Michael Rennie (25 August 1909 – 10 June 1971) was an
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
film, television, and stage actor, best known for his starring role as the space visitor
KlaatuKlaatu is the humanoid alien protagonist in the 1951 science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still and its 2008 remake. Klaatu is famous in part due to the phrase "Klaatu barada nikto!" used in the classic film and its re-use in the Bruce Campbell cult comedy film Army of Darkness, as well as...
in the 1951 classic
science fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction. It differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically-established or scientifically-postulated laws of nature...
film
The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Early years
Eric Alexander Rennie was born in
IdleThe village of Idle and its outskirts make up a mainly residential suburban area in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, in England. The area is loosely bordered by the areas of Eccleshill, Wrose, Thackley and Greengates, in the north east of the city....
, a village near the
West Riding of YorkshireThe West Riding of Yorkshire was one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
city of
BradfordBradford is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
(subsequently a Bradford suburb) and educated at
The Leys SchoolThe Leys School is a co-educational Independent school, located in Cambridge, England, and is both a day school and boarding school for over 520 pupils aged between 11 and 18 years...
,
CambridgeThe city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. It is also at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen....
. He attempted a number of professions, including periods as car salesman and manager of his uncle's rope factory, before deciding (at the time of his 26th birthday, in 1935) on a career as an actor. Retaining his surname but adopting the professional name
Michael Rennie, the tall (6′4″) show business hopeful with chiseled cheekbones and features first appeared onscreen in an uncredited bit part in
Alfred HitchcockSir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British filmmaker and producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in his native United Kingdom in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
's
Secret Agent, which had its
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
premiere in May 1936.
During the late 1930s, Rennie served his apprenticeship as an actor, gaining experience in acting technique while touring the provinces in British repertory. There is evidence that, at the age of 28, he was noticed by one of the British film studios, which decided to appraise his potential as a film personality by arranging a screen test. The 1937
test, which exists in the
British Film InstituteThe British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
archives under the title "Marguerite Allan and Michael Rennie Screen Test," did not lead to a film career for either performer. In
Secret Agent, he was primarily a stand-in for leading man
Robert YoungRobert George Young was an American actor, best known for his leading roles of Jim Anderson, the father of Father Knows Best and physician Marcus Welby in Marcus Welby, M.D. ....
, and his own on-camera bit was so small that it cannot be discerned in the preserved final version of the film. He also played other bit parts, and later, minor unbilled roles in ten additional films produced between 1936 and 1940, the last of which,
"Pimpernel" SmithPimpernel Smith is a 1941 adventure film, directed by and starring Leslie Howard, which updates The Scarlet Pimpernel story from Revolutionary France to pre-World War II Europe.The film features an early screen appearance by David Tomlinson....
, had a belated release in July 1941, while Rennie was already in uniform, serving in the
Royal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts.The RAF operates almost 1,109...
during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The Second World War years
Shortly after the outbreak of war in September 1939, Rennie began to receive offers for larger film roles, starting with his first (small) billed performance in the wartime morale booster
The Big BlockadeThe Big Blockade is a 1940 British wartime propaganda film from Ealing Studios, made in a mock documentary style, in which the success of the economic blockade of Nazi Germany is highlighted in a humorous manner via a series of sketches....
, seen in March 1940.
Michael RedgraveSir Michael Scudamore Redgrave CBE was an English stage and film actor, director, manager and author.He twice won Best Actor trophies in the Evening Standard Awards and twice received the Variety Club of Great Britain 'Actor of the Year' Award...
, by then a full-fledged star, had one of the leading roles in the film. Six films later, however, Michael Rennie also had his first film lead. The suspense drama
Tower of Terror, released in late December 1941, shortly after Pearl Harbor, was styled in the manner of a horror film and starred
Wilfrid LawsonWilfrid Lawson was a renowned British character actor of stage and screen.-Life and career:...
as a mad
DutchThe Dutch people are the dominant ethnic group of the Netherlands.Dutch people, or descendants of Dutch people, are also found in migrant communities world wide, notably in Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and the United States....
lighthouse keeper in Nazi-occupied Netherlands, while second-billed Rennie and third-billed Movita had the romantic leads.
Michael Rennie enlisted in the RAF Volunteer Reserve on 27 May1941 (Serial No 1391153). He was discharged for commission on 4 August, 1942 and, the following day, was commissioned "for the emergency" as a
Pilot OfficerPilot Officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below Flying Officer...
(No 127347) on probation in the General Duties Branch of the RAFVR. On 5 February, 1943, he was promoted to
Flying OfficerFlying Officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
on probation. He resigned his commission on 1 May, 1944 (not invalided out, as studio publicity stated). Rennie carried out his basic training near
TorquayTorquay is a town in the unitary authority area of Torbay and ceremonial county of Devon, England. It lies miles south of Exeter along the A380 on the north of Torbay, north-east of Plymouth and adjoins the neighbouring town of Paignton on the west of the bay. Torquay’s population of 63,998...
, in
DevonDevon is a large county in England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, although that is an unofficial name, rarely used inside of the county itself and often indicating a traditional or historical context. The county shares borders with Cornwall to the west and Dorset and Somerset to...
, after which he was posted to the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he served in
Macon, GeorgiaMacon is a city located in central Georgia, USA. It is among the largest metropolitan areas in Georgia, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. It lies near the geographic center of Georgia, approximately 85 miles south of Atlanta, hence the...
, purportedly as a flying instructor—although no record of his holding such rank could be confirmed in the RAF's archives. A story Rennie told to an interviewer, which was subsequently recounted in a number of his film-magazine biographies, concerned his period with the U.S. military. While stationed in Macon, he was asked by some of the American flyers what he did for a living. Upon hearing his response that in civilian life he was an actor and had appeared in a few films, they laughed disbelievingly. That evening, with free time on their hands, the group decided to go into town to see a movie. The film they picked,
Ships with Wings (released in the UK in January and in the U.S. in May 1942), featured the tenth-billed Rennie in a few brief but prominent scenes as an RAF
Flight LieutenantFlight Lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above Flying Officer and immediately below Squadron Leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "Lieutenant"...
