Milton Sperling

American producer Milton Sperling entered the film business directly after studying at CCNY. He started as a gofer and shipping clerk at Paramount's Long Island studios, then moved to Hollywood, where he secured a position as secretary to Warner Bros.' Darryl F. Zanuck and Hal B. Wallis. As an assistant to Edward Small, Sperling learned the exacting trade of being an independent producer in a studio-dominated town. Sperling wrote screenplays before producing his first film, 20th Century Fox's Sun Valley Serenade, in 1941. Following World War II service, Sperling set up his own production firm, United States Pictures (aka U.S. Films). Releasing through Warner Bros., Sperling produced such films as South of St. Louis (1949), The Enforcer (1951), Retreat Hell! (1952), Marjorie Morningstar (1957) and Merrill's Marauders (1962). He was nominated for an Academy Award for The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955) which he produced and co-wrote. Milton Sperling retired in 1971 after assembling his final feature, Captain Apache.

~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide