King Vidor
Encyclopedia
King Wallis Vidor was an American film director
, film producer
, and screenwriter
whose career spanned nearly seven decades. In 1979 he was awarded an Honorary Academy Award for his "incomparable achievements as a cinematic creator and innovator." He was nominated five times for a Best Director Oscar, and won eight international film awards during his career.
, Texas
, where he survived the great Galveston Hurricane of 1900
. His grandfather, Charles Vidor, was a refugee of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848
who settled in Galveston in the early 1850s.
A freelance newsreel
cameraman and cinema projectionist
, Vidor made his debut as a director in 1913 with The Grand Military Parade. In Hollywood from 1915, he worked on a variety of film-related jobs before directing a feature film, The Turn in the Road
, in 1919. A successful mounting of Peg o' My Heart
in 1922 got him a long term contract with Goldwyn Studios, later to be absorbed into MGM
. Three years later he made The Big Parade
, among the most acclaimed war films of the silent era, and a tremendous commercial success. This success established him as one of MGM's top studio directors for the next decade. In 1928, Vidor received his first Oscar nomination, for The Crowd
, widely regarded as his masterpiece and one of the greatest American silent films. In the same year, he made the classic Show People
, the last silent film of Marion Davies
, a comedy about the film industry in which Vidor had a cameo as himself and his much-loved screwball comedy The Patsy
.
Vidor's first sound film was Hallelujah!
, a groundbreaking film featuring an African-American cast, and in which he established the new language for sound films (which is still used today by most directors). His directorial career extended well in to the sound era and he continued making feature films until the late 1950s. Some of his better known sound films include Stella Dallas
, Our Daily Bread
, The Citadel
, Duel in the Sun, The Fountainhead
, and War and Peace
. He directed the Kansas sequences in The Wizard of Oz
(including "Over the Rainbow
") when director Victor Fleming
had to replace George Cukor
on Gone with the Wind
, but never received screen credit.
In 1962 he was head of the jury at the 12th Berlin International Film Festival
.
Vidor entered in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest career as a film director: beginning in 1913 with Hurricane in Galveston and ending in 1980 with a short documentary on painting entitled The Metaphor. He was nominated five times for an Oscar but never won in direct competition; he received an honorary award in 1979.
for a possible screenplay. Vidor never published or wrote of this research during his lifetime, but biographer Sidney D. Kirkpatrick
posthumously examined Vidor's notes. He alleged in his 1986 book Cast of Killers that Vidor had solved the sensational crime but kept his conclusions private to protect individuals still living at the time. The widely cited newsletter Taylorology
later noted over 100 factual errors in Cast of Killers and strongly disputes Kirkpatrick's conclusions, but credits the book with renewing popular interest in the crime.
Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals
.
Vidor published his autobiography, A Tree is a Tree, in 1953. This book's title is inspired by an incident early in Vidor's Hollywood career. Vidor wanted to film a movie in the locations where its story was set, a decision which would have greatly added to the film's production budget. A budget minded producer told him, "A rock is a rock. A tree is a tree. Shoot it in Griffith Park
" (a nearby public space which was frequently used for film exterior shots).
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
whose career spanned nearly seven decades. In 1979 he was awarded an Honorary Academy Award for his "incomparable achievements as a cinematic creator and innovator." He was nominated five times for a Best Director Oscar, and won eight international film awards during his career.
Early life and career
He was born in GalvestonGalveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, where he survived the great Galveston Hurricane of 1900
Galveston Hurricane of 1900
The Hurricane of 1900 made landfall on the city of Galveston in the U.S. state of Texas, on September 8, 1900.It had estimated winds of at landfall, making it a Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale...
. His grandfather, Charles Vidor, was a refugee of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848
Hungarian Revolution of 1848
The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was one of many of the European Revolutions of 1848 and closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas...
who settled in Galveston in the early 1850s.
A freelance newsreel
Newsreel
A newsreel was a form of short documentary film prevalent in the first half of the 20th century, regularly released in a public presentation place and containing filmed news stories and items of topical interest. It was a source of news, current affairs and entertainment for millions of moviegoers...
cameraman and cinema projectionist
Projectionist
A Projectionist is a person who operates a movie projector. In the strict sense of the term this means any movie projector and therefore could include someone who operates the projector in a home video show or school. In common usage the term is generally understood to describe a paid employee of...
, Vidor made his debut as a director in 1913 with The Grand Military Parade. In Hollywood from 1915, he worked on a variety of film-related jobs before directing a feature film, The Turn in the Road
The Turn in the Road
The Turn in the Road is a 1919 silent drama film directed by King Vidor.-Cast:* George Nichols - Hamilton Perry* Lloyd Hughes - Paul Perry* Winter Hall - Reverend Matthew Barker* Helen Jerome Eddy - Jane Barker* Pauline Curley - Evelyn Barker...
, in 1919. A successful mounting of Peg o' My Heart
Peg o' My Heart (1922 film)
Peg o' My Heart is a silent drama film directed by King Vidor and starring Laurette Taylor. It is based on the 1912 play written by Taylor's husband J. Hartley Manners. The play starred Laurette Taylor and famously ran a record number of performances on Broadway...
in 1922 got him a long term contract with Goldwyn Studios, later to be absorbed into 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...
