George Stevens | |
|---|---|
 Stevens in 1952 | |
| Born | George Cooper Stevens (1904-12-18)December 18, 1904 Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Died | March 8, 1975(1975-03-08) (aged 70) Lancaster, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1915–1970 |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | George Stevens, Jr. |
| Awards | Full list |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1943–1946 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit |  Army Signal Corps |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
| Awards |  Legion of Merit American Campaign Medal European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal |
George Cooper Stevens (December 18, 1904 – March 8, 1975) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and cinematographer. He won theAcademy Award for Best Director forA Place in the Sun (1951) andGiant (1956).
Born in Oakland, California, George Stevens worked in his parents' West Coast touring stock theater company as a child actor and stage manager. When cinema was replacing live theater, Stevens's parents relocated toLos Angeles. At the age of 17, Stevens was hired as an assistant cameraman, working on severalWestern films produced byHal Roach. Within three years, Stevens became a cameraman on theOur Gang series. Impressed with Stevens's visual knowledge, Roach then appointed him to direct installments ofThe Boy Friends series.
Stevens next moved toUniversal Pictures and then toRKO Pictures. There, he directed several genre films, includingAlice Adams starringKatharine Hepburn;Swing Time starringFred Astaire andGinger Rogers; andGunga Din starringCary Grant. Stevens was loaned to MGM to directWoman of the Year (1942) based on Hepburn's suggestion, whereby she was paired withSpencer Tracy for the first time. He also directedThe Talk of the Town (1942) andThe More the Merrier (1943).
In 1941, the United States enteredWorld War II, in which Stevens joined theU.S. Army Signal Corps and headed a film unit. Using his personal16 mm film camera, Stevens shot color footage of theLiberation of Paris and the entry of American soldiers into theDachau concentration camp. Stevens returned to Hollywood and directed more serious films, starting withI Remember Mama (1948).
Between 1951 to 1956, Stevens directed hisAmerican Trilogy, which includesA Place in the Sun (1951),Shane (1953), andGiant (1956). He next directed widescreen biographical films,The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) andThe Greatest Story Ever Told (1965). His final film wasThe Only Game in Town (1970) starringElizabeth Taylor andWarren Beatty. Stevens died on March 8, 1975, at the age of 70.
Famed film critic Pauline Kael says of Stevens, that he made films with "good moments" and later became highly regarded for creating expansive films with "obese nuances."[1]
Stevens was born on December 18, 1904, inOakland, California, the son ofLanders Stevens and Georgie Cooper, both stage actors.[2] A brother of theatre criticAshton Stevens, Landers Stevens began his acting career at age 20, and established his own theatrical stock company when he was 24. Landers met Cooper where she was performing at the Tivoli Theatre in San Francisco, and the two were married in 1902.[3] He also had two brothers,Jack, a cinematographer, and writer Aston Stevens. He learned about the stage by watching his parents, and himself, acting in plays inSan Francisco.[4]: 9:00 George remembered, "As a kid I helped my father, setting up the entrances and marking the script and holding the lines. Because he was usually acting in the play and because he also was directing, I helped, holding the script."[5]
At the age of 5, George made his stage debut in the playSappho, appearing alongsideNance O'Neill, at theAlcazar Theatre.[6] At the age of 10, his mother gave him aBrownie camera, and he began photographing the city and portraits of his mother.[4]: 9:00 Landers's theatre troupe toured throughout the West Coast,Utah,Vancouver, andCanada. By 1920, the theatre stock company had waned in popularity, and Stevens's parents set up atent show in downtown San Francisco.[6]
Stevens's parents relocated toSonoma County, California, where Jack and George were enrolled in the Flowery School and thenSonora Union High School. The 1920–1921 theatre season was financially unsuccessful, so much that Landers closed his theatre company.[7] Decades later, George reflected: "A movie palace was built right across the street from the theatre where my father worked. First one was built on this corner, then one was built on that corner, and the people were going to them in great numbers. I remember my father peeking out through the brass ring before the curtain went up on his stage show, and there weren't many people out front."[5]
In 1921, the family relocated once more toGlendale so Landers could pursue work in Hollywood. By the age of 16, George was forced to drop out of high school to drive his father to acting auditions. To compensate for his lack of a formal education, George regularly visited theGlendale Public Library.[8]
"There were no unions, so it was possible to become an assistant cameraman if you happened to find out just when they were starting a picture. There was no organization; if a cameraman didn't have an assistant, he didn't know where to find one. [...] One day, I climbed the fence, knowing they needed an assistant cameraman. I told them I was an assistant cameraman. A couple of days later, I was one, but the first day or two it was pretty disastrous."
