John Lee Thompson (1 August 1914 – 30 August 2002) was a British film director, active in London and Hollywood, best known for award-winning films such as ''
Woman in a Dressing Gown
''Woman in a Dressing Gown'' is a 1957 British drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Yvonne Mitchell, Anthony Quayle, Sylvia Syms, and Carole Lesley. The film won four awards at the 7th Berlin International Film Festival including t ...
'', ''
Ice Cold in Alex
''Ice Cold in Alex'' is a 1958 British war film set during the Western Desert campaign of World War II based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Landon. Directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring John Mills, the film was a prizewinner a ...
'' and ''
The Guns of Navarone'' along with cult classics like ''
Cape Fear'', ''
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
''Conquest of the Planet of the Apes'' is a 1972 American science fiction film directed by J. Lee Thompson and written by Paul Dehn. It is the fourth of five films in the original ''Planet of the Apes'' series produced by Arthur P. Jacobs. The fil ...
'' and ''
The White Buffalo
''The White Buffalo'' is a 1977 fantasy Western film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Charles Bronson, Kim Novak, Jack Warden, Slim Pickens and Will Sampson.
Plot
Wild Bill Hickok is haunted by his dreams of a giant white buffalo, so ...
''.
Early life
Thompson was born in Bristol on 1 August 1914. His family had links to the theatre. Thompson studied at
Dover College
, motto_translation = I cannot refuse the task
, established =
, closed =
, type = Public SchoolIndependent day and boarding
, religion = Church of England
, headmaster = Simon Fisher
, r_head_label =
, r_head ...
then went to work in the theatre, joining the Nottingham Repertory Company as an actor and stagehand. He later went to work for a repertory company in Croydon, Surrey.
He wrote plays in his spare time, and had started when he was nine. One of them, ''Murder Happens?'' was performed at Croydon in 1934. His second staged play, ''
Double Error'', had a brief West End run at the Fortune Theatre in 1935. An article from this time about the play said he had written 40 plays already, including four in between his first two staged plays. A company worth £10,000 was formed to exploit Thompson's writings over the next seven years but this appears to have not had a long life.
Thompson later said he had written a part for himself to perform, but when management asked him if he wanted to do so he said "of course not," and "the die was cast. Later I decided if I didn't have the guts to admit I wanted to play the role I should never act again and I never did."
Screenwriter
The film rights to ''Double Error'' were purchased for £100.
Thompson was hired to work in the scriptwriting department at
British International Pictures
Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC), originally British International Pictures (BIP), was a British film production, distribution and exhibition company active from 1927 until 1970 when it was absorbed into EMI. ABPC also owned appro ...
at Elstree Studios. While there he made his one appearance as an actor in films, playing a small role in ''Midshipman Easy'' (1935).
His first credit was ''
The Price of Folly
''The Price of Folly'' is a 1937 British drama film directed by Walter Summers and starring Leonora Corbett, Colin Keith-Johnston and Judy Kelly. The screenplay concerns a man who, after a failed attempt to kill a woman, finds himself blackmaile ...
'' (1937), based on his play. He also worked on the scripts for ''
Glamorous Night
''Glamorous Night'' is a musical with a book and music by Ivor Novello and lyrics by Christopher Hassall, Novello's collaborator in six of the eight Novello musicals staged between 1935 and 1951. ''Glamorous Night'' was the first of several N ...
'' (1937), and he worked as dialogue coach on ''
Jamaica Inn
The Jamaica Inn is a traditional inn on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall in the UK, which was built as a coaching inn in 1750, and has a historical association with smuggling. Located just off the A30, near the middle of the moor close to the hamle ...
'' (1939), directed by
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
.
He wrote the scripts for ''
The Middle Watch'' (1940), made at
Associated British Picture Corporation
Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC), originally British International Pictures (BIP), was a British film production, distribution and exhibition company active from 1927 until 1970 when it was absorbed into EMI. ABPC also owned appro ...
(ABPC) and ''
East of Piccadilly
''East of Piccadilly'' released in the US as ''The Strangler'' is a 1941 British mystery film based on a story by Gordon Beckles. It was directed by Harold Huth and starring Judy Campbell, Sebastian Shaw, Niall MacGinnis, Henry Edwards, Mart ...
'' (1941).
World War II
Thompson served in World War II as a tailgunner and wireless operator in the
RAF
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
. In 1942 a revised version of ''Double Error'', titled ''
Murder Without Crime
''Murder Without Crime'' is a 1950 British crime film directed by J. Lee Thompson (his first film, credited as J. Lee-Thompson) and starring Dennis Price, Derek Farr and Patricia Plunkett. J. Lee Thompson also wrote the screenplay adapted from ...
'', opened at the Comedy Theatre in London. The play had a run on Broadway in 1943.
Post War
After the war Thompson returned to his work as scriptwriter under contract at Associated British on such films as ''
No Place for Jennifer
''No Place for Jennifer'' is a 1950 British film directed by Henry Cass and starring Leo Genn, Rosamund John, Guy Middleton and Janette Scott.
It was based on the novel ''No Difference to Me'' by Phyllis Hambleton.
Plot
In the film, a young gi ...
'' (1949) and ''
For Them That Trespass
''For Them That Trespass'' is a 1949 British crime film directed by Alberto Cavalcanti and starring Richard Todd, Patricia Plunkett and Stephen Murray (actor), Stephen Murray. It is an adaptation of the 1944 For Them That Trespass (novel), novel ...
'' (1949), the latter starring Richard Todd in his debut.
Thompson was dialogue director on ''
The Hasty Heart
''The Hasty Heart'' is a 1949 war drama film, an Anglo-American co-production starring Ronald Reagan, Patricia Neal, and Richard Todd and directed by Vincent Sherman. The film is based on the 1945 play of the same name by John Patrick.
''The ...
'' (1949), which turned Todd into a star. He later said he gave up dialogue directing because he found the job "impossible. My job was to take stars through their lines but I felt that I was also expected to be a spy for the front office. If a word was altered they wanted to know why. It was a way of keeping control."
The same year his play ''
The Human Touch
''The Human Touch'' is a play by Dudley Leslie and J. Lee Thompson.
After premiering at the Liverpool Playhouse in May 1948, it later had a West End run of 113 performances at the Savoy Theatre between February and June 1949. The cast included A ...
'', co written with Dudley Leslie, ran for more than a hundred performances at the
Savoy Theatre
The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy Pala ...
in a production starring
Alec Guinness
Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. After an early career on the stage, Guinness was featured in several of the Ealing comedies, including ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'' (194 ...
.
