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Alexander Mackendrick

January 25, 2023

Alexander Mackendrick (September 8, 1912 – December 22, 1993) was an American-born director and professor, long based in Scotland. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and later moved to Scotland. He began making television commercials before moving into post-production editing and directing films, most notably for Ealing Studios where his films include Whisky Galore! (1949), The Man in the White Suit (1951), The Maggie (1954), and The Ladykillers (1955).

Alexander Mackendrick
Born(1912-09-08)September 8, 1912
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedDecember 22, 1993(1993-12-22) (aged 81)
Los Angeles, California
OccupationFilm director
Spouse(s)Eileen Ashcroft (1934–1943)
Hilary Lloyd (1948–1993)

After his first American film Sweet Smell of Success (1957), his career as a director declined and he became Dean of the CalArts School of Film/Video in California. He was the cousin of Scottish writer Roger MacDougall.[1]

Biography

He was born on 8 September 1912 the only child of Francis and Martha Mackendrick who had emigrated to the United States from Glasgow in 1911.[2] His father was a ship builder and a civil engineer. When Mackendrick was six, his father died of influenza as a result of the influenza pandemic that swept the world just after World War I. His mother, in desperate need of work, decided to become a dress designer. In order to pursue that decision, it was necessary for Martha MacKendrick to hand her only son over to his grandfather, who took young MacKendrick back to Scotland when he was seven years old. Mackendrick never saw or heard from his mother again.

Mackendrick had a sad and lonely childhood.[3] He attended Hillhead High School in Glasgow from 1919 to 1926 and then went on to spend three years at the Glasgow School of Art. In the early 1930s, MacKendrick moved to London to work as an art director for the advertising firm J. Walter Thompson. Between 1936 and 1938, Mackendrick scripted five cinema commercials. He later reflected that his work in the advertising industry was invaluable, in spite of his extreme dislike of the industry itself. MacKendrick wrote his first film script with his cousin and close friend, Roger MacDougall.[1] It was bought by Associated British and later released, after script revisions, as Midnight Menace (1937).[3]

Career

At the start of the Second World War, Mackendrick was employed by the Minister of Information making British propaganda films. In 1942, he went to Algiers and then to Italy, working with the Psychological Warfare Division. He then shot newsreels, documentaries, made leaflets, and did radio news. In 1943, he became the director of the film unit and approved the production of Roberto Rossellini's early neorealist film, Rome, Open City (1945).[4]

Ealing Studios

After the war, Mackendrick and Roger MacDougall set up Merlin Productions, where they produced documentaries for the Ministry of Information. Merlin Productions soon proved financially unviable. In 1946 Mackendrick joined Ealing Studios, originally as a scriptwriter and production designer, where he worked for nine years and directed five films made at Ealing; Whisky Galore! (US: Tight Little Island, 1949), The Man in the White Suit (1951), Mandy (1952), The Maggie (US: High and Dry, 1954) and The Ladykillers (1955), the first two and the last being among the best known of Ealing's films.[3]

America

Mackendrick often spoke of his dislike of the film industry and decided to leave the United Kingdom for Hollywood in 1955.[5] When the base of Ealing studios was sold that year, Mackendrick was cut loose to pursue a career as a freelance director, something he was never prepared to do:

At Ealing ... I was tremendously spoiled with all the logistical and financial troubles lifted off my shoulders, even if I had to do the films they told me to do. The reason why I have discovered myself so much happier teaching is that when I arrived here after the collapse of the world I had known as Ealing, I found that in order to make movies in Hollywood, you have to be a great deal-maker ... I have no talent for that ... I realised I was in the wrong business and got out.[6]

The rest of his professional life was spent commuting between London and Los Angeles. His first film after his initial return to the United States was Sweet Smell of Success (1957), produced by Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions (HHL). This was a critically successful film about a press agent (Tony Curtis) who is wrapped up in a powerful newspaper columnist's (Burt Lancaster) plot to end the relationship between his younger sister and a jazz musician. Mackendrick got along poorly with the producers of the film because they felt that he was too much of a perfectionist. After Sweet Smell of Success, he returned to England to make the second HHL film, The Devil's Disciple (1959), but he was fired a month into production owing to lingering tension from their first project together. Mackendrick was devastated. In the same period, Mackendrick assisted Dutch film maker Bert Haanstra with the production of the comedy film, Fanfare (1958).

After his disappointment with HHL, Mackendrick directed several television commercials in Europe for Horlicks. Mackendrick was replaced on The Guns of Navarone for allegedly being too much of a perfectionist for spending more time than planned on scouting Mediterranean locations and insisting on elements of ancient Greek literature in the screenplay.[7]

He also made a handful of films throughout the Sixties including Sammy Going South (1963) for former Ealing producer Michael Balcon now with Bryanston Pictures, A High Wind in Jamaica (1965), and Don't Make Waves (1967). Sammy Going South was entered into the 3rd Moscow International Film Festival.[8] A project to film Ionesco's Rhinoceros, which would have starred Tony Hancock and Barbara Windsor, fell through at the last minute. In 1969 he returned to the United States after being appointed Dean of the film school of the California Institute of the Arts, giving up the position in 1978 to become a professor at the school.

