Jerry Wald, the son of a dry goods salesman, was a charismatic and ambitious Hollywood writer-producer. With an innate sense of literary judgment, he began his career in 1929 as a radio columnist for The New York Evening Graphic. He simultaneously completed his studies in journalism at New York University.
Wald's skills as a writer for popular radio stars, such as Russ Columbo, led to further work writing short features for RKO. This attracted the attention of Warner Brothers, and he was signed to a contract in 1934. Initially, he worked as a screenwriter, often collaborating with Julius J. Epstein, Mark Hellinger, and Richard Macaulay.
He was involved in the production of films noir such as The Roaring Twenties, Torrid Zone, and They Drive by Night. His role was that of the "ideas man," who came up with catchy titles, original storylines, twists, and plot devices.
Wald was known for constantly brainstorming ideas and was able to promote a picture before it had even left the drawing board. He acquired a reputation for being able to rejuvenate the careers of washed-up actors by casting them in well-written films.
He produced a number of hits for Warner Brothers, spanning various genres, including war, melodrama, and swashbucklers. He worked with big female stars such as Joan Crawford, Claire Trevor, and Jane Wyman, and received the Irving Thalberg Award at the Oscars in 1948 for his work on Johnny Belinda.
In 1950, Wald left Warner Brothers to form an independent production company with Norman Krasna at RKO. He later became vice president in charge of production at Columbia, but only lasted three years. In 1956, he formed his own production company, Jerry Wald Productions, releasing films through 20th Century Fox.
Wald's films during this period were mostly lavish and glamorous, frequently shot in Technicolor. Some of his most successful films include An Affair to Remember, Peyton Place, and The Long, Hot Summer.
