John Brahm (August 17, 1893 – October 12, 1982) was a German film and television director. His films include ''

The Undying Monster ''The Undying Monster'', also known as ''The Hammond Mystery'', is a 1942 American mystery horror film directed by John Brahm and written by Lillie Hayward and Michel Jacoby, based on Jessie Douglas Kerruish's 1922 novel of the same name.Meehan ...

'' (1942), '' The Lodger'' (1944), ''

Hangover Square ''Hangover Square'' is a 1941 novel by English playwright and novelist Patrick Hamilton. It follows the schizophrenic alcoholic George Harvey Bone and his tortured love for Netta Longdon in the months leading up to the Second World War. Subtit ...

'' (1945), ''

The Locket The Locket may refer to: *The Locket (1946 film) ''The Locket'' is a 1946 American psychological thriller with noirish undertones directed by John Brahm, starring Laraine Day, Brian Aherne, Robert Mitchum, and Gene Raymond, and released by RKO ...

'' (1946), ''

The Brasher Doubloon ''The Brasher Doubloon'' (known in the UK as ''The High Window'') is a 1947 American crime film noir directed by John Brahm and starring George Montgomery and Nancy Guild. It is based on the 1942 novel '' The High Window'' by Raymond Chandler. ...

'' (1947), and the 3D horror film, ''

The Mad Magician ''The Mad Magician'' is a 1954 American horror film in 3D, directed by John Brahm starring Vincent Price, Mary Murphy and Eva Gabor. It was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures, with a release in 3-D to build on the craze started by ...

'' (1954).

Early life

Brahm was born Hans Brahm in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, the son of actor Ludwig Brahm and his wife. His family was involved in theater; his paternal uncle was theatrical impresario

Otto Brahm Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', '' Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded f ...

Career

Brahm started his career in the theatre as an actor. After

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he traveled and worked among the cities of

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Berlin and

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, which had the most artistic cultures of the time. He eventually became a director, and was appointed as resident director for acting troupes at the Deutsches Theater and the Lessing Theater, both in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. With the rise of

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

and the Nazi Party in Germany in the 1930s, Brahm left the country, first moving to England. After working as a movie production supervisor, he got a chance to direct his first film ''

Broken Blossoms ''Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl'', often referred to simply as ''Broken Blossoms'', is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. It was distributed by United Artists and premiered on May 13, 1919. It stars ...

'' in 1936. It was a remake of the American director

D.W. Griffith David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the na ...

's 1919 film by the same name. In 1937, Brahm moved to the US, where he began his Hollywood career at

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

. He joined an increasing number of European emigres working in the American film studios in this period. Eventually he moved to

20th Century-Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

. He directed the ill-fated ''

Let Us Live ''Let Us Live'' is a 1939 American crime film directed by John Brahm starring Maureen O'Sullivan, Henry Fonda and Ralph Bellamy. The script of the film was adapted from the 1936 Harper's Magazine story "Murder in Massachusetts" by Joseph F. ...

'', the true story of two men

wrongly convicted A miscarriage of justice occurs when a grossly unfair outcome occurs in a criminal or civil proceeding, such as the conviction and punishment of a person for a crime they did not commit. Miscarriages are also known as wrongful convictions. Inno ...

of murder who were almost executed by the

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. State authorities were embarrassed by this fiasco and put pressure on the studio to cancel the film. The studio completed the film, but kept it to a small budget. In his book, ''The American Cinema: Directors and Directions 1929–1968,'' American film historian and critic

Andrew Sarris Andrew Sarris (October 31, 1928 – June 20, 2012) was an American film critic. He was a leading proponent of the auteur theory of film criticism. Early life Sarris was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Greek immigrant parents, Themis (née Katav ...

states that Brahm "hit his stride" in the 1940s with "mood-drenched melodramas." He suggested that Brahm's work declined after this period. Sarris said that Brahm did not lack work, as he made "approximately 150 TV films" during the 1950s and 1960s. Among these, he also directed numerous episodes of ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was ren ...

'' and ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...

''. Brahm's last full-length film was ''

Hot Rods to Hell ''Hot Rods to Hell'' is a 1967 American suspense film, the last by director John Brahm. The film was based on a 1956 '' Saturday Evening Post'' story by Alex Gaby, "52 Miles to Terror",p. 170 Goble, Alan ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources ...

''.

Personal life

He married an actress named Hanna, who ran off with another actor, leaving him seriously depressed. Secondly, he married actress

Dolly Haas Dolly may refer to: Tools *Dolly (tool), a portable anvil * A posser, also known as a dolly, used for laundering * A variety of wheeled tools, including: **Dolly (trailer), for towing behind a vehicle **Boat dolly or launching dolly, a device fo ...

. They divorced after coming to the United States, when their careers moved in different directions. She appeared in New York theatre and in 1943 she married again, to

Al Hirschfeld Albert Hirschfeld (June 21, 1903 – January 20, 2003) was an American caricaturist best known for his black and white portraits of celebrities and Broadway stars. Personal life Al Hirschfeld was born in 1903 in a two-story duplex at 1313 Carr ...

, the caricaturist for the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

.'' In the 1950s Brahm married his third wife, Anna. They had two children together. Their grandchildren include Christopher Maltauro, who became a movie producer and assistant director.

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1936) * ''

Counsel for Crime ''Counsel for Crime'' is a 1937 American crime film directed by John Brahm starring Otto Kruger, Douglass Montgomery and Jacqueline Wells. Plot Following his graduation from law school, Senator Robert Maddox's (Hall) adopted son Paul (Montgomer ...

'' (1937) * ''

Penitentiary A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correcti ...

'' (1938) * ''

Girls' School Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education and gender-isolated education, is the practice of conducting education with male and female students attending separate classes, perhaps in separate buildings or schools. The practice of ...

'' (1938) * ''

'' (1939) * ''

Rio Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

'' (1939) * ''

Escape to Glory ''Escape to Glory'' is a 1940 American war film directed by John Brahm. It stars Pat O'Brien and Constance Bennett. During World War II, a British freighter carrying a diverse group of passengers is attacked by a German U-boat. Cast *Pat O'Brien ...

'' (1940) * ''

Wild Geese Calling ''Wild Geese Calling'' is a 1941 American drama film directed by John Brahm and starring Henry Fonda and Joan Bennett. It was distributed by 20th Century-Fox. The screenplay was written by Horace McCoy, based on a novel by Stewart Edward White. ...

'' (1941) * ''

'' (1942) * '' Tonight We Raid Calais'' (1943) * ''

Bomber's Moon ''Bomber's Moon'' is a 1943 American wartime propaganda film, produced by 20th Century Fox, based on an unpublished magazine serial "Bomber's Moon" by Leonard Lee. Plot Captain Jeff Dakin ( George Montgomery) is shot down over Germany on a bomb ...

'' (1943) (uncredited) * '' Wintertime'' (1943) * '' The Lodger'' (1944) * ''

Guest in the House ''Guest in the House'' (re-release title ''Satan in Skirts'') is a 1944 American film noir directed by John Brahm starring Anne Baxter and Ralph Bellamy. Lewis Milestone began directing the film in April 1944, but was stricken with appendiciti ...

'' (1944) * ''

'' (1945) * ''

Three Little Girls in Blue ''Three Little Girls in Blue'' is a 1946 Technicolor musical film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and starring June Haver along with George Montgomery, Vivian Blaine, Celeste Holm, and Vera-Ellen. The 20th Century-Fox film was adapted from S ...

'' (1946) (uncredited) * ''

'' (1946) * ''

'' (1947) * ''

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

'' (1947) * ''

Siren of Atlantis ''Siren of Atlantis'', also known as ''Atlantis the Lost Continent'', is a 1949 American black-and-white fantasy-adventure film, distributed by United Artists, that stars Maria Montez and her husband Jean Pierre Aumont. It was the first feature ...

'' (1949) (uncredited) * ''

The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima ''The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima'' is a Warner Color feature film made in 1952. It was promoted as a fact-based treatment of the events surrounding the apparitions of Our Lady of Fátima, in Portugal, in 1917. It stars Susan Whitney as Lúc ...

'' (1952) * ''

The Thief of Venice ''The Thief of Venice'' or ''Il Ladro di Venezia'' is a 1950 Italian film directed by John Brahm. The US title was "The Thief of Venice". It was released in the US two years after being made. Plot In 1575 Venice, the Doge has just died and Scar ...

'' (1950) * '' Face to Face'' (1952) * '' The Diamond Queen'' (1953) * ''

'' (1954) * '' The Golden Plague'' (1954) * '' Special Delivery'' (1955) * ''

Bengazi Benghazi () , ; it, Bengasi; tr, Bingazi; ber, Bernîk, script=Latn; also: ''Bengasi'', ''Benghasi'', ''Banghāzī'', ''Binghāzī'', ''Bengazi''; grc, Βερενίκη ('' Berenice'') and ''Hesperides''., group=note (''lit. Son of he Ghaz ...

'' (1955) * ''

'' (1967)

References

External links

*
Tribute site
sumishta.com; accessed A tribute to John Brahm created by his daughter Sumishta Brahm; accessed October 31, 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:Brahm, John 1893 births 1982 deaths American film directors Film directors from Hamburg American television directors German emigrants to the United States