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Pandro S. Berman
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<h2 id="early-life">Early life</h2> <p>Berman was born to a <a href="/facts/American_Jews/zXED0Gus">Jewish</a> family<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> in <a href="/facts/Pittsburgh/42yPHyS0">Pittsburgh</a> in 1905. His father Henry was general manager of <a href="/facts/Universal_Pictures/2xUCraUP">Universal Pictures</a> during <a href="/facts/Cinema_of_the_United_States/1HpkUBfd">Hollywood</a>'s formative years.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="career">Career</h2> <p>Berman was an <a href="/facts/Assistant_director/F7yDgAWn">assistant director</a> during the 1920s under <a href="/facts/Malcolm_St._Clair_(filmmaker)/WqQbLbsj">Mal St. Clair</a> and <a href="/facts/Ralph_Ince/85lttNbI">Ralph Ince</a>. In 1930, he was hired as a <a href="/facts/Film_editor/9F11k3K3">film editor</a> at <a href="/facts/RKO_Pictures/L39uAqh7">RKO Radio Pictures</a>, then became an assistant producer. When RKO supervising producer <a href="/facts/Henry_Hobart_(producer)/dGsA2zTl">Henry Hobart</a> walked out during production of the ill-fated <i><a href="/facts/The_Gay_Diplomat/7f1JVd5f">The Gay Diplomat</a></i> (1931), Berman took over Hobart's responsibilities and remained in the post until 1939. </p><p>When <a href="/facts/David_O._Selznick/8XwGa3la">David O. Selznick</a> became chief of production at RKO in October 1931, Berman managed to survive Selznick's firing of most of the staff. Selznick named him producer for the adaptation of <a href="/facts/Fannie_Hurst/C7rXpIT5">Fannie Hurst</a>'s short story <i>Night Bell</i>, a tale of a Jewish doctor's rise out of the <a href="/facts/Lower_East_Side/sw7oyPpN">Lower East Side</a> ghetto to become a Park Avenue physician, which Selznick personally retitled <i><a href="/facts/Symphony_of_Six_Million/fAwCE4dE">Symphony of Six Million</a></i>. He ordered Berman to have references to ethnic life in the Jewish ghetto restored.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> The movie was a box-office and critical success, and Selznick and Berman were proud of it. Berman later said it was the "first good movie" he produced.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> </p><p>The <a href="/facts/Fred_Astaire/BX0hAvft">Fred Astaire</a>/<a href="/facts/Ginger_Rogers/xpdsDVPB">Ginger Rogers</a> musicals were in production during the Berman regime, <a href="/facts/Katharine_Hepburn/fKvRzBAP">Katharine Hepburn</a> rose to prominence, and such RKO classics as <i><a href="/facts/The_Hunchback_of_Notre_Dame_(1939_film)/LXhAqkMf">The Hunchback of Notre Dame</a></i> and <i><a href="/facts/Gunga_Din_(film)/UPUXtoWC">Gunga Din</a></i> (both 1939) were completed. </p><p>Berman's brother <a href="/facts/Henry_Berman/k09MQy3M">Henry</a>, a film editor, became his assistant at RKO.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> </p> <h3>MGM</h3> <p>Upset when an RKO power-play diminished his authority, Berman left for <a href="/facts/MGM/sQdE9Kg2">MGM</a> in 1940, where he oversaw such productions as <i><a href="/facts/Ziegfeld_Girl_(film)/gYdV1RBF">Ziegfeld Girl</a></i> (1941), <i><a href="/facts/National_Velvet_(film)/0p9Elve1">National Velvet</a></i> (1944), <i><a href="/facts/The_Bribe/8PRLfHba">The Bribe</a></i> (1949), <i><a href="/facts/Father_of_the_Bride_(1950_film)/YCQsH0ds">Father of the Bride</a></i> (1950), <i><a href="/facts/Blackboard_Jungle/LmKd28R2">Blackboard Jungle</a></i> (1955) and <i><a href="/facts/BUtterfield_8/IEYc8kjg">BUtterfield 8</a></i> (1960). His brother Henry also moved to MGM to continue to work with him.