Oscar Profile #288: Henry Hathaway

Born March 13, 1888 in Sacramento, California as Henri Leopold de Fiennes Hathaway, the child actor turned director Henry Hathaway was the son of American actor and stage manager Rhody Hathaway and his wife, Belgian aristocrat Lillie de Fiennes who acted under the stage name Jean Hathaway.

Young Hathaway began his film career circa 1910 in the westerns of director Allan Dwan. Later he and John Ford alternated as prop men for Lois Weber, the first American female director of note.

Having taken time out for service during World War I and a brief career in finance after the war, Hathaway returned to Hollywood in 1919 working in the art department at Goldwyn for Frank Lloyd. He later became an assistant director to Lloyd as well as Cecil B. DeMille on the 1923 version of The Ten Commandments, Fred Niblo on 1925’s Ben-Hur, Victor Fleming on 1927’s The Way of All Flesh and 1929’s The Virginian and Josef von Sternberg on 1928’s The Last Command and 1930’s Morocco among others. He made his debut as director of record with 1932’s Heritage of the Desert which made a star of Randolph Scott.

As a director Hathaway was at home in any genre. He directed Shirley Temple, along with Gary Cooper and Carole Lombard in one of the child star’s first films, 1934’s Now and Forever after which he director Cooper six more times in The Lives of a Bengal Lancer for which Hathaway received his only Oscar nomination, Peter Ibbetson, Souls at Sea, The Real Glory and Garden of Evil. He directed Tyrone Power in Johnny Apollo, Brigham Young, The Black Rose, Rawhide and Diplomatic Courier; James Cagney in 13 Rue Madeleine, James Stewart in Call Northside 777 and John Wayne in The Shepherd of the Hills, Legend of the Lost, North to Alaska, Circus World, The Sons of Katie Elder and True Grit, the film for which Wayne won his Oscar.

Hathaway shared directing credit with John Ford and George Marshall on the 1962 all-star epic, How the West Was Won. He also provided additional scenes for such films as the 1964 version of Of Human Bondage with Kim Novak and Laurence Harvey and the 1970 blockbuster Airport.

Aside from the outdoor scenes for Airport, Hathaway’s post-True Grit output was limited to just three films: 1971’s Raid on Rommel with Richard Burton and Shoot Out with Gregory Peck and 1974’s barely released Hangup. Having been active in films for more than sixty years, he felt it was time to call it a day.

Henry Hathaway had been married twice, to Elvira Weil from 1919 to 1931 and to Blanche (Skip) Gonzalez from 1932 to his death. He died on February 11, 1985 at the age of 86.

ESSENTIAL FILMS

THE LIVES OF A BENGAL LANCER (1935)

Hathaway’s rousing adventure film set in British controlled India was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and won for its two assistant directors Clem Beauchamp and Paul Wing, a category that was awarded from 1933 through 1937 and then discontinued. It was the second of six films Hathaway directed long-time friend Gary Cooper in from 1934 through 1954, obtaining strong performances from Cooper, Franchot Tone and Richard Cromwell in the leads and Guy Standing, C. Aubrey Smith and Douglas Dumbrille in the principal supporting roles.

THE HOUSE ON 92ND STREET (1945)

An Oscar winner for Best Original Story, Hathaway’s taut thriller was filmed on location in New York City with a stalwart Lloyd Nolan as the intrepid FBI agent who tracks down a nest of Nazi spies on the upper east side of Manhattan. Interspersed with newsreel scenes to add to the film’s authenticity, the film also stars William Eythe in his best film role as a double agent working for both the FBI and the Nazis. Even better is Signe Hasso in a landmark role as the head of the Nazi ring with a shocking secret reveled at the film’s end. The supporting cast includes Leo G. Carroll and Gene Lockhart as Nazis.

FOURTEEN HOURS (1951)

Richard Basehart won the National Board of Review for Best Actor. BAFTA nominated it for a Best Picture award and the WGA nominated its screenplay, but all Oscar could manage was a nomination for Best Art Direction. Filmed on location on Wall Street and Broadway in lower Manhattan, as well as in the Fox Studios, this is heart-pounding thriller from beginning to end as police officer Paul Douglas attempts to talk potential high-rise jumper Basehart off the ledge he has been on for fourteen hours. The top-notch supporting cast includes Barbara Bel Geddes, Jeffrey Hunter, Debra Paget and Grace Kelly.

GARDEN OF EVIL (1954)

Hathaway’s epic western was based on a novel set in Arizona, but Daryl F. Zanuck ordered the location changed to Mexico to capture the feel of Warners’ hugely successful 1948 film, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Hathaway’s three stars were veterans of his prior films. It was the sixth time he directed Gary Cooper and the third time he directed both Susan Hayward and Richard Widmark, having directed the latter to his only Oscar nomination for 1947’s Kiss of Death. Hathaway had nothing to do with the film’s most celebrated element, Bernard Herrmann’s majestic score, which was assigned to him by Fox’s music department head Alfred Newman after the film’s completion.

TRUE GRIT (1969)

Having directly John Wayne, in numerous films including the desert adventure, Legend of the Lost opposite Sophia Loren and the big top thriller, Circus World opposite Rita Hayworth as well as several westerns, Hathaway was a natural to direct the legendary superstar in the role that would finally win him an Oscar as one-eyed aging marshal Rooster Cogburn. Co-starring Kim Darby and Glen Campbell, the film based on Charles Portis’ novel, the iconic film was also nominated for an Oscar for its title song penned by Elmer Bernstein and Don Black. Darby won a BAFTA for best newcomer.