Richard Quine

born on 12/11/1920 in Detroit, MI, United States

died on 10/6/1989 in Los Angeles, CA, United States

Richard Quine

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Richard Quine (November 12, 1920 – June 10, 1989) was an American stage, film, and radio actor and, later, a film director. He began acting as a child in radio, vaudeville, and stage productions before being signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in his early twenties. When his acting career began to wane after World War II, Quine began working as a film director. He later moved into producing and directing television. Quine directed several well-known films, including Bell Book and Candle (1958), The World of Suzie Wong (1960), Paris When It Sizzles (1964), How to Murder Your Wife (1965), and The Prisoner of Zenda (1979).

Depressed over poor health, Quine died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in June 1989 at the age of 68.

Career

Born in Detroit, Quine's father was an actor.[1] Quine's family moved to Los Angeles when he was six years old.[2] As a child, he began working as a radio actor and became a minor radio star. He then appeared in vaudeville before moving on to stage roles.[3] He made his film debut in the drama Cavalcade in 1933. After appearing in a few more minor film roles, including supporting roles in Jane Eyre (1934) and Little Men (1934), Quine left Los Angeles for New York City to return to stage acting.[4] In 1939, Quine made his Broadway debut in the Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein II stage musical Very Warm for May in 1939. The following year, he was cast as Frank Lippencot in the hit Broadway production of My Sister Eileen starring Shirley Booth. Quine would reprise his role in the 1942 film version and write the screenplay for and direct the 1955 film version. His role in the stage version of My Sister Eileen led to Quine's being signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.[5] Quine's first film for MGM was Babes on Broadway (1941), starring Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. Rooney and Quine had been friends since childhood.[4] While at MGM, Quine also appeared in Tish (1942) and For Me and My Gal (1942).

During World War II, while still under contract for MGM, Quine served in the United States Coast Guard.[6] After the war, Quine's acting career stalled and he was dropped by MGM.[5] He and friend William Asher then decided to get into production and directing. The two set about adapting "Leather Gloves," a short story that appeared in the Saturday Evening Post. The story was later adapted by another writer, but Quine and Asher were hired to produce and direct the 1948 film version released by Columbia Pictures.[7]

Quine directed his first solo effort, The Sunny Side of the Street, a musical comedy released in 1951.[7] In the 1950s, Quine directed a number of features, including So This Is Paris, Operation Mad Ball (1957), Bell, Book and Candle (1958), and It Happened to Jane (1959), which he also produced). Some of Quine's earlier projects from this time period, particularly Drive a Crooked Road and Pushover (both 1954), are regarded as classic examples of film noir. Also in the 1950s, Quine began directing television shows, including General Electric Theater and The Ford Television Theatre. In 1955, Quine and Blake Edwards created The Mickey Rooney Show, an NBC sitcom starring Quine's childhood friend Mickey Rooney. The series was canceled after one season.[8] Quine later became a frequent collaborator with Blake Edwards. He wrote the story for Edwards's 1956 comedy film He Laughed Last, and Edwards wrote the screenplay for Quine's 1962 film The Notorious Landlady. The two also wrote the screenplays for Sound Off (1952), Castle in the Air (1952), All Ashore (1953), Cruisin' Down the River (1953), Drive a Crooked Road (1954), Bring Your Smile Along (1955), My Sister Eileen (1955), and Operation Mad Ball (1957) together.[2]

Quine continued his career directing and producing films and television in the 1960s. He directed Strangers When We Meet (1960), The World of Suzie Wong (1960), Paris When It Sizzles (1964), How to Murder Your Wife (1965), Synanon (1966), Hotel (1967), and Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad (1967). In 1966, Quine produced The Jean Arthur Show, a sitcom that aired on CBS starring Jean Arthur.[9] That series also lasted one season.[10]

