Delmer Daves
Encyclopedia
Delmer Daves was an American
screenwriter, director, and producer.
he became interested in the burgeoning film industry, first working as a prop boy on the 1923
western
The Covered Wagon and serving as a technical advisor on a number of films. After finishing his education in law, he continued his career in Hollywood.
After moving to Hollywood in 1928, he began his career as a screenwriter, his first credit being the "talkie
" comedy So This Is College released by MGM
. Through the 1930s he made a name as a successful screenplay and story writer, while moonlighting as an actor in bit parts and uncredited roles. He penned the successful Dick Powell
musicals Dames, Flirtation Walk
, and Paging Miss Glory between 1934
and 1935
. Daves' largest successes of the period, however, came with 1936
's The Petrified Forest
and Love Affair (1939
). Almost twenty years later Leo McCarey
, director of Love Affair, would helm the nearly identical An Affair to Remember
(1957
) using Daves' script.
Daves made his directorial debut in the Cary Grant
wartime adventure Destination Tokyo
in 1943
. Over the course of Daves' twenty-two year career, Daves cultivated an unpretentious style, taking a relaxed approach to filming and letting the actors and screenplay drive the film. His most notable films include Dark Passage (1947
), which utilized a first-person approach to great effect, the critically acclaimed Broken Arrow
(1950
), the taut western 3:10 to Yuma (1957
) the cold war drama Never Let Me Go (1953
), and the melodramatic A Summer Place
(1959
). Daves garnered a Directors Guild of America
Award nomination for his work on 1958
's Cowboy. Spencer's Mountain
(1963
), which he wrote, directed, and produced, was based upon Earl Hamner's auto-biographical novel of the same name, and served as the basis for the popular television series
The Waltons
. He would be known for his dramas about people's lives and for the Western adventures that saw heroes battle Indians, nature, and outlaws, the two most acclaimed of these were Broken Arrow
and 3:10 to Yuma. In addition, Daves would work with some of the most famous actors of the time; a few would do several movies with him, including Richard Egan
, Alan Ladd
, Troy Donahue
, Ernest Borgnine
, Glenn Ford
and Rossano Brazzi
. He also launched soon to be famous stars like Anne Bancroft
, Olivia Hussey
, George C. Scott
, Sandra Dee
, and Charles Bronson
.
Daves was married to actress Mary Lawrence
from 1938 until his death on August 17, 1977.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
screenwriter, director, and producer.
Life and career
Born in San Francisco, Delmer Daves first pursued a career as a lawyer. While attending Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
he became interested in the burgeoning film industry, first working as a prop boy on the 1923
1923 in film
-Events:*April 15 - Lee De Forest demonstrates the Phonofilm sound-on-film system at the Rivoli Theater in New York with a series of short musical films featuring vaudeville performers.-Top grossing films :-Films released in 1923:U.S.A...
western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
The Covered Wagon and serving as a technical advisor on a number of films. After finishing his education in law, he continued his career in Hollywood.
After moving to Hollywood in 1928, he began his career as a screenwriter, his first credit being the "talkie
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
" comedy So This Is College released by MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
. Through the 1930s he made a name as a successful screenplay and story writer, while moonlighting as an actor in bit parts and uncredited roles. He penned the successful Dick Powell
Dick Powell
Richard Ewing "Dick" Powell was an American singer, actor, producer, director and studio boss.Despite the same last name he was not related to William Powell, Eleanor Powell or Jane Powell.-Biography:...
musicals Dames, Flirtation Walk
Flirtation Walk
Flirtation Walk is a 1934 romantic musical film written by Delmer Daves and Lou Edelman, and directed by Frank Borzage. It focuses on a soldier who falls in love with a general's daughter during the general's brief stop in Hawaii, but she leaves with her father for the Philippines before their...
