Blake Edwards | |
|---|---|
 Edwards in 1966 | |
| Born | William Blake Crump (1922-07-26)July 26, 1922 Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | December 15, 2010(2010-12-15) (aged 88) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1942–2008 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4, includingJennifer |
| Relatives | J. Gordon Edwards (step-grandfather) |
Blake Edwards (bornWilliam Blake Crump; July 26, 1922 – December 15, 2010) was an American filmmaker, producer, and screenwriter. Often thought of as primarily a director of comedies, he also directed several drama, musical, and detective films. Late in his career, he took up writing, producing and directing for theater. He received anHonorary Academy Award in recognition of his writing, directing and producing an extraordinary body of work for the screen.[1]
Born inTulsa, Oklahoma, Edwards began his career in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon began writing screenplays and radio scripts before turning to producing and directing in television and films. His best-known films includeBreakfast at Tiffany's (1961),Days of Wine and Roses (1962),A Shot in the Dark (1964),The Great Race (1965),10 (1979),Victor/Victoria (1982),Blind Date (1987), and the hugely successfulPink Panther film series with British actorPeter Sellers.
Born William Blake Crump July 26, 1922,[2] inTulsa, Oklahoma, he was the son of Donald and Lillian (née Grommett) Crump (1897–1992).[3] In an interview withAndre Previn, Blake Edwards claimed to be a descendant ofWilliam Blake.[4] His father reportedly left the family before he was born. His mother married again, to Jack McEdward,[5] who became his stepfather. McEdward was the son ofJ. Gordon Edwards, a director ofsilent movies, and in 1925, he moved the family to Los Angeles and became a film production manager.[6] In an interview withThe Village Voice in 1971, Blake Edwards said that he had "always felt alienated, estranged from my own father, Jack McEdward".[7] After graduating fromBeverly Hills High School in the class of Winter 1941, Blake began taking jobs as an actor during World War II.
Edwards describes this period:
I worked with the best directors –Ford,Wyler,Preminger – and learned a lot from them. But I wasn't a very cooperative actor. I was a spunky, smart-assed kid. Maybe even I was indicating that I wanted to give, not take, direction.[7]
Edwards served in theUnited States Coast Guard during World War II, where he suffered a severe back injury, which left him in pain for years afterwards.[6]
Edwards's debut as a director came in 1952 on the television programFour Star Playhouse.[8]
In the 1954–1955 television season, Edwards joined withRichard Quine to createMickey Rooney's first television series,The Mickey Rooney Show: Hey, Mulligan. Edwards's hard-boiled private detective scripts forRichard Diamond, Private Detective became NBC's answer toSam Spade andPhilip Marlowe, reflecting Edwards's unique humor. Edwards also created, wrote, and directed the 1958–61 TV detective seriesPeter Gunn, which starredCraig Stevens, with music byHenry Mancini. The following year, Edwards producedMr. Lucky, an adventure series onCBS starringJohn Vivyan andRoss Martin. Mancini's association with Edwards continued in his film work, significantly contributing to their success.