. Three years later he made The Big Parade
The Big Parade
The Big Parade is a 1925 silent film. It tells the story of an idle rich boy who joins the US Army's Rainbow Division and is sent to France to fight in World War I, becomes friends with two working class men, experiences the horrors of trench warfare, and finds love with a French girl.The film was...
, among the most acclaimed war films of the silent era, and a tremendous commercial success. This success established him as one of MGM's top studio directors for the next decade. In 1928, Vidor received his first Oscar nomination, for The Crowd
The Crowd
The Crowd is a 1928 American silent film directed by King Vidor. It is notable for its dramatization of the concerns and dangers of urbanization and modernity....
, widely regarded as his masterpiece and one of the greatest American silent films. In the same year, he made the classic Show People
Show People
Show People is a 1928 comedy silent film directed by King Vidor. The movie was a starring vehicle for actress Marion Davies and actor William Haines and included notable cameo appearances by many of the film personalities of the day, including stars Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, William S....
, the last silent film of Marion Davies
Marion Davies
Marion Davies was an American film actress. Davies is best remembered for her relationship with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, as her high-profile social life often obscured her professional career....
, a comedy about the film industry in which Vidor had a cameo as himself and his much-loved screwball comedy The Patsy
The Patsy (1928 film)
The Patsy is a 1928 silent comedy/drama film directed by King Vidor, produced and starring Marion Davies for her Cosmopolitan Productions, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
.
Vidor's first sound film was Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! (1929 film)
Hallelujah! is a 1929 MGM musical directed by King Vidor, starring Daniel L. Haynes and the then unknown Nina Mae McKinney.Filmed in Tennessee and Arkansas and chronicling the troubled quest of a sharecropper, Zeke Johnson , and his relationship with the seductive Chick , Hallelujah! was one of the...
, a groundbreaking film featuring an African-American cast, and in which he established the new language for sound films (which is still used today by most directors). His directorial career extended well in to the sound era and he continued making feature films until the late 1950s. Some of his better known sound films include Stella Dallas
Stella Dallas (1937 film)
Stella Dallas is a 1937 film based on the Olive Higgins Prouty novel of the same name. It was directed by King Vidor, and stars Barbara Stanwyck, John Boles, and Anne Shirley. Stanwyck was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and Shirley for Best Actress in a Supporting Role...
, Our Daily Bread
Our Daily Bread (1934 film)
Our Daily Bread is a 1934 film directed by King Vidor and starring Karen Morley, Tom Keene, and John Qualen. Vidor tried to interest Irving Thalberg of MGM in the project, but Thalberg rejected the idea...
, The Citadel
The Citadel (film)
The Citadel is a 1938 film based on the novel of the same name by A. J. Cronin, first published in 1937. The film was directed by King Vidor and produced by Victor Saville.-Plot:...
, Duel in the Sun, The Fountainhead
The Fountainhead (film)
The Fountainhead is a 1949 American film directed by King Vidor, based on the best-selling book of the same name by Ayn Rand, who wrote the screenplay adaptation....
, and War and Peace
War and Peace (1956 film)
War and Peace is the first English-language film version of the novel War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. It is an American/Italian version, directed by King Vidor and produced by Dino De Laurentiis and Carlo Ponti. The music score was by Nino Rota and the cinematography by Jack Cardiff...
. He directed the Kansas sequences in The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
(including "Over the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow
"Over the Rainbow" is a classic Academy Award-winning ballad song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz, and was sung by Judy Garland in the movie...
") when director Victor Fleming
Victor Fleming
Victor Lonzo Fleming was an American film director, cinematographer, and producer. His most popular films were The Wizard of Oz , and Gone with the Wind , for which he won an Academy Award for Best Director.-Life and career:Fleming was born in La Canada, California, the son of Elizabeth Evaleen ...
had to replace George Cukor
George Cukor
George Dewey Cukor was an American film director. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO and later MGM, where he directed What Price Hollywood? , A Bill of Divorcement , Dinner at Eight , Little Women , David Copperfield , Romeo and Juliet and...
on Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind (film)
Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American historical epic film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard...
, but never received screen credit.
In 1962 he was head of the jury at the 12th Berlin International Film Festival
12th Berlin International Film Festival
The 12th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from June 22 to July 3, 1962.-Jury:* King Vidor * André Michel* Emeric Pressburger* Hideo Kikumori* Dolores del Río* Jurgen Schildt* Max Gammeter* Günther Stapenhorst* Bruno E...
.
Vidor entered in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest career as a film director: beginning in 1913 with Hurricane in Galveston and ending in 1980 with a short documentary on painting entitled The Metaphor. He was nominated five times for an Oscar but never won in direct competition; he received an honorary award in 1979.
