Out on His Shield

Curtiz separated from Bess before leaving for Italy to direct Francis of Assisi (1961). The Encino ranch was sold, and Curtiz continued keeping company with Ann Stuart, aka Anitra Stevens. Francis of Assisi was highlighted by a memorable Curtiz meltdown that indicated he might be becoming senile.He was assigned to direct The Commancheros (1962), starring John Wayne, at Fox.While they were on location in Utah, Curtiz’s behavior became erratic and he was physically debilitated. He eventually fell, injuring his leg, and Wayne directedmore than half of the picture. It was discovered that Curtiz was riddled with cancer and had only months to live. Bess and his doctor had known he’d had cancer since his 1958 appendectomy but had kept it from him so he could continue working.Curtiz died on April 10, 1962, at seventy-five. His will left half his estate to Ann Stuart, including land and his movie residuals. He also reneged on a previously executed support agreement for his daughter by Jill Gerrard (who sued Curtiz’s estate and won) and left nothing to any of his children other than Kitty. The chapter concludes by summarizing his life and those of his key intimates, noting that Curtiz’s films remain a rich legacy.

Dégringolade

Curtiz returned to Warner Bros. for The Helen Morgan Story (1957).The film, starring Paul Newman and Ann Blyth,wasa flop and turned out to be the director’s final picture for Jack Warner. He fathered a daughter with Jill Gerrard, whom he maintainedat arm’s length to prevent any interference with his film career, which was entering twilight. Sam Goldwyn Jr. hired him to film The Proud Rebel. The film was delayed because of Curtiz’s appendectomy, but it became a heartwarming success starring Alan Ladd and Olivia de Havilland.Hal Wallis tapped him to direct Elvis Presley in King Creole (1958).Taking a conciliatory approach, Curtiz coaxed a superior performance from Presley that the pop music star came to regard as his best in any film. Curtiz directed a pair of desultory pictures,The Man in the Net and A Breath of Scandal, as age and illness began to impair his ability to work effectively.A handsome but antiseptic version of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for Sam Goldwyn Jr. closed out Curtiz’s films during the 1950s.

Nerve Ending

Curtiz directedI’ll See You in My Dreams (1951), starring Doris Day and the newcomer Danny Thomas. The picture was his last box-office hit at Warner Bros.His long-cherished project,The Will Rogers Story, starring the commentator-actor’s son, was a handsome picture but a commercial failure. A remake of The Jazz Singer(1952) with Danny Thomas turned out even worse, though he cast the singer Peggy Lee in the film.Curtiz was becoming increasingly angry with Warners for refusing to hire his brother David as an assistant director and stonewalling his inquiries concerning the profit percentages on his films. After Curtiz directed John Wayne in Trouble Along the Way(1953), the studio claimed that all Curtiz’s films but onehad lost money.It then attempted to cheat him out of those minuscule profits by legally parsing his contract.The author also notes two sets of differing financial figures that Warner Bros. maintained on Curtiz’s films.After Warner informed him that he would have to accept a salary reduction and rejected his profit claims, Curtiz threatened a lawsuit. The suit was dropped and Jack Warner eventually paid him off to settle the matter. Curtiz finished his last Warner movie,The Boy from Oklahoma(1954),and moved on to Paramount Pictures.

The Swash and the Buckler

Curtiz directed The Sea Hawk, an epic swashbuckler starring Errol Flynn. Shot on the studio’s Stage 21, which could be flooded with water and included two hydraulically operated ship sets, the picture was personally crafted by Curtiz, who shot unauthorized action scenes instead of relying on stock footage that Hal Wallis wanted to use. The picture was a smash, although Flynn had become increasingly upset about his typecasting and working with Curtiz. Also explored is a famous Curtiz anecdote that illustrates the director’s total focus on realism and disregard for the safety of performers. After a whirlwind trip to New York City, Curtiz directed the notoriously inaccurate Santa Fe Trail, with Flynn and de Havilland, and an outstanding version of Jack London’s The Sea Wolf, starring Edward G. Robinson, Ida Lupino, and John Garfield. Curtiz and Flynn had a final falling-out during Dive Bomber, a Technicolor tribute to the aerial navy. Flynn physically attacked the director, and the pair never worked together again.Although bereft of Warner’s top male star, Curtiz would move on to his greatest films as World War II began.

Falling Fruit

Curtiz finished Marked Woman for Lloyd Bacon and directed Mountain Justice, a fact-based drama about the Edith Maxwell murder case, followed by Kid Galahad, an all-star Warner melodrama. Curtiz was denied the assignment of The Adventures of Robin Hood when Errol Flynn begged Warner and Wallis not to let Curtiz direct him. William Keighley was assigned instead.The hugely budgeted production began to founder, andWallis eventually removedKeighley and appointed Curtiz to rescue the picture. He imbuedwhat is clearly one of his greatest films with his energetic creativity. The chapter provides an in-depth accounting of the Robin Hood production, including the action sequences and the Oscar-winning score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. The picture was one of Warner Bros.’ biggest triumphs, and Curtiz was then the leading director at the studio.

