Hunt Stromberg Biography

A former St. Louis sports reporter, Hunt Stromberg entered movies in the pre-World War One era as a publicity agent for the Goldwyn company. In 1919, he became the personal representative of film mogul Thomas H. Ince; two years later Stromberg was himself a producer, turning out a series of low-budget independent features. He joined MGM in 1925, where he became the first MGM production supervisor to receive an on-screen "produced by" credit. Unlike the visionary, artistically inclined Thalberg, Stromberg was a gimlet-eyed, pragmatic businessman. During his MGM stay, he oversaw the Thin Man series, the immensely successful Nelson Eddy/Jeanette McDonald operettas, and such prestige items as Pride and Prejudice (1940). Stromberg relaunched his career as an independent producer with the 1942 Barbara Stanwyck vehicle Lady of Burlesque. Hunt Stromberg ended his movie activities in 1951, after a brief stay at Columbia with his own production unit. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi