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92-502: Vincente Minnelli (born Lester Anthony Minnelli ; February 28, 1903 – July 25, 1986) was an American stage director and film director. For a career spanning over half a century, he is best known for his sophisticated innovation and artistry in musical films . As of 2024, six of his films have been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry . Minnelli made his stage debut as an actor in

184-677: A New York-bound fruit steamer . At three years old, Minnelli made his debut stage performance portraying Little Willie in East Lynne , alongside his mother performing dual roles as Lady Isabel and Madame Vine. During the performance, Minnelli broke character when his character was supposed to have died. His family moved to Delaware, Ohio , where he spent the first three years of high school at St. Mary's. Since St. Mary's had no twelfth grade, he spent his last year at Willis High School [1] in Delaware , graduating at 16 years of age. There, he appeared in

276-403: A contract to produce and direct films. Although he was initially reluctant, Minnelli accepted the offer and was paid $ 2,500 a week. His first project was Times Squares , a mystery film set on Broadway. Leo Birinski was hired to write the script, with the plot detailing characters venturing throughout various musical numbers from Broadway shows to piece together vital clues. Minnelli also proposed

368-545: A directing job by Lee Shubert for his stage company. Despite the offer, Minnelli continued working for Radio City Music Hall until he left in April 1935. After months of considering, he joined Shubert's organization, signing a contract to produce three musical shows over eighteen months. Minnelli was handed his first directorial project titled At Home Abroad , with music composed by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz . Starring Beatrice Lillie , Ethel Waters , and Eleanor Powell ,

460-411: A graduate programme based on the premise that directors are autodidacts who need as many opportunities to direct as possible. Under Fowler, graduate student directors would stage between five and ten productions during their three-year residencies, with each production receiving detailed critiques. As with many other professions in the performing arts, theatre directors would often learn their skills "on

552-520: A musical during their honeymoon. The story tells of Manuela, a local Caribbean woman, who daydreams of the pirate Macoco, better known as Mack the Black. She is unknowingly engaged to him, now identifying as Don Pedro, the portly and elderly village mayor. Serafin, a traveling actor, roleplays as the pirate to win Manuela's affection. Freed initially resisted the idea but reluctantly agreed to produce it after reading

644-652: A production of East Lynne , staged by the Minnelli Brothers' Tent Theater (co-founded by his father and paternal uncle). After graduating from high school, he worked as an apprentice window designer at Marshall Field's department store in Chicago . There, he attended the Art Institute of Chicago and became a costume designer for the Balaban and Katz theater chain. By the early 1930s, he moved to New York City and served as

736-509: A romantic and professional interest in Jerry. Meanwhile, Jerry romances Lise Bouvier ( Leslie Caron ), a young teen engaged to Henri Baurel ( Georges Guétary ), a friend of Jerry's. Filming began on August 1, 1950 at the MGM studios, though production was halted on September 15 to prepare for the ballet sequence. Minnelli left to direct another film, Father's Little Dividend (1951), the sequel to Father of

828-479: A scandalous affair. Upon its release, critics praised the film's seedy depiction of Hollywood and the performances from the cast, most particularly Douglas, Turner and Gloria Grahame . The scene of Georgina's emotional breakdown inside a moving vehicle was highlighted. At the 1953 Academy Awards , The Bad and the Beautiful was nominated for six Oscars, winning five including Grahame for Best Supporting Actress . At

920-694: A school production of H.M.S. Pinafore and starred in The Fortune Hunter at the Delaware Opera House. Following his high school graduation, Minnelli moved to Chicago, where he lived briefly with his maternal grandmother Le Beau and his aunt Amy. In search for a job, Minnelli took his portfolio of watercolor paintings to the Marshall Field's department store . Arthur Valair Fraser, the store's display director, reviewed his portfolio and hired him immediately as an apprentice window dresser . There,

1012-488: A show has opened (premiered before a regular audience), theatre directors are generally considered to have fulfilled their function. From that point forward the stage manager is left in charge of all essential concerns. List of people from Sicily Sicily is the largest region in Italy in terms of area, with a population of over five million and has contributed many famous names to all walks of life. Geographically, it

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1104-404: A surrealist ballet featuring Paramount's contract actors, and held conversations with Kurt Weill about a potential musical film. Minnelli discussed the project with Adolph Zukor , the head of Paramount, but he was uninterested; discussions with William LeBaron , the studio's head of production, did not move the project forward. Meanwhile, Minnelli proposed the title Shall We Dance (1937) to

1196-464: A surrealist fantasy titled The Light Fantastic , with Beatrice Lillie in mind to star. He offered her four musical numbers and four sketches outlining his vision, but Lillie, then in England, had not responded in time. He then shifted to a musicalization of S. N. Behrman 's play Serena Blandish , wanting to feature Black American actors. Cole Porter was hired to write the musical score. Sid Perelman wrote