In addition to producing, directing and screenwriting, Quine was also a lyricist. He wrote the lyrics "Be Prepared," a song included in the film It Happened to Jane (1959), which he also produced and directed.[11] In 1962, Quine wrote two songs, "Going Steady With a Dream" and "Strangers When We Meet," the latter the theme to the 1960 film of the same name, which Quine directed, and also for the film Don't Knock the Twist.[12][13] Quine also wrote the theme song to his 1964 film Sex and the Single Girl.[14]

In the 1970s, Quine directed three episodes of Peter Falk's Columbo, including "Dagger of the Mind," an episode set in Britain. He also worked on another, much less successful NBC Mystery Movie series, McCoy, reuniting him with star Tony Curtis, whom Quine had directed in So This Is Paris and Sex and the Single Girl (1964). His final completed film as a director was the 1979 film The Prisoner of Zenda starring Peter Sellers. In 1979, Quine was hired to direct another Sellers film, The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980). Before the script was even completed, Quine was fired owing to "creative differences" he had with Sellers.[15]

Personal life

Quine was married four times and had three children. His first marriage was to actress Susan Peters. They were married on November 7, 1943, at Westwood Community Church in Los Angeles.[6] On New Year's Day 1945, the couple were on a duck hunting trip when Peters dropped her rifle. The gun discharged, hitting Peters in the stomach. The bullet lodged in her spine, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down.[16] On April 17, 1946, the couple adopted a ten-month-old baby boy whom they named Timothy Richard Quine.[17] They separated on March 1, 1948, and were divorced later that year.[18] In October 1952, Peters died of a chronic kidney infection and bronchial pneumonia, both of which were hastened by dehydration and starvation because she had stopped eating and drinking in the last few weeks of her life.[19]

In September 1951, Quine married Barbara Bushman, the granddaughter of actor Francis X. Bushman. The couple had two children before separating in May 1958.[20] They were divorced in March 1960.[21]

While Quine was separated from his second wife, he began dating actress Kim Novak, whom he had previously directed in 1954's Pushover and 1958's Bell, Book and Candle. In 1959 the two became engaged while working on their third film together, Strangers When We Meet (1960).[22] They planned to marry when shooting completed on Strangers but Novak ended the relationship shortly before the film was completed.[23] He later dated actresses Judy Holliday (whom he directed in 1956's Full of Life and The Solid Gold Cadillac) and Natalie Wood (whom he also directed in 1964's Sex and the Single Girl).[23] While directing Sex and the Single Girl (1964), Quine met and began dating one of the film's stars, Fran Jeffries.[24] On January 4, 1965, they were married in Rosarito Beach, Mexico. The couple separated on June 10, 1968. In July 1969, Quine filed for divorce, citing "extreme cruelty."[25] Their divorce became final in December 1970.[26]

In 1977, Quine married Diana Balfour. They remained married until Quine's death in 1989.[27]

Death

After an extended period of depression and poor health, Quine shot himself in the head at his Los Angeles home on June 10, 1989. He was taken to UCLA Medical Center, where he died at the age of 68.[1][27] His remains are interred in the Room of Prayer columbarium at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles.

