Matinee Classics - Joseph Mankiewicz Biography & Filmography

Joseph Mankiewicz DIRECTOR

PHOTOS

JOSEPH MANKIEWICZ BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Joseph Leo Mankiewicz was born February 11, 1909 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania to Jewish immigrants. He had a sister, Erna, and a brother, Herman, who also went on to become a screenwriter. Mankiewicz’s brilliance was shown at an early age, as he graduated from high school at only age fifteen. He then went on to obtain bachelor’s degree at Colombia University. Following, he moved to Berlin, Germany to become a foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune as well as act as an English translator for German films. His brother Herman, already a well-off screenwriter in Hollywood, encouraged him to come to the film industry capital in 1929.

His brother got Mankiewicz a job at Paramount writing dialogues and screenplays. He wrote several titles and films before earning his first Oscar nomination for “Skippy” (1931). In 1933 he switched over to Metro Goldwyn Mayer to continue writing. After working on many screenplays like “Alice in Wonderland” (1933), “Forsaking All Others” (1934), and “I Live My Life” (1935), he Mankiewicz decided to try his hand at directing. MGM’s head, Louis B. Mayer told him “You have to learn to crawl before you can walk”, and instead made him a producer. His first production was “Fury” (1936), and following came numerous other pictures such as “The Bride Wore Red” (1937), “Three Comrades” (1938), “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” (1939), “The Feminine Touch” (1941), and “Reunion in France” (1942). His production of “The Philadelphia Story” (1940) was nominated as Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

Realizing MGM was not going to allow him to direct, Mankiewicz switched to 20th Century Fox in 1944. His debut picture was “Backfire” (1946), followed by his own story “Dragonwyck” (1946). The new director persisted in directing and was rewarded for his writing and directing skills when he released “A Letter to Three Wives” (1949), which won Oscars for both Best Writing and Best Director. The film centered around a single letter that was sent to three separate women, stating that their husband had run off with another woman. In the film, the women were enabled to share their humiliation and agonize over which one had been left by their spouse. Only one year later, Mankiewicz was again nominated for Best Writing in “No Way Out” (1950). Additionally, he won Best Director and Best Writing for “All About Eve” (1950), which focused on a young ingénue and her circle of theater friends. In 1952, the director left Fox to freelance.

Soon following, he was nominated for another Academy Award for Best Directing in “5 Fingers” (1952). After, MGM asked him to direct and adapt “Julius Caesar” (1953), based off of Shakespeare’s play. Next, Mankiewicz wrote and directed “The Barefoot Contessa” (1954), earning the screenwriter yet another Oscar nomination for Best Writing. The following year, he made “Guys and Dolls”, which was so successful that the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) invested in the director’s independent production company, Fargo. In 1958 he directed and returned as a producer in “The Quiet American”, an adaptation of Graham Greene’s novel about the beginning of America’s involvement in what would become the notorious Vietnam War. Mankiewicz distorted the message because of anti-communistic pressures in order to appeal to nationalistic audiences, making Greene feel that the product was simply a “propaganda film for America”.

In 1963 he was given the challenge of taking over the direction of “Cleopatra” with Elizabeth Taylor. Unfortunately, it ended up costing a great deal money and received awful film reviews. The director decided to take a break from directing after the failure of the film, only directing and producing the made for TV picture “Carol for Anther Christmas” (1964) before returning behind the screen in 1967 with “The Honey Pot”. He produced his last film, “There Was a Crooked Man…”, which he also directed, in 1970. Shortly after, he directed his final feature, the mysterious thriller “Sleuth” (1972). He went out with a bang, for it earned a Best Director Academy Award nomination. The only other film that bore his name after the release of the latter was the TV movie “A Letter to Three Wives” (1985), which was based off of his 1949 screenplay.

For his writing contributions to the motion pictures, he was bestowed with a Laurel Award for Screen Writing Achievement from the Writers Guild of America. He was also given a DGA Honorary Life Member Award and Lifetime Achievement Award from the Directors Guild of America. Additionally, his name was inscribed on a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. After retirement, Mankiewicz lived a quiet life in New York. On February 5, 1993, he died from heart failure. During his entire career, he was involved in over sixty films, many of which became integrated as important features of the film industry. In an interview with The New York Times, the legendary screenwriter/producer/director stated “I’ve lived without caring what anybody thought of me, I followed very few rules. I think I’ve written some good screenplays, gotten some good performances, and made some good movies.” He sure was right, and his pictures and abundant awards prove it.

Filmography

1985 A Letter to Three Wives

1972 Sleuth

1970 There Was a Crooked Man...

1970 King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis

1967 The Honey Pot

1964 Carol for Another Christmas

1963 Cleopatra

1959 Suddenly, Last Summer

1958 The Quiet American

1955 Guys and Dolls

1954 The Barefoot Contessa