Robert Aldrich | |
|---|---|
_1962_-_Production_photo._Robert_Aldrich%2c_Bette_Davis.jpg) Aldrich directingBette Davis during filming ofWhat Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) | |
| Born | Robert Burgess Aldrich (1918-08-09)August 9, 1918 Cranston, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Died | December 5, 1983(1983-12-05) (aged 65) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) |
| Alma mater | University of Virginia |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1945–1981 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4 (with Foster) |
| Awards | Silver Lion forThe Big Knife (1955) |
| 15th National President of theDirectors Guild of America | |
| In office 1975–1979 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Wise |
| Succeeded by | George Schaefer |
Robert Burgess Aldrich (August 9, 1918 – December 5, 1983) was an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Aniconoclastic and maverickauteur[1] working in many genres during theGolden Age of Hollywood, he directed mainlyfilms noir,war movies,westerns and darkmelodramas withGothic overtones. His most notable credits includeVera Cruz (1954),Kiss Me Deadly (1955),The Big Knife (1955),Autumn Leaves (1956),Attack (1956),What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962),Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964),The Flight of the Phoenix (1965),The Dirty Dozen (1967), andThe Longest Yard (1974).
Containing a "macho mise-en-scene and resonant reworkings of classic action genres,"[2] Aldrich's films were known for pushing the boundaries of violence in mainstream cinema, as well as for their psychologically complex interpretations ofgenre film tropes.[3] TheBritish Film Institute wrote that Aldrich's work displays "a subversive sensibility in thrall to the complexities of human behaviour."[4] Several of his films later proved influential to members of theFrench New Wave.[5][6]
Aside from his directorial work, Aldrich was also noted for his advocacy as a member of theDirectors Guild of America, serving as its president for two terms, and becoming the namesake for its Robert B. Aldrich Achievement Award.[7]
Robert Burgess Aldrich was born inCranston, Rhode Island, into a family of wealth and social prominence – "The Aldriches of Rhode Island".[8] His father, Edward Burgess Aldrich (1871–1957) was the publisher ofThe Times of Pawtucket and an influential operative in state Republican politics. His mother, Lora Elsie (née Lawson) of New Hampshire (1874–1931), died when Aldrich was 13 and was remembered with fondness by her son. Ruth Aldrich Kaufinger (1912–1987) was his elder sister and only sibling.[9]
Among his notable ancestors were theAmerican Revolutionary War generalNathanael Greene and the theologianRoger Williams, founder ofRhode Island Colony.[10]
His grandfather,Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich, was a self-made millionaire and art investor. A Republican member of theU.S. Senate for thirty years (1881–1911), he was dubbed "General Manager of the Nation" by the press for his dominant role in framing federal monetary policy.[11][12]
A number of Aldrich's paternal uncles had impressive careers, among them a successful investment banker, an architect andHarvard instructor, a member of theU.S. House of Representatives, and a chairman of theChase Manhattan Bank who also served as U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain. An aunt,Abigail Greene "Abby" Aldrich marriedJohn D. Rockefeller Jr., scion of the Standard Oil fortune, and was a leading figure in the establishment of theMuseum of Modern Art in New York City.Nelson Rockefeller, a four-term governor of New York State and U.S. vice-president underGerald Ford, andRockefeller's four brothers were the director's first cousins.[13][14]
As the only male heir to the Lawson-Aldrich family line, Aldrich was under considerable pressure to compete successfully with his numerous cousins in a family of high achievers.[15]
Following family tradition and expectations, Aldrich was educated atMoses Brown School inProvidence from 1933 to 1937. There he served as captain of the track and football teams and was elected president of his senior class.