British film director
Early films
His first film as a director was ''
Murder Without Crime
''Murder Without Crime'' is a 1950 British crime film directed by J. Lee Thompson (his first film, credited as J. Lee-Thompson) and starring Dennis Price, Derek Farr and Patricia Plunkett. J. Lee Thompson also wrote the screenplay adapted from ...
'' (1950), made at ABPC, who put Thompson under contract. Thompson was offered £500 for the screen rights to the play and £500 to direct. He said "it was not so much that I wanted to direct movies it was to get the money so I could continue writing plays. But while directing it I got the feeling that I wanted to be a movie director."
Thompson said "the fact is I found directing to be much easier than writing and I enjoyed it much more than writing as well. So I became a film director."
The film was about a man who thinks he has committed murder. Thompson also wrote the screenplay, based on his own play ''Double Error''. In the words of Thompson's Screenonline profile "this well structured film went largely unnoticed but contained many of the themes which were to characterise Lee Thompson's work: a good person's struggle with their conscience, an external force of evil, and an out-of-character moment of violence which has long-term consequences. Believing people can "commit crimes without being criminals", he sought to make his audiences condone or at least understand behaviour that they would normally condemn."
Thompson's first film success was one he directed and co-wrote (with Anne Burnaby), ''
The Yellow Balloon'' (1953), the story of a child who is blackmailed into helping a criminal after accidentally causing his friend's death.
He followed it with a comedy, ''
For Better, For Worse'' (1954) starring
Dirk Bogarde
Sir Dirk Bogarde (born Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde; 28 March 1921 – 8 May 1999) was an English actor, novelist and screenwriter. Initially a matinée idol in films such as ''Doctor in the House'' (1954) for the Rank Organ ...
, which was even more popular though it is little remembered today.
Social Realist films
Thompson's fourth film as director ''
The Weak and the Wicked
''The Weak and the Wicked'' (called ''Young and Willing'' in the United States) is a 1954 British drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson based on the autobiographical novel '' Who Lie in Gaol'' by his wife, Joan Henry, starring Glynis Johns and ...
'' (1954), portrays the lives of women in prison and is based on memoirs by
Joan Henry
Joan Constance Anne Henry (8 April 1914 – 2000) was an English novelist, playwright and screenwriter. A former débutante from an illustrious family, she was jailed for passing a fraudulent cheque in 1951 and her best-known works were based on ...
, who became Thompson's second wife. Thompson wrote the script, again in collaboration with Anne Burnaby. It starred
Glynis Johns
Glynis Margaret Payne Johns (born 5 October 1923) is a South African-born British former actress, dancer, musician and singer. Recognised as a film and Broadway icon, Johns has a career spanning eight decades, in which she appeared in more than ...
and
Diana Dors
Diana Dors (born Diana Mary Fluck; 23 October 19314 May 1984) was an English actress and singer.
Dors came to public notice as a blonde bombshell, much in the style of Americans Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren. Dors was pr ...
and was a hit at the box office. The success of the film greatly added to Thompson's prestige and he began to be regarded as one of the leading directors in the country.
Thompson was loaned to Rank Films to direct a
Jack Buchanan
Walter John Buchanan (2 April 1891 – 20 October 1957) was a Scottish theatre and film actor, singer, dancer, producer and director. He was known for three decades as the embodiment of the debonair man-about-town in the tradition of George G ...
comedy, ''
As Long as They're Happy
''As Long as They're Happy'' is a 1955 British musical comedy film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Jack Buchanan, Susan Stephen and Diana Dors. It is based on the 1953 play of the same name by Vernon Sylvaine. It was shot at Pinewoo ...
'' (1955), co-starring Dors and ''
An Alligator Named Daisy
''An Alligator Named Daisy'' is a 1955 British comedy film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Donald Sinden, Jeannie Carson, James Robertson Justice, Diana Dors, Roland Culver and Stanley Holloway.
Plot
Returning from a cricket match in Ir ...
'' (1955), also starring Dors, along with
Donald Sinden
Sir Donald Alfred Sinden (9 October 1923 – 12 September 2014) was a British actor.
Sinden featured in the film ''Mogambo'' (1953), and achieved early fame as a Rank Organisation film star in the 1950s in films including ''The Cruel Sea (195 ...
. He returned to ABPC and the theme of female prisoners in ''
Yield to the Night
''Yield to the Night'' (also titled ''Blonde Sinner'' in the US) is a 1956 British crime drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Diana Dors. The film is based on the 1954 novel of the same name by Joan Henry. The storyline bears a ...
'' (1956), an anti-capital punishment tale with
Diana Dors
Diana Dors (born Diana Mary Fluck; 23 October 19314 May 1984) was an English actress and singer.
Dors came to public notice as a blonde bombshell, much in the style of Americans Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren. Dors was pr ...
as the condemned prisoner.
Thompson later said the "pattern" of his ABPC films was "two pieces of tepid rubbish for one decent project - if I could persuade
Robert Clark Robert, Bob, or Bobby Clark may refer to:
Television and film
*Robert Clark (actor) (born 1987), American-born Canadian television actor
*Bob Clark (1939–2007), Canadian filmmaker
*Bob Clark (television reporter), retired American television rep ...
, who was head of production. He used to wring his hands when I insisted. 'Okay,' he'd finally say. 'Do it if you must. But it won't make money.' I admired him for that really. He did give you a bit of a chance."
''
The Good Companions
''The Good Companions'' is a novel by the English author J. B. Priestley.
Written in 1929, it follows the fortunes of a concert party on a tour of England. It is Priestley's most famous novel and established him as a national figure. It won ...
'' (1957) was lighter fare, based on a book by
J. B. Priestley
John Boynton Priestley (; 13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984) was an English novelist, playwright, screenwriter, broadcaster and social commentator.
His Yorkshire background is reflected in much of his fiction, notably in ''The Good Compa ...
. According to one obituary Thompson "made excellent use of the CinemaScope screen, assembled a fine supporting cast and, with zestful choreography... came up with one of the few successes in a genre for which the British cinema was not noted."
''
Woman in a Dressing Gown
''Woman in a Dressing Gown'' is a 1957 British drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Yvonne Mitchell, Anthony Quayle, Sylvia Syms, and Carole Lesley. The film won four awards at the 7th Berlin International Film Festival including t ...
'' (1957), with
Yvonne Mitchell
Yvonne Mitchell (born Yvonne Frances Joseph; 7 July 1915 – 24 March 1979) was an English actress and author. After beginning her acting career in theatre, Mitchell progressed to films in the late 1940s. Her roles include Julia in the 1954 BBC ...
