Anthony Mann: The Life and Films

305 Pages·2009·3.43 MB·English

by  William Darby

Anthony Mann
ALSOBYWILLIAMDARBY
ANDFROMMCFARLAND
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John Ford’s Westerns: A Thematic Analysis,
with a Filmography(1996; paperback 2006)
Major League Baseball, 1979–1992: A Year-by-Year
History Using Fan Oriented Statistics (1993)
American Film Music: Major Composers, Techniques,
Trends, 1915–1990 (1990, paperback 1999)
Anthony Mann
The Film Career
W D
ILLIAM ARBY
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Jefferson, North Carolina, and London
LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATIONDATA
Darby, William, 1942–
Anthony Mann : the film career / William Darby.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7864-3839-6
softcover : 50# alkaline paper
1. Mann, Anthony, 1906–1967. 2. Motion picture producers
and directors—United States—Biography. I. Title.
PN1998.3.M36D37 2009
791.4302'33092—dc22 [B] 2009024023
British Library cataloguing data are available
©2009 William Darby. All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying
or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
Cover image: Cimarron(1960) directed by Anthony Mann.
Credit: MGM/Photofest ©MGM.
Manufactured in the United States of America
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Box 611, Je›erson, North Carolina 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
To the memory of Dr. Finley A. Hooper (1922–1993),
teacher, mentor, and friend
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Acknowledgments
While the majority of those who contributed to my under-
standing of Anthony Mann’s career and works are cited in the
bibliography or the chapters that follow, there are a few individ-
uals whom I must single out for special thanks.
Charles Greenwell and the late Bernie Cohan allowed me to
“think out loud” about Mann and his movies. I undoubtedly owe
them both for advice which prevented egregious missteps and for
patience which went beyond the bounds of friendship.
Jeanine Basinger, our foremost Mann scholar, encouraged
me several years ago when I began to look at Mann seriously. I
needed to be assured that I wasn’t simply spinning my wheels,
and she was kind enough to tell me that I was not.
My son David has helped me with numerous technical
details, and I thank him for learning so much about modern tech-
nology.
My wife Carolyn has endured my varying moods through-
out this project with her customary equanimity, support, and
love. As always, she makes my life as a writer a pleasure.
Naturally, none of these good persons are to be blamed for
any evasions or overstatements in what follows.
vii
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Table of Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction 1
1. In Search of Anthony Mann 5
2. Mann and the B Film 26
3. Mann and Film Noir 48
4. Mann and the Western 92
5. Mann and the 1950s 166
6. Mann and Epic Films 201
7. Mann and the Century of Total War:
The Heroes of Telemark (1965) and
A Dandy in Aspic (1968) 239
8. Mann and the Critics 254
Filmography 267
Chapter Notes 281
Selected Bibliography 283
Index 287
ix