William Desmond Taylor
In 1967, Vidor researched the unsolved 1922 murder of fellow director William Desmond TaylorWilliam Desmond Taylor
William Desmond Taylor was an Irish-born American actor, successful film director of silent movies and a popular figure in the growing Hollywood film colony of the 1910s and early 1920s...
for a possible screenplay. Vidor never published or wrote of this research during his lifetime, but biographer Sidney D. Kirkpatrick
Sidney D. Kirkpatrick
Sidney D. Kirkpatrick is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and a bestselling historical author. He grew up in Stony Brook, Long Island and attended Kent School, Connecticut, Hampshire College, Massachusetts and New York University....
posthumously examined Vidor's notes. He alleged in his 1986 book Cast of Killers that Vidor had solved the sensational crime but kept his conclusions private to protect individuals still living at the time. The widely cited newsletter Taylorology
Taylorology
Taylorology was a fanzine centered on the unsolved 1922 murder of Hollywood silent film director William Desmond Taylor. The editor was Bruce Long, a staff member at Arizona State University....
later noted over 100 factual errors in Cast of Killers and strongly disputes Kirkpatrick's conclusions, but credits the book with renewing popular interest in the crime.
Personal life
In 1944, Vidor joined the anti-communistAnti-communism
Anti-communism is opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed in reaction to the rise of communism, especially after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia and the beginning of the Cold War in 1947.-Objections to communist theory:...
Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals
Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals
The Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals was an American organization of high-profile, politically conservative members of the Hollywood film industry...
.
Vidor published his autobiography, A Tree is a Tree, in 1953. This book's title is inspired by an incident early in Vidor's Hollywood career. Vidor wanted to film a movie in the locations where its story was set, a decision which would have greatly added to the film's production budget. A budget minded producer told him, "A rock is a rock. A tree is a tree. Shoot it in Griffith Park
Griffith Park
Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America...
" (a nearby public space which was frequently used for film exterior shots).
Marriages
Vidor was married three times:- Florence ArtoFlorence VidorFlorence Vidor was an American actress.Born Florence Arto, her father, J. P. Arto, was an important executive and she started working in silent movies thanks to her husband, film director King Vidor. She signed her first contract with Vitagraph Studios in 1916...
; one daughter- Suzanne (born 1918) (Florence later married Jascha HeifetzJascha HeifetzJascha Heifetz was a violinist, born in Vilnius, then Russian Empire, now Lithuania. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time.- Early life :...
, who adopted Suzanne);
- Suzanne (born 1918) (Florence later married Jascha Heifetz
- Eleanor BoardmanEleanor BoardmanEleanor Boardman was an American film actress, popular during the era of silent movies.-Early life and career:...
; two daughters- Antonia (born 1927)
- Belinda (born 1930)
- Elizabeth Hill (1932–1982)
Filmography
- Hurricane in GalvestonHurricane in GalvestonHurricane in Galveston is a 1913 short drama film directed by King Vidor. It was Vidor's debut film as a director....
(1913) - The Grand Military Parade (1913)
- The Lost LieThe Lost LieThe Lost Lie is a 1918 short comedy film directed by King Vidor....
(1918) - Bud's RecruitBud's RecruitBud's Recruit is a 1918 short comedy film directed by King Vidor. A print survives at the UCLA Film and Television Archive.-Cast:* Wallace Brennan - Bud Gilbert* Robert Gordon - Reggie Gilbert* Ruth Hampton - Edith* Mildred Davis - Edith's sister...
(1918) - The Chocolate of the GangThe Chocolate of the GangThe Chocolate of the Gang is a 1918 short comedy film directed by King Vidor....
(1918) - Tad's Swimming HoleTad's Swimming HoleTad's Swimming Hole is a 1918 short comedy film directed by King Vidor....
(1918) - The Accusing ToeThe Accusing ToeThe Accusing Toe is a 1918 short comedy film directed by King Vidor....
(1918) - I'm a ManI'm a Man (film)I'm a Man is a 1918 short comedy film directed by King Vidor....
(1918) - The Turn in the RoadThe Turn in the RoadThe Turn in the Road is a 1919 silent drama film directed by King Vidor.-Cast:* George Nichols - Hamilton Perry* Lloyd Hughes - Paul Perry* Winter Hall - Reverend Matthew Barker* Helen Jerome Eddy - Jane Barker* Pauline Curley - Evelyn Barker...
(1919) - Better Times (1919) (as King W. Vidor)
- The Other HalfThe Other Half (1919 film)-Cast:* Florence Vidor - Katherine Boone* Charles Meredith - Donald Trent* Zasu Pitts - Jennie Jones, The Jazz Kid* David Butler - Cpl. Jimmy* Alfred Allen - J. Martin Trent* Frances Raymond - Mrs. Boone* Hugh Saxon - James Bradley...
(1919) (as King W. Vidor) - Poor RelationsPoor RelationsPoor Relations is a 1919 silent drama film directed by King Vidor.-Cast:* Florence Vidor - Dorothy Perkins* Lillian Leighton - Ma Perkins* William De Vaull - Pa Perkins * Roscoe Karns - Henry* ZaSu Pitts - Daisy Perkins...
(1919) - The Family HonorThe Family HonorThe Family Honor is a 1920 silent drama film directed by King Vidor.-Cast:* Florence Vidor - Beverly Tucker* Roscoe Karns - Dal Tucker* Ben Alexander - Little Ben Tucker* Charles Meredith - Merle Curran* George Nichols - Mayor Curran...