,
Anthony Quayle
Sir John Anthony Quayle (7 September 1913 – 20 October 1989) was a British actor and theatre director. He was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his supporting role as Thomas Wolsey in the film ''Anne of the Thousand Days'' (1969). ...
and
Sylvia Syms
Sylvia May Laura Syms (born 6 January 1934) is an English actress, best known for her roles in the films ''Woman in a Dressing Gown'' (1957), ''Ice Cold in Alex'' (1958), ''No Trees in the Street'' (1959), ''Victim'' (1961), and ''The Tamari ...
and written by
Ted Willis
Edward Henry Willis, Baron Willis (13 January 1914 – 22 December 1992) was an English playwright, novelist and screenwriter who was also politically active in support of the Labour Party. In 1941 he became the General Secretary of the Young Co ...
, deals with the collapse of a 20-year marriage.
Action director
Thompson had a big success with ''
Ice Cold in Alex
''Ice Cold in Alex'' is a 1958 British war film set during the Western Desert campaign of World War II based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Landon. Directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring John Mills, the film was a prizewinner a ...
'' (1958), the story of a British Army unit trekking across North Africa in the Second World War. It featured
John Mills
Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portray ...
, Sylvia Syms, Anthony Quayle and
Harry Andrews
Harry Stewart Fleetwood Andrews, CBE (10 November 1911 – 6 March 1989) was an English actor known for his film portrayals of tough military officers. His performance as Regimental Sergeant Major Wilson in '' The Hill'' (1965) alongside Sean ...
. It won three
BAFTA Awards, including Best British Film. He followed it with ''
North West Frontier'' (1959), an adventure film set in British India starring
Kenneth More
Kenneth Gilbert More, Order of the British Empire#Current classes, CBE (20 September 1914 – 12 July 1982) was an English film and stage actor.
Initially achieving fame in the comedy ''Genevieve (film), Genevieve'' (1953), he appeared in many ...
and
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall (; born Betty Joan Perske; September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014) was an American actress. She was named the 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute and received an Academy Honorary Aw ...
. It was one of the most popular films in Britain in 1959.
''
No Trees in the Street
''No Trees in the Street'' is a 1959 British crime thriller directed by J. Lee Thompson and written by Ted Willis, from his 1948 stage play of the same name.
The film is set in the slums of London. It depicts the life of impoverished teenager To ...
'' (1959) was a thriller written by Willis. Also in that genre was ''
Tiger Bay
Tiger Bay ( cy, Bae Teigr) was the local name for an area of Cardiff which covered Butetown and Cardiff Docks. Following the building of the Cardiff Barrage, which dams the tidal rivers, Ely and Taff, to create a body of water, it is re ...
'' (1959), starring John Mills. It introduced cinema audiences to Mills' daughter Hayley and German actor
Horst Buchholz
Horst Werner Buchholz (4 December 1933 – 3 March 2003) was a German actor who appeared in more than 60 feature films from 1951 to 2002. During his youth, he was sometimes called "the German James Dean". He is perhaps best known in English- ...
.
Hayley Mills
Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills (born 18 April 1946) is an English actress. The daughter of Sir John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and younger sister of actress Juliet Mills, she began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising ...
also earned a BAFTA for Most Promising Newcomer portraying a 12-year-old girl who refuses to betray a sailor accused of murder.
Thompson followed this with ''
I Aim at the Stars
I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plural ...
'' (1960).
Hollywood career
''Guns of Navarone'' and ''Cape Fear''
Thompson vaulted to international fame with ''
The Guns of Navarone'' (1961) as a last-minute replacement for director
Alexander Mackendrick
Alexander Mackendrick (September 8, 1912 – December 22, 1993) was an American-born director and professor, long based in Scotland. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and later moved to Scotland. He began making television commercials befor ...
. His take-charge attitude during its production earned him the nickname 'Mighty Mouse' from lead actor
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 12th-greatest male star of Classic Hollywood ...
. Co-star Anthony Quinn said Thompson:
Never read a scene until he had to shoot it and approached each shot on a whim. And yet the cumulative effect was astonishing. Lee Thompson made a marvelous picture but how? Perhaps his inventiveness lay in defying convention, in rejecting the accepted methods of motion picture making and establishing his own. Perhaps it was in his very formlessness that he found the one form he could sustain, and nurture, the one form that could, in turn, sustain and nurture him. Perhaps he was just a lucky Englishman who pulled a good picture out of his ass.
''The Guns of Navarone'', a
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
epic filmed on location in
Rhodes
Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the So ...
, Greece, was nominated for seven
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
including Thompson for Best Director. In 1961 he said "primarily I am in the business to entertain. This does not mean that I never want to try artistic movies again. But I do not think you can sell art on the big movie circuits. Art belongs in the art houses."
Later he said "I liked the character bits best" about ''Navarone''. "Anyone can make an explosion."
[Anyone can make an explosion
Malcolm, Derek. The Guardian3 Feb 1969: 8.]
The success of ''Navarone'' won him entry into Hollywood, where he directed ''
Cape Fear'' (1962), a psychological thriller with Gregory Peck,
Robert Mitchum
Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He rose to prominence with an Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor for ''The Story of G.I. Joe'' (1945), followed by his starring in ...
,
Polly Bergen
Polly Bergen (born Nellie Paulina Burgin; July 14, 1930 – September 20, 2014) was an American actress, singer, television host, writer and entrepreneur.
She won an Emmy Award in 1958 for her performance as Helen Morgan in ''The Helen Mo ...
and
Lori Martin
Dawn Catherine Menzer (April 18, 1947 – April 4, 2010), known professionally as Lori Martin, was an American actress. A child actress for most of her career, she first achieved recognition as the title character of the NBC drama series ' ...
; Peck and Mitchum co-producing the film. Based on a novel called ''
The Executioners'' by
John D. MacDonald
John Dann MacDonald (July 24, 1916December 28, 1986) was an American writer of novels and short stories. He is known for his thrillers.
MacDonald was a prolific author of crime and suspense novels, many set in his adopted home of Florida. On ...
, ''Cape Fear'' shows how a sex offender can manipulate the justice system and terrorise an entire family. Highly controversial for its time, the film was cut heavily in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
He worked on a project with
Warren Beatty
Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker, whose career spans over six decades. He was nominated for 15 Academy Awards, including four for Best Actor, four for Best Picture, two for Best Director, ...
and
Clifford Odets
Clifford Odets (July 18, 1906 – August 14, 1963) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and actor. In the mid-1930s, he was widely seen as the potential successor to Nobel Prize-winning playwright Eugene O'Neill, as O'Neill began to withdra ...
based on an idea of Beatty's. It was never made.
Neither was ''The Short Cut'' which he discussed doing with
Darryl F. Zanuck
Darryl Francis Zanuck (September 5, 1902December 22, 1979) was an American film producer and studio executive; he earlier contributed stories for films starting in the silent era. He played a major part in the Hollywood studio system as one of ...
, or ''The Living Room'' from a novel by
Graham Greene
Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...
or ''
Chips with Everything
''Chips with Everything'' is a 1962 play by Arnold Wesker. The play shows class attitudes at the time by examining the life of a corporal.
Productions
''Chips with Everything'' premiered in the West End at the Royal Court Theatre on 27 April 1 ...
'' by
Arnold Wesker
Sir Arnold Wesker (24 May 1932 – 12 April 2016) was an English dramatist. He was the author of 50 plays, four volumes of short stories, two volumes of essays, much journalism and a book on the subject, a children's book, some poetry, and oth ...
.
Mirisch Brothers
Thompson directed
Yul Brynner
Yuliy Borisovich Briner (russian: link=no, Юлий Борисович Бринер; July 11, 1920 – October 10, 1985), known professionally as Yul Brynner, was a Russian-born actor. He was best known for his portrayal of King Mongkut in the ...
in the Cossack epic ''
Taras Bulba
''Taras Bulba'' (russian: «Тарас Бульба»; ) is a romanticized historical novella set in the first half of the 17th century, written by Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852). It features elderly Zaporozhian Cossack Taras Bulba and his sons And ...
'' (1962) for producer
Harold Hecht
Harold Adolphe Hecht (June 1, 1907 – May 26, 1985) was an American film producer, dance director and talent agent. He was also, though less noted for, a literary agent, a theatrical producer, a theatre director and a Broadway actor. He was a m ...
. Thompson was going to follow it with ''Big Charlie'' starring Brynner but the movie was not made. In 1962 the Mirisch Brothers signed the director to a four-picture contract. The first film made under this contract was the Mayan Indian epic ''
Kings of the Sun
''Kings of the Sun'' is a 1963 DeLuxe Color film directed by J. Lee Thompson for Mirisch Productions set in Mesoamerica at the time of the conquest of Chichen Itza by Hunac Ceel. Location scenes filmed in Mazatlán and Chichen Itza. The film mark ...
'' (1963), starring Brynner.
In September 1962 Thompson said he would make ''I Love Louisa'' with
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-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 1950s. ...
produced by Arthur Jacobs.
(This film became ''
What a Way to Go!
''What a Way to Go!'' is a 1964 American black comedy film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Shirley MacLaine, Paul Newman, Robert Mitchum, Dean Martin, Gene Kelly, Bob Cummings and Dick Van Dyke.
Plot
In a dream-like pre-credit sequ ...
''(1964) with
Shirley MacLaine
Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty, April 24, 1934) is an American actress, author, and former dancer. Known for her portrayals of quirky, strong-willed and eccentric women, MacLaine has received numerous accolades over her seven-dec ...
.) He would put actors under personal contract like Talitha Pol.
In September 1963 Thompson announced he had formed a company, Bowhall Productions, to make around four films a year in the $120,000-$160,000 budget range. Thompson said it was "unlikely" the films would "make a profit" but they were movies he "deeply wanted to make". They included ''Chips with Everything'', ''Rose without a Thorn'' by Clifford Bax, and a film in Spain. Following ''Return from the Ashes'' he would also make a $7 million movie in Africa ''Thunder of Giants''.
Instead he did another with MacLaine, ''
John Goldfarb, Please Come Home
''John Goldfarb, Please Come Home!'' is a 1965 American comedy film based on the novel by William Peter Blatty published in 1963.
The film was directed by J. Lee Thompson. The film was shot in the Mojave Desert.
In the film, an American militar ...
'' (1965). Back in England Thompson made ''
Return from the Ashes
''Return from the Ashes'' is a 1965 British thriller film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Ingrid Thulin, Maximilian Schell, Samantha Eggar and Herbert Lom. It is based on a novel by French crime writer Hubert Monteilhet, adapted for ...
'' (1965) for the Mirisch Brothers. In April 1965 Thompson announced he would make ''High Citadel'' based on a novel by Desmond Bagley for the Mirisch Brothers. These plans were postponed when Thompson received an offer to replace Michael Anderson, who had fallen ill before he was to start directing a thriller about cults with
David Niven
James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was a British actor, soldier, memoirist, and novelist. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Major Pollock in ''Separate Tables'' (1958). Niven's other roles ...
, ''
Eye of the Devil
''Eye of the Devil,'' also known as ''13,'' is a 1966 British Mystery film, mystery horror film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Deborah Kerr, David Niven, Donald Pleasence, Sharon Tate and David Hemmings. The film is set in rural France ...
'' (1967) (originally titled ''13''). ''High Citadel'' was never filmed. Another film announced but never filmed was ''The Case Against Colonel Sutton'' which he was going to do with producer
Martin Poll
Martin Poll (November 24, 1922 – April 14, 2012) was an American film and television producer. Poll produced eleven feature films during his career, including '' The Lion in Winter'', for which he received a 1968 Academy Award nomination for ...
. Neither was a proposed musical remake of ''The Private Lives of Henry VIII''.
After a war film, ''
Before Winter Comes
''Before Winter Comes'' is a 1969 British comedy-drama war film directed by J. Lee Thompson from a screenplay by Andrew Sinclair.
Plot
''Before Winter Comes'' takes place in the immediate aftermath of World War II. British Major Giles Burnside ...
'' (1968) Thompson was reunited with the star, producer and writer of ''Navarone'' in the
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
''
Mackenna's Gold
''Mackenna's Gold'' is a 1969 American Western film directed by J. Lee Thompson, starring an ensemble cast featuring Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif, Telly Savalas, Ted Cassidy, Camilla Sparv and Julie Newmar in lead roles. It was photographed in Supe ...
'' (1969) but it did poorly at the box office. So too did the espionage tale ''
The Chairman'' (1969) with Gregory Peck. He was meant to follow that with ''You?'', about assassination from a script by Andrew Sinclair. It was never filmed. "I freely admit I've done some pretty bad stuff," he said in 1968. "It's entirely my own fault. The trouble was I accepted some dismal scripts. I wasn't tough enough... Writing is the fundamental thing."
Some have argued that Thompson's creative decline coincided with the end of his relationship with Henry.
''Apes'' Movies
Back in the UK he directed ''
Country Dance
A country dance is any of a very large number of social dances of a type that originated in the British Isles; it is the repeated execution of a predefined sequence of figures, carefully designed to fit a fixed length of music, performed by a g ...