1288-423: A tabletop, while George Pal provided the stop motion animation of the musicians made of fruit. During filming, Minnelli met Garland, who had just turned 18 years old, for the first time. Minnelli subsequently worked on Busby Berkeley 's Babes on Broadway (1941), which also starred Rooney and Garland, for the "Ghost Theater" sequence. Minnelli suggested they imitate veteran Broadway stars, but Berkeley rejected

1380-526: A team of Tin Pan Alley lyricists. The show premiered on Christmas Day 1936 and ran for 237 performances during its initial run. A reprise opened in September 1937 and played for two weeks. Based on his Broadway success, Hollywood had taken notice of Minnelli as a rising director. Samuel Goldwyn tentatively approached Minnelli to direct The Goldwyn Follies (1938), and in 1937, Paramount Pictures offered him

1472-492: A treatment. To replicate the success of For Me and My Gal (1942), Gene Kelly was cast to reunite his pairing with Garland. On December 27, 1946, a recording session with Garland had to be cancelled due to her illness. Due to Garland's frequent absences, filming did not begin until February 1947. Out of 135 days for rehearsals, filming and reshoots, Garland was absent for 99. After a preview in October, Minnelli agreed to shorten

1564-459: A week. On April 2, 1940, Minnelli began working for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In 1941, he did minor consulting work, which included critiquing Norman Z. McLeod 's Lady Be Good (1941) and advising Pandro Berman to change the beginning of Rio Rita (1942). Sometime later, McLeod had filmed Panama Hattie (1942) but received lackluster responses during test screenings. In reaction, Freed hired Roy Del Ruth to film reshoots and Minnelli to direct

1656-458: A young heiress living a sheltered life in a convent and decide to con her. One night, Yolanda prays for a "guardian angel" which Astaire's character impersonates. Freed had come across the magazine story and hired Bemelmans and Théry to write a treatment, and Robert Nathan to write the final screenplay. Filming began on January 15, 1945 and wrapped four months later. Upon its release, the film received mixed reviews with criticism towards its script and

1748-735: Is an art form that has grown with the development of theatre theory and theatre practice. With the emergence of new trends in theatre, so too have directors adopted new methodologies and engaged in new practices. Interpretation of the drama, by the late twentieth century, had become central to the director's work. Relativism and psychoanalytic theory influenced the work of innovative directors such as Peter Brook , Ingmar Bergman , Peter Stein , and Giorgio Strehler . Kimberly Senior, director of Disgraced on Broadway, explains her role as director by saying “I get to take things that were previously in one dimension and put them into three dimensions using my imagination and intellect and people skills.” Once

1840-547: Is suspected of murdering, and investigates his disappearance. Robert Mitchum , who portrayed the missing brother, was loaned out to MGM by RKO Radio Pictures to co-star in the film. During filming, Hepburn was initially displeased with Minnelli as her director, though both became cordial as production continued. Meanwhile, Taylor grew irritated at their developing friendship and was feeling overshadowed by Mitchum. The idea to adapt S. N. Behrman's play The Pirate originated with Minnelli, with Garland suggesting it be adapted into

1932-508: The Fred Astaire – Ginger Rogers film. He consulted on Raoul Walsh 's 1937 film Artists and Models devising the "Public Melody No. 1" number, featuring Louis Armstrong and Martha Raye . After six months of negotiating, Minnelli was released from his contract and returned to Broadway. Lee Shubert offered him the musical Hooray for What! , which starred Ed Wynn and featured music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg. Minnelli

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2024-574: The Moscow Art Theatre in Russia and similarly emancipate the role of the director as artistic visionary. The French regisseur is also sometimes used to mean a stage director, most commonly in ballet . A more common term for theatre director in French is metteur en scène . Post World War II , the actor-manager slowly started to disappear, and directing become a fully fledged artistic activity within

2116-650: The Yale School of Drama produced a number of pioneering directors with D.F.A. (Doctor of Fine Arts) and M.F.A. degrees in Drama (rather than English) who contributed to the expansion of professional resident theaters in the 1960s and 1970s. In the early days such programmes typically led to the staging of one major thesis production in the third (final) year. At the University of California, Irvine , Keith Fowler (a Yale D.F.A. and ex-producer of two LORT companies) led for many years

2208-588: The Ziegfeld Follies musical revues, starring many of MGM's contracted talents. Midway through filming, Sidney asked to leave the production and Minnelli was hired to finish filming. Garland's segment was shot in July 1944, with principal photography concluding in August. Minnelli directed a total of ten segments, with the remaining four directed by Sidney, Lemuel Ayers , Roy Del Ruth, and Robert Lewis . The Clock (1945)

