Wise achieved critical success as a director in a striking variety of film genres:horror-noir,western,war,film noir,horror,science fiction,musical anddrama, with many repeat successes within each genre. Wise's meticulous preparation may have been largely motivated by studio budget constraints, but advanced the moviemaking art. He received theAFI Life Achievement Award in 1998.
Robert Earl Wise was born inWinchester, Indiana, the youngest son of Olive R. (née Longenecker) and Earl W. Wise, a meat packer.[1][2] He had an elder brother, David.[3] The family moved toConnersville,Fayette County, Indiana, where Wise attended public schools. As a youth Wise's favorite pastime was going to the movies.[4] As a student atConnersville High School, Wise wrote humor and sports columns for the school's newspaper and was a member of the yearbook staff and poetry club.[5][6] Wise initially sought a career in journalism and following graduation from high school attendedFranklin College, a small liberal arts college south ofIndianapolis, Indiana, on a scholarship.[7] In 1933, due to the family's poor financial situation during theGreat Depression, Wise was unable to return to college for his second year and moved to Hollywood to begin a lifelong career in the film industry.[8] Wise's older brother, David, who had gone to Hollywood several years earlier and worked atRKO Pictures, found his younger brother a job in the shipping department at RKO.[9] Wise worked odd jobs at the studio before moving into editing.[8]
Wise began his film career atRKO as a sound and music editor. In the 1930s, RKO was a budget-minded studio with "a strong work ethic" and "willingness to take artistic risks", which was fortunate for a newcomer to Hollywood such as Wise.[10] At RKO, Wise became an assistant to T.K. Wood, the studio's head sound-effects editor.[11] Wise's first screen credit was a ten-minute short subject calledA Trip through Fijiland (1935), which was made from RKO footage salvaged from an abandoned feature film.[12]
As Wise gained experience, he became more interested in editing film content, rather than sound, and went to work for RKO film editor William "Billy" Hamilton.[13] Wise's first film as Hamilton's assistant was Alfred Santell'sWinterset (1936). Wise continued to work with Hamilton on other films, includingStage Door (1937),Having Wonderful Time (1938) andThe Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939).[13] InThe Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) and5th Ave Girl (1939), Hamilton and Wise, as assistant film editor, shared screen credit; it was Wise's first credit on a feature film.[14] Wise's first solo film editing work was onBachelor Mother (1939) andMy Favorite Wife (1939).[15]
Though Wise worked as an editor onCitizen Kane, it is likely that while working on the film he became familiar with theoptical printer techniques employed byLinwood Dunn, inventor of the practical optical printer, to produce effects forCitizen Kane such as the image projected in the brokensnowglobe which falls from Kane's hand as he dies.[16]
InCitizen Kane, Welles used a deep-focus technique, in which heavy lighting is employed to achieve sharp focus for both foreground and background in the frame. Wise later used the technique in films that he directed.[17] Welles'Citizen Kane also influenced Wise's innovations in the use of sound in films such asThe Set-Up (1949), where Wise limited music to in-film sources, and inExecutive Suite (1954), which used no music.[18] In addition, biographical films or biographical profiles of fictionalized characters such asCharles Foster Kane were often the subjects of Wise's later work, includingSomebody Up There Likes Me (1956),I Want to Live! (1958),The Sound of Music (1965),So Big (1953),Run Silent, Run Deep (1958) andThe Sand Pebbles (1966), among others.[19] Wise also worked as editor on Welles' next film for RKO,The Magnificent Ambersons (1942). While working as afilm editor, Wise was called on to shoot additional scenes for the film.[20] After Welles was dismissed from the studio, Wise continued editing films such asSeven Days Leave (1942),Bombardier (1943) andThe Fallen Sparrow (1943), before he received his first directing assignment.[21]
For Wise, connecting to the viewer was the "most important part of making a film."[22] Wise also had a reputation for a strong work ethic and budget-minded frugality.[23] In addition, he was known for his attention to detail and well-researched preparation for a film. For example, before directingUntil They Sail (1957), set in New Zealand during World War II, Wise traveled to New Zealand to interview women whose lives were similar to those portrayed in the film. Wise's attention to detail also extended to foreign locales. While in New Zealand doing research for the film, Wise also scouted background shots for the film's second-unit crew, even though the main film was shot on MGM's back lot in California.[24] He also shot films on location, such asMystery in Mexico (1948), a minor B-movie thriller filmed in Mexico City.[25]
