Pandro S. Berman

Overview

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.

Known for

Acting
2014	Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles	Actor	Self - Producer (archive footage)	59 Average
2006	Astaire and Rogers: Partners in Rhythm	Actor	Self (archive footage)	59 Average
2004	On Location with Gunga Din	Actor	Self	N/A N/A
1985	George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey	Actor	Self	59 Average
1965	A Cinderella Named Elizabeth	Actor	Self	59 Average
Directing
1924	Find Your Man	Directing	Assistant Director	59 Average
1924	Money to Burns	Directing	Assistant Director	N/A N/A
1923	Fighting Blood	Directing	Assistant Director	N/A N/A
Production
1970	Move	Production	Producer	58 Average
1969	Justine	Production	Producer	58 Average
1965	A Patch of Blue	Production	Producer	61 Fair
1964	Honeymoon Hotel	Production	Producer	58 Average
1963	The Prize	Production	Producer	60 Fair
1962	Sweet Bird of Youth	Production	Producer	60 Fair
1960	BUtterfield 8	Production	Producer	59 Average
1960	All the Fine Young Cannibals	Production	Producer	58 Average
1958	The Reluctant Debutante	Production	Producer	59 Average
1958	The Brothers Karamazov	Production	Producer	59 Average
1957	Jailhouse Rock	Production	Producer	59 Average
1957	Something of Value	Production	Producer	58 Average
1956	Tea and Sympathy	Production	Producer	60 Fair
1956	Bhowani Junction	Production	Producer	59 Average
1955	Quentin Durward	Production	Producer	58 Average
1955	Blackboard Jungle	Production	Producer	61 Fair
1954	The Long, Long Trailer	Production	Producer	59 Average
1953	Knights of the Round Table	Production	Producer	58 Average
1953	All the Brothers Were Valiant	Production	Producer	59 Average
1953	Battle Circus	Production	Producer	59 Average
1952	The Prisoner of Zenda	Production	Producer	59 Average
1952	Ivanhoe	Production	Producer	61 Fair
1951	The Light Touch	Production	Producer	59 Average
1951	Father's Little Dividend	Production	Producer	59 Average
1951	Soldiers Three	Production	Producer	58 Average
1950	Father of the Bride	Production	Producer	62 Fair
1949	The Doctor and the Girl	Production	Producer	59 Average
1949	Madame Bovary	Production	Producer	59 Average
1949	The Bribe	Production	Producer	59 Average
1948	The Three Musketeers	Production	Producer	60 Fair
1947	Living in a Big Way	Production	Producer	58 Average
1947	The Sea of Grass	Production	Producer	59 Average
1946	Undercurrent	Production	Producer	58 Average
1945	The Picture of Dorian Gray	Production	Producer	63 Fair
1945	National Velvet	Production	Producer	61 Fair
1944	The Seventh Cross	Production	Producer	59 Average
1944	Dragon Seed	Production	Producer	59 Average
1943	Slightly Dangerous	Production	Producer	59 Average
1942	Somewhere I'll Find You	Production	Producer	59 Average
1942	Rio Rita	Production	Producer	59 Average
1941	Love Crazy	Production	Producer	59 Average
1941	Ziegfeld Girl	Production	Producer	59 Average
1939	The Hunchback of Notre Dame	Production	Producer	62 Fair
1939	Allegheny Uprising	Production	Executive In Charge Of Production	59 Average
1939	5th Ave Girl	Production	Executive In Charge Of Production	59 Average
1939	In Name Only	Production	Executive In Charge Of Production	60 Fair
1939	Bachelor Mother	Production	Executive In Charge Of Production	60 Fair
1939	The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle	Production	Executive In Charge Of Production	59 Average
1939	Gunga Din	Production	Production Manager	60 Fair
1938	The Mad Miss Manton	Production	Executive In Charge Of Production	59 Average
1938	Room Service	Production	Producer	60 Fair