Failing to matriculate toYale due to mediocre grades, Aldrich attended theUniversity of Virginia from 1937 to 1941, majoring in economics. He continued to excel in sports and played a leading role in campus clubs and fraternities.[16][17]
During theGreat Depression, the adolescent Aldrich began to question the justice of his family's "politics and power" which clashed with his growing sympathies with left-wing social and political movements of the 1930s. Aldrich's disaffection from the Aldrich-Rockefeller right-wing social and political orientation contributed to a growing tension between father and son.[18][19]
Having satisfactorily demonstrated his aptitude for a career in finance, Aldrich defied his father by dropping out of college in his senior year without taking a degree.[13]
Aldrich approached his uncleWinthrop W. Aldrich, who got his 23-year-old nephew a job atRKO Studios as a production clerk at $25 a week.[20] For this act of defiance, Aldrich was promptly disinherited. Aldrich reciprocated by expunging public records of his connection with the Aldrich-Rockefeller clan, while stoically accepting the breach. He rarely mentioned or invoked his family thereafter.[21] It has been said that "No American film director was born as wealthy as Aldrich — and then so thoroughly cut off from family money."[22][23]
At the age of 23, Aldrich began work atRKO Pictures as a production clerk, an entry-level position, after declining an offer through his Rockefeller connections to enter the studio as an associate producer.[24][25]
He married his first wife, Harriet Foster, a childhood sweetheart, shortly before he departed for Hollywood in May 1941.[26][17]
Though the smallest of Hollywood's top studios, RKO could boast an impressive roster of directors (George Cukor,John Ford,Alfred Hitchcock andHoward Hawks) as well as movie stars (Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers,Cary Grant,Katharine Hepburn and theMarx Brothers). The 23-year-old Aldrich assumed his duties shortly afterOrson Welles, at 26, signed a six-movie contract with RKO after the release of the widely acclaimedCitizen Kane (1941).[27]
When the United States entered theSecond World War in December 1941, Aldrich was inducted into theAir ForceMotion Picture Unit, but was quickly discharged when an old football injury disqualified him for military service. The film studios' manpower shortage allowed Aldrich to win assignments as third- or second-tier director's assistant to learn the basics of filmmaking.[28][29]
In just two years he participated on two dozen movies with well-known directors. He was second assistant director onJoan of Paris (1942, directed byRobert Stevenson),The Falcon Takes Over (1942, directed byIrving Reis),The Big Street (1942), directed by Reis,Bombardier (1943, directed byRichard Wallace),Behind the Rising Sun (1943, directed byEdward Dmytryk),A Lady Takes a Chance (1943, directed byWilliam A. Seiter),The Adventures of a Rookie (1943, directed byLeslie Goodwins),Gangway for Tomorrow (1943, directed byJohn H. Auer), andRookies in Burma (1943, directed by Goodwins).
Towards the end of the war, Aldrich had risen to first assistant director making comedy shorts with directorLeslie Goodwins.
In 1944, Aldrich departed RKO to begin free-lancing on feature films at other major studios, includingColumbia,United Artists, andParamount.[30][31][32]
Aldrich was fortunate to serve as an assistant director to many notable and talented Hollywood filmmakers. During these assignments, which spanned nine years, Aldrich gained both practical and aesthetic fundamentals of filmmaking: "set location and atmosphere" (Jean Renoir,The Southerner, 1945), the "techniques of pre-planning a shot" (Lewis Milestone'sThe Strange Love of Martha Ivers, 1946), "action scenes" (William A. Wellman'sThe Story of G.I. Joe, 1946), the "importance of communication with actors" (Joseph Losey'sThe Prowler, 1951), and "establishing visual empathy between camera and audience" (Charlie Chaplin'sLimelight, 1952).[33][31][29]
He also worked onPardon My Past (1945, directed byLeslie Fenton) andThe Private Affairs of Bel Ami (1947, directed byAlbert Lewin).