. The Americans were astonished to discover that their British flying instructor was really as he described himself.
British film star (1945–1950)
With the war's end in May 1945, Michael Rennie began to be seen as a potential star as a result of playing second leads in two vehicles for Britain's most popular leading actress of the era,
Margaret LockwoodMargaret Lockwood, CBE was a British actress, notable for her performance in the 1945 Gainsborough movie The Wicked Lady.-Early life:...
: the musical
I'll Be Your Sweetheart and, most prominently, the sensual costume adventure
The Wicked LadyThe Wicked Lady was a 1945 film starring Margaret Lockwood in the title role as a nobleman's wife who secretly becomes a highwayman for the excitement...
. The latter turned out to be the year's biggest box office hit, subsequently being listed ninth on a list of top ten highest-grossing British films. He also had a single prominent scene as a commander of
RomanThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The term is used to describe the Roman state during and after the time of the first emperor,...
centurions in the film described at the time as the most expensive (and financially ruinous) British film enterprise ever made,
Gabriel PascalGabriel Pascal was a Hungarian film producer and director.Born in Arad, Transylvania, Austria–Hungary in 1894, Pascal was the first film producer to bring the plays of George Bernard Shaw successfully to the screen...
's production of
George Bernard ShawGeorge Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60 plays...
's
Caesar and CleopatraCaesar and Cleopatra is a 1945 film starring Claude Rains and Vivien Leigh, produced and directed by Gabriel Pascal from the 1901 play by George Bernard Shaw. The film was nominated an Academy Award for Best Art Direction . -Plot synopsis:...
, starring
Vivien LeighVivien Leigh, Lady Olivier was an English actress. She won two Best Actress Academy Awards for playing "southern belles": Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind and Blanche DuBois in the film version of A Streetcar Named Desire , a role she had also played on stage in London's West End.She was a...
and
Claude RainsClaude Rains was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned 47 years; he later held American citizenship. He was known for many roles in Hollywood films, among them The Invisible Man, the corrupt senator in Mr...
.
Second leads and then leads in seven other British films produced between 1946 and 1949 followed, including what may be considered Michael Rennie's only role as one of two central characters in a full-fledged love story. In the 47-minute episode "
SanatoriumA sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, typically tuberculosis. A distinction is sometimes made between "sanitarium" and "sanatorium" .-History:The rationale for sanatoria was that before antibiotic treatments existed, a regimen of rest and good...
," the longest among the Somerset Maugham tales constituting the film
TrioTrio is a 1950 anthology film based on three short stories by W. Somerset Maugham: "The Verger", "Mr. Know-All" and "Sanatorium". Ken Annakin directed "The Verger" and "Mr...
(released in London on 1 August 1950), the mature-looking, lightly mustached, 40-year-old Rennie and 20-years-younger fellow Briton
Jean SimmonsJean Merilyn Simmons, OBE is an English actress. Simmons was named an Officer in the Order of the British Empire in 2003.-Career:...
are patients in the title institution, which caters to victims of
tuberculosisTuberculosis is a common and often deadly infectious disease caused by mycobacteria...
. They fall in love and decide to marry, despite the doctor's grim prognosis that Rennie, a former
ArmyThe British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England and Scotland and...
major, can only expect a few months of life; Jean's character also faces a premature death within a couple of years. The final scene shows them joyfully leaving their institutional surroundings, secure in the knowledge that their brief remaining time will be spent in the happiness of their love for each other and the ability to face the inevitable on their own terms. Their indomitable spirit even gives inspiration to the other patients who cannot leave the "Sanatorium" but whose sagging spirits are momentarily lifted out of the doldrums of depression.
Jean Simmons would, in fact, turn out to be Michael Rennie's most frequent costar. Although they shared no scenes within the context of their minor roles in
Caesar and Cleopatra, it was the first of their four films together. The remaining two titles were both 20th Century-Fox epics made in 1953–54 that had them primarily involved with other characters. In 1953's
The RobeThe Robe is a 1953 Biblical epic film that tells the story of a Roman military tribune who commands the unit that crucifies Jesus. The film was made by 20th Century Fox and is notable for being the first film released in CinemaScope...
and its 1954 sequel,
Demetrius and the GladiatorsDemetrius and the Gladiators is a 1954 sword and sandal drama film and a sequel to The Robe. It was made by 20th Century Fox, directed by Delmer Daves and produced by Frank Ross. The screenplay was by Philip Dunne based on characters created by Lloyd C...
, Rennie was billed fourth and third, respectively, playing the Apostle Peter, who provides affirmation in the new faith, as Jean and
Richard BurtonRichard Burton, CBE was a Welsh actor. He was nominated seven times for an Academy Award and was at one time the highest-paid actor in Hollywood...
become martyrs for
ChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented by the revelations in the New Testament....
. In the sequel, they were only briefly seen in a
flashbackA flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened prior to the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
, as the focus shifted to Demetrius (
Victor Mature-Early life:Victor John Mature was born in Louisville, Kentucky to a German-speaking father from Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol Italy, Marcellus George Mature a cutler, and a Kentucky-born mother of Swiss-American heritage, Clara P. Ackley. An older brother, Marcellus Paul Mature, died at 11 in...
), third-billed in
The Robe; his temptation by the sexually brazen (within 1954 standards) future Empress
MessalinaValeria Messalina, sometimes spelled Messallina, was a Roman Empress as the third wife of Emperor Claudius. A powerful and influential woman with a reputation for promiscuity, she conspired against her husband and was executed when the plot was discovered.-Family and early life:Messalina was the...
(
Susan HaywardSusan Hayward was an American actress.After working as a fashion model in New York, Hayward travelled to Hollywood in 1937 in the hope of playing the role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind . Although she was not selected, she secured a film contract, and played several small supporting...
); and the continued religious support and uplift provided by Peter to Demetrius and other faithful.
The final film that cast Michael Rennie with Jean Simmons was 1954's
Desiree. He was again billed fourth, after
Marlon BrandoMarlon Brando, Jr. was an American actor whose body of work spanned over half a century. He was named the fourth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute, and part of Time magazine's Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century He is widely considered one of the...
(as Napoleon), Jean (as the title character,
Désirée ClaryBernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary , one-time fiancée of Napoleon Bonaparte, was a Frenchwoman who became Queen of Sweden and Norway as the wife of King Charles XIV John...
), and
Merle OberonMerle Oberon was an Indian-born British actress.She began her film career in British films, and a prominent role, as Anne Boleyn in The Private Life of Henry VIII , brought attention to her...
(as
JoséphineJoséphine de Beauharnais was the first wife of Napoléon Bonaparte, and thus the first Empress of the French. Through her daughter, Hortense, she was the maternal grandmother of Napoléon III...
). As
FrenchThe Napoleonic Wars were a series of conflicts declared against Napoleon's French Empire and changing sets of European allies by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionized European armies and played...
marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, who becomes King
Charles XIV John of SwedenCharles XIV & III John , born Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, later renamed Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte was King of Sweden and King of Norway from 1818 until his death...
, Rennie marries Jean's Désirée, but her true love always remains with Brando's Napoleon.
Hollywood stardom (1951–1952)
Michael Rennie, along with Jean Simmons and
The Wicked Lady leading man
James MasonJames Neville Mason was a British actor who attained stardom in both British and American films. Throughout his career, Mason remained a powerful figure in the industry and he is now regarded as one of the finest film actors of the 20th century...
, was one of a number of British actors offered Hollywood contracts in 1949–50 by 20th Century-Fox's studio head,
Darryl F. ZanuckDarryl Francis Zanuck was a producer, writer, actor, director, and studio executive who played a major part in the Hollywood studio system as one of its longest survivors .-Early life:Zanuck was born in Wahoo, Nebraska, the son of Louise Torpin and Frank Zanuck, a...
. The first film under his new contract was the British-filmed Medieval period adventure
The Black RoseThe Black Rose is a 1950 20th Century-Fox film starring Tyrone Power and Orson Welles, loosely based on the Thomas B. Costain's book. It was filmed partly on location in England and Morocco which substitutes the Gobi Desert of China...
, starring
Tyrone PowerTyrone Edmund Power, Jr. , usually credited as Tyrone Power and known sometimes as "Ty Power", was an American film and stage actor who appeared in dozens of films from the 1930s to the 1950s, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads such as in The Mark of Zorro, Blood and Sand, The Black...
, who became one of Rennie's closest friends. Fifth-billed after the remaining first-tier stars
Orson WellesGeorge Orson Welles was an American film director, writer, actor and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television, and radio. Welles was also an accomplished magician, starring in troop variety spectacles in the war years...
,
Cecile AubryCécile Aubry is a retired French film actress, author, television screenwriter and director. She appeared in the 1950 British film The Black Rose alongside Tyrone Power and Orson Welles. She retired from acting after her marriage to Si Brahim El Glaoui, caïd of Telouet and son of T'hami El...
, and
Jack HawkinsJohn Edward "Jack" Hawkins was an English film actor of the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s.-Career:Hawkins was born at Lyndhurst Road, Wood Green, Middlesex, the son of master builder Thomas George Hawkins and his wife, Phoebe née Goodman...
, Rennie was specifically cast as
13th centuryAs a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 through 1300 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian/Common Era...
King
Edward I of EnglandEdward I , also known as Edward Longshanks, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English Barons. In 1259 he briefly sided with a baronial...
, whose 6′2″ (1.88 m) frame gave origin to his historical
nicknameA nickname is a descriptive name given in place of or in addition to the official name of a person, place or thing. It can also be the familiar or truncated form of the proper name, which may sometimes be used simply for convenience A nickname (also spelled "nick name") is a descriptive name...
, "
LongshanksEdward I , also known as Edward Longshanks, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English Barons. In 1259 he briefly sided with a baronial...
".
Rennie's second Fox film gave him fourth billing in the top tier.
The 13th LetterThe 13th Letter is a 1951 film directed by Otto Preminger. The film is a remake of Le Corbeau directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot.-Plot:...
, directed by his future nemesis and love rival
Otto PremingerOtto Ludwig Preminger was an Austrian-born American film director who moved from the theatre to Hollywood, directing over 35 feature films in a five-decade career. He rose to prominence for stylish film noir mysteries such as Laura and Fallen Angel...
, was a remake of the 1943
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
film
Le CorbeauLe Corbeau is a 1943 French language film directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot. The film was notable for causing serious trouble to its director after World War II because it had been produced by Continental Films, a German production company established in France in the early months of the war and...
, with the setting changed to the Canadian province of
QuebecQuebec is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking identity and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. Rennie's next film dramatically moved his billing up to first and assured him screen immortality. (The role had been intended for
Claude RainsClaude Rains was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned 47 years; he later held American citizenship. He was known for many roles in Hollywood films, among them The Invisible Man, the corrupt senator in Mr...
, who turned it down.)
The Day the Earth Stood Still was the first post war, respectably budgeted, "A" science-fiction film. A serious, high-minded exploration of humanity's place in the universe and our responsibility to maintain peaceful coexistence, it has remained the gold standard for the genre of the era. A unique aspect of the film is the participation, within its fictional structure, of four top newscasters and commentators of the period:
Elmer DavisElmer Davis was a well-known news reporter, author, the Director of the United States Office of War Information during World War II and a Peabody Award Recipient.-Education and early career:...
, H.V. Kaltenborn,
Drew PearsonAndrew Russell Pearson , known professionally as Drew Pearson, and born in Evanston, Illinois, was one of the most well-known American "yellow-"journalists of his day...
, and
Gabriel HeatterGabriel Heatter was an American radio commentator whose World War II-era sign-on became both his catchphrase and his caricature...
