Oscar winner Sue Marx, whose documentary films chronicled Detroit and more, dies at 92
Sue Marx, the metro Detroit icon who won an Oscar for an octogenarian love story, “Young at Heart,” died Monday at her home in Birmingham at age 92.
A director, producer and writer, Marx set out to build a career at a time when women were still trying to break through glass ceilings in the movie and television industry.
As a self-taught photographer and documentary filmmaker, she became a legendary creative force on the local scene and leaves behind a lengthy list of productions that expressed her love for the Motor City and her commitment to chronicling it.
Marx's biggest moment in the national spotlight came at the 1988 Academy Awards ceremony when she and another Michigan filmmaker, Pam Conn, received the Oscar for their documentary short film about the romance between Marx’s widowed father, Lou Gothelf, and his future wife, Reva Shwayder, both artists in their mid-80s.
"Young at Heart" was shown around the world and won kudos for being “a tender tale of love in the Geritol generation,” as a Los Angeles Times headline summarized.
“You’ve been an inspiration to us both on and off the screen,” said Marx to the couple during her televised Oscar acceptance speech, which she concluded with a rousing “from Hollywood, hooray for Michigan!”
Reached by email Monday afternoon, Conn told the Free Press: “Sue Marx was a force of nature — both a gifted artist and a solid businesswoman, who could charm the birds out of the trees. She was unstoppable when she spotted a good story and would press forward past any obstacles to bring that story to light — ‘Young at Heart' being the perfect example.”
Added Conn: “Sue was a dear friend, generous and loving. My world will be less without her in it.”
Born in New York City, Marx spent part of her youth in Indiana and graduated from Indiana University before moving to Detroit, where she met and married her beloved late husband, Hank Marx, a businessman active in the city's cultural causes and committees.
"Undying love for Detroit" was woven into their lives, said their youngest daughter, Liz Marx.
Sue Marx taught English in Royal Oak, had three daughters and a few years after her youngest was born, earned a master's degree in sociology from Wayne State University. She also did modeling, which led her to realize she wanted to be the one behind the lens.
According to the Detroit News, a friend asked her to take pictures for a publication he launched during the Detroit newspaper strike in 1964, advising her, "Just go shoot stuff in Detroit."
Marx's freelance photography grew into body of work that included evocative photos of moments of everyday Detroit life and portraits of history-making figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks that later were featured in books and art shows.
The Detroit Historical Museum had been working with Marx on an upcoming exhibition of her photographs and plans to carry on the show. Dates will to be announced in the coming weeks.
“It will be an honor now to stage Sue’s final exhibition as a posthumous celebration of her life and work,” said Elana Rugh, president and CEO of the Detroit Historical Society, in a statement to the Free Press.
From 1969 through much of the 1970s, Marx made her mark in local TV news as a producer for “Profiles in Black,” a WDIV-TV (Channel 4) series that aimed for more representation of the city's Black community and chronicled luminaries such as Detroit Mayor Coleman Young and Motown stars Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder.
Drawn increasingly to telling stories visually, she launched her own production company, Sue Marx Films, in 1980. She made documentaries on everything from the restoration of Detroit’s Fox Theatre to public art at People Mover stops to the story of Detroit’s Jewish community.
Film is a collective art, and Marx was gifted at putting together crews, said Liz Marx. "She was the networker of all networkers. ... She knew how to join forces. It's never been a solo act. It's collaborative."
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She also was persistent and fascinated by people from all walks of life, according to her daughter. "She didn't take no for an answer. My mom could have talked to the queen of England and the house painter and been the same way with both. 'Who are you? What is your story?' "
Sue Marx talked about her philosophy regarding her craft in a University of Michigan story tied to her 2015 donation of her papers to U-M’s Bentley Library. “It takes chutzpah, curiosity, not being afraid to ask questions, and — most importantly — listening,” she said.
Marx made film and video projects in corporate, educational, political and promotional arenas. She won more than 20 Emmys and an Award of Excellence from the Alliance for Women in Media (then called American Women in Radio and Television), among numerous other awards. She also was a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and served on the advisory council for the Michigan Film Office.
Christopher Cook, a former Free Press reporter and editor who switched careers during the 1995-97 newspaper strike and became a documentary producer, considered her a mentor. Said Cook: "She really brought a kind of attention to the city that I think was inspirational to a lot of people. ... What can I say about Sue? She truly was a giant in this field.”
Thirty-five years ago, Detroit movie fans were excited that Marx won an Oscar. That gold statuette was hers and and the city's, something Marx always understood.
Said her daughter: "It meant a lot to Mom that someone from Detroit won it, too."
In addition to Liz Marx, survivors include daughters Terry Marx (and husband, Stephen Arpadi), Jane Marx (and partner, Lena Weiss), grandchildren Adina and Charlotte Marx-Arpadi and Jude Marx, and her "personal angel" Teresa Pekala, who kept her homefront running.
A funeral will be held at the Ira Kaufman Chapel in Southfield at 1 p.m. Wednesday. Those wanting to commemorate Marx can make a donation to the Wayne State University Math Corps, an innovative program to help Detroit middle school students learn math skills that was the subject of one of her favorite films, “It All Adds Up," or to the Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy Network.
Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds at jhinds@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Sue Marx, an Oscar winner and prolific filmmaker, dies at 92