Home on the Range

Curtiz and Bess purchased a huge estate in the San Fernando Valley.The hillside Tudor house would expand to include a pair of Curtiz’s lesser passions, a polo field and a skeet range. Curtiz became addicted to polo, playing with Zanuck, Walt Disney, Will Rogers, and other Hollywood luminaries. Curtiz directed the daring pre-Code film Mandalay with Kay Francis starring as a prostitute. This film also beganthe strife between Wallis and Curtiz. Curtiz directed the picture as he saw fit, and Wallis peppered him with memos telling him he was shooting too much footage or providing specific production guidance that Curtiz ignored.Hollywood’s pre-Code films generated so much controversy that the studios were forced to appoint Joseph Breen to administer the Production Code in July 1934. Breen zealously censored films, so thatWarners and the other studios were forced to adjust the content of pictures. Curtiz began his relationship with James Cagney with Jimmy the Gent (1933). Cagney respected Curtiz’s abilities but didn’t like his treatment of actors. Curtiz’s films of this period, most notably British Agent and Black Fury, raised his profile; he was poised to direct a major picture that would create one of Warner Bros.’ biggest stars.

A Stirred-up Anthill

Kertész continued his prolific period at Phönix with the release of seven films during 1917–18. Titles included The Jew Tenant and The Rental Car 99, the latter starring Bela Lugosi. October 1918 brought an end to the war when Austria-Hungary was broken up by the victorious Allies. As the country descended into chaos, Kertész continued making films. The ascension of an authoritarian Communist government quickly gave way to a right-wing coup that included a purge launched against the film industry and Jews.Feeling very much at risk, Kertész slipped out of the country and ended up in Vienna making films for Count Alexander Kolowrat’sSascha Productions. He was soon joined by many of his countrymen, including Alexander Korda and Bela Lugosi.

Transylvanian Idyll

Kertész accepted an offer from the actor-impresario JenőJanovics to direct films in Transylvania. Janovics was riding high with the international success of The Yellow Foal (1912) and wanted to use Kertész for films based on Hungarian theater and opera.Kertész’sonly surviving film from this period is The Exile (1914), which is described in detail.An initial account of what would become a notorious disregard for the safety of actors in his pursuit of realism onscreen is given, along with the making of his lost Hungarian epic film Bánkbán (1914). This was the beginning of his long association with the actor Victor Varconi. Kertész’s Transylvanian period ended with the outbreak of World War I.He served in the Austro-Hungarian Army and was reportedly wounded twice.

The “Pinochle” of His Career

After an initial account of Captains of the Clouds, this chapter provides a detailed description about the making of Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942).The legendary show business powerhouse George M. Cohan agreed to let Warner Bros. produce an idealized musical film of his life, but he had to be convinced to inject any type of drama into the screenplay. James Cagney had returned to the studio in 1938 with greatly increased power. With some misgivings, Cagney accepted the Cohan role in Yankee Doodle Dandy (partially for political reasons) and worked seamlessly with Curtiz to create a memorable film.First-person accounts by Joan Leslie and Rosemary DeCamp enliven the depiction of a synergistic production led by a dedicated Curtiz.Behind the scenes, the intermittent wrangling that pitted Cagney and his brother William (who was associate producer) against the screenwriter Robert Buckner, Jack Warner, and Wallis ended when Cagney gave notice that he was vacating his Warner contract after the picture was finished. Yankee Doodle Dandy was a humongous hit for the studio and Curtiz, who considered it the “pinochle” of his career.

The Reason Why

Curtiz was assigned a horror programmer, The Walking Dead, that he turned into a highly credible film.This picture beganhis association with Irving Rapper as a dialogue director. Rapper became a respected director who considered Curtiz his professional mentor. Wallis and Curtiz finally had it out during the production of The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936).Curtiz continued to defy Wallis by eschewing close-ups while using an excess amount of camera movement and foreground composition in his setups. Wallis eventually threatened to fire Curtiz, who acquiesced to filming more to the producer’s desired style. The chapter includes a detailed account of the alleged mistreatment of horses during the charge sequences,whichErrol Flynn and David Niven blamed on Curtiz.Author’s research revealed that these stories were grossly exaggerated; Curtiz was not even present when some horses were injured and put down. Despite a wave of bad publicity, the picture was another hit. Curtiz endured a separation from Bess and divorce proceedings that ended abruptly when the couple reconciled. He also achieved his long-sought-after American citizenship, even though he lied about the existence of his European children.