Delbert Mann Movies
The screen legacy of Oscar-winning writer-director Delbert Mann is inseparable from the movement in post-WWII American film that grew out of live television. One of the premier directors of network dramas in that medium's Golden Age, Mann frequently worked from scripts by the crème-de-la-crème of stage dramatists who adapted their narratives for the small screen under his aegis. With an adroit yet gentle and seemingly effortless hand, Mann thus brought the artistry of Paddy Chayefsky, William Inge, Eugene O'Neill, and many other top-tiered playwrights into millions of American homes. He then segued into cinema courtesy of a big screen adaptation of one of his television dramas, and -- with a film under his belt that snagged three of the most coveted awards in the film industry -- found his career in features permanently secured in a single defining instant.A native of Lawrence, KS, born January 30, 1920, Mann moved to Nashville at the age of 11 and demonstrated an intense fascination with theater during adolescence, even snagging a position as president of his high school drama club. His path soon intersected with that of future film director Fred Coe (A Thousand Clowns) -- then affiliated with a church-sponsored acting society -- who quickly became one of his closest friends and colleagues. Mann attended Vanderbilt University and graduated in 1941, then enlisted in the military and served with the Army Air Forces, initially as a B-24 bomber pilot, then as an 8th Air Force intelligence officer stationed in Britain. Upon returning home, he used the G.I. Bill to enroll in the Yale School of Drama and earned his MFA in directing, then accepted a position as director of Columbia, SC's Town Theatre in the wake of Coe's resignation from that position. Circa 1949, Coe invited Mann to move to Manhattan and work with him in live television; Mann obliged and took a position as stage manager and assistant director at NBC. Within a few months, he so impressed the network heads that they tapped him as one of the key directors of the NBC dramatic anthology Philco Television Playhouse. Thus began one of the most prolific careers in early television, with Mann turning out over 100 short television dramas from 1949-1955. Mann's career took a fantastic turn thanks to one of those assignments in particular: playwright Paddy Chayefsky's gentle slice-of-life drama Marty, about a Bronx butcher who suffers from the pangs of loneliness until he falls for a quiet schoolteacher. Rod Steiger played the role in the original, and when producer Harold Hecht spun it into a big-screen feature adaptation, with Chayefsky scripting, Chayefsky insisted that Hecht bring Mann on board to direct. With Ernest Borgnine in the lead, the resultant film won Best Picture and Best Director at the 1955 Oscars and checked in as the first American motion picture to win the Golden Palm at the 1955 Cannes Film Festival. Thereafter, Mann refocused his attention on the big screen for around 10 years and directed numerous additional features that swept up critical and popular acclaim. These included The Bachelor Party (1957) (also scripted by Chayefsky), The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1960), That Touch of Mink (1962), and Dear Heart (1964). As the 1960s waned, however, Mann's big screen activity did slightly as well, though he found increased work on television once again, and subsequently turned out over two dozen small-screen features, often as adaptations of classic literature. These included the 1968 Heidi, the 1970 David Copperfield, the 1971 Jane Eyre, and the 1971 Kidnapped. Mann reteamed with Borgnine for the 1979 adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front and did multiple projects for Disney studios in the 1980s, including the Beau Bridges-headlined adventure Night Crossing (1981) and the telemovie biopic Love Leads the Way (1984). Mann enjoyed one of his last directorial assignments with the made-for-television drama Incident in a Small Town (1994); starring Walter Matthau and Harry Morgan, it concerned a judge tagged as a suspect in the murder of his own son-in-law. Thereafter, Mann spent around a decade in retirement before succumbing to pneumonia at age 87 in the fall of 2008. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2003
The life and career of 1940s sex symbol Rita Hayworth (1918-1987) is affectionately but uncompromisingly recounted in this cable TV documentary, produced by Hugh Hefner and narrated by actress Kim Basinger. Born into a show business family, Rita Cansino was still a pre-teen when she attracted the attention of Hollywood with her sultry Latin looks and her remarkable dancing skills. With her first husband, the much-older Edward C. Judson, as her manager and agent, Rita managed to land a starlet contract at 20th Century Fox, then moved on to greater glory when, signed by Columbia Pictures, she was re-christened Rita Hayworth and given a more "all-American" image via cosmetic surgery, electrolysis, and a new crop of flaming red hair. Though her career was sometimes impeded by Columbia boss Harry Cohn, who was upset that she continued to fend off his advances, Rita ultimately achieved superstardom as the alluring star of such films as Cover Girl and Gilda. Alas, her private life was never quite as satisfying as her professional one: After breaking up with Judson, she entered into a well-publicized but ultimately unhappy marriage to Orson Welles, then, in quick succession, wed a foreign prince, Aly Khan; a popular singer, Dick Haymes; and a flamboyant movie producer, James Hill. Through it all, the painfully shy and retiring actress yearned to be simply a normal wife and mother, but the pressures and responsibilities of international stardom denied her this balm. Rita's final years were clouded by Alzheimer's disease, which ended not only her career but her life. Among the interviewees in this documentary are Hayworth's daughter Yasmin Aga Khan, who has devoted her life to helping other victims of Alzheimer's, and Rita's best friend, musical star Ann Miller. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kim Basinger, Yasmin Aga Kahn, (more)
