Hugo Geronimo Fregonese (April 8, 1908 in Mendoza – January 11, 1987 in Tigre) was an

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, ...

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

who worked both in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

and his home country.''Cine Nacional''
Hugo Fregonese filmography
Cinenacional.com He made his directorial debut in 1943. In 1949, he directed ''

Apenas un delincuente ''Hardly a Criminal'' ( es, Apenas un delincuente) is a 1949 Argentine crime drama directed by Hugo Fregonese. It was written by Raimundo Calcagno and Israel Chas de Cruz. The film started the director's Hollywood film directing career. It was ...

''. Most of Fregonese's American films were Westerns and crime melodramas, like '' Man in the Attic'' (1953)'' and Black Tuesday'' (1954). He worked with worldwide renowned actors such as

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, a ...

Barbara Stanwyck Barbara Stanwyck (; born Ruby Catherine Stevens; July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American actress, model and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career she was known for her strong, realistic sc ...

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 ...

Edward G. Robinson Edward G. Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg; December 12, 1893January 26, 1973) was a Romanian-American actor of stage and screen, who was popular during the Hollywood's Golden Age. He appeared in 30 Broadway plays and more than 100 films duri ...

Luisa Vehil Luisa Vehil (November 12, 1912, Montevideo, Uruguay – October 24, 1991, Buenos Aires, Argentina) was an Uruguayan theater and movie actress who had a notable career in Argentina. She was an iconic figure in the Argentine theatre scene. Biogra ...

Víctor Laplace Víctor Laplace (born 30 May 1943) is an Argentine film actor. Laplace was born in Tandil, Buenos Aires. The son of a watchmaking jeweler and a housewife. When he was 14, he started working as a metallurgist in a factory, there he also recited S ...

Soledad Silveyra Soledad Silveyra (; born February 13, 1952), is a prominent TV, theater and cinema Argentine actress. She has made over 65 TV and film appearances since 1964. Most of her appearances have been in film and TV where she made her debut in the soap ...

, Paul Naschy, and

Joel McCrea Joel Albert McCrea (November 5, 1905 – October 20, 1990) was an American actor whose career spanned a wide variety of genres over almost five decades, including comedy, drama, romance, thrillers, adventures, and Westerns, for which he bec ...

, among others. For directing the now-almost forgotten film ''

My Six Convicts ''My Six Convicts'' is a 1952 American film noir crime drama directed by Hugo Fregonese. The screenplay was adapted by Michael Blankfort from the autobiographical book ''My Six Convicts: A Psychologist's Three Years in Fort Leavenworth'', written ...

'' (1952), Fregonese was nominated for the

Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing - Feature Film Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

Biography

A former

sports journalist Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism started in the early 1800s when it was targeted to the social elite and transitioned into an integral part of the n ...

, Fregonese attended

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1935, and then was hired to be a technical advisor for films with

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...

n themes. By 1938, he was again living in Argentina. There he worked as an

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, or ...

assistant director The role of an assistant director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have to tak ...

, and

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

director before heading to Hollywood, where he developed much of his career as a feature film director. Fregonese and actress Faith Domergue were married in secret in

Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez ( ; ''Juarez City''. ) is the most populous city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It is commonly referred to as Juárez and was known as El Paso del Norte (''The Pass of the North'') until 1888. Juárez is the seat of the Ju� ...

on October 8, 1947, hours after she divorced bandleader

Teddy Stauffer Ernst Heinrich "Teddy" Stauffer (2 May 1909 – 27 August 1991) was a Swiss bandleader, musician, actor, nightclub owner, and restaurateur. He was dubbed Germany's " swing-king" of the 1930s. He formed the band known as the Teddies (also known as ...

there."Faith Domergue"
''glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen'' retrieved June 16, 2021 Their first child, Diana Maria, was born on January 1, 1949, in Buenos Aires. Their second child, John Anthony, was born on August 22, 1951, in Los Angeles. John, who became an urban planner, died on what would have been his mother's 94th birthday."John Anthony Fregonese, 1951-2018
''obits.oregonlive.com'' retrieved June 16, 2021 The couple separated twice before Domergue was granted an uncontested divorce on June 24, 1958. In his later years, Fregonese directed some pictures in Europe. In 1971 he returned to Argentina, where he continued to make films. While living in the city Tigre, Fregonese suffered a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

and died on January 17, 1987.

