Joe Brandt(1882-1939)
- Writer
Joe Brandt was born in Troy, New York, on July 20, 1882. He attended
high school in New York City and got his LL.B from New York University,
and was admitted to the bar in 1906. He entered the motion picture
industry as the private secretary to
Carl Laemmle in 1908. Prior to that he was
with the Hampton Advertising Ageny, and also served as the New York
representative of "Billboard" and was, for a time, advertising manager
of the Dramatic Mirror. In 1912 he was instrumental in the formation of
the Universal Film Corporation, and served as General Manager of the
company until 1918. He and
Isadore Bernstein (as production
manager) joined forces to form the National Film Corporation of
America, Inc. with
William Parsons (aka "Smiley
Billy"), formerly producing as Capitol Comedies, but the death of
Parsons on September 29, 1919 (just prior to the finish of
Lightning Bryce (1919), a
15-chapter serial written by Brandt) spelled "finis" for that company.
Brandt, in partnership with
Harry Cohn and
Jack Cohn then formed C.B.C.(Cohn-Brandt-Cohn)
Sales Company in 1921. Brandt sold his interests in the company (that
was now Columbia Pictures Corporation) in February of 1932. He then
became President of WorldWide Pictures, and vice-president of
Educational Pictures, Inc. in May of 1932, but resigned in November of
1932. He then became President of Associated Productions and resigned
and retired in late 1933. He died in 1939. He was the father of
Jerrold T. Brandt.