Aldrich approached these projects and directors with a fine discrimination, enabling him to learn from both their strengths and weaknesses.[34]
During these years Aldrich forged lasting professional relationships with talented artists who would serve him throughout his filmmaking career, namely, cinematographerJoseph Biroc, film editorMichael Luciano, music directorFrank De Vol, art directorWilliam Glasgow and screenwriterLukas Heller. A troupe of loyal, mostly male, players were enlisted for his film leads and supporting roles:Burt Lancaster,Jack Palance,Lee Marvin,Eddie Albert,Richard Jaeckel,Wesley Addy,Ernest Borgnine andCharles Bronson.[35][36]
Aldrich's association withEnterprise Productions marks the most formative period of his apprenticeship. The production company offered a unique venue of independent filmmakers welcoming socially conscious themes critical of authoritarian aspects of American society.[37][38]
While at Enterprise, Aldrich established both a professional and a personal affiliation with screenwriter and directorAbraham Polonsky, a major figure in thePopular Front movement of the 1930s. Their respective films addressed the issue of an individual's often desperate struggle to resist destruction by an oppressive society.[39][40]
Enterprise'sBody and Soul (1947), written by Polonsky, directed byRobert Rossen, and starringJohn Garfield, made a deep and lasting impression on the 29-year-old assistant director from both structural and thematic standpoints. Garfield plays a corrupt prizefighter who seeks to redeem himself by defying mobsters who insist he throw a fight or forfeit his life.[41] While the protagonist's personal failings contribute to his own oppression, the film censures capitalism as an unredeemable system.[42] Aldrich would revisitBody and Soul throughout his career when seeking guidance on how to convey the progressive ideals of the 1930s while working in the reactionary political atmosphere of theCold War era.[43][44]
"I think anybody with any brains in 1936 to '40 would have been a Communist. They were the brightest, they were the quickest, they were the best, and you found working with people of that persuasion more stimulating, more exciting."
Robert Aldrich, recalling the caliber of his associates atThe Enterprise Studios just before theHollywood blacklists.[45][46][47]
In 1948 Aldrich joined Polonsky and Garfield on thenoir filmForce of Evil. The story concerns a Wall Street attorney turned mob lawyer (Garfield) who informs on his employers when they murder his brother.Force of Evil's cinematically excessive visuals and striking sound would later appear in Aldrich's filmsKiss Me Deadly andTwilight's Last Gleaming.[48][49]
A number of Aldrich's associates at Enterprise came under scrutiny by theHUAC in the late 1940s after Enterprise had closed its doors. Among them were Rossen, Polonsky, Garfield, directorsJohn Berry, andJoseph Losey, producerCarl Foreman, and screenwriterDalton Trumbo, some of whom sufferedblacklisting and imprisonment. Aldrich was never targeted by the authorities, despite his collaborations with these artists. This was largely due to his post-1930s entry into the film industry when recruitment by Communist and leftist organizations was declining. Nonetheless, Aldrich remained a champion for the victims of theRed Scare.[50][51]
At Enterprise, Aldrich also worked as an assistant director onArch of Triumph (1948) andNo Minor Vices (1948) forLewis Milestone,So This Is New York (1948) for directorRichard Fleischer and producerStanley Kramer, andCaught (1949) forMax Ophüls.
During his apprenticeship Aldrich developed a keen appreciation for the nexus between autonomous control over every element of picture production and achievement of his creative vision. He would forever strive for full control over his films.[52][53]
After the demise of Enterprise, Aldrich continued to be in much demand as an assistant director. He worked again for Lewis Milestone onThe Red Pony (1949) at Republic and didRed Light (1949) forRoy Del Ruth,A Kiss for Corliss (1949) for Richard Wallace,The White Tower (1950) forTed Tetzlaff,M (1951) andThe Prowler (1951) forJoseph Losey, andNew Mexico (1951) for Reis.
Aldrich was assistant to producerHarold Hecht onTen Tall Men (1951), a French Foreign Legion action film starringBurt Lancaster. He worked as production manager onWhen I Grow Up (1951) forSam Spiegel and as production manager onThe Steel Trap (1952) forAndrew L. Stone.
Hecht had enjoyed working with Aldrich onTen Tall Men and used him onThe First Time (1952), the feature directorial debut ofFrank Tashlin.
Aldrich's most notable credit to date came onLimelight (1952), for which he was assistant director toCharlie Chaplin.[54] He was assistant onAbbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952).
By 1952, the 34-year old assistant director, fully prepared to make his directorial debut, had no offers materializing in Hollywood.[55] Eager to perform at a journeyman level, he moved to New York City to join its television startups.