'', also known as ''Brotherly Love'' (1970). Thompson's handling of a smaller scale film impressed producer Arthur Jacobs, with whom Thompson had made ''What a Way to Go''; Thompson was the first director attached to the Jacobs production ''The Planet of the Apes'' and Thompson says he turned down the first two sequels. He was available to make the fourth and fifth movies in the series, ''
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
''Conquest of the Planet of the Apes'' is a 1972 American science fiction film directed by J. Lee Thompson and written by Paul Dehn. It is the fourth of five films in the original ''Planet of the Apes'' series produced by Arthur P. Jacobs. The fil ...
'' and ''
Battle for the Planet of the Apes
''Battle for the Planet of the Apes'' is a 1973 American science fiction film directed by J. Lee Thompson. It is the fifth and final installment in the original ''Planet of the Apes'' series, produced by Arthur P. Jacobs, following ''Conquest of ...
''. Writer
Paul Dehn
Paul Edward Dehn (pronounced "Dain"; 5 November 1912 – 30 September 1976) was a British screenwriter, best known for '' Goldfinger'', '' The Spy Who Came in from the Cold'', ''Planet of the Apes'' sequels and ''Murder on the Orient Express''. ...
said Thompson had a reputation as someone with a drinking problem but that he had overcome it by the time of the ''Apes'' films.
"They were cutting back on the budgets the whole time after the first one", said Thompson later. "It was a bad policy."
Later career
US Television
Thompson began working more in US television, directing the television films ''
A Great American Tragedy'' (1972), ''
Huckleberry Finn
Huckleberry "Huck" Finn is a fictional character created by Mark Twain who first appeared in the book ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876) and is the protagonist and narrator of its sequel, ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884). He is 12 ...
'' (1974) starring
Jeff East
Jeffrey Franklin East (born October 27, 1957) is an American actor. Beginning his professional acting career at the age of fourteen, East is known for his portrayal of Huckleberry Finn in the United Artists feature films ''Tom Sawyer'' (1973) an ...
and
Paul Winfield
Paul Edward Winfield (May 22, 1939 – March 7, 2004) was an American stage, film and television actor. He was known for his portrayal of a Louisiana sharecropper who struggles to support his family during the Great Depression in the landmark fi ...
, ''
The Reincarnation of Peter Proud
''The Reincarnation of Peter Proud'' is a 1975 American psychological horror film directed by J. Lee Thompson, and starring Michael Sarrazin, Margot Kidder, and Jennifer O'Neill. It follows a university professor who, after experiencing a series ...
'' (1974) and ''
Widow
A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died.
Terminology
The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word ...
'' (1976) as well as the pilot episode of ''
The Blue Knight'' (1975).
He returned to playwriting with ''Getting Away with Murder'' (1976).
Charles Bronson
In 1976, Thompson began a long collaboration with actor
Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his "granite features and brawny physique," he gained international fame for his starring roles in action, Western, and war ...
on the
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...
crime story ''
St. Ives'' . John Crowther, who worked with both men, later said "Thompson was the total antithesis of Charlie and they got along famously. They really worked well together.”
In 1977, Bronson and Thompson teamed again on an unconventional western film called ''
The White Buffalo
''The White Buffalo'' is a 1977 fantasy Western film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Charles Bronson, Kim Novak, Jack Warden, Slim Pickens and Will Sampson.
Plot
Wild Bill Hickok is haunted by his dreams of a giant white buffalo, so ...
''.
Thompson directed two films starring
Anthony Quinn
Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known professionally as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican-American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental v ...
, ''
The Greek Tycoon
''The Greek Tycoon'' is a 1978 American biographical romantic drama film, of the ''roman à clef'' type, directed by J. Lee Thompson. The screenplay by Morton S. Fine is based on a story by Fine, Nico Mastorakis, and Win Wells, who loosely base ...
'' and ''
The Passage
Passage, The Passage or Le Passage may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''Passage'' (2008 film), a documentary about Arctic explorers
* ''Passage'' (2009 film), a short movie about three sisters
* ''The Passage'' (1979 film), starring ...
''. Reviewing the latter ''The Guardian'' called Thompson a director who "should know better but often doesn't". ''The Globe and Mail'' argued Thompson was "possibly the worst experienced director working in the world today."
Thompson directed the horror film, ''
Happy Birthday to Me'' in 1980.
In 1981 Thompson and Bronson made the film ''
Caboblanco
''Caboblanco'' is a 1980 American drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson, starring Charles Bronson, Dominique Sanda and Jason Robards. The film has often been described as a remake of ''Casablanca''.
The movie marks the third collaboration bet ...
'', which opened on Los Angeles on 24 April. Also that year he directed an episode of the TV show ''
Code Red'', and which he followed with another Bronson movie, ''
10 to Midnight
''10 to Midnight'' is a 1983 American crime- horror-thriller film directed by J. Lee Thompson from a screenplay originally written by William Roberts. The film stars Charles Bronson in the lead role with a supporting cast that includes Lisa Eilb ...
.''
Thompson worked with Bronson again on, ''
The Evil That Men Do'' (1984), which was shot in Mexico. Thompson was hired to replace original director Fielder Cook, who was fired shortly before filming began. Producer Pancho Okhenr said Thompson "knew exactly what shots he needed to put together the film...
ronson Ronson may refer to:
People
* Barbara Ronson (1942–2018), British Liberal Democrat politician
* Billy Ronson (1957–2015), English footballer
* Charlotte Ronson (born 1977), English fashion designer in New York
* Gail Ronson (born 1946), British ...
had a lot of respect for Lee. The whole crew appreciated when the director did not make them work over and over to get the same shot from different angles... He was just a terrific filmmaker.”
[Talbot, Paul]
"CINEMA RETRO SPECIAL REPORT: PAUL TALBOT ON ... Celebrating Films of the 1960s & 1970s
''www.cinemaretro.com'', February 01, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
Also released that year was ''
The Ambassador'', starring
Robert Mitchum
Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He rose to prominence with an Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor for ''The Story of G.I. Joe'' (1945), followed by his starring in ...
.
On 22 November 1985, ''
King Solomon's Mines
''King Solomon's Mines'' (1885) is a popular novel by the English Victorian adventure writer and fabulist Sir H. Rider Haggard. It tells of a search of an unexplored region of Africa by a group of adventurers led by Allan Quatermain for the ...
'' premiered. Thompson made this film as an Indiana Jones-style pastiche. It was shot in Zimbabwe and starred
Richard Chamberlain
George Richard Chamberlain (born March 31, 1934) is an American actor and singer, who became a teen idol in the title role of the television show ''Dr. Kildare'' (1961–1966). He subsequently appeared in several TV mini-series, such as ''Shōg ...
. The film was reasonably successful at the box office.
