Ross Hunter

Ross Hunter (born Martin Terry Fuss; May 6, 1920 – March 10, 1996) was an American film and television producer and actor. He is best known for producing light comedies such as Pillow Talk, and the glamorous melodramas Magnificent Obsession (1954), Imitation of Life (1959), and Back Street (1961).

Over the course of his career, Hunter produced films of various genres but found his greatest success with light-hearted comedies, musicals and melodramatic "tear jerkers" that were high on romance and glamour.

Biography Early life Hunter was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Sources suggest various birth years for him — 1916, 1926, or even 1929, according to Hunter himself - but his Social Security record lists May 6, 1920, a date confirmed by his 1942 army enlistment record and also by the 1940 census. He was of Austrian Jewish and German Jewish descent. He attended Glenville High School, where he later taught English and drama; he also taught these subjects at Rawlings High School). It was at Columbia that a casting agent changed his name from "Martin Fuss" to "Ross Hunter".

He returned to teaching drama at the Ben Bard Dramatic School and also taught speech therapy. Hunter missed working in films and decided to return to the business and focus on film production.

He was dialogue director on The Sword of Monte Cristo (1951) at Fox, and When I Grow Up (1951) for Sam Spiegel at United Artists.

Associate producer In 1951, Universal-International hired him as an associate producer for the film Flame of Araby, starring Jeff Chandler and Maureen O'Hara. During production Hunter cut $172,000 from the film's budget, which pleased Universal executives, who raised his salary.

Staff producer In 1953, Universal-International hired Hunter as staff producer on the strength of his previous credits as a theatrical producer and director. Hunter's first film as sole producer was All I Desire (1953), a melodrama directed by Sirk starring Barbara Stanwyck. It was made for $460,000 and earned over $2 million.

Hunter produced a film noir with Sterling Hayden, Naked Alibi (1954); and a Western with Lex Barker, The Yellow Mountain (1954). He was reunited with Hudson and Sirk on a costume swashbuckler set in Ireland, Captain Lightfoot (1955). Having enjoyed success with a remake, Hunter remade another old melodrama, There's Always Tomorrow (1955), directed by Sirk with Stanwyck. He produced One Desire (1955), a melodrama with Hudson and Anne Baxter, then All That Heaven Allows (1955), which reteamed Sirk, Hudson and Wyman. The latter was especially popular, making over $3 million.

Hunter stepped in at the last minute to produce a "northern", The Spoilers (1955), another remake, with Jeff Chandler and Anne Baxter. He did Battle Hymn (1957), a biopic with Hudson and Sirk.

Romantic comedies Hunter's first romantic comedy as producer was Tammy and the Bachelor (1957) with Debbie Reynolds. It was very successful making $3 million. Less popular were two films he did with June Allyson, Interlude (1957), a melodrama with Rossano Brazzi directed by Sirk, and My Man Godfrey (1957) with David Niven directed by Henry Koster.

This Happy Feeling (1958) was a romantic comedy with Reynolds and John Saxon written and directed by Blake Edwards. He produced The Restless Years (1958), a teen melodrama with Saxon and Sandra Dee. Dee was also in A Stranger in My Arms (1959), a melodrama from the author of Written on the Wind with Allyson and Jeff Chandler.

Imitation of Life and Pillow Talk Hunter hit big in 1959 with Imitation of Life and Pillow Talk. Imitation of Life was a remake of the 1934 film directed by Sirk, with Lana Turner, Dee and Rock Hudson look-alike John Gavin. It was the fourth-most successful film during 1959 in the US, and went on to earn theatrical rentals of $6.4 million. The film was bettered in popularity by the romantic comedy Pillow Talk, starring Doris Day and Rock Hudson, which was released later in the year and went on to earn rentals of $7.6 million in the United States and Canada. While "Ross Hunter movies" were a hit with audiences, his work was largely dismissed by critics. Hunter later said, "I gave the public what they wanted: a chance to dream, to live vicariously, to see beautiful women, jewels, gorgeous clothes, melodrama."

Hunter produced a sequel to Tammy, Tammy Tell Me True (1961), with Dee replacing Reynolds in the title role, and Gavin as the male lead. Gavin starred in a remake of Back Street (1961) with Susan Hayward, which was a box office disappointment.

Hunter produced a popular adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Flower Drum Song (1961).

In 1962 Hunter announced he had six films coming up: If a Man Answers, a new Tammy, remakes of Dark Angel and Madam X, The Thrill of It All and The Chalk Garden. Plans to make In the Wrong Rain and Fanfare were postponed.