- 1996
Jack Lemmon has mastered both stage and screen in his career with such hits as "The Odd Couple," "The Days of Wine and Roses," "The China Syndrome," "Save the Tiger" (for which he received an Oscar) and "Grumpy Old Men." He and Walter Matthau starred in numerous films together that were nearly always a hit. Lemmon has displayed a wide range of acting talents. He knows just how to make a character appear funny, sympathetic or absolutely driven. His ability to act in both solid dramas and lighthearted comedies has always served him well. Few can watch "The Days of Wine and Roses" without shedding a tear or laughing almost uncontrollably at his performances in both "The Odd Couple" or the original "The Out of Towners." Lemmon himself hosts this biography that includes interviews with many of his costars and colleagues such as playwright Neil Simon. ~ Elizabeth Smith, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Lemmon, Chris Lemmon, (more)
Walter Matthau, Stephanie Zimbalist, and Harry Morgan star in this made-for-television drama, in which a judge in a small town discovers that the skeletons in his family closet are aired for all to see after he's named as a prime suspect in the murder of his son-in-law. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1994
- PG
This family-oriented holiday drama takes place in Alabama in 1957 and centers upon the heartwarming relationship between a lonely white boy and his black nanny. When she returns South to be with her family for Christmas, her young charge follows her, creating all kinds of complications. Singer Natalie Cole makes her feature-film debut as the nanny. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1992
In a sequel to the superior movie entitled The Incident, a small-town lawyer goes against the State of Maryland, suing on behalf of an institutionalized mental patient for release. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walter Matthau, Susan Blakely, (more)
- 1990
This made-for-cable Civil War tale chronicles the famous naval battle between the Confederate Army's Merrimac and the Union's Monitor. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Virginia Madsen, Alex Hyde-White, (more)
- 1988
The morning invoked by the title of this made-for-TV drama is April 19, 1775. On that day, the "shot heard 'round the world" was fired, signalling the start of the American Revolution. Departing from known history, novelist Howard Fast (who wrote the book on which this film is based) proposes that the skirmish between the Colonial militia and the British troops on Concord Green, Massachusetts, was precipitated by fervent American patriot Solomon Chandler (Rip Torn). Later, Chandler commandeered guerilla raids against the British, activities which involved the film's main protagonist, 15-year-old Adam Cooper (Chad Lowe). Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Urich and Susan Blakely co-star in this Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation, originally telecast April 24, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Urich, (more)
- 1986
This factual drama chronicles the battle of Senator Edward Kennedy's oldest son after he is diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer that costs him his leg. Though only 12, the young boy does not let the tragedy get him down. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
In this 1986 made-for-television sequel to the 1971 film that won George C. Scott his only Academy Award, the acclaimed actor once again portrays General George S. Patton. While the original film dealt exclusively with the legendary military man's life during World War II, this follow-up picks up shortly after that war. After being seriously injured in an automobile accident, Patton lies in a hospital bed at death's door. As a team of doctor's struggle to save the General's life, he flashes back to the early years of his life, recounting his time spent fighting in the first World War. The Last Days of Patton also stars Kathryn Leigh Scott and Daniel Benzali. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George C. Scott, Eva Marie Saint, (more)
- 1985
Adapted from a book by Joan Barthel, A Death in California is a harrowing two-part TV movie based on fact. Cheryl Ladd plays Hope Masters, a wealthy Beverly Hills woman who is forced to watch in mute horror as a criminal sociopath (Sam Elliot) murders her boyfriend (Granville Van Dusen). She is kidnapped by the killer and forced to accompany him on a long and grueling getaway trip. Despite repeated sexual assaults, Hope forms something of a bond with her kidnapper. He allows her to go free, but Hope's ordeal is far from over; when the killer is recaptured, both he and Hope are put on trial for murder. Despite the tawdry nature of the tale, Death in California is handled with taste and tact, allowing the weirder aspects of the case to speak for themselves. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cheryl Ladd, Sam Elliott, (more)
