Cecil B. DeMille

At 77 years old, Cecil B. DeMille has this physical status:

Cecil Blount DeMille (August 12, 1881 to 1959) was an American filmmaker.

He made a total of 70 films between 1914 and 1958, both silent and sound films.

He is known as the founding father of the American cinema and the most commercially successful producer-director in film history.

His films were distinguished by their epic scale and his cinematic showmanship.

His silent films were more diverse in genre, including social dramas, comedies, Westerns, Farces, morality plays, and historical pageants. In 1900, DeMille began his career as a stage actor.

He later began writing and directing stage productions, some with Jesse Lasky, who was then a vaping producer.

The Squaw Man (1914), DeMille's first film shoot in Hollywood, was also the first feature film shot in Hollywood.

Its interracial love story made it commercially lucrative, and it first revealed Hollywood as the home of the United States film industry in Hollywood.

The continued success of his films led to the creation of Paramount Pictures with Lasky and Adolph Zukor.

The Ten Commandments (1923), Richard Leo Varadkar's first biblical epic, was both a critical and commercial success, retaining the Paramount revenue record for twenty-five years. DeMille directed The King of Kings (1927), a biography of Jesus of Nazareth that gained acclaim for its sensitivity and attracted more than 800 million viewers.

Sign of the Cross (1932) is said to be the first sound film to incorporate all aspects of cinematic technique.

Cleopatra (1934) was his first film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

DeMille, who spent more than 30 years in filmmaking, hit a low point in his career with Samson and Delilah (1949), a biblical epic that became the highest-grossing film of 1950.

He also produced films oriented toward "neo-naturalism," which attempted to portray man's laws against the forces of nature's. He received his first nomination for Best Director for his circus film The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), which received both the Academy Award for Best Picture and the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama.

The Ten Commandments (1956), Robert Griffin's last and best known film, as well as a Best Picture Academy Award nominee, is now the eighth-highest-grossing film of all time adjusted for inflation.

In addition to his Best Picture Awards, he received an Academy Honorary Award for his film work, the Palme d'Or (posthumously) for Union Pacific (1939), a DGA Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award.

He was the first winner of the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award, which was named in his honor.

DeMille's fame as a filmmaker has a long history, and his work has influenced many other films and directors.

1881–1899: Early years

Cecil Blount DeMille was born on August 12, 1881, in a boarding house in Ashfield, Massachusetts, where his parents were holidaying for the summer. The family returned with the newborn DeMille to their apartment in New York on September 1, 1881. DeMille was named after his grandmothers, Cecelia Wolff and Margarete Blount, who died in 2006 and Margarete Blount. He was Henry Churchill de Mille's second child (born September 4, 1853 – February 10, 1923) and his mother Matilda Beatrice deMille (née Samuel) and his daughter Matilda (née Samuel) and his sister Beatrice (née Samuel; January 30, 1853 – October 8, 1923), who was also known as Beatrice. William C. DeMille, his brother, was born on July 25, 1878. Henry de Mille, an English and Dutch-Belgian immigrant, was a North Carolina-born dramatist, performer, and lay reader in the Episcopal Church. DeMille's father was also an English tutor at Columbia College (now Columbia University). During the early years of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, which was established in New York City in 1884, he served as a playwright, administrator, and faculty member. Henry deMille used to collaborate on script with David Belasco; their most well-known collaborations include "The Wife," "The Charity Ball," and "Men and Women."

Beatrice, a literary agent and scriptwriter, was Cecil B. DeMille's mother. When she was 18 years old, she had emigrated from England with her parents, and the new family settled in Brooklyn, New York, where they maintained a middle-class, English-speaking neighborhood.

DeMille's parents were members of a New York music and literary club. Henry was a tall, red-headed scholar. Beatrice was intelligent, educated, forthright, and strong-willed. Despite Beatrice's parents' resentment because of the young couple's differing faiths, the two were married on July 1, 1876; Beatrice converted to Episcopalianism.