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1933 Cavalcade Uncredited
1933 The World Changes Richard, as a Boy Uncredited
1933 Counsellor at Law Richard Dwight, Jr.
1934 Jane Eyre John Reed
1934 Dames Unconfirmed role
1934 Wednesday's Child Bobby's antagonistic buddy Uncredited
1934 Little Men Ned
1935 Life Returns Mickey
1935 A Dog of Flanders Nicky Duval
1935 Dinky Jackie Shaw
1939 King of the Underworld Medical student Uncredited
1941 Babes on Broadway Morton Hammond
1941 Tish Theodore "Ted" Bowser
1942 My Sister Eileen Frank Lippincott
1942 For Me and My Gal Danny Hayden Uncredited
1942 Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant Dr. Dennis Lindsey
1942 Stand By for Action Ensign Lindsay
1943 The Rear Gunner Pilot with Sun Glasses Uncredited
1943 We've Never Been Licked Brad Craig Alternative title: Fighting Command
1946 The Cockeyed Miracle Howard Bankson Alternative title: The Return of Mr. Griggs
1948 Words and Music Ben Feiner, Jr.
1948 Leather Gloves
Director, producer
1948 Command Decision Maj. George Rockton
1949 The Clay Pigeon Ted Niles
1950 No Sad Songs for Me Brownie
1950 Rookie Fireman Johnny Truitt
1950 Foy Meets Girl
Director, short subject
1950 He's a Cockeyed Wonder Actor in drive-in movie Uncredited
1950 The Flying Missile Amn. Hank Weber Uncredited
Alternative title: The Flying Fish
1951 The Awful Sleuth
Director, short subject
1951 Woo-Woo Blues
Director, short subject
1951 The Sunny Side of the Street
Director
1951 Purple Heart Diary
Director
1952 Sound Off
Writer, director
1952 Castle in the Air Opening Narrator/Radio Announcer Writer, director
Alternative title: Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder
1953 All Ashore
Writer, director
1953 Siren of Bagdad
Director
1953 Cruisin' Down the River
Director
1954 Drive a Crooked Road
Writer (adaptation), director
1954 Pushover
Director
1954 So This Is Paris
Director
1955 Bring Your Smile Along
Writer (story)
1955 My Sister Eileen
Writer, director
1956 He Laughed Last
Writer (story)
1956 The Solid Gold Cadillac
Director
1956 Full of Life
Director
1957 Operation Mad Ball
Director
1958 Bell, Book and Candle
Director
1959 It Happened to Jane
Director, producer
1960 Strangers When We Meet
Director
1960 The World of Suzie Wong
Director
1960 The Wackiest Ship in the Army Narrator
1962 The Notorious Landlady
Producer, director
1964 Paris When It Sizzles
Producer, director
Alternative title: Together in Paris
1964 Sex and the Single Girl
Director
1965 How to Murder Your Wife
Director
1965 Synanon
Producer, director
1967 Hotel
Director
1967 Oh Dad, Poor Dad...
Director
1969 A Talent for Loving
Director
Alternative title: Gun Crazy
1970 The Moonshine War
Director
1974 W
Director
Alternative title: W is the Mark of Death
1979 The Prisoner of Zenda
Director
1980 The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu
Director (uncredited)
Television
Year Title Notes
1952–1954 The Ford Television Theatre Director
3 episodes
1953 General Electric Theater Director
Episode: "Atomic Love"
1954 The Mickey Rooney Show Creator
20 episodes
1966 The Jean Arthur Show Producer
12 episodes
1972–1973 Columbo Director
"Dagger of the Mind"
"Requiem for a Falling Star"
"Double Exposure"
1973 Catch-22 Director
Television movie
1974 Hec Ramsey Director
Episode: "Dead Heat"
1975 The Specialists Director
Television movie
1975 McCoy Director
2 episodes
1978 Project U.F.O. Director
Episode: "Sighting 4001: The Washington D.C. Incident"