The infant industries'golden age of live broadcasts was in a primitive stage of organization, and producers were pleased to enlist talent from the Hollywood film industry.[56][57] More than merely a career move, television offered Aldrich an opportunity to apply the cinematic skills and concepts he had garnered during his eclectic education in movie-making to an entirely new medium.[58][59]
"All they were paying directors was scale", recalled Aldrich of this time. "Who the hell wanted to go live in New York and work for scale? Only guys that had never directed or couldn't get a shot... Walter Blake... convinced these people who were doing theCamay soap shows that I was a genius waiting behind a rock out here. I had been assistant director on a Chaplin picture, so he told them that I had directed Chaplin. Nobody directs Chaplin except Chaplin, but these guys didn't know the difference. So I went back to New York and did, I don't know, thirty or forty shows."[54]
Procter & Gamble hired Aldrich in 1952 to direct episodes of the anthology seriesThe Doctor (later retitledThe Guest in syndication), an early soap opera starringWarner Anderson. Shooting schedules were notoriously tight. Despite this, Aldrich routinely dedicated half or more of the allotted time to rehearsals, an immensely reassuring practice for the players that contributed to the efficient execution of the final live shoot.[60][61]
FollowingThe Doctor, Aldrich resettled in Hollywood to complete twenty episodes of television'sChina Smith starringDan Duryea, filmed on an even tighter timetable.
He also filled in as director on TV'sFour Star Playhouse and theSchlitz Playhouse of Stars ("The Pussyfootin' Rocks").[62][63]
Aldrich described the early TV industry as a "director's crash course" where, unlike feature film production, the overall quality of the series outweighed the success or failure of an individual episode. In his two-year stint in television, Aldrich was free to experiment with technique and narrative schemes that would appear later in his film treatments. As such, he used cinematic framing and composition to reveal character motivation and close ups serving to highlight dialog, all of which endowed his episodes with a polished Hollywood studio-like appearance. Aldrich avoided disparaging television as an art form, only regretting its "rushed schedules and lack of preparation time."[64][65]
In December 1951Irving Allen announced he had formed Warwick Productions withAlbert Broccoli. He intended to makeThe Gamma People with Robert Aldrich.[66] In August 1952 Allen announced that Aldrich would make his feature debut as director withThe Gamma People, to be shot in Europe in the winter from Aldrich's own script.[67]Dick Powell was slated to star.[68] However, the film would not be made for several years, with Aldrich's involvement limited to working on the story.
Aldrich broke into feature films as a director whenHerbert Baker, who had worked with Aldrich onSo This is New York, recommended the director toMGM, which was looking for someone with a background in sports for a low-budget baseball film,Big Leaguer (1953).[54][69]
The film was not particularly successful, so Aldrich returned to television, doing episodes ofFour Star Playhouse, several of which were written byBlake Edwards. He directed "The Witness", which starredDick Powell,Strother Martin, andCharles Bronson,[70] and "The Bad Streak" withCharles Boyer.[71]
Aldrich remained ambitious to work in features and raised money for a low-budget action film calledWorld for Ransom (1954), which used many of the same sets and cast members asChina Smith, including starDan Duryea. It was made for Plaza Productions and financed by Allied Artists; Aldrich produced and directed. The cinematographer wasJoseph F. Biroc, who would shoot many of Aldrich's later features.
World for Ransom was seen byHarold Hecht andBurt Lancaster, who hired Aldrich to direct his first color film,Apache (1954), a western starring Lancaster as an Apache fighter. It was made forHecht-Lancaster Productions and released throughUnited Artists. This film was a big hit, earning $6 million.[72]
Hecht and Lancaster used Aldrich again onVera Cruz (1954), a western starringGary Cooper and Lancaster. It was even more successful at the box office thanApache, making $9 million, and firmly established Aldrich as a director.[72]
The success of these movies enabled Aldrich to set up his own company,The Associates and Aldrich, and sign a deal withUnited Artists. Its first movie was to beThe Way We Are byJack Jevne, about a woman who has an affair with a younger man.[73] It was not immediately made.
Instead Aldrich produced and directedKiss Me Deadly (1955), afilm noir adapted byA. I. Bezzerides from a novel byMickey Spillane starringRalph Meeker asMike Hammer. Breaking new grounds in its portrayal of sadistical violence, It was made for Parklane Productions, the independent company ofVictor Saville, who owned the rights, and released through United Artists.[74][75]
Aldrich and his company then madeThe Big Knife (1955), based ona play byClifford Odets. Aldrich directed and produced this film about a movie star played byJack Palance who rebels againstRod Steiger's tyrannical Hollywood producer.