(1920) (as King W. Vidor) - The Jack-Knife ManThe Jack-Knife ManThe Jack-Knife Man is a 1920 silent drama film directed by King Vidor.-Cast:* F. A. Turner - Peter Lane * Harry Todd - 'Booge'* Bobby Kelso - 'Buddy'* Willis Marks - Rasmer Briggles* Lillian Leighton - Widow Potter...
(1920) - The Sky PilotThe Sky PilotThe Sky Pilot is a 1921 silent drama film directed by King Vidor and featuring Colleen Moore.-Plot:The Sky Pilot arrives in a rough and tumble northern town intent on bringing religion to the tough residents of a small cattle town. At first they reject him, but in time he wins the residents over...
(1921) - Love Never DiesLove Never Dies (1921 film)Love Never Dies is a 1921 silent drama film directed by King Vidor.-Cast:* Lloyd Hughes - John Trott* Madge Bellamy - Tilly Whaley* Joseph Bennett - Joel Eperson* Lillian Leighton - Mrs. Cavanaugh* Fred Gamble - Sam Cavanaugh...
(1921) - Real AdventureReal AdventureReal Adventure is a 1922 silent drama film directed by King Vidor.-Cast:* Florence Vidor - Rose Stanton* Clyde Fillmore - Rodney Aldrich* Nellie Peck Saunders - Mrs. Stanton* Lilyan McCarthy - Portia* Philip Ryder - John Walbraith...
(1922) - Dusk to DawnDusk to DawnDusk to Dawn is a 1922 silent drama film directed by King Vidor. It is unknown whether any recording of the film survives; it may be a lost film.-Cast:* Florence Vidor - Marjorie Latham / Aziza* Jack Mulhall - Philip Randall...
(1922) - Conquering the WomanConquering the WomanConquering the Woman is a 1922 silent drama film directed by King Vidor. It is unknown whether any recording of the film survives; it may be a lost film...
(1922) - Peg o' My HeartPeg o' My Heart (1922 film)Peg o' My Heart is a silent drama film directed by King Vidor and starring Laurette Taylor. It is based on the 1912 play written by Taylor's husband J. Hartley Manners. The play starred Laurette Taylor and famously ran a record number of performances on Broadway...
(1922) - The Woman of BronzeThe Woman of BronzeThe Woman of Bronze is a 1923 silent drama film directed by King Vidor and distributed through Metro Pictures. It is based on a 1920 Broadway play by Henry Kistemaekers which starred Margaret Anglin, John Halliday and Mary Fowler...
(1923) - Three Wise Fools (1923)
- Wild OrangesWild OrangesWild Oranges is a 1924 silent drama film directed by King Vidor. On January 12, 2010 the film had its first home video release, on the Warner Archive DVD series.-Plot:...
(1924) - HappinessHappiness (1924 film)Happiness is a 1924 silent comedy film directed by King Vidor. It stars stage great Laurette Taylor, in one of her rare film appearances. The film is based on the 1914 Broadway play written by Taylor's husband J. Hartley Manners.-Cast:...
(1924) - Wine of YouthWine of YouthWine of Youth is a 1924 silent comedy-drama film directed by King Vidor, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, shortly after the merger which created MGM in April 1924...
(1924) - His HourHis HourHis Hour is a 1924 silent drama film directed by King Vidor.This film was the follow-up to Samuel Goldwyn's Three Weeks, written by Elinor Glyn, and starring Aileen Pringle, one of the biggest moneymakers at the time of the amalgamation...
(1924) - The Wife of the CentaurThe Wife of the CentaurThe Wife of the Centaur is a 1924 silent drama film directed by King Vidor, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer shortly after it formed from a merger of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures, and Mayer Pictures in April 1924....
(1924) - Proud FleshProud Flesh (film)Proud Flesh is a 1925 silent comedy-drama film directed by King Vidor.-Plot:A San Francisco earthquake orphan is adopted by relatives in Spain and gets wooed by a Romeo there. She turns him down to return to a San Francisco plumber.-Cast:...
(1925) - The Big ParadeThe Big ParadeThe Big Parade is a 1925 silent film. It tells the story of an idle rich boy who joins the US Army's Rainbow Division and is sent to France to fight in World War I, becomes friends with two working class men, experiences the horrors of trench warfare, and finds love with a French girl.The film was...
(1925) - La BohèmeLa Bohème (1926 film)La Bohème is a 1926 silent drama film directed by King Vidor, based on the opera La bohème by Giacomo Puccini.-Plot:The film takes place in Paris in 1830. Several bohemians try to survive on the streets, living under poor conditions and desiring to one day become famous. One of them is Marcel , a...
(1926) - Bardelys the MagnificentBardelys the MagnificentBardelys the Magnificent is a 1926 silent romantic drama film. It was directed by King Vidor starring John Gilbert and Eleanor Boardman, based on a novel by Rafael Sabatini. It was the second film of the 19 year old John Wayne, who had a minor role...
(1926) - The CrowdThe CrowdThe Crowd is a 1928 American silent film directed by King Vidor. It is notable for its dramatization of the concerns and dangers of urbanization and modernity....
