George Somnes, born George Carleton Flye (July 7, 1887 – February 8, 1956) was an American theatre director and producer and film director.

Career

In 1911, Somnes' first Broadway appearance was in ''An Old New Yorker'' by Harrison Rhodes and Thomas A. Wise and produced by William A. Brady. He then went to London and was the first American to gain prominence in the Old Vic Theater, with his interpretation of King Claudius in Hamlet. When the United States entered World War I, Somnes left England and went into the Army, where he became a top sergent in the field artillery. In the 1920s Somnes was a member of the old Stuart Walker Stock Company in Indianapolis and later involved with the Civic Theater there. From 1929 to 1934, Somnes was in Hollywood and directed stars including

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and

George Raft George Raft (born George Ranft; September 26, 1901 – November 24, 1980) was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s. A stylish leading man in dozens of movies, Raft is ...

. His film directing career included: ''

The Girl in 419 ''The Girl in 419'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film directed by Alexander Hall and George Somnes and written by Allen Rivkin, Manuel Seff and P.J. Wolfson. The film stars James Dunn, Gloria Stuart, David Manners, William Harrigan, Shi ...

'', ''

Midnight Club ''Midnight Club'' is a series of Racing video game#Arcade-style racers, arcade-style racing video games developed by Rockstar San Diego (formerly known as Angel Studios) and published by Rockstar Games. ''Midnight Club'' is similar to the ''Mid ...

'' and ''

Torch Singer A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affecte ...

'' in 1933 and ''

Wharf Angel ''Wharf Angel'' is a 1934 American drama film directed by William Cameron Menzies and George Somnes and starring Victor McLaglen, Dorothy Dell, David Landau, and Preston Foster. ''Wharf Angel'' was the first screenplay of Stephen Morehouse Aver ...

'' in 1934, co-directing with

William Cameron Menzies William Cameron Menzies (July 29, 1896 – March 5, 1957) was an American film production designer (a job title he invented) and art director as well as a film director and producer during a career spanning five decades. He began his career ...

. On stage he directed productions such as the drama ''

Reprise In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any repea ...

'' (1935), the comedies '' Sun Kissed'' (1937) and '' The Greatest Show on Earth'' (1938), the melodrama ''

Brown Danube Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model use ...

'' (1939), and the drama ''

Land's End Land's End ( kw, Penn an Wlas or ''Pedn an Wlas'') is a headland and tourist and holiday complex in western Cornwall, England, on the Penwith peninsula about west-south-west of Penzance at the western end of the A30 road. To the east of it is ...

'' (1946).

Elitch Theatre

In 1934, Somnes first appeared at the

Elitch Theatre The Historic Elitch Theatre is located at the original Elitch Gardens site in northwest Denver, Colorado. Opened in 1890, it was centerpiece of the park that was the first zoo west of Chicago. The theatre was Denver's first professional theatre ...

and his he and his future wife,

Helen Bonfils Helen Gilmer Bonfils (November 16, 1889 – June 6, 1972) was an American heiress, actress, theatrical producer, newspaper executive, and philanthropist. She acted in local theatre in Denver, Colorado, and on Broadway, and also co-produced plays in ...

, would be making their first of many appearances together at the theatre. He was a producer for at

Elitch's Theater Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park is an amusement park in Denver, Colorado. It is owned by Kroenke Sports & Entertainment and operated by Premier Parks, LLC. Distinctive for being located in a downtown area, it is open April through October. Hi ...

, where he met his future wife

, whom he married in 1936. Somnes opened the 1946 season at the

with ''The Mermaid Sings'', which was his 101st play as director. On this occasion, Somnes stated: "The first hundred plays are the hardest." His dates acting and directing for the Historic Elitch Theatre include: 1936 to 1943, 1947, and 1951 to 1954.

Personal life

1936 - Helen Bonfils and George Somnes Wedding Day

In the fall of 1936, Somnes and Helen Bonfils were married in the rose garden of the Gurtler home at 4209 W. 38th Avenue in Denver. (The Gurtler family owned Elitch Gardens.) The couple lived in the Wood-Morris-Bonfils House in Denver. Somnes died in Denver in 1956 and was buried in the Bonfils family vault at the

Fairmount Mausoleum Fairmount Mausoleum is a public mausoleum at Fairmount Cemetery in Denver, Colorado. The building was designed by architects Frederick E. Mountjoy and Francis W. Frewan. Constructed in 1929 and opened in 1930, the Fairmount Mausoleum contains th ...

in Denver, and was joined by Bonfils in 1972.Fairmount Heritage Foundation
/ref>

References

External links

* American theatre directors 1887 births 1956 deaths People from Newcastle, Maine American theatre managers and producers Film directors from Maine {{US-film-director-1880s-stub