The Associates and Aldrich Company made a second film, also based on a play and released through United Artists,Attack (1956), starring Palance and Lee Marvin.[76]
None of the three films was particularly successful at the box office, although they received some excellent reviews. In particular,Kiss Me Deadly became a major cult favorite in France.[54] "I worked almost for nothing, economically, on those movies", he said. "They got caught up in the system and were not profitable pictures." Aldrich said his experiences made him "more cynical in terms of what preference to give survival and what preference to give material that might make a fine film which nobody or very few would go to see. That was the break. I realized that if you're careful in choosing projects and setting costs your taste and knowledge will, out of every six or seven pictures, produce one that makes a good deal of profitable return for everybody."[54]
The Associates announced numerous projects around this time, includingTryanny,Kinderspiel,Potluck for Pomeroy,Candidate for President (byDon Weis) andMachine for Chuparosa.[77][78]
The Associates and Aldrich Company expanded to offer financing and distribution for other films. The only one that resulted wasThe Ride Back (1957) for UA.[79] They wanted to makeThe Build Up Boys withDana Andrews but the film did not eventuate (Dana Andrews eventually backed and starred in the movie, changed to Madison Avenue).[80]
In between makingBig Knife andAttack, Aldrich directed theJoan Crawford melodramaAutumn Leaves (1956) (originallyThe Way We Are), which was a minor hit.[81]
Aldrich worked on the original story for the thrillerThe Gamma People (1956), made for Columbia andWarwick Productions in England.
In July 1956 Robert Aldrich signed a two-picture deal with Columbia to make films through his own company. The first was to beThe Garment Jungle (1957).[82] The second was to beUntil Proven Guilty.[83] He also acquired the John O'Hara storyNow We Know.[84]
Aldrich started directingGarment but was fired towards the end of filming and replaced byVincent Sherman.[85]
In March 1957 Aldrich sued Columbia for reneging on a promise to make a film of the playStorm in the Sun, which he wanted to do with Crawford. The case was settled the following month.[86]
Aldrich announced a range of projects –Kinderspiel,Pommeroy,The Snipe Hunt,Until Proven Guilty,Now We Know – but he found it difficult to get financing.[87]
The Associates and Aldrich had the rights to the script for3:10 to Yuma but ended up selling the project outright to Columbia.[88]
Aldrich was unable to get a job until he had an offer fromHammer Films andSeven Arts to write and directTen Seconds to Hell (1959), starring Palance and Jeff Chandler, in Germany.[54] While there, he was head of the jury at the9th Berlin International Film Festival.[89]
Aldrich stayed in Europe to makeThe Angry Hills (1959), based on the novel byLeon Uris and starringRobert Mitchum, for MGM in Greece for producerRaymond Stross. Aldrich had the film rewritten by Bezzerides, but then his cut of the film was re-edited by Stross. It was an unhappy experience for Aldrich and the film lost money.[90]
Adlrich was going to makeTaras Bulba in Yugoslavia withAnthony Quinn and a budget of $3 million, but the film did not proceed. Neither did another proposed subject,The Catalyst, based on a play by Ronald Duncan about male bisexuality.[91] Aldrich would attempt to makeTaras Bulba several times but ended up having to sell his script toHarold Hecht, who produced a film without Aldrich in1962. Other projects he developed around this time includeAngry Odyssey,The Left Bank, andToo Late the Hero.[92]
Aldrich returned to Hollywood to direct episodes ofHotel de Paree ("Sundance Returns"), andAdventures in Paradise.
He directed a western,The Last Sunset (1961), starringKirk Douglas andRock Hudson, made for Douglas's company at Universal.
