During the 1960s the Mirisch Corporation seemed to have the Midas touch, producing a staggering array of films that combined critical acclaim with commercial success and artistic freedom. Even their failures were always interesting. The Mirisch brothers were lucky in some regards, teaming up with Billy Wilder and Norman Jewison during the peak years of those directors – but the harder you work the better your luck and the Mirisischs worked hard. Walter got his start managing theatres, went to Harvard, joined an engineering firm (Lockheed) to develop systems, joined Monogram and worked his way up to head of production via producing the Bomba Boy series, then branching out into independent production. The relationship at UA soured after a series of flops and a change in studio management, but Mirisch then had a profitable association with Universal.
It’s an amazing career but this book is surprisingly dull. It seems as though it wasn’t ghost written and maybe that was the problem. Mirisch plots through his career with a sort of workmanlike prose that must have gone down a treat at Lockheed – “then I bought the rights to the book, then I hired the director, then I found a star”. He shows little flair for a decent anecdote or human weakness. Only one story from producing an Errol Flynn film (The Warriors)? And it was “Flynn was drunk”. Come on, Walter.
There are hardly any decent stories from the Bomba the Jungle Boy series either, or any of the other Monogram/Allied Artist films, which surely must have featured colourful characters and interesting anecdotes. Also far too much time is spent on the workings of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Who cares?
Inevitably some snipits sneak through: William Wyler had major second thoughts about Dorothy McGuire in Friendly Persuasion (he wanted Kate Hepburn) and Shirley Maclaine in The Children’s Hour. Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster were originally considered for the Steve McQueen and James Garner roles in The Great Escape. Mirisch decided to sack George Roy Hill from Hawaii and hired Arthur Hiller to replace him but then the natives and Hawaiian actors rose in revolt. The minor British war film Flight 633 with American star Cliff Robertson was popular enough to inspire a rash of British war films with American stars. Friendly Persuasion lost money but Midway was one of the most popular films of 1976.
Chapters are devoted to the troublesome productions of Moby Dick and Hawaii. It’s interesting when he talks about failures, the importance of luck, etc – but too often you get the feeling he’s being diplomatic, pulling his punches. Which makes him a gentleman but means the film is less fun to read.
It’s a real shame. Mirisch made great films, worked with terrific personalities. Maybe it just wasn’t in his nature to write a gossipy, informative tome. More’s the pity.
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