(1928) - The PatsyThe Patsy (1928 film)The Patsy is a 1928 silent comedy/drama film directed by King Vidor, produced and starring Marion Davies for her Cosmopolitan Productions, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
, also known as The Politic Flapper (1928)
- Show PeopleShow PeopleShow People is a 1928 comedy silent film directed by King Vidor. The movie was a starring vehicle for actress Marion Davies and actor William Haines and included notable cameo appearances by many of the film personalities of the day, including stars Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, William S....
(1928) - Hallelujah!Hallelujah! (1929 film)Hallelujah! is a 1929 MGM musical directed by King Vidor, starring Daniel L. Haynes and the then unknown Nina Mae McKinney.Filmed in Tennessee and Arkansas and chronicling the troubled quest of a sharecropper, Zeke Johnson , and his relationship with the seductive Chick , Hallelujah! was one of the...
(1929) - Not So DumbNot So DumbNot So Dumb is a comedy motion picture starring Marion Davies, directed by King Vidor, and produced for Cosmopolitan Productions for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.It is based on the stage play Dulcy by George S...
(1930) - Billy the KidBilly the Kid (1930 film)Billy the Kid is a 1930 American film directed in widescreen by King Vidor about the relationship between frontier outlaw Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett , the man who later killed him.-Cast:...
, US TV title The Highwayman Rides (1930) - Street SceneStreet Scene (1931 film)Street Scene is a 1931 black-and-white drama film produced by Samuel Goldwyn and directed by King Vidor. With a screenplay by Elmer Rice adapted from his Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Street Scene takes place on a New York City street from one evening until the following afternoon...
(1931) - The ChampThe ChampThe Champ is a 1931 American film written by Frances Marion, Leonard Praskins and Wanda Tuchock, and directed by King Vidor. The movie stars Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper , and tells the story of a washed up alcoholic boxer who tries to put his life together for the sake of his young son.The...
(1931) - Bird of Paradise (1932 Film)Bird of Paradise (1932 film)Bird of Paradise is a 1932 American film directed by King Vidor, starring Dolores del Río, Joel McCrea, and Richard "Skeets" Gallagher and released by RKO Radio Pictures.-Plot:...
(1932) - CynaraCynara (film)Cynara is a 1932 romantic drama film about a British lawyer who pays a heavy price for an affair. It stars Ronald Colman, Kay Francis, and Phyllis Barry and is based on the novel An Imperfect Lover by Robert Gore-Browne.-Cast :...
, US reissue title I Was Faithful (1932) - The Stranger's ReturnThe Stranger's ReturnThe Stranger's Return is a 1933 drama film released by MGM and starring Miriam Hopkins, Lionel Barrymore and Franchot Tone. Miriam Hopkins was loaned out to MGM for this picture while under contract to Paramount.-Plot:...
(1933) - Our Daily BreadOur Daily Bread (1934 film)Our Daily Bread is a 1934 film directed by King Vidor and starring Karen Morley, Tom Keene, and John Qualen. Vidor tried to interest Irving Thalberg of MGM in the project, but Thalberg rejected the idea...
(1934) - The Wedding NightThe Wedding NightThe Wedding Night is a 1935 American romantic drama film directed by King Vidor, and starring Gary Cooper, Anna Sten, and Ralph Bellamy. Vidor won the Best Director Award at the Venice Film Festival.-Plot:...
(1935) - So Red the RoseSo Red the Rose (1935 film)So Red the Rose is a 1935 motion picture drama directed by King Vidor. The Civil War-era romance is based on the 1934 novel of the same name by Stark Young.-Primary cast:*Margaret Sullavan - Valette Bedford, a plantation mistress...
(1935) - The Texas RangersThe Texas Rangers (1936 film)The Texas Rangers is a 1936 action and Western film directed by King Vidor that starred Fred MacMurray and Jack Oakie. It was nominated for Best Sound at the 1936 Oscars....
(1936) - Stella DallasStella Dallas (1937 film)Stella Dallas is a 1937 film based on the Olive Higgins Prouty novel of the same name. It was directed by King Vidor, and stars Barbara Stanwyck, John Boles, and Anne Shirley. Stanwyck was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and Shirley for Best Actress in a Supporting Role...
(1937) - The CitadelThe Citadel (film)The Citadel is a 1938 film based on the novel of the same name by A. J. Cronin, first published in 1937. The film was directed by King Vidor and produced by Victor Saville.-Plot:...
(1938) - The Wizard of OzThe Wizard of Oz (1939 film)The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
(1939) (Kansas scenes only) (uncredited) - Northwest PassageNorthwest Passage (1940 film)Northwest Passage is a 1940 film in Technicolor, starring Spencer Tracy, Robert Young, Walter Brennan, Ruth Hussey, and others. It is based on a novel by Kenneth Roberts titled Northwest Passage ....
(1940) - Comrade XComrade XComrade X is a 1940 lighthearted spy movie, starring Clark Gable and Hedy Lamarr and directed by King Vidor.-Plot summary:In the Soviet Union, American reporter McKinley "Mac" Thompson secretly writes unflattering stories, attributed to "Comrade X", for his newspaper...
