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Mitchell Leisen
American film director

Mitchell Leisen

The basics

Quick Facts

Intro
American film director
Gender
Male
Place of birth
Menominee, Menominee County, Michigan, USA
Place of death
Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, USA
Age
74 years
Awards
star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
 
The details (from wikipedia)

Biography

James Mitchell Leisen (October 6, 1898 – October 28, 1972) was an American director, art director, and costume designer.

Film career

He entered the film industry in the 1920s, beginning in the art and costume departments. He directed his first film in 1933 with Cradle Song and became known for his keen sense of aesthetics in the glossy Hollywood melodramas and screwball comedies he turned out.

His best known films include Alberto Casella'sadaptation of Death Takes a Holiday and Murder at the Vanities, a musical mystery story (both 1934), as well as Midnight (1939) and Hold Back the Dawn (1941), both scripted by Billy Wilder. Easy Living (1937), written by Preston Sturges and starring Jean Arthur, was another hit for the director, who also directed Remember the Night (1940), the last film written by Sturges before he started directing his scripts as well.

Lady in the Dark (1944), To Each His Own (1946), and No Man of Her Own (1950) were later successes. Charles Brackett's comedy The Mating Season (1951) starring Gene Tierney, Miriam Hopkins and Thelma Ritter was an updated version of Leisen's earlier screwball comedies of the 1930s, and was also his last big movie success.

When his film career ended, Leisen directed episodes of such television series as Thriller, Shirley Temple's Storybook, The Twilight Zone, and The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.. He later became a nightclub owner.

Personal life

Though married, Leisen was reported to be gay or bisexual. According to Carolyn Roos, Leisen's longtime business manager's daughter, he had a very long relationship with dancer/actor/choreographer Billy Daniel until the 1950s (Daniel died in 1962). Leisen, with Daniel and dancer/actor Mary Parker, formed Hollywood Presents Inc. as a means of promoting both Daniel and Parker off-screen. Leisen died of heart disease in 1972, aged 74. His grave is located in Chapel of the Pines Crematory.

Awards

He garnered his sole Academy Award nomination in 1930 for Art Direction for Cecil B. DeMille's Dynamite. He directed Hold Back the Dawn (1941), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Filmography (as director)

YearTitleProduction Co.CastNotes
1933Cradle SongParamountDorothea Wieck / Evelyn Venable
1934BoleroParamountGeorge Raft / Carole LombardCo-directed with Wesley Ruggles
1934Death Takes a HolidayParamountFredric March / Evelyn VenableReleased to DVD
1934Murder at the VanitiesParamountVictor McLaglen / Jack Oakie / Carl Brisson
1934Behold My WifeParamountGene Raymond / Ann Sheridan / Sylvia Sidney
1935Four Hours to Kill!ParamountRichard Barthelmess / Ray Milland / Gertrude Michael
1935Hands Across the TableParamountCarole Lombard / Fred MacMurray
193613 Hours by AirParamountFred MacMurray / Joan Bennett / ZaSu Pitts
1936The Big Broadcast of 1937ParamountJack Benny / George Burns / Gracie Allen / Ray Milland
1937Swing High, Swing LowParamountCarole Lombard / Fred MacMurray / Dorothy LamourReleased to DVD
1937Easy LivingParamountJean Arthur / Edward Arnold / Ray MillandReleased to DVD
1938The Big Broadcast of 1938ParamountW. C. Fields / Martha Raye / Bob Hope / Dorothy LamourReleased to DVD
1938Artists and Models AbroadParamountJack Benny / Joan BennettReleased to DVD
1939MidnightParamountClaudette Colbert / Don Ameche / John Barrymore / Mary AstorReleased to DVD
1940Remember the NightParamountBarbara Stanwyck / Fred MacMurrayReleased to DVD
1940Arise, My LoveParamountClaudette Colbert / Ray Milland
1941I Wanted WingsParamountRay Milland / William Holden / Wayne Morris / Veronica LakeWON Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
1941Hold Back the DawnParamountCharles Boyer / Olivia de Havilland / Paulette GoddardNominated for Academy Award for Best Picture.
Released to DVD (region 2).
1942The Lady Is WillingParamountMarlene Dietrich / Fred MacMurray
1942Take a Letter, DarlingParamountRosalind Russell / Fred MacMurray
1943No Time for LoveParamountClaudette Colbert / Fred MacMurray
1944Lady in the DarkParamountGinger Rogers / Ray MillandTechnicolor film
1944Frenchman's CreekParamountJoan Fontaine / Arturo de Córdova / Basil Rathbone / Nigel BruceTechnicolor film
1944Practically YoursParamountClaudette Colbert / Fred MacMurray
1945KittyParamountPaulette Goddard / Ray Milland
1945Masquerade in MexicoParamountDorothy Lamour / Arturo de Córdova
1946To Each His OwnParamountOlivia de Havilland / John LundAcademy Award for Best Actress.
Released to VHS.
1947Suddenly, It's SpringParamountPaulette Goddard / Fred MacMurray
1947Golden EarringsParamountMarlene Dietrich / Ray Milland
1948Dream GirlParamountBetty Hutton / Macdonald Carey
1949Bride of VengeanceParamountPaulette Goddard / Macdonald Carey / John Lund
1949Song of SurrenderParamountClaude Rains / Wanda Hendrix / Macdonald Carey
1950No Man of Her OwnParamountBarbara Stanwyck / John Lund
1950Captain Carey, U.S.A.ParamountAlan Ladd / Wanda Hendrix
1951The Mating SeasonParamountGene Tierney / John Lund / Miriam Hopkins / Thelma RitterNominated Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Thelma Ritter
1951Darling, How Could You!ParamountJoan Fontaine / John Lund
1952Young Man with IdeasMGMGlenn Ford
1953Tonight We Sing20th Century FoxDavid Wayne / Ezio Pinza / Roberta Peters / Tamara ToumanovaTechnicolor film
1955BedevilledMGMAnne Baxter / Steve ForrestCo-directed with Richard Thorpe / Eastmancolor film
1958The Girl Most LikelyRKO Radio PicturesJane Powell / Cliff RobertsonTechnicolor film
1967SpreeTrans AmericanCo-directed with Walon Green / Documentary / Color film
The contents of this page are sourced from Wikipedia article. The contents are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
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