History Creator / OttoPreminger

In 1951, Preminger directed the Broadway hit ''Theatre/TheMoonIsBlue'', and announced plans to independently produce a film version. ''The Moon is Blue'' dealt with, for its time, risque sexual matters. The film would not qualify for [[UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode Production Code]] approval (despite attempts to settle differences with Joseph Breen), so Preminger released it without code approval. ''Film/TheManWithTheGoldenArm'' raised eyebrows not only for its candid treatment of drug use, which also failed to pass the Code, but for its spotlight-stealing credit, "A Film by Otto Preminger." Then there's ''Film/AnatomyOfAMurder'', which also circumvented the code by discussing rape and using other phrases related to it in the film. ''Film/AdviseAndConsent'' was the first Hollywood film to show a gay bar, while ''The Cardinal'' was one of the most critical films about the Catholic Church. These movies played a huge role in loosening censorship and paving the way for other directors to start testing and challenging the Code. A liberal, Preminger along with Creator/KirkDouglas played a role in ending UsefulNotes/TheHollywoodBlacklist, by crediting Dalton Trumbo for his work as a screenwriter. Preminger put out a ad in the major newspaper a year before the release of ''Film/{{Spartacus}}'', which preceded his film ''Film/{{Exodus}}'' in the release calendar. Both movies credit Trumbo in their titles.

In 1951, Preminger directed the Broadway hit ''Theatre/TheMoonIsBlue'', and announced plans to independently produce a film version. ''The Moon is Blue'' dealt with, for its time, risque sexual matters. The film would not qualify for [[UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode Production Code]] approval (despite attempts to settle differences with Joseph Breen), so Preminger released it without code approval. ''Film/TheManWithTheGoldenArm'' raised eyebrows not only for its candid treatment of drug use, which also failed to pass the Code, but for its spotlight-stealing credit, "A Film by Otto Preminger." Then there's ''Film/AnatomyOfAMurder'', which also circumvented the code by discussing rape and using other phrases related to it in the film. ''Film/AdviseAndConsent'' was the first Hollywood film to show a gay bar, while ''The Cardinal'' was one of the most critical films about the Catholic Church. These movies played a huge role in loosening censorship and paving the way for other directors to start testing and challenging the Code. A liberal, Preminger along with Creator/KirkDouglas played a role in ending UsefulNotes/TheHollywoodBlacklist, by crediting Dalton Trumbo for his work as a screenwriter. Preminger put out a ad in the major newspaper a year before the release of ''Film/{{Spartacus}}'', which preceded his film ''Film/{{Exodus}}'' in the release calendar. Both movies credit Trumbo in its titles.

In 1951, Preminger directed the Broadway hit ''Theatre/TheMoonIsBlue'', and announced plans to independently produce a film version. ''The Moon is Blue'' dealt with, for its time, risque sexual matters. The film would not qualify for [[UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode Production Code]] approval (despite attempts to settle differences with Joseph Breen), so Preminger released it without code approval. ''The Man with the Golden Arm'' raised eyebrows not only for its candid treatment of drug use, which also failed to pass the Code, but for its spotlight-stealing credit, "A Film by Otto Preminger." Then there's ''Anatomy of a Murder'' which also circumvented the code by discussing rape and using other phrases related to it in the film. ''Advise and Consent'' was the first Hollywood film to show a gay bar while ''The Cardinal'' was one of the most critical films about the Catholic Church. These movies played a huge role in loosening censorship and paving the way for other directors to start testing and challenging the Code. A liberal, Preminger along with Creator/KirkDouglas played a role in ending UsefulNotes/TheHollywoodBlacklist, by crediting Dalton Trumbo for his work as a screenwriter. Preminger put out a ad in the major newspaper a year before the release of Film/{{Spartacus}}, which preceded his film Film/{{Exodus}} in the release calendar. Both movies credit Trumbo in its titles.

Otto Preminger was an Austrian-American director and film producer.

Preminger was born in 1905 in Bukovina or Galicia (exactly which town is unclear), though his Jewish family moved to Vienna by the time he was ten. His interests in theater and literature lead him to take up acting, and in 1923 he became an assistant to Max Reinhardt, the famous Berlin stage director who was opening a new theater in Josefstadt, UsefulNotes/{{Vienna}}. In the mid-1920s, his acting career faltered as he started to go bald, and he took up directing instead, becoming director at the Theater in der Josefstadt in 1931 (the year of his first marriage and his first film-directing experience), and succeeded Reinhart as its manager two years later.

