Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on February 11, 1909, Joseph Leo Mankiewicz first worked for the movies as a translator of intertitles, employed by Paramount in Berlin, the UFA's American distributor at the time (1928). He became a dialoguist, then a screenwriter on numerous Paramount productions in Hollywood, most of them 'Jack Oakie' (qv) vehicles. Still in his 20s, he produced first-class MGM films, including _The Philadelphia Story (1940)_ (qv). Having left Metro after a dispute with studio chief 'Louis B. Mayer' (qv) over 'Judy Garland' (qv), he then worked for 'Darryl F. Zanuck' (qv) at 20th Century-Fox, producing _The Keys of the Kingdom (1944)_ (qv), when 'Ernst Lubitsch' (qv)'s illness first brought him to the director's chair for _Dragonwyck (1946)_ (qv). Mankiewicz directed 20 films in a 26-year period, successfully attempted every kind of movie from Shakespeare adaptation to western, from urban sociological drama to musical, from epic film with thousands of extras to a two-character picture. _A Letter to Three Wives (1949)_ (qv) and _All About Eve (1950)_ (qv) brought him wide recognition along with two Academy 'Awards' (qv) for each as a writer and a director, seven years after his elder brother 'Herman J. Mankiewicz' (qv) won Best Screenplay for _Citizen Kane (1941)_ (qv). His more intimate films like _The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)_ (qv), _The Barefoot Contessa (1954)_ (qv)--his only original screenplay--and _The Honey Pot (1967)_ (qv) are major artistic achievements as well, showing Mankiewicz as a witty dialoguist, a master in the use of flashback and a talented actors' director (he favored English actors and had in 'Rex Harrison' (qv) a kind of alter-ego on the screen).::Vincent Merlaud <[email protected]>