Edward Dmytryk (September 4, 1908 – July 1, 1999) was a Canadian-born American film director and editor. He was known for his 1940s noir films and received an Oscar nomination for Best Director for '' Crossfire'' (1947). In 1947, he was named as one of the

Hollywood Ten The Hollywood blacklist was the mid-20th century banning of suspected Communists from working in the United States entertainment industry. The blacklisting, blacklist began at the onset of the Cold War and Red Scare#Second Red Scare (1947–1957 ...

, a group of

blacklist Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list; if people are on a blacklist, then they are considere ...

ed film industry professionals who refused to testify to the

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative United States Congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 19 ...

(HUAC) in their investigations during the Red Scare of the McCarthy era. They all served time in prison for contempt of Congress. In 1951, Dmytryk testified to the HUAC and named individuals, including Arnold Manoff, whose careers were then destroyed for many years, to rehabilitate his own career. First hired again by independent producer Stanley Kramer in 1952, Dmytryk is likely best known for directing ''

The Caine Mutiny ''The Caine Mutiny'' is a 1951 Pulitzer Prize–winning novel by Herman Wouk. The novel grew out of Wouk's personal experiences aboard two destroyer-minesweepers in the Pacific Theater in World War II. Among its themes, it deals with the mo ...

'' (1954), a critical and commercial success. The second-highest-grossing film of the year, it was nominated for Best Picture and several other awards at the 1955 Oscars. Dmytryk was nominated for a Directors Guild Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures.

Background

Dmytryk was born on September 4, 1908, in Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada. His Ukrainian immigrant parents were Frances (Berezowski) and Michael Dmytryk, a severe disciplinarian who bounced among jobs as truck driver, smelter worker, and motorman. The family moved to

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, and then to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. After his mother died, his father remarried.

Career

Dmytryk worked as a messenger at Famous Players–Lasky (forerunner of

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

) for $6 per week while attending Hollywood High School. He progressed to projectionist, film editor, and by age 31, a director and a naturalized citizen of the United States.

1930–1940s

Dmytryk worked in the editing department on films such as '' The Dance of Life'' (1929), '' Only Saps Work'' (1930), '' The Royal Family of Broadway'' (1930), '' Make Me a Star'' (1932), '' The Phantom President'' (1932), and '' If I Had a Million'' (1932). He helped edit two Leo McCarey movies: '' Duck Soup'' (1933) and '' Six of a Kind'' (1934). He edited '' College Rhythm'' (1934), followed by Leo McCarey's '' Ruggles of Red Gap'' (1935). Dmytryk made his directorial debut with '' The Hawk'' (1935), a low-budget, independent Western. He returned to editing duties at Paramount, but was assigned to

B film A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...

s:'' Too Many Parents'' (1936), '' Three Cheers for Love'' (1936), '' Three Married Men'' (1936), '' Easy to Take'' (1936), '' Murder Goes to College'' (1937), '' Turn Off the Moon'' (1937), '' Double or Nothing'' (1937) with

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

, and '' That Navy Spirit'' (1937). Dmytryk also edited '' Bulldog Drummond's Peril'' (1938) and '' Prison Farm'' (1938). He moved his way to A movies with '' Zaza'' (1938), directed by

George Cukor George Dewey Cukor ( ; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer, producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO Pictures, RKO when David O. Selzn ...

. McCarey asked him over to RKO to edit '' Love Affair'' (1939). He returned to Paramount to edit the

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

comedy ''

Some Like It Hot ''Some Like It Hot'' is a 1959 American crime comedy film directed, produced and co-written by Billy Wilder. It stars Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, with George Raft, Pat O'Brien (actor), Pat O'Brien, Joe E. Brown, Joan Shawlee an ...

'' (1939). Dmytryk did some uncredited directing on '' Million Dollar Legs'' (1939) with Betty Grable. This encouraged Paramount to allow him to direct '' Television Spy'' (1939). He followed it with '' Emergency Squad'' (1940), ''

Golden Gloves The Golden Gloves of America is an organization that promotes annual competitions of amateur boxing in the United States, in which winners are awarded a belt and a ring, and the title of national champion. The organization currently owns 30 fr ...