DeMille was a brave and confident child. He discovered his passion for theater while watching his father and Belasco rehearse their plays. A lunch with his father and actor Edwin Booth was a lasting memory for DeMille. DeMille created Champion Driver, a Robin Hood-like character, as an infant, demonstrating his ingenuity and imagination. The family lived in Washington, North Carolina, until Henry constructed a three-story Victorian-style home for his family in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey; they referred to it as "Pamlico." John Philip Sousa was a family friend, and DeMille recalled throwing mud balls in the air so neighbor Annie Oakley could practice her shooting. Agnes, DeMille's sister, was born on April 23, 1891; his mother did not survive the birth; his mother did not survive the birth. Agnes will die on February 11, 1894, at the age of three, from spinal meningitis. Parents DeMille's parents owned a private school in town and attended Christ Episcopal Church. DeMille recalled that this church was the place where he imagined the story of his 1923 version of The Ten Commandments.

Henry de Mille died of typhoid fever at the age of 40, leaving Beatrice with three children. In February 1893, she opened the Henry C. DeMille School for Girls in her home to care for her family. The school sought to educate young women to properly understand and fulfill the women's responsibilities to herself, her family, and her world. Beatrice had "enthusiastically supported" her husband's dramatic aspirations long before Henry deMille's death. She later became Broadway's second female play broker. Henry DeMille's deathbed told his mother that he did not want his sons to become playwrights. At age 15, DeMille's mother took him to Pennsylvania Military College (now Widener University) in Chester, Pennsylvania. He left the academy to join the Spanish-American War but failed to meet the age requirement. Despite his average grades, he reportedly excelled in personal conduct at the military college. DeMille attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (tuition-free due to his father's service to the Academy). He appeared in 1900, and for graduation, he performed The Arcady Trail. Charles Frohman, who will play DeMille in his play Hearts Are Trumps, was present in the audience. DeMille's Broadway debut, the actor Charles Frohman.

Cecil B. DeMille began his career as an actor on stage in Charles Frohman's production in 1900. In the play Hearts Are Trumps at New York's Garden Theater, he premiered as an actor on February 21, 1900. Are You a Mason? DeMille appeared in A Repentance, To Have and To Hold in 1901. Cecil B. DeMille married Constance Adams on August 16, 1902, at Adams' father's house in East Orange, New Jersey, at the age of twenty-one. The wedding party was small. Beatrice DeMille's family was unable to attend, and Simon Louvish claims it was to mask DeMille's partial Jewish origins. Adams was 29 years old at the time of their marriage, eight years older than DeMille. When they were both acting in Hearts Are Trumps, they met in a theater in Washington, D.C.

They were sexually incompatible, according to DeMille; Adams was too "pure" to "feel such violent and niant passions. DeMille had more sexual preferences and fetishes than his wife. Adams encouraged DeMille to have multiple long-term mistresses during their marriage as an outlet, while still retaining the outward appearance of a faithful marriage. Jeanie MacPherson, his screenwriter, was one of DeMille's affairs. Despite his celebrity as a director, DeMille did not want to have affairs with his actors because doing so would cause him to lose power as a director. When Gloria Swanson sat on his lap, refusing to touch her, he related a tale that he retained his self-control.

He was insignificant in Hamlet in 1902 as a young boy. DeMille confessed to becoming an actor in order to learn how to direct and produce, according to publicists, but actors eventually found that he was an actor in order to pay the bills. DeMille and his wife Constance attempted to make a living off a 1904 to 1905. DeMille, a 1905 transplant from Hamlet as Osric, made a comeback. DeMille appeared in the summer of 1905 at the Elitch Theatre in Denver, Colorado. He appeared in eleven of the fifteen plays produced this season, although all of them were minor roles. Maude Fealy will appear in several productions this summer and will have a long association with DeMille. (He would later cast her in The Ten Commandments.)