, and Paging Miss Glory between 1934
1934 in film
-Events:*January 26 - Samuel Goldwyn purchases the film rights to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the L. Frank Baum estate for $40,000.*February 19 - Bob Hope marries Dolores Reade...
and 1935
1935 in film
-Events:*Judy Garland signs a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer .*Seven year old Shirley Temple wins a special Academy Award.*The Bantu Educational Kinema Experiment started in order to educate the Bantu peoples.-Top grossing films:-Academy Awards:...
. Daves' largest successes of the period, however, came with 1936
1936 in film
The year 1936 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 29 - Fritz Lang's first Hollywood film Fury, starring Spencer Tracy and Bruce Cabot, is released.*November 6 - first Porky Pig animated cartoon...
's The Petrified Forest
The Petrified Forest
The Petrified Forest is a 1936 American film, starring Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, and Humphrey Bogart. A precursor of film noir, it was adapted from Robert E. Sherwood's 1936 stage play of the same name...
and Love Affair (1939
1939 in film
The year 1939 in motion pictures can be justified as being called the most outstanding one ever, when it comes to the high quality and high attendance at the large set of the best films that premiered in the year .- Events :Motion picture historians and film often rate...
). Almost twenty years later Leo McCarey
Leo McCarey
Thomas Leo McCarey was an American film director, screenwriter and producer. During his lifetime he was involved in nearly 200 movies, especially comedies...
, director of Love Affair, would helm the nearly identical An Affair to Remember
An Affair to Remember
An Affair to Remember is a 1957 film starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, and directed by Leo McCarey. It was distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation....
(1957
1957 in film
The year 1957 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 21 - The movie Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley, opens.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue-Awards:...
) using Daves' script.
Daves made his directorial debut in the Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
wartime adventure Destination Tokyo
Destination Tokyo
Destination Tokyo is a 1943 submarine war film. It was directed by Delmer Daves and written by Daves, Steve Fisher and Albert Maltz, and stars Cary Grant and John Garfield with featured performances by Dane Clark, Robert Hutton and Warner Anderson. Production began on June 21, 1943 and continued...
in 1943
1943 in film
The year 1943 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 3 - 1st missing persons telecast * February 20 - American film studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to censor films....
. Over the course of Daves' twenty-two year career, Daves cultivated an unpretentious style, taking a relaxed approach to filming and letting the actors and screenplay drive the film. His most notable films include Dark Passage (1947
1947 in film
The year 1947 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 22 - Great Expectations is premiered in New York.*November 24 : The United States House of Representatives of the 80th Congress voted 346 to 17 to approve citations for contempt of Congress against the "Hollywood Ten".*November 25...
), which utilized a first-person approach to great effect, the critically acclaimed Broken Arrow
Broken Arrow (1950 film)
Broken Arrow is a western Technicolor film released in 1950. It was directed by Delmer Daves and starred James Stewart and Jeff Chandler. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards, and won a Golden Globe award for Best Film Promoting International Understanding. It made history as the first...
(1950
1950 in film
The year 1950 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 15 - Walt Disney Studios' animated film Cinderella debuts.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:*Ambush...
), the taut western 3:10 to Yuma (1957
1957 in film
The year 1957 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 21 - The movie Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley, opens.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue-Awards:...
) the cold war drama Never Let Me Go (1953
1953 in film
The year 1953 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*September 16 — The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:A...
), and the melodramatic A Summer Place
A Summer Place (film)
A Summer Place is a 1959 romantic drama film based on the novel of the same name by Sloan Wilson. It was directed by Delmer Daves and stars Richard Egan, Dorothy McGuire, Troy Donahue and Sandra Dee...
(1959
1959 in film
The year 1959 in film involved some significant events, with Ben-Hur winning a record 11 Academy Awards.-Events:* The Three Stooges make their 190th and last short film, Sappy Bull Fighters....
). Daves garnered a Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America is an entertainment labor union which represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry...
Award nomination for his work on 1958
1958 in film
The year 1958 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 16- "In the Money" by William Beaudine is released on this date. It would be the last installment of The Bowery Boys series which began back in 1946....