. The story was dramatised in 1954 for
Lux Radio Theatre, with Rennie and Billy Gray recreating their roles and
Jean PetersJean Peters was an American actress.-Early life and career:Born Elizabeth Jean Peters in Canton, Ohio, she was the daughter of Elizabeth and Geral Peters, a laundry manager. Raised in Canton, Peters attended the University of Michigan and later Ohio State University...
speaking the dialogue of the
Patricia NealPatricia Neal is an American actress of stage and screen.-Early life:Neal was born Patsy Louise Neal, in Packard, Whitley County, Kentucky...
character. Seven years later, in October 1961, when
The Day the Earth Stood Still had its television premiere on
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
's
Saturday Night at the MoviesSaturday Night at the Movies is a weekly television series on TVOntario, the public educational television network in Ontario, Canada. The series presents classic movies, followed by interview and feature segments with directors, actors and other people involved in making the films presented...
, Michael Rennie appeared before the start of the film to give a two-minute introduction.
Buoyed by the strong critical reception and profitability of the film, Fox assigned much of the credit to the central performance by Michael Rennie. Convinced that it had a potential
leading manLeading man or leading gentleman is an informal term for the actor who plays a love interest to the leading actress in a film or play. A leading man is usually an all rounder; capable of singing, dancing, and acting at a professional level, but never outshining his female co-star...
under contract, the studio decided to produce a version of
Les MiserablesLes Misérables is a novel by French author Victor Hugo and is widely considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century...
as a vehicle for him. The film, released on August 14, 1952, was well-directed by
All Quiet on the Western Front's Lewis MilestoneLewis Milestone was an Academy Award-winning motion picture director. He is known for directing Two Arabian Knights , All Quiet on the Western Front , The General Died at Dawn , Of Mice and Men , Ocean's Eleven , and Mutiny on the Bounty .Milestone was born in...
, and Rennie's performance was respectfully, but not enthusiastically, received by the critics. Ultimately,
Les Misérables turned in an extremely modest profit and put an end to any further attempts to promote the 43-year-old Rennie as a future star. He was, however, launched on a thriving career as a top supporting actor, as in
Sailor of the KingSailor of the King, also known as Single-Handed and Brown on Resolution, is a 1953 war film based on the novel Brown on Resolution by C. S. Forester and filmed in the Mediterranean Sea...
. Based on the positive reaction to his two turns as the Apostle Peter, Fox assigned him another third-billed, top-tier role as a stalwart man of God,
FranciscanThe term Franciscan is commonly used to refer to members of Catholic religious orders, also known as the Orders of Friars Minor, that follow a body of regulations known as "The rule of St. Francis", or a member of one of these orders. As well as Roman Catholic there are also small Old Catholic and...
friarA friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.-Friars and monks:Friars differ from monks in that they are called to live the evangelical counsels in service to a community, rather than through cloistered asceticism and devotion...
Junipero SerraFray Junípero Serra was a Spanish Franciscan friar who founded the mission chain in Alta California. Fr. Serra was beatified by John Paul II on September 25, 1988.-History:Junípero Serra was born Miquel Josep Serra i Ferrer in Petra, Majorca, Spain...
, who, between 1749 and his death in 1784, founded
missionsThe Spanish missions in California comprise a series of religious outposts established by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order between 1769 and 1823 to spread the Christian faith among the local Native Americans. The missions represented the first major effort by Europeans to colonize the...
in
Alta CaliforniaAlta California was formed when Spain separated the Dominican Missions from the Franciscan Missions in approximately 1769 with the founding of the first Alta California mission in San Diego...
. The film was September 1955's
Seven Cities of GoldSeven Cities Of Gold is a 1955 historical adventure film directed by Robert D. Webb and starring Anthony Quinn, Richard Egan and Michael Rennie. It tells the story of the 18th. Century Franciscan priest, Father Junípero Serra and the founding of the first missions in what is now present day...
, with
Richard EganRichard Egan was an American actor. In some films he is credited as Richard Eagan.Born in San Francisco, California, Egan served in the United States Army as a judo instructor during World War II...
, who had been ninth-billed as a vicious fighting machine and rapist of ingenue
Debra PagetDebra Paget is an American actress and entertainer who rose to prominence in the 1950s and early-1960s in a variety of feature films including Cecil B. DeMille's epic The Ten Commandments and Love Me Tender, the film début of Elvis Presley.-Early life and career:Debra Paget was born in Denver,...
in the previous year's
Demetrius and the Gladiators and was now receiving star buildup and first billing;
Anthony QuinnAnthony Quinn was a Mexican-American actor, as well as a painter and writer. He starred in numerous critically acclaimed and commercially successful films, including Zorba the Greek, Lawrence of Arabia, and Federico Fellini's La strada...
was billed second. Both actors played
SpanishThe Spanish Empire was one of the largest empires in world history, and one of the first global empires. It included territories and colonies in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania, from the 15th century through—in the case of its African holdings—the latter portion of the 20th century...
expedition leaders on a quest that resulted in the 1769 founding of San Diego,
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
.
Post-20th Century-Fox
Michael Rennie's next film was the last under his five-year contract with 20th Century-Fox.
The Rains of RanchipurThe Rains of Ranchipur is a 1955 film drama made by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Jean Negulesco and produced by Frank Ross from a screenplay by Merle Miller, based on the novel The Rains Came by Louis Bromfield. The music score was by Hugo Friedhofer and the cinematography by Milton R...
, released on December 14, 1955, assigned him fifth billing after the lead romantic teaming of
Lana TurnerLana Turner was an American actress.Discovered and signed to a film contract by MGM at the age of sixteen, Turner first attracted attention in They Won't Forget . She played featured roles, often as the ingenue, in such films as Love Finds Andy Hardy...
and
Richard BurtonRichard Burton, CBE was a Welsh actor. He was nominated seven times for an Academy Award and was at one time the highest-paid actor in Hollywood...
and the second-tier romance featuring depressed alcoholic
Fred MacMurrayFrederick Martin "Fred" MacMurray was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and a highly successful television series during a career that spanned nearly a half-century, starting in 1930 and extending into the 1970s.MacMurray is well known for his role in the 1944 film noir Double...
unwillingly pursued by
Joan Caulfield300px|thumb|September 1941 McCall's Magazine Cover image of Joan CaulfiedJoan Caulfield was an American actress and former fashion model...
