Jack Rieger | |
Birth Name: | Jacob Rieger |
Birth Date: | May 3, 1897 |
Birth Place: | Gorlice |
Death Date: | March 1, 1971 age 73 |
Death Place: | New York City |
Occupation: | producer, director |
Years Active: | 1936–1955 |
Spouse: | Beatrice Rieger (1924–1933, her death) Sadye Luxenberg |
Jack Rieger (born May 3, 1897 Gorlice; died March 1, 1971, New York City) was a low budget producer and inventor.
Jack Rieger immigrated to the US, and arrived at Ellis Island August 4, 1903, aboard the . He was the son of Leib Rieger, a tailor, and Chane Rieger. Jack Rieger worked in a New York motion picture film laboratory. On August 5, 1936, Rieger filed a voluntary petition in bankruptcy in federal court listing liabilities of $136,795 with no assets.[1]
Rieger produced the 1934 film The Yiddish King Lear and became known as an active film maker for hire for heavyweight fights.[2] Rieger offered a six figure sum for the rights to film the 1945 Joe Louis - Billy Conn fight, a record at the time.[3] In 1947 Rieger acquired some footage from an uncompleted and untitled 1940 film starring Cornel Wilde and placed Wilde's scenes with several musical numbers as a 1947 film called Stairway for a Star.
He was associate producer of Captain Scarface, producer of the documentary Savage Africa where he reused the African footage in a feature film called African Manhunt and the 3D film Stereo Laffs (originally shot in 1941 but re-issued in 1953 as A Day in the Country).[4]
Jack Rieger held one US patent for a portable collapsible crib and play pen.[5]