(1940) - H.M. Pulham, Esq. (1941)
- An American Romance (1944)
- Duel in the Sun (1946)
- On Our Merry WayOn Our Merry WayOn Our Merry Way is an American comedy film, produced by Benedict Bogeaus and Burgess Meredith, and released by United Artists. At the time of its release, King Vidor and Leslie Fenton were credited with its direction, although the DVD lists John Huston and George Stevens, who assisted with one of...
, also known as A Miracle Can Happen (1948) - The FountainheadThe Fountainhead (film)The Fountainhead is a 1949 American film directed by King Vidor, based on the best-selling book of the same name by Ayn Rand, who wrote the screenplay adaptation....
(1949) - Beyond the ForestBeyond the ForestBeyond the Forest is a 1949 American film, representative of the film noir genre. It was nominated for an Academy Award for best score.-Plot:...
(1949) - Lightning Strikes Twice (1951)
- Japanese War BrideJapanese War BrideJapanese War Bride is a 1952 motion picture drama directed by King Vidor. The film marked the American debut of Shirley Yamaguchi in the title role.-Synopsis:...
(1952) - Ruby GentryRuby GentryRuby Gentry is a 1952 film noir, directed by King Vidor and starring Jennifer Jones, Charlton Heston and Karl Malden.-Synopsis:A poor young girl marries a rich man she doesn't love, while carrying a torch for another man.-Cast:...
(1952) - Light's Diamond Jubilee (1954) (TV)
- Man Without a StarMan Without a StarMan Without a Star is a 1955 western film starring Kirk Douglas as a wanderer who gets dragged into a range war. It was based on the novel of the same name by Dee Linford.-Plot:...
(1955) - War and PeaceWar and Peace (1956 film)War and Peace is the first English-language film version of the novel War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. It is an American/Italian version, directed by King Vidor and produced by Dino De Laurentiis and Carlo Ponti. The music score was by Nino Rota and the cinematography by Jack Cardiff...
(1956) - Solomon and ShebaSolomon and ShebaSolomon and Sheba is a 1959 Biblical epic film made by Edward Small Productions and distributed by United Artists. The film stars Yul Brynner, Gina Lollobrigida, George Sanders and Marisa Pavan, with David Farrar, Harry Andrews, Jack Gwillim, Laurence Naismith, William Devlin, Jean Anderson and...
(1959) - Truth and Illusion (1964)
- The Metaphor (1980)
Academy Awards
| Year | Award !! Film !! Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1927–28 1st Academy Awards The 1st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 1927 and 1928 and took place on May 16, 1929, at a private dinner held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, in Los Angeles, California. AMPAS president Douglas Fairbanks hosted the... |
Best Director in a Dramatic Picture | The Crowd The Crowd The Crowd is a 1928 American silent film directed by King Vidor. It is notable for its dramatization of the concerns and dangers of urbanization and modernity.... |
Frank Borzage Frank Borzage Frank Borzage was an American film director and actor.-Biography:Frank Borzage's father, Luigi Borzaga, was born in Ronzone, in 1859. As a stonemason, he sometimes worked in Switzerland; he met his future wife, Maria Ruegg , where she worked in a silk factory... – Seventh Heaven |
| 1929–30 3rd Academy Awards The 3rd Academy Awards were awarded to films completed and screened in 1929/1930, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.All Quiet on the Western Front became the first film to take home both Best Picture and Best Director, something that would become common in later years.The Love... |
Best Director | Hallelujah! Hallelujah! (1929 film) Hallelujah! is a 1929 MGM musical directed by King Vidor, starring Daniel L. Haynes and the then unknown Nina Mae McKinney.Filmed in Tennessee and Arkansas and chronicling the troubled quest of a sharecropper, Zeke Johnson , and his relationship with the seductive Chick , Hallelujah! was one of the... |
Lewis Milestone Lewis Milestone Lewis Milestone was a Russian-American motion picture director. He is known for directing Two Arabian Knights and All Quiet on the Western Front , both of which received Academy Awards for Best Director... – All Quiet on the Western Front |
| 1931–32 5th Academy Awards The 5th Academy Awards were conducted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on November 18, 1932 at a ceremony held at The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was hosted by Conrad Nagel... |
Outstanding Production Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only... |
The Champ The Champ The Champ is a 1931 American film written by Frances Marion, Leonard Praskins and Wanda Tuchock, and directed by King Vidor. The movie stars Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper , and tells the story of a washed up alcoholic boxer who tries to put his life together for the sake of his young son.The... |
Irving Thalberg Irving Thalberg Irving Grant Thalberg was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. He was called "The Boy Wonder" for his youth and his extraordinary ability to select the right scripts, choose the right actors, gather the best production staff and make very profitable films.-Life and... – Grand Hotel Grand Hotel (film) Grand Hotel is a 1932 American drama film directed by Edmund Goulding. The screenplay by William A. Drake and Béla Balázs is based on the 1930 play of the same title by Drake, who had adapted it from the 1929 novel Menschen im Hotel by Vicki Baum... |
| Best Director | Frank Borzage Frank Borzage Frank Borzage was an American film director and actor.-Biography:Frank Borzage's father, Luigi Borzaga, was born in Ronzone, in 1859. As a stonemason, he sometimes worked in Switzerland; he met his future wife, Maria Ruegg , where she worked in a silk factory... – Bad Girl |
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| 1938 11th Academy Awards The 11th Academy Awards were held on February 23, 1939 at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California. It was the first Academy Awards show without any official host, as well as the first to have a foreign language film nominated for Best Picture.This was the first of only two times in Oscar... |
Best Director | The Citadel The Citadel (film) The Citadel is a 1938 film based on the novel of the same name by A. J. Cronin, first published in 1937. The film was directed by King Vidor and produced by Victor Saville.-Plot:... |
