- Joseph L. Mankiewicz
-
Joseph L. Mankiewicz 
Born Joseph Leo Mankiewicz
February 11, 1909
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, U.S.Died February 5, 1993 (aged 83)
Bedford, New York, U.S.Occupation Writer, Director, Producer Years active 1929 - 72 Spouse Elizabeth Young (1934–1937)
Rose Stradner (1939–1958)
Rosemary Matthews (1962)Joseph Leo Mankiewicz (11 February 1909 – 5 February 1993) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. Mankiewicz had a long Hollywood career and is best known as the writer-director of All About Eve (1950), which was nominated for 14 Academy Awards and won six. He was brother to screenwriter and drama critic Herman J. Mankiewicz who also won an Oscar for co-writing Citizen Kane (1941).
Contents
Early life
Joseph Mankiewicz was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania to Franz Mankiewicz (died 1941) and Johanna Blumenau, Jewish immigrants from Germany.[1][2][3] He had a sister, Erna Mankiewicz (1901–1979), and a brother, Herman J. Mankiewicz, who became a screenwriter.[4][5][6]
At age four, Mankiewicz moved with his family to New York City where he graduated in 1924 from Stuyvesant High School.[7] In 1928, he obtained a bachelor's degree from Columbia University. For a time he worked in Berlin, Germany, as a foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune newspaper before entering the motion picture business.
Hollywood career
Comfortable in a variety of genres and able to elicit career performances from actors and actresses alike, Joseph L. Mankiewicz combined ironic, sophisticated scripts with a precise, sometimes stylised mise en scène. Mankiewicz worked for seventeen years as a screenwriter for Paramount and as a producer for MGM before getting a chance to direct at Twentieth Century-Fox. Over six years he made 11 films for Fox, reaching a peak in 1950 and 1951 when he won consecutive Academy Awards for Screenplay and Direction for both A Letter to Three Wives and All About Eve.
During his long career in Hollywood, Mankiewicz wrote forty-eight screenplays, including All About Eve, for which he won an Academy Award. He also produced more than twenty films including The Philadelphia Story which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1941. However, he is best known for the films he directed, twice winning the Academy Award for Best Director. In 1944, he produced The Keys of the Kingdom, which starred Gregory Peck, and featured Mankiewicz's then-wife, Rose Stradner, in a supporting role as a nun.
In 1951, Mankiewicz left Fox and moved to New York, intending to write for the Broadway stage. Although this dream never materialised, he continued to make films (both for his own production company Figaro and as a director-for-hire) that explored his favourite themes — the clash of aristocrat with commoner, life as performance and the clash between people's urge to control their fate and the contingencies of real life.[citation needed]
In 1953, he directed Julius Caesar for MGM, an adaptation of Shakespeare's play. It received widely favorable reviews, and David Shipman, author of the book The Great Movie Stars: The Hollywood Years, called it "perhaps the finest Shakespeare film ever made". The film serves as the only record of Marlon Brando in a Shakespearean role; he played Mark Antony, and received an Oscar nomination for his performance.
In 1958, Mankiewicz directed The Quiet American, an adaptation of Graham Greene's 1955 novel about the seed of American military involvement in what would become the Vietnam War. Mankiewicz, under career pressure from the climate of anti-Communism and the Hollywood blacklist, distorted the message of Greene's book, changing major parts of the story to appeal to a nationalistic audience. A cautionary tale about America's blind support for "anti-Communists" was turned into, according to Greene, a "propaganda film for America".[8]
Cleopatra consumed three years of Mankiewicz's life and ended up both derailing his career and causing severe financial losses for the studio, Twentieth Century-Fox. Mankiewicz made more films, however, garnering an Oscar nomination for Best Direction in 1972 for Sleuth, his final directing effort, starring Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine.[citation needed] In 1983, he was a member of the jury at the 33rd Berlin International Film Festival.[9]
He was the younger brother of Herman J. Mankiewicz. His sons are Eric Reynal (from his first marriage), the late writer/director Tom Mankiewicz and producer Christopher Mankiewicz. He also has a daughter, Alex Mankiewicz. His great-nephew is radio & television personality Ben Mankiewicz, currently on TCM.
