Robert Z. Leonard(1889-1968)
- Director
- Actor
- Producer
Chicago-born Robert Z. Leonard studied law at the University of
Colorado, but the legal profession proved not to be his forte and he
dropped out in favor of a career in the theatre. When his family moved
to Hollywood in 1907 Leonard sought work in the fledgling film
industry, starting as an actor with Selig Polyscope. Though he became
an established star by 1916, his chief interest lay on the other side
of the camera. Turning to directing from 1913, he helmed a brace of
short comedy features and got his break when he was assigned a serial,
The Master Key (1914), in 1914.
From 1915-19 he was under contract at Universal, where he became
chiefly associated with the films of his future wife, the ex-Ziegfeld
Follies star Mae Murray. In 1919 Leonard and
Murray founded Tiffany Productions, specifically as a means of creating
suitable star vehicles for her. While the company lingered on as
Tiffany-Stahl on the Talisman lot--one of the "Poverty Row" studios
turning out cheap westerns and even cheaper "Chimp Comedies"' (yes, the
stars were chimps and a lot cheaper to maintain than humans!)--Leonard and Murray moved on to join the newly-established
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1924.
Leonard's union with the volatile Murray ended in divorce in 1925.
After clashing with MGM chief Louis B. Mayer,
Murray left the studio two years later. Leonard married another actress,
Gertrude Olmstead, and went on to
become one of the studio's most reliable contract directors for the
next three decades. Fitting in perfectly with the studio system, he was
part of a highly efficient team of top craftsmen under the auspices of
producer Hunt Stromberg, turning out
scores of musicals and light comedies. Though not generally regarded by
film critics as among the top echelon of Hollywood directors,
Leonard nevertheless capably handled a variety of A-grade pictures,
often starring temperamental personalities. Among his most successful
hits for MGM were the backstage musical
Dancing Lady (1933); the opulent
multi Oscar-winning musical biopic
The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
(completed on a budget of $2 million); all but two of the popular cycle
of
Nelson Eddy-Jeanette MacDonald
operettas; and the stylish, witty Pride and Prejudice (1940), an adaptation of the famed Jane Austen novel, a production that
typified the most lavish of MGM's post-Thalberg costume dramas.
It was scripted by no less than Aldous Huxley and
starred Laurence Olivier and
Greer Garson.
While many of his films may be dismissed for lacking artistic merit,
the plain truth is that few lost money. Leonard gave
the public what it wanted: he excelled at providing escapist
entertainment, particularly with glossy, all-star extravaganzas like
Ziegfeld Girl (1941) or
Week-End at the Waldorf (1945).
It was ironic, that, in 1949, he made a rare and unsuccessful foray
into the genre of film noir with
The Bribe (1949), an endeavor equally
untypical of its studio. Starring
Robert Taylor,
Ava Gardner (at her most ravishing) and
Vincent Price as a war surplus
racketeer, the picture bombed at the box office. Producer
Pandro S. Berman subsequently lamented
it as "a heap of junk" that should
"never have been made", but in retrospect "The Bribe" is not at all bad. In fact, it has gained something of a cult following over the years. Scenes from it were conspicuously used by Steve Martin
for his excellent montage comedy
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982).
Leonard left MGM on the studio retirement plan in 1955. He then had a
brief sojourn in Italy, where he directed
Gina Lollobrigida in
Beautiful But Dangerous (1955)
before finally making his swan song at Universal with a
less-than-memorable family film,
Kelly and Me (1956). With his wife
Gertrude, Leonard resided in Beverly Hills until his death in August
1968.
Colorado, but the legal profession proved not to be his forte and he
dropped out in favor of a career in the theatre. When his family moved
to Hollywood in 1907 Leonard sought work in the fledgling film
industry, starting as an actor with Selig Polyscope. Though he became
an established star by 1916, his chief interest lay on the other side
of the camera. Turning to directing from 1913, he helmed a brace of
short comedy features and got his break when he was assigned a serial,
The Master Key (1914), in 1914.
From 1915-19 he was under contract at Universal, where he became
chiefly associated with the films of his future wife, the ex-Ziegfeld
Follies star Mae Murray. In 1919 Leonard and
Murray founded Tiffany Productions, specifically as a means of creating
suitable star vehicles for her. While the company lingered on as
Tiffany-Stahl on the Talisman lot--one of the "Poverty Row" studios
turning out cheap westerns and even cheaper "Chimp Comedies"' (yes, the
stars were chimps and a lot cheaper to maintain than humans!)--Leonard and Murray moved on to join the newly-established
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1924.
Leonard's union with the volatile Murray ended in divorce in 1925.
After clashing with MGM chief Louis B. Mayer,
Murray left the studio two years later. Leonard married another actress,
Gertrude Olmstead, and went on to
become one of the studio's most reliable contract directors for the
next three decades. Fitting in perfectly with the studio system, he was
part of a highly efficient team of top craftsmen under the auspices of
producer Hunt Stromberg, turning out
scores of musicals and light comedies. Though not generally regarded by
film critics as among the top echelon of Hollywood directors,
Leonard nevertheless capably handled a variety of A-grade pictures,
often starring temperamental personalities. Among his most successful
hits for MGM were the backstage musical
Dancing Lady (1933); the opulent
multi Oscar-winning musical biopic
The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
(completed on a budget of $2 million); all but two of the popular cycle
of
Nelson Eddy-Jeanette MacDonald
operettas; and the stylish, witty Pride and Prejudice (1940), an adaptation of the famed Jane Austen novel, a production that
typified the most lavish of MGM's post-Thalberg costume dramas.
It was scripted by no less than Aldous Huxley and
starred Laurence Olivier and
Greer Garson.
While many of his films may be dismissed for lacking artistic merit,
the plain truth is that few lost money. Leonard gave
the public what it wanted: he excelled at providing escapist
entertainment, particularly with glossy, all-star extravaganzas like
Ziegfeld Girl (1941) or
Week-End at the Waldorf (1945).
It was ironic, that, in 1949, he made a rare and unsuccessful foray
into the genre of film noir with
The Bribe (1949), an endeavor equally
untypical of its studio. Starring
Robert Taylor,
Ava Gardner (at her most ravishing) and
Vincent Price as a war surplus
racketeer, the picture bombed at the box office. Producer
Pandro S. Berman subsequently lamented
it as "a heap of junk" that should
"never have been made", but in retrospect "The Bribe" is not at all bad. In fact, it has gained something of a cult following over the years. Scenes from it were conspicuously used by Steve Martin
for his excellent montage comedy
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982).
Leonard left MGM on the studio retirement plan in 1955. He then had a
brief sojourn in Italy, where he directed
Gina Lollobrigida in
Beautiful But Dangerous (1955)
before finally making his swan song at Universal with a
less-than-memorable family film,
Kelly and Me (1956). With his wife
Gertrude, Leonard resided in Beverly Hills until his death in August
1968.