Anthony Mann

At 60 years old, Anthony Mann has this physical status:

Career

Mann used to work as a nightwatchman for Westinghouse Electric, which enabled him to do stage work during the day. Mann was employed full time at the Triangle Theater in Greenwich Village for a few months. He appeared in The Dybbuk (1925), The Little Clay Cart (1926), and The Squall (1926) by Jean Bart, using the name "Anton Bundsmann." Mann appeared in The Blue Peter and Uncle Vanya (1929), which was close to the end of the decade.

Mann began as a stage manager and then as a director in 1930. Nonetheless, he continued to perform, appearing in The Streets of New York (1931), or Poverty Is No Crime (1931), and The Bride the Sun Shines On (1933) depicting the "Duke of Calcavalle" ("Duke of Calcavalle" (1933). Mann produced a stage version of Christopher Morley's Thunder on the Left, which was performed at the Maxine Elliott's Theatre in 1933. Brooks Atkinson criticized the performance in a theater review for The New York Times, "its medley of realism and fantasy is expanding less intelligible scene by scene, and some of the scenes are disconcertingly profane." He starred Cherokee Night (1936), So Proudly We Hail (1936), and The Big Blow (1938). He worked with various stock companies before beginning his own in 1934, which later became Long Island's Red Barn Playhouse.

Mann began working for Selznick International Pictures in 1937 as a talent scout and casting director. He also wrote screen tests for a number of films, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938), Intermezzo (1939), and Rebecca (1940). Jennifer Jones, one of the unknown actresses he tested, was one of the few actors to be tested. Mann returned to Paramount Pictures to assist several film producers, most notably for Preston Sturges on Sullivan's Travels (1941). "Preston] let me go through the entire production, with Mann as the producer – and I directed a little." I'd staged a scene and he'd tell me how awful it was. I watched the editing process and learned more as a student learned more. "I make a film as soon as possible," Preston said. He spent three years in the role.

Mann, on the other hand, did some interesting, but mostly unsuccessful, work as a producer for NBC's experimental television station W2XBS, from 1939 to 1940. The following were condensations of the hit Western play The Missouri Legend and the melodrama The Streets of New York. Norman Lloyd and George Coulouris, as well as other well-known actors, remain in the Museum of Television and Radio's five-minute silent clip from the former program.

Mann made his directorial debut with Dr. Broadway (1942) at Paramount, which starred Carey. Mann remembered that he was instructed to finish shooting the film in eighteen days, and it was decades later. "The dialogue could have just as well have been written in baby talk," Herman Schoenfeld of Variety dismissed it upon its publication, and Anton Mann's direction was not as appropriate. The photography is spot on, and the entire process seems to be inexpensive. Acting is poor, with only Edward Ciannelli as the killer who is killed, and only then is there a functioning job." The film, according to Harrison's Reports, was more complimentary, with "colorful characters, human interest, quick action, and scenes that keep one in suspense."

Moonlight in Havana (1943) at Universal Pictures was his sequel to his previous film. Allan Jones and Jane Frazee appeared in the film. Mann was expected to return to Broadway in August 1944 to direct Mirror for Children. Mann went to Republic Pictures, where he filmed Nobody's Darling (1944) and My Best Gal (1944).

Strangers in the Night (1944) was his next film director. Hilda Blake (Helene Thimig) is the film's director, who designs an imaginary "daughter" for Sgt. Johnny Meadows (William Terry) who has been wounded in the South Pacific has been hospitalized. Meadows is looking for the elusive woman after being discharged and returning to the United States. Dr. Leslie Ross (Virginia Grey), who is later killed by Blake, alerts him of the truth; in turn, Blake plans to murder Meadows. The film was notable for its noirish mise-en-scène and psychological depth, which were present in Mann's later films. Mann then starred Erich von Stroheim and Mary Beth Hughes in The Great Flamarion (1945). Mann fought with von Stroheim on principal photography, describing him as "difficult" at length. He was a charm, not really an actor...He sent me mad. He was a genius. I'm not a genius: I'm a factory worker.'

