Editing Otto Preminger (section)

===''Laura''===
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2017}}
Zanuck returned from the armed services with his grudge against Preminger intact. Preminger was not granted permission to direct ''Laura'', only to serve as producer. [[Rouben Mamoulian]] was selected to direct. Mamoulian began ignoring Preminger and started to rewrite the script. Although Preminger had no complaints about the casting of the relatively unknown [[Gene Tierney]] and [[Dana Andrews]], he balked at their choice for the film's villain, Waldo, actor [[Laird Cregar]]. Preminger explained to Zanuck that audiences would immediately identify Cregar as a villain, especially after Cregar's role as [[Jack the Ripper]] in ''[[The Lodger (1944 film)|The Lodger]]''.

Preminger wanted stage actor [[Clifton Webb]] to play Waldo and persuaded his boss to give Webb a screen test. Webb was cast and Mamoulian was fired for creative differences, which also included Preminger wanting Dana Andrews to be a more classy detective instead of a gumshoe detective. ''Laura'' started filming on 27 April 1944, with a projected budget of $849,000. After Preminger took over, the film continued shooting well into late June. When released, the film was an instant hit with audiences and critics alike, earning Preminger his first Academy Award nomination for direction.