Martin Ritt (March 2, 1914 – December 8, 1990) was an American director and actor who worked in both film and theater, noted for his socially conscious films. Some of the films he directed include '' The Long, Hot Summer'' (1958), '' The Black Orchid'' (1958), '' Paris Blues'' (1961), '' Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man'' (1962), '' Hud'' (1963), '' The Spy Who Came in from the Cold'' (1965), ''

Hombre Hombre, the Spanish word for " man" and sometimes used informally in English, may refer to: * ''Hombre'' (novel), a 1961 novel by Elmore Leonard * ''Hombre'' (film), a 1967 motion picture based on the novel starring Paul Newman, directed by Mart ...

'' (1967), '' The Great White Hope'' (1970), ''

Sounder Sounder may refer to: * ''Sounder'' (novel), a book by William H. Armstrong * ''Sounder'' (film), a film based on the novel *Sounder, a group of wild boar or domestic pigs foraging in woodland; see List of animal names *Sounder, a device that tra ...

'' (1972), '' The Front'' (1976), '' Norma Rae'' (1979), '' Cross Creek'' (1983), '' Murphy's Romance'' (1985), ''

Nuts Nut often refers to: * Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds * Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt Nut or Nuts may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Com ...

'' (1987), and '' Stanley & Iris'' (1990).

Early career and influences

Ritt was born to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...

, the son of immigrant parents. He graduated from

DeWitt Clinton High School , motto_translation = Without Work Nothing Is Accomplished , image = DeWitt Clinton High School front entrance IMG 7441 HLG.jpg , seal_image = File:Clinton News.JPG , seal_size = 124px , ...

in the Bronx. Ritt originally attended and played football for Elon College in North Carolina. The stark contrasts of the depression-era South, against his New York City upbringing, instilled in him a passion for expressing the struggles of inequality, which is apparent in the films he directed.

Early theatre

After leaving

St. John's University St John's University may refer to: *St. John's University (New York City) **St. John's University School of Law **St. John's University (Italy) - Overseas Campus *College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University, St. Joseph, Minnesota and Col ...

, Ritt found work with a theater group, and began acting in plays. His first performance was as ''Crown'' in ''

Porgy and Bess ''Porgy and Bess'' () is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play ''Porgy'', its ...

''. After his performance drew favorable reviews, Ritt concluded that he could "only be happy in the theater." Ritt then went to work with the Roosevelt administration's New Deal

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, in ...

as a playwright for the

Federal Theater Project The Federal Theatre Project (FTP; 1935–1939) was a theatre program established during the Great Depression as part of the New Deal to fund live artistic performances and entertainment programs in the United States. It was one of five Federal Pro ...

, a federal government-funded theater support program. With work hard to find and the Depression in full effect, many WPA theater performers, directors, and writers became heavily influenced by the radical left and

Communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society ...

, and Ritt was no exception. Years later, Ritt would state that he had never been a member of the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of '' The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...

, although he considered himself a leftist and found common ground with some Marxist principles.

Group Theatre

Ritt moved on from the WPA to the Theater of Arts, then to the Group Theatre in New York City. There, he met

Elia Kazan Elia Kazan (; born Elias Kazantzoglou ( el, Ηλίας Καζαντζόγλου); September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003) was an American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter and actor, described by ''The New York Times'' as "one o ...

, who cast Ritt as an understudy to his play '' Golden Boy''. Ritt continued his association with Kazan for well over a decade, later assisting - and sometimes filling in for - Kazan at The Actors Studio. He eventually became one of the Studio's few non-performing life members.

World War II

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Ritt served with the

U.S. Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

and appeared as an actor in the Air Forces' Broadway play and film ''

Winged Victory The ''Winged Victory of Samothrace'', or the ''Nike of Samothrace'', is a votive monument originally found on the island of Samothrace, north of the Aegean Sea. It is a masterpiece of Greek sculpture from the Hellenistic era, dating from the ...

