Jerry Bick, who was a literary agent and a producer of films such as “The Long Goodbye” and “Thieves Like Us”, passed away on November 22, 2004, at the age of 81. According to Dead or Kicking, his cause of death was complications from Parkinson’s disease. Bick had a long and varied career in the entertainment industry, working with some of the most acclaimed authors, actors, and directors of his time. In this article, we will look at some of the highlights of his life and legacy.
From Publicist to Agent
Bick was born in New York City on July 23, 1923, and grew up in Connecticut. He served in the Navy in the Pacific during World War II and studied at the Sorbonne in Paris. He also taught English at the University of Georgia and worked as a baseball announcer in the South. He broke into the film business as a publicist at MGM’s New York office in 1957, and moved to Hollywood the same year. He worked as an agent at MCA, Goldstone/Tobias, and the Kurt Frings Agency, representing some of the most prominent writers of the era, such as Jim Thompson and Daniel Mainwaring. According to Wikipedia, he also opened his own literary agency, the Jerry Bick Agency, in the early 1960s.
From Agent to Producer
Bick decided to switch from representation to production in 1969, when he moved to London and produced his first film, “Michael Kohlhaas – Der Rebel”, a German-language medieval drama starring David Warner and directed by Volker Schlondorff. He returned to the US in 1973 and teamed up with Robert Altman, one of the most influential filmmakers of the 1970s, to produce “The Long Goodbye”, a neo-noir adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s novel, starring Elliott Gould as Philip Marlowe. The film was a critical success and is now considered a classic of the genre. Bick and Altman collaborated again on “Thieves Like Us”, a Depression-era crime drama based on a novel by Edward Anderson, starring Keith Carradine and Shelley Duvall. The film was also well-received by critics and audiences alike.
Personal Life and Legacy
Bick was married to actress Louise Fletcher, who won an Oscar for her role as Nurse Ratched in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”. They had two sons, John and Andrew, and divorced in 1977. Fletcher passed away in 2022, at the age of 88, in France. According to Variety, Bick was survived by his sons, his brother, and his sister. Bick left behind a legacy of films that showcased his taste and vision as a producer and an agent. He worked with some of the most talented and original artists of his time, and helped bring their stories to the screen. He will be remembered as a man who loved cinema and literature, and who made a lasting impact on Hollywood.