References

  1. ^ a b "Director Quine Commits Suicide". Lakeland Ledger. Lakeland, Florida. June 13, 1989. p. 2A. Retrieved February 21, 2015. 
  2. ^ a b Lloyd, Ann; Fuller, Graham; Desser, Arnold (1983). The Illustrated Who's Who of the Cinema. Orbis Publishing. p. 360. ISBN 0-856-13521-6. 
  3. ^ Andrews, Deborah; Turner, Roland (1989). The Annual Obituary. St. James Press. p. 373. 
  4. ^ a b "Boyhood Chum Has Role In Mickey's Film". St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Florida: October 26, 1941. p. 35. Retrieved February 21, 2015. 
  5. ^ a b Thomas, Bob (October 1, 1954). "Richard Quine Makes Grade As Director". Sarasota Journal. Sarasota, Florida. p. 16. Retrieved February 21, 2015. 
  6. ^ a b "Actress Susan Peters Wed to Richard Quine". The Lewiston Daily Sun. Lewiston, Maine. November 8, 1943. p. 2, next-to-bottom story, fourth column. Retrieved February 20, 2015. 
  7. ^ a b Boyer, Edward J. (June 13, 1989). "Richard Quine, 68, Film Director, Dies of Gunshot Wound". latimes.com. Retrieved February 21, 2015. 
  8. ^ Leszczak, Bob (2012). Single Season Sitcoms, 1948-1979: A Complete Guide. McFarland. pp. 78–79. ISBN 0-786-49305-4. 
  9. ^ Thomas, Bob (September 25, 1966). "Richard Quine Turns Producer". The Day. New London, Connecticut. p. 10. Retrieved February 21, 2015. 
  10. ^ (Leszczak 2012, pp. 92–93)
  11. ^ Baltake, Joe (1977). The Films of Jack Lemmon. Citadel Press. p. 101. ISBN 0-806-50560-5. 
  12. ^ Fetrow, Alan G. (1999). Feature Films, 1950-1959: A United States Filmography. McFarland. p. 160. ISBN 0-786-40427-2. 
  13. ^ Gary, Marmorstein (1997). Hollywood Rhapsody: Movie Music and Its Makers, 1900 to 1975 (2 ed.). Schirmer Books. p. 207. ISBN 0-028-64595-2. 
  14. ^ Kilgallen, Dorothy (October 4, 1963). "Dorothy Kilgallen's Voice of Broadway". The Montreal Gazette. Montreal, Quebec, Canada. p. 39. Retrieved February 21, 2015. 
  15. ^ (Andrews, Turner 1989, p. 374)
  16. ^ "Actress Susan Peters Dies, Losing Brave 7-Year Fight". Toledo Blade. Toledo, Ohio. October 24, 1952. p. 1. Retrieved February 20, 2015. 
  17. ^ "Susan Peters at Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen". Glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com. Retrieved June 9, 2011. 
  18. ^ "Susan Peter Cries As Divorce Granted". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Spokane, Washington. September 10, 1948. p. 1. Retrieved February 20, 2015. 
  19. ^ Ferrero, Lee (October 25, 1952). "Actress Susan Peters, Paralyzed 7 Years, Dies". The Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 3. Retrieved May 28, 2014. 
  20. ^ "Hollywood Director, Wife Try Separation". The Victoria Advocate. Victoria, Texas. May 8, 1958. p. 32. Retrieved February 21, 2015. 
  21. ^ Bacon, James (December 7, 1959). "Wedding Could Be Next Step For Kim Novak". Times Daily. Florence, Alabama. p. 8. Retrieved February 21, 2015. 
  22. ^ "Will Wed Kim, Director Says". The Owosso Argus-Press. Owosso, Michigan. September 17, 1960. p. 7. Retrieved February 21, 2015. 
  23. ^ a b Garnier, Philippe (August 6, 2008). "''LA Weekly'' (August 7, 2008)". Laweekly.com. Retrieved June 9, 2011. 
  24. ^ Graham, Sheilah (May 10, 1965). "Hollywood Gadabout". The Milwaukee Journal. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. p. 24. Retrieved February 21, 2015. 
  25. ^ "Mate Asks Divorce From Fran Jeffries". Toledo Blade. Toledo, Ohio. July 1, 1969. p. 21. Retrieved February 21, 2015. 
  26. ^ "Actress In Divorce". The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsuburgh, Pennsylvania. December 17, 1970. p. 4. Retrieved February 21, 2015. 
  27. ^ a b "Richard Quine, 68, Actor Who Directed 'Murder Your Wife'". The New York Times. June 14, 1989. Retrieved May 7, 2009. 

External links

This page was last modified 11.06.2018 15:44:16

This article uses material from the article Richard Quine from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and it is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.