Harry Cohn

Harry Cohn was a dominant figure in the early history of Hollywood. He served as a co-founder, president, and production director of the Columbia Pictures Corporation.

Cohn was responsible for transforming a small, low-budget company into a major studio. He was known for an autocratic management style, meaning he held almost all the power himself. This concentration of authority earned him nicknames like "King Cohn" and "White Fang." He was a complex leader who could be charming in social settings but was often intimidating in business.

Cohn's journey to the top of the film industry began with a variety of working-class jobs. Born in New York City to a Jewish family, his father was a German tailor. Before entering movies, Cohn worked as a chorus boy, a fur salesman, and a streetcar conductor. He also worked as a song plugger for a sheet music printer. He eventually joined the film industry at Universal Film Manufacturing Company. In 1919, he teamed up with his brother Jack Cohn and Joe Brandt to found CBC Film Sales Corporation. This company eventually became the Columbia Pictures Corporation after Cohn bought out Brandt.

Running a studio required a careful balance of different types of films. In its early years, Columbia was considered a "Poverty Row" studio. This term described studios that produced movies with very small budgets. To stay solvent, the company relied on budget productions, short subjects, serials, and cartoons. A major turning point occurred in 1934 when the comedy *It Happened One Night* won several Academy Awards. This success helped Columbia move away from its low-budget reputation. The studio began producing "class" productions, which were higher-quality films like *Lost Horizon* and *Mr. Smith Goes to Washington*.

Cohn used a specific strategy to attract audiences to his films. He did not build a permanent stable of stars like other major studios did. Instead, he often signed famous actors who were already popular at more expensive studios. This included stars such as Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and Humphrey Bogart. At the same time, Columbia helped many smaller actors rise through the ranks to become stars. People like Rita Hayworth and Jean Arthur became major names through the studio. This mix of established talent and rising stars helped keep the company profitable throughout his tenure.

Cohn's leadership was often described as legendary and controversial. He was known to use listening devices on sound stages to monitor conversations. He could be a "Jekyll-and-Hyde" type of person. He might scream at directors in his office one moment and be cordial at a dinner party later that night. He also had complicated connections to the world of organized crime. For example, he received a loan from New Jersey mob boss Abner Zwillman to buy out his business partner. These intense personality traits became a part of Hollywood lore.

His influence extended into the stories told by other filmmakers. Many movie characters were inspired by his loud and intimidating persona. The character Jack Woltz in the 1972 film *The Godfather* is said to be based on Cohn. Characters in *All the King's Men* and *Born Yesterday* were also reportedly modeled after him. Even as a businessman, he could be sentimental. He famously helped Billy West, an actor he had failed to fulfill a contract for years earlier. Cohn also kept the Three Stooges on his payroll for over twenty years because he believed they brought him luck.

However, his power also led to difficult interactions with others. Cohn was known to hold long grudges against people who displeased him. He famously barred actor David Niven from the studio lot after a joke went wrong. He also had a very difficult relationship with actress Hazel Scott. After she protested certain costumes, Cohn vowed she would never work at a Hollywood studio again. There were also many allegations regarding his treatment of female stars. Some actresses, like Joan Crawford, had to be very firm to resist his unwanted advances.

Cohn's life ended following a series of health struggles. He had been suffering from an enlarged heart and suffered a heart attack while flying in late 1957. He died in February 1958 after another heart attack in Phoenix, Arizona. His funeral was a massive event attended by nearly the entire Hollywood community. He was buried in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. He left behind a studio that had grown from a small operation into a central part of the global film industry.