. As Lana Turner's
cuckoldStrictly speaking, a cuckold is a married man with an adulterous wife, but current usage sometimes extends the term informally to include cuckqueans , wittols , and non-married couples in analogous situations.-History of the term:Cuckold is derived from the Old French for the...
ed husband, Lord Esketh, Rennie maintained his typical dignity and stiff upper lip in the face of the character's diminished self-esteem.
Now a freelancer, Rennie appeared in six additional features between 1956 and 1960, three of which were produced or released by Fox. Rennie appeared as adventurer Lord John Loxton in director Irwin Allen's 1960 adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's
The Lost WorldThe Lost World is a 1960 science fiction adventure film based on the novel of the same name by Arthur Conan Doyle and directed by Irwin Allen...
, a tale of a jungle expedition that finds prehistoric monsters in
South AmericaSouth America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere...
; the film also starred
Claude RainsClaude Rains was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned 47 years; he later held American citizenship. He was known for many roles in Hollywood films, among them The Invisible Man, the corrupt senator in Mr...
,
David HedisonAlbert David "Al" Hedison, Jr. is an American film, television and stage actor. In 1959, when he was cast in the role of Victor Sebastian in the short-lived espionage television series Five Fingers, NBC insisted that he change his name...
,
Fernando LamasFernando Álvaro Lamas was an Argentina-born American actor and director, and the father of actor Lorenzo Lamas. His full birth name was Fernando Álvaro Lamas y de Santos-Early years and career:Lamas was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. By 1942, he was an established movie star in Argentina...
,
Jill St. JohnJill St. John is an American film and television actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Tiffany Case, the lead Bond girl in Diamonds Are Forever....
and
Richard HaydnRichard Haydn was an English comic actor in radio, movies, and television.-Early life and career:Born George Richard Haydon in London, he was known for playing eccentric characters, such as Edwin Carp, Claud Curdle, Richard Rancyd and Stanley Stayle...
. No longer bound by the no-television clause in his studio contract, he began his prolific 15-year association with the medium.
The Third Man series and television
In 1959, Rennie became a familiar face on television, taking the role of Harry Lime in
The Third Man, a British-American syndicated TV series very loosely based on the character previously played by
Orson WellesGeorge Orson Welles was an American film director, writer, actor and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television, and radio. Welles was also an accomplished magician, starring in troop variety spectacles in the war years...
. During the 1960s, he continued his television career, with guest appearances on such series as
The Barbara Stanwyck ShowThe Barbara Stanwyck Show was a lavishly-produced anthology drama television series which ran on NBC in 1960 and 1961. Barbara Stanwyck served as hostess, and starred in all but four of the half-hour productions. The four she did not star in were actually pilot episodes of potential programs which...
,
Route 66Route 66 is an American TV series in which two young men traveled across America. The show ran weekly on CBS from 1960 to 1964. It starred Martin Milner as Tod Stiles and, for two and a half seasons, George Maharis as Buz Murdock. Maharis was ill for much of the third season, during which time Tod...
(a moving portrayal of a doomed pilot in the two-part episode "Fly Away Home");
Alfred Hitchcock PresentsAlfred Hitchcock Presents is an anthology television series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers and mysteries...
;
Perry MasonPerry Mason is an American TV series produced by Paisano Productions that ran from 1957 to 1966. Perry Mason was played by actor Raymond Burr. The title character is a fictional Los Angeles, California, defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner...
(one of four actors in four consecutive episodes substituting for series star
Raymond BurrRaymond William Stacey Burr was a Canadian actor, primarily known for his roles in the television dramas Perry Mason and Ironside and his lead role as Steve Martin in Godzilla, King of the Monsters and Godzilla 1985.-Early life:He was born Raymond William Stacey Burr in New Westminster, British...
, who was recovering from surgery);
Wagon TrainWagon Train is an American Western series that ran on NBC from 1957-1962 and then on ABC from 1962-1965...
(a 90-minute colour episode as an English big game hunter who, in a display of amazing marksmanship, is able to kill an
IndianThe indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Americas, their descendants, and many ethnic groups who identify with those peoples...
chief from a great distance);
The Great AdventureThe Great Adventure is a historical anthology series that appeared on CBS for the 1963-1964 television season. The series, hosted each week by Van Heflin, and featuring theme music by Richard Rodgers, presented each week a one-hour dramatization of the lives of famous Americans and important...
(in an installment of this anthology series about remarkable events in American history, he portrayed
ConfederateThe Confederate States of America was a separatist political entity existing between 1861 to 1865, established by eleven southern slave states of the United States of America, each of which had previously declared their secession from the United States...
president
Jefferson DavisJefferson Finis Davis was an American politician who served as President of the Confederate States of America for its entire history, 1861 to 1865, during the American Civil War....
);
Lost in SpaceLost in Space is a science fiction television program created and produced by Irwin Allen, produced by 20th Century Fox Television, and broadcast on CBS. The show ran for three seasons, with 83 episodes airing between 1965 and March 6, 1968. The first season was shot with black and white film, the...
(another two-part episode—as an all-powerful alien zookeeper, "The Keeper," he worked one last time with his
Third Man costar
Jonathan HarrisJonathan Harris , was an American stage and character actor. Two of his best-known roles were as the timid accountant Bradford Webster in The Third Man, and the comic villain Dr. Zachary Smith, in the 1960s sci-fi television series, Lost in Space...
);
The Time TunnelThe Time Tunnel is a 1966–1967 U.S. color science fiction TV series. The show was created and produced by Irwin Allen, his third science fiction television series. The show's main theme music was Time Travel Adventure. The Time Tunnel was released by 20th Century Fox and broadcast on ABC. The show...
(as
Captain SmithCaptain Edward John Smith, RD, RNR was an English naval officer, and ship's captain. He was the captain in command of the RMS Titanic; he died on board when it sank in 1912...
of
The Titanic, in the series' September 9, 1966 premiere episode);
BatmanBatman is a 1960s American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name, which starred Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin, two crime-fighting heroes who defended "Gotham City". It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for two and a half seasons...
