Arthur Spiegel

Who is Arthur Spiegel?

Arthur Spiegel was the Chicago mail-order magnate and early American film studio executive.

Spiegel was the youngest son of Joseph Spiegel, founder of the Spiegel Home Furnishings merchandising house based in Chicago. He had little interest in the furnishing business. He asked his father to allow him to begin selling by mail order. His father agreed, and in a short time the mail order business outstripped the old, home furnishings business which the family then closed to concentrate on mail order. Shortly after, in 1914, Arthur Spiegel left the mail order business and started in the film business as the partner of Jack Warner and Lewis J. Selznick.

Arthur Spiegel provided the investment backing to Lewis J. Selznick to start Equitable. In 1914, Spiegel again invested in Selznick to form the World Film Company headquartered in Fort Lee, New Jersey, the first American movie capital. Under Selznick, World Film did not thrive and it was merged with Equitable, at which time Selznick was forced from the company, and Arthur Spiegel was made President and General manager of the new World Pictures.