Zugsmith was a journalist, publicist, and lawyer. In 1939 he moved in to brokering sales of communication properties like newspapers and radio and television stations; he was very successful, making up to $250 million worth of sales, and became a millionaire from his commissions. He was a film buff, and wanted to move into film producing.
American Pictures Corporation Zugsmith formed American Pictures Corporation, along with Peter Miller,
Aubrey Wisberg and
Jack Pollexfen. They planned to make six films a year for five years out of a fund of $3.5 million. They did a three-picture deal with RKO to make
Captive Women (1952),
Sword of Venus (1953), and
Port Sinister (1953). No film cost more than $100,000. It was a film he made for Columbia that established him -
Invasion, U.S.A. (1952), which earned profits of over a million dollars. He followed it with
Paris Model (1953), and
Top Banana (1954, starring
Phil Silvers), both comedies.
Universal Zugsmith's success saw him receive a long-term contract at Universal. While there he acted as a
script doctor for several Universal-International films and produced
Female on the Beach (1955), a melodrama with
Joan Crawford and Jeff Chandler;
The Square Jungle (1955), a boxing film with Tony Curtis;
Raw Edge (1956), a Western with
Yvonne de Carlo and
Rory Calhoun;
Red Sundown (1956), a Western with Calhoun, directed by Jack Arnold; and
Star in the Dust (1956), another Western with
John Agar and
Mamie Van Doren, directed by
Charles F. Haas. Zugsmith had a big hit with
Written on the Wind (1956) starring
Rock Hudson, Robert Stack, Lauren Bacall and Dorothy Malone, directed by
Douglas Sirk. Also popular was
The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) from the script and novel by
Richard Matheson. Zugmsith produced
The Tattered Dress (1957) with Chandler,
The Girl in the Kremlin (1957), and
Slaughter on 10th Avenue (1957), a film noir. He did
The Tarnished Angels (1957) which reunited Sirk, Hudson, Stack and Malone, and
Man in the Shadow (1957) with Chandler and
Orson Welles, directed by Arnold. He did
The Female Animal (1957) with
Hedy Lamarr from his own story, directed by
Harry Keller. Zugsmith's next film was
Touch of Evil (1958), which had Welles attached to play the villain;
Charlton Heston agreed to star if Welles directed, which happened, although some additional scenes were directed by Harry Keller after Zugsmith left the studio.
MGM Zugsmith says he left Universal because he was unhappy
Edward Muhl had been made subservient to
Al Daff He moved to MGM, where he signed a six-picture deal. The association started well with
High School Confidential! (1958), starring
Russ Tamblyn and Van Doren, and directed by Jack Arnold. It was a big hit. Zugsmith later said "after telling me that I would have decent budgets, MGM never gave me a decent budget while I was there.... I didn't get along very well with
Mr Benny Thau.... I never cared for MGM. They gave me all kinds of curves: bad cameramen that happened to be under contract, and so on. I wasn't one of the 'clique'. They wouldn't back me up on the set or anything else." Zugsmith turned director with
The Private Lives of Adam and Eve (1960) which he filmed with Rooney, who also starred; Van Doren was in the cast. It was made independently outside MGM, for Universal. "I pick my titles to get 'em into theatres", said Zugsmith. "Thousands of exhibitors say amen to that." Back at MGM, Zugmsith produced
Platinum High School (1960), with Rooney, directed by Haas. Zugsmith later said "Allied Artists was a very depressing period in my life. Maybe it showed in the films I made there. I was very depressed there. I didn't like it; I felt imprisoned; I had to get away." He produced
Zigzag (1963) in the Philippines, then produced and directed
The Great Space Adventure (1963). He produced
Russ Meyer's
Fanny Hill (1964), but the two men disliked working together. He directed some scenes of
Dog Eat Dog (1964). He wrote and directed
The Incredible Sex Revolution (1966); directed
Psychedelic Sexualis (1966),
Movie Star, American Style or; LSD, I Hate You (1966) and
The Chinese Room (1968); produced and wrote
Sappho Darling (1968); and directed
Two Roses and a Golden Rod (1969),
The Very Friendly Neighbors (1969), and
The Phantom Gunslinger (1970) with
Troy Donahue. In 1973, he said in an interview "many of the talents that I have developed or worked with have suffered by not continuing with me. And I have suffered by not continuing with them." Zugsmith's last credit was directing
Violated! (1975). ==Personal life==