Robert Rossen (March 16, 1908 – February 18, 1966) was an American screenwriter, film director, and producer whose film career spanned almost three decades.
151-647: His 1949 film All the King's Men won Oscars for Best Picture , Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress , while Rossen was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director . He won the Golden Globe for Best Director and the film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Picture . In 1961, he directed The Hustler , which was nominated for nine Oscars and won two. After directing and writing for
302-592: A pool hustler , he teamed with Sidney Carroll to adapt the novel of the same name for the screen. The Hustler was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won two. Rossen was nominated as Best Director, and with Carroll for Best Adapted Screenplay, but did not win either award. He was named Best Director by the New York Film Critics Circle and shared with Carroll the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written Drama. The Hustler
453-592: A "friendly country". Initially, the studio bowed to pressure from the Roosevelt Administration , the Hays Office , and isolationist lawmakers to desist from similar projects. Jack announced that the studio would release no more "propaganda pictures" and promptly ordered the shelving of several projects with an anti-Nazi theme. In time, however, Warner Bros. produced more films with anti-Nazi messages, including Underground and All Through
604-642: A "symbol of America's imperial [sic] reach". Rossen died in New York City at age 57 on February 18, 1966, following a series of illnesses and is interred at Westchester Hills Cemetery in Hastings-on-Hudson , New York. His grandchild, Daniel Rossen , is the guitarist/vocalist of alternative bands Grizzly Bear and Department of Eagles . Rossen was one of the directors who developed film gris (French for "grey film"). In his films for Warner Brothers between 1937 and 1944, consistent themes were
755-482: A Communist. As a result, he found himself blacklisted by Hollywood studios as well as unable to renew his passport. At his second appearance he named 57 people as current or former Communists and his blacklisting ended. In order to repair finances he produced his next film, Mambo , in Italy in 1954. While The Hustler in 1961 was a great success, conflicts on the set of Lilith in 1964 so disillusioned him that it
906-409: A contract that gave him wide autonomy over every second film that he made at the studio. All the King's Men (1949) was based on the novel of the same name by Robert Penn Warren , which in turn was based on the career of politician Huey Long . Rossen introduced a new concept, that the defenders of the ordinary people can in turn become the new exploiters. As a requirement for his participation in
1057-435: A different middle initial, he "has been called Junior all his life". Warner's first marriage ended in 1935, when he left his wife for another woman, Ann Page, with whom he had a daughter named Barbara.(1934-2022) Irma sued her husband for divorce on the grounds of desertion. Harry Warner reflected the family's feelings about the marriage when he exclaimed, "Thank God our mother didn't live to see this". Jack married Ann after
1208-562: A film on the dangers of venereal disease that featured Jack's sole screen appearance. During this period, the studio earned few profits, in 1920 the Warners secured a bank loan to settle their business debts. Shortly thereafter, they relocated the film studio from Culver City, California , to Hollywood , where they purchased a lot on the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Bronson Avenue, known today as Sunset Bronson Studios. The new location and upgraded facilities did not significantly improve
1359-430: A football practice where Stark berates Tommy for drinking, Tommy gets drunk and crashes his car, injuring himself and killing his female passenger. To combat the bad press, Stark pressures Tommy into a game despite him not being fully recovered. During the game, Tommy takes a rough hit and is rushed to the hospital. Stark, blaming himself for Tommy's injury, begs Adam, a surgeon, to do all he can. Adam, preferring to wait for
1510-526: A friend's advice that he could make an excellent living bartering tin wares with trappers in exchange for furs. Sons Jack and David were born in Ontario . After two arduous years in Canada, the Warners returned to Baltimore, where two more children were born, Sadie and Milton. In 1896, they relocated to Youngstown , Ohio , following the lead of the eldest son Harry, who had established a shoe repair shop in
1661-402: A full program for their customers." In 1953, during a rare meeting between the Warners and the studio's cartoon makers, Jack confessed that he didn't "even know where the hell the cartoon studio is", and Harry added, "The only thing I know is that we make Mickey Mouse ," a reference to the flagship character of a competing company, Walt Disney Productions . Several years later, Jack sold all of
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#17327797869671812-552: A group of jazz musicians traveling in the Depression . Their informal methods represent working-class culture rather than the commercialized music of the big bands. However, The New York Times' reviewer thought the soundtrack was "about all the film has to offer", and Warner was disappointed with the sales. After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the Screen Writers Guild set up on December 8, 1941,
1963-431: A high-handed manner, within a few years Jack provoked hostility among emerging TV stars such as James Garner , who filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. over a contract dispute. Warner was angered by the perceived ingratitude of television actors, who evidently showed more independence than film actors, and this deepened his contempt for the new medium. Following his deal with ABC, Warner also made his son, Jack Jr., head of
2114-476: A job as a movie projectionist at Idora Park , a local amusement park. He convinced the family of the new medium's possibilities, and purchased of a Model B Kinetoscope for $ 1000 from a projectionist "down on his luck". Jack contributed $ 150 to the venture by pawning a horse. The enterprising brothers screened a well-used copy of The Great Train Robbery throughout Ohio and Pennsylvania before renting
2265-505: A modest success, Roberts Productions signed Rossen to direct Abraham Polonsky 's script of Body and Soul , described by Bob Thomas as "possibly the best prizefight film ever made." Rossen preferred an ending in which the hero wins a boxing match and then is killed by a gangster, but Polonsky insisted on his own ending, in which the hero escapes into obscurity before the fight. Following the success of Body and Soul , Rossen formed his own production company and signed with Columbia Pictures
2416-408: A reconciliation, and Jack Jr. is not mentioned in his father's 1964 autobiography. Warner made no pretense of faithfulness to his second wife, Ann, and kept a series of mistresses throughout the 1950s and 1960s. The most enduring of these "girlfriends" was an aspiring actress named Jacquelyn Park ) (née Mary Scarborough ), who bore a "startling" resemblance to his second wife. The relationship
2567-415: A rip-roaring film of the same title ... We have carefully used that descriptive as the tag for this new Columbia film because a quality of turbulence and vitality is the one that it most fully demonstrates ... In short, Mr. Rossen has assembled in this starkly unprettified film a piece of pictorial journalism that is remarkable for its brilliant parts." Critic William Brogdon, writing for Variety magazine,
2718-435: A scandal by a member of his administration, after which Judge Stanton resigns as Attorney General and publicly asserts Stark's corruption. Stark's loss of morals, corruption, and alienation from his small-town self is exacerbated as he philanders with many women, including Anne and Sadie. Feeling the pressure of his father's status, Stark's adopted college-aged son Tommy drinks to deal with his feelings about his father. Following
2869-541: A script based on the prosecution of crime lord Lucky Luciano and eventually titled Marked Woman . Although some of Warner Bros. management saw Rossen as an unknown quantity, the result won praise from both Jack L. Warner and the Daily Worker . Rossen's first solo script was for They Won't Forget (1937), a fictionalized account of the lynching of Leo Frank , featuring Lana Turner in her debut performance. Dust Be My Destiny , co-written in 1939 by Rossen,
3020-575: A shit about Harry." At the same time, Jack took pride in the fact that President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent him a letter of condolence. In the 1960s, Warner kept pace with rapid changes in the industry and played a key role in developing films that were commercial and critical successes. In February 1962, he purchased the film rights for the Broadway musical My Fair Lady , paying an unprecedented $ 6.5 million. The previous owner, CBS director William S. Paley set terms that included fifty percent of
3171-516: A short story by John Patrick to introduce the main plot, which was set 15 years later and which Rossen wrote. The relationship between Rossen and Wallis broke down when Rossen received offers from other production companies. Dick Powell had been a crooner but was making a new career as a dramatic actor. When Columbia Pictures agreed to make Johnny O'Clock for him in 1947, Powell successfully campaigned for Rossen to direct, and this became Rossen's debut in directing. As this crime melodrama proved
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#17327797869673322-463: A specialist, ultimately agrees to operate after Stark clumsily tries to entice him by offering to build a new hospital for the public. Tommy ends up a paraplegic . Following this, Burden gives Anne evidence of Judge Stanton's possible past wrongdoing that Burden has buried out of respect for the judge's lifetime career. Stark begins his re-election campaign for Governor by visiting his estranged family. While there, Judge Stanton publicly blames Stark for
3473-581: A stage manager and director in stock and off-Broadway productions, mainly in the social and radical theaters that flourished in New York in the early and mid-1930s, as did John Huston , Elia Kazan and Joseph Losey . In 1932 Rossen directed John Wexley's Steel , about labor agitation, and Richard Maibaum 's The Tree , about a lynching . A year later Rossen directed Birthright , in which Maibaum attacked Nazism , which had just triumphed in Germany with
3624-442: A studio, with Jack and Sam as co-heads of production. As producers, the two solicited new scripts and story lines, secured film sets and equipment, and found ways to reduce production costs. In 1919, the fledgling Warner Bros. Studios followed up the success of My Four Years in Germany with a popular serial titled The Tiger's Claw . That same year, the studio was less successful in its efforts to promote Open Your Eyes ,
3775-672: A surprising (albeit temporary) shift in Jack's political outlook. By 1932, despite his longstanding association with the Republican Party , he openly supported Democratic presidential candidate Franklin D. Roosevelt , staging a "Motion Picture and Electrical Parade Sports Pageant" at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Roosevelt's honor. This development foreshadowed an "era in which Warner would recruit
3926-519: A tough time finding another job, but is hired by Stark to serve as an opposition researcher for the campaign. Stark and Burden go back to Burden's home to convince Burden's friends and family to support the campaign. Skeptical of Stark's alleged deals and big promises, Adam, brother of Jack Burden's girlfriend, Anne Stanton, asks questions and is not fully convinced. However, Anne sensing his demagogic magnetism believes fully in Stark's message. Burden gets
4077-774: A vacant store in New Castle, Pennsylvania . This makeshift theatre, called the Bijou, was furnished with chairs borrowed from a local undertaker. Jack, who was still living in Youngstown, arrived on weekends "to sing illustrated song-slides during reel changes". In 1906, the brothers purchased a small theater in New Castle, which they called the Cascade Movie Palace. In 1907, the Warner brothers established
4228-442: A way to destroy Stark's reputation following his death. Stark dies on the steps of the state capitol bemoaning his stolen opportunity for greatness and wondering why it happened to him. Before Robert Rossen was hired, Norman Corwin was hired by Columbia Pictures to adapt Warren's novel into a screenplay. A Writers Guild arbitration board later awarded sole screenwriting credit to Rossen. Rossen's script makes several changes to
4379-427: Is arrested for unauthorized public speaking was filmed on the old Suisun City, California , Plaza, and the officer that warns, then arrests, Stark was played by the then-Sheriff, A.C. Tillman. A house in nearby Fairfield was used for the exterior of Willie Stark's house in the film. Sets were built in the nearby M & M Skateway (now gone) for the interior scenes at the house, which were closely based on photos of
4530-507: Is based on Robert Penn Warren 's Pulitzer Prize -winning 1946 novel of the same name . It stars Broderick Crawford , John Ireland , Mercedes McCambridge , and Joanne Dru . The film centers on the rise and fall of an idealistic-but-ruthless politician in the American South , patterned after Louisiana Governor Huey Long . Released by Columbia Pictures on November 8, 1949, the film received widespread acclaim from critics, and
4681-401: Is eventually drafted as a spoiler candidate for Governor by the frontrunner in a three-way race. Stark embarks on the campaign trail with Sadie Burke, an associate of the campaign installed as a mole from a rival candidate, and Burden. Initially Stark has trouble on the campaign trail as he speaks obtusely and plainly about his balanced budget plan for the state. However, once Burke reveals he
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4832-563: Is just a spoiler candidate , Stark begins to give more impassioned and effective speeches. During this time, Burden continues to report on Stark's campaign, but he resigns after being told to stop writing positively about Stark. Ultimately Stark loses the race, but draws large grassroots support from the rural areas of the state as he identifies as one of them – a fooled " hick ." Over the next four years, Stark realizes how to win and continues to campaign and make backroom deals to gain political influence and campaign funds. Meanwhile, Burden has had
4983-438: Is our heritage, what we worked all our lives to create, and now it is gone," Harry exclaimed, upon hearing of the deal. The breach between Jack and Harry widened later that year. In July 1956, Jack, Harry, and Albert announced that they were putting Warner Bros. on the market. Jack, however, secretly organized a syndicate that purchased control of the company. By the time Harry and Albert learned of their brother's dealings, it
5134-412: Is the story of a fugitive from justice who is eventually acquitted with help from an attorney and a journalist, the latter arguing that "a million boys all over the country" were in a similar plight. Warner Bros. then ordered producer Lou Edelman to cut the script, adding that "This is the story of two people – not a group. It is an individual problem – not a national one." Rossen was one of three writers on
5285-403: The Academy Award for Best Picture . When the award was announced, Wallis got up to accept, only to find Jack had rushed onstage "with a broad, flashing smile and a look of great self-satisfaction" to take the trophy, Wallis later recalled. "I couldn't believe it was happening. Casablanca had been my creation; Jack had absolutely nothing to do with it. As the audience gasped, I tried to get out of
5436-598: The German language throughout the company's studios were denied by studio representatives who indicated that this move would have prevented scores of studio employees from communicating with each other. After the American declaration of war against the Axis Powers , Jack, like some other studio heads, was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Air Corps . In 1943 the studio's film Casablanca won
5587-624: The Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry . Reporter Jack Burden is sent on assignment to write about Willie Stark, a man running for county treasurer in an unnamed Southern state . Stark's campaign is run on honesty and talking about the corruption of the local politicians. Burden meets Stark and his family and writes an inspiring story on Stark's honesty and courage. Using their power, including sway over
