Guy McElwaine

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Guy McElwaine (June 29, 1936 – April 2, 2008) was a former professional baseball player turned Hollywood agent, producer and studio head.

He joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's publicity department in 1955 but left in 1959 to join marketing and public relations agency Rogers & Cowan.[1] In 1964, he set up his own PR firm.[1] He became an agent at Creative Management Associates in 1969 and was a founding partner of International Creative Management when CMA merged with International Famous Agency in 1975. He was the first agent of Steven Spielberg.[2]

While at CMA, he became vice-president of worldwide production at Warner Bros. but left after 18 months and rejoined the agency when ICM was created.[2][1]

He left ICM to join Columbia Pictures in 1981[2] and became head of production in October 1983 replacing Frank Price and lasted until April 1986.[3]

The first film that started production under his reign at Columbia Studios was The New Kids.[3] Columbia's production increased during his reign with 14 films started in 1984 compared to 9 in 1983 but none of the 14 were hits when they were released.[4] The biggest hit produced under his tenure was The Karate Kid Part II with a gross of $115 million[5] on a negative cost of $14 million.[3] He greenlit Ishtar, produced by Warren Beatty for whom McElwaine had acted as publicist for in the past. The budget doubled from an initial $27.5 million[6] to $55 million[3] and he was fired after production wrapped.[7] He was succeeded by David Puttnam.[3]

He rejoined ICM in 1988 and in 2002 became president of Morgan Creek Entertainment until his death from pancreatic cancer.[2]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c "McElwaine Says Col Pix 'Totally' Funding His Indie". Daily Variety. July 24, 1986. p. 1.
  2. ^ a b c d Saperstein, Pat (April 2, 2008). "Agent Guy McElwaine dies at 71". Variety. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Columbia In-House Productions - 1978-89". Variety. November 22, 1989. p. 16.
  4. ^ Cohn, Lawrence (November 22, 1989). "Exec Shifts Make Columbia the Gem of Commotion". Variety. p. 1.
  5. ^ "The Karate Kid Part II". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  6. ^ Blum, David (16 March 1987). "The Road to 'Ishtar': How Warren Beatty, Dustin Hoffman and Elaine May Made a Farce in the Desert for Just $40 Million". New York: 34–43.
  7. ^ Biskind, Peter (February 2010). "Madness in Morocco: The Road to Ishtar". Vanity Fair: 116–25, 142–44.

External links[]

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