's Cowboy. Spencer's Mountain
Spencer's Mountain
Spencer's Mountain is a 1963 family film written, directed, and produced by Delmer Daves from a novel by Earl Hamner, Jr. The novel and film became the basis for the popular television series The Waltons, which followed in 1972...
(1963
1963 in film
The year 1963 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* June 12 - Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison and Richard Burton premieres at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City....
), which he wrote, directed, and produced, was based upon Earl Hamner's auto-biographical novel of the same name, and served as the basis for the popular television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
The Waltons
The Waltons
The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television...
. He would be known for his dramas about people's lives and for the Western adventures that saw heroes battle Indians, nature, and outlaws, the two most acclaimed of these were Broken Arrow
Broken Arrow
Broken Arrow may refer to:*Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, United States*Broken Arrow Public Schools- Film and television :*Broken Arrow , a Golden Globe-winning western film...
and 3:10 to Yuma. In addition, Daves would work with some of the most famous actors of the time; a few would do several movies with him, including Richard Egan
Richard Egan
Richard Egan may refer to:*Richard Egan , American film actor*Richard Egan , American businessman, co-founder of EMC Corporation, one-time Ambassador to Ireland*Richard Egan , American ragtime composer and performer...
, Alan Ladd
Alan Ladd
-Early life:Ladd was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He was the only child of Ina Raleigh Ladd and Alan Ladd, Sr. He was of English ancestry. His father died when he was four, and his mother relocated to Oklahoma City where she married Jim Beavers, a housepainter...
, Troy Donahue
Troy Donahue
Troy Donahue was an American actor, who was active between the late 1950s and late 1990s.-Life and career:...
, Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine is an American actor of television and film. His career has spanned more than six decades. He was an unconventional lead in many films of the 1950s, including his Academy Award-winning turn in the 1955 film Marty...
, Glenn Ford
Glenn Ford
Glenn Ford was a Canadian-born American actor from Hollywood's Golden Era with a career that spanned seven decades...
and Rossano Brazzi
Rossano Brazzi
-Biography:Brazzi was born in Bologna to Adelmo and Maria Brazzi. He attended San Marco University in Florence, Italy, where he was raised from the age of four...
. He also launched soon to be famous stars like Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft was an American actress associated with the Method acting school, which she had studied under Lee Strasberg....
, Olivia Hussey
Olivia Hussey
Olivia Hussey is an Argentinian actress who became famous for her role as Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's Academy Award-winning 1968 film version of Romeo and Juliet. For this role she won the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year - Actress as well as the David di Donatello for best actress...
, George C. Scott
George C. Scott
George Campbell Scott was an American stage and film actor, director and producer. He was best known for his stage work, as well as his portrayal of General George S. Patton in the film Patton, and as General Buck Turgidson in Stanley Kubrick's Dr...
, Sandra Dee
Sandra Dee
Sandra Dee was an American actress. Dee began her career as a model and progressed to film. Best known for her portrayal of ingenues, Dee won a Golden Globe Award in 1959 as one of the year's most promising newcomers, and over several years her films were popular...
, and Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson , born Charles Dennis Buchinsky was an American actor, best-known for such films as Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Rider on the Rain, The Mechanic, and the popular Death Wish series...
.
Daves was married to actress Mary Lawrence
Mary Lawrence (actor)
Mary Lawrence was an American actress, who had a lengthy career in film and television.She had a recurring role in the TV series Casey Jones , where she played Casey's wife Alice Jones...
from 1938 until his death on August 17, 1977.
Selected filmography
- Queen KellyQueen KellyQueen Kelly is the title of an American silent film produced in 1928-29 and released in 1929, originally by United Artists. The film was directed by Erich von Stroheim, starred Gloria Swanson in the title role, and also starred Walter Byron and Seena Owen. It was produced by Joseph P...
(1929, writer) - DamesDamesDames is a 1934 Warner Bros. musical comedy film directed by Ray Enright with dance numbers created by Busby Berkeley. The film stars Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Joan Blondell, Guy Kibbee, ZaSu Pitts, and Hugh Herbert...