Stevens worked as an assistant cameraman onHeroes of the Street (1922), a silent drama directed byWilliam Beaudine. He then moved toInce Studio where he worked onThe Destroying Angel (1923) and several Westerns, includingThe Virginian (1923) released byPreferred Pictures.[10] His first onscreen credit as an assistant cameraman was the 1923 short filmRoughest Africa, starringStan Laurel.[11]
At the age of 17, Stevens was employed atHal Roach Studios as an assistant cameraman toFred Jackman. His first project wasThe Battling Orioles (1923) and was followed byThe White Sheep (1924). Within a year, Stevens worked onBlack Cyclone (1924), an installment of a silent Westernfilm serial featuringRex the Wonder Horse.[4]: 10:00 The next installment wasThe Devil Horse (1925).[12] Directed by Fred Jackman, Stevens was one of the two cameramen, collaborating with Floyd Jackman (Fred's brother). Whiletrick photography had been used previously, Stevens experimented with using filters on thepanchromatic film, by which he filtered "the sky black for night sequences, instead of just tinting it blue, and using long telephoto lenses to bring the background up, things that a kid would do."[13]
The Jackman brothers left Hal Roach Studios, but Stevens stayed to photograph a series of short comedies starringLaurel and Hardy.Oliver Hardy had been under contract with the studio, but Roach hired Stan Laurel fromUniversal Pictures to write gag stories. Stevens's first project with the duo wasSlipping Wives (1927), whereby he worked asdirector of photography and a gag writer on 35 of their short films, includingBacon Grabbers (1929) andNight Owls (1930). According to Stevens, he learned from this experience that comedy could be "graceful and human".[4]: 12:00 [14]
Filming for one short proved difficult when Laurel's blue eyes failed to register onorthochromatic film, but Stevens made a successful test of him using panchromatic film.[4]: 11:00–12:00 By 1930, Stevens began directingfilm serial installments ofThe Boy Friends. At one point, Stevens grew tired of directing two-reel gag comedies and refused to direct another film that Roach had asked him. He toldLeonard Maltin, in 1970: "[Roach] told me a story he wanted me to do. I couldn't see it at all, and I'd just started on something else. So I thought it over, and I said, 'Hal, I can't do it. I don't understand it.'"[15] A half-hour later, Stevens was informed by a studio manager that he was fired, with the termination effective on New Year's Eve 1931.[16]
Six months later, Stevens was hired by Universal Pictures and collaborated with Warren Doane, a former Roach general manager, andJames W. Horne, Stevens's cousin, on several two-reel comedies, such asYoo Hoo (1932) andShould Crooners Marry? (1933).[17] These comedies featured several actors, includingJames Gleason,Richard "Skeets" Gallagher,Louise Fazenda, andVince Barnett.[18] Impressed with Stevens's efficiency, Universal hired Stevens to direct his first feature film,The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble (1933), the final installment ofThe Cohens and Kellys comedy serials, which had starredGeorge Sidney andCharles Murray. Principal photography began in December 1932 and wrapped in March 1933.[19]
When asked about his directorial process, in an interview with theLos Angeles Daily News, Stevens stated: "In reading over a screenplay I constantly look for the little things of a story; small situations, common incidents, or places where the shrug of a shoulder properly done will give an audience a chance to laugh. For, despite the prolonged depression, everyone is still anxious to laugh."[18] Later that same year, Stevens signed a contract withRKO Pictures with an eight-month guarantee to direct six shorts and one feature film. In September 1933, RKO loaned Stevens toMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) to direct a segment featuring Laurel and Hardy inHollywood Party (1934).[20]
In 1934, Stevens returned to RKO to directBachelor Bait, which he filmed from April 30 to May 18. The film starredStuart Erwin, portraying a kind-hearted man who loses his job at a marriage license office. He then opens Romance Inc., his own matrimonial agency, where he falls in love with a wealthy client, played by Grace Sutton.[20] A review inThe Hollywood Reporter called the film "[a] nice, pleasant little comedy that takes time out every once in a while to bowl you over completely with several hilarious wisecracks, thrown in amongst the mild humor which is its general tone."[21] His next film wasKentucky Kernels (1934) starred the comedy duo ofBert Wheeler andRobert Woolsey (collectively known asWheeler and Woolsey), playing out-of-work men living on a decrepit houseboat and hope to earn money by catching fish. Along the way, they adopt a young boy (Spanky McFarland) who inherits a fortune, while they head for Kentucky, where two families are locked in a bitter feud.[22]
Stevens's next film wasLaddie (1935), an adaptation of the 1913 novelLaddie: A True Blue Story byGene Stratton-Porter. The novel had been previously adapted into a1926 film. Produced at RKO,George Nicholls Jr. had been set to direct, but it was reassigned to Stevens. Set in the late 19th-century ruralIndiana,John Beal stars in the title role as a farmer who falls in love with his English neighbor, Pamela Pryor (Gloria Stuart), but their romance is opposed by Pryor's father (Donald Crisp).[23] The film premiered at theHilbert Circle Theatre, and was well-received by critics and audiences.[24]
Stevens then re-teamed with Wheeler and Woolsey onThe Nitwits (1935). The duo, along withBetty Grable, portray three record company employees who are unwittingly involved in a murder plot as a mysterious serial killer lurks in New York.[24]
Meanwhile,Pandro S. Berman proceeded on a film vehicle forKatharine Hepburn and selected the 1921 novelAlice Adams byBooth Tarkington. Hepburn admired the novel, and both she and Berman settled down to two potential candidates to direct the film:William Wyler and George Stevens.[25] Hepburn and Berman tossed coins, and Wyler won the first contest. Hepburn went with Stevens, and the coin was tossed in his favor.[26] Stevens drove over to Hepburn's residence, and in a meeting with Hepburn and Berman, they discussed a range of topics but did not discuss Tarkington's novel. Stevens had not yet read the novel, and Hepburn cautioned about having hired him. According to Stevens's biographer Marilyn Ann Moss, Hepburn told Berman that Stevens had been the dumbest man she had met.[27] The next morning, Berman phoned Stevens, stating, "Kate says you had a very pleasant evening, but you didn't say a word about the picture. That puts me in a very difficult situation."[28]
Stevens then read the novel, and within a day, he agreed to directAlice Adams (1935). He was displeased having read two-thirds ofJane Murfin's script adaptation, and promptly hiredMortimer Offner andDorothy Yost to rewrite it, retaining much of the novel's dialogue.[29] Principal photography began on May 22, 1935 and wrapped on June 29.[27] However, the novel's original ending concluded with Alice deciding to attend a secretarial school. Murfin's script instead had Alice expressing her love with Arthur. Hepburn and Stevens had opposed the ending, though RKO insisted on the happier ending even before Stevens was hired.[30] During post-production, Stevens and Berman exchanged memos defending their stance. Berman brought inGeorge Cukor to decide, and he felt the novel's ending would be box office poison.[31]
Alice Adams opened at theRadio City Music Hall on August 15, 1935.Andre Sennwald ofThe New York Times applauded Hepburn's performance and Stevens's direction, writing, "An oddly exciting blend of tenderness, comedy and realistic despair, [the film] touches life intimately at many points during its account of a lonely girl in a typical American small town."[32] At the8th Academy Awards, the film was nominated forBest Picture, and Hepburn was nominated forBest Actress.