Mann went to RKO to direct Two O'clock Courage (1945), which was a remake of the 1936 film Two in the Dark, starring Tom Conway and Ann Rutherford. He also directed Sing Your Way Home in the same year. Mann posed for Strange Impersonation (1946). At RKO, he was The Bamboo Blonde (1946).

Mann had signed with Eagle-Lion Films, a fledgling company created by Arthur B. Krim and Robert Benjamin by 1946.

There, he directed Railroaded!

(1947) arose in the United States. The film was shot in ten days, according to Mann. According to a Variety film review, the film was "an old-type, blood-and-thunder gangster meller that's better than its no-name cast would show," and in particular Mann was praised for directing "with true insight in delivering the most suspense." T-Men (1947) was released in the same year as T-Men (1947). The film, according to Elmer Lincoln Irma, began from a rejected bid to dramatize the US Treasury's investigation into Al Capone's tax evasion charges. Rather, Irey brought forward three cases relating to the probe. T-Men was shot within three weeks from July 31 to August 23, with four days of reshoots in September. Mann commissioned cinematographer John Alton, who was loaned out from Republic for the job, to direct T-Men as their first collaboration. The film earned $2.5 million worldwide when it was first released.

He went back to RKO for Desperate (1947), which he also co-wrote with Dorothy Atlas. According to a Variety article, it was "a ripsnorting gangster meller with plenty gunplay, bumping off of characters, and horrific brutality that reminded of pre-code days"; Mann's development was described as "being done skillfully." Mann returned to Eagle-Lion to direct Raw Deal (1948), reteaming with screenwriter John C. Higgins and actor Dennis O'Keefe. The film received accolades from many publications, but Bosley Crowther of The New York Times had the film rejected.

Mann's success with Desperate and T-Men made him Mann Eagle-Lion's Most Valuable Director. Mann was hired to direct a dramatization of the Bastille in February 1948, with Richard Basehart portraying an aide to General Lafayette. Walter Wanger was preoccupied with Joan of Arc (1948), so he gave over executive responsibilities to production designer William Cameron Menzies. Principal photography lasted 29 days, from August to September 1948, costing $850,000. Mann and Mann co-team with Alton, developed a low-cost noir style with low lighting and omnipresent shadows on minimal furniture, high-angled camera shots, and rear projection for large crowd shots. Reign of Terror (1949), the resulting film, was called Reign of Terror (1949). Mann was brought in to direct several scenes from He Walked by Night (1948), which also starred Basehart. Mann worked with Higgins and Alton on the film once more. However, Alfred L. Werker was given the official director's award.

Higgins and Mann had been researching T-Men (1947), and they had come across the issue of Border Patrol agents along the Mexico-United States border. The Border Incident (1949) was born in Eagle-Lion, but MGM's Dore Schary acquired the script for $50,000 and hired Mann to direct the film in December 1948. Mann had also signed Mann to a multi-picture deal with the studio. Mann and Francis Rosenwald had scripted Follow Me Quietly (1949), a film that was first purchased by Jack Wrather Productions for Allied Artists beforehand. Don Castle was hired to perform. RKO revealed in December that it had purchased the script from Wrather and assigned Martin Rackin to write a new script.

Mann's career took a dramatic turn in the 1950s, with a total of ten Western films directed during the decade (three of which were released in 1950). Mann was approached by Nicholas Nayfack, who inquired, "How would you like to control a Western?" Mann said after the Border Incident (1949). I've got a scenario that sounds a bit strange." He was given the script for Devil's Doorway (1950), who called it "the best script I'd ever read." Robert Taylor appeared in the film portraying a Shoshone native who faces bigotry after returning home in Medicine Bow, Wyoming, after his decorated service in the American Civil War. Principal photography began in 1949 and continued until mid-October. MGM initially held the film due to its topical area, but later this year, Delmer Daves' Broken Arrow (1950), starring James Stewart, became a hit. The film was neither a critical or commercial success when it was released.

