Bernard Vorhaus (December 25, 1904 – November 23, 2000) was an American film director of Austrian descent, born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. His father was born in Krakow, then part of Austria-Hungary. Vorhaus spent many decades living in the UK. Eearly in his career, he worked as a screenwriter, and co-produced the film ''
The Singing City
''The Singing City'' (German: ''Die singende Stadt'') is a 1930 German musical film directed by Carmine Gallone and starring Jan Kiepura, Brigitte Helm and Walter Janssen.
The film's sets were designed by the art director Oscar Werndorff.
An En ...
''. He was
blacklisted in Hollywood for his
communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
sympathies, and returned to England, where he resumed his career. Known, alongside
Michael Powell
Michael Latham Powell (30 September 1905 – 19 February 1990) was an English filmmaker, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger. Through their production company The Archers, they together wrote, produced and directed a serie ...
, for his
quota quickies
Quota may refer to:
Economics
* Import quota, a trade restriction on the quantity of goods imported into a country
* Market Sharing Quota, an economic system used in Canadian agriculture
* Milk quota, a quota on milk production in Europe
* Indi ...
, Vorhaus also worked in Europe.
Career
The
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
graduate, in addition to directing thirty-two films, was also the mentor to future film director
David Lean
Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, Lean directed the large-scale epics ''The Bridge on the River ...
, some of whose work as a
film editor
Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film which increasingly involves the use of digital technology.
The film edit ...
early in his career was on Vorhaus pictures.
He worked steadily as a
screenwriter
A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based.
...
in Hollywood while in his 20s for such studios as
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
and
Fox Studios
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
but wanted to direct movies. He eventually decided to move to England and began directing
quota quickies
Quota may refer to:
Economics
* Import quota, a trade restriction on the quantity of goods imported into a country
* Market Sharing Quota, an economic system used in Canadian agriculture
* Milk quota, a quota on milk production in Europe
* Indi ...
, such as ''
The Last Journey
''The Last Journey'' is a 1936 British drama film directed by Bernard Vorhaus and starring Godfrey Tearle, Hugh Williams and Judy Gunn.
Synopsis
A train driver (Julien Mitchell) on his last journey before retirement thinks his fireman is having ...
'' (1935).
After attaining success in England, Vorhaus moved back to the U.S. and began working at
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City an ...
, directing B-movies. He was
blacklisted
Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist (or black list) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list. If someone is on a blacklist, t ...
in 1951, as a consequence of the hearings conducted by the
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly dubbed the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloy ...
.
Vorhaus had already moved to Europe at that time and directed a few minor films while there. He finally returned to England and retired from the film business. Unlike contemporaries
Joseph Losey
Joseph Walton Losey III (; January 14, 1909 – June 22, 1984) was an American theatre and film director, producer, and screenwriter. Born in Wisconsin, he studied in Germany with Bertolt Brecht and then returned to the United States. Blackliste ...
and
Cy Endfield
Cyril Raker Endfield (November 10, 1914 – April 16, 1995) was an American screenwriter, director, author, magician and inventor. Having been named as a Communist at a House Un-American Activities Committee hearing and subsequently blacklisted ...
, who were also on the blacklist, he founded a company ''Domar Industries'', a business specialising in house renovations. The was a resurgence of interest in his films in the 1980s.
Family
Vorhaus had two children, Gwyn and David. the latter was a bass player and electronic music pioneer who worked under the name
White Noise
In signal processing, white noise is a random signal having equal intensity at different frequencies, giving it a constant power spectral density. The term is used, with this or similar meanings, in many scientific and technical disciplines, ...
.
Selected filmography
* ''
Steppin' Out'' (US, 1925) author of screenplay
* ''
Seventh Heaven'' (US, 1927) co-author of screenplay
* ''
No Other Woman
''No Other Woman'' is a 2011 Filipino romantic drama film starring Anne Curtis, Derek Ramsay, and Cristine Reyes.
The film is notable for breaking box office records in the Philippines. It currently holds the title of third highest grossing Fil ...
