Editing Victor Fleming

{{short description|American film director, cinematographer, and producer (1889–1949)}}
{{About||the American basketball player|Victor Fleming (basketball)|the Arkansas lawyer and judge|Vic Fleming}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2013}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = Victor Fleming
| image         = Victor Fleming (1927 headshot).jpg
| caption       = Fleming in 1927
| years_active  = 1910–1949
| known_for     = 
   {{ubl
    |''[[Treasure Island (1934 film)|Treasure Island]]''
    |''[[Captains Courageous (1937 film)|Captains Courageous]]''
    |''[[The Wizard of Oz]]''
    |''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]''
    |''[[Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941 film)|Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]''
    |''[[Joan of Arc (1948 film)|Joan of Arc]]''
}}
| occupation    = {{hlist|Director|cinematographer|producer}}
| birth_name    = Victor Lonzo Fleming
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1889|2|23}}
| birth_place   = [[La Cañada Flintridge, California]], U.S.
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|1949|1|6|1889|2|23}}
| death_place   = [[Cottonwood, Arizona]], U.S.
| resting_place = [[Hollywood Forever Cemetery]]
| spouse        = Lucile Rosson (1933–1949)
}}

'''Victor Lonzo Fleming''' (February 23, 1889 – January 6, 1949) was an American film director, [[cinematographer]], and producer. His most popular films were the historical drama ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]'', for which he won an [[Academy Award for Best Director]], and the fantasy film ''[[The Wizard of Oz]]'' (both 1939). Fleming has those same two films listed in the top 10 of the [[American Film Institute]]'s 2007 [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)|AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies]] list.

==Biography==
===Early life===
Fleming was born at the Banbury Ranch near what is now [[La Cañada Flintridge, California]], the son of Eva (née Hartman) and William Richard Lonzo Fleming.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=615TAGHm8WYC&pg=PT19|title=Victor Fleming: An American Movie Master |author=Michael Sragow|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|date=2013|page=19|isbn=9780813144429 }}</ref>

===Career===
He served in the photographic section for the [[United States Army]] during [[World War I]], and acted as chief photographer for President [[Woodrow Wilson]] in [[Treaty of Versailles|Versailles]], France.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.biography.com/articles/Victor-Fleming-9297044|publisher=biography.com|title=Victor Fleming Biography|access-date=June 26, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090716231954/http://www.biography.com/articles/Victor-Fleming-9297044|archive-date=July 16, 2009|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Beginning in 1918, Fleming taught at and headed [[Columbia University]]'s School of Military Cinematography, training over 700 soldiers to cut, edit, shoot, develop, store and ship film; filmmakers that participated in the program included [[Josef von Sternberg]], [[Ernest B. Schoedsack]], and [[Lewis Milestone]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ask Alma's Owl: Victor Fleming and Columbia's School of Military Cinematography|url=https://news.columbia.edu/news/ask-almas-owl-victor-fleming-and-columbias-school-military-cinematography|access-date=2022-01-03|website=Columbia News|language=en}}</ref> He showed a mechanical aptitude early in life; while working as a car mechanic, he met the director [[Allan Dwan]], who took him on as a camera assistant. He soon rose to the rank of cinematographer, working with both Dwan and [[D. W. Griffith]], and directed his first film in 1919.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Glen O.|last1=Gabbard|first2=Krin|last2=Gabbard|title=Psychiatry and the Cinema|publisher=American Psychiatric Press, Inc.|location=Washington DC|page=37|date=1999|edition=2|isbn=0-88048-826-3}}</ref>

Many of his [[silent films]] were action movies, often starring [[Douglas Fairbanks]], or Westerns. Because of his robust attitude and love of outdoor sports, he became known as a "man's director"; however, he also proved an effective director of women. Under his direction, [[Vivien Leigh]] won the [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress Oscar]], [[Hattie McDaniel]] won for [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]], and [[Olivia de Havilland]] was nominated.