5738-415: The Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The Academy Film Archive preserved All the King's Men in 2000. As of 2022 , it is the last Best Picture winner to be based on a Pulitzer Prize -winning novel. All the King's Men received seven Academy Awards nominations , winning three. Silver, Alain and James Ursini (editors). Film Noir: Reader 2 . All
5889-509: The Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America , Zanuck had demanded more pay and "indicated his desire to raise the salaries of the actors and personnel in the motion pictures we were producing". That year, Zanuck established Twentieth Century Pictures , which merged with Fox Film Corporation in 1935. A longtime Warner Bros. producer, Hal B. Wallis , took over as executive producer. Jack, however, denied Wallis
6040-555: The Pittsburgh -based Duquesne Amusement Company, a distribution firm that proved lucrative until the advent of Thomas Edison 's Motion Picture Patents Company (also known as the Edison Trust), which charged distributors exorbitant fees. In 1909, Harry agreed to bring Jack into the family business, sending him to Norfolk , Virginia , where Jack assisted Sam in the operation of a second film exchange company. Later that year,
6191-545: The Republican National Committee accused him of producing "New Deal propaganda." In line with the Warner brothers' early opposition to Nazism, Warner Bros. produced more pictures about the war than any other studio, covering every branch of the armed services. In addition, the studio produced patriotic musicals such as This Is the Army and Yankee Doodle Dandy . Warner responded grudgingly to
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6342-583: The Russian Empire ), who spoke mainly Yiddish . He was the fifth surviving son of Benjamin Warner (originally "Wonsal" or "Wonskolaser"), a cobbler from Krasnosielc , and his wife, the former Pearl Leah Eichelbaum. Following their marriage in 1876, the couple had three children in Poland, one of whom died at a young age; another was Jack's eldest brother, Hirsch (later Harry ). In 1888 Benjamin made his way to Hamburg , Germany , and took ship for
6493-609: The Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank , California . Warner's career spanned over 55 years, surpassing that of any other of the pioneering Hollywood studio moguls. As co-head of production at Warner Bros. Studios, Warner worked with his brother, Sam Warner , to procure the technology for the film industry's first talking picture, The Jazz Singer (1927). After Sam's death, Jack clashed with his surviving older brothers, Harry and Albert Warner . He assumed exclusive control of
6644-601: The 1951 HUAC hearing. He had to produce the film in Italy, and it was premiered in Italy in 1954 and the USA in 1955. Rossen later said " Mambo was to be for fun only," but he "took it seriously, and it didn't come off." Critics dismissed the film. However, in 2001, Dorothea Fischer-Hornung concluded that the film achieved more than Rossen and contemporary critics realized. The female lead resolves her own conflicts by devoting herself to dance. Katherine Dunham 's choreography highlights this process; and innovative cinematography intensifies
6795-490: The 400 cartoons Warner Bros. made before 1948 for $ 3,000 apiece. As Thomas noted, "They have since earned millions, but not for Warner Bros." Jack's tumultuous relationship with his brother Harry worsened in February 1956, when Harry learned of Jack's decision to sell Warner Bros.' pre-1950 films to Associated Artists Productions (soon to merge with United Artists Television ) for the modest sum of $ 21 million. "This
6946-578: The Academy, including one for Best Picture of 1966. Despite these achievements, Warner grew weary of making films, and he sold a substantial amount of his studio stock to Seven Arts Productions on November 14, 1966. Some observers believed that Ben Kalmenson, Warner Bros.' executive vice president, persuaded Warner to sell his stock so that Kalmenson could assume leadership of the studio. Warner, however, had personal reasons for seeking retirement. His wife, Ann, continually pressured him to "slow down", and
7097-508: The Broadway and London productions of the musical, for Mary Poppins , while Hepburn wasn't even nominated. However, the film won the Best Picture Oscar for 1964. In 1965, Warner surprised many industry observers when he purchased the rights to Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , Edward Albee 's searing play about a destructive marriage. From the beginning, the project was beset by controversy. Ernest Lehman 's script, which
7248-608: The Edison Trust. That same year, Jack acquired a job as a film splicer in New York, where he assisted Sam with the production of Dante's Inferno . Despite the film's box office success, Harry still feared competition from the Edison Trust. He subsequently broke with Laemmle and sent Jack to establish a film exchange in San Francisco , while Sam did the same in Los Angeles . The brothers were soon poised to exploit
7399-647: The Hollywood Writers Mobilization, a body to organize writers for the war effort. Rossen served as the body's chairman until 1944 and advocated the opening of a Second Front to support West European resistance against the Nazis . His earnings were much greater than in 1937. However, his work for Hollywood Writers Mobilization and for the Communist Party forced him to abandon some partly developed film projects, including The Treasure of
7550-497: The King's Men film noir themes discussed in essay, "Violence and the Bitch Goddess" by Stephen Farber, pgs. 54–55 (1974). Proscenium Publishers, Inc., New York (July 2003). Second Limelight Edition. ISBN 0-87910-280-2 . Jack L. Warner Jack Leonard Warner (born Jacob Warner ; August 2, 1892 – September 9, 1978) was a Canadian-born American film executive, who was the president and driving force behind
7701-517: The MPAA — wary of a repeat of the embarrassment it had trying to censor the highly acclaimed film The Pawnbroker — gave in and approved the film as a special exception because of its quality, which led other filmmakers to challenge the Code themselves even more aggressively. Upon its release, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? was embraced by audiences and critics alike. It secured thirteen nominations from
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#17327797869677852-749: The Mafia . There was a murder or two almost every Saturday night in our neighborhood, and knives and brass knuckles were standard equipment for the young hotheads on the prowl." Warner claimed that he briefly belonged to a street gang in Westlake's Crossing, a notorious neighborhood west of downtown. Meanwhile, he received his first taste of show business , singing at local theaters and partnering with another aspiring song-and-dance man. During his brief career in vaudeville , he officially changed his name to Jack Leonard Warner. Jack's older brother Sam disapproved of these youthful pursuits. "Get out front where they pay
8003-503: The National Film Registry preserved The Hustler as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." In 2002, Roger Ebert described the film as one "where scenes have such psychic weight that they grow in our memories" and praised Rossen's decision to develop all four main characters, and James Berardinelli listed the film in his All Time Top 100 for similar reasons. Ebert also praised Rossen's decision to shoot
8154-639: The Night . In 1940, the studio produced short films that dramatically documented the devastation wrought by the German bombing raids on London . Meanwhile, the studio celebrated the exploits of the Royal Canadian Air Force with films such as Captains of the Clouds . In 1941, Warner also produced the influential war film Sergeant York . Contemporary reports that Jack had banned the use of
8305-574: The Party. All the King's Men won the Academy Award for Best Picture , Broderick Crawford won the award for Best Actor and Mercedes McCambridge was honored as Best Supporting Actress . Rossen was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director but lost to Joseph L. Mankiewicz for A Letter to Three Wives . Rossen won the Golden Globe for Best Director and the film won the Golden Globe for Best Picture. His next film, The Brave Bulls ,
