Franklin J. Schaffner | |
|---|---|
 Schaffner in 1977 | |
| Born | Franklin James Schaffner (1920-05-30)May 30, 1920 Tokyo, Japan |
| Died | July 2, 1989(1989-07-02) (aged 69) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Franklin & Marshall CollegeColumbia University Law School |
| Occupation | Film director |
| Title | President of theDirectors Guild of America, 1987–89 |
| Spouse | Helen Jean Gilchrist (1948–89) (died 2007) |
| Awards | Academy Award for Best Director; 1971Patton Primetime Emmy Award for Best Direction; 1955Studio One, 1955Ford Star Jubilee, 1962The Defenders |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States NavyOffice of Strategic Services |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
Franklin James Schaffner (May 30, 1920 – July 2, 1989) was an American film, television, and stage director. He won theAcademy Award for Best Director forPatton (1970), and is known for the filmsPlanet of the Apes (1968),Nicholas and Alexandra (1971),Papillon (1973), andThe Boys from Brazil (1978). He served as president of theDirectors Guild of America between 1987 and 1989.
Schaffner was born in Tokyo, Japan, the son of American missionaries Sarah Horting (née Swords) and Paul Franklin Schaffner,[1][2] and was raised in Japan.
The Schaffners returned to the United States and settled in Lancaster, Pennsylvania when Franklin Schaffner was 5 years old.[3][4] Franklin Schaffner attendedJ.P. McCaskey High School, where he appeared as Mr. Darcy in the school's production ofPride and Prejudice.[3] In 1938, he graduated as valedictorian of McCaskey High School's first graduating class.[3][4]
Schaffner graduated fromFranklin & Marshall College (F&M) in Lancaster.[3] As a student, Schaffner was active in the drama program at F&M's Green Room Theatre, where he appeared in eleven plays and served as president of the Green Room Club.[3] He then studied law atColumbia University in New York City, but his education was interrupted by service with theU.S. Navy in World War II during which he served withamphibious forces in Europe and North Africa. In the latter stages of the war, he was sent to the PacificFar East to serve with theOffice of Strategic Services.[5]
Schaffner returned to the United States after the war. He worked for a world peace organization, then as an assistant director for the documentary film seriesThe March of Time. He became a director in the news and public affairs department of CBS television, where his jobs including covering sports, beauty pageants and public-service programs.[6]
In 1950 he directed "The Traitor", the first episode ofFord Theatre.[7] He also did adaptations ofAlice in Wonderland[8] andTreasure Island.[9]
He directed "Thunder on Sycamore Street" byReginald Rose forStudio One.[10] He and Rose reunited onTwelve Angry Men which won Schaffner an Emmy for Best Director.
The following year Schaffner earned another Emmy for his work on the 1955 TV adaptation of the Broadway playThe Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, shown on the anthology seriesFord Star Jubilee.[11]
Schaffner became one of three regular directors onThe Kaiser Aluminum Hour; the others wereGeorge Roy Hill andFielder Cook.[12] He was also a regular director onPlayhouse 90.[13]
He was the original director on the series,The Defenders, created by Rose. Schaffner's work earned him another Emmy.[14]
In 1960, he directedAllen Drury's stage playAdvise and Consent. This earned him the Best Director recognition in the Variety Critics Poll.[15]
In the realm of network television, Schaffner also received widespread critical acclaim in 1962 for his groundbreaking collaboration with the First Lady of the United StatesJacqueline Kennedy and CBS television's Musical DirectorAlfredo Antonini in the production ofA Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy, a television special broadcast to over 80 million viewers worldwide.[16]
Schaffner's contributions in this production earned him a nomination in 1963 by the Directors Guild of America, for its award in the category of Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television.[17]
In January 1960 Schaffner signed a multi picture deal with Columbia Pictures.[18]
In May 1961 he signed to makeA Summer Place at 20th Century Fox with Fabian and Dolores Hart.[19] The film was not made. Schaffner directedThe Good Years (1962) for TV with Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball.[20] Other TV work includedThe Great American Robbery.[21]
Instead Schaffner's first motion picture wasThe Stripper (1963), made at Fox from a play byWilliam Inge, starringRichard Beymer andJoanne Woodward. The film was well-received critically, but not a commercial success.
