{{Short description|American film director (1902–1999)}} {{Infobox person |image = File:Stone-Henderson-Robinson-Song-of-Norway-1.jpg |imagesize = | caption = Stone (left) on set of ''[[Song of Norway (film)|Song of Norway]]'' with [[Florence Henderson]] and [[Edward G. Robinson]], 1969. | name = Andrew L. Stone | birth_name = Andrew Lysander Stone | birth_date = {{birth date|1902|7|16}} | birth_place = [[Oakland, California|Oakland]], [[California]], U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1999|6|9|1902|7|16}} | death_place = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S. | othername = | children = 4, including [[Christopher L. Stone|Christopher]]<ref name="Film and television composer">{{cite web |url=https://www.geni.com/people/Christopher-Stone/6000000029619839151 |title=Christopher Lively Stone - Genealogy |website=geni.com |access-date=2024-01-07 }}</ref> | occupation = [[Screenwriter]] <br> [[Film director]] <br> [[Film producer]] | yearsactive = | spouse = Anne Harrington McCrary (m. 1929-1946; divorced) <br> [[Virginia L. Stone]] (m. 1946–1970; divorced) <br> Audrey Stone (m. 19??–1999; his death) }}
'''Andrew Lysander Stone''' (July 16, 1902 – June 9, 1999) was an [[Americans|American]] screenwriter, film director and producer. He was nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay]] for the film ''[[Julie (1956 film)|Julie]]'' in 1957 and received a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] in 1960.
Known for his hard-hitting, realistic films, Stone frequently collaborated with his second wife, editor and producer [[Virginia L. Stone|Virginia Lively Stone]] (m. 1946). Though few of his films achieved mainstream success, Stone was nominated for an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] for [[Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]] for his [[1956 in film|1956]] [[Thriller (genre)|thriller]] ''[[Julie (1956 film)|Julie]]''.
Stone's stories frequently featured characters called Cole, Pringle and Pope, usually in law enforcement and interchangeably played by the same actors—[[Jack Kruschen]], [[Barney Phillips]] and [[John Gallaudet]]. Roles with those names were included in ''A Blueprint for Murder'', ''The Night Holds Terror'', ''Julie'', ''Cry Terror!'' and ''The Decks Ran Red''.
==Career== Born in Oakland, California, Andrew L. Stone attended the University of California. He built a movie theater in his back yard, with two projectors and seats for 50 kids. Films were bought at a dollar a reel.
Stone worked for a film exchange for Universal after school and on Sundays. "I wanted anything I could get to do with films - rewinding, splicing, projecting," he once said.<ref name="kevin">Obituary: Andrew L. Stone Brownlow, Kevin. Variety; Los Angeles Vol. 381, Iss. 2, (Nov 27-Dec 3, 2000): 71.</ref>
In the mid-'20s, he moved to Hollywood and worked in a laboratory. He also worked in Universal's prop department.
===Early movies=== In 1926, Stone financed his first directorial effort ''The Elegy'' (1926), a two-reel movie. It cost $3,200, which he had raised himself and was made on sets left over from ''Scaramouche''.<ref name="song"/>
His first full-length feature was ''[[Dreary House]]'' (1928). He worked as director on ''[[Shadows of Glory]]'' (1930), ''[[Hell's Headquarters]]'' (1932) and ''[[The Girl Said No (1937 film)|The Girl Said No]]'' (1937).
===Paramount=== Stone said that MGM offered him a contract in the mid-1930s but he was reluctant to take it. He later said, “I’d have had to pacify the stars and keep them happy – like a priest who doesn’t believe a word of what he says. Then there was a Paramount contract — no big stars, but freedom. That’s the one I went for. It didn’t take me long to see I’d never make a nickel, but I didn’t give a damn.”<ref name="kevin"/>
Stone signed a contract at Paramount for whom he made ''[[Stolen Heaven (1938 film)|Stolen Heaven]]'' (1938), ''[[Say It in French]]'' (1938) with [[Ray Milland]], ''[[The Great Victor Herbert]]'' (1939), and ''[[The Hard-Boiled Canary]]'' (1941). He was meant to make ''Manhattan Rhapsody'' for the studio.<ref>SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD: Andrew Stone to Be Director of 'Manhattan Rhapsody' New York Times 16 Sep 1940: 21.</ref> At 20th Century Fox he earned acclaim for directing the 1943 film ''[[Stormy Weather (1943 film)|Stormy Weather]]'', starring [[Lena Horne]].<ref name="NYT Obit">{{cite news |last=Pace |first=Eric |date=December 2, 2000 |title=Andrew Stone, 96, Director, Writer and Producer of Films|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/02/nyregion/andrew-stone-96-director-writer-and-producer-of-films.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2018-03-04 }}</ref>
===United Artists=== Stone formed his own production company, Andrew L Stone Productions, with his then-wife Virginia. They signed a deal with [[United Artists]] to make two films: ''[[Hi Diddle Diddle]]'' (1943) and ''[[Sensations of 1945]]'' (1944). United Artists were pleased enough to offer him a deal to make four more films over eighteen months:<ref>BRACKEN TO STAR IN STONE COMEDY New York Times 16 Mar 1946: 9.</ref> ''[[Bedside Manner (film)|Bedside Manner]]'' (1945), ''[[The Bachelor's Daughters]]'' (1946), and ''[[Fun on a Weekend]]'' (1947). They left United Artists in 1947.
