Pandro S. Berman

Pandro S. Berman

Born: March 28, 1905
Died: July 13, 1996
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pandro Samuel Berman (March 28, 1905 – July 13, 1996), also known as Pan Berman, was an American film producer.

Berman was an assistant director during the 1920s under Mal St. Clair and Ralph Ince. In 1930, Berman was hired as a film editor at RKO Radio Pictures, then became an assistant producer. When RKO supervising producer William LeBaron walked out during production of the ill-fated The Gay Diplomat (1931), Berman took over LeBaron's responsibilities, remaining in the post until 1939.

After David O. Selznick became chief of production at RKO in October 1931, Berman managed to survive Selznick's general firing of most of the staff. Selznick named Berman producer for the adaptation of Fannie Hurst's short story Night Bell, a tale of a Jewish doctor's rise out of the Lower East Side ghetto to the height of becoming a Park Avenue physician, which Selznick personally retitled Symphony of Six Million. He ordered Berman to have references to ethnic life in the Jewish ghetto restored. The movie was a box-office and critical success. Both Selznick and Berman were proud of the picture, with Berman later saying it was the "first good movie" he had produced.

The Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers musicals were in production during the Berman regime, Katharine Hepburn rose to prominence, and such RKO classics as The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Gunga Din (both 1939) were completed.

Upset when an RKO power play diminished his authority, Berman left for MGM in 1940, where he oversaw such productions as Ziegfeld Girl (1941), National Velvet (1944), The Bribe (1949), Father of the Bride (1950), Blackboard Jungle (1955) and Butterfield 8 (1960).

He survived several executive shake-ups at MGM and remained there until 1963, then went into independent production, closing out his career with the unsuccessful Move (1970).

Berman was the winner of the 1976 Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. Six of his films were nominated for Academy Award for Best Picture: The Gay Divorcee (1934), Alice Adams and Top Hat (both 1935), Stage Door (1937), Father of the Bride (1950), and Ivanhoe (1952).

Berman died of congestive heart failure on July 13, 1996 in his Beverly Hills home, aged 91. He was buried at the Hillside Memorial Park, Culver City, California.

Movies for Pandro S. Berman...

Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles
Title: Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles
Character: Self - Producer (archive footage)
Released: December 12, 2014
Type: Movie
The extraordinary life of Orson Welles (1915-85), an enigma of Hollywood, an irreducible independent creator: a musical prodigy, an excellent painter, a master of theater and radio, a modern Shakespeare, a magician who was always searching for a new trick to surprise his audience, a romantic and legendary figure who lived only for cinema.
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Astaire and Rogers: Partners in Rhythm
Title: Astaire and Rogers: Partners in Rhythm
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: October 24, 2006
Type: Movie
Featuring clips from all 10 films which Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers made together from 1933 to 1949. Includes candid photos and behind-the-scenes tidbits.
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On Location with Gunga Din
Title: On Location with Gunga Din
Character: Self
Released: December 7, 2004
Type: Movie
A documentary focusing on the production history and legacy of the adventure-comedy phenomenon, Gunga Din.
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Title: The RKO Story: Tales From Hollywood
Character: Self
Released: July 3, 1987
Type: TV
Ed Asner tells the story of RKO Pictures from the 1920s to the 1960s.
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George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey
Title: George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey
Character: Self
Released: March 3, 1985
Type: Movie
Biography of the legendary filmmaker directed by his son.
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A Cinderella Named Elizabeth
Title: A Cinderella Named Elizabeth
Character: Self
Released: January 1, 1965
Type: Movie
Describes how Elizabeth Hartman was auditioned and chosen for the part of Selina in "A Patch of Blue."
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Title: The Oscars
Character: Self
Released: March 19, 1953
Type: TV
An annual American awards ceremony honoring cinematic achievements in the film industry. The various category winners are awarded a copy of a statuette, officially the Academy Award of Merit, that is better known by its nickname Oscar.