After a successful preview ofAlice Adams atSunset Boulevard, Stevens realized he had to leave as he was scheduled to begin filmingAnnie Oakley (1935).[33] RKO had purchased a script byJoseph Fields andEwart Adamson, which fictionalized the life ofAnnie Oakley.Barbara Stanwyck was cast in the title role after she had leftWarner Bros.. The film tells of the namesake sharpshooter who becomes a local celebrity atBuffalo Bill's Wild West Show. When Buffalo Bill's manager, Jeff Hogarth (Melvyn Douglas), showcases fellow sharpshooter Toby Walker (Preston Foster), a rivalry develops between Oakley and Walker, which turns romantic.Annie Oakley opened in November 1935 and was well-received by film critics and audiences.[34]
The inspiration forSwing Time (1936) originated from Erwin Gelsey's original screen story titled "Portrait of John Garnett." In November 1935, Gelsey was hired to adapt his story into a script whileJerome Kern was to compose the music.[35] Pandro S. Berman handed Stevens the script then titledNever Gonna Dance and intended as another musical vehicle forFred Astaire andGinger Rogers. Broadway playwrightHoward Lindsay was hired to complete the script, which was then rewritten byAlan Scott.[36] It was Kern who proposed retitling the film toSwing Time.[37]
Astaire plays Lucky Garrett, a dancer and gambler, who arrives in New York with his friend "Pop" Cardetti (Victor Moore) to make $25,000 to prove to his prospective father-in-law, Judge Watson, that he is eligible to marry his daughter, Margaret (Betty Furness). However, Lucky falls in love with his dancing instructor, Penny Carroll (Ginger Rogers), and is torn in a love triangle.[38] During filming, Stevens bonded well with Rogers, so much so that she wrote in her memoir: "He had an incredible sensitivity toan actress playing a scene. He looked for nuances and was always delighted when I admired something new. I was unafraid to express these acting variations with Stevens at the helm, and the results were evident."[39]
Swing Time premiered in New York on August 28, 1936, to positive reviews from critics.[40]Abel Green ofVariety wrote the film was "smart, modern, and impressive in every respect from its boy-loses-girl background to its tunefulness, dancipation, production quality and general high standards."[41] The film also debuted the song "The Way You Look Tonight", which won the 1936Academy Award for Best Original Song.[39]
Stevens's next project wasQuality Street (1937) with Katharine Hepburn. Adapted from the1901 play byJ. M. Barrie, it was the second film adaptation after a1927 silent film directed bySidney Franklin and starringMarion Davies. The film tells of Phoebe Throssel, a nervous young woman living on Quality Street, who expects her lover, Dr. Valentine Brown, to propose marriage, but instead, he is sent away to war. Ten years later, Throssel impersonates her own niece, Livvie, with the chance to regain his affection. Principal photography began on September 25, 1936, and wrapped two months later.[42] By the next year, Stevens was assigned to directVivacious Lady, and principal filming began on April 15, 1937, with Ginger Rogers andJames Stewart, who had been loaned out from MGM. At the time, the supporting cast includedFay Bainter, Donald Crisp, andVirginia Weidler.[43] However, four days into filming, Stewart became ill and returned to MGM to filmOf Human Hearts (1938). RKO suspended the project until Stewart became available again by December 1937.[44]
In the interim, Stevens directedA Damsel in Distress (1937) with Fred Astaire in his first film without Ginger Rogers. Instead, RKO had signedCarole Lombard in the opposite female role. However, Lombard dropped out, feeling she would be unfavorably compared to Rogers.Alice Faye was considered, but Pandro S. Berman selectedJoan Fontaine, who had been under contract to RKO. It was later discovered that Fontaine could not dance, but Stevens persuaded Astaire not to recast her withRuby Keeler.[45] Adapted from the1919 novel byP. G. Wodehouse, Astaire portrays Jerry, an American composer who travels to London and meets the aristocratic Lady Alyce (Fontaine), who herself in love with another American man whom her family forbids her to see. When Alyce escapes the castle with her butler (Reginald Gardiner), she meets with Jerry and falls in love with him instead. Released in November 1937,A Damsel in Distress flopped at the box office.[46]
A month later, in December 1937, production onVivacious Lady resumed with James Stewart and Ginger Rogers returning to their original roles. However, Fay Bainter and Donald Crisp were unavailable to return as they were filmingJezebel (1938) at Warner Bros. Virginia Weidler's role had been rewritten out of the script.[47] They were replaced byBeulah Bondi andCharles Coburn. Stewart plays Peter Morgan, a small-town botany professor, who arrives in New York City and marries Francey Brent, a nightclub singer. He brings her home but is unable to break the news to his college dean father.[48] Filming wrapped on March 5, 1938.[49] Released in May 1938, Edwin Schallert of theLos Angeles Times positively noted the performances of the cast, and wrote the film "is fresh, bright and new and promises to please all who are attached to it."[50]
Meanwhile, RKO had been years in development with a film adaptation ofRudyard Kipling's 1890 poem "Gunga Din". In 1936,Edward Small had acquired the film rights for his independent studio, Reliance Pictures. He then hiredWilliam Faulkner to adapt the poem into a suitable screenplay.[51] RKO subsequently acquired the rights, and the project was assigned toHoward Hawks with a screenplay written byBen Hecht andCharles MacArthur.[52] Production issues, including the script and the casting, prevented further development, and Hawks later directedBringing Up Baby (1938). By this point, Pandro S. Berman became RKO's production head and hiredAnthony Veiller to pare down the script.[53]
During February and March 1938, Berman and Hawks discussed the project, but Berman eventually selected Stevens to direct. Berman explained, "I was afraid he would go over budget so much that I would be in trouble. So I didn't go with Howard. I went with George Stevens who, up to that time, had made pictures reasonably with us."[54] With Stevens at the helm,Cary Grant was cast as Ballantine whileJack Oakie was considered for the part as Cutter. However, Grant convinced Stevens to instead cast him as Cutter, to which Stevens agreed.Victor McLaglen was loaned out to portray MacChesney whileDouglas Fairbanks Jr. assumed the role as Ballantine. For the title role as Gunga Din,Sabu had been considered but was unavailable as he was cast inThe Thief of Bagdad (1940). Stevens's friendGarson Kanin instead recommendedSam Jaffe.[55]
Location shooting began in July 1938 and continued for the next three-and-a-half months,[55] in which production was finished after 114 days. It had a projected production budget of nearly $2 million, becoming the most expensive film RKO had made.[56]Gunga Din opened in February 1939 and became the highest-grossing film for RKO Pictures, earning $3.8 million.[57][4]: 23:00, 27:00