He continued to work for TV includingThe Legend of Lylah Clare.[22]
Schaffner later madeThe Best Man (1964) based on a play byGore Vidal andThe War Lord (1965), based on a play byLeslie Stevens, withCharlton Heston. In a 1966 interview he said "as you mature you learn that the story is the most important thing."[23] He announced various films for Columbia –The Day Lincoln Was Shot,The Whistle Blows for Victory andThe Green Beret – but they were not made.[24]
He went to Britain to makeThe Double Man (1967) withYul Brynner, a film Schaffner admitted he did for the money.[25]
Schaffner had a huge critical and commercial hit inPlanet of the Apes (1968) starring Heston at 20th Century Fox.
In December 1968 Schaffner signed a non-exclusive three-picture deal with Columbia.[26]
His next film was for 20th Century Fox, however:Patton (1970), a biopic ofGeneral Patton starringGeorge C. Scott. It was a major success for which Schaffner won theAcademy Award for Best Director and theDirectors Guild of America Award for Best Director.
He madeNicholas and Alexandra (1971) for producerSam Spiegel. It was an expensive box-office failure. Schaffner followed it withPapillon (1973) a $14 million epic with Steve McQueen andDustin Hoffman that was a considerable financial success.[27] In 1971 he said his films "are almost always about people who are out of their time and place."[28]
Schaffner intended to followPapillon withDynasty of Western Outlaws, about outlaws over the years in Missouri from a script by John Gay, and an adaptation ofThe French Lieutenant's Woman.[28] He ended up making neither:Dynasty was never made, andFrench Lieutenant was made a decade later by another director.
Schaffner reunited with George C. Scott inIslands in the Stream (1977), based on the novel byErnest Hemingway.[29] He then didThe Boys from Brazil (1978) based on a novel byIra Levin withGregory Peck andLaurence Olivier.
His later films includedSphinx (1981), a $10 million thriller about Egypt based on a novel by Robin Cook and produced by Stanley O'Toole, who had madeBoys from Brazil with Schaffner.[30] It was a commercial and critical failure, as wasYes, Giorgio (1982), a musical comedy starringLuciano Pavarotti.
Schaffner's last films were the critically well-receivedLionheart (1987) andWelcome Home (1989).
Schaffner was president of theDirectors Guild of America from 1987 until his death in 1989.
Jerry Goldsmith composed the music for seven of his films:The Stripper,Planet of the Apes,Patton,Papillon,Islands in the Stream,The Boys from Brazil andLionheart. Four of them were nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Original Score.[31]
Schaffner twice worked with actorsCharlton Heston andMaurice Evans (The War Lord;Planet of the Apes),George C. Scott (Patton;Islands in the Stream) andLaurence Olivier (Nicholas and Alexandra;The Boys from Brazil).[32][33][34]
Schaffner married Helen Jean Gilchrist in 1948. The couple had two children, Jennie and Kate. She died in 2007.
Schaffner died on July 2, 1989, at the age of 69.[35] He was released 10 days before his death from a hospital where he was being treated for lung cancer.