''. During the Broadway run of the play, Ritt directed a production of Sidney Kingsley's play '' Yellow Jack'', using actors from ''Winged Victory'' and rehearsing between midnight and 3 am after ''Winged Victory'' performances. The play had a brief Broadway run and was performed again in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

when the ''Winged Victory'' troupe moved there to make the film version.

Television and the Blacklist

After working as a playwright with the WPA, acting on stage, and directing hundreds of plays, Ritt became a successful television director and producer. He produced and directed episodes of '' Danger'', ''

Somerset Maugham TV Theatre ''Somerset Maugham TV Theatre'' (originally known as ''Teller of Tales'' for the first three episodes) is an American anthology drama program. The series aired on CBS October 18, 1950 – March 28, 1951, and on NBC April 2, 1951 – Decemb ...

'' (1950–51), '' Starlight Theatre'' (1951), and ''

The Plymouth Playhouse ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

'' (1953).

Blacklist

In 1952, Ritt was caught up by the

Red Scare A Red Scare is the promotion of a widespread fear of a potential rise of communism, anarchism or other leftist ideologies by a society or state. The term is most often used to refer to two periods in the history of the United States which a ...

and investigations of

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...

influence in Hollywood and the movie industry. Although not directly named by the

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly dubbed the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloy ...

(HUAC), Ritt was mentioned in an anticommunist newsletter called '' Counterattack'', published by

American Business Consultants American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the " United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, ...

, a group formed by three former FBI agents. ''Counterattack'' alleged that Ritt had helped Communist Party-affiliated locals of the New York-based Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union stage their annual show. Also cited was a show he had directed for Russian War Relief at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsyl ...

. His associations with the Group Theater, founded on a Russian model, and the

(which Congress had stopped funding in 1939 because of what some anti-

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Con ...

congressmen claimed to be a left-wing political tone to some productions), were also known to HUAC. He was finally

blacklist Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist (or black list) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list. If someone is on a blacklist, ...

ed by the television industry when a Syracuse grocer charged him with donating money to Communist China in 1951. He supported himself for five years by teaching at the

Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street between Ninth and Tenth avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founde ...

Career in Hollywood

''Edge of the City''

Unable to work in the television industry, Ritt returned to the theater for several years. By 1956, the Red Scare had decreased in intensity, and he turned to film directing. His first film as director was ''

Edge of the City ''Edge of the City'' is a 1957 American film-noir drama film directed by Martin Ritt in his directorial debut, and starring John Cassavetes and Sidney Poitier. Robert Alan Aurthur's screenplay was expanded from his original script, staged a ...

'' (1957), an important film for Ritt and an opportunity to give voice to his experiences. Based on the story of a union dock worker who faces intimidation by a corrupt boss, the film incorporates many themes that were to influence Ritt over the years: corruption, racism, intimidation of the individual by the group, defense of the individual against government oppression, and most notably, the redeeming quality of mercy and the value of shielding others from evil, even at the cost of sacrificing one's own reputation, career, or life.

Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman

Ritt went on to direct 25 more films. Producer Jerry Wald signed him to direct ''

No Down Payment ''No Down Payment'' is a 1957 drama film directed by Martin Ritt. It was written by Philip Yordan, who fronted for an uncredited and blacklisted Ben Maddow, and is based on the novel of the same name by John McPartland. The film stars Joanne ...

'' (1957) with Joanne Woodward. Wald later used Ritt on two adaptations of William Faulkner novels, both with Woodward: '' The Long, Hot Summer'' (1958) with

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...

, a big hit, and ''

The Sound and the Fury ''The Sound and the Fury'' is a novel by the American author William Faulkner. It employs several narrative styles, including stream of consciousness. Published in 1929, ''The Sound and the Fury'' was Faulkner's fourth novel, and was not imme ...