A month afterGunga Din had premiered, Stevens signed a new contract with RKO Pictures. With the onset ofWorld War II on theEuropean theatre, Stevens found two novels—Kathrine Taylor'sAddress Unknown andPhyllis Bottome'sThe Mortal Storm—for his next film. However, RKO presidentGeorge Schaeffer declined to acquire the screen rights to either novel. In a telegram, Berman explained to Stevens that Schaeffer was "definitely afraid [to] commit ... to any picture that is propaganda anything..."[58] Stevens was furious and issued a letter, stating he had worked tirelessly for RKO, taking only four weeks of vacation time in the past four years.[58] To placate Stevens, Berman offered him to instead adaptA. J. Cronin's then-upcoming novella,Vigil in the Night. Originally a serialization published inGood Housekeeping,Vigil in the Night tells of two sisters, Anne Lee and Lucy (Carole Lombard andAnne Shirley, respectively), who are both nurses in an English hospital. When Lucy's negligence causes a young patient to die, Anne takes the blame to protect her sister and loses her job.[59] The film was a commercial disappointment, losing $327,000 at the box office.[60]
AfterVigil Night was released, Stevens departed from RKO and entered contractual discussions withColumbia Pictures. Stevens held precautions about studio presidentHarry Cohn's reputation for meddling, to which Cohn stipulated he would never interfere with Stevens during production. On May 14, 1940, Stevens signed a three-picture deal with Columbia.[61] Within a week, Stevens purchased the film rights to an adaptation ofLouis Bromfield's novelNew Orleans withJean Arthur attached to star. Other speculative projects includedRalston's Ring, a biography of businessmanWilliam Chapman Ralston andHail and Farewell, a magazine story by Williston Rich.[62] By June 1940, under his studio contract, Stevens was attached to directThis Thing Called Love (1940) though he departed the project.[63]
That same month, in June 1940, Stevens acquired the screen rights toMartha Cheavens's story "The Story of a Happy Marriage", which had been published inMcCall's magazine. Stevens hiredMorrie Ryskind to pen the screenplay while Cheavens was hired as a consultant.[64] RetitledPenny Serenade (1941), the story centers on the courtship and eventual marriage of Roger Adams, a newspaperman, and Julie Gardiner, a music shop sales clerk.Penny Serenade opened in April 1941 to largely positive reviews, with particular praise towards Cary Grant's performance.[65]
While at Columbia, Stevens had been approached by Katharine Hepburn about directingWoman of the Year (1942).Ring Lardner Jr. andGarson Kanin had written a script in which Tess Harding, a strong-willed political affairs reporter, is pitted against Sam Craig, a sports columnist. Stevens read the unfinished script and agreed to direct, though he insisted the film be produced at Columbia. However, Hepburn had prearranged to have MGM produce the film, as she had intended onSpencer Tracy as her co-star.[66] As a result, Stevens was loaned out to MGM. During test screenings, preview audiences distained at the original ending, which had Tess accepting her newfound role as a housewife. Stevens,Joseph L. Mankiewicz, andLouis B. Mayer agreed that a new ending was needed, with Tess attempting to make breakfast but failing miserably. Hepburn deplored the new scene, but test audiences responded favorably.[67]
Released in February 1942,Woman of the Year was praised by film critics for the chemistry between the stars. A contemporary article inTime magazine hailed Stevens as "one of the youngest good directors in the business" by which he has "exhibited a versatile talent, a wide range."[68] At the1943 Academy Awards, Hepburn was nominated forBest Actress, whileMichael Kanin and Lardner Jr. won forBest Original Screenplay.[69]
Stevens served as president of theScreen Directors Guild (SDG) from 1941 to 1943.[70]
Stevens returned to Columbia to directThe Talk of the Town (1942).Jean Arthur stars as Nora Shelley, a New England schoolteacher who harbors Leopold Dilg (Cary Grant), an accused arsonist, from justice while sharing a country house with Michael Lightcap, a distinguished Harvard law professor (Ronald Colman) who has been nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court.[71] Principal photography began on January 19, 1942, and ended after four months on April 8.[72] Stevens filmed two endings, one where Nora marries Dilg and another where she marries Lightcap. He allowed test audiences to determine their preferred ending, and most preferred the former.[73]
The Talk of the Town opened at the Radio City Music Hall on August 27, 1942,[74] to critical success.Bosley Crowther ofThe New York Times felt the film is "[a] lot of fun and excitement result.Irwin Shaw andSidney Buchman wrote a smart and lively script for the film, and George Stevens has directed it with the slyness of a first-rate comedy man."[75]Harrison's Reports wrote "in addition to the drawing power of the stars, the story is a grand combination of comedy and human interest, the sort that should appeal to all types of audiences."[76] The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including for Best Picture.[77]
Afterwards, Jean Arthur was placed on suspension after she had rejected offered scripts. In New York, she and her husbandFrank Ross reconnected with Garson Kanin and hired him to write a film for her. At the time, Kanin was stationed atFort Monmouth, New Jersey, and befriended his bunkmateRobert W. Russell. Together, they concocted a script tentativelyTwo's a Crowd, which impressed Arthur and Ross, who paid Kanin $25,000 for the script. Kanin then presented the script to Harry Cohn, who decided it would be the next film for Arthur and George Stevens.[78]
RetitledThe More the Merrier (1943), the romantic comedy starred Jean Arthur,Joel McCrea, andCharles Coburn. Cary Grant was Stevens's first choice to appear opposite Jean Arthur, but he was unavailable, and McCrea was hired instead.[79] Stevens held a table reading with the actors, and during filming, he encouraged on-set improvisation and shot extensivecoverage for several scenes while filming. Cohn heard of this and complained, "That Stevens exposes more film and shoots more angles than any director I've ever had on the lot."[80] The film involves Connie Milligan, a government worker, who decides to rent half of her four-room apartment to an older gentleman, Benjamin Dingle, due to a housing shortage. Though Connie is engaged, Dingle decides she needs a boyfriend and leases his half to Joe Carter, an army sergeant.[81]
Released in 1943,The More the Merrier was positively received by film critics. The film received six nominations at theAcademy Awards, including for Best Picture andBest Director.[82] Stevens also won forBest Director at theNew York Film Critics Awards.[83] By then, Stevens was in North Africa, photographing World War II.[84]
"I quit the film business [...] I wanted to be in the war—I didn't want to make films at that time. I had an opportunity to go overseas right away if I'd go in the Army at a certain time."