Wise's films often included lessons on racial tolerance. For example, Native Americans, Muslims, Hispanics and African Americans were featured in such films asTwo Flags West (1950),This Could Be the Night (1957),The Set-Up (1949) andOdds Against Tomorrow (1959), andWest Side Story (1961).The Sand Pebbles (1966) featured the story of a biracial couple, and Jewish characters were included inSomebody Up There Likes Me (1956),The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), andThe House on Telegraph Hill (1951).[26]
At RKO, Wise got his first credited directing job in 1944 while working for Hollywood horror film producerVal Lewton. Wise replaced the original director on the horror filmThe Curse of the Cat People (1944), when it fell behind schedule.[27][28] The film, a well received "dark fantasy about a solitary child and her imaginary friend", was a departure from the horror films of the day.[29] In many of Wise's films, but especially inCurse of the Cat People, the melodrama used a vulnerable child or childlike character to challenge a dark, adult world.[30] Lewton promoted Wise to his superiors at RKO, beginning a collaboration that produced the notable horror filmThe Body Snatcher (1945), starringBoris Karloff andBela Lugosi.[31] Wise identified the film as a personal favorite and its rave reviews also helped establish his career as a director.[32]
BetweenCurse andSnatcher, Wise directedMademoiselle Fifi (1944), an adaptation of twoGuy de Maupassant short stories that explored man's darker side with a political subtext.[33]Fifi's feminist perspective and a memorable chase sequence helped make it a "template picture for Wise".[34] Wise also directed film noir, among them theLawrence Tierney noir classicBorn to Kill (1947), andBlood on the Moon (1948), a noir Western starringRobert Mitchum as a cowboy drifter that included memorable night sequences.[35]
His last film for RKOThe Set-Up (1949) was a realistic boxing movie in which Wise portrayed the sport as cruel and exploitative.[36] The film also included choreographed fight scenes and "set the bar" for other fight films.[37] The film earned the Critic's Prize at theCannes Film Festival.[38] Wise's use and mention of time in this film would echo in laternoir films such asStanley Kubrick'sThe Killing (1956) andQuentin Tarantino'sPulp Fiction (1994).[39][40]
In the 1950s, he proved adept in several genres, including science fiction inThe Day the Earth Stood Still (1951); melodrama inSo Big (1953);[41] Western inTribute to a Bad Man (1956), starringJames Cagney;[42] fictionalized biography in the boardroom dramaExecutive Suite (1954); and the epicHelen of Troy (1955) based onHomer'sIliad.Three Secrets (1950), a soap opera/family melodrama, gave Wise a chance to work with actressPatricia Neal "in a landmark performance about gender double standards".[43] Neal starred in two more Wise films:The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) andSomething for the Birds (1952).The Day the Earth Stood Still, a science fiction thriller that warned about the dangers of atomic warfare, included a realistic setting and an emphasis on the story instead of special effects.[44] The film received "overwhelmingly positive" reviews[45] and has become "one of the most enduring and influential science fiction films ever made, and among the first produced by a major studio."[46]
The biography of convicted killerBarbara Graham inI Want to Live! (1958), featuredSusan Hayward's Oscar-winning performance as Graham and earned Wise his first nomination forBest Director.[47] The film became one of the top-grossing pictures of 1959 and was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay from another medium and Best (black and white) Cinematography.[48] In addition,Executive Suite earned Wise a Best Director nomination from the Motion Picture Academy, the Venice Film Festival, and the Directors Guild of America. The film was awarded Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts nominated it for Best Film.[49] Other Wise-directed films from the 1950s includeSomebody Up There Likes Me (1956), a portrait of boxerRocky Graziano, starringPaul Newman;[50][51] Wise's first overt comedy,Something for the Birds (1952);[52] the action comedyDestination Gobi (1953);[53] andThe Desert Rats (1953), a more traditional war film.[54]
In the 1960s, Wise directed three films adapted from the Broadway stage:West Side Story (1961),Two for the Seesaw (1962) andThe Sound of Music (1965).[55] In 1961, teamed withJerome Robbins, Wise won theAcademy Award for Best Director forWest Side Story, which Wise also produced. Wise and Robbins were the first duo to share an Academy Award for directing.[56] Wise won a second Oscar, for Best Picture, as the film's producer,[57]West Side Story won ten out of its 11 Academy Award nominations: Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actor (George Chakiris), Supporting Actress (Rita Moreno), Cinematography (color), Art/Set Decoration (color), Sound, Scoring of a Musical Picture, Editing, and Costume Design (color). It lost for Best Screenplay based on material from another medium toJudgment at Nuremberg (1961).[58]West Side Story was a box-office hit, and critics have declared it "a cinema masterpiece".[59]