8456-553: The Sierra Madre , which John Huston eventually directed in 1948. In 1945 Rossen joined a picket line against Warner Bros, making an enemy of Jack Warner. Rossen signed a contract with an independent production company formed by Hal Wallis , who had previously been Warner Bros.' head of production. However Rossen wrote only two full scripts for this company, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers in 1946 and Desert Fury in 1947. In The Strange Love of Martha Ivers Rossen used
8607-549: The United States. In New York City , Benjamin introduced himself as "Benjamin Warner", and the surname "Warner" remained with him for the rest of his life. Pearl Warner and the couple's two children joined him in Baltimore less than a year later. There the couple had five more children, including Abraham (later known as Albert ) and Sam Warner . In the early 1890s, Benjamin Warner decided to move to Canada, following
8758-469: The Warner Bros. Burbank studio with an iron hand, and became increasingly demanding and harsh with his employees. As the family grieved over Sam's sudden passing, the success of The Jazz Singer helped establish Warner Bros. as a major studio. From an investment of only $ 500,000 in the film, the studio reaped $ 3 million in profits. Hollywood's other five major studios, which controlled most of
8909-488: The Warner comics." Rin Tin Tin proved to be the studio's most important commercial asset until the introduction of sound. Screenwriter Darryl F. Zanuck produced several scripts for Rin Tin Tin vehicles and, during one year, wrote more than half of the studio's features. From 1928 to 1933, Zanuck served as Jack's right-hand man and executive producer , with responsibilities including day-to-day production of films. Despite
9060-451: The Warners had secured the rights for War Brides , a movie that featured Alla Nazimova as "a woman who kills herself rather than breed children for an unidentified country whose army looks suspiciously Teutonic ." Beyond this, Jack was shaken by the 1936 murder of studio salesman Joe Kaufman, who was beaten to death by Nazi stormtroopers in Berlin . He later described the incident in
9211-488: The Warners sold their business to the General Film Company for "$ 10,000 in cash, $ 12,000 in preferred stock, and payments over a four-year period, for a total of $ 52,000" (equivalent to $ 1,800,000 today). The Warner brothers pooled their resources and moved into film production in 1910. In 1912, they supported filmmaker Carl Laemmle 's Independent Motion Picture Company , which challenged the monopoly of
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#17327797869679362-550: The Yiddish obscenities he learned as a boy in Yorkville , New York City. According to a 1937 Fortune magazine article, Jack's most intense contract disputes involved Cagney, "who got sick of being typed as a girl-hitting mick and of making five pictures a year instead of four." Zanuck resigned during a contract dispute with Harry Warner in 1933. According to a 1933 letter that Jack wrote to Will H. Hays , then president of
9513-405: The actors," he advised Jack. "That's where the money is." In Youngstown, the Warner brothers took their first tentative steps into the entertainment industry. In the early 20th century, Sam formed a business partnership with another local resident and took over the city's Old Grand Opera House as a venue for "cheap vaudeville and photoplays ". The venture failed after one summer. Sam then secured
9664-520: The actual interiors of that house. The elementary school that plays a pivotal role in the film was also local, but no longer exists. The old San Joaquin County courthouse in Stockton , built in 1898 and demolished about a dozen years after the film's release, was featured prominently. Don Siegel worked on the film as an uncredited second unit director . Paul Tatara, writing for TCM , describes
9815-487: The aging studio head felt a need to put his affairs in order. He sold his 1.6 million shares of studio stock shortly after producing the film adaptation of Lerner & Loewe 's Camelot . The sale yielded, after capital gains taxes, about $ 24 million (equivalent to $ 219 million today). Eight months after the sale, Warner quipped, "Who would ever have thought that a butcher boy from Youngstown, Ohio, would end up with twenty-four million smackers in his pocket?" At
9966-488: The best film of 1949, and Broderick Crawford was regarded as the best actor in that same poll. On Rotten Tomatoes , All the King's Men holds a rating of 97% based on 70 reviews, with an average rating of 8.10/10. The consensus summarizes: "Broderick Crawford is spellbinding as politician Willie Stark in director Robert Rossen's adaptation of the Robert Penn Warren novel about the corrosive effects of power on
10117-465: The burgeoning steel town . Father and son worked in the repair shop until Benjamin secured a loan to open a downtown meat and grocery store. Jack spent much of his youth in Youngstown, and wrote of his formative experiences there in his autobiography: " J. Edgar Hoover told me that Youngstown in those days was one of the toughest cities in America, and a gathering place for Sicilian thugs active in
10268-553: The careers of many of Rossen's colleagues. Kazan's career flourished and Rossen's career also quickly regained the productivity he had enjoyed prior to the blacklist. He produced, directed and co-wrote The Hustler , in 1961, and he was nominated for Best Picture , Best Director , and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium Academy Awards, sharing the nomination with his co-writer Sidney Carroll . From 1952 to 1953, Rossen wrote Mambo , trying to repair his finances after almost two years without work following
10419-408: The center of each scene, put the film in the synch machine and wind down a hundred feet before and a hundred feet after, and chop it off, regardless of what's going on. Cut through dialogue, music, anything. Then, when you're finished, we'll run the picture and see what we've got." After All the King's Men won its Academy Award for Best Picture , Harry Cohn repeatedly gave Parrish credit for saving
10570-484: The committee in May 1953, where he identified 57 people as Communists. He explained to the committee why he chose to testify: "I don't think, after two years of thinking, that any one individual can indulge himself in the luxury of personal morality or pit it against what I feel today very strongly is the security and safety of this nation." Stephen Rossen later shed light on his father's decision: It killed him not to work. He
10721-429: The company in the 1950s when he secretly purchased his brothers's shares in the business after convincing them to participate in a joint sale of stocks. Although Warner was feared by many of his employees and inspired ridicule with his uneven attempts at humor, he earned respect for his shrewd instincts and tough-mindedness. He recruited many of Warner Bros.' top stars and promoted the hard-edged social dramas for which
10872-437: The company's new television department . During this period, Warner showed little foresight in his treatment of the studio's cartoon operation . Animated characters such as Bugs Bunny , Daffy Duck , and Porky Pig , while embraced by cartoon lovers, "were always stepchildren at Warner Bros." As biographer Bob Thomas wrote, "Jack Warner...considered cartoons no more than an extraneous service provided to exhibitors who wanted
11023-399: The conditions of working people, the portrayal of gangsters and racketeers , and opposition to fascism. After Dust Be My Destiny , written by Rossen and released in 1939, Frank Nugent, who regularly reviewed for The New York Times , complained about Warner Brothers' long line of melodramas about boys from poor neighborhoods. Unlike filmmakers such as John Ford and Howard Hawks , Rossen
11174-495: The control of a studio. All the King's Men was one of the later social "message" films as America turned conservative. Thomas Schatz regarded All the King's Men as possibly the best of the genre, as it examined alcoholism, adultery, political corruption and the influence of journalism. In 2001 the United States National Film Registry preserved the film as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Rossen produced, directed and co-wrote The Hustler in 1961. At