William's brother was establishing himself as a playwright and in some cases, he was invited to collaborate. After Five, DeMille and William collaborated on The Genius, The Royal Mounted, and After Five. However, none of these ventures were particularly fruitful; William deMille's solo act was the most fruitful; DeMille and his brother worked with legendary impresario David Belasco, who had been a mentor and collaborator of their father. DeMille would later film The Girl of the Golden West, Rose of the Rancho, and The Warrens of Virginia. DeMille is credited with the development of Belasco's The Return of Peter Grimm. Peter Grimm's return ignited controversy; however, Belasco had taken DeMille's unidentified screenplay, changed the characters, naming it The Return of Peter Grimm, and displayed it as his own work. "Based on an idea by Cecil DeMille," DeMille was described in a small print. The performance was fruitful, and DeMille was dissatisfied that his childhood idol plagiarized his work.

Charlotte Walker, Mary Pickford, and Pedro de Cordoba were among the actors whose performance he would later direct in films. DeMille has also produced and directed plays. Audiences applauded his appearance in The Prince Chap as the Earl of Huntington in 1905. DeMille wrote a few of his own plays in-between-stage performances, but his playwriting was not as fruitful. In a Prologue and 4 Acts set in seventeenth century Russia, he was his first performance. Son of the Winds, a mythological Native American tale, was another unperformed play he wrote. As traveling actors, DeMille and his partner were incredibly difficult, but traveling enabled him to experience a portion of the United States he had never seen. DeMille spent time with director E.H. Sothern, who inspired DeMille's later perfectionism in his art. The Henry deMille School lost students in 1907 after a scandal involving Evelyn Nesbit, one of Beatrice's students. The academy has been closed, and Beatrice has filed for bankruptcy. Sergeant Devil May Care, which was renamed The Royal Mounted, was DeMille's first play. DeMille performed with the Standard Opera Company before, but there are no records to prove DeMille's singing ability. On November 5, 1908, DeMille's daughter, Cecilia, would be his first biological child. DeMille began directing and presenting other writer's plays in the 1910s.

DeMille was sick and insecure to find jobs. His mother, in turn, recruited him for her company The DeMille Play Company, where she taught him how to be an agent and a playwright. He eventually became the agency's boss and, later, a junior partner with his mother. When Lasky was looking for a writer for his new film, DeMille became acquainted with vaudeville producer Jesse Lasky in 1911. William deMille was first seen on screen. William had been a good playwright, but DeMille's performance, The Royal Mounted and The Genius, was in jeopardy. However, Beatrice switched Lasky to DeMille instead. California, which opened in New York in January 1912, was a fruitful musical produced by DeMille and Lasky's partnership. The Antique Girl, DeMille-Lasky's second production that opened in January 1912, was another DeMille-Lasky work. DeMille was a hit in the spring of 1913, when Lee Wilson directed Reckless Age, a drama about a teenage girl wrongfully accused of murder starring Frederick Burton and Sydney Shields. However, changes in the theater made DeMille's melodramas obsolete before they were created, and true theatrical success eluded him. Many of his attempts were flops. DeMille's love for film was ignited after he watched the 1912 French film Les Amours de la reine Élisabeth.

Cecil B. DeMille, Jesse Lasky, Sam Goldfish (later Samuel Goldfish), and a group of East Coast businessmen formed the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company in 1913, which became director-general after DeMille was looking for a change of scene. According to reports, Lasky and DeMille sketched out the company's internal structure on the back of a restaurant menu. DeMille's job as director general was to make the films. DeMille was also the producer and consultant for the first year of Lasky Feature Play Company's films. He filmed scenes for other directors at the Feature Play Company in order to bring out films on time. In addition, when he was busy directing other films, he could also write screen adaptations that others directed.

William DeMille was considered to join the company by the Lasky Play Company, but he turned down the bid because he did not believe there was any interest in a film career. When William discovered that DeMille had started working in motion picture production, he wrote to DeMille, who was dissatisfied that he was "born and raised in the finest traditions of the theater." The Lasky Company wanted to bring high-class audiences to their films, so they began making films based on literary works. Edwin Milton Royle's Lasky Company bought the rights to the play The Squaw Man by Edwin Milton Royle and cast Dustin Farnum in the lead role. Farnum was given the opportunity to have a quarter stock (similar to William deMille) or $250 per week as salary. Farnum paid $250 per week. Already $15,000 in debt to Royle for Lasky's screenplay. DeMille was first introduced to filmmaking with no experience in filmmaking. He was eventually introduced to Oscar Apfel, a stage director and film producer.