In the opinion of veteran cinematographer [[Archie Stout]], of all the directors he worked with Fleming was the most knowledgeable when it came to camera angles and appropriate lenses.<ref name=Donati1996>{{Cite book|last=Donati|first=William|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Whjb4eJKkHYC&q=Ida%2520Lupino%2520Democrat&pg=PT215|title=Ida Lupino: A Biography|date=2013|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|isbn=978-0-8131-4352-1|page=215}}</ref> He was remembered by [[Van Johnson]] as a being a masterful director but a "tough man" to work for.<ref>''Burt Reynolds’ Conversations with... Hollywood,'' episode with Jimmy Stewart et al. CBS Entertainment Productions, 1991.</ref> He was close friends with another veteran cinematographer, [[Charles Schoenbaum]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sragow |first1=Michael |title=Victor Fleming: An American Movie Master |date=2013 |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |location=Lexington, KY |isbn=9780813144436 |page=195 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WS0KAgAAQBAJ&dq=%22victor+fleming%22+AND+schoenbaum+AND+lunch&pg=PA195}}</ref>

===Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer===
{{quote box|width=30em|bgcolor=cornsilk|fontsize=100%|salign=center|quote=  “Fleming wasn’t a joking man, he was a very serious, demanding man, and very positive in what he wanted to get, and most of his leading men were patterned after his own behavior; he was a real tough man. I think there was more Fleming in [[Clark Gable]] at the end than there was Gable in Gable. I think that Gable mimicked Fleming and became that kind of man on the screen.”—Filmmaker [[Henry Hathaway]], from interview in ''Focus on Film'' No. 7, 1971<ref>Canham, 1973 p. 142</ref>}}
In 1932, Fleming joined [[MGM]] and directed some of the studio's most prestigious films. ''[[Red Dust (1932 film)|Red Dust]]'' (1932), ''[[Bombshell (1933 film)|Bombshell]]'' (1933), and ''[[Reckless (1935 film)|Reckless]]'' (1935) showcasing [[Jean Harlow]], while ''[[Treasure Island (1934 film)|Treasure Island]]'' (1934) starring [[Wallace Beery]] and ''[[Captains Courageous (1937 film)|Captains Courageous]]'' (1937) with [[Spencer Tracy]] brought a touch of literary distinction to [[Boy's Own Paper|boy's-own]] adventure stories. His two most famous films came in 1939, when ''[[The Wizard of Oz]]'' was closely followed by ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]''.

<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Wizard of Oz 01.jpg|thumb|left|On the set of ''[[The Wizard of Oz]]'', L-R: [[Mervyn Leroy]], [[Judy Garland]], and Victor Fleming holding [[Terry (dog)|Toto]], surrounded by the [[Leo Singer|Singer Midgets]] as the Munchkins{{deletable image-caption|Monday, 7 February 2022|F7}}]] -->
Fleming's version of ''[[Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941 film)|Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]'' (1941), with [[Spencer Tracy]], was generally rated below [[Rouben Mamoulian]]'s 1931 [[pre-Code Hollywood|pre-Code]] version, which had starred [[Fredric March]]. Fleming's 1942 film version of [[John Steinbeck]]'s ''[[Tortilla Flat (film)|Tortilla Flat]]'' starred Tracy, [[John Garfield]], [[Hedy Lamarr]], and [[Frank Morgan]]. Other films that Fleming made with Tracy include ''Captains Courageous'' (for which Tracy won his first Oscar), ''A Guy Named Joe'', and ''Test Pilot''. He directed [[Clark Gable]] in a total of five films – ''Red Dust'', ''The White Sister'', ''Test Pilot'', ''Gone with the Wind'', and ''Adventure''.