James Stewart, Winchester, 73 (1950), he continued this with a Western at Universal. Fritz Lang had intended to direct the film, but Stewart was deemed unsuitable for the lead role and was forced to leave early. When Stewart had seen a rough cut of Devil's Doorway (1950), he suggested Mann as a replacement. Mann was eager to learn but decided against a script that called Borden Chase for a rewrite. Principal photography in Tucson, Arizona, began on February 14, 1950, during a thirty-day shooting schedule. The film was a commercial hit, grossing $2.25 million in distributor rental sales, becoming Universal Pictures' second-most profitable film of 1950.

Mann directed the Western The Furies (1950) at Paramount, starring Barbara Stanwyck and Walter Huston, at Hal Wallis' invitation. The film, which was also released in summer 1950, earned $1.55 million in distributorships in the United States and Canada. "It had wistful characters, informative records, and haters," Mann remarked, "but it fell because nobody in it cared about it; they were all rudderless, rootless, and haters." Mann was sent by Cinecittà to do second-unit duties on Quo Vadis (1951). Mann spent 24 nights filming the burning of Rome sequence with assistant cinematographer William V. Skall.

Side Street (1950) was Mann's last film noir. Farley Granger and Cathy O'Donnell appeared in the film, reteaming after They Live by Night (1948). Dick Powell, The Tall Target (1952), was his next film director.

Universal Pictures wanted another film partnership between Mann and Stewart after the success of Winchester in 73 (1950). Stewart suggested that the book Bend of the River by Bill Gulick be translated to Universal after one friend's suggestion. The studio agreed and purchased the film rights. Thunder Bay (1953) at Universal made the actor and producer's first contemporary adventure film. Mann expressed dissatisfaction with the final film, saying, "We tried but it was all too fake and the plot was weak." We were never going to lick it, but of course it did get a profit." Mann and Stewart re-teamed for the Naked Spur (1953), fulfilling their MGM deal.

Mann and Stewart's best success to date with The Glenn Miller Story (1954). The film's first movie, which was released on DVD, earned $7 million in distributor rental. Walter Brennan and The Far Country were shot in the same year as well. Mann's last film with Borden Chase will be directed by him. Mann and Victor Mature co-directed The Last Frontier (1955) in Columbia Pictures.

Strategic Air Command (1955), Mann and Stewart were paired for one more non-Western film, Strategic Air Command (1955). Stewart had worked with the United States Air Force and pressed for a cinematic portrayal. Mann agreed to direct the film with the Air Force's support, despite the fact that Mann wanted to film the Convair B-36 and Boeing B-47 as the human characters. "Mâché," Mann says. The film debuted at $6.5 million at the box office. Mann's last collaboration with Stewart was The Man from Laramie (1955) at Columbia Pictures. Among Stewart's collaborative films, the film was the most favored of his. On Night Passage (1957), Stewart and Mann were to reunite in 1956. Mann was canceled from the project before filming was scheduled to begin on September 4 in San Antonio. Mann withdrew because he had not finished editing Men in War (1957), according to contemporary accounts. Mann, on the other hand, has reported creative differences with Chase over the script, which Mann considered to be weak. Mann asked to be changed, but James Neilson was brought on to direct. Stewart and Mann have never worked on another project together again.

Mario Lanza, Serenade (1956), was the subject of a musical performed by Mann. Serenade, Serenade (1956). On set, he met and worked with actress Sara Montiel, who became his second wife. Mann revealed in August 1957 that he had acquired the film rights to Lion Feuchtwanger's book This is the Hour, which told a fictionalized account of painter Francisco Goya. Montiel was supposed to portray Maria Teresa de Cayetana, Duchess of Alba. Mann had dropped the project early in February 1958 as a competitor film The Naked Maja (1958) was in production. Montiel is set to appear in John McPartland's then-recently released book Ripe Fruit, which will be directed by Montiel. However, the scheme was unable to materialize.