(as the villainous Sandman, in league with
Julie NewmarJulia Chalene Newmeyer is an American actress, dancer and singer. Her most famous role is Catwoman in the Batman television series.-Early life:...
's
CatwomanCatwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics' Batman franchise. The supervillainess was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, partially inspired by Kane's second cousin by marriage, Ruth Steel ....
); three episodes of
The InvadersThe Invaders, a Quinn Martin Production , is an ABC science fiction television program created by Larry Cohen that ran in the United States for two seasons, from January 10, 1967 to March 26, 1968...
(as a malign variation of the
KlaatuKlaatu is the humanoid alien protagonist in the 1951 science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still and its 2008 remake. Klaatu is famous in part due to the phrase "Klaatu barada nikto!" used in the classic film and its re-use in the Bruce Campbell cult comedy film Army of Darkness, as well as...
persona, culminating in a parallel plot also involving an assembly of world leaders); an episode of
I SpyI Spy is an American television secret agent adventure series. It ran for three seasons on NBC from 1965 to 1968 and teamed Robert Culp as international tennis player Kelly Robinson with Bill Cosby as his trainer, Alexander Scott...
("Lana"); and two episodes of
The F.B.I.
Broadway
At the start of the 1960s, Michael Rennie made his only
BroadwayBroadway Theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, is the theatre associated with the 40 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York in Manhattan, New York City...
appearance in
Mary, MaryMary, Mary is a play by Jean Kerr. The play became one of the longest-running productions of the decade. After two previews, the Broadway production opened on March 8, 1961 at the original Helen Hayes Theatre , where it ran for nearly three years and nine months before transferring to the Morosco...
playing Dirk Winsten, a jaded movie star. After two previews, the sophisticated five-character marital comedy written by
Jean Kerr-Early life:Born Bridget Jean Collins in Scranton, Pennsylvania, her best-known book was Please Don't Eat the Daisies , a humorous look at suburban life...
and directed by
Joseph AnthonyJoseph Anthony was an American playwright, actor, and director. He made his film acting debut in the 1934 film Hat, Coat, and Glove and his theatrical acting debut in a 1935 production of Mary of Scotland...
opened at the
Helen Hayes TheatreHelen Hayes Theatre with 597 seats is the smallest Broadway theatre and is located at 240 West 44th Street in midtown-Manhattan....
on March 8, 1961. It ran for a very successful 1,572 performances, closing at the
Morosco TheatreThe Morosco Theatre was a legitimate theatre located at 217 West 45th Street in the heart of the theater district in midtown-Manhattan, New York, United States....
on December 12, 1964. Rennie stayed with the play less than five months, to be replaced by
Michael WildingMichael Wilding may refer to:*Michael Wilding *Michael Wilding...
(July 1961),
Edward MulhareEdward Mulhare was an Irish popular television leading man from 1956 to 1995.Born at 22 Quaker Road, Cork city, County Cork, Ireland, and educated by the Irish Christian Brothers, Mulhare intended to study medicine, but was sidetracked by a growing interest in acting...
(December 1961),
Michael EvansMichael Evans was an English actor best known for starring in the original 1951 Broadway production of Gigi with Audrey Hepburn, and later as Colonel Douglas Austin on the American soap opera The Young and the Restless.-Biography:John Michael Evans was born July 27, 1920, in Sittingbourne, Kent;...
(July 1963),
Tom HelmoreTom Helmore was an English film actor. He appeared in over 50 films between 1927 and 1972, including three directed by Alfred Hitchcock.He was born in London and died in Longboat Key, Florida....
(October 1963), and
Howard MortonHoward Morton was an American actor.A tall man with comedic talent, Morton appeared as Dolph Sweet's doltish police subordinate on Gimme a Break! for five seasons and appeared in many other TV shows and films...
(May 1964).
When Warner Brothers Pictures cast the film version in early 1963, Rennie, along with leading man
Barry NelsonBarry Nelson was an American actor, noted as the first actor to portray Ian Fleming's secret agent James Bond.-Early life:...
and supporting actor
Hiram ShermanHiram Sherman was an American actor.Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Sherman made his Broadway debut as a playwright with the short-lived comedy Too Much Party in 1934. It proved to be his sole attempt at writing. Two years later he made his first appearance as an actor in Horse Eats Hat...
(who joined the play two years after the opening in the part first played by
John CromwellElwood Dager John Cromwell was an American Film director, actor and producer.-Biography:Born in Toledo, Ohio, Cromwell made his New York City stage debut in Marian De Forest's adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women on Broadway. It was a hit and ran for 184 performances...
) were the only Broadway cast members to transfer to the big screen.
Debbie ReynoldsDebbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She is also a collector of movie memorabilia. Reynolds was also an MGM contract star.-Early life:...
was given the title role (created by
Barbara Bel GeddesBarbara Bel Geddes was an American actress, artist and children's author. She is best known for her role in the television drama series Dallas as matriarch Eleanor "Miss Ellie" Ewing...
), and Warners contractee
Diane McBainDiane McBain is an American actress who, as a Warner Brothers contract player, reached a brief peak of popularity during the early 1960s...
, whom the studio saw as a potential star of the future, took over "the socialite part" essayed by
Betsy von FurstenbergBetsy von Furstenberg is an American radio, television, film, and Broadway actress.-Birth and childhood:...
. Veteran
Mervyn LeRoyMervyn LeRoy was an Academy Award-winning American film director, producer and sometime actor.-Early life:Born to Jewish parents in San Francisco, California, his family was financially ruined by the 1906 earthquake...
who, thirty years earlier, directed
Gold Diggers of 1933Gold Diggers of 1933 is a Warner Bros. musical film directed by Mervyn LeRoy with songs by Harry Warren and Al Dubin , staged and choreographed by Busby Berkeley...
for the studio, helmed the production, which opened at
Radio City Music HallRadio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
on October 25, 1963. Ironically, while the film disappeared from cinemas by the end of 1963, the Broadway version continued for another full year.
