin promoted Epstein to producer on A Countess from Hong Kong, the last film Chaplin directed.[10] In 1968 and 1969, Epstein worked with Chaplin to produce the screenplay for The Freak, intended as a vehicle for Chaplin' daughter, Victoria. Epstein and Chaplin funded the prototype for the wings of Victoria's character, and Epstein worked with studios about casting and location scouting. The project was never made due to Chaplin's declining health.[11]
Sydney Chaplin appeared in three Epstein projects, including films Follow That Man, A Countess From Hong Kong, and The Adding Machine,[3] and Broadway plays Bells are Ringing.[2]
Later life
editAfter Chaplin's death in 1977, Epstein worked to preserve the actor's legacy. Epstein provided the idea for film critic David Robinson's 1985 book Chaplin: His Life and Art, which was used as source material for the 1992 biographical film Chaplin.[12] In 1989, on the 100th anniversary of Chaplin's birth, Epstein published the memoir Remembering Charlie. Epstein frequently hosted Chaplin's widow Oona and her children at his Vincent Square home. Epstein died on November 16, 1991, in London.[2]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Producer | Writer | Director | |||
| 1949 | Search for Danger | Yes | [1] | ||
| 1954 | Votre dévoué Blak (Yours Truly, Blake) | Yes | Yes | French-language film[1] | |
| 1955 | King's Rhapsody | Yes | Adaptation of musical King's Rhapsody[2] | ||
| 1957 | Le Grand Bluff | Yes | [1] | ||
| 1957 | A King in New York | Yes | Uncredited. Chaplin's last film in a leading acting role.[1] | ||
| 1959 | The Chaplin Revue | Credited as Chaplin's assistant.[1] | |||
| 1961 | Follow that Man | Yes | Yes | [1] | |
| 1967 | A Countess from Hong Kong | Yes | Written and directed by Chaplin[1] | ||
| 1969 | The Adding Machine | Yes | Yes | Yes | [1] |
| 1969 | Two Gentlemen Sharing | Yes | Uncredited.[1] | ||
Television
edit| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Producer | Writer | Director | |||
| 1957 | ITV Television Playhouse | Yes | Yes | 1 episode as producer, 2 episodes as director[13] | |
| 1960 | My Heart's in the Highlands | Yes | Broadcast as part of The Play of the Week[2] | ||
| 1972 | The Woman Hunter | Yes | 1 episode[14] | ||
Broadway
edit| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Producer | Writer | Director | |||
| 1956 | Bells are Ringing | Yes | [2] | ||
Bibliography
edit- Remembering Charlie (1989), ISBN 978-0385262828
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Jerome Epstein". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Hopkins, John. "Jerry Epstein obituary". The Independent. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ a b c Robinson, David (March 9, 2009). "Sydney Chaplin obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ "Sydney is a Chaplin". Orlando Sentinel. March 17, 1957. p. 85. Retrieved May 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Spiller, Nancy (April 16, 1989). "Memories of Chaplin in L.A." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ Brody, Richard (September 18, 2015). "Charlie Chaplin's Scandalous Life and Boundless Artistry". The New Yorker. New Yorker. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ "80. A King in New York (1957)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on February 15, 2008. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ Epstein, Jerome Leonard. "Charlot/Jerome Epstein (1957): Characterisation of the main characters - the King and the Girl (Pre-production note)". Charlie Chaplin Archive. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ "The Chaplin Revue (1960)". BFI. Archived from the original on July 11, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
- ^ "A Countess from Hong Kong". Variety. December 31, 1966. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ "Cineteca di Bologna Publishes New Book on The Freak". CharlieChaplin.com. The Chaplin Office. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ Kanin, Garson (November 10, 1985). "The Paradoxical Sir Tramp". New York Times. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ "Results · British Universities Film & Video Council". bufvc.ac.uk. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
- ^ "The Woman Hunter". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