(1934, writer) - Flirtation WalkFlirtation WalkFlirtation Walk is a 1934 romantic musical film written by Delmer Daves and Lou Edelman, and directed by Frank Borzage. It focuses on a soldier who falls in love with a general's daughter during the general's brief stop in Hawaii, but she leaves with her father for the Philippines before their...
(1934, writer) - Page Miss Glory (1935, writer)
- The Petrified ForestThe Petrified ForestThe Petrified Forest is a 1936 American film, starring Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, and Humphrey Bogart. A precursor of film noir, it was adapted from Robert E. Sherwood's 1936 stage play of the same name...
(1936, writer) - Love Affair (1939, writer)
- Night of January 16th (1941, co-writer with Robert PiroshRobert PiroshRobert Pirosh was an American screenwriter and director.-Early years:Pirosh was born in Baltimore, Maryland and graduated from the Baltimore City College high school in 1928...
) - You Were Never LovelierYou Were Never LovelierYou Were Never Lovelier is a 1942 Hollywood musical comedy film, set in Buenos Aires. It starred Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, Adolphe Menjou and Xavier Cugat, with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The film was directed by William A...
(1942, writer) - Destination TokyoDestination TokyoDestination Tokyo is a 1943 submarine war film. It was directed by Delmer Daves and written by Daves, Steve Fisher and Albert Maltz, and stars Cary Grant and John Garfield with featured performances by Dane Clark, Robert Hutton and Warner Anderson. Production began on June 21, 1943 and continued...
(1943, director and writer) - The Very Thought of YouThe Very Thought of You (film)The Very Thought of You is a 1944 romantic drama film starring Dennis Morgan and Eleanor Parker. In World War II, an American soldier on a short leave falls in love with and marries a woman.-Cast:*Dennis Morgan as Sergeant David Stewart...
(1944, director and writer) - Hollywood CanteenHollywood Canteen (1944 film)Hollywood Canteen is a 1944 Warner Bros. film starring Joan Leslie, Robert Hutton, and Dane Clark. The film was written and directed by Delmer Daves, and is notable for featuring many stars in cameo roles...
(1944, director and writer) - The Red HouseThe Red House (1947 film)The Red House is a 1947 psychological thriller starring Edward G. Robinson. It is adapted from the novel The Red House by George Agnew Chamberlain, published in 1943 by Popular Library...
(1947, director and writer) - Dark Passage (1947, director and writer)
- Task ForceTask Force (film)Task Force is a war film filmed in black and white with some Technicolor sequences about the development of U.S. aircraft carriers from the USS Langley to the USS Franklin . The film stars Gary Cooper, Jane Wyatt, Walter Brennan, Wayne Morris, Julie London, and Jack Holt.-Plot:Depicted as a 1917...
(1949, director and writer) - Broken ArrowBroken Arrow (1950 film)Broken Arrow is a western Technicolor film released in 1950. It was directed by Delmer Daves and starred James Stewart and Jeff Chandler. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards, and won a Golden Globe award for Best Film Promoting International Understanding. It made history as the first...
(1950, director) - Bird of ParadiseBird of Paradise (1951 film)Bird of Paradise is a 1951 drama film directed by Delmer Daves. It stars Debra Paget and Louis Jourdan.-Plot:Andre Laurence takes a trip to a Polynesian island with his college roommate Tenga . He assumes the native life and marries his friend's sister, Kalua...
(1951, director and writer) - Treasure of the Golden CondorTreasure of the Golden CondorTreasure of the Golden Condor is a 1953 adventure Technicolor film directed by Delmer Daves. It stars Cornel Wilde and Constance Smith. It is a remake of the 1942 film Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake, which starred Tyrone Power...
