David O Selznick

As the flamboyant director-producers of the early days of American cinema (Griffith, von Stroheim, Neilan) were squeezed out by the emerging studio system, the focus of power shifted to the studio production supervisor, whose main responsibility was to grind out formulaic product to exhibit in studio-owned theaters. These producers were often paint-by-the-numbers administrators who saw efficiency and profitability as their main objectives. David O. Selznick was one of the few who broke this mold; he considered himself a creative producer concerned with the most minute details of film