He did some uncredited directing on ''[[The Countess of Monte Cristo (1948 film)|The Countess of Monte Cristo]]'' (1948).
===Thrillers=== Stone went to Warner Bros for ''[[Highway 301 (film)|Highway 301]]'' (1950). ''Highway 301'' was a crime film and ushered in a series of movies from Stone in that genre.
"I had to talk Bernie Foy at Warners into letting me do a melodrama," Stone said later. "I made it practically for nothing to establish myself in that field."<ref name="song"/>
It would be Stone's last film shot in a studio. He did ''[[Confidence Girl]]'' (1952), and two with Joseph Cotten, ''[[The Steel Trap]]'' (1952) and ''[[A Blueprint for Murder]]'' (1953). He did ''[[The Night Holds Terror]]'' (1955) at Columbia.<ref name="song"/>
===MGM=== Stone signed a two-picture deal at MGM for whom he made ''[[Julie (1956 film)|Julie]]'' (1956), a thriller with [[Doris Day]] and [[Louis Jourdan]], and ''[[Cry Terror!]]'' (1958), with [[Rod Steiger]]. (He had intended to follow Julie with a film about smoking, ''The Last Puff'', but it was not made.<ref>Andrew Stone to Smoke Up Controversy Los Angeles Times 11 July 1957: C11.</ref>)
''Julie'' was a hit so MGM signed them to make four more movies: ''[[The Decks Ran Red]]'' (1959), ''[[The Last Voyage]]'' (1960), ''[[Ring of Fire (1961 film)|Ring of Fire]]'' (1961), and ''[[The Password Is Courage]]'' (1962) with [[Dirk Bogarde]].<ref>Andrew Stone Will Produce War Tale: Los Angeles Times 1 May 1961: C11.</ref><ref>COUPLE MAY MAKE MORE M-G-M FILMS: Andrew and Virginia Stone Negotiating Pact Extension New York Times 25 Feb 1958: 23.</ref><ref name="bach">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-british-film-moguls-lawrence-p-bachmann/?|magazine=Filmink|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|date=5 July 2025|access-date=5 July 2025|title=Forgotten British Film Moguls: Lawrence P. Bachmann}}</ref>
He did ''[[Never Put It in Writing]]'' (1964) with [[Pat Boone]] for Allied Artists, filmed in England and Ireland. He signed a new two-picture deal with MGM. The first was ''[[The Secret of My Success (1965 film)|The Secret of My Success]]'' (1965). The second was meant to be a history of aviation written by [[Ernest Gann]], ''The Winning of the Sky'', but it was never made.<ref>Andrew Stones Tell 'Secret of Success' Los Angeles Times 29 Nov 1963: C29.</ref>
===Later movies=== Stone made a musical for ABC Pictures titled ''[[Song of Norway (film)|Song of Norway]]'' (1970), a $3.5 million musical biopic of [[Edvard Grieg]].<ref name="song">Movies: A 'Song of Norway' With Verisimilitude Scheuer, Philip K. Los Angeles Times 8 Nov 1970: t16.</ref> The film performed reasonably well, but his next film ''[[The Great Waltz (1972 film)|The Great Waltz]]'' (1972) was a big flop.<ref>IN TOTAL CONTROL: Stone Directing 'Waltz', Thomas, Bob. Los Angeles Times 31 May 1972: h11.</ref>
In 1977, he did some work for Universal on the action and disaster sequences for ''Rollercoaster''.
