Marion Gering (June 9, 1901 in

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don ( rus, Ростов-на-Дону, r=Rostov-na-Donu, p=rɐˈstof nə dɐˈnu) is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the Eas ...

– April 19, 1977 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

) was a Russian-born American stage producer and director. He moved to the United States in 1923 as an artist. He became involved in the theatrical community in Chicago, founding the Chicago Play Producing Company. His production of Georg Kaiser's ''Gas'', which was presented at the

Goodman Theatre Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of the Chicago theatre scene, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization. Part of its present theater complex occupies the la ...

on January 28, 1926, was particularly successful. In 1927, he began producing plays in New York City, and married actress Dorothy Libaire in 1930. In 1928 he co-produced and staged Aurania Rouverol's ''Skidding'', which was later adapted as the Andy Hardy film series. Gering became a Hollywood film director for

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

in 1931, directing

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, a ...

and

Carole Lombard Carole Lombard (born Jane Alice Peters; October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) was an American actress, particularly noted for her energetic, often off-beat roles in screwball comedies. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Lombard 2 ...

in '' I Take This Woman'' on his debut. In 1932 he directed

Tallulah Bankhead Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several prominent films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's '' L ...

, Gary Cooper,

Charles Laughton Charles Laughton (1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was a British actor. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play with his future ...

, and a young

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one of ...

in ''

Devil and the Deep ''Devil and the Deep'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Marion Gering, based on Maurice Larrouy's novel (''Sirenes et Tritons''), and starring Tallulah Bankhead, Gary Cooper, Charles Laughton and Cary Grant. It follows a naval ...

''. He collaborated several times with producer Albert Lewis, producing films together like '' Ready for Love'' and later stage productions like ''The Walking Gentleman'' at the

Playhouse Theatre The Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square, central London. The Theatre was built by F. H. Fowler and Hill with a seating capacity of 1,200. It was rebuilt i ...

. In 1935 he directed

George Raft George Raft (born George Ranft; September 26, 1901 – November 24, 1980) was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s. A stylish leading man in dozens of movies, Raft is ...

and Carole Lombard in the film '' Rumba'', inspired by the success of ''

Bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...

'' the previous year, but it wasn't as successful. Gering's stint with Paramount came to an end in 1936, and he then joined

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

between 1937 and 1939, and directed the 1937 British picture '' Thunder in the City'' for the

Atlantic Film Company The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe a ...

. His film career came to a halt by the end of the decade. He tried in the subsequent period, albeit in vain, to build on his previous accomplishments as a theatre producer and to pursue film directing in Europe. Between 1947 and 1949, he attempted to relaunch his film career in Cuba but with little success. In 1950, he briefly returned to film directing Michael Whalen, Doris Dowling and Tommy Wonder in the musical drama ''

Sarumba ''Sarumba'' is a 1950 American musical drama film directed by Marion Gering and starring Michael Whalen, Doris Dowling and Tommy Wonder. As of 1949 the film was reported to be owned outright by Walter Gould. Cast * Michael Whalen as Señor ...

''. He later reportedly worked as a technical assistant and caretaker in colleges. He directed the

sexploitation film A sexploitation film (or sex-exploitation film) is a class of independently produced, low-budget feature film that is generally associated with the 1960s and early 1970s, and that serves largely as a vehicle for the exhibition of non-explicit s ...

Violated Paradise ''Violated Paradise'', also known as ''Scintillating Sins'' and ''Sea Nymphs'', is a 1963 Italian sexploitation film directed and produced by Marion Gering and starring Kazuko Mine. Plot A Japanese village girl travels to Tokyo in the hope of ...

'' (1963).

Filmography

*'' I Take This Woman'' (1931) *'' 24 Hours'' (1931) *''

Ladies of the Big House ''Ladies of the Big House'' is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film directed by Marion Gering and written by Ernest Booth, William Slavens McNutt and Grover Jones. The film stars Sylvia Sidney, Gene Raymond, Wynne Gibson, Earle Foxe, Rockl ...

'' (1931) *''

'' (1932) *''

Madame Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lut ...

'' (1932) *'' Pick-Up'' (1933) *''

Jennie Gerhardt ''Jennie Gerhardt'' is a 1911 novel by Theodore Dreiser. Plot summary Jennie Gerhardt is a destitute young woman. While working in a hotel in Columbus, Ohio, Jennie meets George Brander, a United States Senator, who becomes infatuated with her. ...

'' (1933) *''

Good Dame ''Good Dame'' is a 1934 American pre-Code drama film directed by Marion Gering and written by Sam Hellman, Vincent Lawrence and William R. Lipman. The film stars Sylvia Sidney, Fredric March, Jack La Rue, Noel Francis, Russell Hopton, Bradley P ...

'' (1934) *'' Thirty-Day Princess'' (1934) *'' Ready for Love'' (1934) *'' Rumba'' (1935) *'' Rose of the Rancho'' (1936) *''

Lady of Secrets ''Lady of Secrets'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by Marion Gering and starring Ruth Chatterton, Otto Kruger and Lionel Atwill.Monaco p.111 Plot Celia Whittaker, a reclusive socialite who has long eschewed romantic opportunities, lear ...

'' (1936) *'' Thunder in the City'' (1937) *''

She Married an Artist ''She Married an Artist'' is a 1937 American romantic comedy film directed by Marion Gering and starring John Boles, Luli Deste, and Frances Drake.Goble p.806 The film's sets were designed by the art director Stephen Goosson. Partial cast * ...

'' (1937) *''

'' (1950)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gering, Marion 1901 births 1977 deaths Russian film directors American film directors Russian theatre directors American theatre directors American theatre managers and producers People from Rostov-on-Don Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States 20th-century American businesspeople