2014 (Production)

2014-10-24 (Production)

English (Original)

Interviewee: Jerome Hellman
Interviewer: Sienna McLean LoGreco

Professional production

United States

Producer and talent agent Jerome Hellman is interviewed at his home in New York City by Sienna McLean-LoGreco on October 24, 2014. Hellman describes growing up in New York in the 1930s, where spending time at the movies expanded his world. Hellman’s early years as a talent agent are discussed, as is his transition to producer of television and then films such as THE WORLD OF HENRY ORIENT (1964), MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969), and COMING HOME (1978). He discusses fruitful relationships with writers and directors, and reveals details about the unique challenges facing film producers throughout the end of the twentieth century.

Producer and talent agent Jerome Hellman is interviewed at his home in New York City by Sienna McLean-LoGreco on October 24, 2014. He begins with discussion of his youth in Manhattan, in a community where all of his friends had one or more immigrant parents. Hellman remembers milestones of his adolescence in movie theaters, where he was impressed by films, such as THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940). After getting hard knocks training in the Marine Corps, Hellman describes working in the mail room at the William Morris Agency, a brief spell digging ditches in Long Island, and then being hired at age 20 by Paul Radin for the Jaffe Agency’s New York branch. He tells tales of entertaining stars like Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, and befriending actors Jack Palance and Lloyd Bridges. After starting his own agency, Hellman enjoyed an impromptu role as a live television producer on NBC’s THE KAISER ALUMINUM HOUR which employed many of his clients. After this, Hellman says his fate was sealed, and he formed the Pan Arts Company in 1963 in order to produce films. He describes his friendship with George Roy Hill and the making of their first film together, THE WORLD OF HENRY ORIENT (1964), which was shot in the streets of New York and an airplane hangar in Long Island. Hellman details working with director John Schlesinger and casting Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman in the groundbreaking MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969), which would win an Academy Award for Best Picture. Other films discussed include THE DAY OF THE LOCUST (1975), COMING HOME (1978), THE MOSQUITO COAST (1986), and his sole directorial project, PROMISES IN THE DARK (1979). Hellman reveals a sense of humor and offers an insightful take on the business of filmmaking; he adeptly depicts a changing industry and describes meaningful creative relationships with the men and women with whom he has worked, such as John Schlesinger, Marion Dougherty, George Roy Hill, Nunnally Johnson, and Waldo Salt.

Jerome Hellman (1928-2021) grew up in New York City. After stints in the Marine Corps and digging ditches in Long Island, he became a talent agent in 1948. Accumulating over a decade of experience as an agent in New York and Hollywood, he formed the Pan Arts Company to produce films. His first venture, THE WORLD OF HENRY ORIENT (1964) starring Peter Sellers, became the official US entry at the Cannes Film Festival. Hellman went on to produce the groundbreaking MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969), which won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay. He brought Nathaniel West’s classic THE DAY OF THE LOCUST to the screen in 1975. His production of COMING HOME (1978) was recognized with a Best Picture nomination and won Oscars for Jon Voight, Jane Fonda and Best Screenplay. Hellman’s work also includes A FINE MADNESS (1966), THE MOSQUITO COAST (1986) and his sole directorial venture, PROMISES IN THE DARK (1979).

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