Edwards's most popular films were comedies, the melodramaDays of Wine and Roses being a notable exception. His most dynamic and successful collaboration was with Peter Sellers in six of the movies in thePink Panther series.[9] Edwards later directed the comedy film10 withDudley Moore andBo Derek.[9]
Operation Petticoat was Edwards's first big-budget movie as a director. The film, which starredCary Grant andTony Curtis and was produced by Grant's own production company, Granart Company, became the "greatest box-office success of the decade for Universal [Studios]" and made Edwards a recognized director.[6]
Breakfast at Tiffany's, based on the novella byTruman Capote, is credited with establishing him as a "cult figure" with many critics.Andrew Sarris called it the "directorial surprise of 1961", and it became a "romantic touchstone" for college students in the early 1960s.[6]
Days of Wine And Roses, a dark psychological film about the effects of alcoholism on a previously happy marriage, starredJack Lemmon andLee Remick. It has been described as "perhaps the most unsparing tract against drink that Hollywood has yet produced, more pessimistic thanBilly Wilder'sThe Lost Weekend". The film gave another major boost to Edwards's reputation as an important director.[6]
According to critic George Morris,Darling Lili "synthesizes every major Edwards theme: the disappearance of gallantry and honor, the tension between appearances and reality and the emotional, spiritual, moral, and psychological disorder" in such a world. Edwards used complex cinematography techniques, including long-shot zooms, tracking, and focus distortion, to great effect.[6] However, the film failed badly with most critics and at the box office. Despite a cost of $17 million to make, it was seen by few cinema-goers, and the few who did watch were unimpressed. It broughtParamount Pictures to "the verge of financial collapse", and became an example of "self-indulgent extravagance" in filmmaking "that was ruining Hollywood".[6]
Darling Lili starJulie Andrews had married Edwards in 1969.[10]
Edwards also directed most of the comedy film seriesThe Pink Panther, the majority of installments starringPeter Sellers as the ineptInspector Clouseau. The relationship between the director and the lead actor was considered a fruitful yet complicated one with many disagreements during production. At various times in their film relationship, "he more than once swore off Sellers" as too hard to direct. However, in his later years, he admitted that working with Sellers was often irresistible:
"We clicked on comedy and we were lucky we found each other because we both had so much respect for it. We also had an ability to come up with funny things and great situations that had to be explored. But in that exploration there would often times be disagreement. But I couldn't resist those moments when we jelled. And if you ask me who contributed most to those things, it couldn't have happened unless both of us were involved, even though it wasn't always happy."[11]
Five of those films involved Edwards and Sellers in original material; those films beingThe Pink Panther (1963),A Shot in the Dark (1964),The Return of the Pink Panther (1975),The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976), andRevenge of the Pink Panther (1978). (1968'sInspector Clouseau, the third film in the series, was made without the involvement of Edwards or Sellers.) The films were all highly profitable:The Return of the Pink Panther, for example, cost just $2.5 million to make but grossed $100 million, whileThe Pink Panther Strikes Again did even better.[6]
After Sellers's death in 1980, Edwards directed three furtherPink Panther films.Trail of the Pink Panther (1982) consisted of unused material of Sellers fromThe Pink Panther Strikes Again as well as previously seen material from the earlier films.Curse of the Pink Panther (1983) andSon of the Pink Panther (1993) were further attempts by Edwards to continue the series without Sellers but both films were critical and financial disappointments. Edwards eventually retired from film making two years after the release ofSon of the Pink Panther.
In addition to thePink Panther films, Edwards directed Sellers in the comedy filmThe Party.
Having grown up in Hollywood, the stepson of a studio production manager and stepgrandson of a silent-film director, Edwards had watched the films of the great silent-era comedians, includingCharlie Chaplin,Buster Keaton,Harold Lloyd, andLaurel and Hardy. He and Sellers appreciated and understood the comedy styles in silent films and tried to recreate them in their work together. After their immense success with the first twoPink Panther films,The Pink Panther (1963) andA Shot in the Dark (1964), which adapted many silent-film aspects, including slapstick, they attempted to go even further inThe Party (1968). The film has always had a cult following, and some critics and fans have considered it a "masterpiece in this vein" of silent comedy, though it did include minimal dialogue.[12][13]
Edwards married his first wife, actress Patricia Walker, in 1953; they divorced in 1967. Edwards and Walker had two children, actressJennifer Edwards and actor-writer-director Geoffrey Edwards.[14] Walker appeared in the comedyAll Ashore (1953), for which Edwards was one of the screenwriters. Edwards also named one of his film production companies, Patricia Productions, Incorporated, after her.[15]
Edwards's second marriage, from 1969 until his death in 2010, was toJulie Andrews. They were married for 41 years. He was the stepfather toEmma, from Andrews's previous marriage. In the 1970s, Edwards and Andrews adopted two Vietnamese daughters; Amy Leigh (later known as Amelia) in 1974 and Joanna Lynne in 1975.[16]