'' (1940), and ''

Mystery Sea Raider ''Mystery Sea Raider'' is a 1940 American drama war film directed by Edward Dmytryk Edward Dmytryk (September 4, 1908 – July 1, 1999) was a Canadian-born American film director and editor. He was known for his 1940s films noir, noir films ...

'' (1940) with Carole Landis. Dmytryk went to Monogram Pictures to direct the musical '' Her First Romance'' (1940). He went over to Columbia to direct for its B picture unit: '' The Devil Commands'' (1941) with

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), known professionally as Boris Karloff () and occasionally billed as Karloff the Uncanny, was a British actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstei ...

, '' Under Age'' (1941), '' Broadway Ahead'' (1941), '' Hot Pearls'' (1941), '' Secrets of the Lone Wolf'' (1941), '' Confessions of Boston Blackie'' (1941), and ''

Counter-Espionage Counterintelligence (counter-intelligence) or counterespionage (counter-espionage) is any activity aimed at protecting an agency's intelligence program from an opposition's intelligence service. It includes gathering information and conducting ac ...

'' (1942), a "Lone Wolf" movie. Dmytryk signed a contract to RKO, where he continued to direct B movies, starting with '' Seven Miles from Alcatraz'' (1942). However, he then made '' Hitler's Children'' (1943), which turned out to be a massive "sleeper" hit, earning over $3 million. The one-time success did not immediately change his career, and he remained in B movies such as '' The Falcon Strikes Back'' (1943), and then went to Universal for '' Captive Wild Woman'' (1943). Back at RKO, he directed '' Behind the Rising Sun'' (1943), a ''Hitler's Children''-style thriller about the Japanese. It was another box-office sensation, and Dmytryk was promoted to A films.Richard Jewel, 'RKO Film Grosses: 1931–1951', ''Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television'', Vol 14 No 1, 1994 Dmytryk directed

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

, RKO's biggest star, in the melodrama '' Tender Comrade'' (1943), which was a huge hit. He followed it with the popular film noir '' Murder, My Sweet'' (1944), adapted from Raymond Chandler's novel '' Farewell, My Lovely'' by John Paxton and produced by Adrian Scott; the star was Dick Powell, whose performance as Philip Marlowe completely revitalized Powell's career. Dymtryk did '' Back to Bataan'' (1945), a war film starring

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

, then he was reunited with Powell, Paxton, and Scott for another film noir, '' Cornered'' (1945). He did '' Till the End of Time'' (1946), a drama about soldiers coming back from the war, which was a big hit, and went to England to make '' So Well Remembered'' (1947) with Paxton and Scott. Dmytryk, Scott, and Paxton then collaborated on the hugely successful thriller '' Crossfire'' (1947), for which Dmytryk received a Best Director Oscar nomination. The success of his pictures and recognition from his peers established him as RKO's leading director.

Hollywood Ten

Dmytryk was among those called to testify before the

(HUAC) in 1947. Dmytryk briefly had been a Communist Party member in 1944 and 1945. He was persuaded by his former party associates to join nine other Hollywood figures in a public refusal to testify. The

were cited for contempt of Congress and sentenced to prison terms. Dmytryk was fired from RKO. Dmytryk fled to England and unofficially was ostracized by the American film industry and his former friends in it. In England, he made two films for producer Nat Bronstein: a thriller '' Obsession'' (1949), and '' Give Us This Day'' (1949), a neo-realistic movie sympathetic to the working man, based on the novel ''Christ in Concrete''. The latter movie, which was successful in Europe, was released as ''Christ in Concrete'' in the United States and quickly suppressed. When his U.S. passport expired, Dmytryk returned to the United States, where he was arrested and imprisoned. He served four months and 17 days in Millspoint Prison, West Virginia. On April 25, 1951, Dmytryk appeared before HUAC for the second time and answered all questions. He spoke of his own brief party membership in 1945 and named party members, including seven film directors: Arnold Manoff,

Frank Tuttle Frank Wright Tuttle (August 6, 1892 – January 6, 1963) was a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film director and writer who directed films from 1922 (''The Cradle Buster'') to 1959 (''Island of Lost Women''). Biography Frank Tuttle was ...

, Herbert Biberman, Jack Berry,

Bernard Vorhaus Bernard Vorhaus (December 25, 1904 – November 23, 2000) was an American film director of Austrian descent, born in New York City. His father was born in Kraków, then part of Austria-Hungary. Vorhaus spent many decades living in the UK. Early ...

, Jules Dassin, and Michael Gordon, and 15 others. He said that he was prompted to change his mind by the Alger Hiss case, the discovery of spies in the U.S. and Canada, and the invasion of South Korea. He said that John Howard Lawson, Adrian Scott, Albert Maltz, and others had pressured him to include communist elements in his films. His testimony damaged several court cases that others of the "Ten" had filed. He recounted his experiences of the period in his 1996 book, ''Odd Man Out: A Memoir of the Hollywood Ten'' (see bibliography).

1950s–1980s

Dmytryk's first film after his testimony was ''

Mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military or a crew) to oppose, change, or remove superiors or their orders. The term is commonly used for insubordination by members of the military against an officer or superior, ...

'' (1952) from the King Brothers. Independent American producer Stanley Kramer then hired Dmytryk to direct a trio of low-budget films for Kramer's company, which were released through Columbia: '' The Sniper'' (1952), '' Eight Iron Men'' (1952) and '' The Juggler'' (1953) with

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in '' The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. ...

. In between, he directed ''Three Lives'' (1953), a short film for the United Jewish Appeal. Kramer then selected Dmytryk to direct

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart ( ; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American actor. His performances in classic Hollywood cinema made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film Institute selected Bogart ...

and Van Johnson in Columbia's ''

'' (1954), a World War II naval drama adapted from Herman Wouk's

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

-winning novel. It proved to be a great critical and commercial success, ranking second among high-grossing films of the year, and in 1955, received Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Actor. Dmytryk went over to

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

, where he directed

Spencer Tracy Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Classical Hollywood cinema, Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the ...

and Robert Wagner in ''

Broken Lance ''Broken Lance'' is a 1954 American Western film directed by Edward Dmytryk and produced by Sol C. Siegel. The film stars Spencer Tracy, Robert Wagner, Jean Peters, Richard Widmark and Katy Jurado. Shot in Technicolor and CinemaScope, the film ...

'' (1954). He went to England to do '' The End of the Affair'' (1955) with Deborah Kerr and Van Johnson for Columbia, then returned to Fox to make '' Soldier of Fortune'' (1955) with

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American actor often referred to as the "King of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". He appeared in more than 60 Film, motion pictures across a variety of Film genre, genres dur ...

, '' The Left Hand of God'' (1955) with Bogart, and ''

The Mountain The Mountain () was a political group during the French Revolution. Its members, called the Montagnards (), sat on the highest benches in the National Convention. The term, first used during a session of the Legislative Assembly, came into ge ...

'' (1956) with Tracy and Wagner. Dmytryk produced the latter. He went to

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

, then under his old RKO boss Dore Schary, to make '' Raintree County'' (1957) with Montgomery Clift and

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an English and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 19 ...

. At Fox, he did '' The Young Lions'' (1958), a popular war film with Clift and

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''

, then the Western ''

Warlock A warlock is a male practitioner of witchcraft. Etymology and terminology The most commonly accepted etymology derives '' warlock'' from the Old English '' wǣrloga'', which meant "breaker of oaths" or "deceiver". The term came to apply special ...

'' (1959) (which he produced), and a flop remake of '' The Blue Angel'' (1959). Dmytryk made '' Walk on the Wild Side'' (1962) for producer Charles Feldman. He produced and directed '' The Reluctant Saint'' (1962). He had a huge hit with '' The Carpetbaggers'' (1964) from the novel by Harold Robbins for producer Joseph E. Levine. He was given '' Where Love Has Gone'' (1964), another Robbins adaptation by Levine. This was followed by the

Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, 12th-greatest male ...

thriller ''

Mirage A mirage is a naturally-occurring optical phenomenon in which light rays bend via refraction to produce a displaced image of distant objects or the sky. The word comes to English via the French ''(se) mirer'', from the Latin ''mirari'', mean ...

'' (1965), the

William Holden William Franklin Holden (né Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film '' Stalag 17'' (1953) and the Pri ...