==Personal life==
He owned the [[Moraga Estate]] in [[Bel Air, Los Angeles]], California, then a horse ranch.<ref name="officialhistory">{{cite web|url=http://www.moragavineyards.com/history.php|title=Moraga Estate - History|date=May 8, 2013|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508190722/http://www.moragavineyards.com/history.php|archive-date=May 8, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="megjames">{{cite news|first=Meg|last=James|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-rupert-murdoch-buys-bel-airs-moraga-vineyard-20130510,0,114629.story|title=Rupert Murdoch buys Moraga Vineyards estate in Bel Air|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=May 10, 2013|access-date=June 28, 2018}}</ref><ref name="irene">{{cite news|first=S. Irene|last=Virbila|url=https://www.latimes.com/food/la-xpm-2013-feb-08-la-dd-moraga-vineyards-in-bel-air-for-sale-20130208-story.html|title=Moraga Vineyards in Bel Air for sale|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=February 8, 2013|access-date=June 28, 2018}}</ref> Frequent guests to his estate included [[Clark Gable]] and [[Carole Lombard]], [[Vivien Leigh]] and [[Laurence Olivier]], [[John Barrymore]], [[Ingrid Bergman]], [[Judy Garland]] and [[Spencer Tracy]].<ref name="megjames"/>

He died en route to a hospital in [[Cottonwood, Arizona]],<ref name="google2">{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=MNNNGtAgD4EC&dat=19490107&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=Prescott Evening Courier - Google News Archive Search|access-date=November 30, 2014}}</ref> after suffering a [[Myocardial infarction|heart attack]] on January 6, 1949. His death occurred shortly after completing ''[[Joan of Arc (1948 film)|Joan of Arc]]'' (1948) with Ingrid Bergman, one of the few films that he did not make for MGM. Despite mixed reviews, Fleming's film version of the life of [[Joan of Arc|Joan]] received seven [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] nominations, winning two.

===Political beliefs===
It was reported in [[James Curtis (biographer)|James Curtis]]'s book ''Spencer Tracy: A Biography''<ref>{{cite book|first=James|last=Curtis|title=Spencer Tracy: A Biography|publisher=[[Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group]]|location=New York City|date=2011|page=417|isbn=978-0307262899}}</ref> that [[Anne Revere]] once said Fleming was "violently pro-[[Nazi]]" and strongly opposed to the United States entering [[World War II]]. According to the Fleming biography ''Victor Fleming: An American Movie Master'',<ref name="movie master">{{cite book|first=Michael|last=Sragow|title=Victor Fleming: An American Movie Master|publisher=[[Pantheon Books]]|location=New York City|date=2008|isbn=978-0375407482}}</ref> by author [[Michael Sragow]], Fleming had once mocked the UK at the outset of World War II by taking a bet as to how long the country could withstand an attack by Germany.

The accuracy of Revere's characterization of Fleming has been disputed, however. According to ''Victor Fleming: An American Movie Master'', Revere had made her comment because she felt she had been cast in the film ''[[The Yearling (film)|The Yearling]]'' over [[Flora Robson]] because Robson was British. However, at the time of the casting, Fleming was working on the film ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'', which featured a British producer and a cast largely composed of British or British Commonwealth actors. Furthermore, Revere did not know Fleming beyond their professional relationship.<ref name="movie master"/>
{{clear}}

