August 11, 1937 –
The bio-pix, The Life of Emile Zola, directed by William Dieterle, and starring Paul Muni, Gloria Holden, Gale Sondergaard, and Joseph Schildkraut, was released on this date.
Writers Heinz Herald and Geza Herczeg initially took the project to Ernst Lubitsch at Paramount, who immediately recognized the potential of the film. He also knew that Paul Muni was the best choice for the role of Émile Zola — but Muni was contracted to Warner Brothers at the time, so Lubitsch sold the project on to Warners.
The Haus of Dcaligari 