# Saul Swimmer

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American film director (1936–2007)

Saul Swimmer Swimmer in MobileVision promotional image Born (1936-04-25)April 25, 1936 Uniontown, Pennsylvania Died March 3, 2007(2007-03-03) (aged 70) Miami, Florida Occupations Documentarian, director, producer Known for The Concert for Bangladesh The Boy Who Owned a Melephant

**Saul Swimmer** (April 25, 1936 – March 3, 2007)[1][2] was an American [documentary](/source/Documentary_film) [film director](/source/Film_director) and [producer](/source/Film_producer) best known for the movie *[The Concert for Bangladesh](/source/The_Concert_for_Bangladesh_(film))* (1972), the [George Harrison](/source/George_Harrison)-led [Madison Square Garden](/source/Madison_Square_Garden) show that was one of the first all-star benefits in [rock music](/source/Rock_music). He was also a co-producer of [The Beatles](/source/The_Beatles)' 1970 documentary *[Let It Be](/source/Let_It_Be_(1970_film))*.

## Biography

### Early life and career

Born to a [Uniontown](/source/Uniontown%2C_Pennsylvania), [Pennsylvania](/source/Pennsylvania), family that included a sister, Esther, and three brothers, Wolford and Alvin, and Herbert,[3] Swimmer earned a [bachelor's degree](/source/Bachelor's_degree) from [Carnegie Mellon University](/source/Carnegie_Mellon_University) in nearby [Pittsburgh](/source/Pittsburgh).[4] He began directing in his early twenties, gaining attention for his half-hour children's short *[The Boy Who Owned a Melephant](/source/The_Boy_Who_Owned_a_Melephant)* (1959), narrated by actress [Tallulah Bankhead](/source/Tallulah_Bankhead)[5][6] and produced with Peter Gayle and [Tony Anthony](/source/Tony_Anthony_(actor)), who would become his frequent collaborators.[7] Swimmer's biography at his company's website states the film won a Gold Leaf award at the [Venice Film Festival](/source/Venice_Film_Festival),[8] a claim that subsequently appears in many accounts, but that festival has no such award; in actuality, this award was from the Venice International Children's Film Festival.[9]

Following that short, Swimmer directed and, with Anthony, co-wrote the [independent features](/source/Independent_film) *[Force of Impulse](/source/Force_of_Impulse)* (1961), a [Romeo and Juliet](/source/Romeo_and_Juliet) story about a [high school football](/source/High_school_football) player who turns to robbery, filmed in [Miami Beach, Florida](/source/Miami_Beach%2C_Florida), and *Without Each Other* (1962). The film was co-produced by [Allen Klein](/source/Allen_Klein) and Peter Gayle with the film financed by Gayle's family's business.[10]

### Music and film

Following these dramas, Swimmer directed the [pop](/source/Pop_music)-[musical comedy](/source/Musical_comedy) *[Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter](/source/Mrs._Brown%2C_You've_Got_a_Lovely_Daughter_(film))* (1968), starring the [British](/source/United_Kingdom) pop group [Herman's Hermits](/source/Herman's_Hermits).[2] The movie was one of a handful of similar films released in the wake of the Beatles' [mockumentary](/source/Mockumentary)-style band feature *[A Hard Day's Night](/source/A_Hard_Day's_Night_(film))* (1964) and the comic adventure *[Help!](/source/Help!_(film))* (1965).

He broke into documentary filmmaking with the [ABC](/source/American_Broadcasting_Company) [television special](/source/Television_special) *Around the World of Mike Todd* (1968), about the movie producer [Mike Todd](/source/Mike_Todd).[2]

After serving as co-producer of the [Neil Aspinall](/source/Neil_Aspinall)-[Mal Evans](/source/Mal_Evans)-produced Beatles documentary *Let It Be* (1970),[2] Swimmer and his indie-movie colleague Tony Anthony co-wrote and co-directed the surrealistic US-[Italy](/source/Italy) [road movie](/source/Road_movie) *[Come Together](/source/Come_Together_(film))* (1971), produced by Beatle [Ringo Starr](/source/Ringo_Starr) and inspired by the Beatles song "[Come Together](/source/Come_Together)"; and produced a [Spaghetti Western](/source/Spaghetti_Western) about a blind but deadly gunfighter, *[Blindman](/source/Blindman)* (1971; also known as *Il Ciceo* and *Il Pistolero Ciceo*), starring Anthony and Starr.