Stevens had seen theNazi propaganda filmTriumph of the Will (1935) and was provoked to join theAllied forces inWorld War II.[70] On January 6, 1943, Stevens's draft board explained he would be "sent by theSpecial Service Division of the War Department on a mission outside the continental limits of the United States for an indefinite period."[86] On February 18, he was sworn in as aMajor under theU.S. Army Signal Corps division and departed from Los Angeles.[87]
However, he was hospitalized atFort Jay near Manhattan for pneumonia and took weeks to recover. On April 13, Stevens arrived inEgypt and stayed until June 15. That same month, he arrived inAlgiers to document theTunisian campaign, but later discovered theGerman Army had been soundly defeated and was one day from surrender.[88]
On June 30, 1943, Stevens was transferred toIran (then known as Persia). Within two weeks, he arrived at a military post inAndimeshk, a town near theIran–Iraq border, where refugeePoles, most of whom were women, had escaped to and were being extradited elsewhere. Stevens left Persia on August 20.[89]
Stevens then flew to New York and stayed there and in Washington, D.C. from September 15 through October 26. He landed inLondon, where he received orders from U.S. GeneralDwight D. Eisenhower to recruit forty-five people for the Special Coverage Unit (SPECOU). Stevens's unit included writers Irwin Shaw,William Saroyan, andIvan Moffat; cameramenWilliam C. Mellor, Jack Muth, Ken Marthey, and Dick Hoar; sound operator Bill Hamilton, and assistant directorHollingsworth Morse. The Special Coverage Unit was placed under the control of theSupreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF).[90] This unit recorded footage—including the only color film ofthe war in Europe (which remained archived for decades)—as well documented theNormandy landings (D-Day).[4]: 47:00
By the summer of 1944, Stevens's unit accompanied the4th Infantry Division as they headed towardParis. Eisenhower allowed the2nd Armored Division commanded by GeneralPhilippe Leclerc to advance into the city first, followed by the American infantry. Stevens obtained permission for his unit to ride with the French, as they documented theliberation of Paris.[4]: 51:00 [91] In a letter to his wife Yvonne, dated September 1, Stevens wrote:
The morning that we came into Paris was the wildest thing that I have ever seen. The civilians lined the streets and went mad as the Tanks and armored cars came in. They stood in the streets and cheered as the shooting went on all around them.[92]
In November 1944, the Allied Forces advanced into Germany more quickly than anticipated. On December 16, the Germans launched a counteroffensive assault against the Americans known as theBattle of the Bulge. Fatigued, the Americans retreated, of which Stevens observed "the stunned look on the faces" of soldiers in his journal on his fortieth birthday. In January 1945, Stevens was pulled away to London to help supervise the war documentaryThe True Glory (1945) directed by Garson Kanin andCarol Reed. The film won the 1945Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.[93]
On April 25, 1945, the U.S. and theSoviet troops met at theElbe, footage of which Stevens's unit recorded.[94] Stevens then ventured southwards toDachau, located outside ofMunich. The Allies liberated Dachau on April 29, and Stevens reached theconcentration camp two days later.[4]: 57:00 [95] For the remainder of 1945, Stevens remained in Germany to compile concentration camp footage and other audiovisual materials, along with screenwriterBudd Schulberg forThe Nazi Plan (1945) to be presented as evidence for theNuremberg trials.[96] In 2008, Stevens's footage was entered into the U.S.National Film Registry by theLibrary of Congress as an "essential visual record" of the war.[97]
Stevens returned to the United States aboard theRMSQueen Mary. Back in Los Angeles, Stevens retired from the U.S. Army in March 1946 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.[96]
After his military service, Stevens accepted an offer to direct a comedic segment between James Stewart andHenry Fonda featured inOn Our Merry Way (1948). The film was produced byBurgess Meredith andBenedict Bogeaus whileKing Vidor andLeslie Fenton were credited as the directors.John Huston had directed one segment and went uncredited. In Stevens's segment, Stewart and Fonda portray jazz musicians who are members of a traveling jazz band. Their caravan breaks down in the small town ofSycamore, California, where they tried tofix a talent contest so the mayor's son wins. Stevens insisted he be uncredited for his contribution.[98]
In 1944,Frank Capra approached Stevens to join his new independent production company,Liberty Films. Stevens held off on the decision, and while he was in France, he met with Harry Cohn and promised he would rejoin Columbia Pictures when he returned. However, Stevens reneged on his promise and joined Liberty Films.[99] In February 1946, Capra held a press conference announcing Liberty Films, and named Stevens,Samuel Briskin, andWilliam Wyler as his partners. Stevens held a 25 percent ownership of the company's shares.[100][101] At Liberty Films, Stevens developed a comedy titledOne Big Happy Family which was to starIngrid Bergman. However, he shelved the project as he lacked confidence in the story. Stevens told several friends, "After the war, I don't think I was ever too hilarious again."[102] Capra'sIt's A Wonderful Life (1946) lost money at the box office, and in January 1947, Capra decided to sell Liberty Films. By May 1947,Paramount Pictures acquired the company, and as part of the buyout, Capra, Stevens and Wyler became contract directors with Paramount.[103]
Beforehand, due to contractual obligations, Stevens had been loaned to RKO to directI Remember Mama (1948). RKO had purchased the film rights toKathryn Forbes's 1943 novelMama's Bank Account. It was then adapted into a1944 play written byJohn Van Druten.Harriet Parsons offered the title role toGreta Garbo, but she declined.Irene Dunne was also offered the role, to which she agreed. From a list of five directors, Dunne selected Stevens to direct.[104] Stevens had seen the play, which starredMady Christians, and connected with the material. In 1974, he stated, "It was set in San Francisco, and I was a kid there during that period. I thought it would be fun to reconstruct the period."[105]
Principal photography began on March 27, 1947, and lasted six months. During production, Stevens worked closely with screenwriterDeWitt Bodeen on revising the shooting script. Bodeen remembered, "It was a long, long production, almost double the budget on several shooting days because George wanted it right..."[106]I Remember Mama opened at the Radio City Music Hall on March 8, 1948, to positive reviews.[107] Herman Schoenfeld ofVariety praised the film as "a layer of warm and deeply moving nostalgia that plucks at that special heart-string" while Dunne was praised for "holding down the most demanding role in her career".[108]
Stevens had first readTheodore Dreiser's 1925 novelAn American Tragedy during its first year of publication. He reread the novel in 1945 and approached Paramount Pictures, which had produced a1931 filmed version, about a new adaptation.Barney Balaban, president of Paramount, declined, believing an adaptation would not be popular with audiences, and due to Dreiser's alleged Communist affiliation.[109] Paramount also found potential copyright infringement withPatrick Kearney's play adaptation of Dreiser's novel. Frustrated, Stevens filed a lawsuit accusing Paramount of violating his studio contract. In 1949, Paramount relented, and Stevens advanced the project into development, in which he hiredMichael Wilson to write the script. Wilson submitted a first draft by April 1949, andHarry Brown was hired for rewrites.[110]
Inspired by a1906 murder trial, the film tells of an unmarried pregnant woman who is murdered by her boyfriend after he falls in love with a wealthy socialite—albeit with the characters renamed.Montgomery Clift,Elizabeth Taylor, andShelley Winters were cast in the lead roles, and filming began on October 4, 1949 on the Paramount backlot and then moved toLake Tahoe,Nevada.[111] As customary, Stevens meticulously filmed multiple takes with the actors stretching over several hours. Winters explained in her memoir, "Stevens would print the first take, then spend the next three hours minutely rehearsing the scene, then film it again."[112] After several title suggestions, Ivan Moffat selected the titleA Place in the Sun, which had been based ona phrase used by German Foreign SecretaryBernhard von Bülow.[113]
After nineteen months in post-production,A Place in the Sun premiered at the Fine Arts Theatre in Los Angeles and received nationwide critical acclaim.[114]A. H. Weiler ofThe New York Times applauded the performances of the cast and believed the film was "a work of beauty, tenderness, power and insight."[115]Variety also applauded: "Stevens has obviously given tremendous thought to every nuance of his own direction to get credibility, movement and all the touches that contribute to making a good film a fine art form."[116] By January 1952,A Place in the Sun had earned $3.5 million in box office rentals in the United States and Canada.[117] The film won six Academy Awards, including Stevens who was awarded theBest Director Oscar.
