George Cukor

George Cukor was an American film director of Hungarian-Jewish descent, known for directing comedies and literary adaptations. He won the Academy Award for Best Director once and was nominated four additional times for the same award. George Dewey Cukor was born in 1899 on the Lower East Side of New York City. His parents were assistant district attorney Viktor Cukor and Helén Ilona Gross. His middle name, "Dewey," was in honor of Admiral George Dewey, a war hero for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898. As a child, Cukor took dancing lessons and developed an interest in theater, appearing in several amateur plays. In 1906, he performed in a recital with David O. Selznick, who would later become a close friend. As a teenager, Cukor frequently visited the New York Hippodrome, a well-known Manhattan theater, and often skipped classes to attend afternoon matinees. He later worked as a supernumerary with the Metropolitan Opera, performing there in blackface at times. Cukor graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School in 1917. His father wanted him to pursue a legal career and enrolled him at City College of New York. However, Cukor lost interest in his studies and left college in 1918. He then took a job as an assistant stage manager and bit player for a touring production of the British musical *The Better 'Ole*, an adaptation of the popular British comic strip *Old Bill* by Bruce Bairnsfather. In 1920, Cukor became the stage manager of the Knickerbocker Players, a theatrical troupe. In 1921, he became the general manager of the Lyceum Players, a summer stock company. In 1925, Cukor co-founded the C.F. and Z. Production Company, where he began working as a theatrical director. He made his Broadway debut as a director with the play *Antonia* by Melchior Lengyel. The company was later renamed the Cukor-Kondolf Stock Company and began recruiting up-and-coming theatrical talents. Cukor's theatrical troupe included, at various times, Louis Calhern, Ilka Chase, Bette Davis, Douglass Montgomery, Frank Morgan, Reginald Owen, Elizabeth Patterson, and Phyllis Povah. Cukor received critical acclaim in 1926 for directing *The Great Gatsby*, an adaptation of the then-popular novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. He directed six more Broadway productions until 1929. At that time, Hollywood film studios were recruiting New York theater talent for sound films, and Cukor was hired by Paramount Pictures. He started as an apprentice director before the studio loaned him to Universal Pictures. His first notable film work was as a dialogue director for *All Quiet on the Western Front* (1930). After returning to Paramount, he worked as a co-director. His first solo directorial effort was *Tarnished Lady* (1931), for which he earned a weekly salary of $1500. Cukor co-directed *One Hour with You* (1932) with Ernst Lubitsch, but Lubitsch demanded sole directorial credit. Cukor filed a legal suit but eventually accepted credit as the film's assistant director. He left Paramount in protest and took a new job with RKO Studios. During the 1930s, Cukor was entrusted with directing films for RKO's leading actresses. He frequently worked with Katharine Hepburn, though not always with box-office success. He directed such hits as *Little Women* (1933) and *Holiday* (1938), as well as notable flops such as *Sylvia Scarlett* (1935). In 1936, Cukor was assigned to work on the film adaptation of the blockbuster novel *Gone with the Wind* by Margaret Mitchell. He spent the next two years involved in the film's pre-production and in overseeing screen tests for actresses vying for the role of Scarlett O'Hara. Cukor reportedly favored casting either Katharine Hepburn or Paulette Goddard for the role. Producer David O. Selznick refused to cast either, citing Hepburn's recent string of flops and Goddard's rumored scandalous affair with Charlie Chaplin, which had damaged her reputation. Cukor did not get to direct *Gone with the Wind*, as Selznick assigned the directing duties to Victor Fleming. Cukor's involvement was limited to coaching Vivien Leigh and Olivia de Havilland. In the same year, he also failed to receive a directing credit for *The Wizard of Oz* (1939), though he contributed to casting and costuming decisions for the film. During this period, Cukor directed *The Women* (1939), an all-female cast film, and *Two-Faced Woman* (1941), Greta Garbo's final film performance. His film career was interrupted by World War II, when he joined the Signal Corps in 1942. Given his experience as a film director, Cukor was assigned to produce training and instructional films for army personnel. He sought an officer's commission but was denied promotion beyond the rank of private. Cukor suspected that rumors of his homosexuality were the reason for the denial. During the 1940s, Cukor had several box-office hits, including *A Woman's Face* (1941) and *Gaslight* (1944