2300-507: The chorus , sometimes compose the music, and supervise every aspect of production. The fact that the director was called didaskalos , the Greek word for "teacher," indicates that the work of these early directors combined instructing their performers with staging their work. In medieval times, the complexity of vernacular religious drama, with its large scale mystery plays that often included crowd scenes, processions and elaborate effects, gave

2392-518: The dailies . At the time, Garland was married to David Rose , but after they divorced, she began dating Joseph L. Mankiewicz . Premiering in November 1944, the film received universal critical acclaim and exceeded box office expectations, earning $ 7.56 million worldwide during its initial run. Meanwhile, the 1945 musical Ziegfeld Follies was in production with George Sidney as the film's initial director. The film featured several musical numbers from

2484-433: The 19th century, the role of director was often carried by the actor-manager . This would usually be a senior actor in a troupe who took the responsibility for choosing the repertoire of work, staging it and managing the company. This was the case for instance with Commedia dell'Arte companies and English actor-managers like Colley Cibber and David Garrick . The modern theatre director can be said to have originated in

2576-637: The Bride (1950), An American in Paris (1951), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), Lust for Life (1956) and Gigi (1958). An American in Paris and Gigi respectively both won the Academy Award for Best Picture , with Minnelli winning the Best Director for the latter film. For over 26 years, Minnelli became the longest-tenured film director for MGM. By 1962, Minnelli's relationship with MGM worsened due to

2668-479: The Bride . Filming began on October 9 and was finished 23 days later. After this, Minnelli returned to film the ballet sequence, starting on December 6 and wrapping on January 8, 1951. The film proved popular with audiences, earning over $ 8 million in the United States. Kelly and Caron were praised by film critics, though the film's dramatic continuity was criticized. At the 1952 Academy Awards , An American in Paris

2760-638: The Broadway musical centered on a married couple who flee the United States, and travel across Europe, Africa, Japan , and the West Indies . The musical had a try-out in Boston and opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on September 19, 1935. In his New York Times review, Brooks Atkinson praised Minnelli's efforts, writing: "Without resorting to opulence he has filled the stage with rich, glowing colors that give

2852-485: The Good Old Summertime (1949). Pandro Berman phoned Minnelli at his office, offering him to direct a film adaptation of Gustave Flaubert 's novel Madame Bovary . Minnelli accepted as it was one of his favorite novels. Lana Turner was initially offered the lead role but Minnelli rejected the idea as Turner was perceived as a sex symbol . The Production Code also warned that Turner's onscreen image, along with

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2944-442: The Minnelli Brothers' Tent Theater, serving as the musical conductor . Both had met each other at a musical revue; although they initially argued over her accompaniment, they grew closer and were married in November 1894. Following the marriage, she joined the Minnelli Brothers troupe. His paternal grandfather, Vincenzo Minnelli, and grand-uncle, Domenico Minnelli, both Sicilian revolutionaries , were forced to leave Sicily after

3036-570: The Sky (1943). A year later, Minnelli directed Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) starring Judy Garland . He married Garland a year later, and their daughter Liza was born in 1946. He subsequently directed Garland in The Clock (1945), Ziegfeld Follies (1945) and The Pirate (1948). He divorced Garland in 1951. Throughout the 1950s, Minnelli directed numerous comedies, dramas and musicals, including Father of

3128-606: The Stage: From Naturalism to Growtowski , and Will's The Director in a Changing Theatre (1976). Because of the relatively late emergence of theatre directing as a performing arts profession when compared with for instance acting or musicianship, a rise of professional vocational training programmes in directing can be seen mostly in the second half of the 20th century. Most European countries nowadays know some form of professional directing training, usually at drama schools or conservatoires , or at universities. In Britain,

3220-471: The Streeter treatise much beloved." The film was nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay. The basis for An American in Paris (1951) began from Freed's friendship with Ira Gershwin at his residence. Freed told Ira he wanted to adapt his brother George 's orchestral piece An American in Paris into a film and potentially include a ballet sequence. In 1949, MGM and

3312-599: The art direction for the operetta, The Dubarry . During rehearsals, Minnelli and Moore had creative differences but remained cordial. The operetta had tryouts in Boston , and premiered in New York in November 1932 where it ran for 87 performances. Based on his success, Paramount executives selected him for costume and set design for the 1933 edition of Ziegfeld Follies . However, by 1933, Paramount-Publix filed for bankruptcy protection, in which Adolph Zukor fired B. P. Schulberg as