11325-437: The controversial but highly influential film Bonnie and Clyde , a project he initially "hated". Similarly, as producer of the film adaptation of Camelot , he was unable to persuade director Joshua Logan to cast Richard Burton and Julie Andrews in the leading roles. Instead, Logan selected Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave , a move that contributed to the project's critical – and commercial – failure. Another factor
11476-490: The dance scenes. Rossen hoped Alexander the Great (1956) would be a blockbuster, but the majority of the reviews criticized the film for failing to keep the audience's interest. However, the review from The New York Times wrote that "its moments of boredom are rare...an overlong but thoughtful and spectacular entertainment." In 1961, Rossen co-wrote, produced and directed The Hustler . Drawing upon his own experiences as
11627-460: The decade, studio employees claimed they saw Harry chase Jack through the studio with a lead pipe, shouting, "I'll get you for this, you son of a bitch" and threatening to kill him. This subterfuge, however, proved too much for Harry. He never spoke to Jack again. When Harry died on July 27, 1958, Jack did not attend the funeral, and he departed for his annual vacation at Cap d'Antibes . Asked to respond to his brother's death, he said, "I didn't give
11778-557: The dictatorship of Adolf Hitler in 1933. In 1935, Rossen wrote and directed his first play, The Body Beautiful , a comedy about a naive burlesque dancer. Although the play closed after four performances, Warner Bros. director Mervyn LeRoy was so impressed that he signed Rossen to a personal screenwriting contract. In 1936, Rossen married Susan Siegal; the couple had three children: Carol, Stephen and Ellen. For his first credit in Hollywood, in 1937 Rossen co-wrote with Abem Finkel
11929-517: The difficulty of shifting to a supervisory system but also the consequences of dispersing authority into the creative ranks". Meanwhile, Jack's role in production became somewhat limited. After acquiring a creative property, he often had little to do with a film's production until it was ready for preview. Nevertheless, he could be heavy-handed with employees and "merciless in his firings." Film director Gottfried Reinhardt claimed that Jack "derived pleasure" from humiliating subordinates. " Harry Cohn
12080-488: The distributor's gross profits "plus ownership of the negative at the end of the contract." Despite the "outrageous" purchase price, and the ungenerous terms of the contract, the deal proved lucrative for Warner Bros., securing the studio $ 12 million in profits. Warner was criticized for choosing a non-singing star, Audrey Hepburn , to play the leading role of Eliza Doolittle ; indeed, the 1964 Academy Award for Best Actress went to Julie Andrews , who had played Eliza in both
12231-563: The divorce. The Warners, who took Irma's side in the affair, refused to accept Ann as a family member. In the wake of this falling out, Warner's relationship with his son, Jack Jr., also became strained. In the late 1950s, Warner was almost killed in a car accident that left him in a coma for several days. On August 5, 1958, after an evening of baccarat at the Palm Beach Casino in Cannes , his Alfa Romeo roadster swerved into
12382-600: The elderly producer engaged in a lengthy tirade against " pinko communists". This would become his only television interview. On October 14, 1914, Warner married Irma Claire Salomon, the daughter of Sam Salomon and Bertha Franklin Salomon from one of San Francisco's pioneer Jewish families. Irma gave birth to the couple's only child, Jack M. Warner , on March 27, 1916. Jack Sr. named the child after himself, disregarding an Eastern European Jewish custom that children should not be named after living relatives. Although his son bore
12533-475: The evidence that Burden found, given to him by Anne. However, Judge Stanton commits suicide , and the impeachment ends with Stark's acquittal . During Stark's public victory celebration, Adam distraught over the pressure put on the judge mortally shoots Stark, believing that the only reason he was appointed as the director for the hospital was that his sister was Willie Stark's mistress. Having lost his respect for Stark, Burden tries to get Anne's agreement to find
12684-407: The expanding California movie market. In 1917, Jack was sent to Los Angeles to open another film exchange company. Their first opportunity to produce a major film came in 1918, when they purchased the film rights for My Four Years in Germany , a bestselling novel depicting German wartime atrocities, and the film adaptation became a commercial and critical success. The four brothers established
12835-537: The film "the appearance of a newsreel." Confessions of a Nazi Spy was widely criticized. The critic Pare Lorentz wrote, "The Warner brothers have declared war on Germany with this one." The German ambassador responded by issuing a protest to Secretary of State Cordell Hull , and the German dictator, Adolf Hitler , who watched the film at Berchtesgaden , was outraged. Meanwhile, the studio received stern warnings from U.S. Congressman Martin Dies Jr. about defaming
12986-509: The film as "one of those pictures that was saved in the editing". The original cut, done by Al Clark, had difficulty making a coherent version, because so much footage was shot. Rossen and Columbia Studios head Harry Cohn hired Robert Parrish to make changes. However, Parrish's efforts proved unsuccessful as Rossen stayed heavily involved and the film was still over 250 minutes long following several weeks. Cohn almost released this cut before Rossen told Parrish, "Select what you consider to be
13137-462: The film in the "stygian gloom of the billiard parlor" created by black-and-white. Other accolades appeared in the 2000s (decade). Nina Leibman regarded Lilith as the most extreme of the American film industry's applications, or rather misapplications, of psychoanalytic concepts, as the patient is already psychotic and has a track record of previous conquests. In The New Biographical Dictionary of Film , David Thomson describes Lilith as "an oddity,
13288-480: The film re-edited. The cuts have since been restored in most television showings and in the film's DVD release. In November 1972, the film opened to enthusiastic audiences at Radio City Music Hall , but it fared poorly in theaters. Faced with a polarized political climate, few Americans were drawn to "a cheery exercise in prerepublic civics". Warner's efforts to promote the film were sometimes counterproductive; during an interview with talk show host Merv Griffin ,
13439-544: The film's director, Mike Nichols , battled with studio executives and exhibitors who insisted that the film be shot in color rather than black and white. These controversies soon faded into the background while Warner challenged the validity of the Production Code by publicly requiring theaters showing the film to post an "adults only" label and restrict ticket sales accordingly, all as a marketing tease to entice audiences to see what warranted that restriction. At this,
13590-495: The film, Rossen had to write to Columbia's Harry Cohn saying that he was no longer a Communist Party member. Cohn's critiques of the draft of Rossen's script included scrapping a framing structure that was difficult for audiences to follow and several improvements in the relationships and motivations of characters. A meeting of the Communist Party in Los Angeles severely criticized the film, and Rossen severed all relations with
13741-415: The film. Although Clark is credited as the "Film Editor" (with Parrish being credited as "Editorial Advisor"), both Clark and Parrish received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Film Editing . The film received wide acclaim upon its release. Film critic Bosley Crowther lauded the film and its direction in his review, writing, "Robert Rossen has written and directed, as well as personally produced,
13892-416: The following terms: "Like many an outnumbered Jew he was trapped in an alley. They [Nazi hoodlums] hit him with fists and clubs and then kicked the life out of him with their boots and left him dying there." Hence, while other Hollywood studios sidestepped the issue, fearing domestic criticism and the loss of European markets, Warner Bros. produced films that were openly critical of Nazi Germany . In 1939,
