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Louis L. Goldman

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Louis L. ("Lou") Goldman (1912–1991) was a prominent American entertainment lawyer who practiced from 1938 until his death in 1991.[1][2]

Lou Goldman At His Office Door, 1940s
Lou Goldman In His Office, 1940s
Lou Goldman In His Office, 1980s

Biography

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After graduating from USC Law School, where he was a member of the Southern California Law Review,[3] Goldman was admitted to practice law in California in 1938.[4] His early years in practice were rough-and-tumble; as a young lawyer in 1940, he was physically beaten by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Tom Reed when Goldman served court papers on Reed concerning an alimony claim by Reed's ex-wife.[5] Goldman sued Reed, and the court rejected Reed's defense that he thought Goldman was a burglar, awarding Goldman $663 in damages.[6]

In 1939, he received publicity for a suit he brought, as co-counsel with his brother Ben F. Goldman Jr., on behalf of two juvenile roller skaters who claimed that Sid Grauman—the showman who established Hollywood landmarks, the Chinese Theatre and the Egyptian Theatre—had reneged on promises of motion picture roles in exchange for their completion of a 6,000 mile cross-country roller skating junket.[7]

By 1946, he was sufficiently well-known that The L.A. Evening Citizen-News printed a letter from a reader proposing Goldman as a write-in candidate for election to the State Board of Equalization, calling him a "prominent Beverly Hills attorney."[8]

In 1951, he represented Mickey Rooney's third wife, actress Martha Vickers, in divorce proceedings.[9][10][11]

In 1952, he was named in the famed syndicated Louella Parsons gossip column, based on his hiring by French actress Corinne Calvet for a possible defamation lawsuit against Zsa Zsa Gabor. Gabor had questioned the legitimacy of Calvet's French accent, accusing Calvet of being born in England.[12][13]

The same year, Goldman represented mystery writer Craig Rice in a bizarre case in which she sued a grocer for false imprisonment following a shoplifting accusation over a bar of soap, only to have the case dismissed when she disappeared for several months and could not be located by Goldman.[14] He later represented Rice in connection with a guardianship action by her mother based on the writer's alleged "chronic alcoholism."[15]

According to actor Robert Blake, Goldman represented "every wildman in the [entertainment] business," including Blake himself, Richard Boone, Lee Marvin, Anthony Quinn, James Coburn, Steve McQueen, and Lee J. Cobb. On The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder, Blake explained:

"[H]e was Cus D'Amato. He took me under his wing. He said, ‘Robert, you have to listen to me. Otherwise you’re never going to make it.' And somehow he had the emotional and the psychological wherewithal to get me to respect and love him. And he kept me out of the courtrooms. Many’s the time he went back in the judge's chambers and drug me back there and solved the problem that was going to turn into a nightmare. [He'd] [c]ome on the set and handle things; once [he went] to Lew Wasserman’s office and said, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll handle it, I’ll fix it'... For some reason or other, I listened to him. When I was with him I was like a little boy. And I would apologize. I’d say ‘God, Lou, I’m sorry.’ He had a way of getting to your heart so that the junkyard dog was not there with him. And he took care of all of us in that way. I was very lucky."[16]

For example, when Richard Boone was involved in a serious car accident after leaving the MGM lot at 3:30 a.m. following a grand party in 1963, Goldman was the one who notified police a few hours later.[17]

In 1962, Goldman represented actress Millie Perkins in divorce proceedings against actor Dean Stockwell.[18]

In 1964, he represented Anthony Quinn in high-profile divorce proceedings from his wife of 27 years, actress Katherine De Mille, the daughter of legendary producer Cecil B. De Mille.[19]

Goldman also represented clients at the forefront of the creation of pay television and cable television in the 1950s and 1960s.[20]

In 1969, he was referenced in a comedy sketch on The Jonathan Winters Show by another of his clients, Barbara Feldon from the TV comedy Get Smart. Feldon pretended to telephone Goldman to represent her in a small-town court before a corrupt judge, played by Winters.[21]

In the 1970s, he and his firm, Goldman & Kagon, represented Lee Marvin in the famous Marvin v. Marvin palimony case brought by Marvin's ex-girlfriend Michelle Triola.[22][23] Goldman had represented Marvin since the early 1950s.[24] Goldman's contentious testimony at the trial, including his cross-examination by flamboyant attorney Marvin Mitchelson, was widely reported.[25][26][27][28][29]

By the 1980s, Goldman & Kagon was one of the largest entertainment law firms in Los Angeles, as measured by number of lawyers practicing entertainment law.[30][31]

Personal

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Goldman's uncle was Raymond Leslie Goldman, a prolific author of detective fiction and frequent contributor to The Saturday Evening Post.[32][33][34]

His brother Ben F. Goldman Jr., was also a prominent entertainment lawyer, as was his grandson, Jeffrey D. Goldman.