Mankiewicz, who died in 1993, six days before his 84th birthday, was interred in Saint Matthew's Episcopal Churchyard cemetery, Bedford, New York.[7]
Filmography
Director
Writer
- Fast Company (1929) co-writer
- Slightly Scarlet (1930) co-writer
- Paramount on Parade (1930)
- The Social Lion (1931) Adaptation
- Only Saps Work (1931) co-writer
- The Gang Buster (1931)
- Finn & Hattie (1931)
- June Moon (1931) co-writer
- Skippy (1931) co-writer
- Newly Rich (1931) co-writer
- Sooky (1931) co-writer
- This Reckless Age (1932) co-writer
- Sky Bride (1932) co-writer
- Million Dollar Legs (1932) Story
- If I Had A Million (1932) (segments "China Shop", "Three Marines", "Violet") Uncredited
- Diplomaniacs (1933) co-writer
- Emergency Call (1933) co-writer
- Too Much Harmony (1933) Story
- Alice In Wonderland (1933) co-writer
- Manhattan Melodrama (1934) co-writer
- Our Daily Bread (1934) Dialogue
- Forsaking All Others (1934)
- I Live My Life (1935)
- The Keys of the Kingdom (1944) co-writer
- Dragonwyck (1946)
- Somewhere in the Night (1946) co-writer
- A Letter to Three Wives (1949)
- House of Strangers (1949) Uncredited
- No Way Out (1950) co-writer
- All About Eve (1950)
- People Will Talk (1951)
- Julius Caesar (1953) Uncredited
- The Barefoot Contessa (1954)
- Guys and Dolls (1955)
- The Quiet American (1958)
- Cleopatra (1963) co-writer
- The Honey Pot (1967)
Awards
Year Film Result Category Academy Awards 1931 Skippy Nominated Best Adapted Screenplay 1941 The Philadelphia Story Nominated Best Picture 1950 A Letter to Three Wives Won Best Director Won Best Original Screenplay 1951 All About Eve Won Best Director Won Best Original Screenplay No Way Out Nominated Best Original Screenplay 1953 5 Fingers Nominated Best Director 1955 The Barefoot Contessa Nominated Best Original Screenplay 1973 Sleuth Nominated Best Director Directors Guild of America 1949 A Letter to Three Wives Won Outstanding Directorial Achievement 1951 All About Eve Won Outstanding Directorial Achievement 1953 5 Fingers Nominated Outstanding Directorial Achievement 1954 Julius Caesar Nominated Outstanding Directorial Achievement 1981 Won Honorary Life Member Award 1986 Won Lifetime Achievement Award Writers Guild of America 1950 A Letter to Three Wives Won Best Written American Comedy 1951 All About Eve Won Best Written American Comedy Nominated Best Written American Drama No Way Out Nominated The Robert Meltzer Award 1952 People Will Talk Nominated Best Written American Comedy 1955 The Barefoot Contessa Nominated Best Written American Drama 1956 Guys and Dolls Nominated Best Written American Musical 1963 Won Laurel Award for Screen Writing Achievement Directed Academy Award Performances
Year Performer Film Result Academy Award for Best Actor 1953 Marlon Brando Julius Caesar Nominated 1963 Rex Harrison Cleopatra Nominated 1972 Michael Caine Sleuth Nominated 1972 Laurence Olivier Sleuth Nominated Academy Award for Best Actress 1950 Anne Baxter All About Eve Nominated 1950 Bette Davis All About Eve Nominated 1959 Katharine Hepburn Suddenly, Last Summer Nominated 1959 Elizabeth Taylor Suddenly, Last Summer Nominated Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor 1950 George Sanders All About Eve Won 1954 Edmond O'Brien The Barefoot Contessa Won Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress 1950 Celeste Holm All About Eve Nominated 1950 Thelma Ritter All About Eve Nominated References
- ^ The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives. Charles Scribner's Sons. 1998. ISBN 0684806207. http://books.google.com/books?id=FVUYAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Franz+Mankiewicz%22&dq=%22Franz+Mankiewicz%22&pgis=1. "Mankiewicz was the youngest of three children born to the German immigrants Franz Mankiewicz, a secondary schoolteacher, and Johanna Blumenau, a homemaker."