14043-449: The gangster melodrama The Roaring Twenties , released in 1939. A remake of the 1932 play and film Life Begins was written in 1939 by Rossen and released in 1940 as A Child Is Born . The plot recounted the experiences of six expectant mothers, and there was little scope to modify the original. The Sea Wolf , released in 1941, was based on Jack London 's novel . Although the film had a strong cast and production, Rossen's re-draft of
14194-584: The gratitude and affection of Errol Flynn . In 1935, the studio head personally selected Flynn for the title role of Captain Blood , even though he was an unknown actor at the time. In 1936, following the success of another costume epic, The Charge of the Light Brigade , Jack tore up Flynn's contract and signed him to a long-term deal that doubled his weekly salary. As the 1930s came to an end, both Jack and Harry Warner became increasingly alarmed over
14345-467: The group on board by promising State Attorney General to Anne's uncle, the honest Judge Stanton. Willie ends up winning the election in a landslide and is portrayed by newsreels as either a prairie messiah or incipient dictator. During his time as Governor, Stark ends up utilizing his power in aggressive and corrupt ways as Burden develops a black book of biographical leverage to extract political favors and votes in support of their agenda. He covers up
14496-458: The human soul." Film historian Spencer Selby calls the film "[A] hard-hitting noir adaptation of Warren's eloquent novel". Joe Goldberg, film historian and former story editor for Paramount Pictures , wrote about the content of the plot and its noirish fatalistic conclusion, "The plot makes sense, the dialogue is memorable, the story arises from the passions and ideas of the characters. It deals with graft, corruption, love, drink and betrayal, and
14647-521: The industry during this period ensured that studios would become "more important as backers of independent producers than as creators of their own films", a situation that left little room for the traditional movie mogul. By the mid-1960s, most of the film moguls from the Golden Age of Hollywood had died, and Warner was regarded as one of the last of a dying breed. Evidence of his eroding control at Warner Bros. included his failure to block production of
14798-471: The media. The Communist victory of China in 1949 and the start of the Korean War in 1950 reinforced the anti-communist concerns present at the time. During hearings in 1947, Jack Warner included Rossen among the many openly leftist writers whom his studio Warner Bros. had hired as the earliest and most openly anti-Nazi studio in Hollywood. (Warner Bros. had made Confessions of a Nazi Spy [1939] and
14949-493: The most New Deal -ish (often simultaneously the most left-wing ) writers". During this period, Jack took an active role in recruiting talent. To furnish Warner Bros. with much needed "star power", he raided contract players from rival studios, in some cases offering to double their salaries. This strategy yielded three leading stars from Paramount – William Powell , Kay Francis , and Ruth Chatterton . In 1929, Jack persuaded British stage and screen actor George Arliss to play
15100-418: The nation's movie theaters, initially attempted to block the growth of "talking pictures". In the teeth of this opposition, Warner Bros. produced twelve "talkies" in 1928 alone. The following year, the newly formed Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized Warner Bros. for "revolutionizing the industry with sound". Despite Warner Bros.' new prosperity, Jack kept a tight rein on costs. He placed
15251-442: The novel, including shifting the main story perspective from reporter Jack Burden, the novel's narrator, to Willie Stark himself. The film also removes any direct references to the state in which the film is set, as well as specificities of Southern American politics. Brian Neve, writing for Cinéaste , noted that this helps to "universalize" the Stark's story. Rossen originally offered the starring role to John Wayne , who found
15402-539: The only one of [Rossen's] films that seems passionate, mysterious and truly personal. The other films will look increasingly dated and self-contained, but Lilith may grow." The Academy Film Archive preserved several of Robert Rossen's films, including The Hustler , All the King's Men , and Lilith . All the King%27s Men (1949 film) All the King's Men is a 1949 American political drama film written, produced, and directed by Robert Rossen . It
15553-450: The party, but when asked to state whether he had ever been a member of the party, Rossen refused to answer. He was placed on the unofficial blacklist by the Hollywood studios, and Columbia broke its production contract with him. In a widespread practice during HUAC investigations, the U.S. State Department refused to renew Rossen's passport. This, and his inability to find work, brought Rossen, like his friend, ex-Communist Elia Kazan, back to
15704-479: The path of a coal truck on a stretch of road located near the seaside villa of Prince Aly Khan . Warner was thrown from the car, which burst into flames upon impact. Shortly after the accident, Jack Jr. joined other family members in France, where the unconscious studio head was hospitalized. In an interview with reporters, Jack Jr. suggested that his father was dying. Then, during a visit to his father's hospital room,
15855-452: The police, the local political machine shuts out Stark. After his loss, Stark earns a law degree. When a shoddily-constructed school in his county experiences a structural collapse that kills 12 students during a fire drill, Stark is encouraged to work on their legal affairs at the children's funeral, and he ultimately wins a lawsuit against the county, leading to a state-wide investigation. Willie uses this to build his political momentum, and he
16006-427: The premiere of the first feature-length talking picture, The Jazz Singer , and Jack became sole head of production. Sam's death left Jack inconsolable: "Throughout his life, Jack had been warmed by Sam's sunshiny optimism, his thirst for excitement, his inventive mind, his gambling nature. Sam had also served as a buffer between Jack and his stern eldest brother, Harry." Without his brother and co-producer, Jack ran
16157-514: The production of some fifty feature films per year, and of distinguishing Warners' collective output from that of its competitors". Warner Bros. became best known, however, for its hard-hitting social dramas, whose production Jack tended to support. These included gangster classics such as Little Caesar and The Public Enemy as well as the critically acclaimed I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang , starring Paul Muni . Some of these films reflected
16308-549: The proposed film script unpatriotic and indignantly refused the part. Broderick Crawford , who eventually took the role, won the 1949 Academy Award for Best Actor , beating out Wayne, who had been nominated for his role in Sands of Iwo Jima . The casting of Crawford was considered risky at the time, as he was not known as a leading man , nor considered a box office draw, but primarily a character actor . Columbia Pictures chief Harry Cohn favored Spencer Tracy , but Rossen rejected
16459-414: The rise of Nazism . As Bernard F. Dick observed, the Warners, "as sons of Polish Jews who fled their homeland because of antisemitic pogroms ... had a personal interest in exposing Nazism." Moreover, the attraction to films critical of German militarism had a long history with the Warners that predated their production of My Four Years in Germany in 1918. In 1917, while it was still in distribution,
16610-456: The rising popularity of television in the late 1940s. Initially he tried to compete with the new medium, introducing gimmicks such as 3-D films , which soon lost their appeal among moviegoers. In 1954, Warner finally engaged the new medium, providing ABC with a weekly show, Warner Bros. Presents . The studio followed up with a series of Western dramas, such as Maverick , Bronco , and Colt .45 . Accustomed to dealing with actors in