Henry Fonda, The Tin Star (1957), and then joined Philip Yordan to produce two films starring Robert Ryan and Aldo Ray, Men in War (1958), as well as God's Little Acre (1958). Gary Cooper was he directed by him in a Western, Man of the West (1958). Filming began on February 10, 1958, and it came to an end later this year. Howard Thompson of The New York Times wrote that the film was "good, lean, rugged little Western" that was ""well-acted and gloriously photographed in color and Cinema-Scope" when it was announced. As the film was released in France, Elsewhere, Jean-Luc Godard, then a Cahiers du Cinéma critic, gave it a raving review.

Mann was hired by Universal Pictures to direct Spartacus (1960), much to Kirk Douglas's dissatisfaction with Mann's claims that he was "scared of the picture's scope." The mine sequence was shot in Death Valley, California, on January 27, 1959. Douglas felt that Mann had lost track of the film, in particular: "He let Peter Ustinov direct his own scenes by taking every suggestion Peter made." The suggestions were fine, but not so much for the film. Douglas was allowed to fire Mann with the studio's permission. Mann graciously left the theater on February 17, to which Douglas promised he "owe[d]" a film to him, according to Douglas' account. Stanley Kubrick had been recruited to direct a day later. Mann went to MGM to direct Glenn Ford in a Cimarron (1960) shortly after. Mann had been filming on location for ten days, but the shoot had endured tumultuous storms. MGM's studio executives reacted angrily to the decision to move the operation indoors. Mann disagreed, remarking that the whole process had been ruined after it had become "an economic disaster and a fiasco." Mann left the company and was replaced by Charles Walters.

Mann was recruited to direct El Cid (1961) for Samuel Bronston in July 1960. Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren appeared in the film. Loren was dissatisfied with her script and demanded that blacklisted screenwriter Ben Barzman rewrite it in November 1960, just before filming was set to begin. Mann recovered Barzman and gave him the new shooting script, which Barzman agreed to rewrite from scratch, on an airplane ride to Rome. Filming began on November 14, 1960, and it continued until April 1961. El Cid was first introduced in December 1961 and received considerable praise from film critics, and box office rentals from the United States and Canada increased by $12 million.

The Fall of the Roman Empire was Mann's first film. (1964) Mann, who had just finished filming El Cid (1961), had spotted an Oxford-sharpened version of Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire near the Hatchards bookshop's front window. Mann then read the book, and after a flight to Madrid, he pitched a film adaptation of the novel to Bronston, to which the producer agreed. The film was supposed to unite Heston and Loren, but Heston departed the project to star in 55 Days at Peking (1963), another Bronston production. Stephen Boyd assumed his position in the following years. Filming began on January 14, 1963 and ended in July 1963. The film, which was released in March 1964, earned $1.9 million in box office rentals in the United States and Canada, against an estimated production budget of $16 million. Mann presided over the jury at the 14th Berlin International Film Festival in July the previous year.

Mann and producer S. Benjamin Fisz had reportedly started work on The Unknown Battle, a dramatic re-telling of Norwegian resistance soldier Knut Haukelid's sabotage attempt to prevent Nazi Germany from producing an atomic bomb during World War II. Barzman had been hired to write the script, but Allied Artists had been hired as a distributor, and Allied Artists had been hired to produce the script. Boyd and Elke Sommer were hired to play the leading roles by February 1964. Kirk Douglas, on the other hand, had been hired to play the lead role in July. Douglas embraced the role after receiving a phone call from Mann that contradicted his earlier pledge that he "owe" him a film. The film was then titled The Heroes of Telemark (1965).

Mann was destined to produce and produce the spy thriller A Dandy in Aspic (1968) for Columbia Pictures in October 1966. Filming was set to start in February 1967 in Austria, Germany, and London.

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