In 1951, Preminger directed the Broadway hit ''Theatre/TheMoonIsBlue'', and announced plans to independently produce a film version. ''The Moon is Blue'' dealt with, for its time, risque sexual matters. The film would not qualify for [[UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode Production Code]] approval (despite attempts to settle differences with Joseph Breen), so Preminger released it without code approval. ''The Man with the Golden Arm'' raised eyebrows not only for its candid treatment of drug use, which also failed to pass the Code, but for its spotlight-stealing credit, "A Film by Otto Preminger." Then there's ''Anatomy of a Murder'' which also circumvented the code by discussing rape and using other phrases related to it in the film. ''Advise and Consent'' was the first Hollywood film to show a gay bar while ''The Cardinal'' was one of the most critical films about the Catholic Church. These movies played a huge role in loosening censorship and paving the way for other directors to start testing and challenging the Code.

In 1951, Preminger directed the Broadway hit ''Theatre/TheMoonIsBlue'', and announced plans to independently produce a film version. ''The Moon is Blue'' dealt with, for its time, risque sexual matters. The film would not qualify for [[UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode Production Code]] approval (despite attempts to settle differences with Joseph Breen), so Preminger released it without code approval. ''The Man with the Golden Arm'' raised eyebrows not only for its candid treatment of drug use, which also failed to pass the Code, but for its spotlight-stealing credit, "A Film by Otto Preminger." Then there's ''Anatomy of a Murder'' which also circumvented the code by discussing rape and using other phrases related to it in the film. These movies played a huge role in loosening censorship and paving the way for other directors to start testing and challenging the Code.

Preminger had no intention of returning to Austria, even before the events of March 1938 forced his brother and parents to flee to the United States, where Tallulah Bankhead (the actress who would later star in ''A Royal Scandal'') helped them get refugee visas. He returned to New York for three years to direct plays, including vehicles for aging stars Laurette Taylor and John Barrymore. Ironically, his unexpected acting turn as the Nazi villain in the play ''Theatre/MarginForError'' helped restart his film career through TypeCasting.

20th Century-Fox bought the film rights to ''Margin for Error'' on the request of Creator/ErnstLubitsch, who intended to direct Otto in the film version. After Lubitsch decided not to make it, Preminger himself ended up directing the film version on an actor's salary under a short-term contract (already extended before shooting finished) with William Goetz, who had temporarily become head of production when Zanuck went into military service. (The dour Preminger would go on to replace the jovial Lubitsch as director on three more productions: the never-filmed RomanticComedy ''All Over Arlene'', ''A Royal Scandal'' and ''Film/ThatLadyInErmine'', the last of these upon [[AuthorExistenceFailure Lubitsch's death]]. Another director whom Preminger replaced more than once was Rouben Mamoulian on ''Literature/{{Laura}}'' and ''Theatre/PorgyAndBess''.)

Preminger had three further films in preproduction at Fox (including an abandoned BioPic of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Dodd_(ambassador) William Dodd, U.S. ambassador to Germany]]) when Zanuck returned and told him he could produce these films but not direct them. Nevertheless, Preminger eventually replaced both of the directors whom Zanuck had originally assigned on the first two films he produced.

In 1951, Preminger directed the Broadway hit ''Theatre/TheMoonIsBlue'', and announced plans to independently produce a film version. ''The Moon is Blue'' would not merely be Preminger's first American film without a major studio backing it; it would also be released without [[UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode Production Code]] approval (despite attempts to settle differences with Joseph Breen). ''The Man with the Golden Arm'' raised eyebrows not only for its candid treatment of drug use, which also failed to pass the Code, but for its spotlight-stealing credit, "A Film by Otto Preminger."

20th Century-Fox bought the film rights to ''Margin for Error'' on the request of Creator/ErnstLubitsch, who intended to direct Otto in the film version. After Lubitsch decided not to make it, Preminger himself ended up directing the film version on an actor's salary under a short-term contract (already extended before shooting finished) with William Goetz, who had temporarily become head of production when Zanuck went into military service. (The dour Preminger would go on to replace the jovial Lubitsch as director on three more productions: the never-filmed RomanticComedy ''All Over Arlene'', ''A Royal Scandal'' and ''Film/ThatLadyInErmine'', in the last case upon [[AuthorExistenceFailure Lubitsch's death]].)

