“Forgotten Hollywood”- Michael Anderson’s Run…
April 29th, 2018“`Michael Anderson was the British director who was behind Around the World in 80 Days, and Logan’s Run. His movie career spanned over 60 years, and he would go on to make dozens of films.
“`Born in London in 1920 to a theatrical family, His great-aunt was silent film and stage actress, Mary Anderson. He joined the British Army’s Royal Signal Corps, where he met actor Peter Ustinov. They collaborated in cinema after the war. MICHAEL ANDERSON –>
“`Anderson became well known for his production of The Dam Busters. This real-life story of the invention of the bouncing bomb, they were designed to destroy German dams, and cripple the nation’s industry, was the most successful British Film of the Year when released in 1955. Next month, it will screen at an event at the Royal Albert Hall to mark the 75th anniversary of the Royal Air Force operation. The movie was actually referenced in Star Wars: A New Hope.
“`Anderson made a series of films set during wartime, including The Yangtse Incident and Operation Crossbow. He created the first cinematic adaptation of George Orwell’s dystopian novel, 1984, in 1956.
“`The same year, his adaptation of Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days made with producer Michael Todd, and starring David Niven among an all-star cast, became a spectacle wowing filmgoers, and garnered five of eight Academy Awards. A production on a dynamic scale for the time, it broke records for the most camera set ups, sets, and costumes, as well as for the most people filmed in global locations (140 folks in 13 different countries) and for the largest distance traveled during production. The cast and extras totaled 68,894 persons, and 7,959 animals.
“`In 1976, he released Logan’s Run, a visionary science fiction work, starring Michael York and Jenny Agutter, set in a futuristic society. It made $25 million at the box office, plus was credited with turning around the fortunes of MGM, which was in financial difficulties at the time. His son also appeared in the movie.
“`Over the years, Anderson directed a number of stars, including Alec Guinness, Laurence Olivier, and Gary Cooper in The Wreck of the Mary Deare, and his last film, The Naked Edge. In 2012, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Directors Guild of Canada. He was the oldest living person to receive a Best Director Oscar.
“`Michael Anderson was 98.
Until next time> “never forget”
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