3404-623: The art director for the Radio City Music Hall . In 1935, Minnelli became a theatre director with At Home Abroad (1935), starring Beatrice Lillie and Eleanor Powell . In 1937, Minnelli moved to Hollywood and served a brief stint at Paramount Pictures before returning to Broadway. In 1940, Minnelli was hired by Arthur Freed to work for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer , where he directed sequences in Babes on Broadway (1941) and Panama Hattie (1942). He made his directorial film debut with Cabin in

3496-628: The behest of Sidney Franklin , Minnelli was approached to direct two segments ("Mademoiselle" and "Why Should I Cry") for the 1953 anthology film The Story of Three Loves . Minnelli agreed to direct the segment "Mademoiselle," adapted from the short story "Lucy and the Stranger" by Arnold Phillips . Reuniting with Leslie Caron, the segment featured Ricky Nelson , Zsa Zsa Gabor , Farley Granger , and Ethel Barrymore . Filming lasted for three weeks before wrapping in February 1952. The segment "Why Should I Cry"

3588-462: The bride and her mother respectively. Filming began on January 16, 1950 and wrapped a month and a day later. Released in May 1950, the film earned $ 4.15 million in distributor rentals at the box office. Critical reception was positive, with Bosley Crowther of The New York Times calling the film "equally wonderful" when compared to the book, with "all the warmth and poignancy and understanding that makes

3680-631: The collapse of the provisional Sicilian government that arose from the 1848 revolution against Ferdinand II and Bourbon rule . Domenico Minnelli had been Vice-Chancellor of the Gran Corte Civile in Palermo at the time he helped organize the January 12, 1848, uprising there. After the Bourbon return to power Vincenzo reportedly hid in the catacombs of Palermo for 18 months before being successfully smuggled onto

3772-583: The commercial failures of The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and Two Weeks in Another Town . He formed his production company called Venice Productions, partnering with MGM and 20th Century Fox on The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963) and Goodbye Charlie (1964). He directed his final film A Matter of Time (1976), starring his daughter Liza. Ten years later, in 1986, Minnelli died at his Beverly Hills residence, at age 83. Lester Anthony Minnelli

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3864-833: The curriculum. While working at Marshall Field's, a blind female customer arrived to rent stage props for the Radical Playhouse. She asked Minnelli to join their acting group where they were performing one-act plays by Eugene O'Neill . Minnelli agreed, and read for the part of a retired sea captain in O'Neill's Where the Cross is Made . He disliked this acting job, but Minnelli remained a frequent attendee of Chicago's theatre district . In his spare time, he painted watercolor sketches of contemporary theatre actors, including Ina Claire and Mary Nash . Encouraged by his friends, he sold his paintings backstage, and earned enough money to live on his own. One night, while selling his artwork backstage, he

3956-406: The erecting of a stage and scenery (there were no permanent, purpose-built theatre structures at this time, and performances of vernacular drama mostly took place in the open air), casting and directing the actors (which included fining them for those that infringed rules), and addressing the audience at the beginning of each performance and after each intermission. From Renaissance times up until

4048-477: The estate of George Gershwin entered negotiations, by which the studio acquired the rights to Gershwin's catalogue for $ 158,750 (equivalent to $ 2,032,888 in 2023). The story was inspired by a Life magazine article of American G.I.s studying art in Paris on sponsorship from the G.I. Bill , which Freed had remembered. In the film, Jerry Mulligan (Kelly) is an artist studying in Paris. He meets Milo Roberts ( Nina Foch ), an heiress and arts patron who expresses

4140-600: The experimental films of Jean Cocteau and Luis Buñuel , and the writings of Sigmund Freud . Around this time, Minnelli dropped Lester from his name, replacing it with "Vincente"; the final "e" was added in order to seem more sophisticated and elegant. One day, Minnelli approached Frank Cambria, who headed the Chicago Theatre , which was a part of the Balaban and Katz theater chain. He told Cambria that he should open his own costume department, and allow him to run it. Cambria took Minnelli to A. J. Balaban 's office, where he

4232-791: The family's celebration of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair . Judy Garland was cast as Esther Smith, though she felt her role would be overshadowed by Margaret O'Brien , who was portraying Tootie. Principal photography began on December 7, 1943 though continued filming was frequently delayed by Garland's tardiness and claims of illness. Determined to have Garland's physical beauty showcased, he requested make-up artist Dorothy Ponedel be assigned to Garland. Ponedel refined her appearance, which included extending and reshaping her eyebrows, changing her hairline, modifying her lip line and removing her nose discs and dental caps. Filming wrapped on April 7, 1944. During filming, Garland and Minnelli had some creative differences, though Garland grew closer to him after watching

4324-550: The film and Jones's performance, though it earned $ 2 million at the box office. That same year, Minnelli reportedly directed the climax sequence in Robert Z. Leonard 's The Bribe (1949). Minnelli's subsequent collaboration with Berman was Father of the Bride (1950) based on the bestselling 1949 novel by Edward Streeter . Jack Benny pursued the lead role and was given a screen test, but Minnelli wanted Spencer Tracy and cast him. Elizabeth Taylor and Joan Bennett were cast as