'' (US, 1928) co-author of screenplay
* ''Sunshine'' (US, 1928) two-reeler; debut as director
* ''
The Singing City
''The Singing City'' (German: ''Die singende Stadt'') is a 1930 German musical film directed by Carmine Gallone and starring Jan Kiepura, Brigitte Helm and Walter Janssen.
The film's sets were designed by the art director Oscar Werndorff.
An En ...
'' (Germany, 1930) producer; starring
Brigitte Helm
Brigitte Helm (born Brigitte Gisela Eva Schittenhelm, 17 March 1906 – 11 June 1996) was a German actress, best remembered for her dual role as Maria and her double named Futura, in Fritz Lang's 1927 silent film, '' Metropolis''.
Early life ...
* ''
City of Song
''City of Song'', also known as ''Farewell to Love'', is a 1931 British/German romance film directed by Carmine Gallone and starring Jan Kiepura, Betty Stockfeld and Hugh Wakefield. It was shot at Wembley Studios.Wood p.69 The film's sets were ...
'' (UK, 1931) producer
* ''
Money for Speed
''Money for Speed'' is a 1933 British sports film, sports drama film directed by Bernard Vorhaus and starring John Loder (actor), John Loder, Ida Lupino, Cyril McLaglen and Moore Marriott. It is centered on the sport of Motorcycle speedway, spee ...
'' (UK, 1933)
* ''
Crime on the Hill
''Crime on the Hill'' is a 1933 British mystery film directed by Bernard Vorhaus and starring Sally Blane, Nigel Playfair and Lewis Casson. The plot was based on a successful play by Jack de Leon and Jack Celestin. It was made by British Intern ...
'' (UK, 1933)
* ''
The Ghost Camera
''The Ghost Camera'' is a 1933 British mystery film directed by Bernard Vorhaus, starring Henry Kendall, Ida Lupino and John Mills, and based on "A Mystery Narrative", a short story by Joseph Jefferson Farjeon.
Despite being made quickly on a ...
'' (UK, 1933)
* ''
On Thin Ice'' (UK, 1933)
* ''
The Night Club Queen
''The Night Club Queen'' is a 1934 British musical mystery film directed by Bernard Vorhaus and starring Mary Clare, Jane Carr and Lewis Shaw.Wood p.83
Cast
* Mary Clare as Mary Brown
* Jane Carr as Bobbie Lamont
* Lewis Shaw as Peter Brown ...
'' (UK, 1933)
* ''
The Broken Melody'' (UK, 1934)
* ''
Blind Justice'' (UK, 1934)
* ''
Dark World'' (UK, 1935)
* ''
Street Song
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
'' (UK, 1935)
* ''
Ten Minute Alibi
''Ten Minute Alibi'' is a 1935 British crime film directed by Bernard Vorhaus and starring Phillips Holmes, Aileen Marson and Theo Shall. It was made at Beaconsfield Studios.Wood p.84
The film's sets were designed by the art director Andre ...
'' (UK, 1935)
* ''
The Last Journey
''The Last Journey'' is a 1936 British drama film directed by Bernard Vorhaus and starring Godfrey Tearle, Hugh Williams and Judy Gunn.
Synopsis
A train driver (Julien Mitchell) on his last journey before retirement thinks his fireman is having ...
'' (UK, 1935)
* ''
Dusty Ermine
''Dusty Ermine'' is a 1936 British crime film directed by Bernard Vorhaus and starring Anthony Bushell, Jane Baxter and Ronald Squire. In the United States it was released under the alternative title ''Hideout in the Alps''. It was based on the ...
'' (UK, 1936)
* ''
Broken Blossoms
''Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl'', often referred to simply as ''Broken Blossoms'', is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. It was distributed by United Artists and premiered on May 13, 1919. It stars ...
'' (UK, 1936) technical supervisor
* ''
Cotton Queen
''Cotton Queen'', also known as ''Crying Out Loud'', is a 1937 British comedy film directed by Bernard Vorhaus, and starring Stanley Holloway, Will Fyffe, and Mary Lawson.