16761-411: The row of seats and into the aisle, but the entire Warner family sat blocking me. I had no alternative but to sit down again, humiliated and furious. ... Almost forty years later, I still haven't recovered from the shock." Also in 1943, Jack, at the advice of President Roosevelt, produced a film adaptation of the controversial book Mission to Moscow , a film intended to inspire public support of
16912-404: The screen right now. Even if I never make another picture, I've got The Hustler on my record. I'm content to let that one stand for me." However, at the time of his death Rossen was planning Cocoa Beach , a script he conceived in 1962, showing the hopes and struggles of transients in a local community and contrasting this with nearby Cape Canaveral , which Leftist writer Brian Neve described as
17063-619: The script for All the King's Men received serious criticisms within Columbia. While head of production at Warner, Hal Wallis considered that some of his best films – including The Roaring Twenties , Marked Woman and The Sea Wolf – were written by Rossen. Wallis was very pleased with Rossen's script in 1946 for The Strange Love of Martha Ivers , which was produced by Wallis own company. However, Rossen turned down Wallis's next two films. Both Wallis as producer and Rossen as writer-director wanted to operate as independents, rather than under
17214-473: The script may be the greatest influence on the film. While the character of Captain Larsen remained both victim and oppressed in a capitalist hierarchy, he became a symbol of fascism. He split the novel's idealist hero into an intellectual bosun and a rebellious seaman. Warner Bros. cut many political points during production. Blues in the Night , written by Rossen and two colleagues and released in 1941, shows
17365-648: The stage in New York, Rossen moved to Hollywood in 1937. From there, he worked as a screenwriter for Warner Bros. until 1941, and then interrupted his career to serve until 1944 as the chairman of the Hollywood Writers Mobilization, a body to organize writers for the effort in World War II. In 1945, he joined a picket line against Warner Bros. After making one film for Hal B. Wallis 's newly formed production company, Rossen made one for Columbia Pictures , another for Wallis and most of his later films for his own companies, usually in collaboration with Columbia. Rossen
17516-588: The studio became known. Given to decisiveness, Warner once commented, "If I'm right fifty-one percent of the time, I'm ahead of the game." Throughout his career, Warner was viewed as a contradictory and enigmatic figure. Although he was a staunch Republican , he encouraged film projects that promoted the policies of Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt . He also opposed European fascism and criticized Nazi Germany well before America's involvement in World War II . An opponent of communism , after
17667-463: The studio had an unspoken rule against mentioning the late Governor's death on set. John Derek had just made Knock on Any Door for Columbia. He and Crawford would be reunited several times in his career. The film was shot at various locations in California using local residents, something that was fairly unknown for Hollywood at the time. The scene near the beginning of the film, where Stark
17818-434: The studio released Confessions of a Nazi Spy , starring Edward G. Robinson . The project, which was recommended to Jack by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover , drew on the real-life experiences of Agent Leon G. Turrou , who had worked as an undercover agent. Despite legal ramifications preventing the use of actual names, the studio aimed for an "aura of authenticity" and Wallis initially recommended eliminating credits to give
17969-544: The studio's directors on a quota system and decreed a flat, low-key lighting style to smooth out the defects of cheap film sets. The studio emerged relatively unscathed from the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and produced a broad range of films, including "backstage musicals ," "crusading biopics ," " swashbucklers ," and "women's pictures." As Thomas Schatz observed, this repertoire was "a means of stabilizing marketing and sales, of bringing efficiency and economy into
18120-424: The studio's executive dining room, with the explanation, "I don't need to look at actors when I eat." The studio executive did, however, win the affection of a few film personalities. Among these was Bette Davis , one of the studio's leading stars, who once fled to England to secure release from her contract. In later years, Davis defended Jack against rumors of sexual impropriety when she wrote: "No lecherous boss
18271-603: The studio's image, which remained defined by its low-budget comedies and racy films on declining morality. In 1923, the studio discovered a trained German Shepherd named Rin Tin Tin . The canine made his debut in Where the North Begins , a film about an abandoned pup who is raised by wolves and befriends a fur trapper. According to one biographer, Jack's initial doubts about the project were quelled when he met Rin Tin Tin, "who seemed to display more intelligence than some of
18422-431: The subversion of idealism by power, and it might even make someone angry... The story moves toward its conclusion with the dark inevitability of film noir." Author Harry Keyishian wonders if Willie Stark is "a good man corrupted by the political process, or a bad one whose inherent vice emerges when he gets a chance for power." In 2001, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by
18573-529: The success of Rin Tin Tin and other projects, Warner Bros. was still a poor cousin to Hollywood's "Big Three" – Paramount , Universal , and First National studios. In 1925, the studio expanded its operations and acquired the Brooklyn -based theater company Vitagraph . Later that year, Sam urged Harry to sign with Western Electric to develop a series of talking short films using the new Vitaphone technology. Sam died of pneumonia in 1927, just before
18724-412: The suggestion, thinking the audience would find Tracy's Stark too likable. Rossen felt that Crawford's burly demeanor and "tough guy" appearance were well-suited to portray Stark, as both an everyman and a demagogue. Crawford was so enthusiastic for the role he took a fifty-percent pay cut. In preparation for the role, Crawford studied newsreel footage and voice recordings of Huey Long , though he noted
18875-551: The suspicious death of the father of the girl in Tommy's car accident after the father refused Stark's bribe to make it go away. An impeachment trial is brought against Stark and the judge controls how certain senators will vote at the trial. Stark issues orders to "turn the yokels out" to demonstrate in his support and there are concerns that he might use the state militia to remain in power. In desperation, Stark visits Judge Stanton and attempts to strongarm him to release his senators with
19026-431: The sweeping powers enjoyed by Zanuck, and the result was a decentralization of creative and administrative control that often created confusion at the studio. Under the new system, each picture was assigned a supervisor usually plucked from the ranks of the studio's screenwriters . Although Warner Bros. maintained a high rate of production throughout the 1930s, some pictures showed an uneven quality that reflected "not only
19177-535: The time of the sale, he had earned the distinction of being the second production chief to also serve as company president, after Columbia Pictures ' Harry Cohn. Warner's decision to sell came at a time when he was losing the formidable power that he once took for granted. He had already survived the dislocations of the 1950s, when other studio heads – including Mayer, David O. Selznick , and Samuel Goldwyn – were pushed out by stockholders who "sought scapegoats for dwindling profits". Structural changes that occurred in
19328-531: The time, Variety praised the cast, complained about the "sordid aspects" of the story and felt the film was far too long. The New Republic praised the cast and Rossen's "sure, economical" direction, but thought the script "strains hard to give an air of menace and criminality." The film won two Academy Awards and was nominated for another seven, was nominated in four of the Golden Globes ' categories, and gained many other awards and nominations. In 1997.