Rennie also "appeared" on Broadway—in name, at least, in
The Rocky Horror ShowThe Rocky Horror Show is a long-running British stage musical, opening in London on 19 June 1973. It was written by Richard O'Brien, and developed by O'Brien in collaboration with Australian theater director Jim Sharman...
. The opening song, "Science Fiction Double Feature," begins with the lyrics "Michael Rennie was ill
The Day the Earth Stood Still, but he told us where we stand..." ("and
Flash GordonSteven "Flash" Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond, which was first published on January 7, 1934. The strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were...
was there in silver underwear,
Claude RainsClaude Rains was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned 47 years; he later held American citizenship. He was known for many roles in Hollywood films, among them The Invisible Man, the corrupt senator in Mr...
was The Invisible Man..." etc.)
Personal life
Rennie was married twice: first to Joan England (1938–1945), then to actress Margaret (Maggie) McGrath (1947–1960); their son, David Rennie, is an English
circuit judgeCircuit Judges are senior judges in England and Wales who sit in the Crown Court, County Courts and certain specialized sub-divisions of the High Court of Justice, such as the Technology and Construction Court. The office of Circuit Judge was created by the Courts Act 1971. Circuit Judges are...
in
LewesLewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and gives its name to the Local government district in which it lies. The settlement has a long history as a bridging point and as a market town, and is today an important communications hub, and tourist-orientated town.-History:The site that is...
,
SussexSussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is a historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Both marriages ended in
divorceDivorce or dissolution of marriage is the final termination of a marriage, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between two persons...
.
It appears that he also had a son, John Marshall, by his longtime friend and mistress, Renée (née Gilbert), whose married name was Taylor. The
British Film InstituteThe British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
's database also lists him as having a son, John M. Taylor, who is listed as "a producer."
Research indicates that John Marshall Rennie used the pseudonym "Taylor" during his long career in the industry to avoid accusations of
nepotismNepotism is favouritism granted to relatives or friends, without regard to their merit. The word nepotism is from the Latin word nepos .- Papal :...
.
Michael Rennie was also briefly engaged to the ex-wife of Hollywood director
Otto PremingerOtto Ludwig Preminger was an Austrian-born American film director who moved from the theatre to Hollywood, directing over 35 feature films in a five-decade career. He rose to prominence for stylish film noir mysteries such as Laura and Fallen Angel...
. It was rumoured that Preminger (who, not surprisingly, hated Rennie) was the prime instigator in Rennie's fall from stardom.
John RennieJohn Rennie was a Scottish civil engineer who designed many bridges, canals, and docks.-Early years:Rennie, a farmer's younger son, was born at Phantassie, near East Linton, East Lothian, Scotland, and showed a taste for mechanics at a very early age, and was allowed to spend much time in the...
, the designer and builder of the original
Waterloo BridgeWaterloo Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge crossing the River Thames in London, England between Blackfriars Bridge and Hungerford Bridge. The name of the bridge is in memory of the British victory at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815...
over the
River ThamesThe River Thames is a major river flowing through southern England. While best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows through several other towns and cities, including Oxford, Reading and Windsor....
in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
, is presumed to have been his great-great-grandfather.
Final years
After completing what amounted to guest roles in two 1968 films,
The PowerThe Power is a 1968 film based on the science fiction novel The Power by Frank M. Robinson. Its protagonist, a researcher named Tanner, discovers evidence of a person with psychic abilities among his coworkers...
and
The Devil's BrigadeThe Devil's Brigade is a 1968 American war film based on the 1966 book of the same name co-written by American novelist and historian Robert H. Adleman and Col...
, as well as top guest-starring roles in two episodes of the
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948...
/Quinn Martin Productions series
The F.B.I., Michael Rennie moved from
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
to
SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
in the latter part of that year. His final seven feature films were filmed in Britain,
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
,
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
, and, in the case of
The Surabaya Conspiracy, The Philippines. Less than three years after leaving Hollywood, he journeyed to his mother's home in
HarrogateHarrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a popular tourist destination; its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens and Betty's tearooms are world famous visitor attractions. The town originated in the 17th century, with High Harrogate and Low Harrogate as two separate...
,
YorkshireYorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the British Isles. Because of its great size, functions were increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have been subject to periodic reform. Throughout these changes, Yorkshire has continued to be recognised as...
at a time of family grief following the death of his brother. It was there that he suddenly died of an
emphysemaEmphysema is a lung disease, characterized by an abnormal, permanent enlargement of air spaces distal to the terminal bronchioles. The disease is coupled with the destruction of walls, but without obvious fibrosis...
-induced heart attack, two months before his 62nd birthday. After his cremation, his ashes were laid to rest in Harlow Cemetery, Harrogate.
Partial filmography
- Turned Out Nice Again
Turned Out Nice Again is a British comedy film starring Lancashire-born George Formby. The film was released in 1941 and filmed at Ealing Studios, London.-Sypnosis:...
(1941)
- The Wicked Lady
The Wicked Lady was a 1945 film starring Margaret Lockwood in the title role as a nobleman's wife who secretly becomes a highwayman for the excitement...
(1945)
- Miss Pilgrim's Progress
Miss Pilgrim's Progress is a 1950 English black and white film by producer Nat Cohen....
(1950)
- Trio
Trio is a 1950 anthology film based on three short stories by W. Somerset Maugham: "The Verger", "Mr. Know-All" and "Sanatorium". Ken Annakin directed "The Verger" and "Mr...
(1950)
- The Black Rose
The Black Rose is a 1950 20th Century-Fox film starring Tyrone Power and Orson Welles, loosely based on the Thomas B. Costain's book. It was filmed partly on location in England and Morocco which substitutes the Gobi Desert of China...
(1950)
- The 13th Letter
The 13th Letter is a 1951 film directed by Otto Preminger. The film is a remake of Le Corbeau directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot.-Plot:...
(1951)
- The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) – as Klaatu
Klaatu is the humanoid alien protagonist in the 1951 science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still and its 2008 remake. Klaatu is famous in part due to the phrase "Klaatu barada nikto!" used in the classic film and its re-use in the Bruce Campbell cult comedy film Army of Darkness, as well as...