Production
The film was directed by Vorhaus at Elstree Studios for th ...
'' (UK, 1937)
* ''
King of the Newsboys
''King of the Newsboys'' is a 1938 American film directed by Bernard Vorhaus.
Plot
Jerry Flynn's girlfriend leaves him for a gangster with power and money, in order to show her that she made a mistake, Jerry starts his newspaper distribution ...
'' (US, 1938)
* ''
Fisherman's Wharf'' (US, 1939)
* ''
Way Down South'' (US, 1939) co-director
* ''
Three Faces West
''Three Faces West'' is a 1940 American drama film directed by Bernard Vorhaus and starring John Wayne, Sigrid Gurie and Charles Coburn.
The film, mainly set in North Dakota was one of a handful of overtly anti-Nazi films produced by Hollywood ...
'' (US, 1940)
* ''
Lady From Louisiana
''Lady from Louisiana'' is a 1941 American Western film starring John Wayne and Ona Munson. It was produced and directed by Bernard Vorhaus.
The Louisiana State Lottery Company organizes a lottery in 1890s New Orleans, with lottery funds used ...
'' (US, 1941)
* ''
Angels With Broken Wings
''Angels with Broken Wings'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Bernard Vorhaus and starring Jane Frazee and Binnie Barnes. It was released by Republic Pictures.
Cast
*Binnie Barnes ... Sybil Barton
*Gilbert Roland ... Don Pablo Vin ...
'' (US, 1941)
* ''
The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine'' (US, 1942)
* ''
Recognition of the Japanese Zero Fighter'' (US, 1943) short film
* ''
Bury Me Dead
''Bury Me Dead'' is a 1947 American film noir directed by Bernard Vorhaus. The drama features Cathy O'Donnell, June Lockhart, Hugh Beaumont and Mark Daniels..
Plot
When the remains of a woman's body are found after a fire consumes the stables ...
'' (US, 1947)
* ''
The Amazing Mr. X
''The Amazing Mr. X'', also known as ''The Spiritualist'', is a 1948 American Horror film, horror Thriller film, thriller film noir directed by Bernard Vorhaus with cinematography by John Alton. The film tells the story of a phony spiritualist ra ...
'' (US, 1948) also known as ''The Spiritualist''
* ''
So Young, So Bad
''So Young, So Bad'' is a 1950 American drama film.ot to be confused with Rosita Moreno, a Spanish actress who was 43 years old at the time. Production
Vorhaus received his idea after he read a newspaper article about abuses at a women's reformat ...
'' (US, 1950)
* ''
The Lady From Boston
''The Lady from Boston'' is a 1951 French-American comedy film directed by Bernard Vorhaus and starring Paul Henreid, Merle Oberon and Paul Bonifas. The film is also known as ''Pardon My French''. A French-language version '' Dans la vie tout s ...
'' (France-US, 1951) also known as ''Pardon My French''
* ''
Imbarco a mezzanotte'' (Italy, 1951) also known as ''Stranger on the Prowl''; replaced by
Joseph Losey
Joseph Walton Losey III (; January 14, 1909 – June 22, 1984) was an American theatre and film director, producer, and screenwriter. Born in Wisconsin, he studied in Germany with Bertolt Brecht and then returned to the United States. Blackliste ...
* ''
Fanciulle di lusso'' (Italy, 1953) also known as ''Finishing School'', written by blacklisted writer Norma Barzman
* ''
Roman Holiday
''Roman Holiday'' is a 1953 American romantic comedy film directed and produced by William Wyler. It stars Audrey Hepburn as a princess out to see Rome on her own and Gregory Peck as a reporter. Hepburn won an Academy Award for Best Actress f ...
'' (US, 1953) assistant director, under pseudonym
References
External links
*
*
BritishPictures entry*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vorhaus, Bernard
British film directors
Hollywood blacklist
Harvard University alumni
1904 births
2000 deaths
Film directors from New York City
Articles containing video clips
American expatriates in the United Kingdom