Edwards described his struggle for 15 years with the illnessmyalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) in the documentaryI Remember Me (2000).[17]
On December 15, 2010, Edwards died of complications ofpneumonia at theSaint John's Health Center inSanta Monica, California. He was 88.[3]
Edwards was greatly admired, and criticized, as a filmmaker. His critics are alluded to by American film author George Morris:
It has been difficult for many critics to accept Blake Edwards as anything more than a popular entertainer. Edwards' detractors acknowledge his formal skill, but deplore the absence of profundity in his movies. Edwards' moviesare slick and glossy, but their shiny surfaces reflect all too accurately the disposable values of contemporary life.[6]
Others, however, recognized him more for his significant achievements at different periods of his career. British film critic Peter Lloyd, for example, described Edwards, in 1971, as "the finest director working in the American commercial cinema at the present time". Edwards's biographers,William Luhr and Peter Lehman,[18] in an interview in 1974, called him "the finest American director working at this time".[19] They refer especially to thePink Panther'sClouseau, developed with the comedic skills ofPeter Sellers as a character "perfectly consistent" with his "absurdist view of the world, because he has no faith in anything and constantly adapts". Critic Stuart Byron calls his first twoPink Panther films "two of the best comedies an American has ever made". Polls taken at the time showed that his name, as a director, was a rare "marketable commodity" in Hollywood.[6]
Edwards himself described one of the secrets to success in the film industry:
For someone who wants to practice his art in this business, all you can hope to do, asS.O.B. says, is stick to your guns, make the compromises you must, and hope that somewhere along the way you acquire a few good friends who understand. And keep half a conscience.[6]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Creator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Hollywood Star Theatre | No | Yes | No |
| 1949–1953 | Richard Diamond, Private Detective | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1949–1962 | Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar | No | Yes | No |
| 1950–1952 | The Lineup | No | Yes | No |
| 1951 | Broadway is My Beat | No | Yes | No |
| Suspense | No | Yes | No |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Creator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Invitation Playhouse: Mind Over Murder | No | Yes | No | No | Episode "The Long Night" |
| 1952–1954 | Four Star Playhouse | Yes | Yes | No | No | Directed 5 episodes, wrote 9 episodes |
| 1954 | The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse | Yes | No | No | No | Episode "Death, The Hard Way" |
| City Detective | Yes | No | No | No | Episode "Midnight Supper" | |
| The Lineup | No | Yes | No | No | Episode "Cop Killer" | |
| 1955 | The Mickey Rooney Show | Yes | No | No | No | 33 episodes |
| The Star and the Story | Yes | No | No | No | Episode "Safe Journey" | |
| The Jane Wyman Show | Yes | Yes | No | No | Directed episode "Big Joe's Comin' Home"; Wrote episode "The Smuggler" | |
| 1956 | Ford Television Theatre | No | Yes | No | No | Episode "The Payoff" |
| 1957 | Studio 57 | Yes | Yes | No | No | Directed episode "Big Joe's Comin' Home"; Wrote episode "The Smuggler" |
| Meet McGraw | No | Yes | No | No | Episode "Tycoon" | |
| 1957–1960 | Richard Diamond, Private Detective | No | Yes | No | Yes | 4 episodes |
| 1958–1961 | Peter Gunn | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Directed 10 episodes; Wrote 11 episodes |
| 1959–1960 | Mr. Lucky | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Wrote and directed episode "The Magnificent Bribe" |
| 1960–1961 | Dante | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 1962 | The Dick Powell Show | Yes | Story | No | No | Episode "The Boston Terrier" |
| 1992 | Julie | Yes | No | Executive | No | 7 episodes |
TV movies
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Executive Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1962 | Johnny Dollar | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1969 | The Monk | No | Story | No |
| 1984 | The Ferret | No | Yes | Yes |
| 1988 | Justin Case | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1989 | Peter Gunn | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Executive Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995–1999 | Victor/Victoria | Yes | Yes | Yes | Broadway production and Broadway tour |
| 1999 | Big Rosemary | Yes | Yes | Yes | Off-Broadway production, 2004 theatrical workshop, 2008 Broadway preview |
| 2003 | Scapegoat | Yes | Yes | Yes | Theatrical workshop |
| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Academy Awards | Best Adapted Screenplay | Victor/Victoria | Nominated |
| 2003 | Academy Honorary Award | Won | ||
| 1962 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Director | The Days of Wine and Roses | Nominated |
| 1959 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series | Peter Gunn | Nominated |
| Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | Nominated | |||
In 2004, Edwards received anHonorary Academy Award for cumulative achievements over the course of his film career.[21] AsEntertainment Weekly reported, "Honorary Oscar winner Blake Edwards made an entrance worthy of Peter Sellers in one of Edwards'Pink Panther films: A stuntman who looked just like Edwards rode a speeding wheelchair past a podium and crashed through a wall. When the octogenarian director entered and dusted himself off as if he had crashed, he told presenterJim Carrey, 'Don't touch my Oscar.'"[22] Also in 2004, Edwards receivedThe Life Career Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, during that year'sSaturn Award ceremony.
