Dore Schary
| Dore Schary | |
|---|---|
| Born | Isadore Schary August 31, 1905 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | July 7, 1980 (aged 74) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Screenwriter, playwright, film director, studio executive |
Isadore "Dore" Schary (August 31, 1905 - July 7, 1980) was an American motion picture director, writer, and producer, and playwright who became head of production at Metro-Goldwyn Mayer and eventually president of the studio.[1][2]
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Career [edit]
Schary had his first success as a writer when a play he wrote, Too Many Heroes, ran on Broadway for 16 performances in the fall of 1937. He worked in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, and in 1938 won the Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Story as co-writer of the screenplay for Boys Town. From 1942 to 1943, he ran MGM's "B" pictures organization. He was with RKO Pictures when in 1948 he became chief of production at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios.
Schary and studio chief and founder Louis B. Mayer were constantly at odds over philosophy; Mayer favoring splashy, wholesome entertainment and Schary leaning toward what Mayer derided as "message pictures". In the postwar period, MGM's success as a studio declined. The MGM corporate office in New York decided that Schary might be able to turn the tide. Schary was involved in disputes at the studio with Mayer over films such as Battleground and the Red Badge of Courage. In 1951, Mayer was ousted and Schary installed as president, serving until 1956.
During his term, the studio system was coming to an end due to United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. (1948), a Supreme Court decision that severed the connection between film studios and the theaters that showed their films.[3] In addition, television was causing a decrease in theater attendance.
MGM swimming star Esther Williams would later state in her 1999 autobiography The Million Dollar Mermaid that Schary was rude, cruel, and as imperious as Mayer had been. She found it appropriate that Schary was fired on Thanksgiving Day, since he was a "turkey".[4]
In 1956 in his final year running MGM, he appeared on the show This is Your Life. Host Ralph Edwards stated that there has never been a show where more stars appeared to honor a guest.[5] Following his departure from MGM, he wrote the Broadway play, Sunrise at Campobello. The play won five Tony Awards. He wrote and produced the motion picture of the same name in 1960. He also had a brief uncredited role in the film, playing the Chairman of the Connecticut Delegation.[6]
Politics [edit]
Although one of the studio executives who formulated the 1947 Waldorf Statement, he became an outspoken opponent of the anti-communist investigations the House Un-American Activities Committee. He served as National Chairman of the B'nai B'rith's Anti-Defamation League and as New York City Commissioner for Cultural Affairs.[citation needed]
Personal life [edit]
Schary was born in Newark, New Jersey and was the father of novelist and memoirist Jill Robinson. He graduated from Central High School in Newark in 1923.
Death [edit]
Schary died in 1980, aged 74, and was interred in the Hebrew Cemetery, West Long Branch, New Jersey.
Legacy [edit]
To honor his memory, the Anti-Defamation League established the Dore Schary Awards in 1982.
In popular culture [edit]
- He is referenced at the very end of Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America Volume One: The Early Years, a satirical album from 1961, where his name is rhymed with military and revolutionary. ("That highly military, script by Dore Schary, Revolutionary War!")
- In the 1948 RKO film, The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (which he produced), Schary can be seen driving Cary Grant to the airport at the end of the film. Grant refers to him as "Jebby".
- In I Love Lucy, Ricky Ricardo calls Schary's office from his Hollywood hotel room. In the episode "Don Juan is Shelved", Schary was played by Philip Ober, Vivian Vance's husband at the time.
Select Filmography [edit]
- Her Master's Voice (1937) - Screenwriter
- Act One (1963) - Director, screenwriter
- Sunrise at Campobello (1960) - Screenwriter
References [edit]
- ^ "Dore Schary". The New York Times.
- ^ Schary, Dore (1979). Heyday: An autobiography. Boston: Little, Brown. ISBN 0-316-77270-4.
- ^ "U.S. Supreme Court decides Paramount antitrust case". History.com.
- ^ "Dore Schary 1963 Playbill "Love And Kisses" Signed Autograph". guaranteedautographs.com. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
- ^ "Dore Schary 1963 Playbill "Love And Kisses" Signed Autograph". guaranteedautographs.com. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
- ^ Sunrise at Campobello at the Internet Movie Database
External links [edit]
- Brief bio of Schary
- Dore Schary at the Internet Movie Database
- Dore Schary at the Internet Broadway Database
- "Dore Schary". Find a Grave. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
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