George Stevens
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| George Stevens | ||||||||||
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| Born | December 18 1904 Oakland, California | |||||||||
| Died | March 8 1975 (aged 70) Lancaster, California | |||||||||
| Spouse(s) | Yvonne Howell (1930-1947) Joan McTavish (1968-1975) | |||||||||
| Children | Geroge Stevens, Jr. (b.1932) | |||||||||
| Parents | Landers Stevens (1877-1940) Georgie Cooper (1882-1968) | |||||||||
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George Stevens (December 18, 1904 - March 8, 1975) was an American motion picture director, producer, writer and cinematographer.
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[edit] Career
Born in Oakland, California, Stevens broke into the movie business as a cameraman, working on many Laurel and Hardy shorts. His first feature film was The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble in 1933.
In 1934 he got his first directing job, the slapstick Kentucky Kernels. His big break came when he directed Katharine Hepburn in Alice Adams in 1935. He went on in the late 1930s to direct several Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire movies, not only with the two actors together, but on their own. In 1940, he directed Carole Lombard in Vigil in the Night, and the film has an alternate ending for European audiences in recognition of World War II, which the US had not yet entered.
During the Second World War, Stevens' crew captured the only Allied European Front color film of the war, in addition to filming the graphic scenes at the Dachau concentration camp. As a result of his experiences, his films became more dramatic following the war. I Remember Mama in 1948 was the last movie with comic scenes that he made. He was responsible for such classic films as A Place in the Sun, Shane, The Diary of Anne Frank, Giant and The Greatest Story Ever Told. Stevens has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1701 Vine Street.
Stevens died after a heart attack on his ranch in Lancaster, California.
[edit] George Stevens, Jr.
Stevens is the father of TV and film writer, producer, and director George Stevens, Jr. (founder of the American Film Institute), and the grandfather of TV and film producer and director Michael Stevens.
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Feature films
- The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble (1933)
- Kentucky Kernels (1934)
- Hollywood Party (1934) Uncredited
- Bachelor Bait (1934)
- Laddie (1935)
- The Nitwits (1935)
- Alice Adams (1935)
- Annie Oakley (1935)
- Swing Time (1936)
- Quality Street (1937)
- A Damsel in Distress (1937)
- Vivacious Lady (1938)
- Gunga Din (1939)
- Vigil in the Night (1940)
- Penny Serenade (1941)
- Woman of the Year (1942)
- The Talk of the Town (1942)
- The More the Merrier (1943)
- On Our Merry Way (1948) Uncredited
- I Remember Mama (1948)
- A Place in the Sun (1951)
- Something to Live For (1952)
- Shane (1953)
- Giant (1956)
- The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)
- The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
- The Only Game in Town (1970)
[edit] Short films
- Ladies Last (1930)
- Blood and Thunder (1931)
- High Gear (1931)
- Air-Tight (1931)
- Call a Cop! (1931)
- Mama Loves Papa (1931)
- The Kick-Off! (1931)
- Who, Me? (1932)
- The Finishing Touch (1932)
- Boys Will Be Boys (1932)
- A Divorce Courtship (1933)
- Family Troubles (1933)
- Rock-a-Bye Cowboy (1933)
- Should Crooners Marry (1933)
- Room Mates (1933)
- Quiet Please! (1933)
- Flirting in the Park (1933)
- What Fur (1933)
- Grin and Bear It (1933)
- Ocean Swells (1934)
- The Undie-World (1934)
- Cracked Shots (1934)
- Bridal Bail (1935)
- Hunger Pains (1935)
[edit] Documentaries
- That Justice Be Done (1945) Short
- Nazi Concentration Camps (1945)
- The Nazi Plan (1945)
- D-Day: The Color Footage (1999)
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Joseph L. Mankiewicz for All About Eve | Academy Award for Best Director 1951 for A Place in the Sun | Succeeded by John Ford for The Quiet Man |
| Preceded by Delbert Mann for Marty | Academy Award for Best Director 1956 for Giant | Succeeded by David Lean for The Bridge on the River Kwai |
[edit] Further reading
- Cronin, Paul: George Stevens: Interviews. Jackson, MI, University Press of Mississippi, 2004. ISBN 1-57806-639-5
- Moss, Marilyn Ann: Giant: George Stevens, a Life on Film. Madison, WI, University of Wisconsin Press, 2004. ISBN 0-299-20430-8
- Richie, Donald: George Stevens: An American Romantic. New York, Taylor & Francis, 1984 (reprint of 1970 original). ISBN 0-82405-773-2
- Petri, Bruce: A Theory of American Film: The Films and Techniques of George Stevens. New York, Taylor & Francis, 1987. ISBN 0-82400-070-6
[edit] External links
- George Stevens at the Internet Movie Databasede:George Stevens
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