Western '' Alvarez Kelly'' (1966), a war film '' Anzio'', (1968) and '' Shalako'' (1968), a Western with

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and Brigitte Bardot. Dmytryk wrote and directed ''

Bluebeard "Bluebeard" ( ) is a French Folklore, folktale, the most famous surviving version of which was written by Charles Perrault and first published by Barbin in Paris in 1697 in . The tale is about a wealthy man in the habit of murdering his wives an ...

'' (1972) with

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s and gave a memor ...

. He did the little-seen '' He Is My Brother'' (1975) and '' The 'Human' Factor'' (1975). His last film was ''Not Only Strangers'' (1979). In the 1980s, Dmytryk entered academic life. He taught about film and directing at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

at Austin and at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

film school. He wrote several books on the art of film-making (such as ''On Film Editing'' and ''On Screenwriting''). He also appeared on the lecture circuit, speaking at various colleges and theaters, such as the Orson Welles Cinema.

Personal life and death

Dmytryk married his second wife, actress Jean Porter, on May 12, 1948. He died at age 90 on July 1, 1999, in

Encino, California Encino is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. History Etymology The name Encino is the misspelling in masculine of Encina, the Spanish language, Spanish word for "holm oak” (Quercus ilex). The Spanis ...

, from heart and kidney failure. He was the penultimate survivor of the

. The tenth, Ring Lardner, Jr., died on October 31, 2000. Dmytryk was buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park, in Hollywood.

Legacy and honors

* 1948: Best Director (Oscar nomination) for '' Crossfire'' * 1955: Best Picture (Oscars nomination) for ''

'' * 1955: Directors Guild Award (nomination) for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures

Filmography

This filmography lists all the feature films directed by Dmytryk and may be complete: * '' The Hawk'' (1935) * '' Million Dollar Legs'' (uncredited; 1939) * '' Television Spy'' (1939) * '' Emergency Squad'' (1940) * ''

'' (1940) * ''

'' (1940) * '' Her First Romance'' (1940) * '' The Devil Commands'' (1941) * '' Under Age'' (1941) * '' Sweetheart of the Campus'' (1941) * '' The Blonde from Singapore'' (1941) * '' Secrets of the Lone Wolf'' (1941) * '' Confessions of Boston Blackie'' (1941) * ''

'' (1942) * '' Seven Miles from Alcatraz'' (1942) * '' Hitler's Children'' (1943) * '' The Falcon Strikes Back'' (1943) * '' Captive Wild Woman'' (1943) * '' Behind the Rising Sun'' (1943) * '' Tender Comrade'' (1943) * '' Murder, My Sweet'' (1944) * '' Back to Bataan'' (1945) * '' Cornered'' (1945) * '' Till the End of Time'' (1946) * '' So Well Remembered'' (1947) * '' Crossfire'' (1947) * '' Obsession'' (1949) * '' Give Us This Day'' (1949) * ''

'' (1952) * '' The Sniper'' (1952) * '' Eight Iron Men'' (1952) * '' The Juggler'' (1953) * ''

'' (1954) * ''

'' (1954) * '' The End of the Affair'' (1954) * '' Soldier of Fortune'' (1955) * '' The Left Hand of God'' (1955) * ''

'' (1956) * '' Raintree County'' (1957) * '' The Young Lions'' (1958) * ''

'' (1959) * '' The Blue Angel'' (1959) * '' Walk on the Wild Side'' (1962) * '' The Reluctant Saint'' (1962) * '' The Carpetbaggers'' (1964) * '' Where Love Has Gone'' (1964) * ''

'' (1965) * '' Alvarez Kelly'' (1966) * '' Anzio'' (1968) * '' Shalako'' (1968) * ''

'' (1972) * '' He Is My Brother'' (1975) * '' The "Human" Factor'' (1975)

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dmytryk, Edward 1908 births 1999 deaths Film directors from Los Angeles American film editors Film producers from Los Angeles Western (genre) film directors American male screenwriters Film directors from British Columbia Hollywood Ten American communists Writers from British Columbia 20th-century American businesspeople USC School of Cinematic Arts faculty Screenwriting instructors Screenwriters from California People from the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary Canadian emigrants to the United States Canadian people of Ukrainian descent Deaths from kidney failure in California Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Directors of Palme d'Or winners 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American writers 20th-century American screenwriters