- ^ Joseph L. Mankiewicz. 1983. ISBN 0805792910. "The father, Franz Mankiewicz, emigrated from Germany in 1892, living first in New York and then moving to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in to take a job ..."
- ^ "Dr. Frank Mankiewicz". New York Times. 1941-12-05. "Mankiewicz, Mr. Frank, dearly beloved husband of Johanna, devoted father of Herman, Joseph, and Mrs. Erna Stenbuck. Services Park West Memorial Chapel, ..."
- ^ "Joseph Mankiewicz Weds. MGM Producer Marries Rose Stradner, Viennese Actress". New York Times. 1939-07-29. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50C15FA3954107A93CBAB178CD85F4D8385F9. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
- ^ "Erna Mankiewicz Stenbuck, 78, Retired New York Schoolteacher". New York Times. 1979-08-19. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F2071FF9355C12728DDDA00994D0405B898BF1D3. Retrieved 2008-07-02. "Erna Mankiewicz Stenbuck, a retired, teacher in the New York City schools, died Aug. 1 in Villach, Austria, where she had lived for several years. She was 78 years old. ... She was married in ... to Dr. Joseph Stenbuck, a New York City surgeon who died in 1951. They had no children. She is survived by a brother, Joseph L. ..."
- ^ "H. J. Mankiewicz, Screenwriter, 56. Winner of Academy Award in 1941 Dies. Playwright Was Former Newspaper Man.". New York Times. 1953-03-06. "His brother, Joseph, is a well known screen author, producer and director. ... A sister, Mrs. Erna Stenbuck of New York, also survives."
- ^ a b Flint, Peter (1993-02-06). "Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Literate Skeptic of the Cinema, Dies at 83". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE5D9113AF935A35751C0A965958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print. Retrieved 2007-11-01. "Joseph L. Mankiewicz, a writer, director and producer who was one of Hollywood's most literate and intelligent film makers, died yesterday at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, N.Y. He was 83 and lived in Bedford, N.Y."
- ^ Alford, Matthew (2008-11-14). "An offer they couldn't refuse". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/nov/14/thriller-ridley-scott.
- ^ "Berlinale: 1983 Juries". berlinale.de. http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1983/04_jury_1983/04_Jury_1983.html. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
Further reading
- Brodsky, Jack; Nathan Weiss (1963). The Cleopatra Papers. New York: Simon and Schuster.
- Mankiewicz, Joseph L.; Gary Carey (1972). More About 'All About Eve'. New York: Random House.
- Geist, Kenneth L. (1978). Pictures Will Talk: The Life and Films of Joseph L. Mankiewicz. New York: Scribners. ISBN 0-68415-500-1.
- Cheryl Bray Lower: Joseph L. Mankiewicz: Critical Essays and Guide to Resources. Jefferson, NC, McFarland & Co., 2001. ISBN 0-78640-987-8
- Bernard F. Dick: Joseph L. Mankiewicz. New York, Twayne Publishers, 1983. ISBN 0-80579-291-0
- Oderman, Stuart, Talking to the Piano Player 2. BearManor Media, 2009. ISBN #1-59393-320-7.