References

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  1. ^ Phillips, Erica E. "Intellectual Property 2012" (PDF). Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  2. ^ Hyland, Alexa (19 February 2008). "Entertainment Litigator Leaves Mitchell For Loeb". www.watanabellc.com. Daily Journal. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Southern California Law Review". www.heinonline.org. 10. HeinOnline: 474. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  4. ^ "Attorney Search". apps.calbar.ca.gov. State Bar of California. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Three Romances, Two Suits Enliven Hollywood Affairs". Oakland Tribune. 133 (51): 28. 20 August 1940. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  6. ^ "Process Server Awarded $663 for Attack by Film Writer". Los Angeles Times: 1. 20 August 1940.
  7. ^ "Two Roller Skaters Sue After Trip Across Country". Los Angeles Times: 22. 12 January 1939.
  8. ^ Byers, J.A. (4 November 1946). "Write-In Candidate". LA Evening Citizen News. 42 (187): 12. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Rooney, Wife Split Swag". Pasadena Independent: 61. 10 June 1951.
  10. ^ "Mickey Rooney's Third Wife Will Sue For Divorce". Valley Times: 8. 7 June 1951.
  11. ^ "Rooney Takes 3rd Strike; No Good In Wedlock League". Pasadena Independent: 23. 7 June 1951.
  12. ^ Parsons, Louella O (27 June 1952). "20th Hottest Contender For 'Leo Durocher' Film". San Francisco Examiner: 17.
  13. ^ Parsons, Louella (28 June 1952). "Inside Hollywood". Hanford Morning Journal: 2.
  14. ^ "Mystery Writer Missing; Court Action Dropped". Salinas Californian. 81 (157): 8. 3 July 1952. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  15. ^ "Craig Rice's Adopted Mother Asks for Control of Estate". Los Angeles Times: 31. 17 February 1950.
  16. ^ "Late Late Show With Tom Snyder, Robert Blake 2/26/99". www.youtube.com. YouTube. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Richard Boone Hurt Severely in Car Crash". Los Angeles Times: 3. 21 September 1963.
  18. ^ "'Anne Frank' In Divorce Suit". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News: 2. 30 June 1962.
  19. ^ "Quinn, Back In Country, Will Divorce Katherine De Mille". Fresno Bee: 66. 15 November 1964.
  20. ^ "Harriscope Pay TV Request Considered". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News: 4. 21 August 1957.
  21. ^ "Jonathan Winters Show w/ Barbara Feldon 1969". www.youtube.com. YouTube. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  22. ^ 13StarsManager (24 December 2008). "David Kagon". www.malibutimes.com. The Malibu Times. Retrieved 31 January 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ "Key Ruling On Unwed Couples". Santa Cruz Sentinel. 120 (306): 7. 28 December 1976. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  24. ^ "More on Marvin". Simi Valley Star: 3. 2 February 1979.
  25. ^ "Gossip Items Spark Angry Debate in Marvin Case". Sacramento Bee: 3. 3 February 1979.
  26. ^ "Masvin's Attorney Says He Advised Against Support". Los Angeles Times: 36. 2 February 1979.
  27. ^ Luther, Claudia (14 February 1979). "Lee Marvin Berated By Surprise Witness". Los Angeles Times: 24.
  28. ^ "Attorney Ill, Trial Delayed One Day". Fresno Bee: 8. 8 March 1979.
  29. ^ Luther, Claudia (3 February 1979). "Actor's Ex-Lover Violated Pact, Attorney Claims". Los Angeles Times: 13.
  30. ^ "California Entertainment Lawyer Directory". digitalcommons.lmu.edu. Loyola of Los Angeles Entertainment Law Review. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  31. ^ "Entertainment Law Directory". digitalcommons.lmu.edu. Loyola of Los Angeles Entertainment Law Review. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  32. ^ "Raymond Leslie Goldman". play.google.com. Google Play. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  33. ^ Pronzini, Bill; Berch, Victor; Lewis, Steve. "A Complete Set of Fingerprints". www.mysteryfile.com. Mystery File. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  34. ^ "Classic Crime Fiction". www.classiccrimefiction.com. Classic Crime Fiction. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
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