George Stevens was an American director, producer, screenwriter, and cinematographer known for films such as “The More the Merrier,” “A Place in the Sun,” “Shane,” “Giant,” and “The Diary of Anne Frank” (1959). He made some of the best Hollywood melodramas and screwball comedy for nearly four decades. His films were known for his unique workmanship, which included excellent camera techniques, subtle integration of music and graphics, meticulous attention to detail, and expert handling of emotional subjects. Unlike most of his Hollywood counterparts, he plainly favoured quality over quantity when it came to filmmaking. He was noted for doing a lot of research before starting a new project. The majority of his pre-production time was spent working with the screenplay’s writers. His films were emotive, sincere, and humanistic, since he was more concerned with touching the hearts of his viewers than with making money. The majority of his films show American culture in the 1930s and 1940s, as well as the pursuit of the American Dream.
Childhood and Adolescence
George Stevens was born in Oakland, California, on December 18, 1904, to Landers Stevens and Georgie Cooper. Both of his parents were stage actors who ran their own theater company in Oakland, Ye Liberty Playhouse. Ashton Stevens, a theatrical critic, was his uncle.
He traveled far and wide with his parents as a child, gaining expertise about the theater. He began performing on stage when he was five years old. He began his career with his father’s theatre group as an actor and then as a stage manager.
He began his career in Hollywood as a cameraman while still a teenager, and by the early 1920s, he had advanced to the position of cinematographer at Hal Roach Studios. ‘Roughest Africa,’ a short film starring Laurel and Hardy, was his first production (1923).
Career of George Stevens
Other films directed by George Stevens include ‘Sugar Daddies’ (1927), ‘Two Tars’ (1928), and ‘Below Zero’ (1930). In 1933, he directed his first feature picture, a Universal B-flick called “The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble.”
In 1934, he directed the low-budget romantic comedy ‘Bachelor Bait,’ starring Stuart Erwin and Rochelle Hudson, and the farcical comedy ‘Kentucky Kernels,’ starring Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey.
With Wheeler and Woolsey, he filmed the crime comedy ‘The Nitwits’ in 1935. ‘Laddie’ (1935), a nostalgic drama starring John Beal and Gloria Stuart, and ‘Alice Adams,’ an adaptation of Booth Tarkington’s classic novel starring Katharine Hepburn, were both released the same year. ‘Alice Adams’ was a huge hit, and it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.
In 1936, he directed the iconic musical ‘Swing Time,’ starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
For him, 1937 was a year of disappointments. His production of J.M. Barrie’s play, ‘Quality Street,’ starring Katherine Hepburn, was a smart but mediocre rendition of the play. ‘A Damsel in Distress,’ on the other hand, was a commercial failure.
In 1938, he directed the commercially successful screwball comedy ‘Vivacious Lady,’ which brought an end to his unsuccessful time. He also had success with ‘Gunga Din,’ which was regarded as one of the greatest films of 1939.
He directed ‘Vigil in the Night,’ based on an A.J. Cronin novel, in 1940. The movie was a depressing drama that bombed at the box office. After leaving RKO, he went to Columbia and directed the melodrama ‘Penny Serenade’ (1941).
In 1942, he directed ‘The Talk of the Town,’ which was a box office success. The screenplay by Irwin Shaw and Sidney Buchman was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay. The film was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Motion Picture.
The comedies ‘Woman of the Year’ (1942) and ‘The More the Merrier’ (1943) followed (1943). Six Academy Award nominations were given to the latter, including outstanding motion picture and best director.
Stevens joined the US Army Signal Corps as the head of the motion-picture unit shortly after. He was in charge of shooting the Normandy Invasion and the Dachau concentration camp liberation. His World War II work had a profound impact on him, and he began to make films with tragic themes. His first postwar feature film, RKO’s ‘I Remember Mama,’ was released in 1948.
After that, he went to work for Paramount, and his debut film for them was ‘A Place in the Sun’ (1951). The movie was a big hit, earning nine Academy Award nominations. Stevens won his first Academy Award for Best Director as a result of the film.
He directed ‘Shane,’ a classic western, in 1953. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including best motion picture and director, for its brilliant narrative and eye-catching photography.
With ‘Giant,’ he had his next huge hit (1956). The classic drama, despite being over three hours long and featuring an all-star cast, was well received by audiences. Stevens won his second Academy Award for Best Director for the film, which received ten nominations.
‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ (1959) brought him new fame and success three years later. The genuine story of a little Jewish girl who goes into hiding with her family during World War II was depicted in the film. The movie was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including best motion picture and best director.
He directed ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’ in 1965. The picture was a biblical extravaganza, but despite an all-star ensemble, it failed to make money at the box office. In 1970, he released his final film, ‘The Only Game in Town.’
Major Projects of George Stevens
His 1951 picture ‘A Place in the Sun’ was a remake of the 1931 film ‘An American Tragedy,’ based on Theodore Dreiser’s novel. Montgomery Clift played an ambitious guy in love with Elizabeth Taylor, who played a socialite in the film. Shelley Winters, who plays the man’s old girlfriend, is a threat to their relationship. Stevens won his first Academy Award for Best Director as a result of the film.
‘Shane,’ based on a novel by John Schaefer, was a classic western released in 1953. It stars Alan Ladd as a former gunman who becomes the Starrett family’s ranch hand. Six Oscar nominations were given to the film, including best motion picture and best director.
‘Giant’ (1956) was based on Edna Ferber’s novel. Rock Hudson played a rich cattle rancher, Elizabeth Taylor played his socialite wife, and James Dean played a rival turned oil millionaire in the film. Stevens won his second Academy Award for Best Director for the film, which received 10 Academy Award nominations, including best motion picture.
Achievements & Awards
The US Army Signal Corps unit that filmed the Normandy landings and the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp was led by George Stevens. He was awarded the Legion of Merit for his achievements.
In 1951 for ‘A Place in the Sun,’ and in 1956 for ‘Giant,’ he received the Academy Award for Best Director twice. He was nominated for ‘The More the Merrier’ in 1943, ‘Shane’ in 1954, and ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ in 1959.
He directed Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Charles Coburn (also winner), Jean Arthur, Irene Dunne, Montgomery Clift, Shelley Winters (also winner), and others in Oscar-nominated performances.
For ‘A Place in the Sun’ and ‘Giant,’ he received the Directors Guild of America’s Best Director Award twice. The D.W. Griffith Lifetime Achievement Award was also given to him.
He was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which can be seen at 1709 Vine St.
Personal History and Legacy
George Stevens had two wives. On January 1, 1930, he married Yvonne Howell for the first time. On August 1, 1947, the couple split after having a son.
On May 17, 1968, he married Joan McTavish for the second time. His marriage lasted until he died.
His son, George Stevens, Jr., went on to become a television and film writer, producer, and director, as well as the American Film Institute’s first CEO and director. Michael Stevens, his grandson, is also a television and film producer-director.
On March 8, 1975, George Stevens died of a heart attack on his property in Lancaster, California. In the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, he is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.
Estimated Net Worth
George is one of the wealthiest directors and one of the most well-known. George Stevens’ net worth is estimated to be $1.5 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.