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> </p><p>He had a partnership with the director <a href="/facts/Richard_Thorpe/GRso7heh">Richard Thorpe</a> in the 1950s, with whom he made several films, including <i><a href="/facts/Ivanhoe_(1952_film)/Rq2RB3yc">Ivanhoe</a></i> (1952), <i><a href="/facts/The_Prisoner_of_Zenda_(1952_film)/oKTHQeJv">The Prisoner of Zenda</a></i> (1952), <i><a href="/facts/Knights_of_the_Round_Table_(film)/6XVo2TQ4">Knights of the Round Table</a></i> (1953), <i><a href="/facts/All_the_Brothers_Were_Valiant_(1953_film)/DjzQmT9N">All the Brothers Were Valiant</a></i> (1953) and <i><a href="/facts/The_Adventures_of_Quentin_Durward/hhe31oYb">The Adventures of Quentin Durward</a></i> (1955). </p><p>In 1957 he and Lawrence Weingarten formed a company Avon Productions that released through MGM.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> </p><p>He survived several executive shake-ups at MGM and remained there until 1963, then went into independent production, closing out his career with the unsuccessful <i><a href="/facts/Move_(1970_film)/rGAsYF47">Move</a></i> (1970). </p> <h2 id="awards">Awards</h2> <p>Berman was the winner of the 1976 <a href="/facts/Irving_G._Thalberg_Memorial_Award/pkEHGa0h">Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award</a>. Six of his films were nominated for <a href="/facts/Academy_Award_for_Best_Picture/C6komTsX">Academy Award for Best Picture</a>: <i><a href="/facts/The_Gay_Divorcee/TpVhzVYd">The Gay Divorcee</a></i> (1934), <i><a href="/facts/Alice_Adams_(1935_film)/DSuX2jR3">Alice Adams</a></i> and <i><a href="/facts/Top_Hat/HtT28Hru">Top Hat</a></i> (both 1935), <i><a href="/facts/Stage_Door/b2LGJbCs">Stage Door</a></i> (1937), <i>Father of the Bride</i> (1950), and <i><a href="/facts/Ivanhoe_(1952_film)/Rq2RB3yc">Ivanhoe</a></i> (1952). </p> <h2 id="personal-life-and-death">Personal life and death</h2> <p>In 1937, Berman and his wife, Viola, hired architect <a href="/facts/Roland_Coate/Aap7GFre">Roland Coate</a> to design a house for them in <a href="/facts/Beverly_Hills,_California/enbBhsjT">Beverly Hills, California</a>. The sixteen-room, Cape Cod-inspired mansion cost $50,000 to build and included a screening room.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> Berman had three children with his first wife Viola - Susan Berman Moshay, Cynthia Berman Schaffel, and Michael Berman. His marriage to Viola ended in divorce. In 1960, Berman married Kathryn Hereford.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> </p><p>Berman died of congestive heart failure on July 13, 1996, in his Beverly Hills home, aged 91. </p> <h2 id="selected-filmography">Selected filmography</h2> <ul><li><i><a href="/facts/Stocks_and_Blondes/g19IdymG">Stocks and Blondes</a></i> (1928)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Phantom_of_the_Range/LlxoCzy7">Phantom of the Range</a></i> (1928)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Fangs_of_the_Wild_(1928_film)/l7eqtBW4">Fangs of the Wild</a></i> (1928)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/The_Texas_Tornado_(1928_film)/NP5n2r9H">The Texas Tornado</a></i> (1928)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Symphony_of_Six_Million/fAwCE4dE">Symphony of Six Million</a></i> (1932)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Morning_Glory_(1933_film)/ayzoVKy4">Morning Glory</a></i> (1933)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/One_Man%27s_Journey/b4sRejG2">One Man's Journey</a></i> (1933)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/The_Little_Minister_(1934_film)/LjgbqxpG">The Little Minister</a></i> (1934)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/The_Gay_Divorcee/TpVhzVYd">The Gay Divorcee</a></i> (1934)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Where_Sinners_Meet/YaQL7yCS">Where Sinners Meet</a></i> (1934)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Wednesday%27s_Child_(film)/gABSygd5">Wednesday's Child</a></i> (1934)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Of_Human_Bondage_(1934_film)/29Go2TXx">Of Human Bondage</a></i> (1934)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Alice_Adams_(1935_film)/DSuX2jR3">Alice Adams</a></i> (1935)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Top_Hat/HtT28Hru">Top Hat</a></i> (1935)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Roberta_(1935_film)/c6KEbqlN">Roberta</a></i> (1935)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Swing_Time_(film)/cINzEgaz">Swing Time</a></i> (1936)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Mary_of_Scotland_(film)/gqeJJcEE">Mary of Scotland</a></i> (1936)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Shall_We_Dance_(1937_film)/zsQleETC">Shall We Dance?