1938	Carefree	Production	Producer	59 Average
1938	Having Wonderful Time	Production	Executive In Charge Of Production	58 Average
1938	Vivacious Lady	Production	Executive In Charge Of Production	59 Average
1937	A Damsel in Distress	Production	Producer	59 Average
1937	Stage Door	Production	Producer	60 Fair
1937	Shall We Dance	Production	Producer	61 Fair
1937	The Soldier and the Lady	Production	Producer	59 Average
1937	Quality Street	Production	Producer	58 Average
1936	That Girl from Paris	Production	Producer	59 Average
1936	Winterset	Production	Producer	59 Average
1936	The Big Game	Production	Producer	59 Average
1936	Swing Time	Production	Producer	61 Fair
1936	Mary of Scotland	Production	Producer	59 Average
1936	Follow the Fleet	Production	Producer	60 Fair
1936	Muss 'em Up	Production	Producer	59 Average
1935	Sylvia Scarlett	Production	Producer	59 Average
1935	I Dream Too Much	Production	Producer	58 Average
1935	In Person	Production	Producer	59 Average
1935	Top Hat	Production	Producer	64 Fair
1935	Alice Adams	Production	Producer	59 Average
1935	Break of Hearts	Production	Producer	59 Average
1935	Roberta	Production	Producer	59 Average
1935	Romance in Manhattan	Production	Producer	59 Average
1934	The Little Minister	Production	Producer	59 Average
1934	By Your Leave	Production	Producer	58 Average
1934	Wednesday's Child	Production	Executive Producer	58 Average
1934	The Gay Divorcee	Production	Producer	60 Fair
1934	Gridiron Flash	Production	Producer	58 Average
1934	The Richest Girl in the World	Production	Producer	58 Average
1934	The Age of Innocence	Production	Producer	58 Average
1934	Down to Their Last Yacht	Production	Executive Producer	59 Average
1934	The Fountain	Production	Producer	59 Average
1934	Their Big Moment	Production	Executive Producer	58 Average
1934	His Greatest Gamble	Production	Executive Producer	58 Average
1934	Bachelor Bait	Production	Executive Producer	59 Average
1934	Hat, Coat and Glove	Production	Executive Producer	59 Average
1934	Of Human Bondage	Production	Producer	59 Average
1934	We're Rich Again	Production	Executive Producer	58 Average
1934	Let's Try Again	Production	Executive Producer	58 Average
1934	Cockeyed Cavaliers	Production	Executive Producer	59 Average
1934	Murder on the Blackboard	Production	Executive Producer	59 Average
1934	The Life of Vergie Winters	Production	Producer	59 Average
1934	Stingaree	Production	Executive Producer	59 Average
1934	Where Sinners Meet	Production	Executive Producer	58 Average
1934	Strictly Dynamite	Production	Executive Producer	59 Average
1934	This Man Is Mine	Production	Producer	58 Average
1934	Spitfire	Production	Producer	58 Average
1934	Man of Two Worlds	Production	Producer	59 Average
1933	Aggie Appleby, Maker of Men	Production	Producer	59 Average
1933	Ann Vickers	Production	Producer	59 Average
1933	Morning Glory	Production	Producer	59 Average
1933	Bed of Roses	Production	Producer	59 Average
1933	The Silver Cord	Production	Producer	59 Average
1933	Sweepings	Production	Associate Producer	59 Average
1933	Christopher Strong	Production	Associate Producer	59 Average
1933	The Monkey's Paw	Production	Producer	59 Average
1932	The Half-Naked Truth	Production	Associate Producer	58 Average
1932	The Age of Consent	Production	Associate Producer	59 Average
1932	What Price Hollywood?	Production	Associate Producer	59 Average
1932	Symphony of Six Million	Production	Associate Producer	58 Average
Editing
1928	Taxi 13	Editing	Editor	N/A N/A

About

Pandro S. Berman

Overview

Known for

Acting

Directing

Production

Editing