On 18 April 1986, ''
Murphy's Law'', the Thompson and Bronson collaboration of that year, started its theatrical run. It is a
neo-noir
Neo-noir is a revival of film noir, a genre that had originally flourished during the post-World War II era in the United Statesroughly from 1940 to 1960. The French term, ''film noir'', translates literally to English as "black film", indicating ...
thriller film
Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...
. Acting in the film are
Kathleen Wilhoite
Kathleen Wilhoite (born June 29, 1964) is an American actress and musician. She made her feature film debut in ''Private School'' (1983) before having a leading role in '' Murphy's Law'' (1986), followed by supporting parts in '' Witchboard'' (a ...
,
Carrie Snodgress
Caroline Louise Snodgress (October 27, 1945 – April 1, 2004) was an American actress. She is best remembered for her role in the film ''Diary of a Mad Housewife'' (1970), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award as w ...
,
Robert F. Lyons, and
Richard Romanus
Richard Romanus (born Richard Joseph Romanos; February 8, 1945) is an American actor. Among other roles, he has appeared in Martin Scorsese's ''Mean Streets'' and provided voices for Ralph Bakshi's animated films ''Wizards (film), Wizards'' and ' ...
. Thompson tried another Indiana Jones-type tale with ''
Firewalker'', which premiered on 21 November. The film paired the actors
Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist and actor. He is a black belt in Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu jitsu and judo. After serving in the United States Air Force, Norris won many martial arts championshi ...
with
Louis Gossett Jr.
Louis Cameron Gossett Jr. (born May 27, 1936) is an American actor. Born in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, He had his stage debut at the age of 17, in a school production of '' You Can't Take It with You.'' Shortly after he successfully ...
as its leads. The action
adventure
An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...
co-stars
Will Sampson
William Sampson Jr. (September 27, 1933 – June 3, 1987) was a Muscogee painter, actor, and rodeo performer. He is best known for his performance as the apparent deaf and mute Chief Bromden, the title role in '' One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest ...
and
Melody Anderson
Melody Anderson (born December 3, 1955) is a Canadian retired actress, social worker and public speaker specializing in the impact of addiction on families. As an actress, her most high-profile role was playing Dale Arden in the 1980 adaptation ...
.
Norris and Gossett play Max Donigan and Leo Porter, two soldiers of fortune, whose adventures rarely result in any notable gain. They are befriended by an inscrutable woman of mystery Patricia (Anderson). Patricia's map leads them on a quest for treasure in Central America. The name of the movie comes from the powerful guardian of the treasure.
Now working exclusively for Cannon, Thompson made two more Charles Bronson thrillers. On 6 November 1987 ''
Death Wish 4: The Crackdown'' was released and 16 September 1988 saw the opening of ''
Messenger of Death
''Messenger of Death'' is a 1988 American crime-action thriller film starring Charles Bronson about an attempt by a water company to start a family feud among fundamentalist Mormons to take the family's land for the company.
The movie marks th ...
''. He later reflected, "I realized these films were not going to enhance my reputation. I had to live with that. You're not going to be offered the great films at a certain age."
3 February 1989, Thompson's final directorial effort was released ''
Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects'' starring Charles Bronson.
In 1990 Thompson moved to
Sooke
Sooke is a district municipality on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Canada, by road from Victoria, the capital of British Columbia. Sooke, the westernmost of Greater Victoria's Western Communities, is to the north and west of the Sooke Ba ...
.
In 1992 Thompson said he was trying to finance a remake of ''Tiger Bay'' with Anna Chumsky and Alec Baldwin. The director said "I have certain regrets now. I would rather have stuck to making films like ''Yield to the Night'' which had some integrity and importance. But the British film industry caved in. I shouldn't denigrate myself too much because I have enjoyed making my films but I suppose I sort of sold out."
Personal life
Thompson was married three times. His first wife was Florence Bailey, whom he married in 1935 when he was 20. They had a son, Peter (1938–1997), who became a film editor on several of his father's films and predeceased him, and a daughter, Lesley, who survived him. They divorced in 1957.
His second wife was prisoner and author
Joan Henry
Joan Constance Anne Henry (8 April 1914 – 2000) was an English novelist, playwright and screenwriter. A former débutante from an illustrious family, she was jailed for passing a fraudulent cheque in 1951 and her best-known works were based on ...
, whom he married in 1958. They collaborated on ''Weak and the Wicked'' and ''Yield to the Night''. He left her for actor
Susan Hampshire
Susan Hampshire, Lady Kulukundis, (born 12 May 1937) is an English actress known for her many television and film roles. A three-time Emmy Award winner, she won for ''The Forsyte Saga'' in 1970, ''The First Churchills'' in 1969, and for '' Vani ...
. In March 1962 Hedda Hopper reported that Thompson was "sweating it out" in Los Angeles while Henry and Hampshire were "awaiting his decision in London." Thompson confirmed this in an interview, while Hampshire and Henry were less forthcoming to the press.
In September Hopper reported that it was over between Thompson and Hampshire.
Henry and Thompson were divorced in the late 1960s.
In November 1962 Thompson said he had proposed to
Shirley Ann Field
Shirley Anne Field (born Shirley Broomfield; 27 June 1938) is an English actress who has performed on stage, film and television since 1955, prominent during the British New Wave.
Early life
Broomfield was born in Forest Gate, Essex (now in t ...
whom he said accepted then changed her mind.
His third wife was Penny, who was his widow.
Death
Thompson died of congestive heart failure on 30 August 2002, at his holiday home in
Sooke
Sooke is a district municipality on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Canada, by road from Victoria, the capital of British Columbia. Sooke, the westernmost of Greater Victoria's Western Communities, is to the north and west of the Sooke Ba ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
, Canada aged 88.
Critical appraisal
The ''Guardian'' obituary called him "a compelling craftsman". ''The Washington Post'' said "he directed adventure films noted for their punchy pacing, rich atmosphere and nuanced characterization." ''Variety'' said he was "Known as a craftsman who had a clear sense of how each film should play, scene by scene".
The ''Independent'' said "he lent his acute sense of atmosphere and vivid visual style to a wide range of material. His intimate kitchen-sink melodramas... were unflinching portraits of social realism unusually stark for their time. His thrillers were tautly edited exercises in suspense, and he also made some engaging comedies and a bracing musical...Though his later films can most kindly be labelled potboilers, his body of work in the Fifties and early Sixties was an impressive one."
In 2000 he stated that he made so many American films "because of my insecurity and effort to stay here. If I was given a script and it had something good in it I'd say, 'Good, I've got my next picture!' That is not the way to make good films, so some of them were good and some not so good.... What an idiot! 'You should have stayed at what you really wanted to make.' If I have anything to say to young directors today it's don't make a film for the sake of making it. Make it only if you really believe in it. Then success will eventually come to you."
