Michael Curtiz (1886–1962)
Author of Casablanca [1942 film]
About the Author
Series
Works by Michael Curtiz
Classic Christmas Collection (It's a Wonderful Life / White Christmas) (2006) — Director — 27 copies
10 Movie Adventure Pack, Vol. 1 — Director — 21 copies
The Errol Flynn Signature Collection, Vol. 1 (Captain Blood / The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex / The Sea Hawk /… (2005) — Director — 15 copies
Mystery Classics: Eyes in the Night / The Kennel Murder Case / The Limping Man / The Spy in White (2005) — Director — 11 copies
Virginia City [1940 film] 10 copies
Father's Little Dividend / Life with Father / The Last TIme I Saw Paris (1967) — Director; Director — 9 copies
Original Family Classics 3 Films: Where the Red Fern Grows / The Proud Rebel / Seven Alone [DVD] (2015) — Director — 8 copies
The Errol Flynn Signature Collection, Vol. 2 (The Charge of the Light Brigade / Gentleman Jim / The Adventures of Don… — Director — 7 copies
The Humphrey Bogart Collection: The Big Sleep / The Maltese Falcon / Casablanca / Key Largo (2000) — Director — 7 copies
Best of Bogart: The Maltese Falcon / Casablanca / The Treasure of the Sierra Madre / The African Queen (2014) — Director — 6 copies
John Wayne: The Fox Westerns Collection: The Big Trail / North to Alaska / The Comancheros / The Undefeated (2008) — Director — 5 copies
4 Film Favorites: Elvis Presley Blues (G.I. Blues/ King Creole/ Jailhouse Rock/ Viva Las Vegas) (2014) — Director — 4 copies
Silver Screen Icons: Doris Day (Romance on the high seas / Calamity Jane / Love me or leave me / Please don't eat the… — Director — 4 copies
Gone with the Wind / Casablanca / Doctor Zhivago (Triple Feature Video) — Director — 3 copies
The Joan Crawford Collection: Humoresque / Possessed / The Damned Don't Cry / The Women / Mildred Pierce (2005) — Director — 3 copies
Doris Day: The Essential Collection [15 films] — Director — 3 copies
Front Page Woman [1935 film] — Director — 2 copies
The Errol Flynn Collection [Captain Blood,The Private Lives Of Elizabeth and Essex,The Adventures Of Robin Hood,They… — Director — 2 copies
Holiday Inn / White Christmas — Director — 2 copies
Huckleberry Finn / The Proud Rebel / Walking Thunder (Triple Feature Video) — Director — 2 copies
Lights! Camera! Elvis! Collection (Blue Hawaii / Easy Come, Easy Go / Fun in Acapulco / G.I. Blues / Girls! Girls!… — Director — 1 copy
Divided We Fall - 10 Civil War Movies: Abraham Lincoln , Hearts in Bondage, The Arizona Kid, Colorado, Santa Fe Trail,… (2015) — Director — 1 copy
5 Star Mystery: Volume 2 — Director — 1 copy
White Christmas / It's a Wonderful Life / The Bell's of St Mary's — Director — 1 copy
El rebelde orgulloso 1 copy
International Crime 5 Star Mystery (Video) — Director — 1 copy
Mandalay [and] The Strange Love of Molly Louvain (Double Feature Video) — Director — 1 copy
Lionel Atwill: Murders in the Zoo / Doctor X /Man Made Monster /The Mad Doctor of Market Street / The Strange Case of… (1932) — Director — 1 copy
Kennel Murder Case [and] British Intelligence (Double Feature Video) — Director — 1 copy
Doctor X [and] The Return of Doctor X (Double Feature Video) — Director — 1 copy
The Comancheros [and] The Undefeated (Double Feature Video) — Director — 1 copy
Leading Men Collection, Vol 1: An Affair to Remember / Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid / Call of the Wild / The… (2013) — Director — 1 copy
Sons of Liberty [1939 film] — Director — 1 copy
Private Buckaroo / This Is the Army — Director — 1 copy
Night and Day (Cary Crant) 1 copy
Private Detective 62 1 copy
Associated Works
The Doris Day Collection: Volume 2 — Director — 9 copies
James Cagney: The Signature Collection: The Bride Came C.O.D. / Captains of the Clouds / The Fighting 69th / Torrid… — Director — 5 copies
20th Century Fox Studio Classics Collection: Volume 5 (Francis of Assisi / The Gospel Road / A Man Called Peter / The… — Director — 4 copies
TCM Greatest Classic Gangsters Films Collection: Edward G. Robinson (2012) — Director; Director — 4 copies
Errol Flynn Westerns Collection: Montana / Rocky Mountain / San Antonio / Virginia City (2008) — Director — 2 copies
White Christmas / The Little Prince / Scrooge — Director — 1 copy
Hollywood Western collection : Angel and the badman; Abilene Town; Under California stars; Santa Fe Trail; The outlaw;… — Director — 1 copy
Dorothy Mackaill Pre-Code Double Feature : Bright Lights/The Reckless Hour — Director — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Curtiz, Michael
- Legal name
- Kaminer, Manó Kertész (birth)
- Other names
- Kertész, Mihály
- Birthdate
- 1886-12-24
- Date of death
- 1962-04-10
- Burial location