- 1984
This made-for-Disney drama is the fact-based account of Morris Frank (Timothy Bottoms), who, during the 1930s, trained America's first seeing-eye dog. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1983
- R
Julie Harris portrays the poignant short life of the great English writer Charlotte Brontë in this filmed version of Harris's tour-de-force, one-woman act. Filmed on location in Ireland (substituting for Brontë's Yorkshire home), the landscape brings forth the author's stunning natural environment, and the house and its furnishings evoke a 19th -century setting. The drama begins in 1849 when Charlotte comes back home to her minister father after attending the funeral of her sister Anne, dead at age 29. Younger sister Emily died the year before, her brother Bronwell before that, her colorful Aunt Branny and many others have also died. Jane Eyre has just been published two years earlier -- Charlotte's triumph flung in the face of so many tragedies. As she walks around her home, she recalls people and times gone by, a love that never came to realization, the dissolute life of her brother, and her father's insistence that she never marry -- memories are nostalgic, caustic, humorous, and always captivating. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Harris
- 1983
Bearing a marked resemblance to It's a Wonderful Life, The Gift of Love: A Christmas Story stars Lee Remick as a woman plagued by profound emotional and business problems. It's getting close to Christmas, but Remick is hardly in the mood to celebrate, feeling that her life has lost its purpose. She is revitalized by a dream in which she is reunited with her recently deceased mother (Angela Lansbury), who guides Remick through an inspiring replay of her Depression-era childhood. Earl Hamner, of Waltons fame, penned the determinedly lachrymose screenplay. Filmed on location in Vermont, the made-for-TV The Gift of Love was originally aired five days before Christmas in 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Remick, Angela Lansbury, (more)
- 1983
First adapted to film in 1952, Carson McCullers' play A Member of the Wedding was restaged for television in a live performance aired December 20, 1982. Dana Hill assumes the role created by Julie Harris back in 1950: Frankie Addams, an awkward 12-year-old girl who feels like a fifth wheel during preparations for her older brother's wedding. Frankie is alternately coddled and scolded by housekeeper Berenice (originally played by Ethel Waters, here essayed by Pearl Bailey), a middle-aged black woman who knows something about being truly alone and friendless. Benjamin Bernouy plays little John Henry, whose ultimate fate provides a jolt of real rather than imagined tragedy to the proceedings. Director Delbert Mann, an old hand at live television, staged A Member of the Wedding at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Two friends chart a daring path to freedom in this drama from Walt Disney Pictures. Peter Strelzyk (John Hurt) and Guenter Wetzel (Beau Bridges) are two men living in East Germany who can no longer tolerate the petty tyrannies of Communist rule. Together, they formulate a daring plan to escape to democratic West Germany in a hot air balloon, but Peter and Guenter realize that they have to build a very special lighter-than-air craft to carry both themselves and their families to safety. Night Crossing also features Jane Alexander, Doug McKeon, and Keith McKeon as members of the Strelzyk Family, and Glynnis O'Connor, Michael Liesik, and Geoffrey Liesik as the Wetzels. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Hurt, Jane Alexander, (more)
- 1981
Tad Mosel's Broadway play All the Way Home was based on James Agee's A Death in the Family. A film version of the Mosel piece, starring Robert Preston and Jean Simmons, was released in 1963. 18 years later, All the Way Home was given an all-star staging by the NBC television network. Set in 1915 Tennessee, the play examines the effect that the sudden death of a loved one has upon those closest to him-in particular, his pre-teen son. William Hurt, Sally Field, Polly Holliday and Jeremy Licht headed the cast, while such reliable veterans as Ellen Corby, Michael Horton, Murray Hamilton, Jeanette Nolan, Ann Doran, and Betty Garrett appeared in support. All the Way Home was telecast live from the stage of the University of Southern California on December 21, 1981. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Richard Thomas plays a single man named David Benjamin in the made-for-TV To Find My Son. While tutoring a speech-impaired young man named Tommy (Justin Dana), David becomes determined to adopt the boy. The Child Welfare people, however, have different ideas. But David will not be dissuaded, tilting at the windmills of bureaucracy for nearly two hours' worth of TV time. To Find My Son debuted October 6, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Years after directing the classic Marty (1955), Delbert Mann became a creator of prestige TV movie projects, none more daunting than his adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front (1979). Richard Thomas stars as Paul Baumer, a teen who, at the urging of zealously patriotic teacher Kantorek (Donald Pleasence) enthusiastically enlists to fight for Germany in WWI, accompanied by several school chums. After training at the hands of the sadistic Corporal Himmelstoss (Ian Holm), Paul and his friends head for the front. There, they discover that war is a bloody, deadly business, although they are heartened by the presence of their commander, wily veteran Stanislaus Katczinsky (Ernest Borgnine). When a French soldier jumps into the bomb crater where Paul has taken refuge one night, he is forced to stab the enemy, then must watch the man die in agony. This incident and the violent deaths of his friends convince Paul that war is a senseless exercise. One of the most respected anti-war novels ever written, the book resulted in the German citizenship of author Erich Maria Remarque being revoked by the Nazi Party. Though a 1930 film adaptation by Lewis Milestone was widely beloved by fans of cinema and the source material, Mann's TV movie was well received, earning a Golden Globe and Emmys for Borgnine and Patricia Neal, who played Paul's mother. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Lee Remick is Torn Between Two Lovers in this made-for-TV romantic drama. Happily married to Joseph Bologna, Remick becomes involved with handsome architect George Peppard after a chance meeting in Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Halfway down the cast list is Second City TV regular Andrea Martin in the role of Remick's buttinsky sister-in-law. The film's title was inspired by Peter Yarrow and Philip Jarrell's syrupy 1970s song hit of the same name. Representing the third TV-movie collaboration between actress Lee Remick and director Delbert Mann, Torn Between Two Lovers debuted May 2, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Love's Dark Ride, based on a true story, was produced for TV by Jack Webb's Mark VII company. Cliff Potts stars as a commercial artist who is blinded by a gun accident. After a long spell of self-pity, Potts learns to enjoy life again when he falls in love with nightclub entertainer Jane Seymour. Carrie Snodgress also appears in this lightly lachrymose drama. Love's Dark Ride might have been more memorable had it not been first telecast on April 2, 1978--directly opposite the premiere episode of Dallas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Set in Illinois (and filmed in Canada), Home to Stay stars Henry Fonda as an aging farmer who resists the notion of moving into a nursing home. Fonda's son Michael McGuire would like to honor his father's wishes, but realizes that the old man is becoming increasingly unable to care for himself. Conversely, McGuire's teen-aged daughter Kristen Vigard feels that her grandpa is being unfairly shunted away. Together with her friend David Stambaugh, Vigard contrives to "kidnap" Grandpa and drive off to Chicago, there to get financial and emotional support from Kristen's aunt and uncle. Directed by television vet Delbert Mann, the made-for-TV Home to Stay was originally broadcast May 2, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Written by Loring Mandel, Breaking Up stars Gena Rowlands as a middle-aged housewife who, after 16 years of marriage, is asked for a divorce by husband Granville van Dusen. Once overcoming the shock and the bitterness, Rowlands must determine the future course for herself and her two children. Her efforts to set up her own fashion design business and to enter the dating pool are almost as traumatic as the initial separation. Adding to the dilemma is an increasingly large rift between Rowlands and her teen-age daughter, who holds her mom responsible for the marital discord. Breaking Up was telecast January 2, 1978 as an ABC Theatre presentation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery was the first in an intended series of TV-movies inspired by the Ten Commandments (the series came a premature end with 1981's Thou Shalt Not Kill). Louise Fletcher plays the wife of paralytic Robert Reed. Though she tries to remain loyal, Reed's incapacitation puts a crimp in her connubial urges. Thus, with her husband's permission, she launches an affair with Wayne Rogers. The screenplay by Calder Willingham and Del Reisman expertly sidesteps sensationalism. Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery first aired November 1, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Valerie Mahaffey plays a 19-year-old girl who nervously knocks at the door of middle-aged housewife Barbara Barrie. Barrie had given Valerie up for adoption at birth, and the girl wants to know why. By her mere presence, Mahffey threatens to tear apart Barrie's family, most of whom have no knowledge of her earlier indiscretion. Arthur Hill costars as Barrie's husband, while Barnard Hughes appears as her uncle, who is the only one who shares her secret. Tell Me My Name was originally telecast as a 90-minute GE Theater Special on December 20, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy is a TV dramatization of the notorious Cold War incident of 1960. The story is told from the point of view of Powers (Lee Majors), an American pilot who was shot down over Russia while taking photographs on behalf of the CIA. The event occurs just before a crucial summit meeting between American President Dwight D. Eisenhower (James Flavin) and Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev (Thayer David). Eisenhower tries to cover up the incident, allowing Khrushchev to make propagandistic hay of the whole affair. Robert E. Thompson's teleplay tends to depict the Americans as jerks, and the Russians as essentially good guys; even Powers' Soviet interrogator, portrayed by Nehemiah Persoff, comes off comparatively sympathetic. Also in the cast are Noah Beery as Powers' father and Lew Ayres as Allen Dulles. Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy was originally telecast September 29, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