While editingA Place in the Sun, Stevens accepted an offer to directSomething to Live For (1952). The script had been written byDwight Taylor, which was partially based on his actress motherLaurette Taylor and her struggle with alcoholism.Joan Fontaine portrays her onscreen equivalent, Jenny Carey, who finds an intimate connection with Alan Miller (Ray Milland), a former alcoholic who is a married man with two children and a pregnant wife. Shooting began in May 1950, but the film was shelved after a preview in August 1951. The film was released in March 1952 to poor critical and audience reception.[118]
"As time went on, however, I kept feeling I should do a picture aboutthe war—all the other guys had done or were doing pictures about their war experiences, [John] Ford, [John] Huston, Wyler, and so on. And here I was avoiding the subject. Until I foundShane—it was a Western, but it was really my war picture. The cattlemen against the ranchers, the gunfighter, the wide-eyed little boy, it was pretty clear tome what it was about."
During the fall of 1949, Paramount had purchased the film rights to the Western novelShane byJack Schaefer.[120]Henry Ginsberg, Paramount's head of production, then sent a memo to Stevens, asking if he was interested in directingShane as a possibleAlan Ladd vehicle.[121] Stevens's sonGeorge Jr. has claimed he read the novel at age 17, and successfully convinced his father by telling him what "a really good story" it was.[70][122]
Montgomery Clift was Stevens's first choice for the title character, whileWilliam Holden was intended for Joe Starrett. However, both actors dropped out, thus Stevens picked Alan Ladd after looking at a list of Paramount's contract players.Van Heflin was cast as Joe Starrett, and Jean Arthur portrayed Starrett's wife Marion. The role of their son, Joey, was given to child actorBrandon deWilde, whose perspective the film draws from.[123]
Shane (1953) follows the title gunfighter as he protects a family of homesteaders against antagonistic cattle ranchers.[124] To ensure historical authenticity, Stevens hiredJoe De Yong as a consultant. Because De Yong was deaf and mute, he illustrated scenic etchings and improved the colloquialism. Principal photography began in July 1951 nearJackson Hole,Wyoming, and ended on October 19 after filming the interior scenes on a soundstage. Stevens spent fifteen months editing the film.[125] Alarmed that Stevens had gone over budget, Paramount considered selling the film to RKO Pictures, but the deal fell through.[126]
Shane premiered at the Radio City Music Hall on April 23, 1953. For the premiere, Paramount projected the film, which had been shot in theAcademy ratio (1.37:1), in a widescreen 1.66:1 aspect ratio.[127] By January 1954, the film had earned $8 million in box office rentals in the United States and Canada.[128] At the1954 Academy Awards, the film earned five nominations including for Best Picture, but lost toFred Zinneman'sFrom Here to Eternity (1953).Loyal Griggs won forBest Cinematography – Color.[129]
In February 1952, as he was editingShane, Stevens formed an independent production company, Giant Productions. Despite disagreements overA Place in the Sun (1951), he selected Henry Ginsberg as his creative partner. Meanwhile,Edna Ferber's novelGiant had been first serialized inLadies' Home Journal beforeDoubleday published it in the fall of 1952. In December 1952, they made Ferber an offer to acquire the film rights.[130] Spurred by the success ofShane, negotiations between Stevens andWarner Bros. were completed on July 29, 1953.[131] By November 1953, Giant Productions acquired the film rights. In December, the contract was finalized, in which it had been stipulated that Warner Bros. would produce and distribute the film. Stevens, Ferber, and Ginsberg, however, would take no upfront salary but would share 50 percent of the profits after the studio had recouped its production and distribution costs.[132]
Stevens hired Ivan Moffat and Fred Guiol to write preliminary treatments, and eventually, a 350-page first draft screenplay was written. According to Stevens, he presented the draft to Ferber in New York. While she complimented the draft, Ferber insisted on the script's fidelity to her novel. On June 20, 1954, Ferber flew out to Los Angeles and volunteered to write unsalaried on the script adaptation. After eleven weeks, she submitted her draft on August 8, which Stevens regarded as more of a treatment bereft of visuals.[133] Stevens and the screenwriters resumed their own collaboration and pared the script down to 240 pages.[134]
An extensive casting search for the three main leads—Jordan "Bick" Benedict, Leslie Lynnton Benedict, and Jett Rink—eventually settled onRock Hudson,Elizabeth Taylor, andJames Dean. Interior filming began in May 1955 on the Warner Bros. studio backlot. The production next moved toKeswick, Virginia for the exterior scenes set in Maryland. On June 4, they relocated toMarfa, Texas for the duration of the production.[135] In addition with Stevens's preference for extensive coverage, the initial 72-day filming shoot fell behind schedule due to Taylor's illness bouts and Dean's frequent tardiness to the set.[136] On September 30, Dean was killed in a car crash nearCholame, California onRoute 41. Dean had completed his scenes, though his dialogue tracks were considered inaudible. Stevens hiredNick Adams to reloop Dean's lines. By mid-October 1955, principal photography was finished.[137]
Giant premiered at theRoxy Theatre in New York on October 10, 1956. It earned $12 million in box office rentals. James Powers ofThe Hollywood Reporter called the film "a monumental drama as big and inspiring as the locale for which it is named, Texas. Giant in size, giant in ambition, giant in the human emotions that are generated by the massive forces of nature and human development that make up the peculiarly American sub-nation, Texas, this picture readily takes its place with the handful of screen epics."[138] At theAcademy Awards, the film received ten nominations, though it lost Best Picture toAround the World in 80 Days (1956). Stevens nevertheless won his second Best Director Oscar.[139] He was also the recipient of the year'sScreen Directors Guild Award for Best Feature Film.[140]