19479-440: The title role in a remake of the 1921 United Artists film Disraeli , which turned out to be a box-office hit. Then, in 1930, he spotted future stars James Cagney , Joan Blondell , and Frank McHugh in the cast of a New York play called Penny Arcade . Although Cagney turned out to be Jack's greatest prize, he was also the studio executive's biggest professional headache. During their frequent arguments, Cagney would scream
19630-637: The uneasy military alliance between the U.S. and the Soviet Union . Later, while testifying before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) on October 27, 1947, Jack dismissed allegations during the Cold War that this film was subversive, and he argued that Mission to Moscow was produced "only to help a desperate war effort, and not for posterity." After the film's lackluster response under distribution,
19781-582: The war Warner appeared as a friendly witness before the House Un-American Activities Committee , voluntarily naming screenwriters who had been fired at the time as suspected communists or sympathizers. Despite his controversial public image, Warner remained a force in the motion picture industry until his retirement in the early 1970s. Jacob Warner (as he was named at birth) was born in London , Ontario , Canada, on August 2, 1892. His parents were Polish-Jewish immigrants from Congress Poland (then part of
19932-447: The young man offended Ann, whom he largely blamed for his parents' divorce. When Warner regained consciousness, he was enraged by reports of his son's behavior and their "tenuous" relationship came to an end. On December 30, 1958, Jack Jr. was informed, by Jack Sr.'s lawyer Arnold Grant, that the elder Warner had released him from the company. When he attempted to report for work, studio guards denied him entry. The two men never achieved
20083-578: Was a commercial success. At the 22nd Academy Awards the film was nominated for seven Oscars and won three; Best Picture , Best Actor for Crawford, and Best Supporting Actress for McCambridge, making an impressive film debut. The film also won five Golden Globes , and was nominated for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival . In 2001, All the King's Men was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by
20234-427: Was a film adaptation of a Broadway musical, 1776 , which was released through Columbia Pictures. Before the film's release, Warner showed a preview cut to President Richard Nixon , who recommended substantial changes, including the removal of the song 'Cool, Cool, Considerate Men' that struck him as veiled criticisms of the ongoing Vietnam War . Without consulting the film's director, Peter H. Hunt , Warner ordered
20385-533: Was a member of the American Communist Party from 1937 to about 1947, and believed the Party was "dedicated to social causes of the sort that we as poor Jews from New York were interested in." He ended all relations with the Party in 1949. Rossen was twice called before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), in 1951 and in 1953. He exercised his Fifth Amendment rights at his first appearance, refusing to state whether he had ever been
20536-432: Was a sonofabitch," Reinhardt said, "but he did it for business; he was not a sadist. Mayer could be a monster, but he was not mean for the sake of meanness. Jack was." Jack's management style frustrated many studio employees. Comedian Jack Benny , who once worked at Warner Bros., quipped, "Jack Warner would rather tell a bad joke than make a good movie". Jack frequently clashed with actors and supposedly banned them from
20687-453: Was also complimentary and praised Broderick Crawford's work, "As the rural Abe Lincoln, springing up from the soil to make himself a great man by using the opinionless, follow-the-leader instinct of the more common voter, Broderick Crawford does a standout performance. Given a meaty part, his histrionic bent wraps it up for a great personal success adding much to the many worthwhile aspects of the drama." It won an Associated Press poll in 1950 as
20838-515: Was an enormous popular success and is credited with sparking a resurgence in the popularity of pool in the United States, which had been on the decline for decades. Rossen was already ill when he started on his final film, Lilith (1964), and it was poorly received in the United States. After it Rossen lost interest in directing, reportedly because of conflicts with the film's star, Warren Beatty . The filmmaker said, "It isn't worth that kind of grief. I won't take it any more. I have nothing to say on
20989-535: Was criticized by the Republicans for their leftist writers at the time.) Warner reportedly accused Rossen of incorporating communist propaganda in scripts and fired him as a result, though some believe he was also unhappy with the writers’ union activities. Rossen was one of 19 "unfriendly witnesses" subpoenaed in October 1947 by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) during the second Red Scare but
21140-424: Was different from Rossen's earlier films as it emphasized mood rather than narrative and examined through pictures and silences the nature of maladjustment and madness. Farber noted the strong female characters of the 1930s and 1940s, and laments the replacement of them by all-male relationships from the 1950s onward. For the earlier pattern Farber cited Rossen's 1946 script The Strange Love of Martha Ivers , which
21291-582: Was directed in 1950 and released in 1951. This was Rossen's last work before the studios blacklisted him. New York Times critic Bosley Crowther called this "the best film on bull-fighting yet." After the end of World War II in 1945, the spread of Coummunism became the major concern in the United States. In 1946, the Republicans gained an overwhelming majority in the Congressional elections . and used this power to investigate Communist elements in
21442-598: Was extremely faithful to Albee's play, stretched the U.S. film industry's Production Code to the limit. Jack Valenti , who had just assumed leadership of the Motion Picture Association of America , recalled that a meeting with Warner and studio aide Ben Kalmenson left him "uneasy". "I was uncomfortable with the thought that this was just the beginning of an unsettling new era in film, in which we would lurch from crisis to crisis without any suitable solution in sight," Valenti wrote. Meanwhile, Lehman and
21593-444: Was he! His sins lay elsewhere. He was the father. The power. The glory. And he was in business to make money." Davis revealed that, after the birth of her child, Jack's attitude toward her became warm and protective. "We became father and child, no question about it." she said. "He told me I didn't have to come back to work until I really felt like it. He was a thoughtful man. Not many nice things were said about him." Warner also earned
21744-614: Was his last film before his death two years later. Robert Rosen was born on March 16, 1908, and raised on the Lower East Side of New York City. His parents were Russian Jewish immigrants and his father, Philip Rosen, was a house painter. As a youth, he attended New York University, hustled pool and fought some prizefights - the latter two providing crucial background for his two greatest films, The Hustler and Body and Soul , respectively. He changed his name from "Rosen" to "Rossen" in 1931. He started his theatrical career as
21895-526: Was in its fourth year when Ann pressed her husband to terminate the affair. Park later tried to publish her memoirs describing the affair, but nothing materialized. Although Ann did once have an affair with studio actor Eddie Albert in 1941, she was much more devoted to the marriage. In the 1960s, she insisted that, despite his reputation for ruthlessness, Warner had a softer side. In a note to author Dean Jennings, who assisted Jack on his 1964 autobiography, My First Hundred Years in Hollywood , Ann wrote: "He
22046-518: Was one of eight not called to testify. In 1951, Rossen was named as a Communist by several HUAC witnesses and he appeared before HUAC for the first time in June 1951. He exercised his rights under the Fifth Amendment against self-incrimination, taking what came to be known as the "augmented Fifth". He testified that he was not a member of the Communist Party and that he disagreed with the aims of
22197-441: Was over melodramatic but portrayed a woman consumed by power, money and success. Lilith created one of the few strong women in the 1960s. Rossen generally destroyed the main character. All of Rossen's playscripts were adaptations except Marked Woman , Racket Buster and Alexander the Great , based on real events. Before he was blacklisted in 1951, only two of Rossen's adaptions were of serious novels, and Rossen's early drafts of
22348-463: Was that Logan was able to manipulate Warner's ego to persuade him from cutting the screenplay's length, despite the fact that the studio executives had already agreed with the film's unofficial producer, Joel Freeman, that it was overlong. Warner officially retired from the studio in 1969. Warner remained active as an independent producer until the early 1970s to run some of the company's distributions and exhibition division. Among his last productions
22499-414: Was too late. Jack, as the company's largest stockholder , appointed himself as the new company president. Shortly after the deal was closed, he announced that the company and its subsidiaries would be "directed more vigorously to the acquisition of the most important story properties, talents, and to the production of the finest motion pictures possible". The two brothers had often argued, and earlier in
22650-714: Was torn between his desire to work and his desire not to talk, and he didn't know what to do. What I think he wanted to know was, what would I think of him if he talked? He didn't say it in that way, though. Then he explained to me the politics of it—how the studios were in on it, and there was never any chance of his working. He was under pressure, he was sick, his diabetes was bad, and he was drinking. By this time I understood that he had refused to talk before and had done his time, from my point of view. What could any kid say at that point? You say, 'I love you and I'm behind you.' Like Elia Kazan's testimony, Rossen's HUAC admissions destroyed many lifelong friendships, along with impacting
22801-480: Was willing to explain his aims as a director: "The element common to many of my films is the desire for success, ambition, which is an important element in American life. It is an important element, and has become increasingly more important in what is known as Western Civilization." Polonsky commented that "Rossen's talent is force applied everywhere without let-up." Neve acknowledged that social concerns were central in most of Rossen's works, but commented that Lilith
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