Jesse J. Goldburg

This Bill Cody silent oater was released in 1925

(Courtesy of Diane Gray)

(Courtesy of Les Adams)

Jesse J. Goldburg

1881 - 1959

Special thanks to Diane S. Gray for the photos and information on her grandfather, Jesse J. Goldburg.

While the Old Corral is about the sound B western, we recognize that the cowboy heroes and films began in the silent movies ... and the popularity of the sagebrush adventure continued as Hollywood migrated to talkin' pictures. The silent era produced many 'big guns', including Tom Mix and Buck Jones at Fox as well as Hoot Gibson and Ken Maynard at Universal. And of course, Film Booking Office (FBO) released silents with Bob Steele, Tom Tyler, and several others, including a brief series with Mix. Though the big studios and production companies were lensing sagebrush adventures, there were many small outfits that churned out low-budget fare for the independent, states rights market.

Jesse James Goldburg earned a law degree in New York, but didn't practice. For some reason, he wound up in Hollywood around 1915, and one of his first credits is the screenplay for THE CURIOUS CONDUCT OF JUDGE LE GARDE (Life Photo Film, 1915) with Lionel Barrymore. In the 1920s, he formed a low budget film company named Independent Pictures Corporation. He produced several dozen inexpensive westerns and outdoor yarns, and his primary stars were Bill Cody, Bob Custer and Franklyn Farnum. Appears that one of the Goldburg/FBO silent westerns survive - Bob Custer in NO MAN'S LAW (FBO, 1928).

Some familiar names worked behind the camera on the Goldburg silents, learning their trade and getting experience. Directors included Bob Steele's father, Robert North Bradbury, as well as J. P. McGowan, J. P. McCarthy and B. Reeves 'Breezy' Eason. Screenwriters included Adele Buffington and George Plympton. All would continue to be employed - at prolific levels - in B westerns and serials of the sound era.

When talkies arrived, Jesse Goldburg's Hollywood career faded.

An interesting tidbit about Goldburg is a relationship with Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs. Apparently, they were close friends and there is a mention of Jesse loaning ERB several thousands of $$$ around 1938. That "loan" is noted in a couple of ERB personal inscriptions in several Burroughs books which are part of the Goldburg family library.

There's some details on this in David Fury's book Kings of the Jungle: An Illustrated Reference to Tarzan on Screen and Television (1994 McFarland hardcover, 2001 McFarland softcover). Page 139 of the softcover edition notes:

"Edgar Rice Burroughs had originally signed a $50,000.00 loan to finance The New Adventures of Tarzan in 1934, and by 1937 Burroughs-Tarzan Enterprises was in serious debt. BTE was saved from further embarassment (financial and otherwise) by Jesse Goldberg, who, in an agreement with the producers of Tarzan and the Green Goddess, was installed as the sole agent for distributing and exploiting the picture, on a 50/50 split. Goldberg did well enough with the picture (especially in England, where it was released in December, 1937) to pay off the loan, and BTE was able to clear the books."

For those unfamiliar with the movie references in the above paragraph, THE NEW ADVENTURES OF TARZAN was a 12-chapter serial produced by Burroughs-Tarzan Enterprises. It was filmed in the jungles of Guatamala and starred 1928 Olympic shotput Champion Herman Brix, who a few years later, changed his screen name to Bruce Bennett. TARZAN AND THE GREEN GODDESS was a feature culled from that serial. While all this was going on, Olympic swimming champion Larry 'Buster' Crabbe did the TARZAN THE FEARLESS (1933) chapterplay for Sol Lesser's Principal company. But more importantly, an Olympic swim champ by the name of Johnny Weissmuller was doing Tarzan films at MGM.

(Courtesy of Les Adams)
During the 1930s, was Goldburg attempting to get back into the film business?

Apparently so - on the left is a portion of a tradepaper blurb from July, 1938 about Goldburg (spelled Goldberg with an 'e') planning some films and splitting from Ben Judell's Progressive company. The films didn't happen. (Judell formed Progressive Pictures Corporation in '38, and shortly thereafter, it became Producers Distributing Corporation (PDC). Financial problems plagued the firm. By 1940 Judell was out and Sigmund Neufeld was in. And the resurrected company ultimately became Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC).)

What happened with Goldburg and his plans for new films? A bit of conjecture and Hollywood history might explain what occurred.

The late 1930s was NOT the time to be an independent, B grade film producer. In the1920s, Goldburg's expenditure for a each of his western productions was probably no more than a few thousand dollars, certainly no more than $5,000.00 per film. Ten years later, production costs were significantly higher. The States Rights distribution, which the independents used for to peddle their films, was 'drying up'. Major and minor production companies had their own distributors and film exchanges, or had distribution arrangements in place such as 'franchises'. Most of the small Poverty Row production companies that churned out low budget B westerns on shoestring budgets had disappeared by the late 1930s - examples include A. William Hackel's Supreme Pictures, Bernard B. Ray and Harry Webb's Reliable Pictures, Sam Katzman's Victory company, and Maurice Conn's Ambassador Pictures. Grand National was in financial difficulty and would ultimately go bankrupt. The formation of Republic Pictures in 1935 also had an impact and so did the success of the singing cowboy. On a larger scale, America was trying to overcome the Depression and there were ominous signs of a conflict in Europe. The environment had changed - Jesse James Goldburg may not have been able to obtain support and financing to do films.

You may want to go to the In Search Of ... webpage on the Old Corral. Then go to the California Death Records at RootsWeb. There you will find a record for: Jesse James Goldburg, born 10/21/1881 in New York, and he passed away on 8/27/1959.

(Courtesy of Ed Tabor)

(Courtesy of Ed Tabor)

In the late 1920s, FBO's stable of cowboy heroes included Tom Tyler, Bob Steele, Buzz Barton, a short visit from Tom Mix ... and Bob Custer. The lobby cards above and below are from two of Custer's silents. These were produced by Jesse J. Goldburg's Independent Pictures company and released through FBO (Film Booking Office). THE RIDING STREAK (1929) was one of Goldburg's last films.

(Courtesy of Ed Tabor)

GALLOPING VENGEANCE was released in 1925. Hans Wollstein was able to ID the other players in the above lobby card as Ralph McCullough (far left), who played heroine Mary Beth Milford's brother, and Dorothy Ponedel (far right), who played 'Little Wolf'.

(Courtesy of Diane Gray)

Above is a 1930s photo of the Goldburg family - from L-to-R are wife Florence, Jesse, youngest daughter Helene (Diane's mother) and daughter Claudia is on the far right.

Dianne adds: "My grandfather was a crackup, funny guy, loved to clown around, loved the ponys, Shakespeare, good jokes and his beloved wife and family."

(Courtesy of Diane Gray)

Above is a smiling Jesse J. Goldburg, circa 1950s.

(Courtesy of Diane Gray)

Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has information on Goldburg and his Independent Pictures company. Click below:

Jesse J. Goldburg
Independent Pictures

Goldburg was one of eight founders of Temple Israel of Hollywood in 1926: http://www.tioh.org/welcome/our_history.php?id=151&page=151