- Forest Lawn Memorial Park Glendale, Los Angeles County, California, USA
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- Hungary (birth)
USA - Birthplace
- Budapest, Hungary
- Place of death
- Hollywood, California, USA
- Places of residence
- Vienna, Austria
Hollywood, California, USA - Education
- Markoszy University
Royal Academy of Theatre and Art, Budapest, Hungary - Occupations
- actor
Film producer
film director - Short biography
- Michael Curtiz was born Manó Kertész Kaminer to a middle-class Jewish family in Budapest, Hungary. His father was an architect and his mother an opera singer. He made his stage debut as a child in one of his mother's operas. At age 17, Curtiz ran away from home to join the circus, performing as a juggler, acrobat and mime. He later attended Markoszy University and the Royal Academy of Theater and Art in Budapest. He then became an actor and director with the Hungarian National Theatre. He spent six months working on his craft in Denmark, returning to Hungary to serve in the army during World War I. He went back to filmmaking in 1915 and left Hungary four years later, settling in Vienna. There he directed a number of movies and caught the attention of Jack Warner, head of Warner Bros. Studios in the USA. In 1926, Warner brought Curtiz to Hollywood, where he became a prolific filmmaker. He directed four or five films a year in several different genres, among them The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Casablanca (1942), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), and Mildred Pierce (1945), now considered classics. He was famous for his skill in creating lavish productions on minimal budgets, as well as for his autocratic ways. He directed many Academy Award-winning performances. Curtiz made his last film in 1961, a year before his death at age 74.
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Statistics
- Works
- 125
- Also by
- 14
- Members
- 3,739
- Popularity
- #6,776
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 67
- ISBNs
- 203
- Languages
- 6
- Favorited
- 1
Errol Flynn cut a dashing trail through the American West for the first time in Dodge City. Flynn, an Australian, always worried he would not be accepted as a western hero. But rather than mold him to a type, Flynn's charisma and charm helped put his own stamp on the genre, making for a delightful if bit different entry of wagon trains and wild towns. Everything about this western is slightly different, from Flynn's wide-brimmed hat, to the film's deceptively easygoing manner, camouflaging the lighting pace of director Michael Curtiz. The original screenplay by Robert Buckner is an enjoyable piece of entertainment. You know you're watching a western, yet it has a different feel than the usual oater. Dodge City was simply Flynn and the WB stock company saddling up, and the results are fabulous.
Th film opens in Kansas after the Civil War. Wade Hatton (Flynn) and his trail pals are helping Colonel Dodge (Henry O'Neil) bring the railroad and the civilization that would follow along with it. It is here that the bitter conflict with Jeff Surrett (Bruce Cabot) and his henchman Yancy (Victor Jory) comes into play for the first time.
Six years later, Wade and his pals, Rusty (Alan Hale) and Tex (Guinn “Big Boy” Williams), are taking their herd to Dodge. They’ve offered protection to a wagon train carrying young and lovely Abbie Irving (Olivia de Havilland). Her rambunctious brother will force a tragedy upon the trail for which she blames Wade. Orphaned and traveling West, she’s delivered to her aunt and uncle in Dodge, a wild and lawless town rife with fun and danger.
Alan Hale has some fun screen moments trying to reform, while Guinn Williams does the opposite, resulting in perhaps the greatest saloon brawl ever filmed. It is fun to watch, as is everything in this film; especially Flynn, who somehow managed to seem more Aussie here than usual, yet create his own niche in the western.
The cheating and killing by the earlier-mentioned Surrett and his man Yancey will finally go too far, however, when a young boy Wade was fond of loses his life during a disturbance. That’s when Wade finally accepts the offer as Sheriff of Dodge City. He cleans up the town with Rusty and Tex, as families begin to return, while the paper Abbie now works for begins exposing Surrett and his hold on the town, leading to an exciting technicolor showdown.
There is a wonderful ending for fans of Flynn and de Havilland, and silent film fans will be glad to catch a glimpse of silent star Monte Blue as Barlow, still kicking around in films in 1939. This one is simply fun, and the perfect film for a Saturday morning when you want to kick back.… (more)