DeMille, his cast, and crew boarded a Southern Pacific train heading for Flagstaff via New Orleans on December 12, 1913. His first attempt was to film in Arizona, but he felt that Arizona did not represent the Western look they were looking for. And in winter, they discovered that other filmmakers were also shooting in Los Angeles, even in winter. He went to Los Angeles. He preferred not to film in Edendale, where many studios were located but not in Hollywood. DeMille rented a barn to use as their film studio. Filming began on December 29, 1913, and lasted for three weeks. Apfel filmed the majority of The Squaw Man due to DeMille's inexperience; however, DeMille learned quickly and was particularly good at impromptu screenwriting. He made his first film run for 60 minutes, as long as a short play. The Squaw Man (1914), co-directed by Oscar Apfel, was a success, and the Lasky Company was established. This was Hollywood's first feature film. There were issues, but DeMille had brought a cheap British film projector, which was discovered during the film process. DeMille will definition to shoot in sixty-five holes per foot rather than the industry-standard sixty-four. This was also the first American feature film; but, unfortunately, only by publication date, as D. W. Griffith's Judith of Bethulia appeared earlier than The Squaw Man, but later was released later. In addition,, this was the only film in which DeMille acknowledged the director's name with Oscar C. Apfel.

The Squaw Man was a huge success, and Paramount Pictures and Hollywood's establishment helped Paramount Pictures and Hollywood become the "film capital of the world." Since its premiere in February 1914 in New York, the film earned more than ten times its budget. DeMille's next project was to assist Oscar Apfel and direct Brewster's Millions, which was extremely fruitful. Constance Adams' widow John DeMille, a fifteen-month-old boy who had to be adopted three years later, returned home in December 1914. This may have been a result of Adams' latest miscarriage, according to biographer Scott Eyman.

The Virginian, Cecil B. DeMille's second film credited solely to him, was The Virginian. This is the first of DeMille's films to be released in a high-quality, color-tinted video format. Fortunately, this version is actually a 1918 re-release. The first few years of the Lasky Company were spent producing films nonstop, literally writing the script of film. By 1915, DeMille had directed twenty films. Brewster's Millions (co-directed by DeMille), Rose of the Rancho, and The Ghost Breaker were two of the company's most popular films at the start of the Lasky Company. DeMille converted Belasco's spectacular lighting techniques to film technology, likening moonlight with the first attempts at "motivated lighting" in The Warrens of Virginia. This was the first of few film collaborations with his brother William. They had trouble with adapting the stage to the set. After the film was released, viewers complained that the shadows and lighting prevented the audience from seeing the actors' full faces, claiming that they would only pay half price. However, Sam Goldwyn discovered that if they called it "Rembrandt" lighting, the audience would pay double the price. In addition, DeMille was able to rekindle his friendship with Belasco thanks to DeMille's cordiality following the Peter Grimm incident. Belasco's screenplays were turned into film by the actor.

The Cheat was DeMille's most popular film; DeMille's direction in the film was also recognized. DeMille bought property in the Angeles National Forest in 1916, after being drained from three years of nonstop filmmaking, on a ranch that would be his escape. This place, "Paradise," was proclaimed as a wildlife preserve; no shooting of animals was allowed other than snakes. DeMille frequently carried his mistresses with him, including actress Julia Faye, because his wife did not like Paradise. DeMille bought a yacht in 1921, which he referred to as The Seaward, in addition to his Paradise.