</a></i> (1937; uncredited)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Stage_Door/b2LGJbCs">Stage Door</a></i> (1937)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/The_Hunchback_of_Notre_Dame_(1939_film)/LXhAqkMf">The Hunchback of Notre Dame</a></i> (1939)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Ziegfeld_Girl_(film)/gYdV1RBF">Ziegfeld Girl</a></i> (1941)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Rio_Rita_(1942_film)/WzQYcBUu">Rio Rita</a></i> (1942)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Dragon_Seed_(film)/61LKqTwd">Dragon Seed</a></i> (1944)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/National_Velvet_(film)/0p9Elve1">National Velvet</a></i> (1944)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Song_of_Russia/eYJKpTLb">Song of Russia</a></i> (1944; uncredited)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/The_Picture_of_Dorian_Gray_(1945_film)/Ws2h2SYa">The Picture of Dorian Gray</a></i> (1945)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/If_Winter_Comes/kFaTRI2B">If Winter Comes</a></i> (1947)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/The_Three_Musketeers_(1948_film)/9mvd3C1R">The Three Musketeers</a></i> (1948)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/The_Bribe/8PRLfHba">The Bribe</a></i> (1949)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Madame_Bovary_(1949_film)/FaPecApA">Madame Bovary</a></i> (1949)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Father_of_the_Bride_(1950_film)/YCQsH0ds">Father of the Bride</a></i> (1950)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Ivanhoe_(1952_film)/Rq2RB3yc">Ivanhoe</a></i> (1952)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/The_Prisoner_of_Zenda_(1952_film)/oKTHQeJv">The Prisoner of Zenda</a></i> (1952)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Knights_of_the_Round_Table_(film)/6XVo2TQ4">Knights of the Round Table</a></i> (1953)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/The_Long,_Long_Trailer/S5hynSIm">The Long, Long Trailer</a></i> (1954)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Blackboard_Jungle/LmKd28R2">Blackboard Jungle</a></i> (1955)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Bhowani_Junction_(film)/npQqITnj">Bhowani Junction</a></i> (1956)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Tea_and_Sympathy_(film)/sSIX46Q6">Tea and Sympathy</a></i> (1956)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Jailhouse_Rock_(film)/jxfgY5ox">Jailhouse Rock</a></i> (1957)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/The_Brothers_Karamazov_(1958_film)/VUysgDvR">The Brothers Karamazov</a></i> (1958)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/The_Reluctant_Debutante_(film)/vyEVlEIB">The Reluctant Debutante</a></i> (1958)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/BUtterfield_8/IEYc8kjg">BUtterfield 8</a></i> (1960)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Sweet_Bird_of_Youth_(film)/5zjF3rHI">Sweet Bird of Youth</a></i> (1962)</li> <li><i><a href="/facts/A_Patch_of_Blue/5oeVzozF">A Patch of Blue</a></i> (1965)</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pandro S. Berman. <ul><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0075825/">Pandro S. Berman</a> at <a href="/facts/IMDb_(identifier)/uWrqVYVy">IMDb</a></li> <li><a href="http://arcat.