- The House in the Square
The House in the Square, also titled I'll Never Forget You and Man of Two Worlds, is a 1951 science fiction film about an American atomic scientist who is transported to the eighteenth century, where he falls in love. It starred Tyrone Power and Ann Blyth. It was adapted from the play Berkeley...
, also known as I'll Never Forget YouThe House in the Square, also titled I'll Never Forget You and Man of Two Worlds, is a 1951 science fiction film about an American atomic scientist who is transported to the eighteenth century, where he falls in love. It starred Tyrone Power and Ann Blyth. It was adapted from the play Berkeley...
(1951)
- Five Fingers (1952)
- Phone Call from a Stranger
Phone Call from a Stranger is a 1952 American drama film directed by Jean Negulesco, who was nominated for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. The screenplay by Nunnally Johnson and I.A.R...
(1952)
- Les Misérables
Les Misérables is a film adaptation of the novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. It was directed by Lewis Milestone, and featured Michael Rennie as Jean Valjean, Robert Newton as Javert, Sylvia Sidney as Fantine, Debra Paget as Cosette, Edmund Gwenn as the bishop, Cameron Mitchell as Marius, Elsa...
(1952) – as Jean ValjeanJean Valjean is the protagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Misérables.The character's twenty year-long struggle with the law for stealing bread during a time of economic and social depression - along with police inspector Javert, who relentlessly pursues Valjean - has become archetypal in...
- Sailor of the King
Sailor of the King, also known as Single-Handed and Brown on Resolution, is a 1953 war film based on the novel Brown on Resolution by C. S. Forester and filmed in the Mediterranean Sea...
(1953)
- King of the Khyber Rifles
King of the Khyber Rifles is a 1953 adventure film directed by Henry King and starring Tyrone Power and Terry Moore. The film is based on the novel King of the Khyber Rifles by Talbot Mundy. The Khyber Pass scenes were shot in Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California...
(1953)
- The Robe
The Robe is a 1953 Biblical epic film that tells the story of a Roman military tribune who commands the unit that crucifies Jesus. The film was made by 20th Century Fox and is notable for being the first film released in CinemaScope...
(1953) – as the Apostle Peter
- Demetrius and the Gladiators
Demetrius and the Gladiators is a 1954 sword and sandal drama film and a sequel to The Robe. It was made by 20th Century Fox, directed by Delmer Daves and produced by Frank Ross. The screenplay was by Philip Dunne based on characters created by Lloyd C...
(1954)
- Désirée (1954)
- Soldier of Fortune
Soldier of Fortune is a 1955 adventure film about the rescue of an American held prisoner in the People's Republic of China in the 1950s. It starred Clark Gable and Susan Hayward.-Plot:...
(1955)
- Seven Cities of Gold
Seven Cities Of Gold is a 1955 historical adventure film directed by Robert D. Webb and starring Anthony Quinn, Richard Egan and Michael Rennie. It tells the story of the 18th. Century Franciscan priest, Father Junípero Serra and the founding of the first missions in what is now present day...
(1955)
- The Rains of Ranchipur
The Rains of Ranchipur is a 1955 film drama made by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Jean Negulesco and produced by Frank Ross from a screenplay by Merle Miller, based on the novel The Rains Came by Louis Bromfield. The music score was by Hugo Friedhofer and the cinematography by Milton R...
(1955)
- Teenage Rebel
Teenage Rebel is a 1956 drama film directed by Edmund Goulding and starring Ginger Rogers. It was nominated for two Academy Awards; for Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction Teenage Rebel is a 1956 drama film directed by Edmund Goulding and starring Ginger Rogers. It was nominated for two...
(1956)
- Island in the Sun
Island in the Sun is a 1957 film that stars an ensemble cast including James Mason, Joan Fontaine, Dorothy Dandridge, Joan Collins, Michael Rennie and Harry Belafonte. The cast includes also Diana Wynyard, Patricia Owens and Stephen Boyd. The film is about race relations and interracial romance...
(1957)
- Omar Khayyam
Omar Khayyam is an American movie directed by William Dieterle, filmed in 1956 and released in 1957...
(1957)
- Battle of the V-1
Battle of the V-1 is a British film starring Michael Rennie, Patricia Medina, Milly Vitale, David Knight and Christopher Lee.The film tells the story of a Polish Resistance group which discovers details of the manufacture of the German V-1 'Flying Bomb' at Peenemünde in 1943...
(1958)
- Third Man on the Mountain
Third Man on the Mountain is a 1959 American Walt Disney movie set during the golden age of alpinism about a young Swiss man who conquers the mountain that killed his father. It is based on the novel Banner in the Sky by James Ramsey Ullman, and was televised under this name...
(1959)
- The Lost World
The Lost World is a 1960 science fiction adventure film based on the novel of the same name by Arthur Conan Doyle and directed by Irwin Allen...
(1960)
- Cyborg 2087
Cyborg 2087 is a 1966 science fiction film starring Michael Rennie, Karen Steele, Wendell Corey and Warren Stevens.-Plot summary:Garth , a cyborg from the future, travels back in time to 1966 to prevent Professor Sigmund Marx from revealing his new discovery, an idea that will make mind control...
(1966)
- Hotel
Hotel is a 1967 Technicolor film adaptation of the novel Hotel written by Arthur Hailey. The film stars Rod Taylor, Catherine Spaak, Karl Malden, Kevin McCarthy, Michael Rennie, and Melvyn Douglas.-Plot:...
(1967)
- The Power
The Power is a 1968 film based on the science fiction novel The Power by Frank M. Robinson. Its protagonist, a researcher named Tanner, discovers evidence of a person with psychic abilities among his coworkers...
(1968) – as Arthur Nordlund
- The Devil's Brigade
The Devil's Brigade is a 1968 American war film based on the 1966 book of the same name co-written by American novelist and historian Robert H. Adleman and Col...
(1968) – as General Mark ClarkMark Wayne Clark was an American general during World War II and the Korean War and was the youngest lieutenant general in the U.S. Army...
External links