Frank Capra Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra was a Sicilian-born American film director. He emigrated to the U.S. when he was six, and eventually became a creative force behind major award-winning films during the 1930s and 1940s... – You Can't Take It With You You Can't Take It with You (film) You Can't Take It With You Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. The cast includes James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore and Edward Arnold.... |
| 1956 29th Academy Awards During the 29th Academy Awards, the regular competitive category of Best Foreign Language Film was introduced, instead of only being recognized as a Special Achievement Award or as a Best Picture nominee . The first winner in this new category was Federico Fellini's La strada with Anthony Quinn and... |
Best Director | War and Peace War and Peace (1956 film) War and Peace is the first English-language film version of the novel War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. It is an American/Italian version, directed by King Vidor and produced by Dino De Laurentiis and Carlo Ponti. The music score was by Nino Rota and the cinematography by Jack Cardiff... |
George Stevens George Stevens George Stevens was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer.Among his most notable films were Diary of Anne Frank , nominated for Best Director, Giant , winner of Oscar for Best Director, Shane , Oscar nominated, and A Place in the Sun , winner of Oscar for Best... – Giant |
| 1979 51st Academy Awards The 51st Academy Awards were presented April 9, 1979 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. The ceremonies were presided over by Johnny Carson.... |
Academy Honorary Award Academy Honorary Award The Academy Honorary Award, instituted in 1948 for the 21st Academy Awards , is given by the discretion of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to celebrate motion picture achievements that are not covered by existing Academy Awards, although prior winners of... |
for his incomparable achievements as a cinematic creator and innovator | |
Directed Academy Award Performances
| Year | Performer | Film | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Award for Best Actor Academy Award for Best Actor Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry... |
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| 1931–32 5th Academy Awards The 5th Academy Awards were conducted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on November 18, 1932 at a ceremony held at The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was hosted by Conrad Nagel... |
Wallace Beery Wallace Beery Wallace Fitzgerald Beery was an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Bill in Min and Bill opposite Marie Dressler, as Long John Silver in Treasure Island, as Pancho Villa in Viva Villa!, and his titular role in The Champ, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor... |
The Champ The Champ The Champ is a 1931 American film written by Frances Marion, Leonard Praskins and Wanda Tuchock, and directed by King Vidor. The movie stars Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper , and tells the story of a washed up alcoholic boxer who tries to put his life together for the sake of his young son.The... |
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| 1938 11th Academy Awards The 11th Academy Awards were held on February 23, 1939 at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California. It was the first Academy Awards show without any official host, as well as the first to have a foreign language film nominated for Best Picture.This was the first of only two times in Oscar... |
Robert Donat Robert Donat Robert Donat was an English film and stage actor. He is best-known for his roles in Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps and Goodbye, Mr... |
The Citadel The Citadel (film) The Citadel is a 1938 film based on the novel of the same name by A. J. Cronin, first published in 1937. The film was directed by King Vidor and produced by Victor Saville.-Plot:... |
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| Academy Award for Best Actress Academy Award for Best Actress Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry... |
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| 1937 10th Academy Awards The 10th Academy Awards were held on March 10, 1938 at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California.Originally scheduled to be held on March 3, 1938, the ceremony was postponed due to heavy flooding in Los Angeles... |
Barbara Stanwyck Barbara Stanwyck Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress. She was a film and television star, known during her 60-year career as a consummate and versatile professional with a strong screen presence, and a favorite of directors including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang and Frank Capra... |
Stella Dallas Stella Dallas (1937 film) Stella Dallas is a 1937 film based on the Olive Higgins Prouty novel of the same name. It was directed by King Vidor, and stars Barbara Stanwyck, John Boles, and Anne Shirley. Stanwyck was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and Shirley for Best Actress in a Supporting Role... |
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| 1946 19th Academy Awards The 19th Academy Awards continued a trend through the late-1940s of the Oscar voters honoring films about contemporary social issues. The Best Years of Our Lives concerns the lives of three returning veterans from three branches of military service as they adjust to life on the home front after... |
Jennifer Jones Jennifer Jones Phylis Lee Isley , better known by her stage name Jennifer Jones, was an American actress. A five-time Academy Award nominee, Jones won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in The Song of Bernadette .-Early life:Jones was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the daughter of Flora Mae and... |
Duel in the Sun | |||||
| Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the... |
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| 1937 10th Academy Awards The 10th Academy Awards were held on March 10, 1938 at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California.Originally scheduled to be held on March 3, 1938, the ceremony was postponed due to heavy flooding in Los Angeles... |