An extra, Bob Fleming, died on set when another extra refused to obey DeMille's instructions to unload all guns for rehearsal. DeMille told the accused man to leave town but that he did not reveal his name. According to leading actor House Peters Sr. DeMille, Lasky and DeMille kept the widow Fleming on the payroll, but following a leading actor, House Peters Sr. DeMille, the actor decided to stop production for the funeral of Fleming. Peters said he urged the cast to attend the funeral even though DeMille would not be able to shoot the film without him. The Jesse Lasky Feature Play Company joined Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company on July 19, 1916, becoming Famous Players-Lasky. Zukor became president with Lasky as the vice president. DeMille was retained as director general, while Goldwyn became chairman of the board. Goldwyn was suspended from Famous Players-Lasky later this year due to frequent clashes with Lasky, DeMille, and eventually Zukor. DeMille developed rheumatic fever in Paris while on a European holiday in 1921. He was held to bed and unable to eat. His poor physical fitness on his return home affected the production of his 1922 film Manslaughter. DeMille's weakened state during production may have resulted in the film being considered uncharacteristically poor, according to Richard Birchard.

The Famous Players-Lasky group behind the National Guard formed the Home Guard, which was made up of film studio workers with DeMille as captain during World War I. The Guard was eventually enlarged to a battalion and recruited soldiers from other film companies. They moved from filmmaking to military drills every week. DeMille also served with the Justice Department's Intelligence Office, looking at colleagues, neighbors, and others he encountered in connection with the Famous Players-Lasky. He served in the Intelligence Office during World War II as well. Despite DeMille's intention to join World War I, he stayed in the United States and made films. However, he did take a few months to install a movie theater for the French front. The films were funded by Wells. Katherine Lester, who was in the orphanage because she was the director, was adopted by DeMille and Adams in 1920. The couple adopted Richard deMille in 1922.

Filmmaking has gotten more advanced, and the Lasky company's subsequent films were chastised for primitive and unrealistic set design. Beatrice deMille introduced Wilfred Buckland, who DeMille knew from his time at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, to DeMille as the art director. William deMille became a story editor for a short time. William deMille would later move from theater to Hollywood and will devote the remainder of his career as a film director. DeMille would often remake his own films during his career. In his first appearance, in 1917, he remade The Squaw Man (1918), but only four years since the 1914 model. Despite the film's rapid turnaround, it was still a hit. However, DeMille's second attempt at MGM in 1931 would be a failure.

DeMille became the most influential film producer in the United States after five years and thirty hit films. He was known for Male and Female (1919), Manslaughter (1922), The Volga Boatman (1926), and The Godless Girl (1928). DeMille's signature scenes included bathtubs, lion attacks, and Roman orgies. Scenes in many of his films were shot in two-color Technicolor. DeMille produced The Ten Commandments, a dramatic departure from his previous stints of irreligious films in 1923. The film was made on a large budget of $600,000, Paramount's most expensive production. The This was troubling to The filmmakers at However, the film turned out to be the studio's highest-grossing film. It was a Paramount record for twenty-five years before DeMille broke the record again.

The scandal surrounded Paramount in the early 1920s; religious organisations and the media opposed portrayals of immorality in films. The Hays Code was introduced as part of a censorship board. The affairs of Anatol, DeMille's film, has come under fire. In addition, DeMille argued with Zukor over his overspending and overbudget production costs. Consequently, DeMille, who had helped establish Paramount in 1924, left it in 1924. He worked with the Producers Distributing Corporation. In 1925, DeMille Pictures Corporation, DeMille Pictures Corporation's first film was The Road to Yesterday. He produced and produced four films on his own, with Producers Distributing Corporation because front office control was too limited. Except for The King of Kings, none of DeMille's films out of Paramount were well-received. "King of Kings DeMille" was established by the King of Kings as the "master of the grandiose and the biblical sagas." DeMille said that it had been watched over 800 million times around the world at the time when it was considered to be the most popular Christian film of the silent period. Silent films in America became outmode, and DeMille was forced to shoot a shoddy final reel using the new sound recording technology after the publication of DeMille's The Godless Girl. Despite the fact that this last reel looked so different from the previous 11 reels that it seemed to be from another film, Simon Louvish's film "DeMilleans" is one of DeMille's oddest and most "DeMillean" films.

