Matinee Classics - Lewis Milestone Biography & Filmography

Lewis Milestone DIRECTOR

PHOTOS

LEWIS MILESTONE BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Lewis Milestone was born September 30, 1895 in Kishinev, Russian Empire (now Chisinau, Moldava) to a Jewish family. From an early age, he had developed a liking for theatre. He started as a prop man and scenery artist before coming to the United States in his teenage years. Following a series of assorted jobs, Milestone enlisted in the Army Signal Corps, where he worked as an assistant director on training films during World War I. Such pictures include the oral hygiene promoting “The Toothbrush” (1918) and correct posture teaching “Posture” (1918).

After the war he travelled to Hollywood. Here he worked as an editor, writer, and assistant director. In 1925, famous producer Howard Hughes promoted Milestone to director. His debut was with “Seven Sinners” (1925). Four years later, the director won his first Academy Award for the comedy “Two Arabian Knights” (1927). He worked on the early gangster film “The Racket” (1928) before winning his second Oscar for the screen adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s antiwar novel, “All Quiet on the Western Front” (1930).

In the 1930's, Milestone fared well in many genres. The 1931 screwball comedy “The Front Page”, which also included the director as producer, won him a third Academy Award nomination. This time, however, he did not win. He did keep directing and producing nevertheless. Following came the well done melodrama “Rain” (1932), successful musical “Hallelujah, I’m a Bum” (1933), and popular crime thriller “The General Died at Dawn” (1936). In 1939, Milestone put out another true Hollywood classic: “Of Mice and Men”. The John Steinbeck adapted feature came out with four nominations at the Oscars.

The 1940's and 1950's brought some additional notable work, such as the war films “Edge of Darkness” (1943), “The Purple Heart” (1944), “A Walk in the Sun” (1945), and “Pork Chop Hill” (1959). As well, he put out the sophisticated film noir “The Strange Love of Martha Ivers” (1946) and another Steinbeck revision, “The Red Pony” (1949). Also in the late 1950's, Milestone began working in television, beginning with “Schlitz Playhouse” (1958). He continued with four other shows, “Suspicion” (1958), “Have Gun – Will Travel” (1958), “The Richard Boone Show” (1964), and his last effort ever, “Arrest and Trial” (1963-64).

In the 1960's, the director only came out with two more films, the dramatically funny musical “Ocean’s Eleven” (1960), which featured Frank Sinatra, and the historical adventure “Mutiny on the Bounty” (1962), which starred Marlon Brandon. Milestone died on September 25, 1980 in Los Angeles, California after a surgery. Due to his impressive involvement in the motion pictures, his name was engraved on a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Filmography

1964 The Richard Boone Show

1963 Arrest and Trial

1962 Mutiny on the Bounty

1960 Ocean's Eleven

1959 The Widow

1959 Pork Chop Hil

1958 Have Gun - Will Travel

1958 Suspicion

1958 Schlitz Playhouse

1954 They Who Dare

1953 Melba