Editing David O. Selznick

{{short description|American film producer (1902–1965)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = David O. Selznick
| image = DavidSelznick.jpg
| caption = Selznick, c. 1934
| birth_name = David Selznick
| birth_date = {{birth date|1902|05|10}}
| birth_place = [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1965|06|22|1902|05|10}}
| death_place = [[Los Angeles|Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
| resting_place = [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California]]
| other_names = Oliver Jeffries<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sragow |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Sragow |title=Victor Fleming: An American Movie Master |publisher=[[University Press of Kentucky]] |year=2013 |isbn=9780813144436 |page=220}}</ref>
| party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| education    =
| occupation   = {{hlist|Film producer|screenwriter|film studio executive}}
| years_active = 1923–1957
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Irene Mayer Selznick]] |1930|1949|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Jennifer Jones]]|1949}}
}}
| children = 3
| parents = [[Lewis J. Selznick]]<br />Florence Sachs
| relatives = [[Myron Selznick]] (brother)
}}

'''David O. Selznick''' (born '''David Selznick''': May 10, 1902{{spaced ndash}}June 22, 1965) was an American [[film producer]], [[screenwriter]] and film studio executive<ref>[http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/david-o-selznick-about-david-o-selznick/700/ "About David O. Selznick"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171229052426/http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/david-o-selznick-about-david-o-selznick/700/ |date=2017-12-29 }}, PBS, April 16, 2005.</ref> who produced ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]'' (1939) and ''[[Rebecca (1940 film)|Rebecca]]'' (1940), both of which earned him an [[Academy Award for Best Picture]]. He also won the [[Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award|Irving Thalberg Award]] at the [[12th Academy Awards]], Hollywood's top honor for a producer, in recognition of his shepherding ''Gone with the Wind'' through a long and troubled production and into a record-breaking [[Blockbuster (entertainment)|blockbuster]].

The son and son-in-law of movie moguls [[Lewis J. Selznick]] and [[Louis B. Mayer]], Selznick served as head of production at [[RKO Pictures|R.K.O. Radio Pictures]] and went on to become one of the first independent movie producers. His first wife was Mayer's daughter [[Irene Selznick]], who became a highly successful [[Theatrical producer|Broadway producer]] after their divorce, and his second wife was Oscar-winning actress [[Jennifer Jones]].

==Early life==
Selznick was born in [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]], the son of Florence Anna (née Sachs) and [[Lewis J. Selznick]], a [[silent film]] producer and distributor of [[Jewish]] origin.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lambert |first=Gavin |author-link=Gavin Lambert |title=GWTW: The Making of Gone With the Wind |publisher=[[Bantam Books]] |year=1976 |edition=mass market paperback |location=New York |pages=2–7 |orig-year=1973}}</ref> His father was born in the [[Russian Empire]] in 1870.<ref>{{Cite web |title=David H. Selznick 1930 Census |url=https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCFX-XKF |publisher=FamilySearch.org}}</ref>

David had three siblings, including his brother [[Myron Selznick|Myron]], also a film producer and later a [[talent agent]]. David Selznick added the "O" to distinguish himself from an uncle with the same name, and because he thought it had flair.<ref name="Selznick">{{Cite book |last=Selznick |first=David O. |title=Memo from David O. Selznick |publisher=Modern Library |year=2000 |isbn=0-375-75531-4 |editor-last=Behlmer |editor-first=Rudy |location=New York |page=3}}</ref> The "O" stands for nothing, and he never had his [[Name change|name legally changed]] to incorporate it.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Hitchcock's Magic |date=2011 |publisher=University of Wales Press |page=178}}</ref>

He studied at [[Columbia University]] in [[New York City]] and started training as an apprentice for his father<ref name="britannica" /> until the elder's bankruptcy in 1923. In 1926, Selznick moved to [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]],<ref name="britannica">{{Cite web |title=David O. Selznick |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/David-O-Selznick |access-date=5 March 2021 |publisher=Britannica |archive-date=13 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200413050041/https://www.britannica.com/biography/David-O-Selznick |url-status=live }}</ref> and with the help of his father's connections, he gained a job as an assistant story editor at [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]. He left MGM for [[Paramount Pictures]] in 1928, where he worked until 1931. While at Paramount he married [[Irene Mayer Selznick|Irene Gladys Mayer]], daughter of MGM mogul [[Louis B. Mayer]].

==Stint at RKO==
[[David Sarnoff]], head of [[RKO Pictures|RKO]], hired Selznick as Head of Production in October 1931.<ref>Lasky, Betty (1989). ''RKO: The Biggest Little Major of Them All''. Santa Monica, Calif.: Roundtable. {{ISBN|0-915677-41-5}}, pp. 67–70.</ref> In addition to implementing rigorous cost-control measures, Selznick championed the unit production system, which gave the [[Film producer|producers]] of individual movies much greater independence than they had under the prevailing central producer system. "Under the factory system of production you rob the director of his individualism", said Selznick, "and this being a creative industry that is harmful to the quality of the product made."<ref name="Bord321">Bordwell, David, Janet Staiger, and Kristin Thompson (1985). ''The Classical Hollywood Cinema: Film Style & Mode of Production to 1960''. New York: Columbia University Press. {{ISBN|0-231-06054-8}}, p. 321.</ref> Instituting unit production, he predicted, would also result in cost savings of 30–40 percent.<ref name=Bord321/>

To make films under the new system, Selznick recruited prize behind-the-camera personnel, such as [[Film director|director]] [[George Cukor]] and producer/director [[Merian C. Cooper]], and gave producer [[Pandro S. Berman]], aged twenty-six, increasingly important projects.<ref>Lasky (1989), pp. 74–76; Jewell, Richard B. (1982). The RKO Story. New York: Arlington House/Crown. {{ISBN|0-517-54656-6}}, p. 17.</ref> Selznick discovered and signed a young actress who was quickly counted as one of the studio's big stars, [[Katharine Hepburn]]. [[John Barrymore]] was also enlisted for a few memorable performances.<ref>Lasky (1989), pp. 77–80, 93.</ref>

Selznick spent a mere fifteen months as RKO production chief, resigning over a dispute with new corporate president Merlin Aylesworth concerning creative control.<ref>Schatz, Thomas (1998 [1989]). ''The Genius of the System: Hollywood Filmmaking in the Studio Era''. London: Faber and Faber. {{ISBN|0-571-19596-2}}, pp. 131–33; Lasky (1989), pp. 81–82.</ref> One of his last acts at RKO was to approve a [[screen test]] for a thirty-three-year-old, balding [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] song-and-dance man named [[Fred Astaire]].<ref>Schatz (1998), p. 133; Lasky (1989), p. 83.</ref> In a memo, Selznick wrote, "I feel, in spite of his enormous ears and bad chin line, that his charm is ... tremendous".<ref>Mueller, John (1986). ''Astaire Dancing: The Musical Films''. London: Hamish Hamilton. {{ISBN|0-241-11749-6}}, p. 7.</ref>

Selznick's tenure was widely considered masterful: In 1931, before he arrived, the studio had produced forty-two features for $16 million in total budgets. In 1932, under Selznick, forty-one features were made for $10.2 million, with clear improvement in quality and popularity.<ref>Schatz (1998), p. 131.</ref> He backed several major successes, including ''[[A Bill of Divorcement (1932 film)|A Bill of Divorcement]]'' (1932), with Cukor directing Hepburn's debut, and the monumental ''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]'' (1933)—largely Merian Cooper's brainchild, brought to life by the astonishing [[special effect]]s work of [[Willis H. O'Brien]].<ref>Lasky (1989), pp. 78–79, 93–95; Jewell (1982), pp. 52, 60.</ref>

==Return to MGM==
In 1933 he returned to MGM where his father-in-law, [[Louis B. Mayer]], was studio CEO. Mayer established a second  prestige production unit for Selznick, parallel to that of [[Irving Thalberg]], who was in poor health. Selznick's unit output included the all-star cast movie ''[[Dinner at Eight (1933 film)|Dinner at Eight]]'' (1933), ''[[David Copperfield (1935 film)|David Copperfield]]'' (1935), ''[[Anna Karenina (1935 film)|Anna Karenina]]'' (1935), and ''[[A Tale of Two Cities (1935 film)|A Tale of Two Cities]]'' (1935).

[[Greta Garbo]]'s contract with MGM supposedly provided that only Selznick or Thalberg could produce her pictures for the studio. When Selznick later announced his departure from MGM, Garbo asked him to stay, offering to allow him the exclusive right to produce her films.<ref>''Memo from David O. Selznick'', p. 97.</ref> Selznick declined the offer.

==Selznick International Pictures==
[[File:Selznick International Pictures title screen.jpg|thumb|Color version of the Selznick International Pictures title screen, as seen in ''[[A Star Is Born (1937 film)|A Star Is Born]]'' (1937)]]
{{main|Selznick International Pictures}}
Selznick longed to be an independent producer with his own studio. In 1935 he realized that goal by leasing [[RKO]]'s [[Culver City]] studios and back lot, forming [[Selznick International Pictures]], and distributing his films through [[United Artists]]. His successes continued with classics such as ''[[The Garden of Allah (1936 film)|The Garden of Allah]]'' (1936), ''[[The Prisoner of Zenda (1937 film)|The Prisoner of Zenda]]'' (1937), ''[[A Star Is Born (1937 film)|A Star Is Born]]'' (1937), ''[[Nothing Sacred (film)|Nothing Sacred]]'' (1937), ''[[The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938 film)|The Adventures of Tom Sawyer]]'' (1938), ''[[The Young in Heart]]'' (1938), ''[[Made for Each Other (1939 film)|Made for Each Other]]'' (1939), ''[[Intermezzo (1939 film)|Intermezzo]]'' (1939) and ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]'' (1939), which remains the highest-grossing film of all time (adjusted for inflation).<ref name="britannica" /> ''Gone with the Wind'' won eight [[Academy Awards|Oscars]] and two special awards. Selznick also won the [[Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award]] that same year.

The following year he produced his second Best Picture Oscar winner, ''[[Rebecca (1940 film)|Rebecca]]''<!-- Shot September-November 1939. See https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/5132?sid=a02a862e-6bfe-471f-870c-f43c1a33aec1&sr=0.8563489&cp=1&pos=3 --> (1940), the first Hollywood production of British director [[Alfred Hitchcock]]. Selznick had brought Hitchcock over from England, launching the director's American career. ''Rebecca'' was Hitchcock's only film to win Best Picture.

==Later productions==
After ''Rebecca'', Selznick closed Selznick International Pictures and took some time off. His business activities included the loan of his contracted artists to other studios, including [[Alfred Hitchcock]], [[Ingrid Bergman]], [[Vivien Leigh]] and [[Joan Fontaine]]. He formed The Selznick Studio and returned to producing pictures with <!-- Principal photography: 19 September 1943--9 February 1944 https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/24166?sid=24266034-6988-495d-981f-f7b39f3b2e7e&sr=5.3198514&cp=1&pos=0 -->''[[Since You Went Away]]'' (1944), which he also wrote. He followed that with the Hitchcock films ''[[Spellbound (1945 film)|Spellbound]]'' (1945) and ''[[The Paradine Case]]'' (1947), as well as ''[[Portrait of Jennie]]'' (1948) with [[Jennifer Jones]].

He also developed film projects and sold the packages to other producers. Among the movies that he developed but then sold was Hitchcock's ''[[Notorious (1946 film)|Notorious]]'' (1946). In 1949 he co-produced the [[Carol Reed]] picture ''[[The Third Man]]'' with [[Alexander Korda]].

''Gone with the Wind'' overshadowed the rest of Selznick's career. Later, he was convinced that he had wasted his life trying to outdo it. A major effort to was ''[[Duel in the Sun (film)|Duel in the Sun]]'' (1946), which featured future wife Jennifer Jones in the role of the primary character Pearl. With a huge budget, the film is known for causing moral upheaval{{citation needed|date=October 2023}} because of the then risqué script written by Selznick. And though it was a troublesome shoot with a number of directors, the film would be a major success. The film was the second highest-grossing film of 1947 and was the first movie that [[Martin Scorsese]] saw, inspiring Scorsese's own directorial career.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}

"I stopped making films in 1948 because I was tired," Selznick later wrote. "I had been producing, at the time, for twenty years....Additionally it was crystal clear that the motion-picture business was in for a terrible beating from television and other new forms of entertainment, and I thought it a good time to take stock and to study objectively the obviously changing public tastes....Certainly I had no intention of staying away from production for nine years."<ref>''Memo from David O. Selznick,'' p. 423.</ref> Selznick spent most of the 1950s nurturing the career of his second wife, [[Jennifer Jones]]. His last film, the big budget production ''[[A Farewell to Arms (1957 film)|A Farewell to Arms]]'' (1957) starring Jones and [[Rock Hudson]], was ill-received. But in 1954, he ventured into television, producing a two-hour extravaganza called ''[[Light's Diamond Jubilee]],'' which, in true Selznick fashion, made TV history by being telecast simultaneously{{citation needed|date=October 2023}} on all four TV networks: [[CBS]], [[NBC]], [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], and [[DuMont Television Network|DuMont]].

==Personal life==
[[File:Jennifer Jones and husband David O. Selznick in Los Angeles, 1957.jpg|thumb|Jennifer Jones and Selznick in Los Angeles, 1957]]
In 1928, Selznick began an on-again off-again affair with [[Jean Arthur]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 3, 1997 |title=Actress Jean Arthur's a Mystery Woman No Longer |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1997/11/03/actress-jean-arthurs-a-mystery-woman-no-longer/ |access-date=2024-09-20 |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |archive-date=2024-09-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920053603/https://www.chicagotribune.com/1997/11/03/actress-jean-arthurs-a-mystery-woman-no-longer/ |url-status=live }}</ref> one of the actresses under contract at Paramount while he was an executive there. Simultaneously he was dating [[Irene Mayer Selznick|Irene Gladys Mayer]], daughter of MGM mogul [[Louis B. Mayer]].

In 1930, Selznick married Mayer and after living in a series of rented houses they moved into an estate in [[Beverly Hills, California]]. It was purchased for them by Mayer's father and designed by architect [[Roland Coate]] in 1933–1934.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://digital.lib.washington.edu/architect/structures/2330/ |title=Pacific Coast Architecture Database: David O. Selznick House, Beverly Hills, CA |access-date=2013-05-05 |archive-date=2013-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106014648/https://digital.lib.washington.edu/architect/structures/2330/ |url-status=live }}</ref> They separated in 1945 and divorced in 1948.<ref>"Mrs. D. O. Selznick Wins Decree", ''[[The New York Times]]'', January 10, 1948, p. 11</ref> They had two sons, Jeffrey Selznick (1932–1997) and Daniel Selznick (1936–2024). Daniel, who died in August 2024, would serve as an executive at Universal Pictures for four years and also produced the television mini-series ''Blood Feud'' and [[Hoover vs. The Kennedys]], among others, and theatrical productions such ''The Man with the Perfect Wife''.<ref name="brothersdead">{{Cite news |last=Haring |first=Bruce |date=August 2, 2024 |title=Daniel M. Selznick Dies: Director, Producer, Executive with Ties to Early Hollywood Was 88 |url=https://deadline.com/2024/08/daniel-m-selznick-dead-director-producer-executive-obituary-1236030756/ |access-date=August 2, 2024 |work=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |archive-date=September 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920053604/https://deadline.com/2024/08/daniel-m-selznick-dead-director-producer-executive-obituary-1236030756/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1949, he married actress [[Jennifer Jones]], whom he had discovered early in her career and mentored. They had one daughter, Mary Jennifer Selznick (1954–1976), who died by suicide by jumping from a 22nd-floor window in Los Angeles on May 11, 1976.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kirk |first=Christina |date=June 6, 1976 |title=Tragic Curse Haunts Film Star Jennifer Jones |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/25606279/san_antonio_express/ |work=[[San Antonio Express]] |location=[[San Antonio, Texas]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 5, 2023 |archive-date=November 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181122131935/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/25606279/san_antonio_express/ |url-status=live }} {{open access}}</ref>

Selznick was an [[amphetamine]] user, and often dictated long, rambling memos to his directors, writers, investors, staff and stars.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Selznick |first=David O. |title=Memo From David O. Selznick |publisher=Random House Publishing |year=2000 |isbn=0375755314}}</ref> The documentary ''Shadowing The Third Man'' relates that Selznick introduced ''[[The Third Man]]'' director [[Carol Reed]] to the use of amphetamines, which allowed Reed to bring the picture in below budget and on schedule by filming nearly 22 hours at a time.

Selznick was a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]. On October 18, 1944, the Hollywood Committee, led by Selznick and [[Cecil B. DeMille]], held the Hollywood for Dewey Rally in the Los Angeles Coliseum in support of the [[Thomas E. Dewey|Dewey]]-[[John W. Bricker|Bricker]] ticket, as well as Governor [[Earl Warren]] of California, who was Dewey's running mate in 1948.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Critchlow |first=Donald T. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QfHXAAAAQBAJ&q=borden%20chase |title=When Hollywood Was Right: How Movie Stars, Studio Moguls, and Big Business Remade American Politics |date=2013-10-21 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=9781107650282 |access-date=2023-03-19 |archive-date=2023-11-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101031034/https://books.google.com/books?id=QfHXAAAAQBAJ&q=borden%20chase |url-status=live |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> The gathering drew 93,000, with [[Lionel Barrymore]] as the master of ceremonies and short speeches by [[Hedda Hopper]] and [[Walt Disney]].

===Accusations of sexual abuse===
Selznick International Pictures employee [[Anita Colby]] warned [[Shirley Temple]] to be careful if she “found Selznick in stockings.” Temple wrote in her autobiography ''Child Star'' that this gave her “the impression that casual sex could be a condition of employment” with Selznick. When she was 17, he locked Temple in his office and unsuccessfully attempted to rape her. About the incident Temple wrote:

:“Coming around my side of the desk, he reached and took my hand in his. Glancing down, I saw the telltale stocking feet. Pulling free, I turned for the door, but even more quickly he reached back over the edge of his desk and flicked a switch I had learned from Colby was a remote door-locking device. I was trapped. Like the cartoon of wolf and piglet, once again we circled and reversed directions around his furniture. Blessed with the agility of a young dancer and confronted by an amorous but overweight producer, I had little difficulty avoiding passionate clumsiness.“

== Portrayals in film and television ==
Jonathan Shields, the lead character in the 1952 film ''[[The Bad and the Beautiful]]'', was loosely based on Selznick, to the point that Selznick contemplated suing the makers of the film for defamation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Frank |date=2016 |title=Behind the Camera on The Bad and the Beautiful |url=http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article.html?isPreview=&id=190980%7C190968&name=Behind-the-Camera-The-Bad-and-the-Beautiful |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113145021/http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article.html?isPreview=&id=190980%7C190968&name=Behind-the-Camera-The-Bad-and-the-Beautiful |archive-date=2016-01-13 |access-date=2016-01-13 |publisher=[[Turner Classic Movies]]}}</ref>

[[Tony Curtis]] plays Selznick in the 1980 [[Television film|TV movie]] ''[[The Scarlett O'Hara War]]''.

Ron Berglas appears as Selznick in the [[Television film|TV movie]] ''[[RKO 281]]'' (1999).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-02-24 |title=RKO 281 {{!}} Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rko_281 |access-date=2024-02-01 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |language=en |archive-date=2024-03-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302005942/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rko_281 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Toby Leonard Moore]] plays Selznick in the 2020 film ''[[Mank]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Watch MANK {{!}} Netflix Official Site |url=https://www.netflix.com/title/81117189 |access-date=2024-02-01 |website=[[Netflix]] |language=en |archive-date=2024-01-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240104141919/https://www.netflix.com/title/81117189 |url-status=live }}</ref> Both films are dramatizations of the events surrounding the making of ''[[Citizen Kane]]''.

Selznick appears as a character in the second season of the anthology series [[Feud (TV series)|''Feud'']], ''[[Feud: Capote vs. The Swans|Capote vs. The Swans]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Leeds |first=Sarene |date=2024-01-31 |title=How Feud's Capote, His Swans, and His Demons Compare to Real Life |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/feud-capote-vs-the-swans-real-story-characters-explained.html |access-date=2024-02-01 |website=Vulture |language=en |archive-date=2024-02-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240201045023/https://www.vulture.com/article/feud-capote-vs-the-swans-real-story-characters-explained.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He is portrayed by actor Scott Zimmerman.

==Death==
[[File:Grave of David O. Selznick.JPG|thumb|150px|Crypt of Selznick, in the Great Mausoleum, Forest Lawn Glendale]]

Selznick died on June 22, 1965, at age 63 following several heart attacks, and was interred in the [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery]] in Glendale, California. There he joined his older brother [[Myron Selznick]] (who had died in 1944) in the family crypt.

For his contribution to the motion picture industry, David O. Selznick has a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 7000 Hollywood Blvd in front of the historic Hollywood Roosevelt hotel.

==Filmography==
{{further|David O. Selznick filmography}}

==Academy Awards and nominations==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Award
! Title of work
! Result
|-
| 1934
| [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Outstanding Production]]
| ''[[Viva Villa!]]''
| {{Nominated}}
|-
| 1935
| [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Outstanding Production]]
| ''[[David Copperfield (1935 film)|David Copperfield]]''
| {{Nominated}}
|-
| 1936
| [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Outstanding Production]]
| ''[[A Tale of Two Cities (1935 film)|A Tale of Two Cities]]''
| {{Nominated}}
|-
| 1937
| [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Outstanding Production]]
| ''[[A Star Is Born (1937 film)|A Star Is Born]]''
| {{Nominated}}
|-
| 1939
| [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Outstanding Production]]
| ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]''
| {{Won}}
|-
| 1938
| [[Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award]]
|
| {{Nominated}}
|-
| 1939
| Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award
|
| {{Won}}
|-
| 1940
| [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Outstanding Production]]
| ''[[Rebecca (1940 film)|Rebecca]]''
| {{Won}}
|-
| 1944
| [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Motion Picture]]
| ''[[Since You Went Away]]''
| {{Nominated}}
|-
| 1945
| [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Motion Picture]]
| ''[[Spellbound (1945 film)|Spellbound]]''
| {{Nominated}}
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* Bordwell, David, Janet Staiger, and Kristin Thompson. ''The Classical Hollywood Cinema: Film Style & Mode of Production to 1960''. New York: Columbia University Press, 1985. {{ISBN|0-231-06054-8}}
* Jewell, Richard B., with Vernon Harbin. ''The RKO Story''. New York: Arlington House/Crown, 1982. {{ISBN|0-517-54656-6}}
* Lasky, Betty (1989). ''RKO: The Biggest Little Major of Them All''. Santa Monica, Calif.: Roundtable. {{ISBN|0-915677-41-5}}
* Mueller, John (1986). ''Astaire Dancing: The Musical Films''. London: Hamish Hamilton. {{ISBN|0-241-11749-6}}
* Schatz, Thomas (1998 [1989]). ''The Genius of the System: Hollywood Filmmaking in the Studio Era''. London: Faber and Faber. {{ISBN|0-571-19596-2}}
* Thomson, David. ''Showman: The Life of David O. Selznick''. New York: Knopf, 1992. {{ISBN|0-394-56833-8}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book |last=Selznick |first=David O. |title=Memo from David O. Selznick |publisher=[[Modern Library]] |year=2000 |isbn=0-375-75531-4 |editor-last=Behlmer |editor-first=Rudy |edition=reprint |location=[[New York City|New York]] |orig-year=original publication 1972 by [[Viking Press]]}} [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0375755314 (Free preview at Amazon.com)]

==External links==
{{Portal|Biography|Los Angeles|California|Film|Judaism}}
* {{commons category-inline}}
* {{IMDb name|0006388}}
* [https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/174059%7C37056/David-O.%20Selznick#overview David O. Selznick] at [[Turner Classic Movies]]

{{David O. Selznick}}
{{Thalberg Award}}

{{Authority control}}

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