ScreenwriterWilliam Goldman identified Schaffner in 1981 as being one of the three best directors (then living) at handling "scope" (a gift for screen epics) in films. The other two wereDavid Lean andRichard Attenborough.[36]
In 1991, Schaffner's widow, Jean Schaffner, established the Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal (colloquially known as the Franklin J. Schaffner Award), which is awarded by theAmerican Film Institute at its annual ceremony to an alumnus of either the AFI Conservatory or the AFI Conservatory Directing Workshop for Women who best embodies the qualities of the late director: talent, taste, dedication and commitment to quality filmmaking.[3] Notable recipients includeDavid Lynch,Amy Heckerling,Terrence Malick,Darren Aronofsky,Patty Jenkins andPaul Schrader, among others.[37]
TheDirectors Guild of America also began presenting aFranklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award to associate directors orstage managers in 1991.[38]
The moving image collection of Franklin J. Schaffner is held at theAcademy Film Archive.[39]
In May 2020, the mayor of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, proclaimed Franklin Schaffner Week (May 23–30, 2020) to mark the centennial of his birth.[3][4]
| Year | Title | Director | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | The Wings of the Dove | Yes | No |
| 1963 | The Stripper | Yes | No |
| 1964 | The Best Man | Yes | No |
| 1965 | The War Lord | Yes | No |
| 1967 | The Double Man | Yes | No |
| 1968 | Planet of the Apes | Yes | No |
| 1970 | Patton | Yes | Yes |
| 1971 | Nicholas and Alexandra | Yes | No |
| 1973 | Papillon | Yes | Yes |
| 1976 | Islands in the Stream | Yes | No |
| 1978 | The Boys from Brazil | Yes | No |
| 1981 | Sphinx | Yes | Executive |
| 1982 | Yes, Giorgio | Yes | No |
| 1987 | Lionheart | Yes | No |
| 1989 | Welcome Home | Yes | No |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1948–51 | The Ford Theatre Hour | 22 episodes |
| 1949 | Wesley | 13 episodes |
| 1949–56 | Studio One | 110 episodes |
| 1951 | Tales of Tomorrow | 5 episodes |
| 1953–59 | Person to Person | 248 episodes |
| 1955 | The Best of Broadway | 1 episode |
| 1955–56 | Ford Star Jubilee | 2 episodes |
| 1956–57 | The Kaiser Aluminum Hour | 6 episodes |
| 1957 | Producers' Showcase | 1 episode |
| 1957–60 | Playhouse 90 | 19 episodes |
| 1959 | Startime | 1 episode |
| 1961–62 | The Defenders | 6 episodes |
| 1962 | A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy | Documentary special |
| 1962–64 | The DuPont Show of the Week | 10 episodes |
| 1967 | ABC Stage 67 | 1 episode |
TV movies
| Year | Title | Academy Awards | Golden Globe Awards | BAFTA Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominations | Wins | Nominations | Wins | Nominations | Wins | ||
| 1963 | The Stripper | 1 | |||||
| 1964 | The Best Man | 1 | 2 | ||||
| 1968 | Planet of the Apes | 2 | 1 | ||||
| 1970 | Patton | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 | |
| 1971 | Nicholas and Alexandra | 6 | 2 | 3 | 3 | ||
| 1973 | Papillon | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 1976 | Islands in the Stream | 1 | |||||
| 1978 | The Boys from Brazil | 3 | 1 | ||||
| 1982 | Yes, Giorgio | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 26 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 5 | ||
| Year | Award/Association | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Karlovy Vary International Film Festival | Crystal Globe | The Best Man | Nominated |
| Special Jury Prize | Won | |||
| 1971 | Academy Awards | Best Director | Patton | Won |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Director | Nominated | ||
| Directors Guild of America Award | Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures | Won | ||
| 1979 | Saturn Awards | Best Director | The Boys from Brazil | Nominated |
| 2008 | Jules Verne Award | Légendaire Award | Planet of the Apes | Won |
| Year | Title | Emmy Awards | Golden Globe Awards | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominations | Wins | Nominations | Wins | ||
| 1949–56 | Studio One | 12 | 5 | ||
| 1953–59 | Person to Person | 6 | |||
| 1955 | The Best of Broadway | 1 | |||
| 1955–56 | Ford Star Jubilee | 4 | 3 | ||
| 1956–57 | The Kaiser Aluminum Hour | 1 | |||
| 1957 | Producers' Showcase | 13 | 7 | ||
| 1957–60 | Playhouse 90 | 34 | 13 | 1 | |
| 1959 | Startime | 5 | 1 | ||
| 1961–62 | The Defenders | 8 | 14 | 2 | 1 |
| 1962–64 | The DuPont Show of the Week | 8 | |||
| 1967 | ABC Stage 67 | 4 | 2 | ||
| Total | 96 | 45 | 2 | 2 | |
| Year | Award/Association | Category | Work | Episode | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Primetime Emmy Award | Best Direction | Studio One | "Twelve Angry Men" | Won |
| 1956 | Ford Star Jubilee | "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" | Won | ||
| Best Television Adaptation | Won | ||||
| 1961 | Directors Guild of America Award | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television | Playhouse 90 | "The Cruel Day" | Nominated |
| 1962 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Drama | The Defenders | Various | Won |
| 1963 | Directors Guild of America Award | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television | A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy | — | Nominated |