Aldrich tried to makeCross of Iron with John Mills but could not get financing.[93]
Aldrich then went back to Italy, where he directed the Biblical spectacularSodom and Gomorrah (1962) forJoseph E. Levine. Aldrich disparaged the final film, which ended up costing $6 million.[54][94][95]
Aldrich rejuvenated his career by optioning the novelWhat Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) for the Associates and Aldrich Company. He signedBette Davis andJoan Crawford as stars, gotLukas Heller to write the script, and raised financing through Warner Bros. The film was a massive hit at the box office and earned five Academy Award nominations (including a win for black-and-white costume design), restoring Aldrich's commercial and critical reputation. It also revived the popularity of Davis and Crawford as box office draws and led to a subgenre of horror movies starring elder actresses nicknamed "Psycho-biddy".[54] It also started a run of films (continued inHush Hush Sweet Charlotte and others) with a gothic, camp sensibility that became an immediate hit with queer audiences.[96]
Still at Warners, Aldrich wrote, produced and directed a comic western withFrank Sinatra andDean Martin,4 for Texas (1963). Made for Sam Productions, it hadCharles Bronson,Victor Buono,Ursula Andress andAnita Ekberg in supporting roles. The film was reasonably popular at the box office, but Aldrich disliked working with Sinatra and the resulting film.[54]
Emboldened by his recent commercial successes, Aldrich announced a $14 million production program of eight films, includingCross of Iron,Whatever Happened to Cousin Charlotte,The Tsar's Bride,Brouhaha,The Legend of Lylah Clare,Paper Eagle,Genghis Khan's Bicycle, andThere Really Was a Gold Mine a sequel toVera Cruz. He had prepared scripts onNow We Know,Vengeance Is Mine,Potluck for Pomeroy andToo Late the Hero. Other projects wereThe Strong Are Lonely,Pursuit of Happiness and the TV seriesThe Man.[97]
He started with a follow-up toBaby Jane,Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964), made for the Associates and Aldrich at20th Century Fox. Bette Davis starred as a Southern woman who lives in a mansion and thinks she is going insane. Davis was to be reunited with Joan Crawford, but Crawford left the film and was replaced byOlivia de Havilland. The movie was popular, though not as successful asBaby Jane.
Aldrich stayed at Fox for his next film, the all-male action storyThe Flight of the Phoenix (1965), with James Stewart,Richard Attenborough and Peter Finch. The film was a commercial disappointment but eventually proved profitable.[54]
Aldrich had his biggest hit to date withThe Dirty Dozen (1967), produced byKenneth Hyman'sSeven Arts Productions and released through MGM. Starring Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, Ernest Borgnine andJohn Cassavetes, the film was a massive success at the box office.[98]
Aldrich stayed at MGM forThe Legend of Lylah Clare (1968) starring Finch andKim Novak, made for Aldrich's own company. It was a critical and commercial disappointment.
Aldrich sold his profit participation inDirty Dozen to MGM for $1,350,000 and used the money to achieve a long-time dream – to buy his own studios, which he called the Aldrich Studios. He picked a facility at 201 North Occidental Boulevard, which had been in existence as a film studio since 1913, makingMary Pickford movies, and had recently been the basis of Sutherland Productions. Aldrich had madeThe Big Knife there.[99]
"My dream has always been to own my own studio", he said. "With the possible exception of the old Enterprise Studio back in '45 I've never seen a studio run the way it should. That's because everybody at Enterprise felt they could make a contributionand that's the feeling I hope we can have here."[99]
The studios were opened in August 1968. Along with Goldwyn, The Associates and Aldrich was the only major independent company with a studio in Hollywood. For the next few years he would make his movies there.[100]
Aldrich's success withThe Dirty Dozen led to the newly formedABC Pictures offer the Associates and Aldrich Company a four-film contract. Aldrich announced they would beThe Killing of Sister George,The Greatest Mother of Them All,Whatever Happened to Aunt Alice andToo Late the Hero.[101]
Aldrich's first film for ABC wasThe Killing of Sister George (1968), adapted from by Lukas Heller from the play by Frank Marcus. It starredBeryl Reid andSusannah York and was notable for its frank depiction of a lesbian relationship. The movie was popular but because of its high cost lost money.[102]