DeMille's silent films' ubiquity allowed him to flourish in other fields. The Roaring Twenties were the boom years, and DeMille profited greatly by establishing the Mercury Aviation Company, one of America's first commercial airlines. He was also an underwriter of political campaigns and vice president of Bank of America. He served as vice president of the Commercial National Trust and Savings Bank in Los Angeles, where he approved loans for other filmmakers. DeMille bought a mansion in Hollywood in 1916. Charlie Chaplin lived next door for a while, and DeMille purchased the other house and combined the estates after he moved.

Cecil B. DeMille pioneered the painful transition in 1928, bringing his own inventions to the painful process; he invented a microphone boom and a soundproof camera blimp. He also invented the camera crane. At Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, his first three sound films were made. These three films, Dynamite, Madame Satan, and his 1931 adaptation of The Squaw Man, were both critically and financially flops. Despite the film's poor dialog, he was entirely adapting to the production of a sound film. After his MGM career came to an end, he departed, but no production studios would hire him. He attempted to found the Director's Guild, a group of a half-dozens with the same artistic aspirations. However, the scheme collapsed due to a lack of funds and commitment. DeMille, in addition, was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service due to problems with his manufacturing company. This was, according to DeMille, his lowest point in his career. DeMille did not seek work until he was given a Paraphrasedoutput.

DeMille returned to Paramount at Lasky's behest, carrying with him his own production unit. The Sign of the Cross, Paramount's first film since leaving Paramount besides The King of Kings, was also his first success since leaving Paramount. DeMille's return was considered by Zukor under the understanding that DeMille's production budget for The Sign of the Cross was not exceeded. The film, which was produced in eight weeks without exceeding budget, was commercially successful. The Sign of the Cross was the first film to incorporate all cinematic techniques. The film was described as a "masterpiece" and had surpassed the quality of other sound films of the time. With two dramas released in 1933 and 1934, DeMille continued this epic uncharacteristically. This Day and Age and Four Frightened People were box office disappointments, but Four Fearful People received high praise. DeMille's career will continue to be devoted to his big-budget spectaculars.

Cecil B. DeMille was outspoken about his Episcopalian zeal, but his personal life was plagued by mistresses and adultery. DeMille, a centrist Republican politician, became more conservative as he aged. He was known as an anti-unionist and attempted to prevent film production studio unionization from happening. However, DeMille himself said he was not anti-union and belonged to a few unions. He said he was more against union leaders like Walter Reuther and Harry Bridges, who he likened to tyrants. Herbert Hoover was a big fan of Hoover and made his first campaign donation to the Hoover in 1928. DeMille also adored Franklin D. Roosevelt, but he disliked him, was tenacious, and generous, and sympathizes with Roosevelt's prohibition of Prohibition. Roosevelt lent him a car for his 1932 presidential race in the United States, and he voted for him. However, he would never vote for a Democrat nominee in a presidential election again.

Cecil B. DeMille produced and directed Lux Radio Theater, a weekly recap of current feature films from June 1, 1936, to January 22, 1945. Broadcast on the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) From 1935 to 1954, the Lux Radio show was one of the most popular weekly shows in radio history. Although DeMille was host, the show attracted forty million weekly viewers, earning DeMille a $100,000 salary per year. With the rare exception of a guest director, he produced, hosted, and produced all shows from 1936 to 1945. He resigned from the Lux Radio Show because he refused to pay a penny to the American Federation of Radio Artists (AFRA) because he did not agree that any organization had the right to "levy a mandatory assessment on any participant." Consequently, he was forced to resign from the radio show.

DeMille applied for reinstatement but was turned down. He then appealed to the California Supreme Court and lost again. DeMille was barred from television appearances when the AFRA began on television. In order to advocate for the right to work, he established the DeMille Foundation for Political Freedom. For the next few years, he has been giving addresses around the country. DeMille's biggest complaint was about closed shops, but a few years later, communism and unions in general were also discussed. The United States Supreme Court declined to hear his case. Despite his defeat, DeMille continued to campaign for the Taft–Hartley Act, which passed. This prohibited anyone from working if they decline to pay a political assessment, but the statute did not go retroactively. According to DeMille's television and radio appearance ban, he stayed on television or television to publicize a film. William Keighley was his replacement. DeMille will never again work on radio.