The following year, Swimmer directed *[The Concert for Bangladesh](/source/The_Concert_for_Bangladesh_(film))*, organized by Beatle [George Harrison](/source/George_Harrison) with [Ravi Shankar](/source/Ravi_Shankar). They along with Starr, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Billy Preston, Leon Russell and others performed to raise money for the charity [UNICEF](/source/UNICEF), earmarked to aid refugees from the newly independent nation of [Bangladesh](/source/Bangladesh), the former East Pakistan, who had relocated to [India](/source/India).[2]

In 1977, Swimmer directed the U.S.-[Spain](/source/Spain) co-production *[The Black Pearl](/source/The_Black_Pearl_(novel))* (a.k.a. *La Perla Negra*), adapted from a [Scott O'Dell](/source/Scott_O'Dell) children's [novel](/source/Novel).[11] He produced and directed the [direct-to-video](/source/Direct-to-video) [rock documentary](/source/Rockumentary) *[We Will Rock You: Queen Live in Concert](/source/We_Will_Rock_You_(video))* (1982), the record of a 1981 [Montreal, Quebec](/source/Montreal%2C_Quebec), Canada show.

### Later career

Swimmer developed the MobileVision Projection System, a pre-[IMAX](/source/IMAX) giant-screen technology for projecting movies on a 60x80-foot screen. Swimmer said that after the 1991 death of [Queen](/source/Queen_(band)) lead singer [Freddie Mercury](/source/Freddie_Mercury), MovileVision distributed *We Will Rock You* in 20 countries.[12]

His final work was the documentary *[Bob Marley](/source/Bob_Marley) & Friends*,[13] completed in 2005 and distributed beginning in 2006 after Swimmer worked on it for more than five years, using footage of the 1977 Rainbow concert in [London, England](/source/London%2C_England) that had been discovered in a London storage vault bombed by the [Irish Republican Army](/source/Irish_Republican_Army).[12] 2007.

### Death

Swimmer, who moved to the Miami-area [Key Biscayne, Florida](/source/Key_Biscayne%2C_Florida), in the 1980s and to nearby [Coral Gables, Florida](/source/Coral_Gables%2C_Florida) in the 1990s, died of [heart failure](/source/Heart_failure) at [Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami](/source/Mount_Sinai_Medical_Center_%26_Miami_Heart_Institute) on March 3, 2007.[1][2]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ssdi_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ssdi_1-1) [Saul Swimmer](https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V3B4-XML) at the [Social Security Death Index](/source/Social_Security_Death_Index) via FamilySearch.org. Retrieved on January 1, 2013.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-nyt_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-nyt_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-nyt_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-nyt_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-nyt_2-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-nyt_2-5) ["Saul Swimmer, 70, Film Documentarian, Dies"](https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/22/movies/22swimmer.html?ref=obituaries). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. [Associated Press](/source/Associated_Press). March 22, 2007. Retrieved January 22, 2018.{{[cite news](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_news)}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_deprecated_archival_service))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Saul Swimmer, 70, Film Documentarian, Dies"](https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/22/movies/22swimmer.html?ref=obituaries). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. [Associated Press](/source/Associated_Press). March 22, 2007.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-variety_4-0)** ["Director Swimmer Dies at 70"](https://www.variety.com/article/VR1117961416). *[Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine))*. March 19, 2007. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20140102193000/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117961416) from the original on January 2, 2014. Note: Erroneously gives death date as March 7; the [Social Security Death Index](/source/Social_Security_Death_Index) gives March 3.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Oliver, Phillip, [Tallulah: A Passionate Life](http://home.hiwaay.net/~oliver/tbmelephant.htm) (website) ([WebCitation archive](https://web.archive.org/web/20110515071543/http://home.hiwaay.net/~oliver/tbmelephant.htm))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Carrier, Jeffrey L., *Tallulah Bankhead: A Bio-Bibliography* (Greenwood Press, 1991; [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-313-27452-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-313-27452-5), [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-313-27452-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-313-27452-7), p. [146](https://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0313274525/ref=sr_1_1?p=S00H&keywords=The+Boy+Who+Owned+a+Melephant&ie=UTF8&qid=1335279982)).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [Kilgallen, Dorothy](/source/Dorothy_Kilgallen) (September 13, 1960). "Voice of Broadway". (Syndicated column) via the [Schenectady Gazette](/source/Schenectady_Gazette). p. [16](https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1917&dat=19600913&id=OWgtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=44kFAAAAIBAJ&pg=572,1878053). The youngest film producers in the United States — 22-year-old Peter Gayle, Saul Swimmer and Tony Anthony — are negotiating for the film rights to [Arthur Miller](/source/Arthur_Miller)'s '[\[A\] Memory of Two Mondays](/source/A_Memory_of_Two_Mondays)'.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Saul Swimmer: Director-Producer"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110714105132/http://www.mobilevisionusa.com/bio_saul.htm). MobileVisionUSA.com. Archived from [the original](http://www.mobilevisionusa.com/bio_saul.htm) on July 14, 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Carrier, p. [146](https://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0313274525/ref=sr_1_1?p=S00H&keywords=The+Boy+Who+Owned+a+Melephant&ie=UTF8&qid=1335279982)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** pp. 31-32 Goodman, Fred *Allen Klein: The Man Who Bailed Out the Beatles, Made the Stones, and Transformed Rock & Roll* HMH, 23 Jun 2015