Some of Mackendrick's most notable students include David Kirkpatrick, Doug Campbell, Terence Davies, F. X. Feeney, Richard Jefferies, James Mangold, Stephen Mills, Thom Mount, Sean Daniel, Bruce Berman, Gregory Orr, Don Di Pietro, Michael Pressman, Douglas Rushkoff, Lee Sheldon, David Brisbin, and Henry Golas amongst others.

Mackendrick suffered from severe emphysema for many years and as a result, was unable to go home to Europe during much of his time at the college. He stayed with the school until he died of pneumonia in 1993, aged 81. His remains are buried at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.

Filmography

Director

Writer

Further reading

  • Lethal Innocence: The Cinema of Alexander Mackendrick by Philip Kemp
  • McArthur, Colin (1983), The Maggie, in Hearn, Sheila G. (ed.), Cencrastus No. 12, Spring 1983, pp. 10 – 14, ISSN 0264-0856
  • On Film-Making : An Introduction to the Craft of the Director by Alexander Mackendrick (edited by Paul Cronin).

References

  1. ^ a b "Mackendrick, Alexander (1912–1993)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/52240. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. ^ Kemp, Philip (1991). Lethal Innocence: The Cinema of Alexander Mackendrick. London: Methuen. p. 1; ISBN 0-413-64980-6.
  3. ^ a b c Kuhn, Annette. "Mackendrick, Alexander (1912-1993)". BFI Screenonline. British Film Institute. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  4. ^ Garrido, Monica. "Alexander Mackendrick". Senses of Cinema. FilmVictoria Australia. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  5. ^ Patricia Goldstone, 1960
  6. ^ Alexander Mackendrick quoted in On Filmmaking, Paul Cronin (ed.), 2004
  7. ^ Webster, Jack A Final Grain of Truth: My Autobiography Black & White Publishing, 24 Oct 2013
  8. ^ . MIFF. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2012.

External links

 
Wikiquote has quotations related to Alexander Mackendrick.
  • Alexander Mackendrick at IMDb
  • Alexander Mackendrick at the BFI's Screenonline
  • Senses of Cinema: Alexander Mackendrick