4416-553: The film unfinished, and MGM dissatisfied with his cut. The film's producer Jack Cummings hoped Minnelli would inject his style into the film. Onboard as director, Minnelli hired Sig Herzig and Fred Saidy to rewrite the script. A loose remake of Spite Marriage (1929), Skelton plays Joseph Renolds, a tailor's assistant, who becomes enamored with Constance Shaw (Powell), a Broadway star, and attends every performance of her Civil War melodrama. Shaw impulsively marries Renolds to spite her lover ( Richard Ainley ). Herzig and Saidy updated

4508-472: The film's run time. Between October 21 and December 19, reshoots were taken with the musical number "Voodoo" replaced with a livelier reshoot of "Mack the Black". When filming concluded, the film had gone over budget, costing $ 3.7 million. The film earned over $ 2.9 million at the box office, but posted a net loss of $ 2.2 million. Despite the financial failure of The Pirate , Minnelli was slated to direct Easter Parade (1948) with Garland and Gene Kelly cast in

4600-419: The idea. In 1942, Minnelli was called to Freed's office where he was offered to direct Cabin in the Sky (1943). Minnelli accepted, writing he "interpreted the assignment, with more freedom than I'd dreamed possible, as just reward for past contributions." Based on the 1940 musical by Vernon Duke and John La Touche , Cabin in the Sky tells the story of Petunia ( Ethel Waters ), a devout woman, who prays for

4692-665: The job"; to this purpose, theatres often employ trainee assistant directors or have in-house education schemes to train young theatre directors. Examples are the Royal National Theatre in London , which frequently organizes short directing courses, or the Orange Tree Theatre and the Donmar Warehouse on London's West End , which both employ resident assistant directors on a one-year basis for training purposes. Directing

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4784-444: The lead roles (though Kelly was later replaced by Fred Astaire after a rehearsal injury). Rehearsals began on September 5, 1947, but five days later, Minnelli was called into Freed's office and removed from the film. Freed had cited Minnelli's removal based on the advice of Garland's psychiatrist. Charles Walters was hired to replace him. For almost a year, Minnelli was without a film project while Garland filmed Easter Parade and In

4876-480: The libretto, while Lena Horne read for the title role. After six months of development, Minnelli abandoned the project. Exhausted, Minnelli took a sabbatical break until producer Max Gordon offered him to direct Very Warm for May . Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern were hired to write the lyrics and compose the musical score, respectively. Pleased with the musical's first act, Minnelli unsuccessfully tried to rearrange

4968-428: The look, Minnelli used the 1880s as inspiration for the hair styles and elegant costumes. Opening on January 30, 1936, the Ziegfeld Follies was a commercial success, running for five months and reopened for another five months after a summer hiatus. Minnelli was not involved in the revival, but instead chose to direct a musical revue titled The Show Must Go . Minnelli devised an original story, featuring new songs from

5060-461: The musical numbers featuring Lena Horne . Meanwhile, Minnelli visited the set for Strike Up the Band (1940), starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland . Freed mentioned they needed a musical number for a scene where Rooney's character aspires to be like Paul Whiteman , a bandleader. Minnelli suggested using a bowl of fruits, having spotted one on set. Freed liked the idea and hired Henry Fox to create

5152-493: The novel's portrayal of marriage infidelity, would violate its guidelines. Jennifer Jones was considered but was under contract to her husband David O. Selznick , but MGM executive Benjamin Thau successfully negotiated a stipulation deal to borrow her. James Mason had wanted to play the role of Flaubert, while Louis Jourdan and Alf Kjellin (billed as Christopher Kent) were lent onto the film courtesy of Selznick. Madame Bovary

5244-500: The offer to direct Lili (1953). During a lunch meeting at the Romanoff's, MGM producer John Houseman showed Minnelli a screenplay draft titled Memorial to a Bad Man based on a short story by George Bradshaw . It was later retitled The Bad and the Beautiful (1952). Minnelli agreed to direct, with Kirk Douglas as his sole choice to portray ruthless film producer Jonathan Shields. However, MGM production head Dore Schary had offered

5336-568: The plot by having Skelton's character reveal John Hodiak 's character to be a spy for the Axis powers . Between projects, Minnelli directed Lena Horne in her " Honeysuckle Rose " segment in Thousands Cheer (1943). For Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), Freed again hired Minnelli to direct. Framed around the four seasons, the film tells of the Smith family and their conflicts, with the conclusion focused on

