Wald co-wrote the first of the influential "eight million stories" committed to film and TV, based on his own experiences growing up on the mean streets of Brooklyn. An Oscar nominee for the hard-hitting (and excellent) film, he went on to co-write Ida Lupino's brave rape picture OUTRAGE (1950) and 1959's AL CAPONE, with Rod Steiger, and lots of TV. He contributed a commentary for Criterion's fine NAKED CITY DVD, released last year.

I was surprised to learn that Malvin was the (younger) brother of Jerry Wald, the legendary producer (PEYTON PLACE) who died of a heart attack at the age of 50 in 1962. Jerry was the inspiration for the character of Sammy Glick, the hustling writer who works his way up on other people's labors to be studio exec in Budd Schulberg's 1941 novel, "What Makes Sammy Run?" I once saw a filmed lecture made around 1951 given by Jerry Wald at USC. It was quite fascinating. The more I learned about Jerry, the more I felt that Schulberg's novel, which I've read, was unfair to him. He might have been a hustler, but he was passionate about movies and put all his boundless energy into making big, popular, but often very interesting movies directed by interesting directors (Nicholas Ray, Fritz Lang, John Huston, Michael Curtiz, Raoul Walsh, Martin Ritt, etc.). His credits include quite a number of admirable studio-era movies (MILDRED PIERCE, JOHNNY BELINDA, KEY LARGO, YOUNG MAN WITH A HORN, STORM WARNING, CLASH BY NIGHT, THE LUSTY MEN, SONS AND LOVERS, WILD IN THE COUNTRY, and, of course, one of my favorites, the aforementioned PEYTON PLACE). I wonder if anyone ever interviewed Malvin about Jerry.

Jerry Wald also produced Curtiz's superb The Breaking Point, which includes one of John Garfield's great performances.