(1953 director and co-writer) - Never Let Me Go (1953, director)
- Drum BeatDrum BeatDrum Beat is a 1954 CinemaScope western film written and directed by Delmer Daves and co-produced by Daves and Alan Ladd in his first film for his Jaguar Productions company. It stars Alan Ladd , Audrey Dalton, Charles Bronson as Captain Jack, and Hayden Rorke as President Ulysses S...
(1954, director, writer, and producer) - Demetrius and the GladiatorsDemetrius and the GladiatorsDemetrius and the Gladiators is a 1954 sword and sandal drama film and a sequel to The Robe. It was made by 20th Century Fox, directed by Delmer Daves and produced by Frank Ross. The screenplay was by Philip Dunne based on characters created by Lloyd C...
(1954, director) - White FeatherWhite Feather (1955 film)White Feather is a 1955 Technicolor western film directed by Robert D. Webb and starring Robert Wagner. The movie was filmed in Durango, Mexico. The story is based in fact, however, great artistic license is used and none of the characters are real....
(1955, writer) - The Last Wagon (1956, director and writer)
- JubalJubal (film)Jubal is a 1956 Western directed by Delmer Daves based on a 1939 novel by Paul Wellman. It stars Glenn Ford, Ernest Borgnine and Rod Steiger and was filmed in Technicolor and CinemaScope on location in Jackson Hole, Wyoming...
(1956, director and writer) - 3:10 to Yuma (1957, director)
- An Affair to RememberAn Affair to RememberAn Affair to Remember is a 1957 film starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, and directed by Leo McCarey. It was distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation....
(1957, writer) - Cowboy (1958, director)
- Kings Go ForthKings Go ForthKings Go Forth is a 1958 black-and-white World War II film starring Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis, and Natalie Wood. The screenplay was written by Merle Miller from the novel of the same name by Joe David Brown, and the film was directed by Delmer Daves...
(1958) - The Hanging TreeThe Hanging TreeThe Hanging Tree is a 1959 movie directed by Delmer Daves. Karl Malden took over directing duties for several days when Daves fell ill. The film stars Gary Cooper, Maria Schell, George C...
(1959, director) - A Summer PlaceA Summer Place (film)A Summer Place is a 1959 romantic drama film based on the novel of the same name by Sloan Wilson. It was directed by Delmer Daves and stars Richard Egan, Dorothy McGuire, Troy Donahue and Sandra Dee...
(1959, director, writer, and producer) - ParrishParrish (film)Parrish is a 1961 drama film made by Warner Bros.. It was written, produced and directed by Delmer Daves, based on the novel by Mildred Savage. The music score was by Max Steiner, the cinematography by Harry Stradling Sr., the art direction by Leo K...
(1961, director, writer, and producer) - Rome AdventureRome AdventureRome Adventure, also known as Lovers Must Learn, is a 1962 romantic drama film, based on Irving Fineman's novel. It was directed by Delmer Daves and stars Troy Donahue, Angie Dickenson, and Suzanne Pleshette.-Plot:...
(1962, director, co-writer, producer) - Spencer's MountainSpencer's MountainSpencer's Mountain is a 1963 family film written, directed, and produced by Delmer Daves from a novel by Earl Hamner, Jr. The novel and film became the basis for the popular television series The Waltons, which followed in 1972...
(1963, director, writer, and producer) - Youngblood HawkeYoungblood HawkeYoungblood Hawke is a novel by American writer Herman Wouk about the rise and fall of a young writer. It is based on the life of Thomas Wolfe.-Plot summary:...
(1964, director, writer) - The Battle of the Villa FioritaThe Battle of the Villa FioritaThe Battle of the Villa Fiorita is a 1965 British drama film directed by Delmer Daves. It stars Maureen O'Hara and Rossano Brazzi. Set in contemporary Italy, it tells of three children aware that their mother has left them for a lover and both stay at the Villa Fiorita...
(1965, director, producer, writer)
Research resources
- Delmer Daves Papers, 1930-1965 (38.5 linear ft.) are housed in the Department of Special Collections and University Archives at Stanford University Libraries