SKOURAS Spyros
Spyros Panagiotis Skouras.
Date of birth
: March 28, 1893 (or September 27, 1892), Skourahorian, Greece.
Date of death : August 16, 1971, Mamaroneck, State of New York (,).
Profession
* president of the Fox from 1942 to 1960.
* president of the Fox Board of Directors from 1960 to 1962.
Story
He emigrated to the USA in 1910 with his 2 brothers and first settled in St Louis, Missouri.
In 1920 he married Saroula (Sara) Bruiglia (September 2, 1896, St Louis, Missouri-September 16, 1978, New
They had 5 children :
* Spyros Solan (October 28, 1923, St Louis, Missouri-January 18, 2013, Connecticut)()
* Diana Anasthasia (November 11, 1925, St Louis, Missouri-1982)()
* Dionysia Colleen (January 7, 1926, St Louis, Missouri-July 17, 1950, Los Angeles)()
* Daphne (born 1928, St Louis, Missouri)(,;)
* Plato Alexander (March 7, 1930, Rye, New York-July 4, 2004, Arkansas)().
He was president of the Fox during Marilyn's whole career.
Just after, Marilyn's six months contract turned into a seven years one, and the studio, wanting to please the operators, found her parts in every possible movies.
With Darryl Zanuck and Joe Schenck
October 25, 1951, Hollywood Foreign Correspondents Annual at the Mocambo
November 1953, visit of the Greek sovereigns at the Fox ,
Described as a man who "always thought what he said at the moment he said it", his task was to protect the image of the studio when he felt this one was threatened.
It was the case in 1956 when Arthur Miller was appealed to testify in front of the House Un-American Activities Commiteee.
The day before the hearing, Skouras went to New York City and tried to convince Arthur Miller to cooperate with the Committee. Firmly persuaded that Marilyn's career would be over if Miller was labelled as communist, he tried to negotiate that a hearing with camera would be granted to Miller, in return for this collaboration. Marilyn was proud of her husband's integrity.
September 19, 1959, visit of Nikita Khrouchtchev at the Fox Studios ,,
, In 1960 when Buddy Adler died (he had replaced Zanuck when this one had resigned in 1956), Skouras took the job of director of production; the studio was in such a perilous situation (long and slow decline, "Cleopatra" huge costs overrun) and the heads put pressure on him; he gave up the presidency and took the less influential post of president of the Board of Directors of the Fox.His long career at the head of the Fox ended the month following the decision to dismiss Marilyn from her last movie, "Something's Got to Give", in main part because of the cost overrun of "Cleopatra" (1963) and of the bad results of the studio the previous years.
Bibliography
"Skouras, King of Fox Studios", Carlo Curti, Los Angeles, Holloway House, 1967.