Aldrich produced but did not directWhat Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? (1969), a psycho-biddy thriller in the vein ofBaby Jane directed byLee H. Katzin and starringGeraldine Page andRuth Gordon. It also lost money.[102] (Aldrich announced he would make a third "Whatever Happened to" film,Whatever Happened to Dear Elva? based on the novelGoodbye, Dear Elva by Elizabeth Fenwick. However no film was made.[103])
Aldrich made a 20-minute demo film, "The Greatest Mother of Them All" (1969), in an attempt to raise money for a feature-length version, but was unable to attract interest from ABC. Peter Finch starred.[54]
ABC wanted Aldrich to make a war film in the vein ofThe Dirty Dozen so he produced and directedToo Late the Hero (1970), a "patrol" film, which he had been developing since 1959.[92] Despite starringMichael Caine andCliff Robertson and location work in the Philippines, the film made an overall loss of $6,765,000, making it one of the biggest money losers in the history of ABC Films.[102]
Aldrich's next film for ABC wasThe Grissom Gang (1971), an adaptation ofNo Orchids for Miss Blandish set in the 1930s, with Scott Wilson and Kim Darby. It was another flop, losing ABC $3,670,000.[102]
Films Aldrich announced but did not make around this time includedRebellion, a western aboutVictoriano Huerta with Ernest Borgnine and George Kennedy,[104] andThe Movement, about student protest.[105] He also developed scripts for books which were turned into films by others:Coffee, Tea or Me? andMonte Walsh.[106]
By now Aldrich's relationship with ABC had become fraught and devolved into lawsuits, in part caused by ABC refusing to finance other Aldrich projects. Aldrich parted company with ABC and in January 1972 put his studios up for sale.[107][54]
In a 1972 interview Aldrich said that:
Lasting power is the most important power. Especially in this business, staying at the plate or staying at the table, staying in the game, is the essential. You can't allow yourself to get passed over or pushed aside. Very, very talented people got pushed aside and remained unused... If you must make a choice between luck and talent, you have to opt for luck. It's nice to have some of both, or a lot of both; but if you can't, luck is the answer. Nowhere else more so than in this business. The right place, the right time, the right script, all the right auspices—they made the difference to directors, writers, actors.[54]
Aldrich returned to westerns withUlzana's Raid (1972), made at Universal for the Associates and Aldrich with producerCarter De Haven. It reteamed Aldrich with Lancaster for the first time sinceVera Cruz. The film was a commercial disappointment but has subsequently come to be regarded as one of his finest films.[54][108]
Aldrich followed it withEmperor of the North Pole (1973), a story of railway hobos in the 1930s starring Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine. Produced by Hyman at 20th Century Fox, it was another box office failure,[108] though it too has seen its reputation soar in recent years (Leonard Maltin gave it 3 1/2 stars, calling it "unusual, exciting" and a "unique entertainment").
Aldrich's commercial fortunes were revived with a prison comedy starringBurt Reynolds,The Longest Yard (1974). Made for producerAlbert S. Ruddy at Paramount, it was Aldrich's biggest hit sinceThe Dirty Dozen.[109]
Aldrich and Reynolds promptly reteamed onHustle (1975), made for their own production company RoBurt and released through Paramount. A tough police drama co-starringCatherine Deneuve, it was another box office success. However, tension between Aldrich and Reynolds during filming meant they made no more movies together.[110] In 1975 Aldrich was elected president of theDirectors Guild of America and served two two-year terms.
Aldrich signed a two-picture deal with Lorimar Productions, a TV company which wanted to move into features.
The first wasTwilight's Last Gleaming (1977), an action thriller starring Lancaster. The second was a comedy,The Choirboys (1977), based on the best selling novel byJoseph Wambaugh, which Wambaugh disliked so much he sued to get his name taken off the film.[111][112]
Aldrich's last movies were comedies:The Frisco Kid (1979), set in the West withGene Wilder andHarrison Ford, and...All the Marbles (1981), set in the world of female wrestling withPeter Falk. Neither was particularly popular.
When the latter film came out, Aldrich said, "I'm 63 and I've had hits every ten years and I just hope I can function long enough to have one in the 90s."[113]
From his marriage to Harriet Foster (1941–1965),[114] Aldrich had four children, all of whom work in the film business—Adell, William, Alida and Kelly.[115] In 1966, after divorcing Foster, he married fashion model Sibylle Siegfried.