External links
- Joseph L. Mankiewicz at the Internet Movie Database
- Joseph L. Mankiewicz at the TCM Movie Database
- Senses of Cinema: Great Directors Critical Database
- Joseph L. Mankiewicz at Find a Grave
Academy Award for Best Director (1941–1960) John Ford (1941) · William Wyler (1942) · Michael Curtiz (1943) · Leo McCarey (1944) · Billy Wilder (1945) · William Wyler (1946) · Elia Kazan (1947) · John Huston (1948) · Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1949) · Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1950) · George Stevens (1951) · John Ford (1952) · Fred Zinnemann (1953) · Elia Kazan (1954) · Delbert Mann (1955) · George Stevens (1956) · David Lean (1957) · Vincente Minnelli (1958) · William Wyler (1959) · Billy Wilder (1960)
Complete list · (1927–1940) · (1941–1960) · (1961–1980) · (1981–2000) · (2001–2020) Academy Award for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) (1941–1960) Sidney Buchman and Seton I. Miller (1941) · George Froeschel, James Hilton, Claudine West and Arthur Wimperis (1942) · Philip G. Epstein, Julius J. Epstein and Howard Koch (1943) · Frank Butler and Frank Cavett (1944) · Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder (1945) · Robert Sherwood (1946) · George Seaton (1947) · John Huston (1948) · Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1949) · Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1950) · Harry Brown and Michael Wilson (1951) · Charles Schnee (1952) · Daniel Taradash (1953) · George Seaton (1954) · Paddy Chayefsky (1955) · John Farrow, S. J. Perelman and James Poe (1956) · Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson (1957) · Alan Jay Lerner (1958) · Neil Paterson (1959) · Richard Brooks (1960)
Complete list · (1928–1940) · (1941–1960) · (1961–1980) · (1981–2000) · (2001–2020) Hosts of the Academy Awards ceremonies (1941–1960) Bob Hope (1941) · None (1942) · Bob Hope (1943) · Jack Benny (1944) · Bob Hope / John Cromwell (1945) · Bob Hope / James Stewart (1946) · Jack Benny (1947) · Dick Powell / Agnes Moorehead (1948) · Robert Montgomery (1949) · Paul Douglas (1950) · Fred Astaire (1951) · Danny Kaye (1952) · Bob Hope / Conrad Nagel (1953) · Donald O'Connor / Fredric March (1954) · Bob Hope / Thelma Ritter (1955) · Jerry Lewis / Claudette Colbert / Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1956) · Jerry Lewis / Celeste Holm (1957) · Bob Hope / David Niven / James Stewart / Jack Lemmon / Rosalind Russell (1958) · Bob Hope / David Niven / Tony Randall / Mort Sahl / Laurence Olivier / Jerry Lewis (1959) · Bob Hope (1960)
Complete list · (1927–1940) · (1941–1960) · (1961–1980) · (1981–2000) · (2001–2020) King Vidor (1936) · Frank Capra (1939) · George Stevens (1941) · Mark Sandrich (1943) · John Cromwell (1944) · George Marshall (1948) · Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1950) · George Sidney (1951) · Frank Capra (1960) · George Sidney (1961) · Delbert Mann (1967) · Robert Wise (1971) · Robert Aldrich (1975) · George Schaefer (1979) · Jud Taylor (1981) · Gilbert Cates (1983) · Franklin J. Schaffner (1987) · Gene Reynolds (1993) · Jack Shea (1997) · Martha Coolidge (2002) · Michael Apted (2003) · Taylor Hackford (2009)
Films directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz 1940s Dragonwyck (1946) • Somewhere in the Night (1946) • The Late George Apley (1947) • The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) • Escape (1948) • A Letter to Three Wives (1949) • House of Strangers (1949)1950s No Way Out (1950) • All About Eve (1950) • People Will Talk (1951) • 5 Fingers (1952) • Julius Caesar (1953) • The Barefoot Contessa (1954) • Guys and Dolls (1955) • The Quiet American (1958) • Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)1960s 1970s There Was a Crooked Man... (1970) • Sleuth (1972)Categories:- American film directors
- American film producers
- American screenwriters
- Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners
- Best Director Academy Award winners
- Presidents of the Directors Guild of America
- Columbia University alumni
- English-language film directors
- American people of German-Jewish descent
- Jewish American writers
- Mankiewicz family
- People from New York City
- People from the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area
- People from Westchester County, New York
- Stuyvesant High School alumni
- Writers Guild of America Award winners
- 1909 births
- 1993 deaths
- American Jews
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