Carl Laemmle, Jr.

Carl Laemmle, Jr. began his career as producer and production executive while he was still a teen when his famous father -- the entrepreneurial founder of the Independent Motion Picture Company of America (aka. IMP) which eventually merged with other smaller companies to become Universal Studios -- hired him to supervise short films. When he was 21, Laemmle Jr. was promoted to Universal's production chief. One of his first moves was to call for the production of higher quality films. One of the first he produced, All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), won an Oscar. Soon Universal was releasing a number of highly acclaimed films. It also began producing it's famous cycle of horror movies like Frankenstein, Dracula (both 1931), and The Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Unfortunately, to produce such high-quality films, much money must be spent. His financial extravagance caused difficulty for Universal during the Depression and he had to resign. He then went on to make independent productions in 1936, but none were terribly successful. - Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide