Gary Kurtz

Infobox Actor
name = Gary Kurtz


caption =
birthname =
birthdate = Birth date and age|1940|7|27
birthplace = Los Angeles, California
deathdate =
deathplace =
othername =
occupation = Film producer
yearsactive = 1965–present
spouse = Meredith Kurtz
domesticpartner =
website =

Gary Kurtz (born July 27 1940 in Los Angeles, California) is a two time Academy Award nominated film producer whose list of credits include "American Graffiti", "" and "The Empire Strikes Back". He later produced "The Dark Crystal" and "Return to Oz" after departing from the Star Wars series. Kurtz also co-produced the 1989 low-budget science fiction film "Slipstream", which reunited him with "Star Wars" star Mark Hamill.

Collaboration with George Lucas

Kurtz and Lucas first collaborated on the 1973 film "American Graffiti", which became a huge box office hit. Kurtz then became producer of "Star Wars", released in 1977, and its sequel, "The Empire Strikes Back" released in 1980.

Kurtz has claimed that he and George Lucas clashed over how to progress the "Star Wars" series. Kurtz recalled after "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in 1981, Lucas became convinced that audiences no longer cared about the story; they were simply there for thrills and entertainment, and he began to deviate from the original nine-episode bible starting with ', at which point Kurtz quit the series. Kurtz has expressed his dissatisfaction with "Return of the Jedi" and '.cite news|url=http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/376/376873p1.html|title=An Interview with Gary Kurtz|last=P.|first=Ken|date=2002-11-11|work=IGN Movies|publisher=IGN Entertainment|accessdate=2008-09-08] Other sources have suggested that Kurtz was removed from the franchise by Lucas after he had allowed production on "The Empire Strikes Back" to run seriously over-schedule and over-budget.

"The Empire Strikes Back"

It is a matter of public record that Kurtz's final collaboration with Lucas, "Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back", was an expensive and fraught shoot. Records at Elstree indicate that the movie took 175 shooting days having been budgeted at 100, which forced Lucas to borrow $10 million to complete the film. Kurtz had to help directArnold, Alan. "Once Upon a Galaxy: A Journal of The Making of The Empire Strikes Back", Sphere Books, 1980.] along with David Tomblin, Irvin Kershner, Harley Cokeliss and John Barry (who died during production of meningitis) to bring the film in on even this revised schedule and budget. Lucas visited the set in London only a couple of times. There are photos published of Lucas on the "bog" set consulting the production, but Kershner directed all the scenes on that set.

Kurtz's wife, Meredith, planned the film's 'wrap party' in late August 1979 and the Kurtzes hosted the affair. The actual completion of photography was a month later. [Info from daughter Tiffany Kurtz] Kurtz did not leave the movie before its completion and was actively involved from post production through its release in theatres in the U.S. and the UK. He was replaced by Howard Kazanjian for "Return of the Jedi".

Filmography

* "Two-Lane Blacktop", Associate Producer
* "Chandler", Associate Producer

Incomplete projects

* "The Spirit" with Will Eisner, Jerry Reese, Brad Bird
* "Teefr" with Edward Summer
* "Once" aka "The Thief and the Cobbler"
* "Nemo"
* "A New Atlantis" with Edward Summer, Richard Edlund

References

* [http://www.geocities.com/eddie_bowers/edsummer.html Article: Richard Williams: The Animator Who Never Gave Up]

External links

*imdb name|id=0476030|name=Gary Kurtz
* [http://www.theforce.net/holonet/story/Gary_Kurtz_to_Sell_Star_Wars_Props_93585.asp Article on Kurtz's selling of Star Wars props]