In 1983, Edwards was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay forVictor/Victoria as well as winning Best Foreign Film and Best Foreign Screenplay in France and Italy, respectively forVictor/Victoria. In 1988, Edwards received the Creative Achievement Award from the American Comedy Awards. In 1991, Edwards received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1993, Edwards received the Preston Sturges Award jointly from the Directors Guild and the Writers Guild. In 2000, Edwards received the Contribution to Cinematic Imagery Award from the Art Directors Guild. In 2002, Edwards received the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement from the Writers Guild as well as the Special Edgar from The Mystery Writers of America for career achievement.
Between 1962 and 1968, Edwards was nominated six times for a Golden Laurel Award as Best Director by Motion Picture Exhibitors. In 1963, Edwards was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Director forDays of Wine and Roses. In 1962, Edwards was nominated for Outstanding Achievement by the Directors Guild forBreakfast at Tiffany's. In 1960, Edwards was nominated for an Edgar for Best Teleplay by the Mystery Writers of America forPeter Gunn. In 1959, Edwards was nominated for two Primetime Emmys as Best Director and Best Teleplay forPeter Gunn Between 1958 and 1983, Edwards was nominated eight times for Best Screenplay by the Writers Guild and won twice, forThe Pink Panther Strikes Again andVictor/Victoria.
| Year | Title | Academy Award | BAFTAs | Golden Globes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominations | Wins | Nominations | Wins | Nominations | Wins | ||
| 1958 | The Perfect Furlough | 2 | 1 | ||||
| This Happy Feeling | 1 | 1 | |||||
| 1959 | Operation Petticoat | 1 | 2 | ||||
| 1960 | High Time | 1 | |||||
| 1961 | Breakfast at Tiffany's | 5 | 2 | 2 | |||
| 1962 | Experiment in Terror | 1 | |||||
| Days of Wine and Roses | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 1963 | The Pink Panther | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 1964 | A Shot in the Dark | 1 | |||||
| 1965 | The Great Race | 5 | 1 | 4 | |||
| 1970 | Darling Lili | 3 | 3 | 1 | |||
| 1974 | The Tamarind Seed | 1 | |||||
| 1975 | The Return of the Pink Panther | 3 | |||||
| 1976 | The Pink Panther Strikes Again | 1 | 2 | ||||
| 1979 | 10 | 2 | 5 | ||||
| 1981 | S.O.B. | 1 | |||||
| 1982 | Victor/Victoria | 7 | 1 | 5 | 1 | ||
| 1984 | Micki + Maude | 2 | 1 | ||||
| 1986 | That's Life! | 3 | |||||
| 1988 | Sunset | 1 | |||||
| 1991 | Switch | 1 | |||||
| Total | 32 | 5 | 6 | 42 | 5 | ||
[...] Edwards's wife, Julie Andrews, said his birthday was the 22nd [...]
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Academy Honorary Award 2004 | Succeeded by |