5428-483: The role of director (or stage manager or pageant master ) considerable importance. A miniature by Jean Fouquet from 1460 (pictured) bears one of the earliest depictions of a director at work. Holding a prompt book, the central figure directs, with the aid of a long stick, the proceedings of the staging of a dramatization of the Martyrdom of Saint Apollonia . According to Fouquet, the director's tasks included overseeing

5520-570: The role to Clark Gable but he declined. Douglas read the script and accepted the role. Lana Turner was hired to portray Georgina Lorrison, the "beautiful"; when both casting choices were announced, the trades questioned: "when these two get together..." The story focuses on Jonathan Shields (Douglas) and his Hollywood rise by manipulating three individuals: actress Georgina (Turner) whom he deceives by professing his love, director Fred Amiel ( Barry Sullivan ) whose picture he expropriates, and screenwriter James Bartlow ( Dick Powell ) who loses his wife to

5612-476: The scene which then was excised from the film. Modestly budgeted at $ 679,260 (in 1942 dollars), Cabin in the Sky earned $ 1.6 million at the box office. Three weeks after he finished filming Cabin in the Sky , Minnelli was assigned to direct I Dood It (1943), starring Red Skelton and Eleanor Powell . Del Ruth was the film's original director but he had been drafted into the United States Army , leaving

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5704-403: The score. Both men collaborated with David Freeman on the script, but Saroyan exited the project. During the spring of 1940, Harburg brought Arthur Freed into Minnelli's studio on East 54th Street. Minnelli remembered, "Then Arthur Freed came to see me at my studio and convinced me to come to MGM to do the kind of thing that I liked, you know?" After a discussion, Minnelli agreed to be paid $ 300

5796-481: The screenwriting team of Betty Comden and Adolph Green to devise the script. The film tells of Tony Hunter, an aging musical star who hopes a Broadway show will restart his career. He meets with two writer friends and a Broadway producer who stage a musical, starring Hunter and a ballerina. Fred Astaire was cast as Troy Hunter, while the writers Lester and Lilly Marton (portrayed by Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray ) were loosely based by Comden and Green. Cyd Charisse

5888-525: The second act. The musical opened at the Alvin Theatre on November 17, 1939, with musical critic Brooks Atkinson writing in his review that Minnelli had not "solved the confusion of the story." Adjacent of this time, William Saroyan 's play The Time of Your Life had opened three weeks before and was well-regarded. Minnelli became friends with Saroyan and they partnered on a black surrealist musical comedy, with Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart composing

5980-553: The soul of her gambler-husband "Little" Joe Jackson ( Eddie "Rochester" Anderson ). Filming began in August 1942, with only Waters and Rex Ingram reprising their Broadway roles. Lena Horne was cast as Georgia Brown, a seductive woman who tempts Jackson. During production, Minnelli had shot a musical number "Ain't It the Truth," featuring Horne in a bubble bath. Joseph Breen of the Motion Picture Production Code objected to

6072-705: The staging of elaborate spectacles of the Meininger Company under George II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen . The management of large numbers of extras and complex stagecraft matters necessitated an individual to take on the role of overall coordinator. This gave rise to the role of the director in modern theatre, and Germany would provide a platform for a generation of emerging visionary theatre directors, such as Erwin Piscator and Max Reinhardt . Simultaneously, Constantin Stanislavski , principally an actor-manager, would set up

6164-473: The store windows were changed four times a year with elaborate themes matched to each corresponding season. Minnelli was first assigned to design the men's store, but he instead asked to design windows on Wabash Avenue where furniture and decorative antique items were frequently rearranged. Meanwhile, Minnelli enrolled in the Art Institute of Chicago with personal ambitions to become a painter. However, he dropped out due to his work schedule and lack of interest in

6256-529: The structure and philosophy of individual theatre companies. Directors use a wide variety of techniques, philosophies, and levels of collaboration. In ancient Greece , the birthplace of European drama, the writer bore principal responsibility for the staging of his plays. Actors were generally semi-professionals, and the director oversaw the mounting of plays from the writing process all the way through to their performance, often acting in them too, as Aeschylus for example did. The author-director would also train

6348-767: The studio's head of production and began a corporate restructuring. Paramount's East Coast studios were relocated to Astoria, New York , but it was decided their touring theatre unit was no longer profitable and was closed down in favor of touring big bands . Minnelli was eventually employed as a set designer at Radio City Music Hall , after it opened in December 1932. During rehearsals, theatre businessman Samuel "Roxy" Rothafel harshly criticized Minnelli, art director Clark Robinson, and dance director Russell Markert. Following another heated discussion, Robinson immediately resigned, to which Minnelli assumed Robinson's former position. In July 1933, Minnelli's first art direction assignment