'' (1959) with Yul Brynner, a flop. In between, he directed '' The Black Orchid'' (1958) at Paramount, and he then did '' 5 Branded Women'' (1960) in Europe. Ritt directed '' Paris Blues'' (1961) with Woodward and Newman. He made one more film with Wald, '' Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man'' (1962). Ritt and Newman had a big hit with '' Hud'' (1963). Ritt's 1964 film '' The Outrage'' is an American retelling of the

Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dynam ...

film '' Rashomon'', and stars

Laurence Harvey Laurence Harvey (born Zvi Mosheh Skikne; 1 October 192825 November 1973) was a Lithuanian-born British actor and film director. He was born to Lithuanian Jewish parents and emigrated to South Africa at an early age, before later settling in th ...

, Paul Newman, Claire Bloom,

Edward G. Robinson Edward G. Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg; December 12, 1893January 26, 1973) was a Romanian-American actor of stage and screen, who was popular during the Hollywood's Golden Age. He appeared in 30 Broadway plays and more than 100 films duri ...

Howard Da Silva Howard Da Silva (born Howard Silverblatt, May 4, 1909 – February 16, 1986) was an American actor, director and musical performer on stage, film, television and radio. He was cast in dozens of productions on the New York stage, appeared in mo ...

, and

William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship ''Enterpri ...

. Like Kurosawa's film, Ritt employs flashbacks in his film. Paul Newman was fond of this role. He traveled to Mexico and spent time speaking to local residents to study the accents. Newman liked that the film's narrative included different points of view. Ritt directed '' The Spy Who Came in from the Cold'' (1965) with Richard Burton, then one more movie with Newman, ''

'' (1967). He ended the '60s with '' The Brotherhood'' (1968).

1970s

In the 1970s, Ritt won acclaim for movies such as ''

The Molly Maguires ''The Molly Maguires'' is a 1970 American historical drama film directed by Martin Ritt, starring Richard Harris and Sean Connery.''Variety Film Reviews, Variety'' film review; January 21, 1970, page 18. It is based on the 1964 book ''Lament for ...

'' (1970), '' The Great White Hope'' (1970) (earning Oscar nominations for

James Earl Jones James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...

and Jane Alexander), ''

'' (1972), '' Pete 'n' Tillie'' (1972), and '' Conrack'' (1974) (from

Pat Conroy Donald Patrick Conroy (October 26, 1945 – March 4, 2016) was an American author who wrote several acclaimed novels and memoirs; his books '' The Water is Wide'', '' The Lords of Discipline'', '' The Prince of Tides'' and '' The Great Santini'' ...

's autobiographical novel). After Warner Bros. Pictures brought the film rights to '' First Blood'' in 1973 Ritt was hired to direct from a screenplay by Walter Newman, featuring

John Rambo John James Rambo (born July 6, 1947) is a fictional character in the ''Rambo'' franchise. He first appeared in the 1972 novel '' First Blood'' by David Morrell, but later became more famous as the protagonist of the film series, in which he wa ...

and

Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He rose to prominence with an Academy Award nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actor for ''The Story of G.I. Jo ...

Sheriff Will Teasle There are many characters in the ''Rambo'' franchise, although the only two to appear in multiple films are Rambo himself and Colonel Trautman. Main characters John James Rambo John James Rambo is an iconic titular character and the protag ...

. However his version of the film was not made. In 1976, Ritt made one of the first dramatic feature films about the blacklist, '' The Front'', starring

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

. ''The Front'' satirizes the use of "fronts", men and women who (either as a personal favor or in exchange for payment) allowed their names to be listed as writers for scripts actually authored by blacklisted writers. The film was based on the experiences of, and written by, one of Ritt's closest friends, screenwriter Walter Bernstein, who was blacklisted for eight years beginning in 1950. Ritt ended the decade with '' Casey's Shadow'' (1978) and '' Norma Rae'' (1979) (Oscar for

Sally Field Sally Margaret Field (born November 6, 1946) is an American actress. She has received many awards and nominations, including two Academy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Cannes Film F ...

as Best Actress).