== Personal life == Stone was married three times: * Anne Harrington McCrary (m.1927-1946; divorced)<ref name="Marriage 1">{{cite news |date=April 11, 1929 |title=Film Director Weds|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-andrew-stone-marri/138254966/ |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=2024-01-07 }}</ref> They had two sons, Andrew Lysander Stone and Bruce Harrington Stone.<ref name="ALS III obituary">{{cite news|date=May 6, 1961 |title=Andrew L. Stone Jr.|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/los-angeles-evening-citizen-news-obituar/138257369/ |work=Los Angeles Citizen News |access-date=2024-01-07}}</ref> * Virginia Lively (m.1946-1970; divorced)<ref name="Marriage 2">{{cite news |date=September 10, 1946 |title=Oakland Producer Weds Film Worker|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-oakland-post-enquirer-andrew-stone-m/138262434/ |work=Oakland Post Enquirer |access-date=2024-01-07 }}</ref> They had two sons, Lively Andrew Stone and [[Christopher L. Stone]]. The latter of whom is a television and film composer<ref name="Film and television composer"/> * Audrey (m. 19??-1999; his death) In her memoir, [[Evelyn Keyes]] claimed that during production on [[Say It in French|''Say It In French'']] (1938), Stone raped her, which resulted in a pregnancy. Keyes aborted the pregnancy, leaving her weakened and permanently unable to have children. Rather than postponing production, Stone had her fired and replaced with [[Olympe Bradna]].<ref>Keyes, Evelyn (1977). ''Scarlett O'Hara's Younger Sister''. Lyle Stuart. pp. 26–27. {{ISBN|978-0818402432}}.</ref>
== Selected filmography == *''The Elegy'' (1927) (short) - writer, director *''Fantasy'' (1927) (short) - director *''Adoration'' (1927) (short) - writer, director *''Liebensraum '' (1928) -director * ''[[Dreary House]]'' (1928) - writer, director * ''[[Shadows of Glory]]'' aka ''Sombras de gloria'' (1930) - director *''[[Hell's Headquarters]]'' (1932) - director *''[[The Girl Said No (1937 film)|The Girl Said No]]'' (1937) - director, writer, producer * ''[[With Words and Music]]'' (1937) director * ''[[Stolen Heaven (1938 film)|Stolen Heaven]]'' (1938) - director, writer * ''[[Say It in French]]'' (1938) - director, producer * ''[[The Great Victor Herbert]]'' (1939) - director, writer, producer * ''[[The Hard-Boiled Canary]]'' (1941) - director, producer, writer * ''[[Stormy Weather (1943 film)|Stormy Weather]]'' (1943) - director * ''[[Hi Diddle Diddle]]'' (1943) - director, producer, original story * ''[[Sensations of 1945]]'' (1944) - director, writer, producer * ''[[Bedside Manner (film)|Bedside Manner]]'' (1945) - director, producer * ''[[The Bachelor's Daughters]]'' (1946) - director, writer, producer * ''[[Fun on a Weekend]]'' (1947) - director, writer, producer * ''[[The Countess of Monte Cristo (1948 film)|The Countess of Monte Cristo]]'' (1948) - director, uncredited * ''[[Highway 301 (film)|Highway 301]]'' (1950) - director, writer * ''[[Confidence Girl]]'' (1952) - director, writer, producer * ''[[The Steel Trap]]'' (1952) - director, writer * ''[[A Blueprint for Murder]]'' (1953) - director, writer * ''[[The Night Holds Terror]]'' (1955) - director, writer, producer *''[[Screen Directors Playhouse]]'' episode "The Final Tribute" (1955) - writer, director * ''[[Julie (1956 film)|Julie]]'' (1956) - director, writer * ''[[Cry Terror!]]'' (1958) - director, writer, producer * ''[[The Decks Ran Red]]'' (1958) - director, writer, producer * ''[[The Last Voyage]]'' (1960) - director, writer, producer * ''[[Ring of Fire (1961 film)|Ring of Fire]]'' (1961) - director, writer, producer * ''[[The Password Is Courage]]'' (1962) - director, writer, producer * ''[[Never Put It in Writing]]'' (1964) - director, writer, producer * ''[[The Secret of My Success (1965 film)|The Secret of My Success]]'' (1965) - director, producer * ''[[Song of Norway (film)|Song of Norway]]'' (1970) - director, writer, producer * ''[[The Great Waltz (1972 film)|The Great Waltz]]'' (1972) - director, writer, producer
==References== {{reflist}}
== External links == {{Commons category|Andrew L. Stone}} *{{IMDb name|id=0831720|name=Andrew L. Stone}} *[https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8p84dj4/ Andrew L Stone papers] at Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences *[https://letterboxd.com/director/andrew-l-stone/ Andrew L Stone] at Letterbox DVD *[https://web.archive.org/web/20180531140009/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba0708697 Andrew L Stone] at BFI *[https://brightlightsfilm.com/andrew-and-virginia-stone-noir-to-the-bone/#.XTGgbXt7nOQ Article on Andrew and Virginia Stone] at Bright Lights Film Journal {{Andrew L. Stone}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stone, Andrew L.}} [[Category:1902 births]] [[Category:1999 deaths]] [[Category:American male screenwriters]] [[Category:Film producers from California]] [[Category:Mass media people from Oakland, California]] [[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]] [[Category:Film directors from California]] [[Category:Screenwriters from California]] [[Category:20th-century American male writers]] [[Category:20th-century American screenwriters]]