Partial filmography

* '' Savage Pampas'' (1945) * ''

Where Words Fail ''Where Words Fail'' (Spanish:''Donde mueren las palabras'') is a 1946 Argentine drama film directed by Hugo Fregonese and starring Enrique Muiño, Dario Garzay and Héctor Méndez. The film's sets were designed by the art director Art dire ...

'' (1946) * ''

'' (English title: ''Hardly a Criminal'', 1949) * '' From Man to Man'' (1949) * '' One Way Street'' (1950) * '' Saddle Tramp'' (1950) * ''

The Mark of the Renegade ''Mark of the Renegade'' is a 1951 American Adventure Western film directed by Hugo Fregonese starring Ricardo Montalbán and Cyd Charisse.Blottner p.157 The film is based on the novel ''Don Renegade'' by Johnston McCulley, and is set in Mexican ...

'' (1951) * ''

Apache Drums ''Apache Drums'' is a 1951 American Western film directed by Hugo Fregonese and produced by Val Lewton. The drama features Stephen McNally, Coleen Gray, and Willard Parker. The film was based on an original story: ''Stand at Spanish Boot'', by ...

'' (1951) * ''

'' (1952) * ''

Untamed Frontier ''Untamed Frontier'' is a 1952 American Western film directed by Hugo Fregonese and starring Joseph Cotten, Shelley Winters and Scott Brady. The film, featuring the working title of ''The Untamed'' featured the feature film debuts of Suzan B ...

'' (1952) * ''

Decameron Nights ''Decameron Nights'' is a 1953 anthology Technicolor film based on three tales from ''The Decameron'' by Giovanni Boccaccio, specifically the ninth and tenth tales of the second day and the ninth tale of the third. It stars Joan Fontaine and, a ...

'' (1953) * '' Blowing Wild'' (1953) * '' Man in the Attic'' (1953) * '' The Raid'' (1954) * '' Black Tuesday'' (1954) * '' The Wanderers'' (1956) * '' Seven Thunders'' (1957) * '' Harry Black'' (1958) * ''

Marco Polo Marco Polo (, , ; 8 January 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in '' The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known as ''Book of the Marv ...

'' (1961) * '' Old Shatterhand'' (1964) * ''

The Secret of Dr. Mabuse ''The Secret of Dr. Mabuse'' or ''The Death Ray of Dr. Mabuse'' (German:''Die Todesstrahlen des Dr. Mabuse'') is a 1964 Franco-German-Italian international co-production science fiction Eurospy crime film directed by Hugo Fregonese and Victor De ...

'' (1964) * '' Last Plane to Baalbek'' (1964) * '' Savage Pampas'' (1966) * ''

Los Monstruos del Terror ''Los Monstruos del Terror'' (translation: ''The Monsters of Terror''), also known as ''Dracula vs. Frankenstein'' and ''Assignment: Terror'', is a 1969 Spanish-German-Italian horror film co-directed by Tulio Demicheli and Hugo Fregonese. (Fregone ...

'', also known as ''Dracula vs. Frankenstein'' (Uncredited director, 1970) * ''

The Bad Life ''The Bad Life'' (french: La Mauvaise Vie) is a 2005 French novel by Frédéric Mitterrand, the Minister of Culture and Communication of France. The novel is partly autobiographical but fictionalized to a certain extent. The novel has been praise ...

'' (1973) * ''Beyond the Sun'' (1975)

References

External links

*
The Way of a Gaucho: The Career of Hugo Fregonese - By Santiago & Andrés Rubín de Celis
Film International 1908 births 1987 deaths People from Mendoza, Argentina People from Buenos Aires Argentine film directors German-language film directors {{Argentina-film-director-stub