He did two romantic comedies with Dee, If a Man Answers (1962) with Bobby Darin and Tammy and the Doctor (1963) with Peter Fonda.

Hunter produced a hugely popular comedy with Day and James Garner, The Thrill of It All (1963), directed by Norman Jewison. He then did his first ever straight drama, The Chalk Garden (1964) with Deborah Kerr and Hayley Mills, which was well reviewed and performed well commercially. "I'd like to make one Chalk Garden type movie a year if I can find a good one", Hunter said.

Seven-year contract In November 1964 he signed a seven-year contract with Universal to make three films a year, with an overall budget of $75 million.

He produced I'd Rather Be Rich (1964) with Dee, a remake of It Started with Eve (1941), and The Art of Love (1965) with Garner, directed by Jewison.

Hunter produced a remake of Madam X (1966) with Turner. He was going to remake Dark Angel but it was not made. "Tear jerkers are more difficult to make than any other kind of movie", he said.

In 1965 it was estimated that 32 of his films had, in eleven years, grossed $150 million.

Television In 1975, Hunter was hired by Paramount Pictures to produce for television. His first produced film for them was The Lives of Jenny Dolan (1975) with Shirley Jones.

In 1977, he was nominated a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series for producing Arthur Hailey's The Moneychangers (1976) (he shared the nomination with his long-time professional and personal partner, Jacques Mapes).

He produced A Family Upside Down (1978) with Fred Astaire and Helen Hayes, and Suddenly, Love (1979) with Cindy Williams.

His last project was the 1979 television movie The Best Place to Be with Donna Reed.

Personal life In the entertainment industry, rumors about Hunter’s sexuality sometimes circulated, but they were not reported publicly during his lifetime.

Death Hunter died of cancer at the Century City Hospital in Los Angeles on March 10, 1996. He is interred at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.

Filmography

Actor Year Title Role Notes 1944 Louisiana Hayride Gordon Pearson 1944 Ever Since Venus Bradley Miller 1944 She's a Sweetheart Paul 1945 A Guy, a Gal and a Pal Jimmy Jones 1944 Hit the Hay Ted Barton 1945 Out of the Depths Clayton Shepherd 1946 The Bandit of Sherwood Forest Robin Hood's Man Uncredited 1946 Sweetheart of Sigma Chi Ted Sloan 1951 The Groom Wore Spurs Austin Tindale Uncredited 1956 There's Always Tomorrow Cameo appearance Uncredited

Producer Year Title Notes 1950 The Jackie Robinson Story Dialogue director 1950 Woman on the Run Dialogue director 1951 The Sword of Monte Cristo Dialogue director 1951 When I Grow Up Script supervisor 1951 Flame of Araby Associate producerAlternative title: Flame of the Desert 1952 The Battle at Apache Pass Associate producer 1952 Steel Town Associate producer 1952 Untamed Frontier Associate producerUncredited 1952 The Duel at Silver Creek Associate producerUncredited 1952 Son of Ali Baba Associate producer 1953 Take Me to Town 1953 All I Desire 1953 Tumbleweed 1954 Taza, Son of Cochise 1954 Magnificent Obsession 1954 Naked Alibi 1954 The Yellow Mountain 1955 Captain Lightfoot 1955 One Desire 1955 All That Heaven Allows 1955 The Spoilers 1956 There's Always Tomorrow 1957 Battle Hymn 1957 Tammy and the Bachelor 1957 Interlude 1957 My Man Godfrey 1958 This Happy Feeling 1958 The Restless Years 1959 A Stranger in My Arms Alternative title: And Ride a Tiger 1959 Imitation of Life 1959 Pillow Talk 1960 Portrait in Black 1960 Midnight Lace 1961 Tammy Tell Me True 1961 Back Street 1961 Flower Drum Song 1962 If a Man Answers 1963 Tammy and the Doctor 1963 The Thrill of It All 1964 The Chalk Garden 1964 I'd Rather Be Rich 1965 The Art of Love 1966 Madame X 1966 The Pad and How to Use It 1967 Thoroughly Modern Millie 1967 Rosie! 1970 Airport Nominated: Academy Award for Best Picture 1973 Lost Horizon 1975 The Lives of Jenny Dolan Television movieExecutive producer 1976 Arthur Hailey's the Moneychangers MiniseriesNominated: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series 1976 A Family Upside Down Television movie 1978 Suddenly, Love Television movie 1979 The Best Place to Be Television movie