Henry King(1886-1982)
- Actor
- Director
- Producer
For more than three decades, Henry King was the most versatile and
reliable (not to mention hard-working) contract director on the 20th
Century-Fox lot. His tenure lasted from 1930 to 1961, spanning most of
Hollywood's "golden" era. King was renowned as a specialist in literary
adaptations (A Bell for Adano (1945),
The Sun Also Rises (1957)) and
for his nostalgic depictions of rural or small-town America (Margie (1946)). Much of his work was
characterized by an uncomplicated approach and a vivid visual style
rather than cinematic tricks or technical individuality. For the most
part it was his meticulous attention to detail, and his reliance on
superior plots and good acting, that got the job done. King was, above
all, an astute judge of talent. He introduced
Ronald Colman to American
audiences in
The White Sister (1923), drawing
a mustache on the actor's clean-shaven face with a retouching pencil--the real thing later becoming a Colman trademark. King discovered
Gary Cooper and cast him in a
leading dramatic role in his outdoor western
The Winning of Barbara Worth (1926), over the initial objections of producer
Samuel Goldwyn who thought Coop was just
another
"damn cowboy". Goldwyn quickly changed his mind after seeing the rushes. Other King discoveries included the lovely Jean Peters
(in
Captain from Castile (1947))
and Tyrone Power, whom he actively promoted
to the point of badgering studio boss
Darryl F. Zanuck to star him in
Lloyd's of London (1936). Power
subsequently became one of Fox's most popular stars.
All in all, not bad for a guy who had left school at 15 to work
for the Norfolk & Western Railroad. After enduring the machine shops
for a few years, King found more suitable employment as an apprentice
actor with the touring Empire Stock Company, where he often performed
song-and-dance routines in blackface. During his travels he befriended comedy actress Pearl White. While
accompanying her on a visit to the Lubin film studio in Philadelphia
in 1913, he was somehow talked into trying out as an actor. Before
long King found himself cast as assorted western villains in scores of
one-reelers. Moving to California the following year, he graduated to
romantic leads in full-length feature films with the Balboa Amusement
Company, often co-starring opposite popular child actress
Marie Osborne. King's directing career
began in 1915 and gathered momentum after he joined The
American Film Manufacturing Company, and, subsequently,
Thomas H. Ince. His first success was the
army comedy
23 1/2 Hours' Leave (1919).
By 1921 King fronted his own production company, Inspiration Pictures,
releasing through First National. The rustic southern drama
Tol'able David (1921) was his next
critically acclaimed picture, but not until joining Goldwyn at United
Artists (1925-30) did he manage to turn out a consistent string of
hits, including The White Sister (1923) and
Romola (1924)--both shot on location in
Italy--and the archetypal tearjerker
Stella Dallas (1925). For King, the
transition to sound pictures was a mere formality.
In 1930 King qualified for his pilot's license and began busily
scouting locations from the air, earning him the sobriquet "The Flying
Director". When not airborne or on the golf course (his other passion),
he demonstrated his amazing versatility with box-office hits across a
wide variety of genres: striking and colorful swashbucklers
(The Black Swan (1942)); romantic
or religious melodramas--their sentimentality well-tempered so they
never seemed maudlin--such as (The Song of Bernadette (1943) and Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955));
epics (In Old Chicago (1938), with
its splendid recreation of the 1871 great fire, the entire enterprise
filmed at a staggering cost of $1.8 million); popular musicals
(Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938),
Carousel (1956)); psychological war
drama
(Twelve O'Clock High (1949));
and uncompromisingly tough, offbeat westerns
(The Gunfighter (1950) and the
underrated The Bravados (1958)). The
latter three all starred King's preferred leading actor,
Gregory Peck. Peck was also on hand for
The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952),
reputedly Ernest Hemingway's favorite
among all his filmed adaptations. Of course, King also had his
occasional failures. Topping that list was Zanuck's pet project, the
biopic Wilson (1944). Overly serious to
the point of being dour, its pacifist message
was lost to an audience in the middle of a world war. King's other
notable dud, near the end of his career, was
Beloved Infidel (1959). Badly
miscast, the film chronicling the affair between
F. Scott Fitzgerald and Hollywood
gossip columnist Sheilah Graham was
played out, inaccurately, as a genteel and overly glossy romance.
Though nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Director, King failed to snag the
coveted trophy. However, he did win a Lifetime Achievement Award from
the Directors Guild of America in 1956. More importantly, perhaps, he
seems to have enjoyed his work, stating in a 1978 interview, "I've had
more fun directing pictures than most people have playing games" (New
York Times, July 1 1982).
reliable (not to mention hard-working) contract director on the 20th
Century-Fox lot. His tenure lasted from 1930 to 1961, spanning most of
Hollywood's "golden" era. King was renowned as a specialist in literary
adaptations (A Bell for Adano (1945),
The Sun Also Rises (1957)) and
for his nostalgic depictions of rural or small-town America (Margie (1946)). Much of his work was
characterized by an uncomplicated approach and a vivid visual style
rather than cinematic tricks or technical individuality. For the most
part it was his meticulous attention to detail, and his reliance on
superior plots and good acting, that got the job done. King was, above
all, an astute judge of talent. He introduced
Ronald Colman to American
audiences in
The White Sister (1923), drawing
a mustache on the actor's clean-shaven face with a retouching pencil--the real thing later becoming a Colman trademark. King discovered
Gary Cooper and cast him in a
leading dramatic role in his outdoor western
The Winning of Barbara Worth (1926), over the initial objections of producer
Samuel Goldwyn who thought Coop was just
another
"damn cowboy". Goldwyn quickly changed his mind after seeing the rushes. Other King discoveries included the lovely Jean Peters
(in
Captain from Castile (1947))
and Tyrone Power, whom he actively promoted
to the point of badgering studio boss
Darryl F. Zanuck to star him in
Lloyd's of London (1936). Power
subsequently became one of Fox's most popular stars.
All in all, not bad for a guy who had left school at 15 to work
for the Norfolk & Western Railroad. After enduring the machine shops
for a few years, King found more suitable employment as an apprentice
actor with the touring Empire Stock Company, where he often performed
song-and-dance routines in blackface. During his travels he befriended comedy actress Pearl White. While
accompanying her on a visit to the Lubin film studio in Philadelphia
in 1913, he was somehow talked into trying out as an actor. Before
long King found himself cast as assorted western villains in scores of
one-reelers. Moving to California the following year, he graduated to
romantic leads in full-length feature films with the Balboa Amusement
Company, often co-starring opposite popular child actress
Marie Osborne. King's directing career
began in 1915 and gathered momentum after he joined The
American Film Manufacturing Company, and, subsequently,
Thomas H. Ince. His first success was the
army comedy
23 1/2 Hours' Leave (1919).
By 1921 King fronted his own production company, Inspiration Pictures,
releasing through First National. The rustic southern drama
Tol'able David (1921) was his next
critically acclaimed picture, but not until joining Goldwyn at United
Artists (1925-30) did he manage to turn out a consistent string of
hits, including The White Sister (1923) and
Romola (1924)--both shot on location in
Italy--and the archetypal tearjerker
Stella Dallas (1925). For King, the
transition to sound pictures was a mere formality.
In 1930 King qualified for his pilot's license and began busily
scouting locations from the air, earning him the sobriquet "The Flying
Director". When not airborne or on the golf course (his other passion),
he demonstrated his amazing versatility with box-office hits across a
wide variety of genres: striking and colorful swashbucklers
(The Black Swan (1942)); romantic
or religious melodramas--their sentimentality well-tempered so they
never seemed maudlin--such as (The Song of Bernadette (1943) and Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955));
epics (In Old Chicago (1938), with
its splendid recreation of the 1871 great fire, the entire enterprise
filmed at a staggering cost of $1.8 million); popular musicals
(Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938),
Carousel (1956)); psychological war
drama
(Twelve O'Clock High (1949));
and uncompromisingly tough, offbeat westerns
(The Gunfighter (1950) and the
underrated The Bravados (1958)). The
latter three all starred King's preferred leading actor,
Gregory Peck. Peck was also on hand for
The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952),
reputedly Ernest Hemingway's favorite
among all his filmed adaptations. Of course, King also had his
occasional failures. Topping that list was Zanuck's pet project, the
biopic Wilson (1944). Overly serious to
the point of being dour, its pacifist message
was lost to an audience in the middle of a world war. King's other
notable dud, near the end of his career, was
Beloved Infidel (1959). Badly
miscast, the film chronicling the affair between
F. Scott Fitzgerald and Hollywood
gossip columnist Sheilah Graham was
played out, inaccurately, as a genteel and overly glossy romance.
Though nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Director, King failed to snag the
coveted trophy. However, he did win a Lifetime Achievement Award from
the Directors Guild of America in 1956. More importantly, perhaps, he
seems to have enjoyed his work, stating in a 1978 interview, "I've had
more fun directing pictures than most people have playing games" (New
York Times, July 1 1982).