(1882 - 1974)American film producer, born in Warsaw, Poland. Known as a man of taste and a perfectionist, Goldwyn demanded the best, whatever the cost. It was said that as long a s one agreed with him it was easy to get along with him; otherwise h e could be impossible. His last film, Porgy and Bess (1959), based on a play about a crippled black beggar, was extremely controversial and received a great deal of attention before filming even started. Many blacks protested the filming of this story because they felt that it was a giant step backward in their fight for equalityNa story of fornication, drug addiction and murder, all told in heavy dialect, that, in their opinion, did nothing but reinforce black stereotypes. One black organization placed a double page advertisement against the film in various papers. After the filming of the movie started, Goldwyn and the director had disagreements about how the movie should be filmed. Goldwyn finally fired the director, even though h e had successfully directed Porgy and Bess on the stage as a play and an opera. After that, another advertisement appeared in papers which stated in part: "The whole atmosphere at the Goldwyn studio is calculated to impress you that you are in the presence of a `Great I Am,' the High Lama of Celluloid." —State of ManCongress Approved Gls (14.5.92)