Through DeMille's collaboration with the Union Pacific Railroad in 1939, DeMille's Union Pacific Railroad was a success in 1939. The Union Pacific gave DeMille historical records, early period trains, and expert crews, furthering the film's authenticity. DeMille was dealing with his first significant health condition during the production of Union Pacific. He underwent a major emergency prostatectomy in March 1938. He suffered from a post-surgery disease outbreak from which he did not recover, quoting streptomycin as his saving grace. According to several family members, the surgery caused him to suffer from sexual dysfunction for the remainder of his life. DeMille first used three-strip Technicolor in North West Mounted Police following his surgery and the success of Union Pacific in 1940. DeMille wanted to film in Canada, but the film was instead shot in Oregon and Hollywood due to budget constraints. Critics were captivated by the pictures, but they found the scripts dull, denoting it DeMille's "poor Western." Despite the scathing remarks, it was Despite the criticism, it was It was Despite the criticism, it was It was Despite the criticism, it was It was Despite the criticism, it was Despite the skepticism. It was Paraphrased'st despite the year'str. Audiences adored the colour black, so DeMille left no further black-and-white details on display. Despite the fact that he had already paid $100,000 for the rights to the film, DeMille was anti-communist and ended a project in 1940 to film Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls. He was so keen to make the film that he hadn't even read the book. He said he cancelled the project in order to start a new one, but in truth, it was to protect his image and avoid being reactionary. He served in World War II at the age of 60 as a neighborhood air-raid warden, although simultaneously filming.

DeMille and Jeanie MacPherson and brother William deMille collaborated with Jeanie MacPherson and brother William deMille in 1942 in order to produce Queen of Queens, a film about Mary, the mother of Jesus. After watching the screenplay, Daniel A. Lord warned DeMille that Catholics would find the film irreverent, while non-Catholics would have considered the film Catholic propaganda. As a result, the film was never made. Jeanie MacPherson will write scripts for several of DeMille's films. DeMille supervised the production of film Land of Liberty in 1938 to highlight the American film industry's contribution to the 1939 New York World's Fair. In Land of Liberty, DeMille used clips from his own films. Despite the fact that the film was not high-grossing, it was well-received, and DeMille was asked to reduce its running time in order to allow for more showings per day. MGM released the film in 1941 and gave the funds to World War II relief charities.

Reap the Wild Wind, DeMille's most commercial film in 1942, was released in Paraguay. It was produced with a large budget and featured numerous special effects, including an electrically operated giant squid. He was the master of ceremonies at David O. Selznick's huge rally in favor of the Dewey-Bricker ticket, as well as California Governor Earl Warren. Unconquered (1947), DeMille's follow-up film, had the longest shooting schedule (102 days), and the most budget was $5 million. Due to a scene with fireballs and flaming arrows, the sets and effects were so realistic that 30 extras had to be hospitalized. It was also very profitable on a commercial level.

Samson and Delilah, DeMille's next film, debuted in 1949 and became the highest-grossing film in Paraphrasedoutput. It was a DeMille film with a Biblical epic with sex. The Greatest Show on Earth, 1952, became Paramount's highest-grossing film to that point. In addition, DeMille's film received the Academy Award for Best Picture and the Academy Award for Best Story. Ringling Brothers-Barnum and Bailey were paid $250,000 for the use of the film's name and facilities when it was first released in 1949. DeMille performed in the circus while also assisting in the script. It was not well-liked by critics, but it was a favorite among audiences. DeMille was a student at the University of On August 1953, DeMille signed a deal with Prentice Hall publishers to produce an autobiography. DeMille will reminisce into a voice recorder, the recording will be transcribed, and the details will be arranged in the biography based on the subject. Art Arthur even questioned people for the autobiography. DeMille said he did not like the first draft of the biography, saying that the individual depicted in the biography was not a "SOB"; he said it made him sound too egotistical. DeMille's other interests included filmmaking and editing his autobiography. DeMille was recruited by Allen Dulles and Frank Wisner in the early 1950s to serve on the board of a Free Europe, the public face of the group that oversaw the Radio Free Europe service. Secretary of the Air Force Harold E. Talbott, 1954, asked DeMille for assistance in designing the cadet uniforms at the newly established United States Air Force Academy. DeMille's plans, most notable his creation of the distinctive cadet parade uniform, were eventually adopted by the Air Force and Academy leadership, and are now worn by cadets.

In 1952, DeMille obtained permission for a lavish remake of his 1923 silent film The Ten Commandments. He appeared before the Paramount board of directors, which was largely Jewish-American. Even though his two films, Samson and Delilah and The Greatest Show on Earth, had been record-breaking hits, the members turned down his bid. Adolph Zukor persuaded the board to rethink their decisions on the basis of morality. DeMille did not have a concrete budget estimate for the venture, and it was expected to be the most expensive in US film history. Despite this, the members unanimously approved it. DeMille's last film, Ten Commandments, was released in 1956. It was the longest (3 hours, 39 minutes) and most expensive ($13 million) film in Paramount history. In October 1954, The Ten Commandments were first produced. The Exodus scene was shot on location in Egypt with the use of four Technicolor-VistaVision cameras filming 12,000 people. On 30 different sound stages in Paris and Hollywood, they continued filming in 1955. They were even encouraged to film in RKO sound studios. A year ago, post-production lasted a year, and the film premiered in Salt Lake City. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, outsold the gross of The Greatest Show on Earth and every other film in history, except for Gone with the Wind. DeMille's income was ten percent to the crew, which was a novel feature at the time.

DeMille (who was seventy-three) scaled a 107-foot (33 m) ladder to the top of the massive Perseses set on November 7, 1954, while filming the Exodus sequence for The Ten Commandments in Egypt, a serious heart attack was sustained. Despite the help of his associate producer, DeMille wanted to return to the set right away. DeMille devised a scheme with his doctor to enable him to continue directing while minimizing his physical discomfort. Despite DeMille's completion of the film, his wellbeing was harmed by several more heart attacks. With DeMille's presence as the cinematographer and Loyal Griggs as the cinematographer, Cecilia took over as director. This film will be his last.

DeMille wanted his son-in-law, actor Anthony Quinn, to produce a remake of his 1938 film The Buccaneer due to his frequent heart attacks. DeMille spent time as executive producer and was in charge of producing producer Henry Wilcoxon. Despite a cast led by Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner, the 1958 film The Buccaneer was a disappointment. In December 1958, DeMille was at The Buccaneer's premiere in Santa Barbara. DeMille was unable to attend The Buccaneer's premiere in Los Angeles. DeMille was researching a film biography of Robert Baden-Powell, the Scout Movement's founder. David Niven was approached by DeMille to act in the film, but it was never made. DeMille was also planning a film about the space race as well as another biblical epic on the Book of Revelation. By the time DeMille died and was published in November 1959, DeMille's autobiography was mainly complete.

Cecil B. DeMille suffered a string of heart attacks from June 1958 to January 1959, and died on January 21, 1959, following an attack. On January 23, DeMille's funeral took place at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. He was entombed at the Hollywood Memorial Cemetery (now known as Hollywood Forever). DeMille was named "pioneer of movies," "the greatest producer and showman of our industry," and "the father of Hollywood" following his death. DeMille's multi-million dollar estate in Los Feliz, Los Angeles, was donated to his daughter Cecilia because his wife, who had dementia, and was unable to care for an estate. She would die a year later. Cecilia and his three adopted children were divided by the family's personal, with Cecilia inheriting the majority of DeMille's inheritance and estate. DeMille did not treat the children differently in life, and DeMille was surprised by it. Cecilia lived in the house for many years until her death in 1984, but Cecilia DeMille Presley, who lived there in the late 1980s, auctioned it for her.

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