Aldrich died ofkidney failure on December 5, 1983, in a Los Angeles hospital. He is buried in Lot 5153 of the Whispering Trees Section of Forest Lawn Cemetery inHollywood Hills.[116]
Film critic John Patterson summarized his career in 2012: "He was a punchy, caustic, macho and pessimistic director, who depicted corruption and evil unflinchingly, and pushed limits on violence throughout his career. His aggressive and pugnacious film-making style, often crass and crude, but never less than utterly vital and alive, warrants — and will richly reward — your immediate attention."[3]
In 2012, John Patterson ofThe Guardian commented that Aldrich is "a wonderful director nearly 30 years dead now, whose body of work is in danger of slipping over the horizon."[3] Japanese film directorKiyoshi Kurosawa noted Aldrich's influence on him.[117]
In theFX miniseriesFeud: Bette and Joan, Aldrich is portrayed by British-born actorAlfred Molina. The series follows the productions ofWhat Ever Happened to Baby Jane? andHush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte.
| Year | Title | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Joan of Paris | Second assistant director (uncredited) |
| 1942 | The Falcon Takes Over | Second assistant director (uncredited) |
| 1942 | The Big Street | Second assistant director (uncredited) |
| 1943 | Bombardier | Second assistant director (uncredited) |
| 1943 | Behind the Rising Sun | Second assistant director (uncredited) |
| 1943 | A Lady Takes a Chance | Second assistant director |
| 1943 | The Adventures of a Rookie | Second assistant director (uncredited) |
| 1943 | Gangway for Tomorrow | Second assistant director (uncredited) |
| 1943 | Rookies in Burma | Second assistant director (uncredited) |
| 1944 | Action in Arabia | Second assistant director (uncredited) |
| 1945 | The Story of G.I. Joe | Assistant director |
| 1945 | The Southerner | Assistant director |
| 1945 | Pardon My Past | Assistant director |
| 1946 | The Strange Love of Martha Ivers | Assistant director (uncredited) |
| 1947 | The Private Affairs of Bel Ami | Assistant director |
| 1947 | Body and Soul | Assistant director |
| 1948 | Arch of Triumph | Assistant director |
| 1948 | So This is New York | Assistant director |
| 1948 | No Minor Vices | Assistant director (uncredited) |
| 1948 | Force of Evil | Assistant director |
| 1949 | Caught | Assistant director (uncredited) |
| 1949 | The Red Pony | Assistant director (uncredited) |
| 1949 | Red Light | Assistant director: second unit |
| 1949 | A Kiss for Corliss | Assistant director |
| 1950 | When I Grow Up | Assistant director |
| 1950 | The White Tower | Assistant director (uncredited) |
| 1951 | Of Men and Music | Assistant director |
| 1951 | M | Assistant director |
| 1951 | New Mexico | Assistant director |
| 1951 | The Prowler | Assistant director |
| 1952 | The First Time | Associate producer |
| 1952 | Limelight | Assistant director |
| 1952 | Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd | Assistant director |
| 1956 | The Gamma People | Story by |
| 1957 | The Garment Jungle | Original director (uncredited) |
| 1978 | Too Many Chefs | Producer (uncredited) |
| Year | Association | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Cahiers du Cinéma | Top Ten Lists | Best Film | Kiss Me Deadly | 10th place | [118] |
| The Big Knife | 3rd Place | |||||
| Venice Film Festival | Golden Lion | Best Film | Nominated | [119] | ||
| Silver Lion | Best Director | Won | ||||
| 1956 | Pasinetti Award | Best Foreign Film | Attack | Won | [120][121] | |
| Berlin International Film Festival | Silver Bear | Best Director | Autumn Leaves | Won | [122] | |
| 1963 | Cannes Film Festival | Palme d'Or | Best Picture | What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? | Nominated | [123] |
| Directors Guild of America | DGA Award | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures | Nominated | [124] | ||
| 1968 | The Dirty Dozen | Nominated | ||||
| 1965 | Laurel Awards | Golden Laurel | Producer-Director | — | 6th place | [125] |
| 1967 | 6th place | |||||
| 1968 | 4th place | |||||
| 1970 | 10th place | |||||
| 1982 | Hochi Film Award | Best International Film | ...All the Marbles | Won | ||