Prior to directingThe Sound of Music (1965), Wise directed the psychological horror filmThe Haunting (1963), starringJulie Harris, in an adaptation ofShirley Jackson's novelThe Haunting of Hill House.[60] Wise's big-budget adaptation ofRichard Rodgers andOscar Hammerstein's family-oriented musicalThe Sound of Music, withJulie Andrews as Maria andChristopher Plummer as Captain von Trapp, became one of film history's highest-grossing movies.[61] Wise won Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture forThe Sound of Music for 1965.[62] Wise struggled to keepThe Sound of Music from being an overly sweet, sentimental story by cutting lesser-known songs and adding new dialogue to improve transitions.[63] In addition to garnering Wise two Oscars, the film won three more for editing, sound and scoring of music for an adaptation.[64]
The Sound of Music was an interim film for Wise, produced to mollify the studio while he developed the difficult filmThe Sand Pebbles (1966), starringSteve McQueen,Richard Attenborough, andCandice Bergen.The Sand Pebbles, Wise's critically acclaimed film epic, was a parable of theVietnam War, with an antiwar director and message.[65][66] McQueen received his only Oscar nomination for his performance in the film.[57] Set in the late 1920s in China, this was an early entry in a series ofVietnam War era films followed byCatch-22 andM*A*S*H. Excellent reviews forThe Sand Pebbles marked Wise's last "creative peak" in his long career.[67]Star! (1968), with Julie Andrews in the lead asGertrude Lawrence, failed at the box office,[68] although it was consistent with Wise's other successful films that portrayed a strong woman "whose life choices invite melodramatic relationships."[69] Andrews was cast against type, but Wise, as the film's director, took responsibility for the film's shortcomings.[69]
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), the first of the feature films based on thepopular television series, was a difficult shoot for Wise. Popular film criticLeonard Maltin called it "Slow, talky, and derivative, somewhat redeemed by terrific special effects".[75] The film was a box office hit but a critical failure.
Wise wasIlya andAlexander Salkind's first choice to direct theSuperman spin-offSupergirl afterRichard Lester departed the franchise, but he declined.[76] Wise also was considered to direct the 1985 holiday filmSanta Claus: The Movie and the 1988 horror filmChild's Play introducing the slasher villainChucky.[77][78] In 1989, Wise directedRooftops, his last theatrical feature film. The low-budget musical "opened and closed with no fanfare."[75] At age 86, Wise directedA Storm in Summer (2000) for Showtime (cable television). StarringPeter Falk, it was his only made-for-television movie, airing in 2001,[57] and won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Children's Special.[79]
Wise, a lifelong liberal, contributed to charitable organizations, including theAmerican Civil Liberties Union, and established the Robert E. Wise Foundation to provide financial assistance to causes in the Los Angeles area.[80] Wise's private papers are housed at theUniversity of Southern California.[81]
As Wise's directing career slowed, he took a more active role in supporting the film industry. He became a governor of theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1966 and served for 19 years until becoming president from 1985[82] through 1988. He had previously been president of the Directors Guild of America from 1971 to 1975. He also sat on the Board of Trustees of theAmerican Film Institute and chaired its Center for Advanced Film Studies. Wise was named chairman of theDirectors Guild of America's special projects committee in 1980, organizing its fiftieth anniversary celebration in New York in 1986. In addition, Wise was a leading member of the National Council of the Arts and Sciences, the Department of Film at theMuseum of Modern Art in New York, and the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital.[83]
Wise also encouraged young filmmakers and responded to inquiries from fans and film students. Wise supervisedEmilio Estevez's debut as a director inWisdom (1986) and was its executive producer.[79] Wise also made a cameo performance inJohn Landis'The Stupids (1996).[79]