6440-560: The theatre profession. The director originating artistic vision and concept, and realizing the staging of a production, became the norm rather than the exception. Great forces in the emancipation of theatre directing as a profession were notable 20th-century theatre directors like Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko , Vsevolod Meyerhold , Yevgeny Vakhtangov , Michael Chekhov , Yuri Lyubimov (Russia), Orson Welles , Peter Brook , Peter Hall (Britain), Bertolt Brecht (Germany), Giorgio Strehler , and Franco Zeffirelli (Italy). A cautionary note

6532-526: The tradition that theatre directors emerge from degree courses (usually in English literature) at the Oxbridge universities has meant that for a long time, professional vocational training did not take place at drama schools or performing arts colleges, although an increase in training programmes for theatre directors can be witnessed since the 1970s and 1980s. In American universities, the seminal directing program at

6624-506: The whole work an extraordinary loveliness. Nothing quite so exhilarating as this has borne the Shubert seal before." While At Home Aboard continued its Broadway run, Minnelli returned to costume and scenic design for the Ziegfeld Follies of 1936 , starring Fannie Brice . John Murray Anderson was the director, but during rehearsals, he transferred directing duties to Minnelli. To update

6716-514: Was Yolanda and the Thief (1945) starring Fred Astaire and Lucille Bremer . Before he was hired for The Clock , Yolanda and the Thief was intended to be Minnelli's next film. Adapted from the 1943 magazine short story by Ludwig Bemelmans and Jacques Théry , the film tells of two con men (Astaire and Frank Morgan ) who are hiding from extradition in South America . Both men learn about Yolanda,

6808-508: Was Garland's first straight dramatic film after starring in several musical films. Fred Zinnemann was initially hired to direct the film. By August 1944, he was removed at Garland's request after they could not get along and the dailes proved disappointing. When Freed asked who she wanted to replace him, Garland requested Minnelli to direct. Minnelli accepted the assignment on two conditions: Zinnemann would not object to his hiring and he would have creative control over Garland. Zinnemann's footage

6900-512: Was a commercial disappointment. By this point, Garland had become pregnant with her first daughter, Liza . A musicalized biopic of Jerome Kern titled Till the Clouds Roll By (1946) was scheduled to begin production in October 1945. Garland had been cast as Marilyn Miller and Minnelli had been assigned to direct Garland's scenes. Her scenes took two weeks to complete and were finished on November 8, 1945. However, one number "D'Ya Love Me?"

6992-597: Was approached by Paul Stone, who admired Minnelli's pictorial composition. "If you can do this sort of thing, you can become a fine photographer," Stone told him. Minnelli left his Marshall Field's job, and worked for Stone as an assistant photographer. Stone specialized in photographing actors and socialites from Chicago's theater district at theatrical luminaries, society matrons and wedding parties. At Stone's Raymor studio, Minnelli photographed numerous celebrities, including Ina Claire, where he coaxed them into capturing their best angles. Minnelli reflected, "Stone's photography

7084-425: Was asked to work on New York stage productions for $ 150 a week. He left Chicago and rented a tiny Greenwich Village apartment. At Paramount, Minnelli worked exclusively in costumes, and restricted from designing sets because he wasn't in the set designers' union. He was eventually accepted into the union membership thanks to sponsorship from J. Woodman Thompson, a prominent stage designer. His first Broadway assignment

7176-492: Was born on February 28, 1903, to Marie Émilie Odile Lebeau and Vincent Charles Minnelli. He was baptized in Chicago, and was the youngest of four known sons, only two of whom survived to adulthood. His mother, whose stage name was Mina Gennell, was born in Chicago. She was of French-Canadian descent, and there is a likelihood of Anishinaabe lineage through her mother, who was born on Mackinac Island, Michigan . His father co-founded

7268-496: Was cast as the ballerina Gabrielle Gerard. Theatre director If the production is a new piece of writing or a (new) translation of a play, the director may also work with the playwright or a translator. In contemporary theatre, after the playwright , the director is generally the principle visionary, making decisions on the artistic conception and interpretation of the play and its staging. Different directors occupy different places of authority and responsibility, depending on

7360-565: Was designing a "Water Lily" ballet, a Cuban potpourri illustrated with a backdrop of fighting cocks , a Big Top interior for a circus number, and a Rue de la Paix dress shop to display the Roxettes . In December 1933, Minnelli art-directed a production of the Scheherazade suite by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov . His efforts were applauded in the mainstream press, including The New York Times and New York Herald Tribune . Despite this, Rothafel

7452-595: Was designing the show curtain for Earl Carroll 's 1931 edition of the Vanities musical revue. Taking inspiration from Léon Bakst 's designs for the Ballets Russes , Minnelli fashioned a 300 feet (91 m)–tall green and silver curtain to accompany the Art Deco theatrical style. Impressed, Carroll rehired Minnelli as a costume and set designer for the 1932 Vanities . By this time, Grace Moore asked Minnelli to supervise