Anne Shirley | Stella Dallas Stella Dallas (1937 film) Stella Dallas is a 1937 film based on the Olive Higgins Prouty novel of the same name. It was directed by King Vidor, and stars Barbara Stanwyck, John Boles, and Anne Shirley. Stanwyck was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and Shirley for Best Actress in a Supporting Role... |
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| 1946 19th Academy Awards The 19th Academy Awards continued a trend through the late-1940s of the Oscar voters honoring films about contemporary social issues. The Best Years of Our Lives concerns the lives of three returning veterans from three branches of military service as they adjust to life on the home front after... |
Lillian Gish Lillian Gish Lillian Diana Gish was an American stage, screen and television actress whose film acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912 to 1987.... |
Duel in the Sun | |||||
Academy Awards in King Vidor Films
| Year | Film | Academy Award Nominations | Academy Award Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1927–28 1st Academy Awards The 1st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 1927 and 1928 and took place on May 16, 1929, at a private dinner held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, in Los Angeles, California. AMPAS president Douglas Fairbanks hosted the... |
The Crowd The Crowd The Crowd is a 1928 American silent film directed by King Vidor. It is notable for its dramatization of the concerns and dangers of urbanization and modernity.... |
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| 1929–30 3rd Academy Awards The 3rd Academy Awards were awarded to films completed and screened in 1929/1930, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.All Quiet on the Western Front became the first film to take home both Best Picture and Best Director, something that would become common in later years.The Love... |
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! (1929 film) Hallelujah! is a 1929 MGM musical directed by King Vidor, starring Daniel L. Haynes and the then unknown Nina Mae McKinney.Filmed in Tennessee and Arkansas and chronicling the troubled quest of a sharecropper, Zeke Johnson , and his relationship with the seductive Chick , Hallelujah! was one of the... |
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| 1931–32 5th Academy Awards The 5th Academy Awards were conducted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on November 18, 1932 at a ceremony held at The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was hosted by Conrad Nagel... |
The Champ The Champ The Champ is a 1931 American film written by Frances Marion, Leonard Praskins and Wanda Tuchock, and directed by King Vidor. The movie stars Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper , and tells the story of a washed up alcoholic boxer who tries to put his life together for the sake of his young son.The... |
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| 1936 9th Academy Awards The 9th Academy Awards were held on March 4, 1937 at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California. They were hosted by George Jessel. This ceremony marked the first time in which the categories of Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress were awarded.My Man Godfrey became the first film... |
The Texas Rangers The Texas Rangers (1936 film) The Texas Rangers is a 1936 action and Western film directed by King Vidor that starred Fred MacMurray and Jack Oakie. It was nominated for Best Sound at the 1936 Oscars.... |
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| 1938 11th Academy Awards The 11th Academy Awards were held on February 23, 1939 at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California. It was the first Academy Awards show without any official host, as well as the first to have a foreign language film nominated for Best Picture.This was the first of only two times in Oscar... |
The Citadel The Citadel (film) The Citadel is a 1938 film based on the novel of the same name by A. J. Cronin, first published in 1937. The film was directed by King Vidor and produced by Victor Saville.-Plot:... |
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| 1940 13th Academy Awards The 13th Academy Awards honored American film achievements in 1940. This was the first year that sealed envelopes were used to keep secret the names of the winners which led to the famous phrase: "May I have the Envelope, please." The accounting firm of Price Waterhouse was hired to count the... |
Northwest Passage | |
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| Comrade X Comrade X Comrade X is a 1940 lighthearted spy movie, starring Clark Gable and Hedy Lamarr and directed by King Vidor.-Plot summary:In the Soviet Union, American reporter McKinley "Mac" Thompson secretly writes unflattering stories, attributed to "Comrade X", for his newspaper... |
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| 1946 19th Academy Awards The 19th Academy Awards continued a trend through the late-1940s of the Oscar voters honoring films about contemporary social issues. The Best Years of Our Lives concerns the lives of three returning veterans from three branches of military service as they adjust to life on the home front after... |
Duel in the Sun | |
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| 1949 22nd Academy Awards -Awards:Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.-Multiple nominations and awards:These films had multiple nominations:*8 nominations: The Heiress*7 nominations: All the King's Men, Come to the Stable... 1 |
Beyond the Forest Beyond the Forest Beyond the Forest is a 1949 American film, representative of the film noir genre. It was nominated for an Academy Award for best score.-Plot:... |
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| 1956 29th Academy Awards During the 29th Academy Awards, the regular competitive category of Best Foreign Language Film was introduced, instead of only being recognized as a Special Achievement Award or as a Best Picture nominee . The first winner in this new category was Federico Fellini's La strada with Anthony Quinn and... |
War and Peace War and Peace (1956 film) War and Peace is the first English-language film version of the novel War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. It is an American/Italian version, directed by King Vidor and produced by Dino De Laurentiis and Carlo Ponti. The music score was by Nino Rota and the cinematography by Jack Cardiff... |
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External links
- King Vidor: The Editor's Director, Peter Tonguette, Senses of Cinema 59