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["\[Victor Miller\] Autobiography"](https://web.archive.org/web/20081202005510/http://www.victormiller.com/autobiography/index.html). Victor Miller (official site). Archived from [the original](http://victormiller.com/autobiography/index.html) on December 2, 2008.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-miami_12-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-miami_12-1) Smiley, David (March 19, 2007). "Saul Swimmer, 70: Television, Rockumentary, Movie Director". *[The Miami Herald](/source/The_Miami_Herald)*. Swimmer, who worked on the documentary for more than five years, used rare footage of a Marley performance that was found in a London storage vault that had been bombed by the Irish Republican Army, he told *The Miami Herald* last year.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["*Bob Marley & Friends*"](http://www.miamifilmfestival.com/2006/detail.asp?filmid=F06-067). Miami International Film Festival. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20070627060348/http://www.miamifilmfestival.com/2006/detail.asp?filmid=F06-067) from the original on June 27, 2007. Retrieved August 30, 2011.

## External links

- [Saul Swimmer](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0842664/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier))

- ["Cinema: Sweet Sounds: *The Concert for Bangladesh*, directed by Saul Swimmer"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110524004539/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,944505,00.html?promoid=googlep). *[Time](/source/Time_(magazine))*. April 17, 1972. Archived from [the original](http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,944505,00.html) on May 24, 2011.

- Suarez, Greg (December 12, 2001). ["*Queen: We Will Rock You*"](https://web.archive.org/web/20020606194307/http://www.thedigitalbits.com/reviews2/queen.html). TheDigitalBits.com. Archived from [the original](http://www.thedigitalbits.com/reviews2/queen.html) on June 6, 2002.

- Fricke, David (October 23, 2005). ["Harrison Show Revisited"](https://web.archive.org/web/20071002110009/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/8652068/harrison_show_revisited). *[Rolling Stone](/source/Rolling_Stone)*. Archived from [the original](https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/8652068/harrison_show_revisited) on October 2, 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2017.

- ["13 Questions with Ron Millkie"](http://www.campcrystallake.com/interviews/ronmillkie.htm). CampCrystalLake.com. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20071219144459/http://www.campcrystallake.com/interviews/ronmillkie.htm) from the original on December 19, 2007. Retrieved 2014-01-01.

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND WorldCat National United States France BnF data Spain Netherlands Artists MusicBrainz

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Saul Swimmer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul_Swimmer) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul_Swimmer?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.