7544-465: Was discarded aside from exterior shots of New York. The Pennsylvania Station was recreated on the MGM soundstage while local New York sites were filmed using rear projection . On January 9, 1945, before Garland was to film The Harvey Girls (1946), Minnelli and Garland were engaged to be married. The two married on June 15, inside Garland's mother's house in Wilshire, Los Angeles . Minnelli's next film

7636-478: Was dropped and reworked into Torch Song (1953), starring Joan Crawford . Because of the success of An American in Paris (1951) and Singin' in the Rain (1952), Freed decided to produce another film adapting the musical catalogue of renowned composers. For The Band Wagon (1953), it was decided to adapt the music and lyrics by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz . To write a suitable storyline, Minnelli turned to

7728-500: Was enlisted to film the fashion show finale for Mervyn LeRoy 's Lovely to Look At (1952). Adrian Greenburg (also known as "Adrian") and Tony Duquette had designed costumes for the sequence, costing over $ 100,000 (equivalent to $ 1,147,368 in 2023). Minnelli declined to be credited for the film. On September 21, production on Huckleberry Finn was postponed indefinitely due to Kelly and Kaye's withdrawal. Due to similarities with An American in Paris (1951), Minnelli turned down

7820-412: Was excised from the film. Minnelli was next approached to direct Undercurrent (1946) by Pandro Berman with Katharine Hepburn and Robert Taylor cast in the lead roles. Based on a story by Thelma Strabel , the film is about the daughter of a small-town college professor who marries an industrialist and moves into the city with him. She soon learns about her missing brother-in-law, whom her husband

7912-546: Was given only three months for preparation before its premiere on December 1, 1937. The musical was well-received, with Life magazine calling it "the funniest show of the year." Time magazine also applauded: "Sharing credit with Wynn for the show's success is able Vincente Minnelli, trained in the hard school of movie stage-shows, who directed it and designed the scenery." Inspired by the musicals Pins and Needles and Four Saints in Three Acts , Minnelli began developing

8004-592: Was hired as a costume and set designer . Assigned to give the stage productions "a custom touch", Minnelli was shocked the costume department operated on meager budgets. At the time, theatre productions ran one week at the Chicago Theatre where the sets and costumes were disassembled and reused at the Tivoli and Uptown Theatre . In 1931, Balaban and Katz merged with the Paramount-Publix theater chain, and Minnelli

8096-466: Was introduced by the famed director Sir Tyrone Guthrie who said "the only way to learn how to direct a play, is ... to get a group of actors simple enough to allow you to let you direct them, and direct." A number of seminal works on directing and directors include Toby Cole and Helen Krich's 1972 Directors on Directing: A Sourcebook of the Modern Theatre , Edward Braun's 1982 book The Director and

8188-575: Was later fired and was replaced by W. G. Van Schmus. In 1934, Schmus selected Minnelli to produce his first stage show titled Coast to Coast , which opened on October 25. Accompanied with music from E. Y. Harburg and Duke Ellington , the show displayed several sets, illustrating the French Riviera , the British Gold Coast , Ivory Coast and the Barbary Coast . Backstage, Minnelli was offered

8280-447: Was nominated for eight Oscars, winning six including Best Picture. On January 18, 1951, Minnelli was announced to direct a musical film adaptation of Mark Twain 's Huckleberry Finn . Dean Stockwell was cast in the title role. William Warfield was cast as Jim, along with Gene Kelly and Danny Kaye as the Duke and Dauphin respectively. Rehearsals began in August; simultaneously, Minnelli

8372-533: Was shot from mid-December 1948 to February 1949. During production, Minnelli notably filmed an elaborate waltz sequence, utilizing 360-degree pan camera movements accompanied to Miklós Rózsa 's pre-recorded instrumental score. Biographer Stephen Harvey called it "one of the audacious epiphanies in any Minnelli movie." Released in August 1949, critics deemed Madame Bovary as an unusually distinguished film, adapting its source material with considerable drama and atmosphere. Sneak preview audiences responded favorably to

8464-613: Was soft, but in sharp focus, so that it could reproduce on the printed page. This taught me a way of creating mood." Months later, Stone suffered a nervous breakdown , and Minnelli assumed his photography duties. Feeling photography was not his suited profession, Minnelli grew dissatisfied and began reading Elizabeth and Joseph Pennell 's 1911 biography of James McNeill Whistler , an American painter. Inspired by Whistler's art techniques, Minnelli immersed himself in impressionist and surrealist painters, such as Henri Matisse , Marcel Duchamp , Max Ernst and Salvador Dalí . He also admired

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