Preminger had no intention of returning to Austria, even before the events of March 1938 forced his brother and parents to flee to the United States, where Tallulah Bankhead (the actress who would later star in ''A Royal Scandal'') helped them get refugee visas. He returned to New York for three years to direct plays, including vehicles for aging stars Laurette Taylor and John Barrymore. Ironically, his unexpected acting turn as the Nazi villain in the play ''Margin for Error'' helped restart his film career through TypeCasting.

* ''Margin for Error'' (1943; produced by Ralph Dietrich)

* ''Film/TheMoonIsBlue'' (1953)

* Karl Baumer in ''Margin for Error'' (1943)

* ''In Harm's Way'' (1965)

In 1951, Preminger directed the Broadway hit ''Theatre/TheMoonIsBlue'', and announced plans to independently produce a film version. ''The Moon is Blue'' would not merely be Preminger's first American film without a major studio backing it; it would also be released without [[UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode Production Code]] approval (despite attempts to settle differences with Joseph Breen).

Preminger was born in 1905 in Bukovina or Galicia (exactly which town is unclear), though his Jewish family moved to Vienna by the time he was ten. His interests in theater and literature lead him to take up acting, and in 1923 he became an assistant to Max Reinhart, the famous Berlin stage director who was opening a new theater in Josefstadt, UsefulNotes/{{Vienna}}. In the mid-1920s, his acting career faltered as he started to go bald, and he took up directing instead, becoming director at the Theater in der Josefstadt in 1931 (the year of his first marriage and his first film-directing experience), and succeeded Reinhart as its manager two years later.

* ''The Fan'' (1949)

In April 1935, Preminger was invited by Joseph M. Schenck, chairman of Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox, to come to Hollywood and direct movies. That October, Preminger sailed for New York, where he stayed to direct a play before beginning his career as a Hollywood director under Darryl F. Zanuck. After completing two unimportant and uncharacteristic films, Preminger was assigned to direct an adaptation of ''Literature/{{Kidnapped}}'', which was even less characteristic for him. A quarrel with Zanuck in January 1938 threw him out of the production and seemingly ended his Hollywood career.

Preminger had no intention of returning to Austria, even before the events of March 1938 forced his brother and parents to flee to the United States, where Tallulah Bankhead (the actress who would later star in ''A Royal Scandal'') helped them get refugee visas. In New York, he directed plays featuring aging stars Laurette Taylor and John Barrymore. Ironically, his unexpected acting turn as the Nazi villain in the play ''Margin for Error'' helped restart his film career through TypeCasting.

In April 1935, Preminger was invited by Joseph M. Schenck, chairman of Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox, to come to Hollywood and direct movies. That October, Preminger sailed for New York, where he stayed to direct a play before beginning his career as a Hollywood director under Darryl F. Zanuck. After completing two forgettable and uncharacteristic films, Preminger was assigned to direct an adaptation of ''Literature/{{Kidnapped}}'', which was even less characteristic for him. A quarrel with Zanuck in January 1938 threw him out of the production and seemingly ended his Hollywood career.

Preminger was born in 1905 in Bukovina or Galicia (exactly which town is unclear), though his Jewish family moved to Vienna by the time he was ten. His interests in theater and literature lead him to take up acting, and in 1923 he became an assistant to Max Reinhart, the famous Berlin stage director who was opening a new theater in Josefstadt, UsefulNotes/{{Vienna}}. In the mid-1920s, his acting career faltered as he started to go bald, and he took up directing instead, becoming director at the Theater in der Josefstadt in 1931 (the same year he was hired to direct a forgettable Viennese movie), and succeeded Reinhart as its manager two years later.

Preminger had no intention of returning to Austria, even before the events of March 1938 forced his brother and parents to flee to the United States, where Creator/TallulahBankhead helped them get refugee visas. In New York, he directed plays featuring aging stars Laurette Taylor and John Barrymore. Ironically, his unexpected acting turn as the Nazi villain in the play ''Margin for Error'' helped restart his film career through TypeCasting.