In his later years, Wise continued to be active in productions of DVD versions of his films, including making public appearances promoting those films. His last contributions were to the DVD commentaries ofThe Sound of Music,The Haunting andThe Set-Up. He also oversaw the DVD commentaries ofThe Sand Pebbles andExecutive Suite. He also oversaw and provided DVD commentary for his Director's Edition ofStar Trek: The Motion Picture, which included re-edited scenes, new optical effects and a new sound mix. This was the director's final project before his death.[86]
On May 25, 1942, Wise married actress Patricia Doyle.[87] Throughout their long life together, Wise and his wife enjoyed entertaining and traveling, before she died of cancer on September 22, 1975.[88] The couple had one son, Robert, who became an assistant cameraman.[89] On January 29, 1977, Wise married Millicent Franklin.[90] Millicent died on August 31, 2010, atCedars-Sinai Hospital, Los Angeles.[citation needed]
Wise had an expansive bungalow on the Universal Studios lot and owned a modern California beach house. He continued to screen films for personal enjoyment and had "final cut" decisions on his films.[91]
Wise suffered a heart attack and was rushed toUCLA Medical Center, where he died of heart failure on September 14, 2005, four days after his 91st birthday.[8][92]
Wise was a 4-time Oscar-winner (Best Director and Best Picture, 1961 and 1965) and also received the Academy'sIrving G. Thalberg Memorial Award (1966);[93] the D.W. Griffith Award (1988) from the Directors Guild of America for outstanding lifetime achievement;[79] theNational Medal of Arts (1992);[94] AFI's Lifetime Achievement Award (1998);[95] and the Society of Motion Picture and Television Art Directors career award for "outstanding contribution to cinematic imagery" (1998).[79] Wise also has a star (#6340) on theHollywood Walk of Fame.[96]
In 2012, theMotion Picture Editors Guild published a list of the 75 best-edited films of all time based on a survey of its membership.Citizen Kane, which Wise had edited early in his career, was listed second.[97]
In Indiana, GovernorRoger D. Branigin proclaimed March 1, 1967, Robert Wise Day in honor of the 1967 premiere ofThe Sand Pebbles in Indianapolis. Wise was also named aSagamore of the Wabash.[57] In 1968, Wise was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from Franklin College and in 1981 co-chaired a $10 million fundraising campaign for the college.[57]Connersville, Indiana, proclaimed June 4, 1968, as Robert Wise Day, while his birthplace,Winchester, Indiana, made a similar proclamation the following day.[98]
On November 3, 1990, Wise attended the dedication of the Robert E. Wise Center for Performing Arts at the new Connersville High School.[98] In 1992, Wise received Lifetime Achievement Award from theCairo International Film Festival.[99] In 1992, Wise was named the first recipient of the Indianapolis-basedHeartland Film Festival's Crystal Heart Career Achievement Award.[98] In 2002, theIndiana Historical Society named Wise a Living Legend.[100] Wise is also depicted in a mural of famousRandolph County, Indiana, natives in the county's courthouse.[57] This mural was painted by local artist Roy L. Barnes.[57]
^The Connersville High School's auditorium, the Robert E. Wise Center for Performing Arts, was named in his honor in 1990. SeeSelke, Mike (September 16, 2005). "Connersville's Hollywood star director gives in to heart failure".Connersville News Examiner. Connersville, Indiana. p. A1 and A9.
^TheEntertainment Weekly "Guide to the Greatest Movies Ever Made" also namedWest Side Story at the top of its 100 best musicals list. See Gehring, p. 222–223.
^Wise initially turned down the project, but later agreed after reaching a compromise with the film's producer. He directed the film in exchange for a percentage of the film's net profit and an agreement to financeThe Sand Pebbles, one of Wise's film projects that had stalled due to budget concerns. See Gehring, p. 233.
^The film's premier was held at the Lyric Theater inIndianapolis, Indiana, where Wise had seen films in his youth on family outings to the city. See Gehring, p. 253.
^National Student Film Institute/L.A: The Sixteenth Annual Los Angeles Student Film Festival. The Directors Guild Theatre. June 10, 1994. pp. 10–11.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Los Angeles Student Film Institute: 13th Annual Student Film Festival. The Directors Guild Theatre. June 7, 1991. p. 3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Britton, Bonnie; Slosared, Steve (September 16, 2005). "Director of classic movies dies at 91".Indianapolis Star. Indianapolis, Indiana:Gannett Company. The Associated Press. p. A12.
Gehring, Wes D (2012).Robert Wise: Shadowlands. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society Press.ISBN9780871952967.
Selke, Mike (September 16, 2005). "Connersville's Hollywood star director gives in to heart failure".Connersville News Examiner. Connersville, Indiana. p. A1 and A9.
Smith, David L (2006).Hoosiers in Hollywood. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society Press.ISBN9780871951946.