Awards
* Nominated, Best Director
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
, ''
The Guns of Navarone'' (1961)
* Nominated, Best Director
Directors Guild of America
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Directors Guild in 1936, the group merge ...
, ''
The Guns of Navarone'' (1961)
* Nominated, Best Director
Golden Globe
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
, ''
The Guns of Navarone'' (1961)
* Winner, Best Film
Golden Globe
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
, ''
The Guns of Navarone'' (1961)
* Nominated, Best Film
BAFTA, ''
Tiger Bay
Tiger Bay ( cy, Bae Teigr) was the local name for an area of Cardiff which covered Butetown and Cardiff Docks. Following the building of the Cardiff Barrage, which dams the tidal rivers, Ely and Taff, to create a body of water, it is re ...
'' (1959)
* Nominated, Best Film
BAFTA, ''
North West Frontier'' (1959)
* Nominated, Golden Bear
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...
, ''
Tiger Bay
Tiger Bay ( cy, Bae Teigr) was the local name for an area of Cardiff which covered Butetown and Cardiff Docks. Following the building of the Cardiff Barrage, which dams the tidal rivers, Ely and Taff, to create a body of water, it is re ...
'' (1959)
* Winner, FIPRESCI Prize
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...
, ''
Ice Cold in Alex
''Ice Cold in Alex'' is a 1958 British war film set during the Western Desert campaign of World War II based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Landon. Directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring John Mills, the film was a prizewinner a ...
'' (1958)
* Nominated, Golden Bear
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...
, ''
Ice Cold in Alex
''Ice Cold in Alex'' is a 1958 British war film set during the Western Desert campaign of World War II based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Landon. Directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring John Mills, the film was a prizewinner a ...
'' (1958)
* Winner, Special Mention
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...
, ''
Woman in a Dressing Gown
''Woman in a Dressing Gown'' is a 1957 British drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Yvonne Mitchell, Anthony Quayle, Sylvia Syms, and Carole Lesley. The film won four awards at the 7th Berlin International Film Festival including t ...
'' (1957)
* Winner, FIPRESCI Prize
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...
, ''
Woman in a Dressing Gown
''Woman in a Dressing Gown'' is a 1957 British drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Yvonne Mitchell, Anthony Quayle, Sylvia Syms, and Carole Lesley. The film won four awards at the 7th Berlin International Film Festival including t ...
'' (1957)
* Nominated, Golden Bear
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...
, ''
Woman in a Dressing Gown
''Woman in a Dressing Gown'' is a 1957 British drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Yvonne Mitchell, Anthony Quayle, Sylvia Syms, and Carole Lesley. The film won four awards at the 7th Berlin International Film Festival including t ...
'' (1957)
* Nominated, Palme d'Or
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
, ''
Yield to the Night
''Yield to the Night'' (also titled ''Blonde Sinner'' in the US) is a 1956 British crime drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Diana Dors. The film is based on the 1954 novel of the same name by Joan Henry. The storyline bears a ...
'' (1956)
Selected filmography
Screenwriter
* ''
The Price of Folly
''The Price of Folly'' is a 1937 British drama film directed by Walter Summers and starring Leonora Corbett, Colin Keith-Johnston and Judy Kelly. The screenplay concerns a man who, after a failed attempt to kill a woman, finds himself blackmaile ...
'' (1937)
* ''
The Middle Watch'' (1940)
* ''
Last Holiday''
1950 film: additional dialogue contributions to
J B Priestley
John Boynton Priestley (; 13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984) was an English novelist, playwright, screenwriter, broadcaster and social commentator.
His Yorkshire background is reflected in much of his fiction, notably in ''The Good Compa ...
's Script.
Director
1950s
* ''
Murder Without Crime
''Murder Without Crime'' is a 1950 British crime film directed by J. Lee Thompson (his first film, credited as J. Lee-Thompson) and starring Dennis Price, Derek Farr and Patricia Plunkett. J. Lee Thompson also wrote the screenplay adapted from ...
'' (1950)
* ''
The Yellow Balloon'' (1953)
* ''
For Better, for Worse'' (1954)
* ''
The Weak and the Wicked
''The Weak and the Wicked'' (called ''Young and Willing'' in the United States) is a 1954 British drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson based on the autobiographical novel '' Who Lie in Gaol'' by his wife, Joan Henry, starring Glynis Johns and ...
'' (1954)
* ''
As Long as They're Happy
''As Long as They're Happy'' is a 1955 British musical comedy film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Jack Buchanan, Susan Stephen and Diana Dors. It is based on the 1953 play of the same name by Vernon Sylvaine. It was shot at Pinewoo ...
'' (1955)
* ''
An Alligator Named Daisy
''An Alligator Named Daisy'' is a 1955 British comedy film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Donald Sinden, Jeannie Carson, James Robertson Justice, Diana Dors, Roland Culver and Stanley Holloway.
Plot
Returning from a cricket match in Ir ...
'' (1955)
* ''
Yield to the Night
''Yield to the Night'' (also titled ''Blonde Sinner'' in the US) is a 1956 British crime drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Diana Dors. The film is based on the 1954 novel of the same name by Joan Henry. The storyline bears a ...
'' (1956)
* ''
The Good Companions
''The Good Companions'' is a novel by the English author J. B. Priestley.
Written in 1929, it follows the fortunes of a concert party on a tour of England. It is Priestley's most famous novel and established him as a national figure. It won ...
'' (1957)
* ''
Woman in a Dressing Gown
''Woman in a Dressing Gown'' is a 1957 British drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Yvonne Mitchell, Anthony Quayle, Sylvia Syms, and Carole Lesley. The film won four awards at the 7th Berlin International Film Festival including t ...
'' (1957)
* ''
Ice Cold in Alex
''Ice Cold in Alex'' is a 1958 British war film set during the Western Desert campaign of World War II based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Landon. Directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring John Mills, the film was a prizewinner a ...
'' (1958)
* ''
North West Frontier'' (1959)
* ''
No Trees in the Street
''No Trees in the Street'' is a 1959 British crime thriller directed by J. Lee Thompson and written by Ted Willis, from his 1948 stage play of the same name.
The film is set in the slums of London. It depicts the life of impoverished teenager To ...
'' (1959)
* ''
Tiger Bay
Tiger Bay ( cy, Bae Teigr) was the local name for an area of Cardiff which covered Butetown and Cardiff Docks. Following the building of the Cardiff Barrage, which dams the tidal rivers, Ely and Taff, to create a body of water, it is re ...
