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Norman Foster (director)

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Norman Foster (born Norman Foster Hoeffer; December 13, 1903 – July 7, 1976) was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He directed many Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto films as well as projects for Orson Welles and Walt Disney. As an actor he was a leading man in early talkies and also appeared in Welles' final film, The Other Side of the Wind.

Norman Foster
Foster in Rafter Romance (1933)
Born
Norman Foster Hoeffer

(1903-12-13)December 13, 1903
Richmond, Indiana, U.S.
DiedJuly 7, 1976(1976-07-07) (aged 72)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Resting placeHoly Cross Cemetery
Occupations
  • Director
  • screenwriter
  • actor
Years active1926–1976
Spouses
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(m. 1928; div. 1935)​
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(m. 1935)​
Children2

Life and career

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Norman Foster was born Norman Foster Hoeffer on December 13, 1903,[1] in Richmond, Indiana.[2] He became a cub reporter on a local newspaper in Indiana before going to New York in the hopes of getting a better newspaper job but there were no vacancies.

He tried a number of theatrical agencies before getting stage work including The Barker (1927, New York; 1928, London) in which he appeared opposite future wife Claudette Colbert.[3]

He later appeared on Broadway in the George S. Kaufman/Ring Lardner play June Moon in 1929. He began working in crowd scenes in films before moving to bigger parts.

Foster wrote several plays. He gave up acting in the late 1930s to pursue directing, although he occasionally appeared in movies and television programs. Foster directed a number of Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto mysteries, including Charlie Chan in Panama (1940), Charlie Chan at Treasure Island (1939), Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation (1939), Charlie Chan in Reno (1939), Mr. Moto's Last Warning (1939), Mysterious Mr. Moto (1938), Mr. Moto Takes a Chance (1938), Thank You, Mr. Moto (1937), and Think Fast, Mr. Moto (1937). He co-wrote and directed the "My Friend Bonito" segment of Orson Welles's unfinished Pan-American anthology film It's All True (1941).[4]: 310–311 

Initially engaged as a second-unit director who would film background material,[5]: 189  Foster came to do much more and the quality of his work would have been recognized with a co-director credit on the film.[6]: 31–34  A co-production of RKO Pictures and the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, the non-commercial project was later terminated by RKO.[4]: 41 

As Welles prepared to go to Brazil to film the Rio Carnival for It's All True, he temporarily suspended "Bonito" (for which filming was never completed) so Foster could return to Hollywood to direct Journey into Fear (1943). Welles played a small on-screen role in the Mercury Production, and denied that he took over direction of the film himself.[7]: 155 

Some of Foster's other directorial efforts include Kiss the Blood off My Hands (1948), Rachel and the Stranger (1948), Woman on the Run (1950) and The Sign of Zorro (1958). He directed the Davy Crockett segments of the Walt Disney anthology television series Disneyland that were edited into the feature films Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier (1955) and Davy Crockett and the River Pirates (1956). Foster's second verse of his lyrics to Disney's Zorro theme song which was "He is polite, but the wicked take flight, when they catch the sight of Zorro. He's friend of the weak, and the poor, and the meek, this very unique Senor Zorro." never aired on the television series. This version of the Zorro Theme including these verses was performed by The Chordettes. These verses later appeared in the Disney Sing-Along Songs version of the Zorro Theme in its 1987 direct-to-video episode, "Heigh-Ho".

Personal life

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In 1928, Foster secretly married Claudette Colbert in London. Concerned about the reaction of Colbert's mother to their union, they continued to keep their marriage a secret from her, even to the point of living apart.[3]

In 1935, they divorced, and Foster in October that same year married actress Sally Blane, sister of actress Loretta Young. They had two children: Gretchen (named for Loretta Young, whose birth name was Gretchen) and Robert.[8]

Theatre credits

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Date Title Role Notes
September 14 – November 1926 Just Life Dick Fellows Henry Miller's Theatre, New York[9]
October 20 – November 1926 Sure Fire Philip Cole Waldorf Theatre, New York[9]
January 18 – July 1927 The Barker Chris Miller Biltmore Theatre, New York[9]
November 22, 1927 – March 1928 The Racket Dave Ames Ambassador Theatre, New York[9]
September 12 – December 1928 Night Hostess Rags Conway Martin Beck Theatre, New York[9]
November 1 – December 1928 Tin Pan Alley Fred Moran Biltmore Theatre, New York[9]
April 24 – May 11, 1929 Carnival Bobbie Spencer Forrest Theatre, New York[9]
October 9, 1929 – June 4, 1930 June Moon Fred M. Stevens Broadhurst Theatre, New York[9]
December 31, 1930 – January 1931 Savage Rhythm Writer (with Harry Hamilton)
John Golden Theatre, New York[9]

Film and television credits

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Actor

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Norman Foster and Claudette Colbert in Young Man of Manhattan (1930)
 
Norman Foster and Clara Bow in No Limit (1931)
 
Norman Foster and Carole Lombard in It Pays to Advertise (1931)
 