January 25, 2023
alexander, mackendrick, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, jul. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Alexander Mackendrick news newspapers books scholar JSTOR July 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message Alexander Mackendrick September 8 1912 December 22 1993 was an American born director and professor long based in Scotland He was born in Boston Massachusetts and later moved to Scotland He began making television commercials before moving into post production editing and directing films most notably for Ealing Studios where his films include Whisky Galore 1949 The Man in the White Suit 1951 The Maggie 1954 and The Ladykillers 1955 Alexander MackendrickBorn 1912 09 08 September 8 1912Boston Massachusetts U S DiedDecember 22 1993 1993 12 22 aged 81 Los Angeles CaliforniaOccupationFilm directorSpouse s Eileen Ashcroft 1934 1943 Hilary Lloyd 1948 1993 After his first American film Sweet Smell of Success 1957 his career as a director declined and he became Dean of the CalArts School of Film Video in California He was the cousin of Scottish writer Roger MacDougall 1 Contents 1 Biography 2 Career 2 1 Ealing Studios 2 2 America 3 Filmography 3 1 Director 3 2 Writer 4 Further reading 5 References 6 External linksBiography EditHe was born on 8 September 1912 the only child of Francis and Martha Mackendrick who had emigrated to the United States from Glasgow in 1911 2 His father was a ship builder and a civil engineer When Mackendrick was six his father died of influenza as a result of the influenza pandemic that swept the world just after World War I His mother in desperate need of work decided to become a dress designer In order to pursue that decision it was necessary for Martha MacKendrick to hand her only son over to his grandfather who took young MacKendrick back to Scotland when he was seven years old Mackendrick never saw or heard from his mother again Mackendrick had a sad and lonely childhood 3 He attended Hillhead High School in Glasgow from 1919 to 1926 and then went on to spend three years at the Glasgow School of Art In the early 1930s MacKendrick moved to London to work as an art director for the advertising firm J Walter Thompson Between 1936 and 1938 Mackendrick scripted five cinema commercials He later reflected that his work in the advertising industry was invaluable in spite of his extreme dislike of the industry itself MacKendrick wrote his first film script with his cousin and close friend Roger MacDougall 1 It was bought by Associated British and later released after script revisions as Midnight Menace 1937 3 Career EditAt the start of the Second World War Mackendrick was employed by the Minister of Information making British propaganda films In 1942 he went to Algiers and then to Italy working with the Psychological Warfare Division He then shot newsreels documentaries made leaflets and did radio news In 1943 he became the director of the film unit and approved the production of Roberto Rossellini s early neorealist film Rome Open City 1945 4 Ealing Studios Edit After the war Mackendrick and Roger MacDougall set up Merlin Productions where they produced documentaries for the Ministry of Information Merlin Productions soon proved financially unviable In 1946 Mackendrick joined Ealing Studios originally as a scriptwriter and production designer where he worked for nine years and directed five films made at Ealing Whisky Galore US Tight Little Island 1949 The Man in the White Suit 1951 Mandy 1952 The Maggie US High and Dry 1954 and The Ladykillers 1955 the first two and the last being among the best known of Ealing s films 3 America Edit Mackendrick often spoke of his dislike of the film industry and decided to leave the United Kingdom for Hollywood in 1955 5 When the base of Ealing studios was sold that year Mackendrick was cut loose to pursue a career as a freelance director something he was never prepared to do At Ealing I was tremendously spoiled with all the logistical and financial troubles lifted off my shoulders even if I had to do the films they told me to do The reason why I have discovered myself so much happier teaching is that when I arrived here after the collapse of the world I had known as Ealing I found that in order to make movies in Hollywood you have to be a great deal maker I have no talent for that I realised I was in the wrong business and got out 6 The rest of his professional life was spent commuting between London and Los Angeles His first film after his initial return to the United States was Sweet Smell of Success 1957 produced by Hecht Hill Lancaster Productions HHL This was a critically successful film about a press agent Tony Curtis who is wrapped up in a powerful newspaper columnist s Burt Lancaster plot to end the relationship between his younger sister and a jazz musician Mackendrick got along poorly with the producers of the film because they felt that he was too much of a perfectionist After Sweet Smell of Success he returned to England to make the second HHL film The Devil s Disciple 1959 but he was fired a month into production owing to lingering tension from their first project together Mackendrick was devastated In the same period Mackendrick assisted Dutch film maker Bert Haanstra with the production of the comedy film Fanfare 1958 After his disappointment with HHL Mackendrick directed several television commercials in Europe for Horlicks Mackendrick was replaced on The Guns of Navarone for allegedly being too much of a perfectionist for spending more time than planned on scouting Mediterranean locations and insisting on elements of ancient Greek literature in the screenplay 7 He also made a handful of films throughout the Sixties including Sammy Going South 1963 for former Ealing producer Michael Balcon now with Bryanston Pictures A High Wind in Jamaica 1965 and Don t Make Waves 1967 Sammy Going South was entered into the 3rd Moscow International Film Festival 8 A project to film Ionesco s Rhinoceros which would have starred Tony Hancock and Barbara Windsor fell through at the last minute In 1969 he returned to the United States after being appointed Dean of the film school of the California Institute of the Arts giving up the position in 1978 to become a professor at the school Some of Mackendrick s most notable students include David Kirkpatrick Doug Campbell Terence Davies F X Feeney Richard Jefferies James Mangold Stephen Mills Thom Mount Sean Daniel Bruce Berman Gregory Orr Don Di Pietro Michael Pressman Douglas Rushkoff Lee Sheldon David Brisbin and Henry Golas amongst others Mackendrick suffered from severe emphysema for many years and as a result was unable to go home to Europe during much of his time at the college He stayed with the school until he died of pneumonia in 1993 aged 81 His remains are buried at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery Filmography EditDirector Edit Whisky Galore 1949 The Man in the White Suit 1951 Mandy 1952 The Maggie 1954 The Ladykillers 1955 Sweet Smell of Success 1957 Sammy Going South 1963 A High Wind in Jamaica 1965 Don t Make Waves 1967 Writer Edit Midnight Menace 1937 Saraband for Dead Lovers 1948 Dance Hall 1950 Sweet Smell of Success 1957 uncredited Further reading EditLethal Innocence The Cinema of Alexander Mackendrick by Philip Kemp McArthur Colin 1983 The Maggie in Hearn Sheila G ed Cencrastus No 12 Spring 1983 pp 10 14 ISSN 0264 0856 On Film Making An Introduction to the Craft of the Director by Alexander Mackendrick edited by Paul Cronin References Edit a b Mackendrick Alexander 1912 1993 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online ed Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 ref odnb 52240 Subscription or UK public library membership required Kemp Philip 1991 Lethal Innocence The Cinema of Alexander Mackendrick London Methuen p 1 ISBN 0 413 64980 6 a b c Kuhn Annette Mackendrick Alexander 1912 1993 BFI Screenonline British Film Institute Retrieved 18 August 2015 Garrido Monica Alexander Mackendrick Senses of Cinema FilmVictoria Australia Retrieved 18 August 2015 Patricia Goldstone 1960 Alexander Mackendrick quoted in On Filmmaking Paul Cronin ed 2004 Webster Jack A Final Grain of Truth My Autobiography Black amp White Publishing 24 Oct 2013 3rd Moscow International Film Festival 1963 MIFF Archived from the original on 16 January 2013 Retrieved 1 December 2012 External links Edit Biography portal Wikiquote has quotations related to Alexander Mackendrick Alexander Mackendrick at IMDb Alexander Mackendrick at the BFI s Screenonline Senses of Cinema Alexander Mackendrick Mackendrick retrospective at the Harvard Film Archive Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Alexander Mackendrick amp oldid 1127387999, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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