Final Films

Ritt made '' Back Roads'' (1981) with Sally Field, and '' Cross Creek'' (1983), the story of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, author of '' The Yearling''. It was nominated for (but did not win) four Oscars, including Best Supporting Actress Alfre Woodard and Best Supporting Actor

Rip Torn Elmore Rual "Rip" Torn Jr. (February 6, 1931 – July 9, 2019) was an American actor whose career spanned more than 60 years. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his part as Marsh Turner in '' Cross Creek'' ...

. He directed '' Murphy's Romance'' (1985), also starring Field. In 1987, Ritt again used extensive flashback and

nonlinear storytelling Nonlinear narrative, disjointed narrative, or disrupted narrative is a narrative technique, sometimes used in literature, film, video games, and other narratives, where events are portrayed, for example, out of chronological order or in other ways ...

techniques in the film ''

'', based on the stage play of the same name, written by

Tom Topor Tom Topor (born 1938) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. Topor was born in Vienna, Austria, and was brought to London in 1939, where he remained until he came to New York City in 1949. He earned his bachelor's degree at Broo ...

. The film was considered a

box-office disappointment A box-office bomb, or box-office disaster, is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the production, marketing, and distribution costs combined exceed the revenue after ...

in relation to its budget, although it did not actually lose money. Ritt's final film was '' Stanley & Iris'' (1990).

Personal life

Ritt and his wife Adele had a daughter, film producer Martina Wernerand, and a son, Michael. Ritt died of heart disease at age 76 in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

on December 8, 1990.

Honors

* Nominated, Palme d'Or

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

- '' The Long, Hot Summer'' (1958) * Nominated, Best Director Directors Guild of America - '' The Long, Hot Summer'' (1958) * Nominated, Golden Lion Award

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

- '' The Black Orchid'' (1958) * Nominated, Best Director

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

- '' Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man'' (1962) * Nominated, Best Director

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...

- '' Hud'' (1963) * Nominated, Best Director Directors Guild of America - '' Hud'' (1963) * Nominated, Best Director

- '' Hud'' (1963) * Nominated, Best Director

New York Film Critics Circle The New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) is an American film critic organization founded in 1935 by Wanda Hale from the New York ''Daily News''. Its membership includes over 30 film critics from New York-based daily and weekly newspapers, maga ...

- '' Hud'' (1963) * Winner, OCIC Award

- '' Hud'' (1963) * Nominated, Golden Lion Award

- '' Hud'' (1963) * Winner, Best British Film BAFTA - '' The Spy Who Came in from the Cold'' (1965) * Nominated, Best Director Directors Guild of America - ''

'' (1972) * Winner, Technical Grand Prize

- '' Norma Rae'' (1979) * Nominated, Palme d'Or

- '' Cross Creek'' (1983)

Selected films

*''

'' (1957) *''

'' (1957) *'' The Long Hot Summer'' (1958) *'' The Black Orchid'' (1958) *''

'' (1959) *'' 5 Branded Women'' (1960) *'' Paris Blues'' (1961) *'' Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man'' (1962) *'' Hud'' (1963) *'' The Outrage'' (1964) *'' The Spy Who Came in from the Cold'' (1965) *''

'' (1967) *'' The Brotherhood'' (1968) *'' The Great White Hope'' (1970) *''

'' (1970) *''

'' (1972) *'' Pete 'n' Tillie'' (1972) *'' Awake and Sing!'' (1972 - TV) *'' Conrack'' (1974) *'' The Front'' (1976) *'' Casey's Shadow'' (1978) *'' Norma Rae'' (1979) *'' Back Roads'' (1981) *'' Cross Creek'' (1983) *'' Murphy's Romance'' (1985) *''

'' (1987) *'' Stanley & Iris'' (1990)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ritt, Martin Film directors from New York City Jewish American male actors American male stage actors American theatre directors BAFTA winners (people) Hollywood blacklist 1914 births 1990 deaths Works Progress Administration workers 20th-century American male actors DeWitt Clinton High School alumni 20th-century American Jews Federal Theatre Project people