Norman Foster and Ginger Rogers in Rafter Romance (1933)
Year Title Role Notes
1929 Gentlemen of the Press Ted Hanley [10]
1929 Love at First Sight Richard Norton [10]
1930 Young Man of Manhattan Toby McLean [10]
1931 No Limit Douglas Thayer [10]
1931 It Pays to Advertise Rodney Martin [10]
1931 Men Call It Love Jack Mills [10]
1931 Up Pops the Devil Steve Merrick [10]
1931 Confessions of a Co-Ed Hal [10]
1931 Reckless Living Doggie [10]
1931 Under Eighteen Alf [10]
1932 Girl of the Rio Johnny Powell [10]
1932 Play Girl Wallie Dennis [10]
1932 Steady Company Jim [10]
1932 Alias the Doctor Stephan Brenner [10]
1932 The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood Melville Cohen [10]
1932 Week-End Marriage Ken Hays [10]
1932 Skyscraper Souls Tom [10]
1932 Strange Justice Wally Baker [10]
1932 Prosperity John Warren [10]
1933 State Fair Wayne Frake [10]
1933 Professional Sweetheart Jim Davey [10]
1933 Pilgrimage Jim Jessop [10]
1933 Rafter Romance Jack Bacon [10]
1933 Walls of Gold Barnes Ritchie [10]
1934 Orient Express Carlton Myatt [10]
1934 Strictly Dynamite Nick Montgomery [10]
1934 Elinor Norton Bill Carroll [10]
1935 Behind the Evidence Tony Sheridan
1935 Behind the Green Lights Dave Britten [10]
1935 The Hoosier Schoolmaster Ralph Hartsook [10]
1935 Ladies Crave Excitement Dan Phelan [10]
1935 Superspeed Randy Rogers [10]
1935 The Bishop Misbehaves Donald Meadows [10]
1935 Escape from Devil's Island Andre Dion [10]
1935 The Fire Trap Bill Farnsworth [10]
1935 Suicide Squad Larry Parker [10]
1936 The Leavenworth Case Bob Gryce [10]
1936 Everybody's Old Man Ronald Franklin [10]
1936 Fatal Lady Philip Roberts [10]
1936 High Tension Eddie Mitchell [10]
1936 I Cover Chinatown Eddie Barton [10]
1938 Mysterious Mr. Moto Hoodlum in tavern uncredited[10]
2018 The Other Side of the Wind Billy Boyle filmed in 1974, not released until 2018[11][12]

Director

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George Cooper, Sig Ruman and Peter Lorre in Think Fast, Mr. Moto (1937)
 
Jayne Regan and Peter Lorre in Thank You, Mr. Moto (1937)
 
Promotional photo of Dolores del Río and Joseph Cotten for Journey into Fear (1943)
Year Title Notes
1936 I Cover Chinatown [10]
1937 Fair Warning Also screenwriter[10]
1937 Think Fast, Mr. Moto Also screenwriter[10]
1937 Thank You, Mr. Moto Also screenwriter[10]
1938 Walking Down Broadway [10]
1938 Mr. Moto Takes a Chance Also screenwriter[10]
1938 Mysterious Mr. Moto Also screenwriter[10]
1939 Mr. Moto's Last Warning Also screenwriter[10]
1939 Charlie Chan in Reno [10]
1939 Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation Also screenwriter[10]
1939 Charlie Chan at Treasure Island [10]
1939 20,000 Men a Year Second unit director, uncredited[10]
1940 High School [10]
1940 Northwest Passage Second unit director, uncredited[10]
1940 Charlie Chan in Panama [10]
1940 Viva Cisco Kid [10]
1940 Maryland Second unit director, uncredited[10]
1941 Ride, Kelly, Ride [10]
1941 Scotland Yard [10]
1941 It's All True Segment "My Friend Bonito"
Also screenwriter; unfinished film[4]: 310–311 
1943 Journey into Fear [10]
1943 Santa [1][13]
1944 The Escape [1][13]
1945 The Hour of Truth [1]
1946 El ahijado de la muerte [1]
1948 Rachel and the Stranger [10]
1948 Kiss the Blood Off My Hands [10]
1949 Tell It to the Judge [10]
1950 Father Is a Bachelor [10]
1950 Woman on the Run Also screenwriter[10]
1952 Navajo Also screenwriter[10]
1952 Sky Full of Moon Also screenwriter[10]
1953 Sombrero Also screenwriter[10]
1965 Indian Paint Also screenwriter[10]
1966 Brighty of the Grand Canyon Also screenwriter[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Hinkson, Jake (April 30, 2011). "Norman, Is That You? The Long Wait of Norman Foster". Bright Lights Film Journal. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  2. ^ Katz, Ephraim (1998). The Film Encyclopedia (3rd ed.). New York: HarperPerennial. p. 481. ISBN 0-06-273492-X.
  3. ^ a b Amy Fine Collins (April 2000), "A Perfect Star", Vanity Fair. Accessed April 19, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Benamou, Catherine L. (2007). It's All True: Orson Welles's Pan-American Odyssey. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-24247-0.
  5. ^ Wilson, Richard, "It's Not Quite All True". Sight & Sound, Volume 39 Number 4, Autumn 1970.
  6. ^ Callow, Simon, Hello Americans. New York: Viking, 2006 ISBN 0-670-87256-3
  7. ^ Welles, Orson, and Peter Bogdanovich, edited by Jonathan Rosenbaum, This is Orson Welles. New York: HarperCollins, 1992; ISBN 0-06-016616-9.
  8. ^ Lewis, Judy (1994). Uncommon Knowledge. ISBN 9780671700195.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Norman Foster". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs "Norman Foster". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  11. ^ Graver, Gary (2008). Rausch, Andrew J. (ed.). Making Movies with Orson Welles; A Memoir. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. pp. 47–48. ISBN 978-0-8108-6140-4.
  12. ^ Karp, Josh (2015). Orson Welles's Last Movie: The Making of The Other Side of the Wind. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 144. ISBN 9781250007087.
  13. ^ a b "Norman Foster". BFI Film & TV Database. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on November 7, 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
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