==Filmography==
[[File:Olivia de Havilland on the set of Gone With The Wind.jpg|thumb|On set of ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]'' (1939). Left to right: Director Victor Fleming, [[Olivia de Havilland]], and [[Louis Jean Heydt]]]]
{{div col}}
*''[[The Half-Breed (1916 film)|The Half-Breed]]'' (1916)
*''[[When the Clouds Roll By]]'' (1919) (directorial debut)
*''[[The Mollycoddle]]'' (1920)
*''[[Mama's Affair (1921 film)|Mama's Affair]]'' (1921)
*''[[Woman's Place]]'' (1921)
*''[[The Lane That Had No Turning]]'' (1922)
*''[[Red Hot Romance]]'' (1922)
*''[[Anna Ascends]]'' (1922)
*''[[Dark Secrets]]'' (1923)
*''[[Law of the Lawless (1923 film)|Law of the Lawless]]'' (1923)
*''[[To the Last Man (1923 film)|To the Last Man]]'' (1923)
*''[[The Call of the Canyon (film)|The Call of the Canyon]]'' (1923)
*''[[Empty Hands]]'' (1924)
*''[[Code of the Sea]]'' (1924)
*''[[Adventure (1925 film)|Adventure]]'' (1925)
*''[[The Devil's Cargo]]'' (1925)
*''[[A Son of His Father]]'' (1925)
*''[[Lord Jim (1925 film)|Lord Jim]]'' (1925)
*''[[The Blind Goddess (1926 film)|The Blind Goddess]]'' (1926)
*''[[Mantrap (1926 film)|Mantrap]]'' (1926)
*''[[The Way of All Flesh (1927 film)|The Way of All Flesh]]'' (1927)
*''[[Hula (film)|Hula]]'' (1927)
*''[[The Rough Riders (film)|The Rough Riders]]'' (1927)
*''[[The Awakening (1928 film)|The Awakening]]'' (1928)
*''[[Abie's Irish Rose (1928 film)|Abie's Irish Rose]]'' (1928)
*''[[Wolf Song]]'' (1929)
*''[[The Virginian (1929 film)|The Virginian]]'' (1929)
*''[[Common Clay (1930 film)|Common Clay]]'' (1930)
*''[[Renegades (1930 film)|Renegades]]'' (1930)
*''[[Around the World in 80 Minutes with Douglas Fairbanks]]'' (1931)
*''[[The Wet Parade]]'' (1932)
*''[[Red Dust (1932 film)|Red Dust]]'' (1932)
*''[[The White Sister (1933 film)|The White Sister]]'' (1933)
*''[[Bombshell (1933 film)|Bombshell]]'' (1933)
*''[[Treasure Island (1934 film)|Treasure Island]]'' (1934)
*''[[Reckless (1935 film)|Reckless]]'' (1935)
*''[[The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935 film)|The Farmer Takes a Wife]]'' (1935)
*''[[Captains Courageous (1937 film)|Captains Courageous]]'' (1937)
*''[[Test Pilot (film)|Test Pilot]]'' (1938)
*''[[The Wizard of Oz]]'' (1939)
*''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]'' (1939)
*''[[Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941 film)|Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]'' (1941)
*''[[Tortilla Flat (film)|Tortilla Flat]]'' (1942)
*''[[A Guy Named Joe]]'' (1943)
*''[[Adventure (1946 film)|Adventure]]'' (1946)
*''[[Joan of Arc (1948 film)|Joan of Arc]]'' (1948) (final film)
{{col div end}}

== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*{{cite book |last1=Canham |first1=Kingsley |title=The Hollywood Professionals: Michael Curtiz, Raoul Walsh, Henry Hathaway, Volume 1 |date=1973 |publisher=The Tanvity Press, A. S. Barnes Co. |location=New York |isbn=978-0900730580 |pages=200}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*{{IMDb name|281808}}
*{{Tcmdb name}}
*[http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2009/05/25/090525crat_atlarge_denby The Real Rhett Butler] – David Denby on Victor Fleming (''The New Yorker'')
{{Victor Fleming}}
{{AcademyAwardBestDirector 1927-1940}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleming, Victor}}
[[Category:1889 births]]
[[Category:1949 deaths]]
[[Category:American cinematographers]]
[[Category:American silent film directors]]
[[Category:American fantasy film directors]]
[[Category:Best Directing Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery]]
[[Category:Columbia University faculty]]
[[Category:Film directors from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Film producers from California]]
[[Category:Military personnel from California]]
[[Category:People from Bel Air, Los Angeles]]
[[Category:People from Greater Los Angeles]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:Directors of Best Picture Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:MPAPAI members]]
[[Category:Neo-Confederates]]