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=109/">Pandro S. Berman Papers</a> at the <a href="/facts/Wisconsin_Center_for_Film_and_Theater_Research/GWkxes6m">Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research</a></li></ul> <ul><li><a href="https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6506">Pandro S. Berman</a> at <a href="/facts/Find_a_Grave/oRU854B1">Find a Grave</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>The Jewish Chronicle: "Revealed: the truth about the 'Jewish' Hollywood" by Michael Freedland September 5, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2022. <a href="https://www.thejc.com/lifestyle/features/revealed-the-truth-about-the-jewish-hollywood-1.57429" target="_blank">https://www.thejc.com/lifestyle/features/revealed-the-truth-about-the-jewish-hollywood-1.57429</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Allan, John B. (July 5, 2011). Elizabeth Taylor. Blackbird Books. ISBN 9781610533232. <a href="9781610533232" target="_blank">9781610533232</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Brook, Vincent (December 15, 2016). From Shtetl to Stardom: Jews and Hollywood: Chapter 1: Still an Empire of Their Own: How Jews Remain Atop a Reinvented Hollywood. Purdue University Press. p. 17. ISBN 9781557537638. <a href="9781557537638" target="_blank">9781557537638</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"Obituaries". Variety. June 20, 1979. p. 86. <a href="/wiki/Variety_(magazine)" target="_blank">/wiki/Variety_(magazine)</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"Symphony Of Six Million – 1932". The Irene Dunne Site. Archived from the original on September 25, 2013. Retrieved September 21, 2013. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130925091437/http://www.irenedunnesite.com/filmography/1932-symphony-of-six-million/" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20130925091437/http://www.irenedunnesite.com/filmography/1932-symphony-of-six-million/</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Doherty, Thomas (Summer 2011). "Symphony of Six Million". Cineaste. XXXVII (1). Archived from the original on September 25, 2013. Retrieved September 21, 2013. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130925164905/http://www.cineaste.com/articles/from-the-archives-emsymphony-of-six-millionem" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20130925164905/http://www.cineaste.com/articles/from-the-archives-emsymphony-of-six-millionem</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Arnold, Jeremy. "Symphony of Six Million". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved September 21, 2013. <a href="http://www.tcm.turner.com/this-month/article.html?isPreview=&id=182340%7C182350&name=Symphony-of-Six-Million" target="_blank">http://www.tcm.turner.com/this-month/article.html?isPreview=&id=182340%7C182350&name=Symphony-of-Six-Million</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>"Obituaries". Variety. June 20, 1979. p. 86. <a href="/wiki/Variety_(magazine)" target="_blank">/wiki/Variety_(magazine)</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>"Obituaries". Variety. June 20, 1979. p. 86. <a href="/wiki/Variety_(magazine)" target="_blank">/wiki/Variety_(magazine)</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>"Pictures' dilemma: 'adult' themese appealing to the 15-24 age group". Variety. June 5, 1957. p. 4,22. <a href="https://archive.org/details/variety207-1957-06/page/n1/mode/1up" target="_blank">https://archive.org/details/variety207-1957-06/page/n1/mode/1up</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>Appleton, Marc (2018). Master Architects of Southern California 1920-1940: Roland E. Coate. Santa Barbara, California: Tailwater Press. pp. 184–189. ISBN 9780999666418. <a href="9780999666418" target="_blank">9780999666418</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>Pace, Eric (July 15, 1996). "Pandro Berman, 91, a Producer of Classic Films (Published 1996)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 10, 2020. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/15/movies/pandro-berman-91-a-producer-of-classic-films.html" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/15/movies/pandro-berman-91-a-producer-of-classic-films.html</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>