Preminger had no intention of returning to Austria, even before the events of March 1938 made his brother and his parents become refugees. In New York, he directed plays featuring aging stars Laurette Taylor and John Barrymore. Ironically, his unexpected acting turn as the Nazi villain in the play ''Margin for Error'' helped restart his film career through TypeCasting.

20th Century-Fox bought the film rights to ''Margin for Error'' on the request of Creator/ErnstLubitsch, who intended to direct Otto in the film version. After Lubitsch decided not to make it, Preminger himself ended up directing the film version on an actor's salary under a short-term contract (already extended before shooting finished) with William Goetz, who had temporarily become head of production when Zanuck went into military service. (Preminger would go on to replace Lubitsch as director on three more productions: the never-filmed RomanticComedy ''All Over Arlene'', ''A Royal Scandal'' and ''Film/ThatLadyInErmine'', in the last case upon [[AuthorExistenceFailure Lubitsch's death]].)

20th Century-Fox bought the film rights to ''Margin for Error'' on the request of Creator/ErnstLubitsch, who intended to direct Otto in the film version. After Lubitsch decided not to make it, Preminger himself ended up directing the film version on an actor's salary under a short-term contract (already extended before shooting finished) with William Goetz, who had temporarily become head of production when Zanuck went into military service. Preminger had three further films in preproduction at Fox (including an abandoned BioPic of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Dodd_(ambassador) William Dodd, U.S. ambassador to Germany]]) when Zanuck returned and told him he could produce these films but not direct them. Nevertheless, Preminger eventually replaced both of the directors whom Zanuck had originally assigned on the first two films he produced.

* General Rahl in ''Where do We Go from Here?'' (1944)

20th Century-Fox bought the film rights to ''Margin for Error'' on the request of Creator/ErnstLubitsch, who intended to direct Otto in the film version, but this instead ended up being directed by Preminger himself under a short-term contract with William Goetz, who had temporarily become head of production when Zanuck went into military service. Preminger had three further films in preproduction at Fox (including an abandoned BioPic of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Dodd_(ambassador) William Dodd, U.S. ambassador to Germany]]) when Zanuck returned and told him he could produce these films but not direct them. Nevertheless, Preminger eventually replaced both of the directors whom Zanuck had originally assigned on the first two films he produced.

Preminger had no intention of returning to Austria, even before the events of March 1938 made his brother and his parents become refugees. In New York, he directed plays featuring aging stars Laurette Taylor and John Barrymore. Ironically, his unexpected acting turn as the Nazi villain in the play ''Margin for Error'' helped restart his film career through TypeCasting. 20th Century-Fox bought the film rights to ''Margin for Error'' on the request of Creator/ErnstLubitsch, who intended to direct Otto in the film version, but this instead ended up being directed by Preminger himself under a short-term contract with William Goetz, who had temporarily become head of production when Zanuck went into military service. Preminger had three further films in preproduction (including an abandoned BioPic of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Dodd_(ambassador) William Dodd, U.S. ambassador to Germany]]) when Zanuck returned to Fox and told Preminger he could produce these films but not direct them. Nevertheless, Preminger eventually replaced both of the directors whom Zanuck had originally assigned on the first two films he produced.

Preminger had no intention of returning to Austria, even before the events of March 1938 made his brother and his parents become refugees. In New York, he directed plays featuring aging stars Laurette Taylor and John Barrymore. Ironically, his unexpected acting turn as the Nazi villain in the play ''Margin for Error'' helped restart his film career through TypeCasting. 20th Century-Fox bought the film rights to ''Margin for Error'' on the request of Creator/ErnstLubitsch, who intended to direct Otto in the film version, but this instead ended up being directed by Preminger himself under a short-term contract with William Goetz, who had temporarily become head of production when Zanuck went into military service.

Preminger had no intention of returning to Austria, even before the events of March 1938 made his brother and his parents become refugees. In New York, he directed plays featuring aging stars Laurette Taylor and John Barrymore. Ironically, his unexpected acting turn as the Nazi villain in the play ''Margin for Error'' helped restart his film career through TypeCasting.

In April 1935, Preminger was invited by Joseph M. Schenck, chairman of Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox, to come to Hollywood and direct movies. That October, Preminger sailed for New York, where he stayed to direct a play before beginning his career as a Hollywood director under Darryl F. Zanuck.

Otto Preminger (1905–1986) was an Austrian-born director and film producer.

* ''The 13rh Letter'' (1951)