The films—A Place in the Sun,Shane, andGiant—have retrospectively been described as Stevens'sAmerican Trilogy.[141] Biographer Neil Sinyard described the films as "deeply American stories, infused with a unique sense of landscape and character that make up the personality of the country [...] At the core of each one is an outsider striving for assimilation and the promise that the country offers and whose aspirations become tantalizing close to fulfilment, but whose ultimate dream of success and happiness will elude his grasp."[142]
In 1954, Stevens learned thatTwentieth Century-Fox had held the film rights toThe Diary of Anne Frank.[143] By February 1957, it had been reported that Stevens signed a two-picture contract with the studio.Frances Goodrich andAlbert Hackett, who had written the1955 play, were hired to write the script adaptation.[140] During pre-production, in September 1957, Stevens flew toAmsterdam for research and location scouting, where he visited the attic inside thehistorical site. He also hired Tony van Renterghem as a technical advisor. Stevens reflected, "Whenever we hit a stumbling block in translating from the stage to the film, not only did I return to the original diary for help, but I also returned to the concentration camp areas and roamed the house in Amsterdam in the quarter where Anne lived, where I talked with countless people who had survived the Nazi period there."[144]
A worldwide casting search for the title role was conducted, with Stevens auditioning more than 100,000 applicants.[145]Audrey Hepburn had been offered the part but she declined.[146]Millie Perkins, a nineteen-year-old model fromFair Lawn, New Jersey, was cast in her screen debut.[147]Joseph Schildkraut,Gusti Huber, andLou Jacobi reprised their stage roles for the film.Shelley Winters campaigned for the role ofPetronella van Daan. A replica of the factory was built on the Twentieth Century-Fox studio backlot, where filming occurred from March to August 1958.[148]
Released in March 1959,The Diary of Anne Frank received largely positive reviews from film critics.[148] A review inTime magazine called the film a "masterpiece", praising Stevens and the screenwriters for depicting "the courage and dignity that man can summon from within himself when the only logical course seems to be to lie down and die."[145] However, the film was a commercial disappointment, earning $2.3 million in estimated box office rentals from the United States and Canada.[149] It won threeAcademy Awards in 1960, includingBest Supporting Actress for Shelley Winters.
In 1958, while filmingThe Diary of Anne Frank, Stevens became aware that Fox held the screen rights toFulton Oursler's 1949 novelThe Greatest Story Ever Told. Oursler had novelized a half-hour radio series byHenry Denker, which told of the life ofJesus from the fourcanonicalGospels of theNew Testament. Stevens founded an independent company, named after the novel, to film the novel.[150] Stevens affirmed his vision for the film would be stripped of pageantry and spectacle, opposite ofCecil B. DeMille's Biblical epics.[151] In 1960, Stevens collaborated with Ivan Moffat and James Lee Barrett on the script, and then hiredCarl Sandburg to revise the script. For the next two years, Fox continually delayed the film's release date until 1963.[152] However, in September 1961,Spyros Skouras, president of Fox, announced the studio had "indefinitely postponed" the project due to concerns about the project's commercial prospects.[153] As a result, Stevens moved the project toUnited Artists.[154]
Meanwhile, Stevens, George Jr., and researcher Tony van Renterghem embarked on a research trip to the Middle East to scout potential filming locations. However, Stevens decided to film nearPage, Arizona and around theGlen Canyon upwards toUtah. Stevens explained toThe New York Times in 1965: "Unfortunately some of the landscapes around Jerusalem were exciting, but many had been worn down through the years by erosion and man, invaders and wars, to places of less spectacular aspects."[155]Max von Sydow, the first actor cast in the film, was selected as Jesus, while the hiring of an ensemble cast was borne from conversations Stevens held with Skouras.[156]
Principal photography began in late October 1962, but months into production, filming was paused by a severe blizzard near theColorado River. Refusing to delay shooting until the spring, Stevens grabbed a shovel and ordered the cast and crew to do the same to clear the snow off the sets.[157][158] Concerned that production had fallen behind schedule, Stevens allowedDavid Lean andJean Negulesco to shoot interior scenes representingJerusalem at theDesilu Culver Studios. On August 1, 1963, the production had wrapped. Seventeen months were spent on editing and post-production, and the film's total production budget skyrocketed to $20 million (equivalent to $205,413,043 in 2024), becoming the most expensive film shot in the United States at the time.[159]
The Greatest Story Ever Told was released in February 1965 in selectCinerama theaters, with the film's runtime reduced to 141 minutes for the general release.[160] ColumnistHedda Hopper called the film "a magnificent spectacle photographed gloriously. No one could have played Christ as well as Max Von Sydow. You believe. But it was an hour too long."[161] On the other hand,Shana Alexander, reviewing forLife magazine, criticized the film's glacial pacing, the "cameo" appearances, and cited a "lack of risk, lack of daring, lack of invention, [and] even lack of inspiration" on Stevens's part.[162]
Later that same year, Stevens filed a $2 million lawsuit againstNBC and Paramount, charging them with "mutilation and dismemberment" when they had airedA Place in the Sun with television commercials. Stevens had made a contractual provision with Liberty Films (and then upheld with Paramount), which allowed him to control the film's editing.[163] In February 1966, William Wyler voiced his support for Stevens at aDirectors Guild of America (DGA) dinner gala. That same month, a federal judge sided with Stevens, barring NBC from televising the film.[164] However, theLos Angeles County Superior Court reversed the ruling and upheld the defendants, in which it was held the commercials did not "substantially damage" the film.[165]