'' (1959)
1960s
* ''
I Aim at the Stars
I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plural ...
'' (1960)
* ''
The Guns of Navarone'' (1961)
* ''
Cape Fear'' (1962)
* ''
Taras Bulba
''Taras Bulba'' (russian: «Тарас Бульба»; ) is a romanticized historical novella set in the first half of the 17th century, written by Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852). It features elderly Zaporozhian Cossack Taras Bulba and his sons And ...
'' (1962)
* ''
Kings of the Sun
''Kings of the Sun'' is a 1963 DeLuxe Color film directed by J. Lee Thompson for Mirisch Productions set in Mesoamerica at the time of the conquest of Chichen Itza by Hunac Ceel. Location scenes filmed in Mazatlán and Chichen Itza. The film mark ...
'' (1963)
* ''
What a Way to Go!
''What a Way to Go!'' is a 1964 American black comedy film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Shirley MacLaine, Paul Newman, Robert Mitchum, Dean Martin, Gene Kelly, Bob Cummings and Dick Van Dyke.
Plot
In a dream-like pre-credit sequ ...
'' (1964)
* ''
John Goldfarb, Please Come Home
''John Goldfarb, Please Come Home!'' is a 1965 American comedy film based on the novel by William Peter Blatty published in 1963.
The film was directed by J. Lee Thompson. The film was shot in the Mojave Desert.
In the film, an American militar ...
'' (1965)
* ''
Return from the Ashes
''Return from the Ashes'' is a 1965 British thriller film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Ingrid Thulin, Maximilian Schell, Samantha Eggar and Herbert Lom. It is based on a novel by French crime writer Hubert Monteilhet, adapted for ...
'' (1965)
* ''
Eye of the Devil
''Eye of the Devil,'' also known as ''13,'' is a 1966 British Mystery film, mystery horror film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Deborah Kerr, David Niven, Donald Pleasence, Sharon Tate and David Hemmings. The film is set in rural France ...
'' (1967)
* ''
Mackenna's Gold
''Mackenna's Gold'' is a 1969 American Western film directed by J. Lee Thompson, starring an ensemble cast featuring Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif, Telly Savalas, Ted Cassidy, Camilla Sparv and Julie Newmar in lead roles. It was photographed in Supe ...
'' (1969)
* ''
Before Winter Comes
''Before Winter Comes'' is a 1969 British comedy-drama war film directed by J. Lee Thompson from a screenplay by Andrew Sinclair.
Plot
''Before Winter Comes'' takes place in the immediate aftermath of World War II. British Major Giles Burnside ...
'' (1969)
* ''
The Chairman'' (1969)
1970s
* ''
Country Dance
A country dance is any of a very large number of social dances of a type that originated in the British Isles; it is the repeated execution of a predefined sequence of figures, carefully designed to fit a fixed length of music, performed by a g ...
'' (1970)
* ''
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
''Conquest of the Planet of the Apes'' is a 1972 American science fiction film directed by J. Lee Thompson and written by Paul Dehn. It is the fourth of five films in the original ''Planet of the Apes'' series produced by Arthur P. Jacobs. The fil ...
'' (1972)
* ''
A Great American Tragedy'' (1972) (TV)
* ''
Battle for the Planet of the Apes
''Battle for the Planet of the Apes'' is a 1973 American science fiction film directed by J. Lee Thompson. It is the fifth and final installment in the original ''Planet of the Apes'' series, produced by Arthur P. Jacobs, following ''Conquest of ...
'' (1973)
* ''
Huckleberry Finn
Huckleberry "Huck" Finn is a fictional character created by Mark Twain who first appeared in the book ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876) and is the protagonist and narrator of its sequel, ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884). He is 12 ...
'' (1974)
* ''
The Reincarnation of Peter Proud
''The Reincarnation of Peter Proud'' is a 1975 American psychological horror film directed by J. Lee Thompson, and starring Michael Sarrazin, Margot Kidder, and Jennifer O'Neill. It follows a university professor who, after experiencing a series ...
'' (1975)
* ''
Widow
A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died.
Terminology
The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word ...
'' (1976) (TV)
* ''
St. Ives'' (1976)
* ''
The White Buffalo
''The White Buffalo'' is a 1977 fantasy Western film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Charles Bronson, Kim Novak, Jack Warden, Slim Pickens and Will Sampson.
Plot
Wild Bill Hickok is haunted by his dreams of a giant white buffalo, so ...
'' (1977)
* ''
The Greek Tycoon
''The Greek Tycoon'' is a 1978 American biographical romantic drama film, of the ''roman à clef'' type, directed by J. Lee Thompson. The screenplay by Morton S. Fine is based on a story by Fine, Nico Mastorakis, and Win Wells, who loosely base ...
'' (1978)
* ''
The Passage
Passage, The Passage or Le Passage may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''Passage'' (2008 film), a documentary about Arctic explorers
* ''Passage'' (2009 film), a short movie about three sisters
* ''The Passage'' (1979 film), starring ...
'' (1979)
1980s
* ''
Caboblanco
''Caboblanco'' is a 1980 American drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson, starring Charles Bronson, Dominique Sanda and Jason Robards. The film has often been described as a remake of ''Casablanca''.
The movie marks the third collaboration bet ...
'' (1980)
* ''
Happy Birthday to Me'' (1981)
* ''
10 to Midnight
''10 to Midnight'' is a 1983 American crime- horror-thriller film directed by J. Lee Thompson from a screenplay originally written by William Roberts. The film stars Charles Bronson in the lead role with a supporting cast that includes Lisa Eilb ...
'' (1983)
* ''
The Evil That Men Do'' (1984)
* ''
The Ambassador'' (1984)
* ''
King Solomon's Mines
''King Solomon's Mines'' (1885) is a popular novel by the English Victorian adventure writer and fabulist Sir H. Rider Haggard. It tells of a search of an unexplored region of Africa by a group of adventurers led by Allan Quatermain for the ...
'' (1985)
* ''
Murphy's Law'' (1986)
* ''
Firewalker'' (1986)
* ''
Death Wish 4: The Crackdown'' (1987)
* ''
Messenger of Death
''Messenger of Death'' is a 1988 American crime-action thriller film starring Charles Bronson about an attempt by a water company to start a family feud among fundamentalist Mormons to take the family's land for the company.
The movie marks th ...
'' (1988)
* ''
Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects'' (1989)
Notes and references
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, J. Lee
1914 births
2002 deaths
Action film directors
English male stage actors
English film directors
People educated at Dover College
Film people from Bristol
Male actors from Kent
Royal Air Force personnel of World War II
Royal Air Force airmen
Horror film directors