During that same time,Warren Beatty had conversed with Stevens about directingBonnie and Clyde (1967). Beatty remembered, "And we would have long silent meetings in Chinese restaurants, And he would think, silently [...] And I could never get him to do the movie, but I sure had a lot of meetings with him."[166] In 1968, Stevens readFrank Gilroy's script forThe Only Game in Town, which he adapted fromhis own play.Frank Sinatra was intended to star opposite Elizabeth Taylor, but Sinatra pulled out. Stevens then asked Beatty to assume the role, which Beatty immediately agreed to without reading the script. Principal photography began inParis on September 30, 1968, and lasted until February 1969. They relocated toLas Vegas for a week before wrapping the shoot on the Fox studio backlot on March 3.[167]
In the film, Taylor stars as Fran Walker, a middle-aged chorus girl who is in the midst of a divorce. She falls in love with Joe Grady (Warren Beatty), a frustrated musician and compulsive gambler who dreams of escaping Las Vegas for success in New York City.The Only Game in Town opened on January 23, 1970, to favorable reviews.[168]Charles Champlin of theLos Angeles Times wrote the film was "an endearing old-fashioned romance, even if its premise could hardly be more up-to-date and permissive. (And at that, the permissiveness is granted verbally. It's all tell, no show, and I'm glad.)"[169]
In 1970, Stevens was appointed as the president of the jury at the20th Berlin International Film Festival.[170] A screening of the filmo.k., directed byMichael Verhoeven, was interrupted when the jury held a 7–2 vote to pull the film from competition after they had expressed concerns over whether the film "encouraged understanding between nations," as stated in the statutes for the festival.[171] Based on the 1966Incident on Hill 192 during theVietnam War, the film depicts a young Vietnamese girl who is kidnapped, raped, stabbed and shot by four American soldiers and dies. A fifth American soldier takes no part in the assault, and his official report goes ignored in the files. Verhoeven denied the film was anti-American, stating in an interview with the German newspaperHamburger Abendblatt: "If I were an American, I would even say my film is pro‐American. The biggest part of the American people today is against the war in Vietnam."[172]
Yugoslav filmmakerDušan Makavejev, a member of the jury, accused Stevens of censorship and overstepping his authority. After many press conferences and numerous declarations of protest, the jury announced its resignation, thereby halting the continuation of the festival. Berlinale directorAlfred Bauer and the umbrella organization Berliner Festspiele GmbH, Walther Schmiederer, tendered their resignations, though Bauer returned. On July 5, 1970, the competition was cancelled and no major prizes were awarded.[171] In 1973, Stevens was a member of the jury at the8th Moscow International Film Festival.[173]
In 1928, he metYvonne Howell inOliver Hardy's home; they were married on January 1, 1930. Stevens was the father of television and film writer-producer-directorGeorge Stevens, Jr., the founder of theAmerican Film Institute (AFI).[70] George Jr. produced and directed the documentary about his fatherGeorge Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey in 1984[70] and is the father of Stevens's grandsonMichael Stevens (1966–2015), who was also a television and film producer-director.
On March 8, 1975, Stevens died of a heart attack on his ranch inLancaster, California, north ofLos Angeles, at the age of 70.[174] He is interred atForest Lawn Memorial Park in theHollywood Hills of Los Angeles.[175]
| Year | Title | Production Co. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | Below Zero | MGM | Short film |
| 1932 | Who, Me? | Universal | Short film |
| 1932 | The Finishing Touch | Universal | Short film |
| 1932 | Boys Will Be Boys | Universal | Short film |
| 1933 | Family Troubles | Universal | Short film |
| 1933 | Rock-a-Bye Cowboy | Universal | Short film |
| 1933 | Should Crooners Marry | Universal | Short film |
| 1933 | Room Mates | Universal | Short film |
| 1933 | Quiet Please! | RKO | Short film |
| 1933 | What Fur | RKO | Short film |
| 1933 | Walking Back Home | RKO | Short film |
| 1933 | Grin and Bear It | RKO | Short film |
| 1933 | A Divorce Courtship | Universal | Short film |
| 1934 | Strictly Fresh Yeggs | RKO | Short film |
| 1934 | Cracked Shots | RKO | Short film |
The moving image collection of George Stevens is held at the Academy Film Archive. The film material at AFI is complemented by material in the George Stevens papers at the Academy'sMargaret Herrick Library.[176]
Academy Awards
| Year | Award | Film | Result | Winner | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | Best Director | The More the Merrier | Nominated | Michael Curtiz –Casablanca | [177] |
| 1951 | Best Picture | A Place in the Sun | Nominated | Arthur Freed –An American in Paris | [178] |
| Best Director | Won | — | |||
| 1953 | Best Picture | Shane | Nominated | Buddy Adler –From Here to Eternity | [179] |
| Best Director | Nominated | Fred Zinnemann –From Here to Eternity | |||
| Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award | Received | — | |||
| 1956 | Best Motion Picture | Giant | Nominated | Mike Todd –Around the World in 80 Days | [180] |
| Best Director | Won | — | |||
| 1959 | Best Motion Picture | The Diary of Anne Frank | Nominated | Sam Zimbalist –Ben-Hur (Posthumous) | [181] |
| Best Director | Nominated | William Wyler –Ben-Hur | |||
As alieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, Stevens headed the Signal Corps unit that filmed D-Day and the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. For these contributions, he was awarded theLegion of Merit.
Stevens has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame at 1701 Vine Street. He won theAcademy Award for Best Director twice, in 1951 forA Place in the Sun and in 1956 forGiant. He was also nominated in 1943 forThe More the Merrier, in 1954 forShane, and in 1959 forThe Diary of Anne Frank.
He also received both theIrving G. Thalberg Memorial Award and theLifetime Achievement Award from theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (1954). He also received theNational Board of Review Award for Best Director and theNew York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director.
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| Non-profit organization positions | ||
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| Preceded by | President of Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences 1958–1959 | Succeeded by |
